Time-Tested Faith

New York, New York, USA

58-0530

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Thank you very much. You be seated. It just makes my heart feel real good to be back in New York tonight. I've always got such a thrill of coming to New York. I like all of the states, but there's just something about New York that seems to grip me, and the people and their hospitality. Being a Southerner, I say you have to come up here in the north to find what Southern hospitality means. Come to the North.
I wish to take this time to thank Mr. Lloyd Sweet and all those who are affiliated with the Harvest Evangelism, the World Harvest Evangelism, for their kindness of sponsoring us through this New England campaign. And we are very grateful for all they have done and trust that the good Lord of heaven will just pour out His blessings upon the efforts and send the harvest of souls into the kingdom of God in their efforts.
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And I want to thank these ministers, tonight, here in New York City. I come to the platform, and the chairs were lined with ministers that's cooperating ministers. Thank you, my brethren, for dismissing your churches and coming out here to help make this a great rally. I sure appreciate it and trust that God will richly bless you in every way in your ministry. Hoping some time.... I've always wanted a time to when we could set a great rally in New York, and just the Full Gospel people all get together, like the Baptists and those did for Billy Graham, and just have a great rally with all the people, the Spanish, and everyone together. Why, we could do that, and God would just rain down His blessings upon us, I'm sure, if we would just do that.
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And now, I'm certainly grateful for this evening. I'm tired. I've been preaching and having healing services about every day and night—not every day, but every night and some of the days, since I left. About the longest I ever went in one time and I'm really tired. Just a little hoarse, but very happy in my heart to report to you that there has been great things accomplished for our dear Lord in these New England states.
Just to give you a little view, if some of the brethren hasn't spoke of it: I was in the meeting one night when a lady died, sitting over to my left. And a doctor, there, went to find pulse in her and it was gone. To see the great Holy Spirit turn and call that woman's name and wake her up again.... That happened in Hartford, Connecticut. And just things like that, that He's been doing.
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Then it was up in Burlington, New Hampshire, where there was a lady.... This is just one of the cases. She was sitting back, and the dear soul, she couldn't get a prayer card to get in the line, so she just bowed her humble little head and started praying. I believe she was an epileptic. And the Lord Jesus, with His grace, moved over there and told her that she was healed of this epilepsy. And said, “Also, your husband is given up in some hospital,” that he has a disease that the doctors cannot cure. There's nothing can be done and they've give him up, but said, “Don't worry, for 'Thus saith the Lord,' he's just been healed.” And the epilepsy left her immediately; and when she got home, the next morning, her husband called her. The doctors had taken him in for a final and could find nothing of it at all. He was on his road home, just rejoicing.
Oh, we have such a lovely Father, don't we? He's so good and we just love Him so much.
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And now, it's good to be here tonight, and all this fine fellowship. And some of our friends, I got to meet today: Captain Julius Stadsklev, all the way from the Mohammed desert ... or, Mojave desert in California. He's a chaplain in the army, that was with me in Africa, that wrote the books. And he's here somewhere, tonight. And then also, the pastor Boze is here from Chicago, from the Philadelphian church. And just many good friends.
And I wonder if Mrs. Isaacson is here tonight? She was here the last time; I just got to wave at her when she left the platform. She's my voice of Finland. And I don't know whether.... Are you here, Mrs. Isaacson? Raise up your hand, if you are. She come off the platform the last evening I was here, and I didn't get to see her. And she's a lovely person.
And just a Mr. Cox called me from over in Indiana, up around Hammond, is up here tonight. And we're happy for all of you, just very happy to have this time of fellowship. And God bless you.
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And Billy told me, as I come out the door just now, he said, “Daddy, they taken you up a love offering tonight.” Now, I wasn't expecting that, friends. But if you did it, it's already.... I couldn't give it back now, because I wouldn't know how to give it back. But thank you real kindly. And I will assure you, by the grace of God, I will spend every cent of it to the kingdom of God, the best of my knowledge to do that. Thank you kindly. And I just trust that God will repay you a hundredfold for every bit of it.
Now, when we leave here, we're on our road, next Sunday—not this coming Sunday; the following Sunday—at Dallas, Texas, in a big convention. Then from there we go up to North ... or, South Carolina, Greenville, South Carolina: Interdenominational Ministerial Association Convention.
And then from there we're going to Green Pines, North Carolina, in a Baptist rally. And then from there, right back over to Philadelphia here, in the Full Gospel Christian Businessmen's convention. And we're just scattering around, trying to do what we can, 'cause we believe that the Lord is coming soon, and we want to do everything we can while it's daylight and we can work.
And in appreciation of all that's been done, I praise God for every bit of it, who has made it possible that these things could be done.
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Now, just before we read His Word, let us bow our heads and speak to Him, just a moment.
Blessed Lord, when I think of Your goodness, and the souls that has been saved in these past few days, the thousands that has come to the meeting and been helped, I just forget about being tired. And then to be here tonight and to feel Your Spirit moving in these people, knowing that they're Your beloved, blood-washed people. And I thank you for each and every one of them. And I would pray, God, tonight, that You would just do something special for us. We're sitting here, under great anticipation. We're waiting and longing for that hour when the veil will be pulled back, and we shall see Him.
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And how we love Him and would love to fall on our faces and just touch His feet, for we love Him. And Father, I pray that You'll bless every person here, and every minister, every pastor, evangelist, missionary, whatever. Grant that their churches will prosper, and their work for the Lord will increase, and many souls may be saved, and something might be done, tonight, that would help us to take a new hold and start new again. Grant it, Father.
Now, we have opened up the lid of Your Bible. And now, interpret for us, Father. May the Holy Spirit speak in such a way, tonight, that when we go to our different places, may we say like those who came from Emmaus, “Did not our hearts burn within us as He talked to us along the way,” for we ask it in Jesus' name, Thy Son, Amen.
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I wish to read tonight, being that the meeting is just a little on it's way now.... Not to take too much time—we got around a thousand miles to drive right away. And I want to read from the book of Saint Mark, the 12th chapter ... the 11th chapter, rather, of Saint Mark and the 22nd verse.
And Jesus, answering said unto them, Have faith in God.
This little word “faith,” have faith in God.... And for a subject, I would like to use this: Time Tested Faith, those three words, Time Tested Faith. It's just three words, but oh, what it means.
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And I am told in the Old Testament, that faith, in the Old Testament, was the same way it is in the New Testament. So many people stumble at the thought of faith. But it's so simple to have faith.
For instance, you cannot move out of your seat, if you were able to come in and sit down, you cannot move from your seat unless you have faith that you'll do it. You cannot put your hat on again unless you have faith you can do it. Never can you draw another breath unless you have faith you can do it.
Faith is so common, that when we look at it for something a little unusual, we go way over the top of it, trying to find it's what's right next to us.
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Now, in the Old Testament when the blood was applied over the lintels of the door, I'm told it was put on by hyssop dipped in the blood and rubbed over the door. Hyssop is just common weed. And that's how it was applied, by hyssop, something you could just reach down anywhere and get a handful of it.
And how appropriate that is, tonight, to apply hyssop as faith. You put the blood on by faith. How we're covered by the blood: by faith, common faith.
Well, you say, “But for miracles and for healing, Brother Branham, is some different type of faith.” No, it's the same faith. There's only one faith. And all good things, and all things that are, are original.
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All evil is just righteousness perverted. Sickness is health perverted. And everything that's wrong, is right being perverted. Well, what perverted it was Satan. And Jesus died that He might give us the power, through His blood, to correct that thing that's wrong: bring sinners back to Salvation, sickness back to health, unrighteousness back to righteousness. See, it's just that simple.
And many times we go over it, looking to see, “Hunting, oh, if I could only do this....” You could if you'd just don't be excited about it.
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As I just was hearing Dr. Vayle as I was leaving, saying that my ministry was changing.... Oh, I'm so happy. Not this isn't going to leave; it'll remain, always. But it's going to be something greater.
Last evening, when we were going from the building, after a little child had been so very disturbing, mentally gone, and the little mother could not even hold it in the building; it was just kicking and screaming and, oh, carrying on awful. And she'd take it outside, and I could hear it way down the hall. And then after this.... The Lord had did great things. On the road out, there the little mother was holding that poor little mental baby; it's little eyes, almost out on it's cheeks; it's little mouth drawn sideways; and it was kicking and screaming. And when I come up, it just went into a tantrum. But oh, that blessed something, the presence of the Holy Spirit.... I said to Mr. Vayle and to Billy, who were taking me out, I said, “Here is the new coming.” And caught the little fellow by the arm and said, “Dear God, let it return normal.” And it stopped, and looked up at me, and smiled, and the mother picked it up and left the building.
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In our Scripture tonight, the previous chapters, Jesus had said to a tree, “No fruit grow on thee ... or, no man eateth from thee.” Then He said, after this verse, “If you say to this mountain be moved....” Not “If I say,”; “If you say to this mountain be moved....”
Now, we know that man could not move a mountain just by speaking to it. The only thing could do that would be Deity. So then, if the mountain is before us, and our objective is right, and our motive is right, then it isn't us speaking any more; it's Deity speaking. Then it has to move.
I truly believe that the church is on the brink of one of the greatest outpourings that it's ever had in this age. I believe it. I can't say the Lord has told me, but it's just something inside me, just catching a hold of something, that I haven't seen all my life till just now.
And how glorious it is to know, just before the coming of the Lord, that these things are happening.
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Now, faith is so simple. The Scripture says, “Faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.”
Now, faith is not a myth. It's something that you actually possess, just like this: if I had a.... If I was starving, and you come to me, and I said, “I'm starving.”
You say, “What would save your life?”
I'd say, “A loaf of bread.”
And you'd go into your pocket and bring out twenty-five cents and hand it to me and say, “Here you are, Mr. Branham, you don't have to starve.”
Well, I haven't got the bread yet, but I've got the purchase power of the bread. Now, I may be a mile from the bread, but I can be just as happy with that quarter in my hand, as I can when I got the bread in my hand, because I've got the purchase power of the bread.
And when faith is anchored, that it's finished, you're just as happy as if you was already jumping and shouting, because it's all over. You have it. It's something you know you've got. Nothing can move it. You never watch for any evidences or anything else; you just know you have it.
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Now, when I got this bread (this twenty-five cents), I may have to go over some hills, go through a briar patch, across some water, and might have to cross bridges, but all the time I'm rejoicing, because I've got the twenty-five cents, knowing I'm going to get the bread just as soon as I get there. It's the purchase power. Well, faith is the purchase power of things you've hoped for. That is genuine faith. Nothing can move it.
Now, the most people have faith but they just don't try to use what faith they've got. I believe that every person that believes on the Lord Jesus Christ has to have a certain amount of faith. But the reason that it's never used too much, it's because you never put it to use very much. A person usually coming to church, will just come in, and listen to a sermon, and then they'll go up, and put their name on the church book, and become a good member of that church. That's just about as far as they ever have the opportunity to use their faith.
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Now, faith will just do anything that you have a need of being done, if you'll put it to work. But most churches today, they got just as far as they teach: just accept Jesus by faith and that settles it.
That's like a man was that was eating a slice of watermelon. He said, “That was good, but there's some more of it somewhere.” So that's the way it is: to accept Christ is good, but there's more of it.
And then, when a man accepts Christ as his personal Saviour, then all the good things that God has promised is laying right at his finger tips—just to believe it.
Now, don't go at it in a place where you're just, “I wonder if it'll work.” Just the same as you know you're going to get a drink of water, you're going to raise up and walk across the floor; that's just how simple to be about it. Well, the Lord promised it, that settles it, and just go on about it. That's real genuine faith.
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Now, if people would put.... If the church would put more faith to work, you'd see more things taking place in the church. The pastor might stand on Sunday morning, he might stand on Sunday evening or whenever, and preach hard on faith, in a mighty message, but if the members don't take that message and then start putting it to work, it'll fall right back, and the birds of the air will pick it up, see, see. Just take it out and put it to work. God wants you to do it.
Now, faith.... Always an experience accompanies faith. And how could it be tonight? I'd say to you women here, that you've got little canary birds and so forth that you love, little pets. What good would it do for you to give them all the vitamins that you can in their seed, to make big strong bones, and fine wings, and so forth, if you keep him in the cage all the time? See, there's no need of giving him vitamins, if you're going to keep him in a cage. He don't need the vitamins to make strong wings, because he's never got a chance to use them.
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What good does it do to preach a Bible, of a God that heals, or the God that's got power, and tell the people that the days of miracles is past? What good does it do to send ministers to seminaries, and to colleges, and so forth, and learn all these different things, and then come tell the people that's something that was; it isn't any more?
It's just like taking a man, freezing to death, and say, “Here's a nice picture of a big painted fire.” The man cannot get warm by a painted fire. He's freezing and he's got to have warmth.
And a man that's thirsting for God can't be satisfied till something happens. It's an experience. And that kind of an experience will bring forth great faith. You never know what it is. You cannot trust God who you have never met.
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For instance, one time in the Bible, Israel was called out in war against the Philistines. And they were standing over on a hill, and Israel had gathered themselves across the valley over on the other side. And of course, just like the devil, when he thinks he's got the bluff on you, he will just call your hand to anything.
And they had a great big, prehistoric, giant over there by the name of Goliath. His fingers was fourteen inches long, and he had a spear like a weavers needle, perhaps, from here to the steps. And he's made a proposition with the people of Israel. He said (how cunning sin is), he said, “Let's not have any bloodshed now.” He said, “There's no need of everybody getting all butchered up in this war. You look you out a man over there and let him come over here and fight me. And if I whip him, you serve us. And if he whips me, then we will serve you.”
Now, that's the way the devil does it when he thinks he's got the upper hand.
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If there was any man in the whole army of Israel that was able to fight this giant, was Saul. He was head and shoulders above his entire army. He was a warrior from his youth. He knowed how to handle a shield, a spear; how to maneuver that spear out of another man's hand. He'd taught men, for he was a bishop. He knowed how to teach all the theology. But the thing of it was, he never had had any experience of meeting God with it.
And this big giant come out every day and made his boast. But one day he made his boast once too often.
There was a little ruddy looking fellow, stoop-shouldered and hair hanging in his eyes, come up into the camp to visit his brethren. He had some raisin pie, and so forth, his Daddy had sent up there to the boys. And his name was David. He was a little sheep herder. And when he heard this giant come out there and said, “What you going to do about it, fellows?” He said it at the wrong time. It fell on the ears of somebody who knew God.
He said, “Do you mean to tell me that the armies of the living God will stand here and let that uncircumcised Philistine defy these armies?”
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I wonder today, how it could be that the uncircumcised could raise up and stand in the midst of a day, when Jesus Christ has manifested Himself on earth with an open Bible. You mean that this uncircumcised world, of all of these theology and educations and so forth, that I'd stand still, when my God lives and defy God's Holy Word? Never! If I had to sink in my tracks, I would take God and stand on His Word. Why? These ministers will do the same thing. Why? The same reason David said what he did. Let them call them holy-rollers. Let them call them whatever they may call them. They know what they're talking about.
“Oh,” you say, “But this fellow's an archbishop.” He might be a pope, but that don't make any difference.
David didn't have all the training that Saul had had, and he was just a little bitty runt. But he was.... The Bible said he was ruddy, just a little fellow. As the little sheepskin coat on a little, you know, like “a little panty-waist,” we call them. And here he was standing there looking up at his brothers and them, saying, “You mean that you'll let that uncircumcised Philistine defy the armies of the living God?” Said, “I will go fight him.”
Oh, that was a courage. God give us some more Davids, today. What we need.
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What was David talking from? And his brothers said, “Oh, I know you want to be naughty. We just know you come up here with that naughtiness in your voice, so we're going to send you back home.”
And it got around to Saul. So Saul called him up and wanted to know who this stripling was. And they brought him up there in the presence of Saul, and Saul said, “You can't fight that man.” Said, “You're nothing but a youth. And he's a warrior from his youth.” And he said.... I want you to notice what David said. Saul said, “Just a minute. If you want to go, I will fix you up.” So he took his own shield off and handed it over to David and put his armor on David. And could you imagine what his helmet looked.... That big head of Saul's and that hat sitting down over the top of little David's ears. And the shoulders about this wide and a shield of armor about that wide. Why the poor little fellow couldn't hold it up; that's trying to put doctor's degrees on a man of God.
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And Saul found out that his theological vest didn't fit a man of God. He said, “Take this thing off of me. I don't know nothing about it.” How to stand up and repeat the apostle's creed, so called, and say, “Ahhh-men.” Why, he didn't know nothing about that.
He said, “But let me go with something that I know what I'm talking about.” God knows that's what we need tonight, is men in the army of God who knows what they're talking about. Not whether they have a doctor's degree or what; they might not know their ABC's, but they know Christ and that's the main thing.
David said, “I've had an experience. I had an experience of this power that I'm speaking of. One day I was back out there on the backside of the desert, herding my Daddy's sheep, and a bear run in and got one. And I just took the slingshot and knocked him down with it; took it out of his mouth.” And said, “A lion came in and got one, and I knocked him down, and he raised up against me, and I slew him. Why,” he said, “the God that delivered them out of my hands, won't He much more deliver that uncircumcised Philistine that's defying the armies of the living God?”
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If God delivered you from sin, how much more will He deliver you from your sickness. He's able to take and change your nature and make you a new person. Why would you fear about any sickness? And if He can save your soul and change your nature, change your motives, change your ideas, how much more can He change your sickness into health and put it back in it's right place again, where it belongs. It's just so simple that we go over the top of it.
And 'course he said, “I admire your courage, son, but it's your own death.” So he took his little slingshot and got five rocks. Put one in, and Goliath made fun of him. I want you to watch. He had five rocks. And you boys know what an old slingshot is: a piece of leather and.... Why, we used to be able to knock a snake doctor off the fence with it, just as easy as could be. And then we'd.... That's five fingers, five rocks; F-a-i-t-h in J-e-s-u-s. Here he come. Giant's got to fall now. And he won the victory. Because why? He had an experience that he knowed that God could deliver.
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A man's not qualified to stand behind the platform or the pulpit, until He's met God and had an experience. No person has a right to call themselves a Christian, until first they've had an experience with God. That's right.
It was Abraham, after.... He was just an ordinary man that came down and dwelt in Shinar, down in the city of Ur. And he was just an ordinary believer. But one day God met him, and He spoke to him. And Abraham had an experience. And after Abraham had that experience, he could tell Sarah, “Go buy the Birdseye and get all the pins ready; we're going to have the baby. I don't care how old you are.”
Why? He had had an experience first, of talking face to face with God. He could call those things which were not as though they were, after he had met God and had an experience—not before it; after it.
That's what's the matter with people tonight, in these big cities and all cities in the world, is because they refuse to receive the Holy Spirit.
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You Methodists, and you Baptists, and you Presbyterian, and Catholic, you're human beings which Christ died for. And you've got just as much right to these blessings as the Pentecostals has. But the only thing it is, you'll just sign your name to a church book, instead of staying there until you've got an experience that God has changed you by the baptism of the Holy Ghost. It takes an experience to accompany faith. You know where you've been. Why, David knowed what he was talking about. He had met God.
Abraham knew what he was talking about, for he'd met God. For twenty-five years he endured, because he believed that God that he had met, took all shadows of doubt away from him. And he waited twenty-five years until that baby was born. Why? He had an experience of meeting God.
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Now, it was Moses that was raised up in all of the theology that Egypt could afford to give him. He was so smart until he could teach the masters of Egypt some wisdom. And he knew that he was born a Hebrew. He knew that he was born a deliverer. But look what a mess he made out of it, when he tried within himself, before he had an experience. He had all the schooling. He had the knowledge that he was the deliverer. But you see, he had never had any experience yet. But oh, brother, when he met God there in that burning bush, he knowed what he was after then; he knowed who he had believed. He could endure the rest of the eighty years as seeing Him who is invisible.
What a ridiculous sight, to see a man.... How faith, meeting God, will change a man. It'll make you do things that seem so crazy to the world. It'll make you act different, and you won't care what anybody says as long as you know what you've been talking to.
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Moses, running from Egypt, forty years on the desert, but five minutes in the presence of that bush, the next morning here he goes down to Egypt, his wife sitting astraddle of a mule, with a young'un on each hip. And him a man eighty years old with an old stick in his hand, the whiskers a blowing. “Where you going, Moses?”
“Going down to Egypt to take over.” A one man invasion. The thing of it was, he did it.
Why? He had an experience as a warrior and a young man. He run from the presence of Pharaoh without an experience. But with an experience, he walked into his face and told him, “I will smite this land with plagues, unless you let this people go.” He wasn't afraid. Why? He'd met God face to face.
Brother, sister, there is a secret place that every believer should go: the backside of the desert, there on those sacred sands. Oh, no doctor of theology, no Greek or Hebrew scholar, no school or seminary.... They might twist you all up in these kind of things, but if you ever met God on those sacred sands, Satan can't put his feet on them sands. You know you met God. Something real.... What was it? You talked to God yourself. You had an experience.
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No man has the right to take the pulpit to preach the gospel, unless he's had a “backside of the desert” experience. No man, no person has the right to call themselves a Christian until they've had a “backside of the desert” experience. It's still the backside of the desert; we call it “Upper Room,” but it's still the backside of the desert too. It's where you meet God.
Oh, how ridiculous it is tonight to take people in the church, just by baptizing into water and putting their name on the book. Oh, we need an old-fashioned, Saint Paul's revival, and the Bible Holy Ghost back into the church again, and a real old-fashioned meeting, an experience.
After you've had an experience, then you know what you're talking about. That's when you've got faith.
They might explain it and say, “Well now, you oughtn't to be a Methodist; you oughtn't to be Pentecostal.” They might talk you out of that, but when it comes to a place for that sacred spot where you met God, brother, Satan can't put his dirty feet on that place. You know you've talked to Somebody there. You know something happened. Yes, sir. You were there. You know all about it. From then on, you can go and conduct yourself like a real Christian.
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Oh, the conduct today, of people calling themselves Christians.... No wonder our poor women are painting their faces, and cutting off their hair, and wearing little shorts, and things. It's because they have failed to get that spot back there on that sacred sands yonder. That's right.
No wonder our men are permitting it, and smoking cigarettes, and things. They failed to find that sacred spot yonder, somewhere, where God and man meet together. That's right. That's what we need tonight. My beloved friend, you know that. It's a disgrace, on the days that we're living, that's the reason God cannot send a revival; He hasn't got much to build it on, friends.
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Yes, but I'm glad of this: “These stones are able to.... God's able of these stones to raise children to Abraham.” There's a few yet, left around it, in a shop and down at the works and so forth, that still love God. He's always had a remnant of people; He's got them tonight, that believe Him. No matter what anyone says, they believe it to be the truth: An experience, knowing God, knowing His power, loving Him. Oh, after you've had an experience with God, what a different person it makes you. How it makes you know where you're standing.
Even death itself can't separate you from it. No, David said, “Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for Thou art with me.” Gets our conduct right.
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Sometime ago, down in the South, they used to sell colored people for slaves, when the Africans brought them over here ... the Boers and sold them for slaves. And they would buy them in markets just like you do used cars—human beings. And to sell them and buy them, and brokers would come by and do so.
One day, a broker came by a certain plantation to buy some slaves. And this owner said, “I've got a few slaves I'd sell.”
He said, “Well, let me look them over.” And he noticed the slaves; they were away from mama and papa, the baby and hubby, and they would never go back again. They were slaves, and they'd die here in a strange land. Many times they were sorry, and crying, and all disturbed, because they would never see their loved ones again. So they'd whip them to make them work.
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And they happened to notice one young man. They didn't have to whip him. His head was back, and his chest out, and he was just right at the dock. And this slave buyer said, “I'd like to buy that slave.”
But the owner said, “He's not for sale.”
Said, “Why isn't he for sale?” Said, “Is he the boss over the rest of them?”
He said, “No. He's just a slave.”
“Well,” said, “perhaps maybe you feed him better than you feed the rest of the slaves?”
Said, “No, he eats out in the galley with the rest of them.”
“Well,” said, “what makes him so much different from the rest of them?”
He said, “I wondered a long time myself, till I found out. That boy's daddy, over in the homeland, is the king of the tribe. Though he's an alien and in a far country, yet he knows he's a king's son, and he conducts himself like one.”
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Oh, though we be criticized and called crazy, yet we're sons and daughters of the King. We're aliens, but yet we know that “Our Father is rich with houses and lands. He holdeth the wealth of the world in his hands.” We're a child of the King. Let's conduct ourselves like one. Let's straighten ourselves up. Let's face the enemy and know that God is our Father. He's the King. Though we're in a world of fashion and education and theology; that has nothing to do with it. Stick your chest out. Walk forward. Believe God. Certainly. Have an experience when you're born in that royal family.
After you've had that experience, you conduct yourself like that. Certainly.
Now it was Philip, one time, when he went over to find Nathanael. He could go, do, and tell Nathanael after he'd heard Jesus say, “Your name is Simon. And your Father's name is Jonas.” After he had had that experience, he could go tell Philip ... or, Nathanael, what great things he'd saw Jesus do. What, before? After he had seen, after he had seen Jesus do that.
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These apostles here.... And before Jesus told them to have faith in God, and to move mountains, he showed what He could do. He cursed the tree and then let them see it withered. See, after they seen the tree wither, then He said, “Have faith in God.”—after He had done something, after He had proved what He was.
And when Nathanael on his road back, and would been discussing with Philip, and saying, “Now nothing good could come out of Nazareth.”
But when he walked up into the presence of Jesus, and Jesus said, “Behold, an Israelite, in whom there is no guile,” he said, “Rabbi, when did you know me?”
He said, “Before Philip called you, when you were under the tree, I saw you.”
It was after Jesus said that, that he said, “Thou art the Son of God. Thou art the King of Israel.” After he had had an experience of seeing it, he knew then that He was the Son of God.
Jesus said, “Because I told you, I saw you under the tree, do you believe Me?”
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It was the woman that was fussing with Jesus about her religion and His religion, sitting at the well.... “You say you're greater than our father, Jacob? Why, You're a Jew. There's segregation in this land. You ain't got no business talking to me. And You say people should worship at Jerusalem, and we say, 'in this mountain,'” See, she was fussing with Him about her religion. She wanted to hold a little debate with Him.
She didn't really realize who He was, till He said, “Go get your husband and come here.”
She said, “I don't have any husband.”
He said, “You've said the truth. You've had five. And the one you're living with now, is not your husband.”
“Thou saidst right.” It is after He said that, that the woman left her water pot and run into the city, and said, “Come, see a man who told me what I've done. Isn't this the Messiah?” After He had told her. She didn't want to argue with Him then. After He had made Hisself known....
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It was after the woman with the blood issue had touched His garment and went and sat down, believing in her heart that she had faith for her healing. And it was after Jesus looked around and said, “Who touched me?” and no one spoke. And He looked out into the audience and told the little woman what her trouble was, and she was healed. It was after that, that everybody, then, began to touch His garment, for they was testing their faith, too.
The world wants to see something real. I'm hungry for real things. I'm hungry to see a church stand in this last days. I'm hungry to see a good old-fashioned, Pentecostal body of Christ rise in the power of the Holy Ghost, calling right “right,” and wrong “wrong.” My heart longs to see it.
The little remnants that's waiting on, are not waiting to see how big we can make our denomination; they're not waiting to see how well we can dress or how big a church we can build; they're waiting to see us manifest the life of the Lord Jesus Christ in love and power.
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They're waiting to see the time that when the Oneness, Twoness, Trinity and all together, will break down their little walls and put their hands in each other's hands and say, “We are brothers.” It's waiting for the Assemblies, and the Holiness, Pentecostal Holiness, and the Church of God, for the Mexicans, and the colored people, and the Japanese, and the white, and all together, to join ranks as one great body of Jesus Christ.
They don't care how good we educate our preachers. They're wanting to see reality. Then they've got an experience if there is a reality. That's what we need: an experience.
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I seen the coldest hearted man I ever seen in my life brought to Christ by something like it, not long ago. Up here in these New England states where I hunt, I got a good friend. Think he's sitting right back here tonight. He was one of the best hunters I ever followed. And I love to hunt, no, not to kill the game. It's ... just get alone with God, get away from all the gasoline, and cigarette smoke, and all the carrying on, so you could be alone with God, way up in the cathedral, in top of the mountain, miles and miles from nowhere. Then God comes down, and you can hear Him whispering through the pine. You can hear Him crying in the wolf, yonder. You can hear Him in the deer when he snorts. Why, you can just hear Him everywhere. As the eagle screams, you can watch Him, listen at Him.
And I used to hunt up here in the White Mountains with a good friend. He was a good hunter, a wonderful shot, and a nice fellow, but he was the most meanest man I ever seen. He was cruel-hearted. He used to shoot little fawns just make me feel bad. And he'd take little.... A little fawn is a little baby deer.
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And now, if the law says you can kill a fawn, that's all right; there's nothing against it. Abraham killed a calf and fed it to God; but not to just keep shooting them, just to be mean. See, it's your perversion, your attitude.
And so he would just shoot those little fawns. And I said, “Burt, don't do that. You're the meanest guy I ever seen.”
And he said, “Oh, Billy, get next to yourself. You're just a chicken-hearted preacher.”
“Why,” I said, “it don't take a chicken-hearted preacher to know right from wrong.” I said, “You shouldn't do that.”
And one year, when I went up there, he'd had him a little whistle. And he could take that little whistle and go just like a little baby deer crying for it's mammy.
And I thought, “You're not going to use that, Burt.”
“Oh,” He said, “get next to yourself, Billy.”
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And we went hunting that day—a very fine hunter; I love to follow with him. And we'd separate in the woods, and you'd never have to think about hunting him up; you knowed where he was at. And so we was hunting till about noon together, and then we were going to separate and go back down different mountains to come back to our camp.
And it.... Just before about eleven thirty, he was walking in front. We hadn't seen a track at all, and there was about a six inch snow on the ground, good tracking weather. But the deer season had been in for quite awhile and much shooting going on; the deers were all afraid. We call it “spooked.” They were scared, stayed in the thickets, and under the brush piles, and wherever they could get, especially when the daylight was on.
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So, he kind of stooped down at a little opening, and the first thing you know I seen him reach into his coat, and I thought he was going to get his lunch and we'd have our lunch together. We'd packed hot chocolate and some sandwiches, where if we got lost.... And then he reached in there and pulled out this little old whistle, and he gave it a little cry. And when he did, just across the opening, about the distance of this place, a mother doe stood up. Now, that's the mother deer: the doe. Oh, she was a beautiful animal. And I will never forget how she looked. She raised up those great big beautiful ears, standing up, her big brown eyes, and the veins looked like in her face, you could just see them.
And he looked around to me with that lizard looking eyes and he said.... Kind of pulled himself down. I thought, “Burt, you won't do that.” And I heard the lever come back, and he pulled the bolt back, and throwed a shell up into that 30.06 rifle. I thought, “Burt, surely you won't.” So he squealed again like that, and the old mother deer.... Now, that's very unusual for them to raise up like that, especially that time of day, in hunting season. She walked right out into the opening.
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Now, any of you brethren that hunts know they won't do that. And it's so.... What was it, though? What was she standing there? And Burt moved. And the deer saw him. Did she run? No, she stood there. What was it? She wasn't playing church. She was a mother. There was something in her was real. It was real love. A baby was crying, and she had something in her that called and answered; she was a mother. And she seen the hunter; she quivered a few times, and she looked again for that baby.
I seen Burt level that rifle down; that scope hair come right across her heart. I thought, “Oh!” He was a dead shot. I thought, “Oh, my, in another second or two he will blow her loyal heart plumb through her.” I thought, “How can you do it, Burt? How can you be so mean?” That mother out there, displaying real mother love. She isn't a hypocrite. She's really.... There's a baby in trouble. Death or no death—she's a mother.
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I thought, “How can you do it?” That big hundred and eighty grain bullet, that close, would blow her fifteen feet and blow her heart plumb through her. I thought, “Burt, how can you do that? You cruel-hearted man, shoot that poor mother's heart right out of her, with a heart like that, so loyal. So loyal.”
I turned my back. I thought, “O God, have mercy on that man. How can he be so cruel?” I waited, waited. The gun never fired. And I turned to look, and the gun was going like this.... He looked around at me, the tears running down his cheeks, he threw the gun on the ground. He said, “Billy, I've had enough of it. Tell me about that Jesus.” There on that bank of snow, I lead that cruel-hearted man to Christ. Why? Not my preaching, no, but because he seen something real. He seen something that was not put on. He seen something genuine.
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I'm telling you tonight, friends, the world is looking for something genuine, not a manmade creed, but a Jesus who lives, and reigns, and brings love, and peace, and joy, and breaks down differences, and makes men love men, and women love women. The world wants to see something real.
Brother, Sister, God's got it for you. It's here right now. Just meet that real thing. Just become as much Christian as she was a mother. I don't care; they can call you holy-roller; they can call you fanatic; you'll stand in the face of the enemy and declare that you love God. Real faith: think of it. That's what we need tonight, friends, is something real.
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Let us bow our heads just a moment now. And now, I wonder, while we're waiting a minute, would there be someone in the building here, tonight, would raise your hand, saying, “God, give me the kind of a Spirit of Christianity that make me as loyal to Christ as that mother deer was for her baby. Lord, I've been a church member for years. I've professed to be a Christian, but, really, I haven't got that real something. I need a real faith. I need a born-again experience, God. I need those sacred sands, that'll change me from a cowardly doubter to a real faith warrior, that can take God at His Word.”
You want to be remembered in prayer, raise up your hand, will you, all over the building. God bless you; that's good. Way in the balconies—the second balcony up there—raise your hands. You'd say, “God, remember me.” God bless you. In the third balcony say, “Remember me.” God bless you, each one now. He's here. He will do it. He sees your hand. Say, “O Lord God, be merciful. Give me love in my heart, Lord.”
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“Now, I've been very zealous of my denomination.” You should be; that's good, but oh, don't never put that ahead of Christ. That's where the church is slipping tonight; it's getting away over on creeds, you see. Don't do that. Come back to Christ. Think of it now. Say, “God, create in me a love. Give me faith, just as much faith to stand for You and to accept my healing tonight, too, as that mother deer had to stand there, fearless, because something was in her was real.”
Lord God, the service is Yours, Father. There has been two or three hundred hands go up. They love you, and they want something real. They're tired, just trotting around, just going from church to church, or place to place, or living in alleys with the riffraff, and out in the gambling places and.... Or, maybe trying to hide around the corner, and keep the pastor, and someone else from seeing them do things that's wrong. O God, may they walk right out in the open now. They've raised their hands. They want something real. Give them something real, Lord. Give them Jesus, that He might give them the Holy Spirit and fill them with His goodness and His power and His love: that'll make them have an undying faith in the Lamb of God. Grant it, Lord, they're Yours.
Now, He said, “No man can come to me except My Father draws him. And all that comes, I will give him eternal life and raise him up at the last day.” Then You're here, Lord. You're drawing. And Jesus, You said these words, “He that heareth My Word and believeth on Him that sent Me, has eternal life and shall not come to the judgment, but is passed from death unto life.”
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What did they do when they raised their hands, Lord? They defied the laws of gravitation. Why, there's a spirit in them that let them know that they were wrong, and a Spirit by them, the Holy Spirit, saying, “Child, accept Me.” And they raised their hands to the Creator.
Sure, you put their name on the book, Lord. Now, fill them with the Holy Spirit. Give them an experience right now, Lord, in this meeting tonight, that they'll never forget it; that they can go from here, knowing that Jesus is raised from the dead, and He lives, and He lives in their hearts.
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Give these pastors, Lord, a double portion of faith. They're shepherds, Lord. They're the one who leads the flock. Oh, stir these pastors tonight, Lord. Stir Your pastors; You'll stir the whole city. Grant it, Lord. Do, Father. Give them a solid faith tonight, Lord. May their churches just be like anvil blocks, just sparks of salvation flying every way, beating and molding material for the Master's use. Grant it, Lord. Now, may Jesus come, presenting Himself tonight, the same yesterday, today, and forever.
We just been talking, Father, how in the early days, how You made Yourself known to Your church by speaking to Peter—that ignorant fisherman—telling him who he was and what his father's name was. Then after You told him that, and he believed You, You give him the keys to the kingdom—after he believed it, after You told him.
Nathanael said, “Why did You ever know me, Rabbi?”
He said, “Well, before he, Philip, called you.” And You said, “I'm the vine. You are the branches.” We know that the vine does not bear fruit, it only gives life to the branch, and the branch bears fruit.
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We're told by Your Word that You're the same yesterday, today, and forever. If You made Yourself known to the Jews in that day, at the closing of their age, and You never manifested Yourself in that manner to the Gentiles, then God, when You make a decision, it has to be forever the same, for You cannot change. You don't get smarter; You're infinite to begin with.
Then, Father, we pray this after You promised it, that tonight You'll manifest it, in Jesus' name. Amen.
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Now, in the audience, tonight, Brother, Sister, you that raised your hand, immediately after the healing service, I want you to come up here. I want to pray with you a little bit after that. I'm so glad for you. Don't you feel good?
How many knows that good old song, “I will Praise Him. I will Praise Him. Praise the Lamb for sinners slain.” Don't you love to worship Him now, after the message is over? Worship Him.... Now, let's just sing that. Brother Claire, come here maybe and.... “I will praise Him. Praise the Lamb for sinners slain.”
[Brother Claire leads in singing, “I Will Praise Him.”]
Doesn't that just make you feel real good? Don't you feel just all scoured out, just like something that's struck you?
Let's sing this good old song of the church, “My faith looks up to Thee, Thou Lamb of Calvary, Saviour divine.” Just worship Him in the Spirit while you sing. Now, I love those good old songs [unclear words]. [Brother Claire leads in singing, “My faith looks up to Thee.”]
Let's hum it. All right. I want all you sitting next to you, don't leave your seats from the balconies and all. Reach over to somebody sitting next to you, by your side, right, left, front, and back, shake hands. You Methodists and Baptists, let's just be real friends now. Turn right around and shake hands now.
....Thou my Guide;
Bid darkness turn to day,
Wipe sorrow's tears away,
Nor let me ever stray
From Thee aside.
I love Him. Blessed be the name of the Lord.
I love Him, (Raise your hands,
in love, to Him.) I love Him,
Because He first loved me,
And purchased my Salvation
On Calvary's tree.
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Isn't He wonderful? Don't you just love Him? Doesn't that just do something to your heart; just takes all the old fears and doubt away, and bears it over in the sea of forgetfulness and know that, that lovely Jesus stands here, outstretched arms, “Come unto Me all the ends of the world and be blest.”
I'm looking at this little audience tonight as I'm thinking. You know this little way it's seated in here tonight, it's a cross. Here's one wing; there's the other wing; there's the foot and here's the head, just exactly a cross. Oh, don't I love Him? Don't you love Him?
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Now, we love Him. Now, we say.... Someone might say, “Brother Branham, that's just emotion.” No, it isn't; it's Spirit. It's real Holy Spirit.
There's not another religion in the world.... All the great religions.... Christianity is third or fourth down the line. Mohammedan religion is more in numbers than Christianity. Buddha is far advanced to Christianity. Christianity is way back, because why? We failed to do what Jesus said do, see. It's the only religion that's right. It's the only one.
Every one of their founders.... Mohammed, he's dead. You can visit his grave. There's a white horse stands at his grave; they change guards every four hours; been there for two thousand years; he's in the grave. Buddha, he died about twenty-three hundred years ago, buried in Japan.
But look, Jesus rose. You say, “Did He do it?” Yes.
“How can you prove it?” Just wait a few minutes and see. If He won't make His promise good, then He hasn't risen from the dead. But if He makes His promise good, then we're sure He's here. By faith we've believed it for two thousand years. We're at the end now, the end of the Gentile dispensation. He's here to seal it now. Oh, how I love Him! How I love Him!
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God is love, and you just can't do nothing but love, when God comes into you. It's love, brotherly love for one another.
Now, on the earth, when Jesus was here.... Now, God is Almighty, and He doesn't get smarter; He's the same all the time. Do you believe that? The human race gets smarter. The Bible said they would. They'd be weaker and wiser, but God is infinite. Do you believe that?
We are finite. Each year, well, our scientists are moving on, and we build a better automobile, and our education is better, but God doesn't get any smarter. He's perfect to begin with.
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So then, when God.... A certain situation rises, and God's called on the scene to act, the way God acts that time, He has to act every time; when the same circumstances rises again, He has to act the same way He did the first time, or He acted wrong the way He acted the first time. In other words, if there was a sinner calling for mercy, and God saved that sinner, the next sinner calls, God's got to act the same way.
If a man is dying, and the doctors can't help him, and he calls on God and calls Him to the scene, and God heals that person, He's got to act the same way again (See?), or He did wrong when He acted the first time.
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Now, when Jesus was God in flesh—we believe that: the manifestation, He was here to manifest Himself in the flesh. Jesus was the body, the Son of God; God dwelt in Christ. Now, Jesus said Himself, “The Son can do nothing in Himself,” Saint John 5:19, “but what He sees the Father doing, that doeth the Son likewise.” Did you ever read that? Then He didn't do nothing, till Father God showed Him a vision on what to do.
Now, you see the Bible's infallible. Jesus said, “The Scriptures cannot be broken.” Jesus said that. Now, and then if Jesus said, “I can do nothing until the Father shows Me first what to do. The Father worketh; I worketh hitherto.” In other words, He acted out in drama what the Father showed Him to do. Watch each case, every time you find it the same way, unless it was the people's faith.
Now, now we notice that.... Then again, we find He said, “As the Father hath sent Me, so send I you.” Now, the Father that sent Him was with Him and in Him. The Father that sent Him, went with Him and in Him. Well, the Jesus that sends us, goes with us and in us, see. So Jesus shows us what to do.
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Now, when He declared Himself to the Jews—take Saint John the 1st chapter—what was the first thing He done? He declared Himself by telling Peter who he was and what his father's name was.
Next He declared Himself to another Jew, just the next day. And here come Nathanael up. He said, “A Israelite and no guile.”
He said, “When did you know me, Rabbi?”
Said, “Before Philip called you, when you were under the tree, I saw you.”
He said, “You are the Son of God.”
But there were those who stood by, said, “He's a fortune-teller. He's Beelzebub. He's an evil person.”
And what did Jesus say? “I will forgive you for that, but....” Otherwise like this: “Some day the Holy Ghost is coming. When it comes and does the same thing, one word against it will never be forgiven in this world nor the world to come.”
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Now, notice, there's only three generations of people. That's Ham, Shem, and Japheth's people, if we believe the Bible. The world was destroyed in the antediluvian flood. And that was Ham, Shem, and Japheth. Now, that was Jew, Gentile, and Samaritan (half Jew and Gentile).
Now, when He was on earth, the Jews that had believed Him had been looking for Him for years, when He come, their eyes were blind. But see, that's the way He manifested Himself to the Jews. The true Jew said, “That's the Messiahic sign.”
When He went by the woman at the well, which was a Samaritan, what did He do? The same sign He showed to the Jew: “Go get your husband and come here.”
She said, “Now, we are trained. We know that when the Messiah cometh....” You know what? That woman knowed more about God than half the ministry of the United States does—yet, she was a prostitute. She said, “We know when the Messiah cometh, He will tell us these things. But who are You?”
He said, “I'm He that speaks to you.”
She ran into the city, said, “Come, see a man who told me the things I've done. Isn't this the Messiah?”
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Now, remember, He never did that to a Gentile. He forbid His disciples to go to a Gentile, because we were heathens in them days. We hadn't been trained.
Now, we've got two thousand years of training, and we're at the end of the road, just like they were. You remember the Samaritan woman, “Our father Jacob....” See? They were just an off-breed, half-breed between the two.
Now, notice, now this is the end of the Gentile age. Now, listen real close before we close. The prophet said there would come a day that wouldn't be called day nor night. What would that be? Kind of a dismal, foggy, dark day. Is that right? And He said, “In the evening time, it shall be light.” Now, what happened? Civilization started in the East and traveled Westward. It's all the way to the West Coast; the East and West has met together now. What kind of a light shined? The gospel light. What did it shine like on the Eastern people? Jesus, performing these things to the Eastern people.
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We are the Western people. Now, the day has went through the Gentile age where we could see enough light to walk and believe Jesus, and to do the things that we think is right, and build our churches, and have denominations, education, and so forth. That's all right. But in the evening, it shall be light. The fog's cleared away. And the same Holy Ghost that fell on the day of Pentecost, that's been kept down through the Lutheran age, through the Wesley age, and through the other ages, is now beginning to shine on this Gentile people in the last days with Jesus who is the light, working in His church as the vine among the branches, producing and performing the very same things He did when He was here.
That was the last sign of the end of the Jew. I believe we got sputniks in the sky, handwriting on the wall, men's hearts failing for fear, perplexed of times, distress between nations. One extra drink of Vodka, and we could all go to ashes before morning. You know that. Not a thing to keep them from doing it.
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New York, just takes one. They got a bomb that'll blow a hundred and seventy-five feet deep, a hundred and something miles square. Where you going to hide at? You couldn't dig deep enough: the concussion would get you hundreds and hundreds of feet below the ground.
But there's a hiding place. It's made out of feathers; under His wings we abide. And remember, if the end time could come before morning—and anyone knows the church goes before that happens—how close is He coming? See, Jesus said, “As it was in the days of Noah, and as the days of Lot, so will it be in the coming of the Son of man.”
Not one drop of rain fell till Noah went in the ark. What did the Angel say to Lot? “Hasten, come hither, for I can do nothing till you come hither.” No fire could fall on Sodom until Lot was out. And no bombs can strike until Jesus takes His church. He's gone. It might be at any minute.
Look, just one more thing.... Excuse me for keeping you so long. I want you to notice. Just Abraham, who was the elected.... Do you believe God's got a elected church, and then a church natural? Trying to call it now. The elected church was already in.
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Abraham was to represent the elected church: living poor, out on the deserts and so forth. But notice, just before the destruction of Sodom, there was an Angel came to him. Is that right? And the Angel was talking to Abraham, had His back turned to the tent, and Sarah was on the inside of the tent. And the Angel told Abraham, “I'm going to visit you according to the time of life.” And Sarah, in her heart, laughed inside the tent. The Angel with His back to the tent, said, “Why did Sarah laugh?” What kind of telepathy was that? Remember that Angel had the last message, not before the water fell, but before the fire fell. And who was that Angel? Christ. Abraham called Him Elohim, Jehovah, Almighty, the Logos. Sure, He was God.
And here it is, just before destruction of fire again, that same Angel is amongst His people today, calling to you church members, “Come out. Come out from among them.” That's right. Get away from it quickly. She's going to sink, just as certain.
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When I went into India, here not long ago, they said, “The earthquake must be over; the birds are flying back.” A day before the earthquake come, they didn't know nothing about it. But India don't have fences like we have; they have rock fences, and great big towers, and so forth. They live in rock houses. They're poor. And the birds build their nests in there, and the cattle stand around them for shade. But the day before that earthquake come, you couldn't get a cow or sheep near that fence. They all stood right out in the middle of the field. And all of the birds left their nests, and went out in the forest, and got in the trees. Why? God ... the same God that took them to the ark, could take them away from them walls. He took His animals out in the field. Then when the earthquake and them walls fell, the animals was away from it.
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Oh, Brother, if God can warn birds and animals to get away from danger.... “Fly away from these old walls of Babylon. They're crushing; they're coming down.” The Holy Ghost is warning: “Get out in the middle of God's grace and raise up your hands to Christ; ”Here I am, Lord.“ Do it now You believe. And I believe tonight that He will give us a great meeting. Now, let us pray again.
Father, oh, I'm so happy tonight, and thrilled, and enthused to see You shake these New England states before You change my ministry. O Lord, I'm so glad that hundreds has received You. And I pray now, that You'll grant tonight.... When You got those disciples coming from Emmaus inside the room, and closed the door, You did something the way You did it before You were crucified. They knew it was You. And they run back, saying, “Our hearts burned within us.”
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God, grant tonight that You'll come and do the same things that You did when You were here on earth. You said You would. You promised it. And then, when we go home tonight, we will say, “Did not our hearts burn within us. Truly He's raised from the dead. He still lives. Two thousand years hasn't aged Him a bit. He lives forevermore. And because He lives, we can live also.” Grant it, Father. We humble our hearts and submit our spirits to You—this church, their spirits, Lord—that they might be able to touch the border of Your garment, the great High Priest.
Lord God, I surrender myself to You, under a Divine gift, that You would use my eyes and lips to see and speak that which would be appropriate in Your kingdom, and for the glory of God we ask it. Amen.
Hundred cards, H.... All right. We can't get them all up here at once, and we will see if we can get a few up here. About how many could we stand here? Let's see.... “H” did you say? Who has H, number 1, prayer card? [Blank spot on tape.] Got them all lined up.
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All right. Now, here is the case, friend. Now, if you will, each one just be seated and be just as reverent. Now, don't matter where you are. This great closing moment.... Now, all this rejoicing we've done, all this joy we have in our heart, all this faith that we say we believe Him and love Him, what good is it if He's a God of history and not the same God today?
We had a George Washington one time, Abraham Lincoln, but that's history; they're gone. They can't come to the White House and act today. But not so with Jesus. He lives. He lives.
Now, does He live? Well, if He lives, I want to ask you. Your healing is already purchased. Do you know that? Your salvation.... You just have to receive it.
Now, what does He do? Make Hisself present to confirm His Word, then your faith in Him, you just accept your healing like you do your salvation, like those people awhile ago raised their hands, accept it.
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Now, do you realize my position? This is right at ten years around the world. Through witch doctors.... I've had witch doctors to sit and go through enchantments and say they'd have a storm to blow me away. And a storm come and just whirl around and round. I just kept preaching. About fifty thousand people.... About fifteen witch doctors on each side, going through all kinds of enchantments: bleeding theirself, and putting blood on them, and everything, calling up evil spirits, and truly, here come clouds.
And it come up, and I just kept on preaching. Then I thought the little place was going to blow away, I stopped, laid my Bible down. I said, “Lord God, You made the heavens and earth....” and them clouds moved right back and the sun begin to shining, and thirty thousand come ... or, twenty thousand that afternoon, rushed to the altar, of Communists, and received Christ as personal Saviour.
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He's been so good to me. Now, surely He won't let me down tonight. Pray. But you see what I'm doing? Now, the Word that declares it, is the truth. Then the words could be found false, or me telling something that's not so. But even if it wouldn't work, the Word's still right anyhow. I can be wrong. I could be all messed up, and God wouldn't even speak through me, but He has done it. And I trust Him, that He will do it again, for it's by His grace He does it.
Now, be real reverent. And if He will come and act just the same as He did when He was here on earth, how many of you will say, “It'll make me believe Him and love Him. And if I don't even get in the prayer line, I will be healed anyhow.” Just raise your hand and say, “I will be....”
70
Now, as far as I know, the only person that I recognize in the building, out in front of me here, is Brother Stadsklev sitting here. And I might know one of those ministers; the one right behind him, I think I do. And Brother Boze, sitting there. Rest of you are strangers.
Now, here's a beautiful Bible picture. A woman and a man meeting for the first time. This is our first time meeting? If it is, just so the people would know, just raise up your hand. I've never seen her. She's just a woman come out of the audience. Well now, if she needs healing, what if I just lay my hand on her and say, “Lady, you need healing; you're going to get well.” That would be all right; she could believe that, and it'd be all right. But then, she could have a little doubt. And you could too. But if the Lord Jesus will come and act like He did to the woman at the well, tell her where her trouble is, or something that's in her life, that she knows that I know nothing about, then that shows it'd have to be a complete miracle. That's more of a miracle, than having a paralytic sitting here, to rise up. Certainly it is. In the supernatural.
71
Now, if the Lord Jesus.... You know me not knowing you, and this is just a picture like it was, the woman at the well, a man and a woman. And if He will tell me.... You might be a Christian. You might be an infidel. You might be a critic. You might be sick. I don't know; I have no idea. But He does know. And if He will reveal it now to me, then you'll know it'd have to come through supernatural power somewhere. Would you believe it was God? May He grant it.
I'm just talking to you, like our Lord did the woman, see. I say now, that you are a Christian, because you're aware that something's going on. Just started just now. If that's right, raise up your hand, see. Between me and you, coming right around you, is that light that you see in that picture (I suppose they had it here.), moving on the lady. The woman's aware that something's going on, humble, sweet feeling.
Now, I see her move away from me, and she's really, extremely nervous. That's right. That's what's wrong with you: nervousness. See you pacing the floor. Now, that's right, isn't it? If that's right, wave your hand like this. Do you believe now?
72
You say, “Brother Branham, you could've guessed that.” All right. Let's see what else the Lord would say. Whether He will or not, I don't know. He might. Yes. If the audience can still hear my voice, the lady, I see, her nervous; she's all.... Oh, it's caused by ... she got a fall and hurt her back. That's what caused it.
Another thing, you've been interested in a person you're praying for or something. It's a young man. And that young man is bothered with spiritual trouble. He's all nervous and just scared. He's just mentally shook up. It's demon oppression. When you go to him, tell him not to worry, because he's going to get over it. And you are over yours now. Your faith has made you well. God bless you.
You believe Him to be Christ? Now, you know that there has to be some kind of a supernatural being here. Now, if you believe it's Christ, now be real reverent.
73
I suppose, sister, we're strangers to one another. Do you believe that.... The first time you was ever in the meeting? All right. Now, if the Lord God will let me know what you want of Him, would you believe He'd be interested enough, then, to let you ... He's trying to let you know that He loves you? All right. May.... Now just be real reverent. Now, will you.... You got something wrong with your hand and your back. It was caused by a bus door closing on you. You're healed. Stand up on your feet. Your back trouble's gone. Be reverent.
All right. What did she touch? I don't know the woman. I have never seen her in my life. She knows that. But you're healed now. You're all right. God bless you, see. She touched the High Priest. Now, you out there, you start doing the same thing. Just believe Him now. Have faith. Don't doubt.
74
The lady, you have complications. You got many things wrong with you. One thing, you're suffering with a weakness; you have weakness. And you have real weak spells, and then that's been going on for some time, for a number of years. Since you started into the menopause time of life, you begin to get extremely nervous, before your hair began to turn. And then, the great thing that you're interested in though, is somebody else. That's your husband. He's in the hospital, crippled. And you've got a handkerchief there for him. Is it here? Lord God, I pray that You'll remove that curse and make the man well, through Jesus Christ' name. Don't you doubt. Go on your road and rejoice. Believe with all your heart. Be real reverent. Keep believing. Don't doubt. Have faith.
75
If the audience can hear my voice, this woman doesn't speak English. She just a little bit. She can just barely speak English. And you're not here for yourself. You're here for someone else. And I see lots of water, and a great dark shadow, a country. You're praying for somebody who is across the sea, and that is your sister. And she's in Russia. And she has cancer in the stomach. She's behind the iron curtain. And she's unsaved, also. “Thus saith the Lord.” Mail the handkerchief to her and the Lord God will bring it to pass. “If thou canst believe, all things are possible.” Do you believe with all your heart? Believe that God will grant your request that's been mentioned. “If thou....”
Just a moment. Something happened in the audience just now. Well, it's the lady here with her hand up, right here. She's suffering with sinus, headache sinus. You're healed now. Jesus Christ makes you well. Have faith in God. I don't know you, do I, lady? I've never seen her in my life. But God knows her. Just have faith in God. “If thou canst believe.”
76
Do you believe me to be His servant, in the presence of Christ? You are suffering with a nervous trouble, real extremely nervous, and you got wrong with the liver which makes spots before your eyes, and coating on your tongue, bilious spells happens to you. I see you very sick at times. That's right. And then, also, you have a tumor. That tumor is on your breast. You believe you're going to be healed? Then go. God make you well.
Lady, right back there, don't bite your fingers any more. You're suffering with a nervous trouble that's making you have stomach trouble. You believe that God will make you well? You accept your healing? You do? Raise up your hand if you do. All right, it's over now. God bless you. Have faith.
77
Hi, young fellow. You're a mighty fine boy. You believe me to be His servant? I don't know you, lady. Here's a beautiful picture of like the well: a Samaritan woman and a Jewish man. And here is a colored woman, white man.
But God let them know that there's no difference in the people. We all come from Adam. The country we was raised in changed our color. It has nothing to do with our spirit and souls. We're all creatures of God. You believe He still lives?
The reason I spoke to that woman there, with that stomach trouble, same thing you have; you have a stomach trouble too. That's right. See, Satan knew he was going to be defeated here. He thought he could get by there, but he failed. To let you know that you're already healed, do you believe me to be His prophet? You do? You're not from this city. You believe that.... You're suffering with a break too, a nervous break. That's right. You want to go back to Boston and be made well? Love the Lord? Your name's Sarah. Sarah Sells. Return back to Boston. Jesus Christ has made you well. “If thou canst believe....”
78
I don't know you, lady. God knows us both. Do you believe that He would heal you? Do you believe He could let me know about you? Now, be real reverent. There's just so many of you getting healed out there, I can't tell which is which. Just going everywhere. Pulling just as hard. See, it's.... This colored lady, standing here that's making the colored people have faith when they see that other lady healed.
Sitting right back out here on this first row ... trouble with your shoulder. And you believe God would make you well, lady? You believe it? All right. The colored lady sit.... Lay your hand on that lady next to you; she's got trouble in her side. You believe that God will make you well, lady? All right. Put your hand on the next one to you; got heart trouble and high blood pressure. You believe, lady? All right. Stand up on your feet and receive it. Have faith. Have faith.
79
You're suffering with a nervous trouble too. You got heart trouble, and you got trouble in your colon ... or, the doctor told you that. That's right. And you got tumor in the head. That's right. Miss Elsie Dare.... You're Mrs. Long. Return back; you're healed. Jesus Christ makes you well.
That back trouble left you while she was being prayed for. Just go right on ahead, just rejoicing. You're already healed.
You're shadowed to death of cancer, but do you believe God healed you? Just keep walking. Pray [unclear words]. Well, do you believe that God healed you right there? Would you believe it? Just keep rejoicing and thanking God.
You've been getting stiff from arthritis, but you won't have it no more. Just keep walking; Jesus Christ makes you well.
Do you believe out there in the audience now? Stand up on your feet right quick then. Jesus Christ makes you perfectly whole. Raise up your hands to Him now. Praise Him! There's that light [unclear words]. There He is. Raise your hands real quick and praise Him.
Lord God, in Jesus Christ's name, I cast the devil from every person here and ask that they will be made whole.