The Sign Of The Time

Let's remain standing if you will just a moment for prayer. Lord, we thank Thee for Thy goodness and mercy. For all that Thou hast done for us, we are grateful to Thee. And receive our thanksgiving. And we pray, God, that something will be done in these next few nights that will lay the foundation of a great revival to sweep this country. Grant it, Lord. We know that that doesn't lay within the reach of mankind: only by You, our God.

Trusting, Lord, that we have found favor and grace with Thee. And now, open our ears and our eyes and our understanding, that we might know how to follow Thy Spirit, for we ask it in Christ's name. Amen. Be seated.

First, I would like to say that my son just told me that tomorrow night they were planning a healing service, and the prayer cards would be at the afternoon service and at six o'clock at the auditorium. He come early so they could get the people settled down before the service has started.

Then I want to say that ever who that brother is, here, that sent us those fish yesterday, we certainly enjoyed them very much. The whole group of us had a, I guess you'd call it a gastronomical jubilee last night, about eleven o'clock with some of the finest trout I ever had in my life. And I was hungry, because I don't eat before these services. And then, I was really hungry afterwards. And we certainly appreciate it, brother. I don't even know your name, but I sure thank you.

I'd like to make a—(What was his name?) Carr? Harba. I'd like to make an appointment with you to catch some of those someday. It was certainly fine. And we appreciate it. First time I ever seen any brook trout, pink, but it was really, they were fine.

We thank you all. And I didn't get a chance, because I didn't know that they had did it, till it was too late. The other night, they taken a love offering for me. I certainly appreciate that. I've tried to keep my record clear of offerings.

I've been in the ministry twenty-seven years and never took a offering in my life. I pastored the Baptist Tabernacle at Jeffersonville for seventeen years without one penny salary or taking an offering of any kind. I was the State Game Warden of Indiana, and I worked for my living.

Money's kind of an odd thing to me. It's all right. We have to have it. And my expenses at home is not much. I've tried to keep my services into a place to where they wouldn't run heavy. You take.... If I'd just let it go, why, I might've been under a big obligation. My obligation's about.... Well, my office is about ... I imagine a hundred dollars a day will clear me up.

Well, you say, “That sounds like a whole lot, Brother Branham.” What do you think Brother Roberts' runs each day? About ten thousand. What do you think Billy Graham runs? I've seen it run twenty-five thousand a hour. So you see, it takes a lot of money. And I can't obligate myself like that; my ministry doesn't call for it. I want to just keep it humble so that if the Lord would call me to a church of four or five people, I could go.

And I just held a revival in a church that held twenty: had a two night's revival in a little church that held twenty people. It was pathetic: cold weather and the people standing, sub-zero weather, but it was a.... But I felt the Lord sent me there, and there He raised up some preachers from it.

So I just wanted you to know that I appreciate everything that you do. I've got a wife and three children. And I have a big obligation at my office, because we get thousands of letters. You know how it would be, not just one city, the whole world over. And we have four phones that we can answer by, and it's estimated around forty calls, long distance calls per hour, twenty-four hours a day. Now, you can imagine how that runs.

And then, I send out thousands and thousands of little prayer cloths around the world. And I'm not home too much, but I pray over those cloths, though. Now, the letter that.... If you want one, you're welcome to it. Just send.... Everything's free. Don't have nothing. We don't have no radio programs, no television. Only thing we have is just the Lord Jesus, and He blesses it. We come to be a help to you. And I'm not wanting your address; it's hard for me to pay for secretaries to answer letters. But everything is.... You want one of those little cloths, we pray over them and send them out by the thousands, over the world. And you're more than welcome to one, just as quick as we can get it to you.

Now, I used to say many times, the storms never get too hard, and the rain never falls too fast, and the night never gets too dark, but what I would come to you to help you. Well, I have to be careful, saying that now, because there's too many. But any time that I could do a favor to you, or do anything to help you, and make life a little better, a little sweeter, that's what I'm here for. And I'd love to do it.

Now, remember tomorrow night's closing service. And I certainly thank these people for what you've done to us. And on this offering that they give, I don't know what it was yet; they haven't told me, but it'll certainly go to the best of my knowledge, for the kingdom of God. And everything, I just don't have to use.... Every penny I get a hold of, that I don't use right in immediate work, God knows it goes right straight to the mission fields, just as hard as it can. Because I know I'm always right. I know what it takes for missions. And you're following general orders, then: “Go into all the world, preach the Gospel to every creature.” And I certainly want to be a true steward of what the Lord has given. And part of that money was some of your living, and I respect it just as reverent and honorable as it can be.

I want to show you, my wife not being here, I can say this. She usually gets after me—my little tricks, you know. I remember one night, coming home, one little thing that I did; it always stuck with her. I was changing clothes in the room, we just lived in two little rooms, and I taken off my uniform. It has big red handkerchiefs. You brethren know, in the woods.

And going over to the church that night, I'd forgot to pick up the hankie she had laying on the bed. And I just stuffed this big red handkerchief down in my pocket. I was over at the tabernacle, preaching away, and I got kind of perspiring, I jerked my handkerchief out to shake it like this, you know and [unclear words.] Well, I said (her face real red), I said, “You know, I'm afraid of them little ones. I'm afraid I might swallow one.”

And then once, I was going to take up an offering. And you know how poor people get: you get to a place you can't make ends meet. Did you ever get that place? I still get them. And I thought, how are we going to do it? And I said to the wife; I said, “I'm going to take up an offering over at church.”

She said, “I will go over and see you do it.” Now, not they wouldn't do it. Certainly they would, they'd give me anything they had. But I was able, and strong, and working, and preaching two or three times a week, so, what of it. I could make my own living.

And so I went over, and we didn't have a offering plate nor nothing. There's an old fisherman by the name of Mr. Wisehart. He was one of the deacons in the church. And I said, “Uncle Jim, I want you to get my hat. And folks, I want to ask you a question.” I said, “I've hit a kind of a tough place, can't make ends meet. You got a nickel or dime in your pocket, drop it in the hat, kind of help me.” Well, some of them crying....

And I looked down and I seen an old woman that always prayed for me. She wore one of these little aprons. Do you women up here ever wear a apron had a pocket on the inside, you know, a little—on the inside of the apron. She reached down and got one of them little bitty pocket books with snaps on top, reaching down there for those nickels. Oh, my, I couldn't do that. “Oh,” I said, “I was just teasing. I didn't mean it.” And that's the closest I ever come to taking up an offering. I couldn't have taken her nickels. I couldn't have done it.

There's a little old man come down from Benton Harbor, old Brother Ryan. Just went home to glory. Not the John Ryan now, that was healed at Fort Wayne, blind, where the Jewish Rabbi's from. It was another John Ryan.

He rode a old bicycle down there, and he gave it to me. And it was backslid. Oh, I wouldn't say, “backslid.” It was just wore out. It was just in a bad shape. And it was out there, and I went out to the ten cent store and got me a can of paint, painted it up, and put a sign on it, “For Sale.” Sold it. Didn't have to take up the offering after all. That was the closest I ever come of taking an offering. But I certainly respect it, and the Lord bless you richly.

Now, we want to go right straight to His Word, then let you out as early as possible tonight, for tomorrow night, we are expecting exceedingly, abundantly, especially for the sick and afflicted, so get them out tomorrow night.

Let us pray. Author of this Book and of eternal life, open to us the inspiration, Lord, that goes with this Word. And may we learn to live by the Word and by the Spirit. And may it be to us tonight a correction and a making ready for the coming of the Son of God.

Forgive the sins that's been committed among us today, God. And inspire the ministers that's in our midst tonight to take new courage. Give us all of Thy divine blessings, Father, as we submit ourselves to Thee for the hearing of Thy Word. And may we have fellowship around the same, for we ask it in Jesus' name, Thy Son. Amen.

I want to take a little text. Which I was intending on preaching something else, but this just come to my heart, awhile ago: Daniel 5:25

And this is the meaning of the writing. MENE, MENE, TEKEL, UPHARSIN.

We are opening our text tonight in Babylon. And we have this under consideration for just a little while. And if you'll give me your attention and your heart to the Holy Spirit, may He interpret this for us: “The Sign Of The Time.”

Babylon began in the beginning of the Bible. Genesis is the beginning of all things. And Babylon was found in the first of the Bible, and it's found in the middle of the Bible, and it's found in the last of the Bible. So I think it would do us good if we went back and found out where this great city, how it was established, and where it's located, and some things about it, so we could get an idea of what our text and reading means tonight.

Babylon is located in the valley of Shinar. And it was built by Nimrod, a son of Ham. And Babylon, the city of Babylon, was the greatest city in the known world. The word Babylon, first, means “it was the gate of paradise.” Secondly, it was called confusion, which means “backslidden.” And the city is a great place. All the nations around paid tribute to it. All of them was taxed by Babylon. And it become a very wicked and indifferent city.

We are told by historians that it was one hundred and twenty miles around the city of Babylon. That would make it thirty miles on each side. And the streets of Babylon, which ordinarily in the days gone by, they didn't make big broad streets. They made them narrow.

Like in Oslo, not long ago, I went down to the main part of the city, and it was so narrow that an automobile could hardly squeeze its way through, because it was made for chariots, before they had automotives. And we are told that the streets of Babylon were two hundred feet across. And the gates of the city were made some eighty feet tall, of solid brass. And the walls were two hundred feet tall, and was wide enough on top that they could run three chariots, abreast, a horse race around the city.

And it was also the great city had gardens, great gardens all along these walls. And the palace sat in the center of the city. And every street led straight to the palace. Rome's built the same way: which is called by our Bible, “modern Babylon.” And all roads lead to Rome; all streets led to the palace.

And the palace was built where the river Euphrates, which irrigated this great Shinar valley, coming down from the Tigris and irrigated the valley; it was a great rich country. And this river was built ... or, the throne was built, rather, so that the river run right along in front of the throne.

Now, if my friends here, you Bible readers, understand that that was a pattern of the heavenly throne. The river of life flows by the throne of God and the great garden. So you see, it was a perverted version of glory, which belonged and was built and brought up by Satan. Like all other kingdoms of the world are ruled and governed by Satan.

Now, we know that that's hard for us to believe that our nation is that, but the Bible said that it is. All the kingdoms of the world belong to the devil. He's the ruler of them. Jesus, once when Satan showed Him the kingdoms of the world and said—Satan said —“All these are mine. I do with them whatever I want to. If You'll fall down and worship me, I will give them to You.”

Jesus knew that He was going to fall heir to them in the Millennium, so He said, “Get thee behind Me, Satan.” When Jesus takes over these kingdoms, we will stack arms and never have no more wars. We will have no more fights or troubles, or no more sickness, sorrow, or death, when Christ takes over the kingdoms of this world to sit on His father David's throne, to rule all nations. Until then, we're going to have wars and rumors of wars, pestilence, and earthquakes, and sickness, and sorrows, and sin.

But this great city, and it was a great city, it had in it was a very beautiful type of the world today; for it had the greatest scientists there was in the world, was in this city. The greatest army that they knowed in the world was in this city. The best fed and best dressed people knowed in the world was in this city. And all of the rest of the known world in those days, looked to that city for their example.

If that isn't modern America, I don't know where it is. The best scientists, as we think, best dressed people.... And not only that, but their agriculture programs, they had the best; why there's nothing, hardly, in the world today to compare with that valley now. You can raise almost anything there: perfect irrigation. They claim that the garden of Eden was located near there. And it is a great city. And strange that when God goes to doing something for people, then they get indifferent towards God.

I believe it was Solomon (No, I hardly think it was Solomon. It might've been.) that prayed one of the greatest prayers, when he prayed like this: “Lord, don't make me poor enough to beg or to steal, and don't make me rich enough to forget You. Just let me have the comforts of life.” And when we get more than that, we begin getting away from God nine out of ten. And when the nations of the world become great, and become self sustaining (they think), they begin to move away from God.

When men begin to multiply upon the face of the earth, sin and violence set in. Some of you people living here in this lovely little city that you live: It would be hard for me tell you the sin and such that's in these big cities like Chicago, New York, and Los Angeles.

Flying over to Los Angeles recently, I took a paper that the hostess give me in the plane. And I seen where a hundred and eighty-five major crimes was did in the city of Los Angeles each night: a hundred and eighty-five major crimes. And immoral was on the loose. And they claim that perversion, homosexual, had increased sixty percent over last year. Think of it! And then weigh it with what God said, “As it was in the days of Sodom, so shall it be in the coming of the Son of man.”

And mothers write me letters of their boys that's lived so ungodly in their young life and these teen-age racketeers until their natural bodies, and so forth, is polluted and perverted till they live with each other, hotel rooms and places. You just don't realize, people, what a condition this place is in. It's a million times worse than you could just conceive. You don't get it on the radio and in the papers. Certainly not. You have to go see it to understand it. And what does that?

We were in Switzerland just recently in a meeting, and such an indifferent people, I never seen. Oh, they were very religious. On Sunday morning you'd think the Millennium was on: the bells are ringing everywhere for hours. But cutting feathers with scissors, and throwing spells on one another, and selfish, and indifferent....

I picked up the paper the next morning after Billy Graham's meeting. He ended on Saturday, and I begin the same place on Sunday. And they said that they did not send for him to come. Said he had to stay in the best hotel there was in the city. That he went to the pulpit, like going to a band box instead of the pulpit, not a wrinkle in his clothes. He put a manicure in his hair, or whatever that stuff is, waved his hair. And said he swung his arms like a fantastic American soap salesman. And said the perfume on him, you could smell him ten feet away.

I knew I had it coming. What they would say about me? And it was worse than that. They said I was a polished up soothsayer. Why? That's the condition of a nation that gets to a place where they can live in luxury. They haven't had a war since Arnold Von Winkelried's time. And cross the border into Germany, where they'd been beat to the ground. They come crawling humbly. They were ready.

Visited Finland, where the little boy was raised from the dead. Even their songs are in minors, lovely, willing to receive Christ. Cross that into Norway where Hitler machine-gunned that whole bunch of men, took the whole nation down in about twenty-four hours. Crowds of people on the street, all young widow women. Everything was sincere.

Then come right back into Sweden.... Oh, indifferent. Excuse the expression, but the American expression is “cocky.” You just get off the streets. Big dances on the street and everything, all night long, nearly. There you are. When you prosper, you forget God. That's just the trend of the land. And that's the same thing took place here in Babylon.

Although they knowed different because they'd had a revival a long time before that, under king Nebuchadnezzar. They had a supernatural ministry down there in Babylon, days before. So have we. And they had signs and wonders among them. God delivered three boys from a fiery furnace one morning. They throwed a prophet in the lion's den, and the lions would not eat him. They knowed about the supernatural. They knowed about God, but they were unconcerned, because they felt self-centered, self-sufficient. And that's about where we've got today: self-sufficient. We don't need anything else. Oh, the Bible said, “Thou art wretched, miserable, blind, poor, and naked, and don't know it,” in this age that we're now living.

Now, notice, in this time with these great big high walls, no nation could jump them walls. They was all fortified. Besides that, they had the greatest army in the world. And they had the best chariots, and they had the best spearmen, the best trained men. So they felt like that they could just live anyway they wanted to. And that's become the condition of this nation.

Now remember, I love this nation; it's my country. When I passed through France and Germany, I walked over graves of dead Branhams who died for this country. It's the greatest country in the world, but she needs a shaking. And no matter what we do, God's going to judge this nation. A just God would have to do it. He burnt Sodom and Gomorrah up for the same sins that we're doing now. And if He let us get by, to be a just God, He'd have to resurrect Sodom and Gomorrah and apologize for burning them up, if we get by without it.

Oh, you say, “But our forefathers, they did so-and-so.” Well how about the Jews? When God told them, they were His nation and His people; but when they got out of line, God punished the Jew. And the Gentile will get the same. It's coming to us. Now, watch the scriptures as we come to them; may the Holy Spirit unfold them.

Now, in this great city they had a lot of revelry, and ungodly living, and women, and prostitutes that's called concubines, prostitutes, Hollywood girls. And they had a [unclear words] back there in them days. And one day they had.... Their king was a big time playboy, or a real good Elvis Presley. And he decided that he would have a big rock-and-roll party one night. And he made everything ready, so he just sent out some invitations to the celebrity of his kingdom, because he said, “Nothing can bother us. Oh, them old fogy tales they tell us about certain things: nonsense. Let's eat, drink, and be merry. Let's have a good time. We are modern; we must live modern.” When you live modern, you live hellish.

Look at our modern day and compare it with that. And so he said, “We will have a great party,” in one of these great gardens that he had. So I can imagine him getting everything ready. He made it like a real modern telecast. So he got it behind the palace, and he sent out the invitations. And all the young ladies and young mothers, they got somebody to baby-sit for them, because they were invited to this party. And all the soldiers was going to be there, and they were going have a great time, just like modern America.

And so, I could imagine getting their little low neck waists and low backs and you know, like they go to these parties; they call it, “evening gowns” or whatmore.

You know, one time in the Baptist church, I was preaching. And I've always.... I've got a little piece of paper I should've brought. I believe it was out of “Reader's Digest.” It said a woman that'll strip her clothes on the street like that, in front a man, disgraces the whole woman race. That's right. It degrades them. No wonder they don't have no respect no more. They've brought it on themselves, dressing themselves out on bathing suits and getting the suntan back, they call them.

I got two girls. I don't know whether I'll live or not, that's to God.... If they ever stretch themselves on a beach for a sun tan, they'll get a sun tanning; it won't be from that sun, but it'll be from Mr. Branham's son, with a barrel slat, bringing them in just hard as I can. Oh, it's a disgrace to think that our nation is polluted.

And here in this great day, they got ready for the great party they were going to have. And they made ready and got all the whiskey, and the Oertel's '92, or whatever they had in those days, and brought it over to the place in the palace. And they were going to have a great big time: “Of course, it's just a little innocent fun.” Sure.

So while they got over in the place, and the evening lights begin to burn, and they lit the candles around. And they all got into drinking and carrying on and having a big time. And the music was playing and the dance was going on. They were having a great time. And after they got drinking a little bit, and the women got kind of disorderly and didn't care what the men did, they were throwing around on the arms of these drunken soldiers; and maybe somebody at home, taking care of their baby. You say, “That was way back in heathen land.” That the way in United States. Sure is. And maybe pop's sitting at home rocking the baby, while his wife, being a beautiful woman, was invited to the party, and he become a baby-sitter. Maybe it was vice versa: Dad was a popular jitterbugger, so he was invited, and mama stayed home taking care of the baby. It works both ways. Sin is horrible. It works through both male and female. One's just as guilty as the other.

And when the party got in good swing, and all the tinsel, and this modern Arthur Godfrey begin to pull off his little jokes, you know. So he had a great time. And the women singing and carrying on, they thought they were safe. They had everything they needed. They was self-sustaining. So you know how these Hollywood guys try to pull off these jokes. It's a disgrace that they don't censor them programs. Take those little girls, not twelve years old, out on the streets, and the boys with their arms around them, smoking cigarettes, walking down the street, trying to impersonate some old prostitute out of Hollywood.

And the children of this United States of America, can tell you more about Wyatt Earp than they could about Jesus Christ. They can tell you more about David Crockett than they could about Jesus Christ. They're taught, and trained, and call it modern. It's a disgrace to our very heritage of our forefathers who landed on Pilgrim Rock and set this as a nation. It's a disgrace to the God of heaven, who has blessed us.

What makes the people act the way they do? They see it on the television, in the shows, in the papers, and so forth, and try to impersonate.

Let me go into your home. Let me see what you read, listen to what kind of music you listen to: I can tell you what you're made of, what's on the inside of you. That'll come out.

I was preaching at our tabernacle, some time ago. And oh, the Holy Spirit got into the meeting, and some woman begin weeping with her hands up. And a couple days afterwards, I met a Sunday school teacher from the First Baptist Church. He said, “Billy, I was standing outside.” (They don't like me too well because I preach divine healing. I preach the full Gospel, what Christ died, a full Gospel, a full redemption.) And he said, “I was enjoying your message till that woman begin to cry.” And he said, “That just made shivers go up my back.”

I said, “You mean that dear, sainted, old mother sitting back there weeping and made shivers go over your when she was rejoicing in the Spirit? If you'd ever get to heaven, you'd freeze to death, boy. You're going to hear plenty of it when you get there, because the Bible said so.”

Then he got all excited because the First Baptist Church has a ball team. And I heard them over behind my house a screaming till you couldn't hear yourself think. And I said, “What was all that noise over there?

He said, “You know Charlie Nolan?”

I said, “Yes.”

He said, “He hit a home run, and three men on base.”

I said, “What's you so excited about? If you said that woman was a holy-roller, then you must be an unholy-roller.” That's right. See, it's just become so modernized, it's left God out of its program.

Used to be, our Presidents went to the office with prayer, the cabinet was led in prayer. Where is it today? I appreciate our President we got. I'm neither Democrat nor Republican, but I'm a Christian. But I appreciate Mr. Eisenhower, but you put a Mr. Eisenhower in every county in this nation, would never shake it back. We're bull-headed. And we're judgment bound. We've crossed the line between mercy and judgment. We're headed for it. So did they. So they knowed better. So do we.

But they got a bunch of preachers around that said those things was passed, that was the grandfather, Nebuchadnezzar, long ago. And then while they were in this great big carry on, rock-and-roll, and having them a big time. You know, this modern Hollywood boy.... You know, like Pea-Picker Ernie.... They got up there, and he wanted to pull a joke, so he wanted to pull a joke on religion. You know, “the bald-headed preacher,” or something on that order. Wanted some kind of a smutty joke.

So he went and got the holy vessels (which you are the vessel of the Lord now) to pull a joke with that. And he said, “We will go get those things and drink some wine out of it.”

Did you ever see people just wanted to act smart? Isn't our American land just like that? Spit on your foot, just to show you they could do it. Puff smoke.... And you talk about, “It's wrong for you to smoke.” Then they'll ask you, say, “Hey, you the preacher that preaches against smoking? How do you like this? [Brother Branham illustrates by blowing.]” Looks like you're going to burn soon enough.

If God wanted you to smoke, He'd made a smoke stack on top of you or something another, give you a flue. You wasn't made for such. It's a weed of the devil. Then notice. And a lot of you preachers use it. Shame on you. If you ain't a pretty example for Christianity, smoking cigarettes. And you deacons smoking cigarettes, married three or four times, and then a deacon in the house of the living God; if that isn't disgraceful! No wonder we're in chaos. No wonder the women are wearing sack dresses and shorts and things like that when you got preachers and deacons like that. It's a meal ticket, instead of a commission from God then.

Notice, and when he was just got all of them, the women laying over on the soldiers laps, and they were doing their little jig dances (we call them out west, “a shindig”), all having a big time, whoopying around. They're all hid; nothing can bother them, they're behind great walls.

And I can see this modern jokester stand up, you know, on the telecast and go to get a good religious joke, and they had this vessel from the house of the Lord to make fun of it, pouring it full of wine, and just as he started to drink, he looked. There happened to be somebody who could come over the wall. He noticed a man's hand over against where the big candles was flickering its light on the plaster writing a message on there, that he'd never seen such writing. So I can imagine as he starts to drink and he sees that, his eyes bulge out, his knees goes together, and he's really all shook up. He sure is. That modern Elvis.

The Bible said that his knees beat together and his bones seemed like they was coming apart. There's going to be a shaking up time, all right, one on these days. Just watch, it's not too far away. And he really was shook up then.

And the first thing you know, some little painted faced Jezebel looked around and said, “What's the matter?” And then she was all shook up. And then he thought, “Well now, wait a minute. No one can get in the gate. The guards are at the gate. No one can get over the wall; we got the wall lit. But God can look down. God hates sin. He loves the sinner, but He hates the sin. He loves America, but He hates her sin. He loves His church, but He hates the sin in the church. And it hasn't changed: spirits don't die. The same spirits was in them people, are in these people today. The devil takes his man but never his spirit. God takes His man, but never His Spirit.

Remember, the Spirit was upon Elijah, came on Elisha, then on John the Baptist. The Holy Spirit on Christ come down. Then those Pharisees and teachers of Jesus' day.... Look at them today. Look back there in Babylon, on them Gentiles; look at these Gentiles' behavior today. Wake up before it's too late to wake up. I'm afraid it is. There he was.

And he'd never seen anything like that. Oh, you said, “Call all the district presbyters, all the pastors, and the bishops, and the cardinals, and the pope. Get them all out here; these spirit-filled men will understand this.

And when they got all the bishops, and the cardinals, and the pastors, and the pope, and got them all out there, they didn't know nothing about unknown tongues, about spiritual things. They'd never heard of such a thing, never heard a language like that. “Well,” they said, “We don't know nothing about those things.” Only thing they knowed was their creeds, and their prayer book, and their theology.

If that ain't a pattern of the American church today, I don't know it. They don't know nothing about supernatural; they don't care nothing about supernatural; they don't believe in the supernatural. The only thing they know, if they're Presbyterian, Baptist, Methodist, Pentecostal, and so forth. That's all they know.

Sometimes don't know more about God than a Hottentot would know about an Egyptian knight. And that's the way it stands. As it was then, so is it now. But we think we're secure as long as we're Baptist. I talk about my own church; I guess that's all right. “Long as we're Baptist, we're all right.” You're not all right until you're born again. You can join all the Baptist churches in the world and go to hell like a martin to its box—or any of the rest of them.

And notice now, what taken place. And all these bishops and cardinals and so forth, they couldn't understand what this supernatural was. So then they all shook up, they all were. They didn't know what to do. There was a supernatural something taking place and nobody had the answer. Blessed be the Lord God.

The same thing's taking place, and they don't have the answer. There's a handwriting on the wall, and they haven't got the answer. The nation's all shook up.

We thought we had the best scientists. We thought we had the best everything, but there's almost a two ton sputnik circling this place tonight, and we don't know nothing about it.

What did Billy Graham say just the last few weeks? There isn't one thing to keep us from being Russia's satellite by in the morning, not a thing. They're so far ahead of us till it's a shame.

What does real scientists say about it? Seeing one interviewed the other day, said, “Should we alarm the people, or should we just keep it to ourselves? What do you want to say about it?” He said, “There's not a thing to keep them from doing it.” They'll not let us know all their secrets. If a ton-and-a-half satellite up there could go.... What would it hinder tonight for about six of them to go up, and come right over the United States, and say, with these hydrogen weapons.... We couldn't get to them. So, “All right. Surrender or go to ashes.” What would take place? That can happen before morning. It would not disagree with the Bible; it would fulfill the Bible. The nations are ready for it.

Handwriting's not on the wall now, but it's in the skies where Jesus said it would be: “There'll be signs in the heavens above; men's hearts failing, perplexed ... distress of nations, perplexed of times, the sea a roaring.” Never in all the history have we ever had the big tidal waves that we're having now. Look at Chicago last Sunday and all up-and-down the coast. Perplexed of time, distress between the nations, the handwriting on the wall.... And the return in the power of the Holy Ghost to the church.

The prophet said, “There'll be a day....” Listen close now; don't miss this. The prophet said, “There'd come a day that it wouldn't be night nor day, but in the evening time, it would be light.” How does the civilization travel? From the east westward, always. China's the oldest civilization. We've already come to where the east and west meets. (Wish we had a few more days that I could preach on that: “When The East And West Meets.”)

How did civilization and Christianity begin on their little country? By the outpouring of the Holy Spirit, the appearing of the Lord Jesus, signs and wonders taking place. Then the lights went out. It's been a day of dismal, neither night nor day. What is it? Enough to say there was a Bible, teach it as a historical thing, something happened back there. But no power, just so they just join church and that's it. It's just dismal; they haven't got enough light. But when the sun goes down in the west, He promised that He'd shine the same light on the western people that He shined on the eastern. Oh, it's here: the Lord God has come in the power of the Holy Ghost, and He's showing the same signs and wonders that He showed on the eastern people two thousand years ago. She's been dismal and dark, but in the evening, it shall be light. We're at the end time.

And in them days the church, that lays in the broadways, men's hearts failing. More heart disease.... What? That's not women; men. He never said women's hearts; men's hearts.

Where science and insurance companies say it's ninety percent men.... “Men's hearts failing”: a sign, a post. Fearful sights in the heaven above: sputniks. Oh, we thought we had a ... just secured as we could be, so we give away to modern rock-and-roll, and sin, and carrying on, and indulging in the things of the world, and let the church alone. Stay home on Wednesday night to see “We Love Suzy,” the televisions and things, and let the church sit without anything.

And run the old-fashioned pastor out, and put a little kinky headed Hollywood rat in there that knows no more about God than a rabbit knowed about snowshoes. And put him in there and call him your pastor, electing something like that. What we need today is the old-fashioned hell fire and brimstone preacher back in the pulpit to handle the Gospel, barehanded, call black “black,” and white “white.” We've played religion too long.

Bible said that. You may not love me so much after this, but at the judgment bar, see what's right and wrong. This comes from the Word.

Watch now. Oh, he was all shook up. And the bishops was all shook up. They don't know what to do. They can't ... haven't got an answer for this. And neither do they have. They can't do it, because they knowed that there was a God of heaven.

Then while all this was going on, did you notice at that time, the little queen would come running into the banquet hall? She hadn't been at the rock-and-roll party. She might've been praying somewhere. And she come running in. She wasn't indulging in their sin. And she come running in, and she said, “Oh king, live forever.” She knew he'd be killed in a little while, but she regarded him. “Yes, bishop.... Yes, reverend.... Yes, doctor.... That's all right to regard, but the time is at hand. She said, ”Oh king, live forever.“ She said, ”Don't be all shook up, for there is a man in your kingdom that understands the supernatural, that could interpret those tongues, there.“ Blessed be the Lord.

There is a man today, that man is Jesus. There is a man that understands the supernatural. There's a man that can interpret this age that we're living in. There's a man in our midst. He's got the answer to these questions: the Lord Jesus.

“There is a man,” she said, “who has an excellent spirit, the Spirit of God is within him; and he can understand, because he has revelation and interpretation. And he will understand it.”

And they said, “Send and get this man.” Too late then. They ought to have listened to that man before this happened. “Send, get the man and let's see what he will say.”

And they sent and got Daniel. Now, they wasn't blind. They'd walked right over the top of Daniel's teaching. They'd walked right over the top of his powerful preaching, and the signs and wonders that he had done, and still living in sin. If that ain't modern America, I never seen it. Over the top of the old-fashioned preacher. Throw him in jail if necessary: “Get rid of such an old fanatic; we don't want him.” Walked right over the top of it. And really hate him, and call him all kinds of bad names, like “holy-roller,” or something like that. “We don't have to tolerate that. We've got a church that's got sense in it.” But has it got Spirit in it, is the next thing. So they'd walked over the top of Daniel's teaching. And so they didn't know what these things were. And some of our preachers today has left out....

I read an article here, not long ago (I got it in my scrap book.) where that the American preachers.... They taken a analysis of who he believed in the literal coming of the Lord Jesus. And seventy-eight percent of the American preachers denied the literal return of the Lord Jesus. Babylon. And there was more than that denied the virgin birth. How do you expect to build the church of the living God upon such ruins and chars of Sodom as that? It'll never work, friends. Say, “What's you so hard about, Brother Branham?”

I come here for one purpose: to lay a foundation for a revival. Until we get back to the old hewing line, you'll never have revival. The church has got to be cleaned out and started over again for a foundation of Christ, the solid Rock. All other grounds of denominations is sinking sands that'll pass. But I'm afraid we're almost too late. It's in the sky.

What did Daniel say? What do you think that holy prophet said when he stood before the king? King said, “I will tell you what I will do, Daniel. I understand that you can interpretate ... that you can interpret strange languages. And again, that you can have revelations and visions. Daniel, if you'll just come here hold a revival for us, we will give you all the money you want.” And some modern Daniel would've fell for that right quick.

But Daniel said, “Keep your gifts to you.” There's a man of God. “You're not making me no bishop over these guys. I don't want no bishop or doctor's degree. I want to remain Daniel in the will of the Lord.

And if a lot of you preachers would quit trying to put so much emphasis on that doctor, and bishops, and presbyter, and things like that and get back to be a brother and a servant of Christ, and bring His church together, it'd be better. Feathers in hats: What you need's Spirit in the heart.

And there they were, and here we are. The handwriting's on the wall. Daniel said, “You ought to have knowed better than this, king. Your father, Nebuchadnezzar, had that kind of a spirit on him, and you know what God did for him.” Said, “Besides all this, your days are numbered.”

Right at that same time, where they thought they were secured, with all the best scientists, the best soldiers, the best footmen, the best entertained. The Medo-Persians, an ungodly nation, many miles away (historians tell us) had bypassed the river Euphrates. They couldn't get over the walls. Certainly not. They couldn't get into them, but they were ready for them. And an ungodly nation had cut down a ditch and bypassed the river Euphrates down through mountains, and cut this little gap in two, and bypassed the river. And right while them women in them soldiers arms.... And when they got their drunken condition, with all their ungodly sexy clothes on.... And the men of Babylon, and a modern Hollywood Elvis Presleys, and all the rock and rolls, right in the midst of all that, the supernatural wrote on the wall.

What happened? At that very hour the Medo-Persians had done chopped down the guards at the gate, coming under the walls where the river run, coming and was on the steps. All them bleary-eyed women, and men so drunk they could hardly hold one another up.... And an hour from then, them women was ravished publicly, right out on the street with a men and killed, busted their heads, and killed their children, and just a massacre.

Listen, friend. Right now, while we've been ... all of our ... putting our time to making sex our god, and putting all of our time to Hollywood, and all that kind of nonsense, and bringing it into the church, and stripping our women, and taking the Spirit away from the church, and all these things, Russia's been fixing a sputnik. And the handwriting's on the wall. The nation's all shook up.

Hour after that, soldiers streamed into there, and took their cities, took their houses, killed their king. What would happen (it's right this very hour) if the sputnik stopped over the States and say, “Surrender”? What would the Pentagon that's all shook up tonight about it, what would they do? You hear the news; you see the papers. They don't know what to say about these things. Russia's taking pictures of us tonight, out of a sputnik. They don't know what to do. Sure, she's all shook up, aren't we?

Notice, sure, if you put more time on God and instead of the ornery, rotten stuff that we're doing, it wouldn't have been this way. But you see what's happened. All right.

By this time tomorrow night (hear me), there's not a thing, not one thing, that would keep shipload after shipload, planeload after planeload of Russian soldiers right out here, grabbing these women, and ravishing them in the street, and doing what they want to. Come in, and if they like your house, kick you out of it, and that's it. What are you going to do? Ungodly, barbarous men who doesn't know nothing about God and cares that much less.... You say, “God does that?” He certainly does, according to His Bible. He has a punishing whip when His people won't obey. There's not a thing....

What would our Pentagon do, if Russia did such a thing, and say, “Now, surrender, or go to ashes”? We'd have to surrender; only sensible thing to do would be surrender. They're up there; we can't bring them down. They've got their guns on us. Just about three or four of them bombs, and that settles the whole thing. Oh, she's all shook up, brother, sister. The nations under such a tremendous nervous condition tonight, till they don't know what to do. A great writer said the other day, there's one little thread between the smartest of us and total insanity.

Weighed in the balance and found wanting, a Christian nation, rock-and-roll, all this ungodly stuff that we're having. Where are you weighed at? “Having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof. From such, turn away.” Oh, they was religious, being called their bishops and cardinals and all. They were religious. “We're religious....” but the wrong kind of religion. Religion means “a covering.” You might be covered by the Baptist church, Presbyterian, Methodist, Pentecostal. You got to be covered by the blood, the blood of the Lord Jesus. That's the religion of Christ. “These signs shall follow them that believe.” Christ is here.

It was my privilege about two years ago, to go to India. Listen close. Watch the handwriting. “Where are we at? What's going to happen, Brother Branham. You're not going to leave us hanging here.” Yes, I'm going to tell you. There'll be a horrible thing for you out from under the blood. “But what's going to happen then, Brother Branham?” We Christians who've lived godly and saintly and believed God and everything....“ Let me tell you, dear friend, you'll be gone before that time comes. If that.... Listen.

The Bible teaches that the church will be raptured before the tribulation. You know that. Everybody knows that. Jesus said, “As it was in the days of Noah, and in the days of Lot, so will it be at the coming of the Son of man. In the days of Noah, not one drop of water fell from heaven till Noah went in the ark. In the days of Lot, not one bit of fire fell from heaven till Lot got out of Sodom. And not one bomb can drop until His blessed church be resurrected and taken in the rapture to see her Lord. And if destruction is this close, how close is the coming of the Lord? It has to happen before the destruction, the annihilation. It has to happen.

Can you see the handwriting on the wall? Here we are, the handwriting in the sky, “Ichabod” on the church: “The Spirit of the Lord has departed.” Where are we standing? What's the matter? This is a horrible time.

Notice. When I went into India, I picked up a paper. The archbishop of the Methodist church and many of them, met us there. I picked up a paper. And had something written there in English. And it said, “It must be that the earthquakes are over.” A few days before the earthquake come, the great earthquake.... You had it here, heard of it; it shook all of India, about two years ago.

India doesn't have fences like we have; they have rock fences, and great big high towers around the fences where they live. And all the cattle stands around on the west side, so that the sun won't get on them in the day. The little birds build their nests all in these little coves. But a day before the earthquake taken place, every little bird left and took off into the bushes. All the cattle, and sheep, and the stock around the big walls got up and away from the walls and stood out in the middle of the field together. And the earthquake struck, and shook the walls down.

The God that told the birds and the bees to go in the ark, still lives today. And if God by His Spirit, could make a little bird, and a sheep, and a cow get away from destruction, how much more will it do His church, when we see destruction's coming? My brother, sister, get away from these modern Babylon walls. They're going to fall one of these days, and you'll be the victim of them. “Come out of it, my people, and be ye separated,” saith the Lord, “and I will receive you. And you'll be sons and daughters unto me. And I will be a God unto you.”

We're at the end time. The writing's on the wall, Ichabod on the church: the Spirit of the Lord has departed. The church is being made ready: come out, walk separate, get out, run to the middle of God's salvation, and hang on to Christ until the hour of His wrath has passed. The signs and wonders of His near coming, of the approaching that's coming near, now at hand.... His Spirit's right here, now. I feel....

I hope you don't judge me a fanatic. If I am, I don't know nothing about it. I believe to be the servant of the Lord God. And after this great striking things that I've said about the end time.... Remember, Jesus promised to appear here at the end of the Gentile age and do the same thing that He did when He represented Himself to the Jews. How did He do it? By discerning their thoughts and telling them where they'd been and all about such things. Was that right? How many knows that's true?

That was the last sign before destruction. Here it is again tonight, the same Holy Spirit, the same Jesus in the form of the Holy Spirit, with His picture taken (the pillar of fire), every scientific thing like it was in those days in Babylon, here it is, right back again, tonight. We're at the end time. He knows all about you. Do you believe that?

Now, before I ask you to surrender your life to Christ.... There's no prayer cards given out. Billy hasn't give them out for two nights. We're going to tomorrow night. But I feel that God wants to show you that He's present, so that you'll flee away from it. Get away from walls of this modern religion, folks. Come out and get a hold of Christ.

I don't say, “Now, don't be a Baptist, don't be a Methodist. You be a Christian. I don't care what church you go to, you just hold right onto Christ, and love Him with all your heart until He answers the Holy Spirit in your heart. Then you're sealed till the day of your redemption.

O Lord God, creator of heavens and earth, there's many here tonight, Lord, who are real reverent people, who love You and believe You, who's waiting for the coming of the Lord. There may be some here who are indifferent, some here to hear the first time. O eternal and blessed God, will You do for us tonight the exceedingly, abundantly. Do something like You did after You raised from the dead. Do it now as You did before You were crucified. Let Your Spirit be upon us, Lord. Do tonight as You did the woman that touched the border of Your garment and went out and sat down in the audience. And You turned around and said, “Who touched Me?” All of them denied it. But You looked, and You found her that had that disease, and told her that her faith had healed her.

The same God that told the woman at the well, she had five husbands.... She said, “I perceive that You're a prophet. We know when Messiah cometh, He will do that.”

And Lord, You never did that before the Gentiles in Your day. The Gentiles had two thousand years of this modern Babylon, but the handwriting's on the wall, Lord. Science can see it. Every person can see it: newspapers, televisions, radios, everything's a blasting it. There's nothing we can; it's there.

We've had Belteshazzar's big rock-and-roll party. And You've looked down and seen our sins, Lord. And now judgment's at hand. O Lord, let sinners flee to the mercy of God. Grant it, Lord. May this little message.... I can't do nothing about it, Lord; I have not the strength, but let Your Holy Spirit sink that into the people's hearts so they can see what it really means. Grant it, Father.

Now, to let them know that You haven't died, that You still live.... The God that made this prophecy still lives tonight and confirms His Word by the same signs that He confirmed then. Let it be so, Lord, at least two or three in the building, for we ask it in Jesus' name. Amen.

Please, five minutes now. What's these things that I'm saying? I take it from God's Word. I know it might disagree with creed. I'm not responsible for creed; I'm responsible for God's Word to God. “Does He live, Brother Branham? Has He the assurance that He will ... that we will be saved?”

Yes, sir. He lives. All other religions besides Christian religion is false: Buddha, Mohammedan. I've stood with a Bible in one hand, and the Koran in the other, and defied tens of thousands of Mohammedans, say, “Come here, and let me see him make one promise come true.” He can't do it because he's not God. He's dead and in the grave, but our Christ raised again. He's alive forevermore. The Bible said He's the same yesterday, today, and forever.

No matter what they think about Mohammed coming on his white horse.... I've been at his grave and seen the white horse and where Buddha was and died about twenty-three hundred years ago and all them things. That's just philosophy, like Confucius and many of the other great philosophers. But there was only one man ever lived on earth, said, “I have power to lay My life down and take it up again. Lo, a little while and the world won't see Me no more, yet ye shall see Me; for I will be with you, even in you to the end of the world. The works that I do shall you also,” promising these things....

And here we are at the end. Do you believe that we're at the end of the age? The handwriting's on the wall? Then it's time for Christ to reveal Himself to His church. That's what He does, just as.... If He did any other thing, besides He did at the first time, He'd be doing wrong.

What did He tell Peter? “You're name is Simon. You're the son of Jonas.” He believed Him.

Told Nathanael, “You're a just and honest man.”

“How did You know me?” he said.

Said, “Before Philip called you, when you were under the tree, I saw you.”

He said, “You're the Son of God. You're the King of Israel.”

What did those educated, modern Babylons of them days say, the ecclesiastical world? “He's Beelzebub, a fortuneteller.” Where are they at tonight? You be the judge by the Scripture. Yet, religious, holy, sainted....

What is sin? Unbelief. Only one sin: unbelief. No matter how clean you live.... Why, some of the Hottentots in Africa would make you Americans feel ashamed of yourself by their morals.

Listen, in the Songhai tribe of South Africa, if a young girl fails to get married when she's ... I don't know how old she is, but when she's a woman, and she hasn't got married, she has to take off her tribal paint and come down into the city to the compounds. She's not there no more; there's something wrong with her. And before she's married, she's tested for her virginity. If she be found guilty, she has to tell the man that done it, and they're both killed together. What if we did that in America? Who'd be living? There you are. Heathens in their morals are cleaner than we are—supposed to be Christians ... godlier. Let's believe.

If the Lord God will do or perform before your eyes, here tonight, the things that He did when He was here on earth, like He did to the woman, look out through the crowd, and somebody be healed, would you believe Him?

Now, if I said, “This boy sitting here, he's healed.”.... I don't know him; I don't know none of you. Well, if I say, “This boy's healed,” he'd have a right to doubt that. But if the Holy Spirit will go back and tell him where his trouble is, like He did the woman at the well, then that's the Holy Spirit. May He grant it. Then I'm going to invite you to the altar.

How many sick people's in the building, raise their hands and say by that, “God, be merciful and heal me tonight.” Raise up your hands, everywhere in the building. All right, you can put your hands down. Just trying to get a conception of where it was.

Let's get right in here and see if the Lord God.... May He grant it, friends. Remember, I'm your brother. It takes your faith; I've explained it night after night. Doesn't need it now. I want you to know the handwriting's on the wall. You see that with your eye. Christ promised to do these things when He ... just before His return. That's right. Typed it all through the Bible. Here it is right here. Will He do it? He always keeps His Word. He can't fail.

Let's just be reverent. We're waiting on You, Lord. You know we are. We're helpless without You. We need Thee, O God. Come, Lord Jesus. After preaching, rude and hard to the people, I want You to back up Your Word, Lord, to let them know that I've told the truth, so that they can see that the supernatural is here. Christ lives. Grant it, Father.

Here it is. You're a gentleman sitting there on the end of the seat, praying, kind of a brown looking suit on, wearing glasses, gray in his hair. You were praying sir, “Let it be me.” I don't know you, do I? I'm a stranger to you. If that's right, just raise up your hand. The man behind you stood up. It's the light over him I'm watching. We've never met in our lives. There's something.... You're aware that something's going on out there now. If that's right, wave your hand like this. Now, that Angel, that light, hangs right over the man. If God will tell me where your trouble is, just like He did through Christ told the woman where her trouble was, will you accept it, believe it? It's something about blood. No, it ain't, it's arteries, artery trouble. If that's right, wave your hand like this. You're a fine man. You believe you're healed now? If you believe it, wave your hand like this.

I tell you something. You believe me to be His prophet now, His servant, Christ's servant? The rest of you believe that? He said, “If you get the people to believe you....”

Peter said, “Look on us.” That's your brother sitting next to you. That's right. And your brother has a hernia, and he's deaf in his ear. He was. The woman that helped to put his hand ... a wife. That's his wife, correctly. Yes.

You suffer with a asthmatic condition, coughing from your throat. And you're both from out of town. You're from Canada and this is the last night you could be here. Your planning on going home after tonight's service. If that's right, wave your hand. You believe the Lord God....

Lady, you nodded your head there to something, sitting next to her. You believe me to be His servant? You do? All right. You have arthritis and stomach trouble. Raise up your hand. You believe it? It'll be over then. Have faith in God.

That little lady, sitting there, kind of saying, “Thank You, Lord,” like that, something struck her. She had a incurable ear condition. If that's right, lady, stand up on your feet. You did have one; you don't have it now. God blessed you and your ear trouble is cured. What did she do? She never touched me; she touched the High Priest, Jesus Christ. He's here. The handwriting's on the wall for the sinner. Christ is here for the believer. Do you believe Him?

Let's bow our heads just a moment. How many wants to receive Him now, as your Saviour and your Lover. Raise your hand, will you say, “Me, Lord. Me, Lord.” Look all over the building: up in the balconies. “Me, Lord. I know You're here. I can see and know the sputniks in the skies. The handwriting's on the wall. This nation's gone. We are all gone, nothing left, no hope at all outside of Christ. I want You, Christ. I'm a church member, but I haven't got the Spirit of God in my heart. Be merciful to me, God.” Raise up your hand. Put them up. If you're ashamed now, it may be too late in the morning to be ashamed. Raise up your hand. Tell Him from your heart, “I love You, Christ.” God bless you.

What about the balconies over here to my left? Raise up your hand. God bless you, young man. God bless you, young lady. Back in here, someone else around here. If you're ashamed now, what will it be when He comes? In the morning you may never live to see, or make another decision. This may be your final one. What about over here? Church member, knows that you're not right with God, or sinner, would you raise your hand and say, “Be merciful to me, God.”? Put up your hand to Him. He will hear you. He will.... God bless you, little boy. The Bible said, “A child shall lead them.”

There's people sitting here that's old in age, that's pulled your heart through those “True Story” magazines, and uncensored television programs, till you're so muddy and black and dark till your heart can't be touched no more. You've passed the place between mercy and judgment. And that little tender hearted boy raised his hand up like that. Shame on you. God's Word! God's judgment! God's Spirit! What more can you do? Let us stand.

I feel strange. Brother, sister, I'm doing my level best, by the help of God, to lay the foundation. What you've got to do here, if there's ever a revival going to strike, anything less, if I ever see one speck of mercy left, it's you New England people. That's right. Now believe me ... if you believe me to be His servant. And unless this church is built upon the Rock of Jesus Christ, with His power, His Holy Spirit, His sanctifying blood, that cleanses from all unrighteousness, you're fighting the wind. Every one of you, friends. It takes all of us together to bring this revival. Let us pray and ask God to send us a real old-fashioned revival, pour out His Spirit on New England, and set these ministers' hearts afire throughout the country, and save such as can be saved. Will you pray with me? Let us raise our hands while I ask Brother Clagg.

Each one of you, the way you pray at your church. Baptists, you pray. Catholic, you pray. Presbyterian, you pray. Pentecost, you pray. Brother Clagg, you lead us. God, get glory.