Door To The Heart

Thank you, Brother Borders. You may be seated. I'm always too late. Last evening, I heard this morning at the breakfast that I missed that little choir was on this side singing. And I missed them. And I believe, they was just telling me back there, that the little Spanish choir sang tonight, and I missed that. All right, I'm going to deputize each one of them, that they got to be here tomorrow afternoon, sing it all over again (see), so I can hear it. I tell you, I really like singing.

I just stay right in prayer till just a few minutes before leaving, and then run right in.

Billy, my son, was just telling me that a lady had met him from the handkerchiefs that they laid up here to pray over. And perhaps, the lady sitting here listening now. And they taken a cloth. Now, she'd seen Billy about a prayer card or something, and Billy told her he didn't have any left, or some way that way. I didn't get it, because I was hurrying right in, and a little Spanish boy shaking hands with me there. Said the lady had some of her loved ones that had a great big growth in the intestinal tract, and was going to be operated Monday. And they taken this handkerchief and laid it upon the woman. And she had her examination today before her operation Monday; the doctors can't find one trace of it anywhere. It's all gone.

So we're thankful to the Lord knowing that He still hears and answers prayer.

And I just think, “Oh, this is our last night of this revival.” It's went so fast. And I really do, from the depths of my heart, regret having to leave; because it's just been such a wonderful time, and I've had such a freedom, and....

And this morning, we had a glorious time at the Christian Businessmen's breakfast. We had different people there, different churches. And we just had a wonderful time.

And I got to meet that sweet little old mother of Brother Nichols there, that just taken the picture. How old is she, Brother Tommy? Just eighty-three years old. That's all the older she is. So that was very.... Oh, here she is sitting right here now there. Yeah. I didn't know you. Well, I'd say the same thing, Sister Nichols, just the same. And Brother Tommy and I have been around overseas a great deal together, and we certainly had a lot of fine fellowship.

The little boy, little nephew, met me out there the other night, put my arms around him; he put his arms around me. He wanted to pray for his grandmother. So well, that's good. That's very fine. So here's grandmother sitting here in the meeting tonight enjoying the blessings of the Lord.

Now, tomorrow afternoon, if it is possible, I would sure love to hear those choirs sing. I enjoyed that colored choir the other night here; they were really fine. And then, last night I missed.... I seen all those young ladies sitting there, but I didn't know what they were for, and I just got here late. And tonight, I got beat out of hearing the Spanish choir.

I wonder if that's the Garcia's group, of the Brother Garcia that.... When I was in Phoenix here, many years ago, first starting, there was a.... I believe it was this lad here; it's his father. Yes, here on the end, Brother Garcia, yes.... He had a choir over there, the little Spanish ladies that wore some kind of a little white-looking veils. He had two daughters in it. And they come all the way to California over here at Sacramento, to sing in the meetings, I believe it was. And I really enjoyed them. I got them on the.... Brother Garcia, I got them on record.

And my little girl, Sarah, she can't say “Spanish,” and she says, “Daddy, play that record them little 'Spinish' girls singing.” And they sing “Only Believe” in Spanish. So they really.... When they get around the phonograph, why the player, why they really enjoy that record yet.

And that's been, I guess, about twelve, fourteen years ago since that taken place. I guess them girls are all married and got families now. They were just young children then.

I wonder what it'll be when we cross over on the other side and get to meet everybody again. Won't that be wonderful? Do you really look for that time? Or is your heart...? I just long to see it. Yes, sir. Sometimes I get lonesome for it. I don't have many ties here; I've got a family to take care of, and then, a little boy of four, and a little girl of eight, and one going on thirteen, a young family. And then, my greatest tie is you, preach the Gospel to you, and then my family.

And after God is through with me there, why I don't want anything to anchor me here. I want to be ready to fly away one of these mornings to go across and see the people on the other side, where all my old friends and things.... We will meet them. It'll be a wonderful time, won't it? I'm just looking forward to it just like a child with Christmas anticipations, looking for that time.

Now, just before we read the Word, I'd like to read some tonight out of the Bible, and speak to you a few moments.

And I'd forgot to tell Billy to give out prayer cards for tonight, so we don't know just.... I guess there isn't a prayer card in the meeting. Is there a prayer card here? No one? We taken them all up last night. But however, we don't know what the Holy Spirit might lead us to do before that time comes. We will just wait for that time. Then tomorrow afternoon, I want him to give out some prayer cards.

Then I suppose, I'm not sure, but I suppose tonight, the boys.... My friend, Leo Mercier and Gene Goad, they're tape boys. They take the tapes. I don't see them around here, unless they're over ... back on this other side here. They also have the books and the pictures. I announced I was going to speak on that subject tomorrow afternoon, “As The Eagle Stirreth Her Nest.” But I think they sell that book with the message in it like that. I don't know about that. Then just whatever the Lord may lead for that.

Let us bow our heads, just reverently, quietly before God. How many would like to be remembered before God for a special request tonight? Would you just make it known by an uplifted hand? You know, that does something. It shows that something in your heart, raising your hand to a God that you know that is.

Now, heavenly Father, we thank You with all that's in our hearts for Your goodness and Your mercy to us, for sparing our lives, and for health and strength as much as we have. And we thank Thee for all these hands that's just been lifted up.

Behind each hand was a heart that was beating for a certain desire for something. You know all about them, Lord. And we pray that they will be given that assurance that they have it before they leave this building tonight. Give us that type of assurance, Lord, that we know that we have what we asked for, for God promised to give it to us. And that's our assurance that He will keep His Word to us.

We thank You for all that You have did for us through this week. That poor dear person that was to be operated on Monday, and now, no operation. The Holy Spirit moved right in ahead of the doctors and taken the growth out of the intestinal tract. How grateful we are to Thee. And how great Thou art, O Lord. We pray that Your mercies will be with us.

As we tonight are ministering here, may the Holy Spirit go into the hearts of the people and take out growths of sin and indifference, growths of doubt, and give perfect faith. And may there be such an outpouring of the Holy Ghost in this meeting tonight, that there'll not be one feeble person left among us when the service shall close. Grant it, Lord. We ask it in Jesus' name and for His sake. Amen.

God's great operation to take out the demon of that growth. God can perform an operation without making a scar. Just perfect, He just speaks, and that's all there is to it. And it goes. How good it is to know that God can take away, and God can give.

A few months ago, I was combing about what few hairs I had left, and my wife said to me, she said, “Billy, you're almost bald-headed, Honey.”

I said, “That's right, but I haven't lost a one of them.”

She said, “I pray thee, tell me where they're at.”

I said, “All right, my dear. You tell me where they was before I got them, I will tell you where they are waiting for me to come to them.” Exactly right.

There won't be one of them lost; God said so. But in the resurrection, all of this old body that's begin to wither and go back, it'll come forth in the newness....

I want to ask you something. You eat the same kind of food—I do, you do too—that we eat when we were fifteen, sixteen years old. Every time we eat, we got bigger and stronger. And then when we got to be about between twenty-three and twenty-five, we're going back, eating all the time the same food. Why is it we're dying when food makes life? Food develops blood cells. Blood cells makes life. Every time that you eat your food, you put new life into your body. And now, when I put new life in it, I growed and got bigger and stronger, till about twenty-five, and now I put the same kind of life in it and get older and weaker all the time. Explain that. Let science tell me that one.

Pouring water out of a jug in a glass, and gets half way full, and then the more you pour and faster you pour, why, it just empties up, no hole in the glass.

See, it's an appointment that God has made. When you get about that age, God said, “There it is. Now, come on, death. But you can't take them till I say so.” Knowing this, that in the resurrection, there'll not be one old person in the resurrection. Hallelujah! There'll not be one cripple come forth in the resurrection.

Them that was crippled will come forth. Them that was old will come forth. But they'll be young. They'll be at their best. Little babies that didn't get their life lived out will resurrect into a full statue. Immortality can't grow. So you won't hold your little baby in your arms. If she was a girl, you'll see her a young woman. If she was.... If it was a man ... or, a boy, you'll see him as a young man. And we will know one another. Sure, we will know one another. Certainly we will. And oh, what we got to live for now, all of this and then that besides. And yet, it's unknown just how much God has in store for those who love Him.

Let's read His Word. I just get to shouting after while, because.... Let us turn in the book of the Revelations for a subject tonight. In the third chapter we shall read. In Revelations 3, let's begin about the seventeenth verse, Revelations 3:17:

Because thou sayest, I am rich, and increased in goods ... have need of nothing; and knowest not that thou art wretched ... miserable ... poor ... blind, and naked:

I counsel thee to buy of me gold tried in the fire, that thou mayest be rich ... white raiment, that thou mayest be clothed, and that the shame of thy nakedness do not appear; and anoint thine eyes with eyesalve, that thou mayest see.

As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten: be zealous therefore; and repent.

Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: if any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with me.

This is rather an unusual scene that we're reading about. It's someone standing at a door, knocking. And knocking at a door is not unusual, because plenty of people knock at doors. But Jesus is speaking here of Him knocking at a door.

And the reason that someone knocks on a door, they're trying to speak to someone inside. They're trying to make a way to enter in to talk, or to bring something to someone, or something like that: gaining access to the inside. And that's why they knock at the door.

I just can't call to memory now the artist's name that painted that famous picture. I think he was a Greek, that spent about a lifetime painting that famous picture of Jesus knocking at the door.

And when all great pictures that.... Before they can be hung in the hall of fame, they have to pass the critics.

That reminds me of the church. Before God can ever glorify His church, she has to go down through that hall of critics. Then someday, if she will stand real clean and clear before God, God will take Her out of this world one day and hang her in a hall of fame yonder. That's the hour we're looking for. So, hold fast till He comes. Let the critics say what they wish to, but you hold to God's unchanging hand and live clean, pure before Him.

And as this great picture, that I was speaking of, was before the critics, there was one great critic walked up to the artist, and called him by name, and he said, “You have a most unusual picture of our Lord. I think that the profile is perfect. And I think that Him coming by night with the lantern in His hand, that it speaks of Him coming to us in our darkness in the night. I think that's all wonderful. And then Him standing, and His expression on His face anxiously waiting to see if someone will respond to the knock.” Said, “I think all that is very striking, but there's one thing,” he said, “sir, that you forgot in your picture: that is, no matter how much He would knock, you haven't got any latch for Him to go in at.”

“Oh,” said the artist, “I painted it thus. You see, He's knocking at the door of a heart, and the latch is on the inside. Only you can open to Him. He can knock, but you have to open.”

That is true. You are the only one that can open up your heart's door. Jesus may knock, but you have to open.

Down through the centuries and time, there has been many great people knocked on other people's door. The main thing, if someone knocking at your door, is how important that person may be. It's based upon the importance of the answer at the door to your guests: How important is that guest that's knocking?

For instance, in the days of Caesar. What if Caesar would've went to one of the peasant's home? He was a great emperor, we know. And if he'd went down to a peasant's home, where it was poor, and a little shack like built, and this great emperor would've knocked on the door. And the peasant would've come to the door, and looked, and seen it was Caesar. Why, he would've threw open the door immediately and have fell upon his face, and said, “O great honorable emperor, come into my humble home. If there is anything here that you desire, or anything that I could do, or could grant your wishes, just let me know. I am your servant. Just let me know.”

Because it would've been an honor, that just to even knock at his door; to know that a peasant would have something about him that would attract the attention and call the emperor of the nation to his door.

Or say, what in the.... Few years ago when the Fuhrer of Germany, Adolf Hitler, in the days of his reign in Germany.... For instance, what if he would've went down to the door of one his foot soldiers, and would've knocked at the door. And this soldier would've come to the door. And Hitler was even feared among his people. And he'd have knocked at the door, and this little soldier would've gotten up and struggled across the floor, and opened ... or, looked out the window of the door, and seen Adolf Hitler standing there.... Oh, I would imagine he could've almost swallowed his heart, and would've said back to his family something like this, “Straighten up, all of you, right quick! Get everything set in order. You know who's knocking at our door? The Fuhrer of Germany, Adolf Hitler, stands at our door. Our house is honored today, because the greatest man in Germany stands at our door.”

He would've threw open the door, and being a soldier himself, would've come to attention, with a salute ... a German salute to this Fuhrer, and said, “Enter into my home. And if there's anything here that you desire, or anything, great one, that I could make you happy, just let me know. Anything you desire.... You honored my home.”

Or, if our own dear beloved President Dwight Eisenhower, the President of this great United States, if he would come to the home of the best democrat in this country, it would be an honor to you, though you would disagree with him in politics. But it would be an honor to have President Dwight Eisenhower to call at your door. Just common ordinary men like we are, and if our beloved president would knock at the door, why, you'd want everybody to know it. You would talk about it the rest of your life, that Dwight Eisenhower knocked at my door. You'd almost want to build a shrine at your door, because the President of the United States come to your door.

Just recently, the Queen of England made a visit to Canada. And she also visited the United States. Now, we do not live in her domain. But if she would come to San Jose, and would've come down to some little humble home, and had knocked at the door, and one of you women would've went to the door, and she would've said, “I am the Queen of England.” Yet, she has no jurisdiction over you, but she's an important woman. Your home would have been honored to have her.

You'd have said, “Great Queen....” Because she is, nationally speaking, the greatest queen in the world.... And you'd said, “Come into my home.” Why, to humble herself to do that, to come to a humble home, why, all the newspapers would've packed it, that she, the great Queen of England, visited America and come to Mrs. So-and-so's home. It would've marked her always for being that humble. The television would've sent it out. It'd been on national and international news, because she's important.

But who's more important than Jesus? Who's any more turned down than Jesus?

He will knock at the door and you'll say, “Oh, some other time.” He's been turned away from more doors than all the great people that ever was on the earth.

I'd say, this very day, that Jesus has been turned away from tens of thousands of doors today. And if the world stands, before day breaks in the morning, He will be turned away from tens of thousands of other doors.

If someone.... The Queen might want something from you.... Or our beloved President might want something from you. He might have some message for you, or want you to do something for him.

But the Lord Jesus, the only thing that He wants in for is to do something good for you. He wants to bless you, take away your evil, and give you righteousness and goodness and mercy. That's all He could do. And to get into the heart, He knocks at the door. And the people say, “Oh, some other time.”

Now, it would be nice for you to take in the Queen, or to take in one of the great people. But you'd never do anything better than take in Jesus, because when He comes in, He gives you eternal life. And to think of turning Him away from your heart.... But we do it.

Now, if I come to your house and knocked at your door, and you raised up the little curtain or cracked the door, I'd said, “I'm Brother Branham. I'm cold, and I'm needy. Will you let me in?” And you would turn me away.... Or if I would come and say this, “I have great gifts to give you. I can make you rich. I can make you well from your sickness. I've got great gifts for you.”

And what if you would say, “Oh, some other time, Brother Branham.” Now, I wouldn't come back much more, I'm afraid. And I'm afraid that you wouldn't come to my house if I treated you that way either.

But it isn't so with Jesus. He will just keep coming back, night after night, day after day, knocking, and knocking, and knocking continually, to do the best thing for you that could be done: give you life, heal you.

Oh, you might say something like this to me then, “But just a minute, Brother Branham. I've already done that. I let Jesus in a long time ago.”

Well, there's no way for me to express to you how grateful I am to you for letting my Saviour come into your heart. I'm grateful to you. But is that all you did, just let Him come in?

Now, what if you let me come in, and said, “Now, Brother Branham, I will let you in. I will take your gifts. That's fine. Thank you, Brother Branham. But I don't want you to go any farther than this door.”

Now, that's the attitude of many Christians. You see, inside the heart.... Coming in is one thing. And then after you get into that first door in the human heart, there's other little compartments in that heart, got little doors in there also.

Many people will let Jesus in for the sake of not being lost, but they won't let Him be their Lord. When Jesus comes in, He wants to take control. The world's full of people that wants to let Jesus in, but then they don't want to let Him in on His own basis. Oh, they'll take His gifts, sure: eternal life. “You want to heal me, that's all right, Lord. I appreciate that if You heal me, but don't go to messing around with me.”

If you invited me into your house, I'd feel like I was welcome. If I come into your house, you'd say, “Come in, Brother Branham. Just make yourself at home.” Why, I'd believe you meant that. I'd go in, go down to the refrigerator, and get me some cheese, and some bologna, and some onions, and some rye bread, and I'd make me a great big sandwich, and take off my shoes, lay down across the bed and eat it. I'd feel like I was home if you told me to come in.

That's the way we got to let Jesus in, so He can just take control. He wants to be at home with you. He wants to be welcome. He wants all you are. He wants to be your Lord. And lordship is ownership. He wants to own you so that you'll....

You say, “Oh, but wait a minute, Lord. I know You're leading me to do that, but I know better.”

Many a person walks out the door of evangelistic meeting, knowing that God's leading them to the altar, and yet claim to be a Christian. How can God ever control that person?

God wants to come in and control you. He doesn't want to come in and be controlled by you; He wants to come in for His own purpose of controlling you and leading you to eternal life, something good for you. When you accept Jesus, you must say, “Thou art my God. Thou art my Lord. Take me, all that I am: soul, body, and spirit. I dedicate myself to You. No intellectuals of my own at all, just leaning on Your everlasting arm.” Where He leads me, I will follow. Though the way gets hard and weary, I will watch for His footprints all along the way. Whether it's uphill or downhill, whether it's home or across the seas, where He leads me, just let me follow. Don't let me try to lead Him, but let Him lead me.

Now, that's the basis that Jesus wants to come into the heart. Jesus longs to come into the heart on those basis. Now, we are trusting the Lord to do those things for us.

Now, let's look into the human heart, if it has doors inside the door. Now, people say, “Jesus, come into my heart, because I don't want to go to torment when I die. I want to accept You as my Saviour, but I don't want You to be my Lord.”

Now, there's quite a difference. He can be your Saviour and still not be your Lord. When He's Lord, He's Lord over all. Every part of you, He's Lord, welcomed to any place in your heart.

Now, let's look into the human heart just for a few moments. Into the human heart, I'm going to make just a little ... kind of a mythical draw. Just as you turn in, after you get into the door of the heart, there's another little door. It's a room that goes into another compartment of the heart. And that little door is the door of pride.

Now, people don't want Jesus fooling around with any of their pride. Now, they got their own prestige, and they must be sure they keep up with the Joneses. “So if accepting Jesus is going to take me off of that scale, then I don't want Him fooling around in that door. Stay our of there, Jesus! You're my Saviour, but don't go in there; because I'm a great man. I'm a self-made man.” That's what's the matter with you, is the “self-made.”

“Now, I've got my own societies that I attend, and I've got my own prestige in my neighborhood, and I've got my own dignities I have to look after. So don't bother that door.”

But Jesus has got to come in there, if He's going to be Lord. He's got to look around.

To some of the ladies with pride.... They say, “Now, look. If going down there.... Now, Jesus is my Saviour, all right. But when He tells me how I'm going to dress, You keep out of that room.” But you see, He's got to be Lord over your dressing too. You say, “Now, if it's going to interfere with me wearing shorts, I don't want nothing to do with that kind of religion.” See, you won't open that door of pride. You're all stuck up. “If I can't wear manicure....” What is it, lipstick, or that stuff they put on their face.... “If I can't wear that, well then, I look so pale.” Huh. Max Factor's does.... God brings the real thing to your face.

But you see, pride.... The rest of the women. “If I have to let my hair grow out....” Now, I'm not saying this, that, or the other; I'm just talking about the Bible, see. The Bible said a woman that cuts her hair cuts her—she cuts away her glory. She dishonors her husband when she does it. Used to be, you full Gospel women all wore long hair. What happened? “Why,” you say, “that's my American privilege.”

But if you're a lamb.... If you are a lamb, a lamb sacrifices everything that he's got. A lamb hasn't got nothing but wool. But he lays right there and let them shear it off of him, and says nothing about it.

The Bible can shear everything, all the pride and everything else out of you. If you're a lamb, you'll say nothing about it. But you try a goat one time. You'll have a fuss kicked up right quick.

But that's what's the matter. We won't open that door. We want to be like somebody else. When you accept Jesus, let's be like Him, the way He says.

I was speaking on something of that not long ago. And a lady said to me, she said, “I don't wear shorts.”

And I said, “Well, good for you.”

She said, “I wear slacks.”

I said, “That's worse.”

It's the truth. The Bible said—and God is infinite and cannot change—“It's an abomination for a woman to put on a garment that pertains to a man.”

You see that door they keep closed up? If Christ could come in there, He'd make it different. You say, “I'm a Christian,” but you keep that door shut. “He's not welcome. He can't be Lord.” Even get mad at the pastor if he preaches against it, see. So that's true. Then I'd better leave that alone.

And the men, they got a lot of pride too, you know, a lot of it. “If I have to keep away from the pool room, and with the gang, and all these other things, oh, no, none of that for me,” see. They have to keep up with the rest of them.

But if you let Jesus come into your heart, and open up that door, He will make you a different creature. Amen. He will do it.

You say, “I can't quit smoking, Brother Branham. I smoked all my life.” Let Jesus in there one time, see what takes place. There'll be something so much greater that you'll never desire another smoke. You see it on the television and to be popular. Get out of that.

Oh, yes, there's a door of pride. And then, let's look the next door to it right quick: is “my own private life.”

Now, you know, everybody wants to live his own private life. Now, you don't want Jesus fooling with your private life. See, just so much different from what He desires in the Bible, but you got your own idea about it. You're not supposed to use your own idea about it. You ought to let Him have His idea about it. Let the mind that was in Christ be in you.

But that little private life. “Now, I will have my own little card parties, I will do just.... Now, if Christianity takes that away from me, then I don't want nothing to do with your church,” see. There it is. That's the door ... one of the doors that the so-called Christian today keeps the door shut on Jesus.

Oh, there's just a lot of those doors. Let's find the door of faith over here on the side. “Now, I have faith. But don't you go fooling with my faith.” There's only one faith, and that's the faith of God. That's right.

The door's all closed up, because that you don't want to fool around that door, or let Jesus around there; because as soon as He stands in that door, He will scream out, “I'm the same yesterday, today, and forever.” And your creeds will bar that door. But He is the same yesterday, today, and forever.

You'll come to a church and watch the signs and wonders of God be performed; you won't pay attention to that, because the creeds has locked that door of faith in you and made you think that that is a faith. And there is only one faith; that's the faith of God. And the only One can bring the faith of God is Jesus Christ, His Son, that comes into your heart.

He's knocked at your heart through signs, wonders, and miracles. But you keep that all penned up. “I don't want nothing to do with that.”

Oh, if He could only stand, and you'd open up that door, it wouldn't be two minutes till you'd believe every word the Bible wrote, and say “Amen” to every bit of it; if you'd just open up the door and let Jesus come in, give you the faith that He has to give you. You've took the faith that some creed has give you. You locked the doors upon Christ's faith. When you take Christ's faith, then you can recognize Him.

Now, there's another little door right beside of that. Oh, there's several of them. We won't take them all. But there is another door there I'd like to speak on just a second or two. That door is “spiritual sight.” You just only want to see one thing; that's what the intellectuals see. But when you let Christ come into that spiritual door, then He will open up your spiritual sight and show you Himself. You'd never called a discernment of spirit.... You'd never call that Beelzebub if you had Christ standing at the spiritual door of your heart giving you spiritual sight. Spiritual things are spiritually discerned. That's right. Now, there's a natural sight and a spiritual sight.

Long ago we used to live in a little.... When I was a boy, lived in a little bitty old cabin, and they had just a loft upstairs. Had one bed downstairs, and papa and mama slept on that. And there was four of us children at that time, and we had like a straw tick laying down with a feather tick laying on top of that. And then mama used to take and put blankets over us at night, and all the coats. And then she'd take a big piece of canvas and stretch over the top of us, because great big cracks in the side of the wall, and old clapboard shingles was almost off the house. And when it would snow or rain, we'd get wet. And we little Branhams would have do duck our heads under that piece of canvas like a rabbit going under a brush pile, when it'd start raining or something. And at nighttime sometimes, the draft through there would give us cold.

And mama would holler at morning. I could hear her say, “Oh, Billy, get up and come on down. You got to get ready go to school; you and Edward, come on.” The little fellows could sleep later.

And I'd try to get my eyes open, and my eyes would be stuck together. And I'd say, “Mama, I can't see.”

And she'd say, “Well, you got matter in them.” What was the matter, the draft crossing this way had give us cold in our eyes, and we couldn't see. It would swell up during the night and we couldn't see, because it was all mattered over. And mama....

The cure-all around our house was a little cup of coon grease. Mama.... Grandpa was a trapper and hunter. I come from a line of hunters. My mother's mother come off the reservation, Cherokee Indian in Tennessee. And when Grandpa would catch these coons, why they would render the grease out of them before they eat them. And then this grease was almost a cure-all around our house. Oh, it was good for the croup at night with turpentine on it, or a little coal oil. And then they rubbed it on our chest for a massage when we had acifidity hanging on it also. And it was to keep the cold away. And then if papa's shoes begin to leak in the snow, why they'd put the coon grease on the stove and fix his shoes. It was almost a cure-all. It worked somehow. I don't know.

But mama'd say to us, “Just a minute till I get the coon grease on the stove.” And she'd get the old tin cup and set the

coon grease on the stove, and get it warm, and come up and massage our eyes with it until our eyes come open. It worked. I don't know how, but our eyes got open.

Why, brother, I tell you: the coon grease might've worked all right for that kind of a natural sight, but we've had a great cold spell in the church. And I'm afraid somebody's got some spiritual coldness in their eyes. It'll take more than coon grease to get it out. That's right.

But God said, “Counsel of me. I've got some eyesalve for you. I can open that eye door to you. I will open your eyes.”

Now, what is salve. It's oil that's hardened. Well, that's what the grease that God has for your eyes is oil. And oil is the Holy Spirit in the Bible.

If God could ever get the Holy Spirit warmed up in the meeting, and can massage some spiritual eyes, and open that door, you'll see Jesus Christ to be the same yesterday, today, and forever. God needs to get your ... our eyes opened, the door of our inside eye, the spiritual eye. There's only one thing can open that eye, and that's the Holy Ghost. It gives you spiritual sight. And when you see the signs of God's presence, the Holy Ghost cries out “Amen” to it. You say, “I see it! I see it!” He's the same yesterday, today, and forever.

Spiritual sight.... The door.... “I stand and knock at the door: and if any man will open the door, any man, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with me.” Communing with God, communing with Christ.... Get back those creeds and so forth away from those doors, and let Jesus come in. Why, the things that He did here this week: make the lame to walk, the blind to see, the cancers to be moved, the tumors (the great growths), and discern the spirits. Went out through the audience, proved Himself to be the same yesterday, today, and forever. There oughtn't to be a sick person in the building tonight. Hallelujah!

“I stand at the door and knock [Brother Branham knocks on pulpit.]: If any man will hear my voice and will open and let me in, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with Me.” We will talk it over. What an agreement with God, to talk it over.

If the doctor said you're going to die with this cancer, with this TB, with your bad heart, whatever it might be, if God said ... or, the doctor said you're going to die with it, then why don't you let Jesus come in tonight and talk it over with you. He will tell you all about it. He will show you things.

The Holy Spirit is sharper, quicker, like the Word of God, than a two-edged sword. It discerns even the thoughts of the mind. It makes people well. It cures them from sin. It takes the sickness from them. It takes sin from them. Oh, it's a great powerful thing. The most power there is in the world is the Holy Ghost.

People today are searching for power. If they'd only open their eyes....

I seen here not long ago where the Sinclair gasoline had an advertisement in one of the local magazines, that said that one gallon of Sinclair gasoline in a certain sized machine could lift the sphinx two foot off of the ground.

Well, I will tell you something more powerful than that: One drop of the blood of Jesus Christ can lift every sinner from his sin and mire unto glory to be in the image of God, to live with Him forever. One drop of the blood of Jesus Christ....

One drop of blood of Jesus Christ here, one accepting or one door opening to the Holy Spirit.... Let that faith door, God stand there and declare Himself like He did to Abraham, that He's God forever more.

It'll take a cripple out of a wheelchair. It'll take a dying shadow of a woman, or a man, laying on a cot and make them whole again. It'll take the most wretched reprobate woman that there is in this city, so low down the dogs wouldn't even look at her, and make her a saint of God, and wash her, clean her with the.... It'll take a man that's a gambler and a drunkard, and no good at all; won't even provide for his home; his little children on the street begging while he's out gambling, drinking, and run around. It'll make a Christian gentleman out of him.

One accepting of the Holy Ghost will do that, one door to fly open to the Holy Ghost. And He stands and knocks at the door. If any man will open the door....

Oh, how good He is. If you knocked at my door, as I've said, and I didn't let you in, you probably wouldn't come back. And if I knocked at your door and you didn't let me in.... But to think of the goodness of Christ. If He come and stood in our midst and did one thing, if we didn't believe Him like that, you'd walk on away if it'd be you or I. “If they don't want to believe me, they don't want to accept it, let them go ahead.” But not Him. He comes back night after night, time after time, hour after hour, sunset after sunset, miracle after miracle, day after day, night after night, continually knocking at the door, waiting. But you have to open the door.

If you'd only think of His goodness, of how good He is to you.

Here some time ago, down in the South, there was a wonderful old Pentecostal colored brother, preacher. And he had a man going to his church, and a woman. And the woman was a godly woman, sainted woman, filled with the Holy Spirit. But her husband was a caretaker in a great racing farm there. And his name was Gabriel, but we called him Gabe, just for short. And old Gabe was a nice old man, but we could never get him to line up with God, to ever get right. The old pastor said, “I've done everything I know to do. And I can't get him to go to church.” And his wife prays day and night for Gabe.

But Gabe liked to hunt, and so did the pastor. So he used to take Gabe hunting with him. One day while they'd been out, and they'd shot so many rabbits, and so many birds till they could hardly walk along the road in a straight path; they were just loaded with game. And they were coming up around a little old certain hill. And after while when they got up around this certain hill, the pastor looked around and he noticed old Gabe kept watching the sun go down.

And Gabe was a poor shot. He couldn't hit nothing. But he kept watching the sun. And the pastor walking on ahead with birds and rabbits hanging over his gun barrel, and going in. And after while he felt something touch him on the shoulder, and he turned around. And running down his cheeks, was great big tears running down his cheeks; he said, “Parson, today is Saturday. Tomorrow morning, you's gwine to find me sitting on the front row of your church. And then,” he said, “I's gwine to get up before that congregation and tell them I's a Christian from now on. I'm going to take my seat again. And there I'm going to remain in that front row until I die.”

The pastor didn't know what to say. He said, “Gabe, you know that I appreciate that. Why,” said, “you.... You know I do.” Said, “I want to ask you something, Gabe. What song was it that the choir sang?” Or said, “Or what sermon did I preach, what message did I bring to the church to cause you to take this sudden turn to do what was right?” Said, “What sermon did I preach?”

He said, “It wasn't your sermon, Pastor.” Said, “I was watching that sun go down yonder, and I know that the sun of my life is going down also.” Said, “Hour after hour through my life has God knocked at my heart.” He said, “And He must love me.” He said, “You know, pastor, I can't hit nothing. I'm the poorest shot there is in the country. And just looky here at the game that He's give me, all this birds and these rabbits.” He said, “He must love me, or He wouldn't have give it to me.” And he said, “That's the reason that I've found out that He loves me. And I opened my heart when that sun went down. And I'm going to be a faithful servant of His until I die.”

Brother, sister, if you'd only look around and see how good God has been to you. You could've been laying in a hospital tonight. You could've been laying yonder in a grave yard tonight. That real close call you've had in the last few days [Blank spot on tape.] ... took your life out there on the highway. There's just so many things could've happened, but God's good to you. He loves you. He's knocking at your heart's door. You're able even to walk out here tonight. [A brother prophesies.] Amen.

I would be daresn't to say anything else. Holy Spirit's speaking through lips. Now, there it is, His goodness and His mercy. Do you believe? Do you love Him?

Before we make an altar call, is there any people in here that's sick? Let's see your hands if there is. Oh, yes, there's a lot of sick people, lot and needy. Do you believe our blessed heavenly Father will grant to you your desire? Do you believe it? Do you believe that His presence is here now after that taken place there? And do you believe that His presence is here? You believe that's Him knocking at your door? If you've got something on your heart, something that you would like for Him to do for you, would you just look to Him now and say, “Lord, You are.... We're taught in the Bible that You are the great High Priest that can be touched by the feeling of our infirmities. And now.... And You know my desires. So I'm knocking at Your door, Lord. Just open to me, will You, Father? And let me one more time see that You're the same Jesus that spoke to the woman that touched Your garment. Let me just see one more time, and I will open my heart to You freely.”

Now, there's not a prayer card among the people. Therefore the prayer line will have to be brought from here. How many in here that has a desire from God for anything? Raise up your hand. It just.... Wished you would just look. [Someone speaks in tongues, another interprets.]

[Blank spot on tape.] ... do like He did with the ... opened the way of escape for the children of Israel at the Red Sea, that I caught the last part of it.... And that is the way of escape tonight, is through the Lord our God.

Now, if these things all be true, which we know they are. And now if there was at least hundreds of people in here that had desire....

Now, look, God.... See, if our eyes are not open, we will never see it. But let's pray that God will open our eyes tonight, that we can realize.... I'm afraid that we're trying to put off into a great millennium or something to come, the very thing that's right here before us now, and we don't see it, see. This is the hour. We're nearly at the end-time, folks. This is the time. This is the day of salvation. Today is the time the Holy Spirit is doing these things. We should be ready now.

Now, if the Lord our God, among these people tonight out here, will show His sign among us that He did to Israel, that He did to the Samaritan, and promised to do it to the Gentiles.... How many knows He promised, since this week, you know that He promised He'd do the same thing to the Gentiles that He did to the.... He would have to do that in order to be God. He can't show them one sign and us something else. They knowed He was the Messiah, because when He told them these things, He.... They said, “Thou art the Christ, the Son of God.”

The woman said, the Samaritan said, “We know the Messiah, when He comes, He will tell us these things. Who are You?”

He said, “I'm He that speaks to you.”

She ran quickly and told the men, “Come see a man who told me my troubles. Isn't this the Messiah?”

Well, that's right, isn't it. Well, if that is, why can't our eyes come open now? If we could see, and know, and.... If the presence of Christ is here with us, there wouldn't be one feeble person in our midst in another two minutes. You believe that?

Now, let's pray for God to give us ... to put some of His Holy Spirit salve across our eyes tonight, open our eyes.

Lord God, I could preach till I've lost my breath. Other ministers could do the same. We could stand here, and no matter what we did, we could not go anywhere without You showing us the way to go. We need spiritual sight. Let the Holy Spirit tonight, Lord, open our eyes, open our understanding, show us His presence that we might know His promises this week. Over and over, through the Scripture, down through the Bible, we've brought it night after night, that You promised these things. And we're living here to see it right before our eyes. Grant it, Lord. In the name of Jesus Christ, I ask it. Amen.

Now, that you might know that these things don't only happen just in the building here, they happen anywhere: Today I was riding with Brother Borders here, who I don't know too well, just a fine brother. And there while we were sitting in a car with a Mennonite brother, the Holy Spirit came down and revealed things. Is that right, Brother Borders? It just happens anywhere. Leo, Gene, my wife, any of them (see), just are people. How many has been with me in places and seen those things happen anywhere? Just, see places, people.... There's Mr. Sothmann—them—from Canada. People that goes with me. It just happens everywhere, things take place. It's not just here; it's the Holy Spirit is everywhere.

Now, you believe with all your heart. Ask God. Say, “Lord, open my eyes that I might understand. Speak tonight. And let it happen here in the building so the people would know, and can see and believe that He's the Lord our God. Will You...?” God grant it.

And if He does, I want you all to believe. May God open your eyes now to see that it's Jesus Christ, my friend. It's His mercy.

Let every heart's door be open. Give Him all your pride, all your private life, all your faith doors. Let everything just open right up now. And say, “Lord Jesus, come into my heart and reveal myself. If a selected bunch of Hebrews could recognize You, if a selected of the Samaritans could recognize You, Lord, we've received Your Spirit into our hearts, now open our eyes with Your eyesalve, and let us understand now that You are really here, and this is You that's trying to get into our hearts to heal us and do good things for us.” May He grant it is my prayer.

Pray now. Ask the Lord, “Let me touch Your garment, Father. Let me touch Your garment, Jesus. And You use Brother Branham. They say he has a spiritual gift.” That is true, see. God gave it. I've had it since I was a baby boy. The first thing I remember was a vision. Gifts are not given by laying on of hands—them kind of gifts. You're born with them. They're gifts of God that's placed into the church.

Now, you just touch His garment and see if He isn't a High Priest. I'm watching to see ... waiting to see what He'd show me. All right, you may raise your heads.

The young fellow sitting yonder in the corner wiping his eyes, suffering with a heart trouble. That is right, isn't it, young man? You got to go get some X-rays pretty soon. That's right. You got a bad heart. Do you believe Jesus Christ makes you well now? The X-rays won't be necessary. Your faith has saved you. Jesus Christ heals you. Just have faith in God.

Now, here. Look at this light here. Can you see that? Look. See that light hanging right here? There's a woman. She's kind of a middle aged, or a little on the elderly side. She's sitting right here. The woman has a rare trouble. She's got something wrong with her nerves. It's cancer on the nerve, and it's went into sclerosis. That's right. The lady that's shaking her head looking right at me. Raise your hand, lady, if those things are true. All right. There's no cure for that. Stand up to your feet so the people can see you and make a witness. There's no cure for that, only through Jesus Christ. Do you accept Him as your healer now? Raise up your hand to Him if you accept Him as your healer. God bless you. Go home and get well in the name of Jesus Christ. Amen.

Now, you believe with all your heart? Now, them people, I do not know them. What about someone else. Would you just believe, dare to believe?

Here sits a man sitting right here on the end of the seat. He's hungering for something real. He's hungering and thirsting to receive the baptism of the Holy Ghost. That's “thus saith the Lord.” That's right, isn't it, sir. Stand up to your feet and give a witness. I do not know you, do I? I've never seen you in my life. You was just sitting there praying for that. You're going to receive it. Christ is going to give you the baptism of the Holy Ghost.

Do you believe now, all your hearts? Just have faith in God.

Just a moment. Here's the lady sitting right here. It's a ... it's a....

There's a man looking at me sitting right here. He's got a.... Just in front of you there, sir, next to the.... I believe he's Spanish. Maybe he doesn't speak English. Yes, you have.... Yes, you. Pain in your side. That's right, isn't it sir. That's right. Well, it's all over now. You can go home. Jesus Christ makes you well.

Your loving wife sitting there next to you. All right. Look at me in the face. Do you believe me to be God's prophet? I don't know you, do I? I can't speak your words; I don't know nothing about you. But that's the truth. Your wife sitting there has diabetes. That's right, isn't it. Stand up, lady, if that's right.

That's your daughter sitting next there, young girl. That's right. Stand up, sister, to your feet. All right. She's just suffered with a nervous breakdown. That's “thus saith the Lord.” It's all over for you tonight, sister. You can go home. The devil lost his hold. Your faith has made you whole.

Praise be to the living God. Do you believe it? Is your eyes open now? Look, if God opens your eyes now, believe with all your heart. Do this now, to all you people that has a need of God, Jesus said, “These signs shall follow them that believe.” Is that right? “These signs shall....” Oh, it's just coming everywhere now.

The man sitting right there with that black looking jacket on with green stripes in it, sitting right back there, the Angel of the Lord is right over him, looking right at me. The man is suffering with some kind of a cyst on his body. That is right. All right. Your troubles are over now. You can go home and be made well. All right.

It's just everywhere. It's all over the building. Everywhere. Do you believe it?

Now, lay your hands on each other. Put your hands over on one another. I'm trying to save as much strength as I can for tomorrow. This ought to open your eyes, friends. The Bible said, “In the mouth of two or three witnesses, let every word be established.” Now, you pray for the person you got your hands on. Don't pray for yourself. Pray for the person you got your hands on, and they'll be praying for you. And then, if your eyes is open to the presence of Jesus Christ who promised this, there won't be a sick person in our midst. Now, I'm going to pray for you all together. These ministers are going to pray for you. And I want all the crippled to get up and walk out, all the blind you'll see, all the deaf to hear.

Lord God, in the name of Jesus Christ, whose presence is here, grant the healing of every person that these handkerchiefs represent, and every person that's got their hands laying on each other. May the Holy Ghost come in such power, that'll open the eyes with the hot running oil of the Holy Ghost, and make every one of these people completely whole. Grant it, Lord.

Hear my prayer, as I pray for them, and cast out every demon power of unbelief. May the devil that's trying to hold them and make them disbelieve.... Satan, come out of them. In the name of Jesus, leave them. Come out of them and let these people go. You are defeated. You are exposed. You have no legal rights. And we stand as the servants of Christ and serve a notice on you to leave these people go. They are God's people. It's just been spoke by revelation tonight, that He's trying to take the people across the Red Sea. And now, they're going towards the promised land. You can't stand in their way any longer. Come out of them in the name of Jesus Christ.

There it is. Now, receive it while it's on you. Rise to your feet, every one of you, and give Him praise. That's it. Raise to your feet. That's the Holy Spirit. Hallelujah! That's it. Rise up. Every one of you, stand to your feet. Give Him praise. That's the salve that opens your eyes. Stand up. Give Him praise. Hallelujah! This is it. This is it. The power of God, the healing of the sick, the saving of the lost, it's all here now. The Holy Spirit sent forth His power over the building. And He's here now, and you have received it. Your eyes are open now. Can you see His presence? Can you see what He's doing for His people?

God bless you. I pronounce every one of you that believes, healed, in the name of Jesus Christ, the Son of God. Here every crippled.... Here comes men and people sitting in chairs. Here comes women, standing on their feet that was crippled, standing up walking to the glory of God. Say, dad, come here, take that cane and throw it down if you want to believe God, and go and walk without it. Sister, standing out there with the old canes laying around you, get up, rise up, everywhere. This is it. Believe it. There's the Holy Spirit right among the people. Hallelujah, Hallelujah!

Blessed be His Holy name. (I Will Praise Him.)

Oh, isn't this wonderful? Don't you love this? Grab a hold of somebody's hand and shake their hand, and say, “Praise the Lord.” Praise the Lord. (Praise the Lord. Praise the Lord. Praise the Lord.) This is Pentecost. This is Pentecost in action, the Holy Spirit. Blessed be the name of the Lord.

Knocking, open the doors, all in.... Hallelujah! Blessed be the name of the Lord. How we love Him and praise Him. Let's raise up our hands now. Praise Him. Give Him praise, every one of you. Thank You, Jesus. Blessed be the name of the Lord. Praise be to God. Just praise Him in your own way. Raise up your hands; praise Him, praise Him. Give Him glory.

.................will praise Him,

Praise the Lamb for sinners slain;

Give Him glory all ye people,

For His blood has washed away each stain.

I will praise Him, (Sing it.) I will praise....

Have you a need of God? Come forward. Want to repent of your sins? Want to receive the Holy Ghost? Come forward if you have need. Come forward.

.........................slain;

Give Him glory all ye people,

For His blood has washed away each stain.

I will praise Him, (God bless you. That's right.

Come right on out. Come.) ... praise Him.

Praise the Lamb for sinners slain; (Knocking

at the door now. Come on, open up.)

Give Him (That's right. That's right,

young folks.), ...ye people,

For His blood has washed away........

God bless you, young lady. God bless you. God bless you. That's good. Keep coming right on now. He's knocking at your door. Come right on out. If you have a need, come right on. Look here, a whole family's coming. That's good.

.............I will praise Him,

Praise the Lamb for sinners slain;

Give Him glory all ye people,

For His blood has washed away each stain.

Won't you come on now? Gather with them around the altar. Come around now. Whosoever will, let him come that he might drink from the fountain of the Lord. Your eyes are open if you need Him. Oh, how you need Him. Won't you come now? Make yourself around the altar. God bless you. God bless you. That's right. Come right on now. The fountain is open.

(Let's play, “There Is A Fountain Filled With Blood.”) Everyone now, come right on. Whosoever will, let him come. All right.

There is a fountain filled with blood,

Drawn from Immanuel's veins,

Where sinners plunged beneath the flood,

Lose all their guilty stains.

Can you...? Is your eyes open to see that it's the Lord Jesus in the last days, giving His last Message to His church? Oh, come, whosoever will, let him come. (All right, somebody lead it for me.)

There is a fountain filled with blood,

Drawn from Immanuel's veins,

Won't you come now? Come right on. That's right. God bless you. God bless you. Come right on.

.........beneath the flood,

Lose all their guilty stains.

Lose all.................

Little children, mothers, all coming right along. Come right.... That's it. God bless you, the little Spanish family. God bless you. That's good. Come right on.

...........their guilty stains.

And sinners plunged beneath.......

Have you got any doors that's been shut to Jesus? Open them up now, come in.

..............guilty stains.

The dying thief rejoiced to see

That fountain in his day;

And there may I, though vile as....

Don't keep one door closed. He will be by. Open the door. Come right on in.

..................away.

Wash all my sins away,

Wash all my sins away;

And there may I, though vile as he,

Wash all my sins away.

E'er since by faith I saw..........

Let every one come that will now. All....

............... wounds supply,

Redeeming love has been my theme,

And shall be till I die.

Won't you make your way up now? There's a great altar call here tonight.

.............till I die,

And shall be till I die;

Redeeming love has been my theme,

And shall be till I die.

Let us bow our heads now. Oh, what a night, what a night! We mortals standing in the presence of the Lord Jesus.... This altar is just packed plumb back to the audience with penitent people standing here calling upon God. Others are still coming down the aisles, still coming down to find mercy before the Lord Jesus. His mercy is from everlasting until everlasting. You can never exhaust His mercy and goodness.

Let us bow our heads now, reverently, and pray. You, ones here who are standing here with your heads bowed, just look to Him now and open every door in your heart, and say, “Lord Jesus, make me what I ought to be. I've kept little doors shut in my heart to keep You from coming in. I was afraid that I might do wrong, might not be able to make it. But I'm going to trust in You; I'm open my door of faith tonight. I'm opening my door of pride. I'm opening my door of own private life. I'm opening my door of selfishness. I'm opening every door that I've got. Come in and be Lord of me. Take me, and take.... Get into my little bark and steer me across life's solemn main. And when the sun sets in my life with the sunset and evening star, one clear call for me, may there be no moaning at the bar, when I put out to sea.” May it be with you that way now as we bow our heads and pray.

Lord, our Father, we bring to Thee these trophies of Thy grace, of Thy great Holy Spirit. O God, what a night, to see all these people standing here needy, calling on the God who supplies all of our needs, according to His riches in glory through Christ Jesus.... We pray, Lord God, that You'll bless each of them, forgive every sin. They're opening up their heart's door; come in, Father God, and take possession. Fill them with the Holy Ghost. Anoint their eyes, Lord. Anoint their speech. Anoint everything that they do; may it have the touch of the Holy Spirit. Grant it, Father. Whatever their need is, supply it. Give them the baptism of the Holy Ghost above all things, Father, tonight. Grant it. Take them into Your own care. We present them to You now as trophies of Your grace, knowing that some glorious day I shall see them on a better land, over there where there's no sickness nor no dying, no sorrow, no heartaches. Grant it, Lord. May they not leave this building until every desire is granted. They're opening their hearts now. May they receive the power of the Holy Spirit through Jesus Christ, our Lord. Amen.

Now, make your way right around this corner right here to where we could get to you better, right back here to pray for you, lay hands on you and so forth. Go right around the corner while we keep singing that song, “There Is A Fountain Filled With Blood.” Right along here so we get the other audience attended to, and then we come right with you.... All right.

There is a fountain filled.......

Everyone, come right around now, right around this way.

....from Immanuel's....

Personal workers, come right on forward. Ministers, go right with them. We're going right on back.

...sinners plunge............

Come right on this a way, every one of you; so you get back and lay hands on them.

Lose all their guilty stains.

Lose all their............

Is there others that would like to go back, have hands laid on you? Come right on now.

Lose all their guilty stains;

And there may I, though vile as he,

Lose all their guilty stains.

Would there be some more that would come this way? They're still coming.... Just let them come right on now. Go right on back where ministers and all meet back there in a few minutes to lay hands upon the people to finish praying for them.

The Lord bless you. We love you. We believe that you're.... How many loves the Lord now in here that's Christians? Raise up your hands. Oh, how marvelous. God bless you now. Your pastor.