Blind Bartimaeus

I'm sorry that we do not have seating room for the people. But we will be real brief. We thank you for your fine cooperation. I want to take this opportunity to say to this group of ministers, I certainly appreciate your fine cooperation, my brethren. As I was saying, this is the first time that these churches ever dismissed their Sunday night's services. I certainly thank you. God's blessing rest upon you all.

And to the people here on the grounds, that does not have a church home, I recommend these men for your church home. They are men that believes the same message I'm preaching. They too are earnestly contending for the faith that was once delivered to the saints. If I lived here in Puerto Rico, I'd belong to one of their churches, the one I was closest to.

I want to take this opportunity also to thank the Christian Businessmen for inviting me here. And I trust that your chapter will grow, and you'll do the wonderful things for the kingdom of God that your chapter stands for, that is, to help the church, uniting the body of Christ as one. If there's any businessmen on this grounds who's not already a member of this chapter, I recommend them as a fine fellowship that enjoys the blessings of Jesus Christ, real Christian gentlemen. I would recommend that you would join this chapter. You don't have to belong to any certain church, they're denominational; they just want fellowship.

To all those who have been saved during this meeting, find you a good church now, be baptized, and be a member of that church.

And I want to thank Sally Olson for her fine cooperation.

Today I had the privilege of speaking with some of the Puerto Rican people in the prison. I want to say this: that the fine spirit that I found among you people, the prison does not shut it out. They are still the same people in prison, loving, kind. And when the Spirit of God came in, they had just as much joy as we have right here on this field. You can never put a saint anywhere but what God will come, be with him. One went into a belly of a whale; God came and was with him. Three went in a fiery furnace; God went and was with them. One went into a lion's den; God went with him. You can't hide a saint from his God.

Sally Olson... I found a place in my heart for her. I didn't know it so well before; but now I see her burden. Yet she's Scandinavian, but she says, “Brother Branham, these people are my people.” They love her. No wonder, such a lovely person, a little orphanage.

I seen those lovely little Puerto Rican children when I come into the airport the other night, no papa, no mama, and they come to me, put their arms around me, kissed me. That taken a place. I have children too. I know what it means to be loved and to love others. God bless Sister Olson.

All you dear people, I have preached to greater crowds, but I never preached to nicer people. If it be the will of God, and your desire, I would like to return sometime [unclear words]. Thank you. I will do that. When I feel that welcome, I feel the Holy Spirit will send me back. Thank you. It does something to my heart.

The brethren was just telling me that they taken an offering for me. Friends, that's unsolicited. I never took an offering in my life. But I don't know how I'd get it back now. I will promise you: I will put it to the furthering of the work of Christ. May the Lord bless you and repay to you a hundredfold.

I could just talk to you all night. And when I return, we will try to get a large place where everybody can be seated, then stay for two or three weeks. Thank you. And I'm sure the Holy Spirit will be more able to work around it. While we are waiting to return, tell everyone, have prayer meetings. Prayer what changes things. That's the secret to all this, is prayer. I spend a great part of my life in that, sometimes for weeks and weeks.

Now, we will go right straight to the Scriptures. I just hate to start. I have a little weight on my heart tonight for you. I love you in my heart. That's a humble spirit. I wish I could speak your language. I'd like just express to you what I'm thinking. But I pray the Holy Spirit will express it for me. I mean that.

I'm thinking now that some are here, if I should return in six months, there would be some gone. Some would be missing. An audience of this size, many old people; I may be gone too before that time. But if some would be gone, there's no doubt, this is the last time that we will look upon each other, like we are tonight, until we stand in His presence and see Him who is the invisible One among us tonight.

Then, I want to say to the pastors: this has been such a great strain of faith. Each night I almost collapse. The Spirit just moves through the people. I'm sure after I'm gone weeks the people will be coming to their pastors and testifying of their healing. It just has to be. Now, you remember, if that isn't so, then I'd be a false prophet. But it's the truth. There's so many healed, I just can't speak it fast enough. I've very seldom ever seen that in a meeting here.

I want to also thank this fine interpreter. I know that he wouldn't interpret it that way. I've had many interpreters, but it's very seldom that you find an interpreter so filled with the Holy Spirit, that'll enter into and can interpret it just like the Holy Spirit speaking it. It goes to show, the same Holy Spirit is working between us. God bless him. And God bless this boy too.

These people are so humble, you have to let them interpret one for the other. God will... God dwells in humility. Now, to our text. We are going to speak on the subject of “Blind Bartimaeus.” Bartimaeus.

I read a story sometime ago about blind Bartimaeus. And it was told like this, that he'd been blind for many years since he was a young man. And he was a beggar as the Scripture says. And he had a wife and a little girl. The little girl was about twelve years old. And he'd never seen her face.

And beggars in those days, there were many of them. And the men, the business men, and the tourist, they would come to the work of a morning. They would have to... They give them a coin, what they had to spare for that day. And if they didn't have something to attract the attention of the passer-by, well then, they wouldn't get nothing.

And we're told that blind Bartimaeus had two little turtledoves, and they would tumble over each other. And that would attract the attention of the people that passed by.

And then one night his wife got sick. They sent for the doctor. The doctor said, “There's nothing I can do, Bartimaeus; she's going to die.” So he went out along the side of the house, feeling with his hands, and he cried, “Jehovah, what could I do without her? I promise You, if You let her live, tomorrow, I will make You an offering of my little turtledoves.” And the woman got well. He offered them up.

Not later... not much later from that, his little girl got sick. And he went out to pray for her. He didn't have nothing to offer but his lamb.

Now, no doubt that you have seen dogs lead blind people. But in them days, a lamb led the people, the blind. And Bartimaeus had a lamb that would lead him down to the gates of Jericho where he begged. So his little girl got well. And so he went up to offer the lamb.

And as he was entering the temple, the priest said, “Blind Bartimaeus, where goest thou?”

He said, “I'm going to offer my lamb. I promised God I would do it.”

The priest said, “Oh, Bartimaeus, you cannot do that. I will give you money, and you buy you a lamb for sacrifice.”

He said, “No, priest. I never promised God a lamb; I promised Him this lamb.”

And he said, “Bartimaeus, you cannot do that; that lamb is your eyes.”

He said, “True, priest. But if Bartimaeus will keep his promise to God, God will provide a lamb for Bartimaeus' eyes.” Amen.

It must have been a cold morning. He'd dreamed all night that he could see again. And he come to the gate late. All the business men had done gone into the city. And just a few tourists in them days, so what could he do? He wouldn't get a coin then. How would he get something to eat? He listened. He couldn't hear no one.

So he took his place by the side of the gate. He felt around until he found a big stone that had fallen down when God had shook the walls of Jericho. It had been a cold morning. He sat down in the warm sunshine. And there he was sitting. And he begin to think of what he was dreaming the night before. Oh, what a wonderful dream. He dreamed he could see. And he bowed his head, and he begin to think of years ago of when he was a little boy. We all like to go back to those times and think of childhood scenes.

And he begin to think of when he was a little boy running around over the hills, just a little Jewish lad of about seven or eight years old; how he loved to pick the little yellow flowers off of the banks of the Jordan. And the beautiful hill flowers of Palestine, what pretty colors they had; and how his little dark eyes used to look at those flowers; and when he would see the pretty skies, the big white clouds. But now, it had been black for many, many years.

Then he remembered how happy he would be when his Jewish mother would call him to his midday lunch. And she would, after he had eaten, take him up in her arms, go out on the porch, and go to rocking him for his midday nap. She'd stroke back his black hair, pat him on the cheek, and how his eyes would see her beautiful face. His mama, oh, how he could remember it.

And he remembered too that she used to tell him Bible stories. That's good for mothers to tell your children those things. “Bring up a child in the way it should go, and when it gets old, it will not depart from you.” That's what the Scriptures says.

And as she would rock him and tell him of the great Jehovah, there was one story that he liked specially. That was about the days of Elijah, the prophet. He loved to think of that great mighty prophet and of the Shunammite woman. How that this woman was a good woman. Though she was a Shunammite, she knowed that that prophet was a man of God. And she liked to do kind things for him. So one day she had her husband to build him a little room, so that in his traveling, he could just stay in that little room built on the side of their house.

And as him and his servant came by one day and seen how nice she'd treated him, he wanted to do something good for her. So they found out that she had no children.

And his mother would brush his little hair back, of little Bartimaeus, and say, “Bartimaeus, every mother wants a little boy like you.”

So the prophet thought that could be the nicest thing could happen to this nice lady, for she would keep him of the Lord. So he prayed for the woman, and she had the little boy.

And when he got to be about twelve years old, one day he was out in the harvest field with his papa, and he must have had a sunstroke. He said, “My head, my head.” And the servant taken him to his mama. She held him on her lap, and he got sicker and sicker. And after awhile there was no breath in him. He was dead.

And look at what that mother did. She never put him on his little bed; neither did she put him on her bed. But she went around and put him on the prophet's bed. That's a good place to put him.

And then she said to her husband; they were all screaming. She said, “Saddle a mule and ride. Don't stop. I'm going up in the mountains to a cave where a prophet lives.”

“Oh,” her husband said, “it's no good now.”

She said, “All is well.” And away she went to find the man of God who could who could pronounce a blessing, could say a prophecy, and tell them the time that baby would be born. Surely, if God could give a baby, God could tell why He took a baby. Amen.

Then we find her coming up to the prophet. The prophet looked, and he could see her coming. Now, God doesn't always tell everything to His prophets; He just tells him what He wants them to know. God had not told Elijah that the baby was dead. Here's what he said, “Here comes the Shunammite, and she's wearied, and God has kept it from me.” He said to her, “Is all well with thee, with thy husband, and with the baby?”

Listen, what she said, “All is well.” Her baby was a corpse, and her husband frantically, and her heart broke. But, “All is well.” Why? She is in the presence of God's representative. She knows, something had to happen. I like that. And she knelt at his feet and begin to tell him.

He said to Gehazi his servant, “Take my staff and go to the baby. And if anybody tries to stop you, don't stop. Go.” That's the message.

That's the message for the ministers today. Don't stop for social parties and things, bunco games in the church, dances. The message is urgent. People are dead in sin and trespasses. We ain't got no time to argue theology: Are you Methodist? Baptist? Catholic? That doesn't make difference. Get the message there.

Now, I think that's where Paul got laying handkerchiefs on the people, because I believe Paul was a fundamentalist. Now you see, Elijah knowed that God was in Him and everything he touched was blessed. If he could get the woman to believe the same thing...

But the woman's faith wasn't in the staff; it was in the prophet. The staff might work when the prophet wasn't there. But the prophet was there then. But she said then, “As the Lord your God lives, and your soul never dies, I will not leave you.” I like that. Hold onto your convictions. We've got today, before us, the representative of God in the earth, the Holy Ghost.

Now, when God gives a promise, let's hold onto the Spirit of God until it takes place. “I'm not going to turn loose. I'm going to hold to Your Word, Lord, until it comes to pass; I'll not turn loose.”

Elijah knew the only way he'd get rid of her was go with her. So, he girded up his loins, went to the house. He met the servant coming back [unclear words] Elijah went into the room, closed the door, kept the unbelieving on the outside, walked to and fro up and down the floor until the Spirit come on him. Then he run, laid his body across the baby. The baby sneezed seven times, jumped up in his lap.

Oh, how he loved that little story. Oh, he thought, “If I could only have lived in that day, I'd have had that prophet to pray for my blind eyes.”

Just then “Shh, shh,” he heard something coming. It's the hoofs of a little mule. And he hears someone running ahead of it. He gets his ragged coat, put it on him, goes out. “Have mercy. Give me a coin. I haven't had a coin today. I've got a little girl home hungry. I got a wife home hungry. Please help me.”

All of a sudden there come a voice, “Out of my way, blind beggar. I have no time for blind beggars today. I'm a servant of the Lord, and I'm the head of the ministerial association of Jerusalem. I understand there's a fanatic prophet from Galilee coming in and out of this city today. And the Jericho association has called me. We're going to have a council today. We're going to see that He can't get no healings down here. We come down to stop Him. Out of my way. I must be on my way.” Away they went.

Blind Bartimaeus felt his way back to his rock. The sun had come around, so it was shady there. He moves back into the sun, found him another rock and sat down, continued his dream. Said, “Just think, that same prophet Elijah and Elisha came down this same road here, arm in arm, going to the Jordan; and struck his coat against the waters and crossed over. And one struck it and come back. The Jordan dried up.

Think of it, they passed within a hundred yards of where I'm sitting. If I'd only lived then, I'd have run out there“ and said, ”Oh, prophets of God, pray for me,' and they would've prayed, and my blind eyes would've been opened.“ But, alas, the priest says, ”The days of miracles is passed. There's no more healing, no more prophets. The days are gone.“

Then he remembers that his mother told him, five hundred yards from where he was sitting, the great Joshua, by the power of God, opened up the Jordan and brought his people into the land. “What's happened to that great Jehovah?”

Then, he remembered Joshua walking around the walls one afternoon. And he seen some man standing. He had His sword drawed. He was coming to meet Joshua. Joshua, the great mighty warrior, pulled his sword, and he screamed, “Are you for us, or are you for our enemy?” And the man said, “Nay. But I am the Captain of the host of the Lord.” Joshua threw his sword on the ground, took off his hat, throwed down his shield.

Little did he know that that same Captain was a hundred yards from him coming out of the city. Oh, Hallelujah!

That same Captain of the host of the Lord is right here now, the same one.

And he heard a noise, and they were making screams. Some were saying one thing and some another. And he heard someone say, “Hosanna to the King.”

And he heard others say, “Away with that fanatic. Get Him out of our city.”

So blind Bartimaeus wondered what the commotion was. Then he heard a voice, said, “You who can raise the dead, You who said You raised a man called Lazarus, come up here; we got a grave yard full, raise some of them up.” Oh, they critics has been in all age.

But before the crowd went a little frail looking Man, His face set towards Jerusalem. He was going there to die for the sins of the world. And all the weight of every sin was upon Him. He wasn't hearing their cries. And they were throwing overripe fruit at Him, no doubt, making fun of Him. “Let me see You heal somebody.”

And blind Bartimaeus recognized the voice of that same priest who had been talking to him. So he wondered what's the matter. So he begin to scream, “What's going on?”

And someone said, “Sit down. Get out of the way.” And they pushed him. The old fellow fell. And he cried out, “Somebody tell me, what's all this screaming about?”

After while a real kind lady stooped down. She said, “Poor man, what are you wanting?”

“I want to know, madam, what's the noise about?”

“Oh,” she said, “sir, do you not understand that Jesus of Nazareth, the prophet of Galilee, is passing by?”

“No, madam. I've never heard of Him.”

“Oh, sir, are you an Israelite, and do not know the Scriptures? I am a follower of Jesus of Nazareth.”

“Oh, is all of His followers kind like you?” Sure they are. Show courtesy, gentle. Then he said, “What about this Prophet?” Why, he said, “You know, Moses...”

She said, “Moses said that the Lord our God would raise up a God-prophet. Do you understand that?”

“Oh,” he said, “is that Him, The Son of David?

“Yes.”

Said, “How will I know?”

“Oh,” She said, “wait just a moment. They had a breakfast this morning down in the city, was giving Him a breakfast. And you remember that tax collector named Zacchaeus?”

“Yes, I remember him.”

“He climbed up in a sycamore tree and put all the leaves around him. 'If He's a prophet... Even a prophet couldn't find me up here.' So he was sitting up in the tree, and Jesus came by, and He stopped under the tree, and He looked up, said, 'Zacchaeus, come down.'”

“Oh, that is a prophet then.” It's still the prophet! “Oh,” he said, “then where's He at now?”

“Oh, He's way down the road.”

“But you think He can hear me?”

“You just pray, sir.”

And he begin to scream, “Jesus, Thou Son of David, have mercy on me.” An insignificant person, ragged, poor, blind; but He cried, “Thou Son of David, have mercy on me.”

Now, Jesus could not have heard his voice; He was a hundred-or-two yards from Him, and people screaming. And He wasn't listening to them; they was fussing at Him. And He was thinking of Jerusalem. But that blind beggar's faith stopped Him, and He turned. What's going on? Said, “Bring him here.” What was taking place? That insignificant beggar stopped Jesus on His way to Jerusalem. Your faith can do the same thing tonight. He turned around, and He begin to look. Said, “Bring him here.” What was happening? God provided a Lamb for blind Bartimaeus' eyes.

That same Lamb is provided tonight for every person here and everywhere. He's passing by. Let your faith stop Him, and in your heart cry, “O, Jesus, Thou Son of David, have mercy on me. This is the last night of the meeting, have mercy on me.” He will stop and do the same there as He did then, for He's God's provided Lamb for everything you have need of.

Let us bow our heads everywhere and pray silently. My precious friends, knowing this, in a few minutes we will be parting never to see each other again, some here, until we meet at His feet.

I want to ask you something from the depths of my heart. You who do not know Him as your Saviour, don't know yet that He's the Lamb that's provided for you, while you have your heads bowed, would you say this, “Brother Branham, pray for me. I believe God will hear your prayer. And for God, I'm going to raise my hand, saying, 'Jesus, Thou Son of David, have mercy on me.'” Now raise your hand; keep your heads bowed, all ever the audience, that wants to be remembered. God bless you. Keep your hands up, all around everywhere. Jesus will stop for you tonight, if you want your eyes opened, your spiritual eyes, raise your hands. God bless you.

Now, let us pray. O Lord, as blind Fanny Crosby wrote in days gone by, “Pass me not, O gentle Saviour, hear my humble cry. While on others Thou art calling, do not pass me by. Thou the stream of all my comfort, more than life to me, whom have I on earth beside Thee? Or whom in heaven but Thee?”

O Jesus, touch each heart that has their hands up, and forgive them of every unbelief that they've had. I pray that the great Holy Ghost will come down just now and move into their hearts, and fill them with power—power of faith that they can stop You for their needs as long as they journey in this earth. Receive them into Thy kingdom. It is written in Thy Word. And Lord, Your Word is true. “He that heareth My words, and believeth on Him that sent Me has everlasting life. [Blank spot on tape.]

I want to speak to the woman... [Blank spot on tape.] Usually in my meetings, the managers do the speaking. I come straight from a room, right into the prayer line. When I speak this way, it's under a different anointing, the same Spirit; but you see, when you're preaching, you are receiving in by the Holy Spirit. But when you're this, it's giving out, taking the life from you. If it took one vision made Jesus weak, what would it do to me, a sinner saved by grace?

A lady, if she can hear me, do you believe me to be His prophet... or His servant? If God knows your heart, which He does... And you're aware that something's going on. Between me and the woman is a light. To me, it's the same Holy Ghost that led the children of Israel through the wilderness. It's the same one that, after His resurrection, was such a light that struck Paul down on his road to Damascus. He's the same Jesus that stood by the woman at the well.

If He will tell me what's in your heart, what you're here for, or something that you know that I know nothing about, will you believe that It's the Son of God? Something's got to happen. The woman is suffering with a nervousness. That's right. She's got also diabetes. That's THUS SAITH THE LORD. Now, that the audience might know, wave your hand if that's true. Do you believe that the God that knows that Simon's name would know your name, can tell me who you are? Would you believe that? Then, Mary, you go home.

Now, you in the audience, now believe. Now, the anointing is on the audience. The man standing right here with that back trouble. All right, do you believe? If you believe it, you can have it. The little fellow, wave your hand. You were praying the same thing he was praying about. You were saying, “God, let him call me.” You're short in stature like Zacchaeus was, but He knew you were there. You're healed now. Go on rejoicing.

Just behind him, The Glory of God's come down. You standing there with a tubercular, if they believe, you may be well. Jesus Christ makes you well.

I want to ask... I want to ask this audience, what did they touch? They touched the High Priest. He's the same today. Amen.

This lady... I do not know her, but God does know her. If that's right, raise your hand. If God will reveal to me the secret of your heart of what you're wanting, of something that you know that I know nothing of, will you believe on the Son of God? The lady is suffering with a nervous condition. The way it effects her is, she can't sleep that's right. restless, getting up, restless. Do you think I guessed that? Now, stop thinking that. Watch. Here.

The woman has someone else on her heart that she's praying for. If God will reveal that to me, will you believe me to be His prophet? It's your brother. Your brother... You believe He can tell me what his trouble is? Diabetes. That's right. He's not here. He lives on another island: Dominion of Republic. Be real reverent.

The lady sitting right down here, praying, has got asthmatic condition. If you believe... I tell you, the lady I'm talking to, she's a Catholic. She offers her prayers by beads. Stand to your feet. Do you accept Jesus? Raise your hands. Your sins are forgiven. Go on your road in peace. Hallelujah! You are healed.

Be reverent. Sitting close to her... I see it's still hanging there. It's a woman. She has arthritis. It's a... Her name Maria. Believe and you shall be healed. Amen.

The lady here, a stranger to me. That is right. I do not know you. If God will reveal to me what's your trouble...