Sirs, We Would See Jesus

Whatsoever things ye desire, when ye pray, believe that you receive it. [Blank spot on tape.] ... and we're so [unclear word] Thou hast promised to be. We have come here to meet with Your people and to fellowship around Your Word. We pray that You will bless our every effort, that You will save those who are lost. We realize that we're living in the shadows of the evening. Time's about over now. There may be a few souls yet left that You would want to come into the kingdom. We pray that You will help us to glean those out, during this meeting.

And we pray that You'll heal all Your sick children that's so needy. May Your great presence just be with us, night after night, and day after day. Forgive us of our shortcomings and help us as we come closer to the end time, that Thy Spirit will deal with us more presumptuously. Grant it, Lord, for we ask it in Jesus' name, Thy Son. Amen.

May be seated. your wonderful city, and to be over here. I was asking a cab driver, coming from the train station, a few moments ago, what was the population. I said, “About five hundred thousand? I suppose about like Louisville.”

He said, “I think it's three million.”

And I said, “Well, that's the way it goes, you know.”

And I understand that this is just across the river from New York City. That's very fine. Wonderful place, and we had a few meetings in New York, and the city of New York. And we find wonderful people wherever we go because they're God's people. And so we're always happy to be associated with such people.

We're a little late tonight to begin the service. Last night I had the coldest ride I ever had. I got on the train at Louisville, and they picked the train coach that I was to ride in to come up here, and they said, “There's no lights in it right now.” Said, “There's something went wrong. We'll fix them at Cincinnati.” Cincinnati they fixed them, and they went out again, and there was no heat in it. So we had really a rough time, and come in three hours and something late, this afternoon ... or, late in the evening. So we were fortunate to get here. So we find out you got plenty of snow, so that goes good with the eastern states in this time of year. I like it.

Only about two weeks ago I was in Miami where everybody was in swimming. And then come here. But someday all the curses of the earth will be lifted when Christ becomes King, and then we'll have no more cold weather, or hot, sultry weather. And God's people shall rule and reign forever on the earth. We're so happy and looking forward to that time.

And now, to be here with my good friend, Brother Hudson and Brother Joseph Boze. And this is supposed to be my vacation. This fall I started a vacation; I like to hunt real well, so I went out west to go hunting. The party that I went with, including myself, all broke down with this here Asian flu. We didn't even take our guns from the cases, and come back home.

Then a little later after.... I said, “Well, the Christian businessmen who sponsors my overseas meetings, and so forth, they was going to take me down the River of No Return.” Just when I got down the River of No Return, a plane come over and I thought, “That's strange, a plane.” You only see one plane, or hear it, once a day, well, it's in the evening or night. About eleven-thirty the mail goes over. It's so rugged (the mountains) until the planes can't get down in that place.

But here was a little plane just about a mile high. And I was standing out fishing on a rock, and turned around and went back; dropped a little parachute. Howard, my brother, had just passed away; they was trying to get word to me. I rushed home. And in about two hours of time they had the funeral. Many of you remember Howard, has been up here in New York with me. The Lord had showed his going six years ago. He would be the next one to go.

Then I said, “I'll go over to California and have this meeting, Lakeport. I'll come back home, and then I'll take a little vacation.”

When I got back home, they called me, said, “Brother Bosworth's dying in Florida.” Well, I went to Florida last week to see Brother Bosworth. And the Lord had spared his life, and so when I got back I thought, “Well, my, honey,” said to my wife, “I'm going to take a little vacation.”

That's right about then in about an hour, Brother Hudson said, “Brother Branham, please come up here.” Brother Boze got on the phone, and well, there you was. And I said, “Well, honey, hold Christmas holidays, please. I want to be home a little bit because I'm going to Africa this summer, and overseas, to be gone practically all summer.”

And so up come ministers and I said, “I'm sorry, brother. I'm sorry, I just got to have....” Well, Brother Daugherty come up (a good friend of mine from down in Kentucky), said, “Brother Branham, I'm glad to take the holidays.”

I said, “Well, my wife and children is too.” So, but ... finally talked me out of it. So I had to be down there. So there's no rest for the weary [Bro. Branham laughs.], weary. Well, someday across the river we'll rest—across the river. How true.

Now, tonight I am, as usual, I'm here to be your brother, to help you in anything that I can, towards spiritual grace of God, to instruct, to help Brother Hudson and those in the church and the call. We're not here with any denomination. We don't have any denomination. And we're just here to be your brother and your friend. And there's no barriers, or race, creed, or color. See, we're just all one in Christ.

And so we want you to feel real at home, and invite your pastors and them, if they don't.... Some of them has already called me and apologized that the meeting come so quickly—just a little farewell meeting for our brother here before going overseas. And they apologized to have their own meetings going on at this time, while we're here.

But we just come in to have, maybe.... If one person gets saved, it'd be worth all the cold rides and everything else. That's right. That one person might hit the mission fields and save ten thousand people before Jesus comes. That's right.

So now, just want to talk a little because you got plenty good preachers. You're not needing preachers up here, but I will class myself as a spare tire. You know, you always carry a spare along, what if you have a flat. Now, we haven't got a flat, but we're going to use a spare maybe for a little bit.

And each night now.... And I believe Sunday afternoon, it's the close here. And Sunday night in New York City ... Brooklyn. I get it all mixed up. It's all New York to me, just every better bit of it. And so Brooklyn's where we'll be at for Sunday ... for Sunday evening service.

Now, tonight I just want maybe to.... Billy, my boy, Brother Hudson caught him at the hotel and said, “I want you to go down and give out some prayer cards.” If we'd knowed there'd just been this many, we wouldn't be.... And Billy come back and said, “Daddy, you can't give out prayer cards, not enough people there to give them out to.” I think he said he give out about twelve or fourteen prayer cards, something like that. He said there wasn't many gathered in yet. Cold weather.

You know what? Down in my country, you wouldn't get anybody out in this kind of a night. They wouldn't come. It's too cold. And so we.... But we'll just pray for the sick anyhow. I won't keep you very long. And then tomorrow night, if the Lord willing, I'll preach tomorrow night, the Lord willing. And also a prayer line, if the Lord leads, just pray for the sick.

And now, the reason sometimes that we give out prayer cards.... I got my two tape boys here, Mr. Mercier and Mr. Goad here, and they have their tapes, and they tape the meetings. And they have them, they sell them, just at a real close margin of what they cost. They go with me everywhere I go, and they got many of the great services. And if you have a tape recorder, I'm sure you'd appreciate these tapes. And so them, or if Billy can't get here, one of those will give out cards each evening ... night, rather. Well, I guess it's evening.

I get this thing all mixed up. When I get up here, I have to watch what I'm saying. Down in the south we have breakfast, dinner, and supper. Up here you have breakfast, lunch, and dinner. I feel like I'm short a meal when it comes time. I didn't get my supper; I don't know.... We southerners may be just a little odd, you know, to Yankees up here, but the war is over now. The war is over. Now, we're all together with war on sin, and on sickness.

And I want to read just a little bit tonight. And there might be some people here that, perhaps, I have never seen in my life. Perhaps is. Never been in one of my meetings. Frankly, I don't know anyone by face at this time. I believe this man, brother here, with the beard, I believe I've seen him somewhere. I might be ... not be sure.

Have you been in one of my meetings, brother? I thought I remembered him by having a beard and hair. He reminds of Brother Ryan. What about that, Gene, doesn't he look like Brother Ryan? You remember Brother Ryan? Just such a wonderful, dear friend of mine from up in Michigan. Just gone to be with the Lord recently.

But now, I want to explain.... How many is here wants to be prayed for tonight? raise up your hands. Let's see. Well, I guess then that'll be fine. We'll just pray for the sick then. I'll just get me something else maybe.

Let's see, I want to read a verse of Scripture here anyhow, found in the 12th chapter of Saint John, 20th verse. Very familiar, but just to get a background to talk on healing.

... there were certain of the Greeks among them that came up to worship at the feast:

The same ... therefore came to Philip, which was of Bethsaida of Galilee, and desired him, saying, Sirs, we would see Jesus.

Now, that's a very familiar little scripture, but I'd like to ask this in this little group, “What if this was the last night they would ever be on earth?” Do you know (before we close) I got a message that I had here not long ago in California on: The Handwriting On The Wall, and about the modern sputnik, if it's in the Bible, and so forth, and what it means to this generation in the hour that we're living. And I trust that the Lord will let me speak on that before going and leaving the meeting.

Now, we're at such a late hour, and such a time that there's nothing in the world that counts outside of Christ. There isn't a thing that you can put your hands on but what is natural and it will perish, but Christ the invisible One is the only thing that's eternal, that we have tonight. It's Christ, and we love Him.

And so now, if He was in Brooklyn ... or, Newark tonight, if Christ was in Newark, New Jersey, tonight, what would you look for? What type of a person would you look? Now, we know that the Bible teaches in Hebrews 13:8 that He is the same yesterday, today, and forever. Well, now, if He is the same, now He.... If He isn't the same, rather, well, then the Scripture is wrong. And if He is the same, there ought to be some way that we could know that He was here. Don't you believe that's right? If there's some visible way that we could know. I believe that He was human, I believe He's been arrested in a human race. He died for them, gave His life for them.

And now, if I would go across the street.... I seen a sign when I was over there, across the street, of a brother that has services over there called ... I forget just the name now; I was just reading it when I come up. If I go ask the brother, “Do you believe that Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever?”

He'd say, “Yes, sir, Brother Branham.”

If I'd go down the next corner to another brother or wherever, each one of them would say, “Yes, I believe that He is the same yesterday, today, and forever.” If I'd asked this group of people here tonight, Christians I presume, “Do you believe He's the same yesterday, today, and forever?”

You'd say, “Yes, Brother Branham, I believe that He is the same yesterday, today, and forever.”

Then if He is so great, and He is the same, and they seen Him in the days yesterday, then why can't we see Him today? That's what I wonder. Now, if He is the same.... There's only one thing different in Christ than when He was in Galilee, is that tonight He's in a spiritual body instead of a corporal body.

Now, when He was here on earth, He said, “I am the vine, ye are the branches.” Now, the vine doesn't bear fruit. The vine only puts the energy into the branch, and the branch bears fruit. You don't gather fruit off of the vine. You gather it off of the branch. “Every branch in Me that bringeth forth not good fruit” (Saint John), He cuts it off, prunes it, the church, and whatmore.

Now, the fruits of Christ, when He was here on earth.... The things that He did when He was here on earth, He promised that they would be done by His church after He left: “The works that I do, shall ye do also; greater works than this shall you do; for I go to My Father.”

Greater: if anyone who knows Greek, knows that that word greater doesn't mean that it would be in quality; it means in quantity. In other words it would be, “More than this shall you do,” would be the way we would read it. “More than this shall you do, for I go to My Father.”

Great, because no one could do any greater work than He did, because He raised the dead, He stopped nature. He done everything that could be done. And He stopped the roaring sea, made the winds be still, raised up the dead after they were done corrupted in the grave, and no one could do greater in quality. But being that His Spirit would come into the church and would reach out, it would be a universal church, all around the world, and they could do more of the same things that He was doing.

Now, then we look [Blank spot on tape.] watch what type of person He was. When we find Him, He wasn't different from any other man to look at. He was so, well, we would call it simple dressed and so forth, till He went among men and no man knowed Him any different from anyone else hardly, but only His disciples. Something He would be talking of, and He would walk right among the people and they didn't know who He was, because all men dressed just alike.

If we would be looking for Him, we wouldn't look for some great high priest, and dress altogether different to make Himself look different from anybody else. He'd just be a common, clean dressed man if He lived today. And that's the type of a person He would be. He wouldn't be so cultured and so highly educated until no one hardly'd know what He was speaking about. The Bible said, “The common people heard Him gladly.” That was just people like you and I. We were just common people.

The Bible is written in such a common language until the scholars and educators, they'd take a word like this, they'd say, “This word means so-and-so, and so-and-so.” Come to find out, it was spoke in the everyday street language and they missed the meanings of it.

Well, you know what? In my times around the world, you know where I needed an interpreter more at than anywhere else was in London, England. Yes. I thought I spoke English till I got there. And I realized that I didn't speak English. No, I couldn't understand nothing they were saying; they couldn't understand me.

One time I was in Miami, and I called up here to New York. Someone was on the phone and I had a connection, and the little operator at the south couldn't make this little northern operator understand what she was talking about. And they had to break it down in St. Louis and get one to interpret it between the north and south, right here in America. That's right.

Well, Jesus spoke with such a plain everyday language that you'd hear on the street. And now, if you'd try to use a very high scholarly English interpretation of the.... Look where we would be tonight. My, if I'd sit up here with some great.... Well, you might understand me, but ordinarily just the run of the people wouldn't understand, if you used such high grammar, good grammar.

So God did it that way because He said He would hide it from the eyes of the wise and prudent, and would reveal it to babes such as would learn. God is not known by how much education you have. God is known by what faith you have. God is not known by science, neither is He knowed by any culture, but He's knowed by faith. And through grace He projects Himself to His believer. It's through an act of grace that God projects Himself to the people.

If we would start to follow Him for a little bit, then we would know more about what type of person we would look for. Well, we know His birth (as we're going to celebrate that soon, the Lord willing, at the Christmas time), how He was born in a manger and so forth.

But then we find out that that wasn't just exactly the Christmas story. Many times, if you'd read the Bible, we find out that this Christmas story had ... going to Mary at the manger, and a little baby. That's fiction.

You know the wise men didn't come to no little baby. They come to a young child, two years old or better, you see. The Bible said they killed all the children from two years old down to get Him. He was around two years old. But we have all these little things that just becomes a little fictions and little stories that we told; however, in it all, God is glorified.

Now, we want to see Him at His work. Now, Jesus was born for one purpose, that was for God to manifest Himself through that body. God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself. He was a body that was made visible, that men and women could see what He thought, and His expressions to the people, and His gratefulness, and His attitude towards all mankind. He expressed it through Christ.

Christ seemed to be a duel personality. He would speak sometimes and they'd scratch their heads, and they didn't understand Him. He'd speak one thing one time, look like, and something else another time. What it was, was Jesus speaking, and then Christ speaking. Jesus was a man. Christ was the God that was in Him. “Not Me that doeth the works: My Father that dwelleth in Me, He doeth the works,” see. God will not share His glory with no one.

So it all comes by the Spirit, but Jesus was a virgin born in order to tabernacle the Holy Spirit of God first to manifest Himself to the people, and He gave His life, a willing sacrifice that through His righteousness, we unrighteous people might have a right to come into the fellowship like He had with the Father before the foundation of the world. If that isn't grace and glory, what He did for us.

Then to think that the day that we're living in that so many people cut off that privilege from the people. Why we're living millions of miles below our God-given privilege. Right. The church of the living God should never be divided. We should be one and together.

We should never live under our privileges as we are today. The great powers of God lays within the reach of every member of the body of Christ. “Whatsoever things you desire, when you pray, believe that you receive it, and you shall have it.” And it shall be given to you.

I was reading in the Lexicon the other day, over there in Luke at that Scripture I was just quoting. The original gives it: “When thou prayest,” he said.... Here's what I want to get to. He said, “If ye should say to this mountain, Be thou plucked up and cast into the sea, and believe in your heart that it's being done....” Believe that it is being done.

Now, lots of people, they say, “Pray for me, brother.” All right, “Lord, help this dear brother.” Give a prayer card, and best you can. And he's seen others healed, night after night, time after time, but, “I didn't get it, I'll try it again tomorrow night.” Oh, my. You discredit God. You discredit His Word.

Watch. “If you believe in your heart that it's being done.” Maybe that mountain looks just exactly like it always looked, but in your heart you believe it. There might not be but one little grain of sand, but something is tearing loose. Something is beginning to take place (see), when we believe that it's being done. But you see, we just want something spontaneously that we're going to.... And what do we get? Left out. Left out. Because it weakens. In a few nights I want to get onto that, on faith, the Lord of hosts in you, see.

But now, to see Jesus. Now, we find out that when you see Jesus, you see God. Said, “He that's seen Me, hath seen the Father; why sayest then, 'Show us the Father?'” John 14. When Thomas said, “Show us the Father, and it'll satisfy us.”

He said, “I've been so long with you, and you don't know Me? When you see Me, you see My Father.” The Father was in Christ ... in Jesus, expressing Himself to the world.

Now, we watch Him at His beginning when He was baptized with the Holy Spirit, at the day when God came in to dwell in Him, when John baptized Him with water. He went straight into the wilderness, and was tempted of the devil. Don't you see just as soon as a spiritual blessing actually happens, look for the devil to stand there right then, to rob you of it if he can.

Now, he took Jesus through every twist that could be taken. He got Him real hungry first. He said, “If Thou be the Son of God, turn these stones into bread.”

Jesus come right back, with not His power, not His gifts. When all the fullness of God dwelt in Him, but He didn't use it. He brought it down to where the weakest of Christians could have the privilege of using it. He said, “It's written that man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God.” There you are. “Man shall not live by bread alone.”

Then Jesus was taken under temptation to the pinnacle of the temple, and said “Perform a miracle for me. Let me see it done.” You see, that same enemy lives today. “Let me see something. Let me bring you somebody, and you heal them for me,” see. It's the same devil.

The devil takes his man, but never his spirit. God takes His man, but never His Spirit. The Spirit that was upon Elijah, come upon Elisha. From Elisha to John the Baptist, on down. The same Spirit that was in Christ is on His church, and will be till Jesus comes to unite that body with His in glory. Certainly.

Never his spirit, but his man. Satan comes down with a religious man, just as religious and renowned as he can be, and he'll work through him to persecute the church of the living God, take his man, put it upon another. Look at those Pharisees and Sadducees: What scholars they were, how educated, how smart, how holy. They had to be born of a certain lineage. They had to come out of a certain tribe. They had to be so scholarly and so holy, but yet rejected Christ.

And I say it with respect, but the same things take place today. God is moving with His Spirit through the earth, doing signs and wonders. And listen here, my friends, I don't want to scare you, or harm you, but I want to tell you the truth. You're looking for something to happen that has already happened. The next thing's the coming of the Lord. It's went right over your head. You didn't know it. Remember the day you're living in. Take heed to what you're listening at. Wake up yourself.

A few days ago I was speaking. Someone come for an examination of that picture of the Angel of the Lord, and they was referring to it as the same Angel that led the children of Israel after this famous play you got here: The Ten Commandments. Cecil DeMille tried to put that play on of those ten commandments.

The pillar of fire that led the children of Israel, that was the Angel of the covenant, which was Christ. When He was on earth, He said, “I come from God, I go to God.” And when He.... Before He came to be the Son in Spirit and flesh, He was the Pillar of Fire. He returned back to the same thing.

Paul, when he was on his road down to Damascus to persecute the church, there was a great light hung before him that put his eyes out. No one seen it but Paul. Christ can appear by here tonight, and one can see it and the other can't see it. He reveals Himself to who He will.

But He's had His picture taken now with the mechanical eye of the camera: here in Germany, and around over the world; and it's proven, hangs right here in Washington, DC, now, there at the hall of religious art. The only supernatural Being that was ever photographed. What is it? It's Him expressing Himself that He's here. And you're going to wake up too late.

There wasn't a newspaper packed it, not a magazine got it. Why? Why didn't they get it? God can't be in this day any more than He was. They never knew who Elisha was till Elijah was gone. They never knew who Elisha was till he was gone. They never knew who John was till he was beheaded. They never knew who Jesus was till he was dead, buried, and rose again.

They never knew who Saint Patrick was (The Catholic church persecuted him.) until he was dead and buried. Then they canonized him a saint. Saint Francis of Assisi, what we would call today a walking preacher, with a Bible under his arm. The Catholic church, he protested it and they hated him. But after he was dead, then they canonized him a saint.

Joan of Arc, who saved France, a spiritual woman who saw visions and prophesied, the Catholic church burned her as a witch. Right. And said she was a witch and burned her. A hundred years or more after she was dead, they realized that she was a saint. Oh, they done penance, sure: They dug up the priests' bodies and throwed them out in the river. That was a penance. But just the same, they didn't recognize her until she was gone.

And so is it today. The Holy Spirit's moving among the people, with great things and showing Himself, even letting it be known, and they won't realize it till it's gone. They don't realize that God has promised the truth. Say, “Well, when is He going to do these things?”

That's what the disciples said about John. They didn't understand, they said, “Why said the prophets Elias must come first?”

Jesus said, “He has already come, and you didn't know Him.” He can't be one thing in one generation, and something else in another. He's got to continue the same.

You look, Jesus is here now, and this is your opportunity. This is the day of salvation. Now is the time. Call upon Him, see. This is the hour. This is the time of deliverance. This is the time God is calling out His people. Not another time; now is the day. Manifest Himself, showing Himself.

Then here we come tonight before this fifty or seventy-five people with a challenge that He's raised from the dead. If He isn't I'm an awful person. I am a deceiver, if Christ hasn't raised from the dead, and will meet wherever two or three gathers together, according to His Word, then I'm found a false witness. And every other preacher is too, that preaches the Gospel.

Can you get people to listen to it? Certainly not. Jesus said, “As it was in the days of Noah, so will it be in the coming of the son of man.” They mocked, they scoffed, they made fun. So did they.... Look at the people when Lot tried, before the destruction of Sodom. He went and tried to tell them, but they said, “Your idle tales.” They wouldn't believe it.

So He's got to do the same thing today. Here's my message, that's truly unadulterated Gospel and Scripture, and the people have to reject it to fulfill the Word. Although no matter what He does, they still won't believe. The Bible said that though He had done so many miracles among them, yet they could not believe it because Isaiah said, “They got eyes, they can't see. Ears, and they can't hear, that they might see with their eyes, and hear with their ears and be converted.”

We're living in a wonderful time for the believer. And we're living in a terrible time for the unbeliever, because he's rejecting. And remember, the very thing that destroyed the world, saved Noah. And the very Gospel that they're laughing at today, will rapture the church and destroy the unbeliever. [Brother Branham coughs.] (Pardon me.) How true.

Now, we're in the last days. When Jesus, at the closing of the Gentile dispensation.... I'm not a much of a dispensationalist, but I know that there is a dispensation of the Gentiles. Jesus said so in Matthew 24. And now, at the end of the Gentiles, I believe this revival that's just struck, is showing the end of the Gentiles.

Jesus said, also, in Matthew 24, He said, “When you see the fig tree and all the other trees, putting forth buds, know the time is nigh, even at the door. This generation shall not pass, until all be fulfilled.” Just think of it. Not only was the Jews, the fig tree, to put forth its buds, but the other trees.

And every church has had a revival and have been for the last few years. The Pentecostals, you've had a revival. The Baptists has had a revival. The Presbyterians has got a revival. And the Jews are returning to Palestine. “This generation shall not cease, until all be fulfilled.”

A generation is forty years. Ten or twelve years of it's already passed since it become a nation on May the 7 ... May the 6, 1946. We're at the end time. Jesus promised these things for the last age. We're a privileged people to hear them. Don't pass them by. Enjoy them. Receive them. Tell others. Embrace it.

God doesn't live in glamour. God lives in humility. Glamour comes from Satan. He lives in humility. When He was here on earth, He become the humblest among men, the poorest among men. Who was it wanted glamour? Satan. He wanted his kingdom greater than Michael's, so he set it up in the north, tried to outshine it, son of the morning.

Now, notice when He was here then, after His temptation started, He went through and endured His temptation. Why? How? Through the Word. Stay in the Word. We got a day. I know there's not many here, but I'd like to express this. We got a day when the world is getting full of.... You can see the thing is about over.

The world, what would be spiritual has become isms. The world, what would be spiritual has become a place where it's went off onto fantastics and emotions and so forth. They don't stay with the Word. The Word is God's way. God's Word will endure. It'll stand the test at any time. But we go off on little emotions, and excitements, and everything, and that's what kind of a trouble we get into.

Now, let's watch Jesus in the beginning and see what takes place now. We see Him the anointed Messiah. Walked out there, He's having a meeting. The first thing, the people begin to come. He was praying with them, and results was taking place. That was Jesus yesterday. If He's the same, that's the kind of a meeting He'd hold today. Not a place denying the powers of the Father; He would be proving the powers of the Father, if He's the same yesterday, today, and forever.

Now, we find out He's having a meeting; there was a man by the name of Peter come to Him. Jesus had never seen him. And He said, “Your name is Cephas ... or, Simon, the son of a Jonah ... son of Jonas, rather. Your name is Simon, the son of Jonas. But hereafter thou shall be called Peter.” What a strange thing that was.

“You mean to tell me, You knowed that my name was Simon, and that my father's name was Jonas? And then You're going to nickname me now, and call me another name, 'little stone'?” It kind of startled him. But it was the truth. That was Jesus yesterday. If He's the same yesterday, today, and forever, He has to do the same today in order to be Jesus. That was a fisherman of Galilee.

We see then in Saint John, I believe, the first chapter, we find out there was a man by the name of Philip who got saved, gave his heart to Him, become His servant and follower. And the first thing you know, he goes and finds another man who was a friend of his, a very good church member. And he lived around the mountain several miles. His name was Nathanael. So Philip goes over, he finds Nathanael and said, “Come, see who we've found.”

Now, watch. Now, Nathanael represents the entire Jewish nation, believers. So he finds Nathanael and he said, “Come, see who we've found, Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph.”

And he said.... This Israelite was down under the tree a-praying. And when he got up, he said, “Now, wait a minute, Philip. Could there be any good thing come from Nazareth?”

And I think Philip give him the best answer that anyone could. He said, “Come and see. Be satisfied by yourself.”

I imagine along the road as they talked, he said, “Now, Nathanael, when you go, you know what the Messiah's going to be. The Messiah is going to be Jehovah veiled in flesh, shrouded by a body. He's going to be born of a virgin, says the prophets. And He's going to be a man, but He's going to be the God-man. And God knows all things. So this Messiah is going to be a wonderful man. And we know that this Jesus of Nazareth is the Messiah.”

I can hear Nathanael say, “Now, you wait till I go. I'm going to find out just for myself. And then I'll give you my opinion after I get to talk to Him awhile.”

Well, Jesus was having a group of people being prayed for, we'll say. And the next day, here comes Nathanael up with Philip. And they stop out into the audience somewhere or maybe they got in the prayer line to come up so he could meet Jesus. I don't know how it was.

But however, when he got in the presence of Jesus, Jesus looked over at him, just a common Jewish man. And He looked over at him, and He said, “Behold, an Israelite in whom there is no guile.”

Well, it so astonished him. I guess he wondered, “Who told You that? How did You know me? Have You ... somebody been talking to You about me?” That's the way God is. He knows you. He knows what you are. He knows what you are made of. He understands you.

He said, “How did You know me, Rabbi? How did You know me?”

And Jesus said, “Before Philip called you yesterday, or whenever it was, when you were under the tree praying, as it was, I saw you.” What eyes, through a mountain thirty miles away. Looked through a mountain and saw him on his knees praying. It proved what He was.

Then that so astonished this Jewish Orthodox believer, until he said, “Rabbi, You are the Son of God. You are the King of Israel.” What was he? The chosen, the selected, the foreordained, the predestinated of God. By the foreknowledge, God before the foundation of the world knew he would be there. God is infinite.

Somebody tell me what the word infinite means. You couldn't explain it. He's omnipotent, omniscient, all powerful, infinite God. He knew every flea, every fly. Before the world was created, He knew it would be that way. He knew this meeting would be tonight.

There He is. And when He comes in the presence, there in the body of His Son, Christ, this Jewish believer said, “Thou art the.... Rabbi, Thou art the Son of God. Thou art the Christ, the Son of God.” Now, look at the real Orthodox teacher which stood by. Now, when they seen this miracle performed, they said, “This man is a fortuneteller. He is Beelzebub. He is the chief.... He's the greatest of all the fortunetellers. Now, His inspiration comes from the devil. And the devil has made Him a king. And now He comes down to deceive our people with these things.”

What did Jesus say to them, them teachers? Why, He said, “You can speak that against the Son of man, He will forgive you. But when the Holy Spirit is come (what we have tonight) speak against that, and it'll never be forgiven you in this world or the world to come.” Then what position do we sit in tonight, what are we, to reject Christ.

Now, we have churches and we have great things, which we appreciate. If it was any kind of a church that speaks the name of the Lord Jesus, blessed be that church. I don't care if it's Catholic, if it's Protestant, if it's Jewish, whatever, if it's ... if it's Seventh Day Adventist, if it's Russellism, whatever it is. No matter what it is, I'd rather see them trying to do something for God, than out on the street, living in lust and things like the world's a doing. Certainly. But, brother, in all of this, there's got to be somewhere, there's got to be a showdown to truth.

I believe Christ will honor each believer in each church, whoever has their heart right with God; God will honor that person, Catholic, Protestant, whatever he might be. God knows your heart. Now, you can't hide it. God knows your heart.

Now, we will notice Him. Now in that day that's what that Jew said. He represented every believing Jew, 'cause the believers had gathered to Him. Jesus said, “Wherever the carcass is, the eagles will be gathered.” That's right. They gather to Him.

Now, let's take Him over for one more statement to the Samaritans. Now, this is Saint John the 5th chapter. Now, we find Him going up, but He was going to Jericho. If anybody knows geographically, Jerusalem sits on a hill, Jericho is in the valley.

And on His road going down from Jerusalem to Jericho, He'd went right straight down. But He had need to go up by Samaria. Now, Samaritans was half Jew and Gentile. They were a mixed bunch of people. Why did He have to go up there? What was the compelling something that was driving Him up there?

Did you ever know men that are led by the Spirit of God can't understand their own selves. They are driven by a force that sometimes they think, “Why did I ever do that?” But it's God working in them. Sons and daughters of God are led by the Spirit of God.

Look at Simeon in the temple that morning, when he was promised by the Holy Spirit that he would not see death till he seen the Lord's Christ: Came right out in the temple, led by the Holy Spirit, right straight to that little virgin standing there with a baby in her arms, wrapped in swaddling cloth, and picked that little baby up in his arms, and said, “Lord, let Thy servant depart in peace according to Thy word. For mine eyes have seen Thy salvation.”

Look at old blind Ann. Anna in the temple, a prophetess, waited for the consolation of Israel. And she served the Lord day and night in the temple, by fasting and praying. And being Spirit led, she come by the Holy Spirit, blind, right straight and picked up the baby and prophesied over Him for those who waited for the consolation of Israel.

Jesus led by the Spirit, went up to Samaria and sent all of His disciples away to get victuals in the city. That was when John got angry with them because they wouldn't sell them anything to eat, and wanted to burn the city up. Later become the disciple of love.

Now, we find that while he was gone, a young woman.... We believe in this country to be a woman of ill fame. She came out to the well to get water. While she was at the well to draw the water, she looked over, sitting against the little panoramic, something on, maybe a scene like this, and there sat a middle-aged Jewish man, sitting there.

He was about thirty-two or thirty-three years old, but according to the Scripture, He looked to be around fifty. They said, “You say that You've seen Abraham and You're not no more than fifty years old.” See, His work might have put that look on Him.

He said, “Before Abraham was, I AM.” That wasn't Jesus. That was God in Him speaking out, that He was in the burning bush back there at the beginning.

Then we find that this woman, as she looked.... Jesus wanted a conversation with her. He said, “Bring Me a drink.”

She said, “Why, it's not customary for You Jews to ask Samaritans such.”

It was the law of segregation. They didn't want any fellowship together. And Jesus let her know that that wasn't right. He said, “But if you knew who you were speaking to, you'd ask Me for a drink, and I'd bring you water you don't come here to draw.”

She said, “Our fathers worshipped in this mountain, and you say at Jerusalem.”

And the conversation went on till Jesus contacted her spirit. And when He seen then what the Father sent Him up there for. He knowed something was going to happen. It hadn't happened all along the road, so He waited till He got there, and sent His disciples away, and said, “This must be the woman.” That was Jesus, the man. But God, the man in Christ, knowed what He wanted. He just led His Son by the Spirit.

So then God goes to work and begins to use His own Son's lips to speak. He said, “Go, get your husband and come here.”

She said, “I don't have any husband.”

He said, “You're saying well, because you've got five husbands, and the one you're living with now is not your husband. Thou has said well.”

And listen what she said. What did the Orthodox Jew say when He done that miracle on him? Was that a miracle He done on Philip ... or, Nathanael? Knowed where he was at the day before. Was it a miracle He done on Peter who knew who his father was, and what his name was, and so forth? Now look, that was the Jewish. Now, let's see what the Gentiles is going to say ... or, the Samaritans, which is half Jew and Gentile.

Said, “Now, Sir,” this woman said, “Sir, I perceive (He knowing I had five husbands) ... I perceive that You are a prophet.” Now, listen to her words. “But we know,” the woman said, “we know when the Messiah cometh....” You believe He was Messiah? “We know when the Messiah cometh, He will do these things. He will show us all things. And we know He'll come, but You must be His prophet.”

Now, wait. What did the Jew say? “Thou art the Son of God. You're the King of Israel.”

What did the Samaritan say? “Now, we're looking for such as that to happen, but it has to come through the Son of God. The Son of God when He comes, the Messiah, it must come through Him. But you must be His prophet.”

He said, “I am He that speaks to you.”

And on this, she run into the city, and said, “Come, see a man that told me the things that I've done. Isn't this the Messiah? Isn't this the sign of the Messiah?” If that was the sign of the Messiah at the closing of the Jewish dispensation, it's the sign of the Messiah at the closing of the Gentile dispensation, if He's the same yesterday, today, and forever. Right.

Before He left the earth.... (Our time won't permit me to go further.) But, before He left the earth, He said, “The works that I do, shall you do also.” The same thing. “Yet a little while and the world won't see Me no more.” That's the world order. You see, “The world won't see Me, yet ye shall see Me, for I will be with you (How long?) to the end of the world.” Jesus Christ the same yesterday, today, and forever.

One more little scripture. I'll quote it quickly. Saint John 5, the next page over, the 19th verse, when He passed by many crippled people, healed one man laying on a pallet. He knew that that man had been that way for many years, see. He knew he had been that way. He healed him and walked away and left great multitudes of lame, blind, halt, laying there. What? Yes, left them there.

And what happened? Why, they questioned Him about the man packing his bed on the Sabbath and so forth. And Jesus said, “Verily, verily, I say unto you, The Son can do nothing in Himself: but what He sees the Father doing, that doeth the Son likewise.” That was Jesus yesterday. If He's the same today, He'll do the same today.

There was a little woman who had no vision, but she had a leading, and she went down to where Jesus was at at the seashore. She had a blood issue. She touched His garment, for she said in her heart, “If I would touch Him, I'll be made whole.” She goes back amongst the people, sits down or however she was. She might've stood up however it was.

Jesus turned and said, “Who touched Me?” Now, He didn't know. That was Jesus speaking, the Son. “Somebody touched Me.”

And Peter rebuked Him, he said, “Well, all is touching You. Why do You say, 'Who touched Me?'”

He said, “But I've gotten weak.” The word virtue means “strength.” “Virtue went from Me,” or “My strength went from Me. Somebody touched Me.” That was the Son of God.

Well, you say, “Oh, Brother Branham, I wish I'd have lived in that day. I'd liked to have touched Him.” This is that day. “Is that scriptural, Brother Branham?” Absolutely. The Bible said that He is a high priest that can be touched by the feeling of our infirmities.

How would you ever know you touched Him, if there wasn't something that come back and told you? See, faith is not something.... It's not a myth. Faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence that something has happened of things not seen. It's not just a make believe, and say, “Well, oh, yes. Hallelujah, I got it.” That's been too much in you Pentecostal people to begin with. You're rejoicing about something that you don't have.

Faith is absolutely a substance. It's not a hope. Hope is.... Faith is the substance of things hoped for. But when faith takes it, it becomes the substance that you hope for, (see) the evidence of things not seen.

One of the managers, Dr. Vayle, and I was arguing that for an hour and a half the other day. He tried to say hope and faith is the same thing. I said, “No, no. Hope is what you're looking for, and faith is what you got by hoping.” That's right. Certainly. It's not a hope any longer when you've got it. It's yours. It's in possession. You got it just as happy as you can be, for it is the substance of things hoped for.

Now, this little woman said within her heart, her faith said, “If I can touch Him, it'll satisfy me.” Amen. Oh, I wish we could have that faith in Newark tonight. “If I can touch Him.” Could you do it? Yes, He's a High Priest, ever liveth to make intercession, that can be touched by the feeling of our infirmities. Touch Him and find out whether it's right or not. See if we're just saying this to be standing here. See if the Word's right. If that's not right, where are you? What hope could you build yourself in?

I'm an American. I love my country. But everyone sees that boogie-woogie and rock-and-roll and sin has brought it to a place till it's ready for judgment. Don't you think we're going to escape it. There's a sputnik waiting yonder, and one of these.... What would they do if they get up in that plane, that thing tonight and roar right around here? They could do it if they want to. What could we do about it? We're five years behind them. Roar right around here and fill them things full of missiles, five hundred miles off the earth where you couldn't touch them.

Look at ours. When they sent it up there in Florida, it fizzled out a few feet off the ground. We're attending the rock-and-roll parties instead of tending the Bible and getting ready for the coming of the Lord. Sure, we're at the end time. They could say, “Surrender or you'll be ashes in five minutes.” We'd surrender, too. Then what's going to happen? Oh, I love Him. He's wonderful.

But remember, before this happens, the church has to go. Amen. So we're at the end time. We're right in the shadows of His coming right now. I'm so thankful to see that He's come down to prove His Word. If it's before a dozen, or it's before a million, but it'll pass right through the people, and millions will never know about it. It always has been that way, and it always will be that way. Then you'll wonder sometime, “Well, I didn't.... I really didn't know it.” Got eyes, but can't see.

Watch Him now, as this woman touched His garment. And she received. Jesus looked all around, said, “Who touched Me?”

Peter said, “Everybody is touching You.”

He looked around, He said, “But I got weak, somebody.... Oh,” He said, “it's you. You with the blood issue there, your faith has saved you. It's all over now.” That was Jesus yesterday. And when He left, He said, “A little while and the world won't see Me no more, yet you'll see Me, for I will be with you, even in you, unto the end of the world.”

Now, my beloved friends, that's either the truth or it isn't the truth. If it's the truth, we ought tonight to be the happiest people this side of the heavens. If it isn't the truth, then, well, what can you believe? Now, I know people try to bypass that and say, “Well, that was for the disciples, and that was for this, and....” They did it in the days of Elijah. They did it in the days of John. They did it in the days of Jesus. They'll do it right now just the same, see.

But there is a group of people that God by foreknowledge, has opened their eyes of understanding and they can see. God grant it will be you, tonight, and me. Now, if He will return.... Not return, but He's already returned. He's here in Spirit, been here since the day of Pentecost, in the form of the Holy Spirit to work in His branches, to show forth His goodness.

What if I told you tonight that there was a great spirit in me, the spirit of this outlaw Dillinger? What if I said I had Dillinger's spirit? You'd better come search me, I'd have guns, I'd be dangerous to be here.

What if I told you that the spirit of some great artist was in me? I'd come here and I'd say, “I have the spirit of some great famous artist.” I'd take this down here and put up another picture; in a few minutes music go to playing, and I'd paint you a picture that you'd sit there and gasp to look at, if I had that spirit in me. Sure.

What if I had the.... Whatever spirit that's in me governs me and it works, and does just exactly.... I do what the spirit that's in me makes me do. And if we're Christians, the Spirit of Christ is in us. Then He'll be just exactly like He was back there. Certainly. He'll have leaders, he'll have children that understands the leader. He'll have people that....

If the Spirit of Christ is in you, you'll recognize the Spirit. Didn't Jesus say so? “My sheep know My voice. A stranger they will not follow.” Well, you say, “I don't believe in that kind of stuff. I don't believe in healing and stuff.” My dearest friend, I'm afraid then you're not a sheep, see. Because Christ, His sheep then heard Him, they followed Him, through every age they followed Him.

He was then like He is today. He is today like He was then. The people are today as they were then, so there was some that would receive Him. Some could not receive Him because they couldn't understand it. May the Lord grant that we'll understand tonight.

And even in this little group of people.... Now, remember.... You say, “Well, Brother Branham, do you think He would come in this little group of about maybe a hundred people?” Why, sure. He'll come if there's only one. He'll come anywhere. Certainly.

Just a few minutes before coming up here on the plane ... on train, rather, there was a lady who was in there with a girl. She was in a motel, she'd been over to Brother Roberts meeting and down there in the.... Brother Roberts had prayed for the little girl, and they couldn't find nothing. And, oh, she was in terrible shape.

And my wife kept telling me, said, “Billy, I hope you can get a few minutes.” And they was in the hotels and sitting all around. And I just come up from Kentucky. Twenty-five minutes till time to catch my train. And my wife said, “Please spend five minutes with the woman, will you? If I can get her here.”

I said, “I'll just ... on the road.”

And I run over to the place, the little motel where she was at. I said, “Sister.” She just started weeping, the mother did. There sitting in the room, the Holy Spirit begin to move down, come down, and begin to reveal, and went back and told the little lady something that she'd hid from her mother, and everything like that from everybody. She started weeping, said, “Don't say that, Brother Branham. Don't say that. Don't say that.”

I said, “Stop it.”

The Angel of the Lord was there and begin to reveal it. She said, “That's true.”

I said, “Sister, confess that. That's the only thing that's wrong with you.” She went away happy and rejoicing, said, “Oh, if I'd only knowed this before,” see. There you are, see. It's Christ, God's Son. Let us pray.

Father God, we humbly come to Thee now, thanking Thee for Thy Word. Now, the Word has been spoken. Here's a few people here tonight, Lord, that's gathered in. Many of them are needy, or they would not have raised their hands for prayer. We know that they need you.

And there may be by chance some in here who does not believe, that's sinners. If they are, Lord, may this be the hour when they realize that they're more needing of Thee tonight than all the sick people in the world. Their soul is sick. Maybe they've tried to believe. Maybe they've made believe, but never been a real believer.

And we realize that unbelief is the original sin. “He that believeth not, is condemned already, because he has not believed on the only begotten Son of God.” And You have said this, “These signs shall follow them that believe.” Oh, how thankful we are for that, Lord. And in this day, there's no more guessing; Thou has made Thyself known. And blessed be Thy name for doing so.

Pray tonight, now. I shall try to minister in Thy name. And I ask that in this little group of people that You'll send a faith in here, Lord, that will believe.

Now, Lord, I've just got in, just a little while ago, here in the city, for my first meeting. And I pray Thee, Father, that Thou will help me to manifest Your love to these that You've sent out tonight to hear. I pray that You'll do it. And may these tell others. And may many be saved and healed; we ask in Jesus' name. Amen.

Now, my beloved friends, I'm just.... I promised I wouldn't be late, but I am late, later than usual. We ought to have been gone by now. But just got to talking to you. Tomorrow night I'll be here early, the Lord willing, speak to you on a Gospel subject. Just now tonight, just talking, and you know, we're getting acquainted with each other. And I trust that....

Now, Billy said, I think he said only give just a very, very few prayer cards. And tomorrow night, you go around and get your sick.... [Blank spot on tape.]

Not because.... [Blank spot on tape.] You know better than that, see. I want to see your people healed. We don't [Blank spot on tape.] if they're colored, if they're yellow, brown, if whatever, if they're Catholic, Protestant, Orthodox, Jew, if they're Mohammedans, Buddhists, you bring them. Yes, sir.

I've found, strange.... I wished I had time to say something now. The American people, oh, my dear loving friends, you don't realize how bad off you are. That's right [unclear words] to think of it. I met Brother Osborn the other day [Blank spot on tape] [unclear words] stay here. I said, “I'm going.”

[Blank spot on tape.] ... ism, little cult, and so forth. It's in a place where people don't know what to believe. I feel so sorry for them, my people. My, what can we do? There's nothing, because the Bible said it would be that way. They'd go from east, from west, there'd be a famine, not for bread, but for the hearing of the Word of God. That's right. The prophet said so. It must be.

Now, we're here, friends, tonight. We don't know whether we'll any be here tomorrow, or not. That all depends on God. If you sick people here.... If there's any way that I could do anything to help you, I'd do it. If I knowed you were sick and something would tell me if I'd take a quarter, a peanut and lay out there on that street and push that peanut with my nose around the corner, right in the public square here, it would make you well, I'd do it.

Now, God knows whether I mean that or not. If I'm a hypocrite, I haven't got no business up behind this pulpit here with this Bible. That's right. I know what sickness is. I've had much of it myself, and I know what it means. I couldn't heal you. And there's not another man on earth can heal you. Your healing is already purchased. Healing is a finished work. I have no healing in my hand. I ha.... [Blank spot no tape.]

You must be mistaken, Billy, it must be somewhere else. All right. Just stand right there, lady, just right there. Who has 51? Prayer card 5.... Why, stand right here by the side of the steps. 51. Raise up your hand, would you, if anybody has it, surely. This lady here. All right. 51, 52, 53, 54, 55.

Billy, get an usher and come here just a minute. 55, 56, 57, 58, 59, 60. Let's see now if we got this many here. I believe that would be about ten. 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8. Got two out. Maybe I called too many. Maybe you didn't give out that many. All right. 60. All right. Now, I want to ... I want to ask something.

Prayer card.... There's two missing. There's only eight here. Are you.... You was a usher wasn't you, sir? And this usher too? All right. There's two out yet somewhere between 50 and 60. All right.

I want to ask you something. What does the Bible say? What's always been a confirmation in the Bible? The mouth of two or three witnesses, let every word be established. All right. He's trying to get them lined up. All right. The lady's very sick, would you-all set her on those chairs, Brother Hudson. Someone's holding someone there which is maybe be very, very sick. All right.

Now, 60, 61, 62, 63. That must be as many as there is then. All right. Now just be real reverent. Now, tomorrow night, you get here early, about six-thirty, so it won't interrupt with the rest of the services, and some of the boys will give you prayer cards. You can have them. The reason we give prayer cards, I'll show you. See, here's what it is. Now, tomorrow night, I don't know where we'll start, just wherever the Lord puts on my heart. But, see, everybody ... say, if there's, say these ten people here, these ten to be prayed for. Who's going to be first.

If I get but just one, see, it might be a “three,” you might get “two,” might get “ten,” see. Who would be first, you don't know? Say, tonight, maybe it's fifty out of a hundred here, if there's a hundred. Say there'd be fifty. Well, who's going to be first out of that fifty. We can't get to very many because visions it just.... You know what it does to you if anybody's ever been in the meetings.

So you get ... pass out.... They bring their cards before you, they shuffle them all up together right before you, so we don't ... give you this, this. Everybody that wants them can have them. All right. Then what takes place? They say, “If I get number 1.... If I don't get the first ten, I won't....” Well, it might start at twenty-five, see. So this one may have 1, one back over there have another, way back up here another, see. That way it's just to us, but that has nothing to do with the healing. There may not be one of these people get healed on the platform and everyone of you out there may be healed.

How many now don't have a prayer card and want the Lord to heal you, raise up your hand and say, “I want to be healed.” All right. Only thing I ask you to do then.... Now, here, these people are coming up here. What's that to do? Just get the Holy Spirit ... the people to believe.

Now, you do believe, but you're looking for such a mysterious thing, such a sensation, till it goes right over the top of you, see. Don't look for feeling. Jesus never said, “Did you feel it?” He said, “Did you believe it?” See, not a feeling; a belief, a faith, see.

You just simply like a little child say, “Lord Jesus, well of course, the man just read it out of the Bible, and here it is all through the Scripture. You're just the same through every age. And we see what You was then.” Tomorrow night we'll take what He used to be back in the Old Testament, whatever it is. He's just the same.

So if You're the same, Your works has got to be the same. He said so. But you see, you say, “Lord, is my eyes so blind that I can't see that? Have mercy on me and open my eyes, Lord.” That's when you'll get somewhere. And then like a little child say, “Thank You, Father,” till something happens in your heart. Then when that certain something happens in your heart, then watch what takes place. Watch what the Lord will do.

Now, to you here in the prayer line, you that have your cards, now, I want to ask you something. I suppose that all of us, we're strangers to one another, are we? I don't know you. If that's right raise up your hand, you that's in the prayer line. You know that I don't know you, know nothing about you, raise up your hand. All right. That's good.

How many out there in the audience knows that I don't know you, raise up your hand, you sick people. Now, see I'm a stranger. Now, if there happens to be someone around who never.... I want you to be real reverent. Now, if Jesus is the same yesterday, today, and forever, and....

Is this the lady to be prayed for? Come here. Now, this lady here, I believe.... Did you raise your hand that we didn't know each other? Is that right? Now, here's a perfect case to begin with. Here's a lady that has never seen me, and I've never seen her.

Now, here's a picture that I've talked of awhile ago, a woman and a man meeting for the first time; the woman of Samaria, and Jesus of Nazareth. Now, Jesus, His body, corporal body, has been taken up and sits at the right hand of God. We know that. The Holy Spirit has come back upon us; the Spirit of God that was in His body, is upon us. Is that right? Promising the same thing.

Now, if this woman.... I don't know what's wrong with her. She looks like a good, healthy woman to me. She may.... It might not be for her health. It might be finances, it might be domestic, it might be some other trouble. But now, just watch now and be real reverent.

Whatever her need is, if she will go to talking to God about it, and God will reveal it back to me what she has need of, then who would know, if she's in prayer but God alone. Is that right? Now, you do the same out there. You don't have to be up here. You be right out there, and just go to praying, see if the same thing don't take place.

Now, that's an awful challenge. But I've done that before five hundred thousand at a time, see, of heathens and witch doctors and everything, standing there, would shed your blood in a second, see. Watch Jehovah when He goes to work. Watch what a different attitude. That's what makes the difference.

This is my first visit in Newark. Don't let it go over. Not by me now, see. I'm not talking of myself, I'm talking of Him. Your pastors here represent Him in a certain way. They've been gifted to do that. I'm not a preacher, but this is my gift.

Now, if this sister standing who's a total stranger.... We don't know each other, never seen each other in life, and this is our first time meeting. She's standing there, I've asked her to pray and ask God for whatever she has need of. If the Holy Spirit will reveal to me what her trouble is, what she's asking, would that be the same act that the Lord Jesus did when the woman of Samaria come up, and He knowed what her trouble was? Would it be the same act? Would that prove that Jesus is the same yesterday, today, and forever?

Now, here's our hands, both of us with our hands up. We've never seen each other in life, as far as I know. She might've been in the meeting, but I don't know her. God knows that I don't know the woman. Know no more about her than you do if you don't know her. Now, I don't say that He will, I don't say that He will, but He may. If He does, then you all start believing Him, and see if He isn't the same yesterday, today, and forever. May the Lord grant it.

Now, lady, I just have to talk to you, because after speaking, it's just catching your spirit. That's exactly, to see what you.... I want you in your heart, see, to be praying to the Lord for what you have need of, if it's finances, if it's ... whatever it is, or if it's sickness, or for somebody else, or whatever it is, you just keep praying to the Lord.

And now, Father, I've spoke to this group tonight. I'm at the end of my road. I've tried to say just as reverently as I could what You was yesterday, and saying You're the same today. And now, it's Your time to speak, the invisible God who is omnipresent. I pray that You'll grant these blessings, that these people might be Your servants and serve Thee; in Jesus' name we pray. Amen.

Now, I don't know what your trouble is, and we're just meeting our first time. I'm not repeating myself, but you can imagine what a nervous strain this is at this time, because I'm either going to be found a false prophet, or liar. And if I'm found a liar I've quoted the Word, and what's the Word? Then where're we at, what's the use of having churches?

If we're just going to have churches to go and gather around, try to do good, why don't it be a Buddhist church, why not a Mohammed? Why not just have a simple continuity, anything you want to believe, anything you want to say, just come together, just make it a lodge. But we speak that there's a living God who lives now, just the same yesterday, today, and forever.

Now, He promised these things. I believe Him. I believe Him. And I'm sure you're believing Him too, because (no one probably might not see this) between you and I, there's something has happened. Now, as a mortal being that's got to meet God, if this isn't true just now, something come to you, a real sweet quiet feeling. If that's right, raise up your hand, see.

They probably don't see it, but right around you is that light. And then just to the side of it, is death. And it's a hideous thing. It's a cancer. And that cancer is.... I see him examine it for that, that's in the jaw. A cancer in the jaw. Not showing outside, but it's inside, a cancer of the jaw. That's true, isn't it?

Now, did you hear that voice? That wasn't me, but what it said is the truth. Is that right? If it is, wave your hand like this to the audience. Now, you see what the meaning is? See. That's just the Holy Spirit taking my voice. I just look and what I see, I say.

Now, more you talk to the woman, more would be said. Now, would you like me to talk to her just a little more? All right. Let's just talk again, see. As we just got a few here, and I will just talk to you just a little more.

Now, I don't know what He said, but it seemed like there was a shadow. Now, it's gone from you now. I don't see it at this time. Now, I see the light returning. Yes, yes, it's a lady and she's something in her jaw. Cancer in the jaw. And you have come here with somebody else; a friend brought you here. You're not from here. You're from a place ... Brooklyn. That's right, isn't it? Now, do you believe? Let us pray now.

Dear Lord and Savior, Thou art so true, and Your words are so true. I pray Thee to open the understanding at this people tonight, that they will understand that it's Your presence, Lord, that it's Your Word being made manifest. And You spoke the world into existence with Your Word. And the same word that spoke it into existence, says it'll go out.

And You spoke life, and this woman lives, and Satan is trying to interrupt her with some disease. And I pray with all my heart that You'll remove that disease, and cast away this spirit of disease upon her, and may she go free tonight by her faith in the Son of God. Amen.

Bless you, sister. No room for you to doubt, is there? Just go believing now. Now, do you believe with all your heart? I believe. Is there a way there somewhere? Now, don't doubt. Now, the blessed Holy Spirit.... How many ever seen the picture of it, (Let's see your hands.) the picture of the Angel of the Lord as they taken in ... it was taken in Germany and different countries.

Now, that's right here in our little group tonight. That's here in this little theater building tonight, the same Spirit that walked in Galilee in a man called Jesus of Nazareth, who was the Son of God, who promised these things would be done. Now, here it is again tonight. Now, be real reverent. Be in prayer.

Now, here's another woman. This is more a picture than the other one, for the little scene that we was speaking of, Jesus and a woman. There was a Samaritan woman, which was of another race. And tonight, this is a colored lady standing here who is another.... She's not an Anglo-Saxon. And she's a colored lady; me, a white man. That's the same picture was with Jesus of Nazareth, and the Samaritan woman, see.

How He let her know that there was no difference, all of us are God's children. We all originally came from Adam, and the places we lived in, that turned our skin yellow, brown, white. That had nothing to do. We're offsprings of God. If that colored woman was....

If I was sick tonight, she could give me a blood transfusion. Yes, sir. And if the yellow man was sick, she could give him a blood transfusion. But don't never put animal blood with you. It'll kill you, see. We are.... God has made of all men, one blood. One blood is in all men. Our colors has nothing to do with it.

Now, here's a white man and a colored woman. And I'm a southerner, and she's a northerner. Here we are, brothers and sisters, I trust tonight, in Christ. I don't know. I can't tell. But if we're not, it's only her fault then. Now, if the Lord Jesus will return and will say to this woman, what He did like to the Samaritan woman.... She may have the same trouble. I don't know. We'll know in a few minutes, if the Lord will permit.

Now, let us pray, as I speak to the woman. Now, you don't have to look at me, sister. Just be in prayer is all I ask you to do. And it's not a mind reading, it's just.... You're just a human being standing there. And if the Lord Jesus will reveal to me what you're here for, and what you have need of, will you believe it with all your heart?

Now, if you're sick and I told you, “Oh, lady, 'Thus saith the Lord,' you're going to get well. Trouble is all over.” Well, you might say, “I believe, Brother Branham. I believe I'll take that for His Word.” Well, that would be all right. But that wouldn't be.... You'd just have to take my word.

But if the Lord Jesus is here that'll reveal something that you're in trouble about, or something that you've done in your life that keeps you from getting what you're asking for, or something like that, you'll know yourself whether that's the truth or not. You'll know that. Is that right, audience? You'll know that. And if He knows what was, surely He knows what will be. Now, may the Lord grant, as I look to Him and see what the woman's trouble is.

The first thing, if the audience still hears my voice, I see the woman with her hands up. She, oh, she has spiritual problems that she's in trouble about. That is right, isn't it, lady? It's spiritual. You're all muddled up, as we call it. You can't get....

Here's another thing. I hear you in your prayer, speaking for God to give you the baptism of the Holy Ghost, and you come here tonight after praying, and come here for me to lay hands on you, so that you'd receive the baptism of the Holy Ghost. That right, raise your hand. That's right. That's true, isn't it? I trust that God will give it to you.

Do you believe me to be His prophet? Do you believe I actually saw that? What if I tell you your name is Mae, would you believe me? Your last name's Adams. Is that right? If it is, wave your hand. Now, do you believe it? Now, go, you're going to receive it. Lord Jesus, grant it to her; for I ask it in Christ's name. Amen. Have faith in God. Don't doubt. Believe.

Another colored lady. How do you do? You there. Do you believe Jesus Christ the same yesterday, today, and forever? Do you believe me to be His servant? You were praying or something there. You touched something. It turned me. Now, you're suffering with a kind of sinus, headache trouble. That's right.

And then you're in prayer also for this little boy sitting next to you, with the epilepsy, and you want God to heal him of that. Isn't that right? If that's right, raise up your hand. Do you believe it? You can have it if you'll believe it. You can. Lay your hands on the little lad.

Father God, I pray that Satan will not be able to get by with this. I pray that you will heal both of them in Jesus' name. Amen.

But I still see a man standing beside this woman. She's praying for somebody too. Your trouble is in your spine. You got a spinal trouble. That's right. Do you believe me to be God's prophet? You're praying for a brother. And he's blind, isn't he? Amen.

If you believe it with all your heart, you can have it. O Lord, be near unto this woman, and we bless her. In the name of the Lord Jesus, may she go and receive that what she's asked for; in Jesus' name. Amen. Don't doubt, sister. You'll get better.

Have faith. Don't doubt. All things are possible to them that believe. Are you believing? Now, you out there in the audience, just start praying. Just start praying. Believe.

Now, here is a lady. Is this the patient, brother? All right. I suppose we're strangers to one another. That's right. The Lord Jesus knows us both. Now that feeling, that pulling, coming from the audience, now, what it is, it's your faith.

Now, look, friends, what God does right here, He's doing out there just the same, see. If I would come and pray, anoint you with oil, and whatever more, that wouldn't have.... That would, only thing it would do, was just be your faith. You'd have to believe it anyhow. If you'll just believe right where you are right now, you will receive it just the same. I challenge you to believe.

Now, the lady's standing here. God be merciful to this woman, for she is in serious condition. Her trouble is in her bowels. That's right. And it's paralyzed, and the bowels are shrinking up. You even.... When you do an enema, it just ... the water comes back. You're very seriously. Isn't that right, sister? That's right. All right, come here now. Let us pray. Everyone pray, 'cause this woman must have a touch from God.

Now, Heavenly Father, in the name of the Lord Jesus, the Son of God, I ask for this woman's healing. Thou art God, and a woman You can heal. I pray that You'll grant it to her as I lay my hands upon her, while the Holy Spirit that's anointing, who knows her life, is present; may she be healed. I condemn the enemy that's taking her life. And ask for her life to be extended, in the name of Jesus Christ. Amen. God bless you now. Now, if you believe with all your heart, now, you can have your healing.

Now, what about you, sister? You believe God take care of that thyroid trouble, and make you well? You was praying for that when I was praying for the woman, because standing before me was a redheaded woman, praying, with thyroid trouble. That's right. You're the woman, when you was standing back, there's the light above you right now, see.

Now, if that's right raise up your hand, if you wasn't praying. There you are. All right. Now, you can go and receive your healing. You touched Something. You never touched me. I don't know you, never seen you. You touched Something. What was it? The High Priest, Christ Jesus, who can be touched by the feeling of our infirmity. If thou canst believe. Have faith.

Let the lady stay there just a minute, turn around. Look this way, lady. You don't have to come up the stairs. Do you believe with all your heart? With this serious trouble, do you believe that God will make you well? [Unclear words]. You believe He will do it? I'm going to lay my hands on you and pray.

Father, this woman is in a dying condition. Thou alone can save, Lord. I pray that You'll grant it. May it be known, now, that nothing else can be done, but with her faith. May her faith raise up quickly and touch the hand of Christ, and may she be lifted and filled unto higher heights that she will go from here rejoicing and praising God in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ. Amen. Don't doubt, sister. May your strength mount up, and go be made well and healed. With all your heart, may God grant it to you.

Do you believe God would heal you of the same thing, make you well? That's a horrible thing, isn't it? But Christ, the Son of God, can heal and make well. Come here and let me pray for you. Heavenly Father, seeing this man right under the shadows of death, I pray that You'll be merciful to him and make him well and heal him; for I ask it in Jesus Christ's name and for His glory. Amen.

Now, sir, stop all your habits, see. Because that's what's hindering you now. Don't smoke and things like that. Go on and live for the Lord. And God will make you well. Go believing. Now, have faith in God.

All right. You think God will heal that bowel trouble for you, lady, and make you well? You believe it? All right. If you believe it with all your heart, it won't bother you no more. You touched Something, didn't you, sister? You touched Christ. Amen.

Now, I challenge your faith to believe. I just ask you in Christ's name to believe it, see, to see what'll take place, if you can believe it. I believe that everyone of you can be healed right now.

See, that's what alarms me, see. This is what gets me, see.

When I can see the Lord Jesus with His blessings come right down, and me take it page by page by the Bible, saying, “This is what He did. Here's what He promised. Read it yourself. This is what He said He'd do when He come. This is just exactly what He....” You read it right through.

I challenge you then, and say “Believe it.” He'll come right down and do the same thing that He did then, prove it right straight back over, and yet he walked out just the same as he walked in. Can you see that America is finished? The Spirit has gone from the nation till the only thing's left is just a little bit of emotion. That's right.

Don't the Bible say that this will be the Laodicean age? What was the Laodicean age? A lukewarm church. Just enough that could be a little emotional, and that's about all there is to it. You see, dance while the music's a playing and start all over, just drop down, see. Oh, we ought to be on fire, our hearts a-burning. Christ is coming.

What has the devil done to us? He just moves you down to a place until you just seem like, “Well, it's all.... Well, bless God, here I am.” See, that's the trouble of it, friends. Please believe Him. Have faith in Him. Believe it with all your heart, and say, “Yes, Lord, I receive it. I accept it.”

If the little bitty things right in this meeting would've took place in Africa tonight, you know what would've took place? There wouldn't be a feeble one among us. That's right. A Hottentot, he don't know which is right and left hand. That's right.

I offered one prayer, and Dr. F. F. Bosworth estimated and counted as it went through, twenty-five thousand healings after three people had been on the platform. Seven big truckloads of crutches and wheelchairs and things was took off of the ground immediately after prayer was made. Seven big cattle trucks full of clubs and stretchers and things.

And you colored people that's been here, that was your people. That was your people in Africa who doesn't have the things that you have. They don't even have clothes to wear. And I can't understand how that they think that civilization brings Christ. You got it mistaken. Christ brings civilization. And these civilization that we have today is not Christ controlled.

Let me ask you something. Women each year are taking more clothes off each year, till you get down till it's a horrible thing to see young and old on the street. And you go to church and call yourself, some of you, sanctified people, and with the Holy Spirit, church members, supposed to be elect. And each year you take off your clothes, ladies.

And when them raw heathens with not nothing on, a belt, no clothes up in this way at all. And as soon as they was converted, doubled their arms like this to walk out. If Christ to a heathen who didn't know any different, a thing that condemnation that let them know they're naked, what about people who's supposed to know Him, and civilized? Something's wrong somewhere. And I'm sure it's not with Christ. It's our modern civilization.

You see, right now when Christ doing what He.... I challenge anybody to prove that's not the Bible, and that isn't Christ. You can't do it. It is Christ. Then if He's present, what's the matter with us? We should be rejoicing and thanking Him and accepting our healing and saying, “Yes, Lord, I reconsecrate my life to You. I want to love You. I want to do everything I can.”

It ought not to come to where a minister has to tell you to do that. It ought to be coming from your heart. Not through a psychological, intellectual conception, but through a heartfelt expression to Christ. Amen.

I guess this is the man. I don't know you, sir. We're strangers to each other. If the Lord Jesus will reveal to this man.... Here's a Nathanael now, a man standing here, a Nathanael. If the Lord Jesus will reveal this man's trouble, would you be willing to accept Jesus as your healer?

Now, don't pinch your flesh, but pinch your soul with the Word. “Wake me up, Lord. Open my eyes. What's the matter with me? Am I missing this? What's that preacher trying to get to me?” I'm trying to get this that you....

You say, “Well, Brother Branham, I belonged to church for years.” But you'll die in your sins, see. What is sin? Unbelief. See, if quickly you receive it and accept Him and praise Him and say, “Thank You, Lord,” let it be done. Walk right out of the building tonight perfectly well. If you're not, you're as good as well if you've accepted your healing in the seed form, by the Word, see. That's what....

I'm afraid that these big cities needs a lot of teaching. I'm sure they just worked up on emotions and so forth till they need real Scriptural teaching, how to receive it. One of these days, God willing, before the end comes, I want Him to let me get a great big place here somewhere where I can stay for a couple, three months, or a couple, three, four, or five weeks or something, so we can just stay right into it and just stay with the Word. [Audience starts clapping.] Thank you. God grant it.

Now, this man sitting here. If the Lord Jesus will grant this to this man.... Are we strangers to each other, sir? We are. We're strangers. If the Lord Jesus will show this man, show to us what he's there praying for, how many in here say, “I'll accept it right then. I'm right now going to open my heart and turn my face right towards Christ.” May the Lord grant it.

Got trouble in his neck. Is that right, sir? Raise your hand, see. Now, that can't be guessing. That's the truth. That's got to be truth. He's the judge. Now, how did I know it? I saw him. What did Jesus say to Philip? “I saw you. Thou art an Israelite in whom there is no guile.”

Said, “How do You know me?”

Said, “I saw you when you was under the tree.”

Let's talk to the man just a little longer. Will that satisfy you if the Lord will tell something else to him? Let him be the judge. I'm only just looking, sir, to see what would take place. Yes, you have other troubles. Right. It's trouble with somebody else. It's your brother. And your brother's at home with a nervous breakdown. Do you believe?

Not only that, but I see some sort of a institution appear here. It's your mother. She's in a mental institution. Do you believe? Now, put your hands on each other. Lay your hands, while you got hands up like that; you raise your hands to Christ. The Lord bless you, my brother.

Father God, give him the desires of his heart. May he go tonight and receive everything that he has asked for; in Jesus' name I ask it. Amen. God bless you. Go home and believe.

Now, to you people here, God has promised these things. I'm here to help you, friends. Why would I leave my home, my little children? Why would I come here just at Christmas time, when I'm gone all the year? Why would I come here for this purpose? I feel that maybe the Lord would help me to help you, see. And that's what I'm here for, see.

No matter if you're a little bitty group. You say, “Brother Branham, you say you preached?” Yes, sir, to a half a million at a time, see. That's true. Tens of thousands. Don't make any difference if there's only three of you. It's where God can use, or do something.

Now, this is your visitation. Believe me as your servant, as your brother. Now, if you have need of anything right now, while His presence is here.... This weakens me. You could understand, if the Son of God saw one vision and said, “Strength went out of Me,” what would me a sinner saved by grace, what would it do to me? Certainly. And it's just day, in and out, because He promised, “More than this shall you do, for I go to the Father.”

Now, believe Him with all your heart, and you'll receive it. Now, you sick people, all that's sick, raise up your hand. All that's been sick. Now, you sitting by them, lay your hands over one another, the sick and the needy there. And let's pray together now for Father to heal. Now, just believe it with all your heart.

There's a lady that.... Right there, lady, sitting, the elderly lady right back there with her hands up. Yes. Put your hands on her there if you will. And over here there's some people too with their hands up. Lay your hands on each other.

Now, young and old, while your heads are bowed just a moment. I wonder if there be a sinner here that would raise up your hand, or stand up to your feet, a sinner would say, “I now want to accept Christ while I'm in His presence. I've always wanted to do this, but tonight I now believe with all my heart that He's here, and I want to accept Him as my personal Savior.”

Would you stand to your feet, a sinner that's never accepted Him before and you.... A sinner is an unbeliever, of course. And now you may be a church member, but you'd still be a sinner if you disbelieve, see. Now, I don't mean intellectually believe. I mean from your heart believe, see. And if you are, would you stand?

I suppose there's not one, for that I'm thankful for. I believe you'd be honest and do it. Now, let us pray, all together; all you people who know how to pray, you pray with me now.

Heavenly Father, we now come and bring this people to Thee in the name of Thy Son, the Lord Jesus. We come because that we have been bidden to come. And now, in His presence as we stand waiting for the Holy Spirit to take the Word, and plant this Word right down in their heart. You're here, Lord, Your great Spirit just moving over the audience. Now, heal each one.

And I say to Satan who has bound these people with sickness, do you not understand, Satan, that you've lost the battle? Jesus the Son of God is present. We charge you by a commission of the Holy Spirit, that you leave every person in here. Come out, Satan. In Jesus Christ's name go from this audience, and these people might go home free, and go eat their meals, and enjoy health again. For Jesus Christ promised it. And we now take the initiative, by faith we believe it, in Jesus Christ's name. Amen.