The Rejected King

I was just a little early tonight, and I heard that Brother Sullivan had taken up a love offering for me. Now, I sure do appreciate that with all my heart, friends. If you had not have done it, it would've been just the same, it doesn't matter. I've been in the ministry about thirty-one years and I've never took an offering for myself yet, or for anybody else. I never took one. And people has give me offerings. And what that offering goes for, it goes right into the Tabernacle Foundation, and from there it's spent for overseas trips and for the kingdom of God's sake. I'm on a salary. I get a hundred dollars a week. That's what I get, and I don't have any.... (I thought someone out there, brother, might.... I was trying to hold it up so the recorder.... That's more bandage than the doctor's got in his office, isn't it? Thank you, brother. We just won't short anybody out there that's here).

So, therefore with the best of my ability, with all that I know how, I'll see that every penny of it goes to the kingdom of God, with all that I know how, because it's a portion of your living. I know there's no millionaires among us and you need every penny that you can get. (That thing's got a weak head, hasn't it? And I'll tell you, I'll just lay my Bible against it. How's that? That'll do for a little while, perhaps. I'll fix it for you, brethren. We got something here. That's it. How's that? A little bracer, sometimes we all need that—kind of get braced up, a shot in the arm, we call it.) So, I do appreciate it, and will do everything that I can to see that it goes for the kingdom of God.

Now.... (Oh, my, here's some more bandage. Now, brother, we're really going to fix this guy right up, aren't we? Important fellow. [Someone says, “He must be one of the boys.”] He must be, he surely must be. Oh, I was cutting somebody short, sure enough. I put the book over a microphone or two here. We're robbing one to pay the other. Thank you very kindly, brother. I'm sure ever who that's running to down there will appreciate that.)

Today has been a great day for me. We've had much, and I got a few announcements here that I want to make. The first thing is that you're all invited in the morning to the Christian Businessmen's Fellowship breakfast. We always have a great time at that meeting. That will be held at the Manchester Hotel, I think the ballroom. And the tickets is on sale. You can see Brother Carlson, or my field secretary Brother Mercier, or Brother Goad, right here. They have the tickets for the breakfast. And if you miss seeing them, come on down. There'll be somebody there to give you a ticket in the morning. What say? Brother Rockwell has them also. (Has anyone else that you know of?) That's it. But if you miss it, there'll be somebody there in the morning in the lobby to let you get a ticket. And the Lord willing, I'll be speaking in the morning for this fellowship.

I like the Christian Businessmen's Fellowship, because it stands for what I believe—a interdenominational fellowship. And they do a lot of sponsoring of my meetings around the world, because in that I get all the churches to sponsor, because their fellowship ... their men that's out of their churches, the businessmen that's in their churches, come into this organization. Then sometimes they have to receive me whether they like me or not. They just have to take me anyhow, because their brethren is in there.

But most always I thank the Lord that even in ministers and in churches who see different—some people who doesn't even believe in the Pentecostal experience —will come right in and help sponsor the meeting anyhow.

I've been sponsored by Baptist, Methodist, Lutheran, Presbyterians, all different kinds. Down in Mexico, I think it was an entire Baptist sponsorship, down in Mexico City. And then a lot of the places is the Lutheran. In Sweden right now, I think it is, or Norway, the Lutheran churches wants to sponsor a complete, nationwide campaign. Down in Puerto Rico, one of Billy Graham's group that sponsored him, the one that was his interpreter, came to the meeting and the Lord did a great thing. Just there two nights, and now they got the entire association of ministerials all over the island ready for a full island meeting.

When I was leaving that morning, there was ... the fellow that was the head of that big airport out there run up and threw his arms around me, started weeping—a little sort of a man in stature. He said, “Brother Branham, when you were here about a year ago for a night or two,” said, “I was sitting way back in the audience. And you called my name, and told me I'd had migraine headaches for many years and said, 'Thus saith the Lord, tonight they're over.'” Said, “I've never had one since.” And he was the head of that airport, some great official out there. I wouldn't say the head of it—he was one of the main men out there.

In the interviews this morning, the Lord gave many visions. And I certainly had a group this morning. On ... mornings we use in interviews to catch the cases that cannot ... just emergencies and things like that, where they got to have something from the Lord, a word of the Lord. And so then the Lord has been awfully good to us in those things. And one man was telling me (I don't remember the case and wouldn't know it unless I get it back on the tape) somebody from down in the South, I believe Alabama somewhere, the accuracy of the Holy Spirit telling the lady who she was, what her name was, what she had done, how she had got hurt as a little girl. Told her the city she was from and all about it. And when it went to regard her name, it called her “Miss.” And she was a middle-aged woman, but she's never been married. Just the accuracy of the Holy Spirit. Now it does that.

Then this morning in the interviews—I suppose they're here—it was a couple of missionaries that were somewhere in a meeting. I didn't get their name down here, but they were in the interview this morning. And said about ... some time ago they were in one of the meetings, and the lady was suffering tremendously with something, and her husband also. And said it told her who she was and what she was suffering with, told her husband what was wrong with him, and all about the things that they had done in life, and where their calling was; and they was going to minister to people that wore little caps on their head, which was Jewish, and they was going overseas, and everything ... would take place. And she said everything, just exactly the way it was, was right.

And said, then coming back she'd taken sick, and she said that the doctors wanted to operate on her for some kind of an attack in the gall ... or something, and they wanted to operate immediately. But she come back to this side (if I get this story right), and said she prayed, “O Lord, I'm going over....” She'd get one of the magazines where I was to be at. And she said, “Lord, last time I was up there I got card number 3. Please, Lord, let me have card number 3 again.”

And said the Holy Spirit seemed to tell her.... She was a Christian and I think formerly a Lutheran, and a nurse out of a hospital. And said the Lord told her, “You'll have card number 3.”

Said that night when my son came to give out the cards.... So that it'll be double when we're calling them meetings, that no one will know, Billy has to get up before the crowd, and take the cards, and mix them all up together, so that the people will know. Then another thing, no one knows where we're going to start the prayer line. I come, and wherever the Holy Spirit leads me, I start from there. So he said he got up and mixed up all the cards and came down.

She said, “I want one.” He handed it to her and just passed on by. She looked at it. It was 98, I believe, or 97, I believe—yeah, 97, I think it was. And she said, “O Lord, You promised me number 3, and now You gave me 97 or something—97, 98—97, I think it was.” Said, “You gave me 97 and,” said, “now, You promised me number 3.” And said she began weeping and she didn't know what to do. Said, “I'll never be called on 97.” For the time she was in, I might have started from 1. Said that night coming to the platform, said I looked out over the audience real stern and said, 'I'm going to start tonight from one hundred and come backwards.'“ Number 3. Is that lady in the building? Wayne. Oh, here she is right in front of me. Oh, Lord bless you, sister. The Holy Spirit's always right, isn't He? That's right. The Lord bless you. Well, that's fine. You see, when the Holy Spirit promises you anything, if it's the Holy Spirit, you'll get it, just as He said. No matter what takes place, you'll get it.

Now, to this convention, Brother Sullivan, Brother Boze, Brother Winston and all of the ministers, and all the people, I want to thank you for your fine cooperation. To me, one of the outstanding conventions I've ever preached at in all my life has been this one. I've had more freedom to speak at liberty without any binding. Just felt just exactly at home, like I was standing at the Tabernacle, in the pulpit in my own church. And I felt better in this convention than I have in any, as far as I can remember. It's been one that I'll never forget. The Lord bless you for your prayers and cooperation. And I certainly appreciate it. Looking forward to being with you again next year, if the Lord provides again. Wherever it will be held, I don't know. The Lord will provide that. And I want to say that I certainly appreciate this, and I appreciate this convention, because....

Now, I have been accused of being against denominational churches, but that is wrong. I am not against nothing but sin, see. I just ... I'm not against any denomination or any people, I'm just as much Methodist as I am Baptist, Pentecostal, anything else. I'm your brother. I just don't make any difference.

Now sometimes I rake hard on denomination. It's because of their selfish attitude, when they pull themselves up in a little shell, and say, “We got it. None of the rest of you can have it.” You cannot organize Pentecost. And when we try to make an organization out of Pentecost, we displease God. We call ourself the “Pentecostal this” organization, the “Pentecostal that,” but that's wrong. Pentecost is an experience, and it's no organization. But sometimes different groups, to make their groups big ... and it's just a worldly expression. But in every group that I've ever come into in my life, I've found genuine Holy Ghost-filled men and women. Yes sir, of all of them.

And may this convention ever hold its standard of independent, so that all the groups can come together—the free Pentecost, and the free Baptist, the Free Methodist, and the Oneness, Twoness, Threeness, and all the rest of them—riding on a one-hump camel, a two-hump camel or a three-hump camel. Whatever you want to ride on, come on.

You know, Jacob dug one well and the Philistines drove him away from it, and he called it, I believe, “Malice.” (We'll say that. I don't remember just what it was.) He dug another well and the Philistines drove it away from ... drove him away from it, and he called it “Strife.” And Jacob dug another well and he called it “There's Room For All.” That's the well. That's the independence, where there's room for all, everybody, whosoever will, any church, any creed, any denomination, we're here to represent the Pentecostal blessing that comes to the Methodist, Baptist, Catholic, Jew, whatever you are. It comes to yellow, black, white, brown, all races, all creeds, all peoples, at any time that you're ready for it. May it always remain that way is my prayer.

Now, don't forget, tonight ends the convention and the brethren will be going home, many of them, I suppose. Now, I did not know that I was going to be praying for the sick at night, so I thought I would hang over two more nights in order to pray for the sick that come to the convention. But I noticed on a little circular down there that I found sitting in a filling station window that said prayers for the sick each night. I found that when Brother Joseph and I yesterday was walking by, so then last night we started praying for the sick. I didn't know I was to pray for the sick. So then, if you're here and you're not in no hurry to get home, you're certainly welcome to stay with us for Saturday night and Sunday afternoon.

We're going to close Sunday afternoon, because we do not want to hold the people from their churches on Sunday night.

To your denomination and to your own choice of church, that's your duty to stand at your post of duty. Exactly, for your pastor and uphold him as a man of God. If he doesn't see the light yet, don't fall out with him. Love him and pray for him. That's the thing to do to get him into it. That's right. With the church that doesn't believe in the Pentecostal blessing, well that doesn't hurt a thing. You go right on and keep ... you receive the Pentecostal blessing, and then tell your pastor about it, and tell him how sweet it is. And the first thing you know, he'll be like Brother Collins the other night, the Methodist preacher, when he got the Holy Ghost. He had to go get his brother and sister-in-law, and all of them. They got the Holy Ghost. So, that's just the way it goes, see.

We don't never want to take anybody away from a church. We don't want to say let all the one church join this other church. That's not it. Stay right where you're at. That's all right. As long as they'll receive you, and you got the blessing, you stay right where you are. But try to have fellowship with one another. That's what it is. It's a fellowship of brethren, brethren to be in fellowship. I believe everybody believes that, don't you? Sure. That's fine.

Now, I was going to announce what I was going to speak on tomorrow morning, but I better leave that alone, because I say I'm going to speak on something, then I go there and get something else, see. I just have.... If I could preach like I do when I'm cutting my grass or going on a hunting trip somewhere.... Get up in the mountains, and walk up top of the mountains, and stand up there and look out across, and feel that breeze high in the mountains, and hear the coyote holler (whew), my, if I could preach like I could right there.... Sit down on that rock, get off that rock, and walk around the tree, and preach, and carry on, if I could preach like that up here, I'd be a pretty fair preacher, I believe.

If I get out in the yard cutting grass, and I just have to stop sometimes, stop my old mower and run into the garage and say, “Lord, help me. I don't want to act like that out there in the yard. People'd think I lost my mind.” But then when I get up here, I forget all about it. What was I thinking about? You see? Then I just have to depend on Him. So that's the reason sometimes that I can't say what I'm going to speak on, but the Lord will help me do something anyhow.

Now, let us turn tonight for the text, if I should call it that, in I Samuel, the seventh chap... or, the eighth chapter, and begin with the fourth verse. I Samuel, the eighth chapter, and beginning with the fourth verse. Let us read:

Then all the elders of Israel gathered themselves together, and came to Samuel unto Ramah,

And said unto him, Behold, thou art old, and thy sons walk not in thy ways: now make us a king to judge us like all the nations.

But this displeased Samuel, when they said, Give us a king to judge us. And Samuel prayed unto the Lord.

And the Lord said unto Samuel, Hearken unto the voice of the people in all that they say unto thee: for they have not rejected thee, but they have rejected me, that I should not reign over them.

According to all the works which they have done since the day that I brought them up out of Egypt even unto this day, wherewith they have forsaken me, and served other gods, so do they also unto thee.

If I was going to title this, for a few moments.... And then we're going to take up our cards for prayer for the sick right where we left off last night. And then tomorrow night, tomorrow afternoon there will be prayer cards given out, another prayer line tomorrow night, and Sunday at two o'clock (a brother says, “Two-thirty.”) Two-thirty. Prayer cards will be give out at two, then, Sunday afternoon for Sunday afternoon's service, having prayer for the sick.

I want to entitle this subject tonight “The Rejected King.” And I wish we had chairs to accommodate or seat somehow the ones that are standing all around tonight of this building. But I will try to hurry, so that you won't have to stand too long, but if you'll just give me your undivided attention for a few moments.

In the day of Samuel the people were a great deal like they are in all days. They had come to a place that they wanted to be like the other people. And that is just simply a nature with people. People want to impersonate each other. If you'll go out and buy a certain kind of clothing or a certain automobile, paint your steps a certain color in your house, or on your steps, porch steps, watch the neighbor. They just can't stand it, they've got to be the same. You go to church and wear a certain kind of a hat that's a little different, next Sunday you'll have a lot of your sisters with that same kind of hat, if they can find it. Somehow another they just want to act like one another. And that's a good thing, if it's used right, if it is used in the right way.

Now, but these people in the days of Samuel, the prophet, they wanted to act like the Philistines and the Amalekites and the unbelieving, and because that they seen their people was a little more fancy. And they were a nation of called-out and chosen people, and they're not supposed to act like the rest of the people. God's people is never to act like the world, or look like the world, or be anything to do with the world. You are a separated people. The church, a called-out, a peculiar people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation—altogether different and set aside in all your actions and habits and ways from the things of the world. Now, may the Lord help us as we study.

Now these people seen how the Philistines were doing, how the Amalekites and the different ones were acting. And they came to Samuel and said, “We want to be like them.” And it's about the same today. You just let the world start a certain fashion or some fad, and you find all the people—even to many of the Christians—want to do that same thing. They want to act like it.

You let the boys start cutting their hair a certain way, and all the boys want to do it. And they got to a place now they let their hair grow out real big, and looks like a duck or something sitting on top of their head. And I tell you, I believe that if I was a woman, a girl, and a boyfriend of mine did like that, I'd sit him down and shave his hair off. It looks to me like that a woman would want a man. I tell you, maybe the woman is so masculine that she wants something feminish. But that certainly looks like a woman to me, to have all that big bush like a duck, or a crow or something, sitting on top of their head, the big long things sticking out in the back.

And I never seen such an outfit in my life. And I seen some preachers like that. What in the world is this thing coming to? After a while they'll have a beatnik pastor, if you don't watch out what they're doing. Well, that's the truth.

Oh, the church has to act just like the world. It must be.... Now, that was rude, and I don't mean it that way, see. But I'm just trying to make a ... I'm trying to drive a nail down so tight it won't come out until it clinch on the other side. If it hurts, maybe I'll back up just a little bit. But it's got to be clinched to make it hold. Is that right, Brother Woods? He's a contractor. You got to make it hold by clinching it. And I think a man ought to be a man, and a woman ought to be a lady. And I think that a Christian ought to act like a Christian, and associate with Christians. And the church of the living God ought to be together with one heart and one accord, and have nothing to do with the world when it comes to their ways and habits.

But we find it today just like it was then.

They'd come to Samuel, and they said, “Now you're getting old, your hair's getting gray. And we just don't know how much longer you're going to stay around. And now we want you to make us a king just like the Philistines has got, like all the rest of the world has got. Make us just like them.” And it displeased this holy prophet of God. Any prophet, if he is a prophet, he's for holiness and righteousness and the things of God. He can't stand still—he's got to bring it out. Sometimes it cost his life, but he'll bring it anyhow, because God is in the person. And the pastor or prophet that's really for God, if it hurts, it just.... He don't mean to hurt the people. He loves the people, but he's trying to save them, see.

And, why, this kind of upset the good old prophet, that they thought he was too old to go on. We find out he lived for many, many years later. But he was a servant of the Lord. And in doing that, they rejected their real king which was God, and that displeased the prophet. And he didn't want them to do that.

Now, Samuel, in our message, represents the Holy Spirit. Now, Samuel was the mouthpiece of God, and today the Holy Spirit is the mouthpiece of God. And today, instead of having all of our different fandangos in church, God wants us to let Him rule—not popes, bishops, and general overseers, and doctrines, and denominations, and everything. He sent the Holy Spirit to rule the church. But we, like the people of old, we say, “Well, let us be like the rest of them. They've got a great organization. Let's us build up our group, because we believe this.”

Now, the Holy Spirit never would have stood still for that. No, sir. The Holy Spirit wants us to have no fences, no boundary lines. He wants us to be one in Him. We're children, brothers. God doesn't separate His children, said, “I'll give this one cornbread and beans, and this one ice cream and pie.” He doesn't do that—let this one starve to death, and the other thing. He feeds them all at the same table. And the Holy Spirit should lead the church.

But they didn't want it that way. They wanted a king. They wanted to be like the rest of the world.

And when the Pentecostal church ... the Holy Spirit first fell about fifty-something years ago, if they would have just let it alone and let God add to the church daily such as would be saved, it would've been like it was in the apostolic age. But we had to draw fences. We had to be like the rest of them. We had to.... If the Methodist is a denomination, we must be. And here comes somebody along, said, “Jesus is coming on a white cloud.”

“No, He's coming on a white horse.”

“All right, we'll just separate. I'll get me a group and you get you a group.” There you are. What difference does it make? He's coming anyhow. It don't matter how He's coming. The thing of it is, are you ready to go with Him when He comes? That's the main thing. Doesn't matter how He comes, what form He comes in, let's just be ready to go. But they'll split hairs on little bitty things and form another organization. And that's just the way the world did it.

And good old Samuel, he took it to the Lord, and he said, “Lord, what can I do about these matters? The people are determined that they must have it just that way, and we don't know just what to do about this.”

And the Lord said, “Go right ahead and give them their king, because they're not rejecting you; they're rejecting me to be their judge.”

See, people don't want the Holy Spirit to judge them. No, no, you don't want that. They want some creed to judge them, but ... they want some church to judge them, but they don't want the Holy Spirit.

He said, “Go ahead and make them a king.”

So, they searched out through the country and down in the tribe of Benjamin. They found a man by the name of Kish, who had a son named Saul, and they chose him. Great big, handsome-looking, intellectual giant of a man, head and shoulders above any other man; way up high, intellectual, educated, smart, shrewd, nice looking. Oh, that was just exactly what they wanted: something they could show off with. That's just about the way the churches is getting. You want some great big organization, some great big fine church, bigger than the little mission down yonder. That's just the way it goes. And many times they leave the little mission where the Spirit is leading, to go join to that, because you say, “I belong to the First church.”

The same old devil, just exactly, the same misleading of the people. The biggest church, something to show off, something big, oh, people like to say that. They like to get to a place where they got the finest pastor. Why, they got a pastor that's got four degrees out of Princeton, or some great university. He's so smart and everything like that. He might have all those degrees, but in God's sight he might not even be enough to make a hog caller. That's exactly right, with all those.

God chooses men, and He is our king. God, the Holy Spirit, was sent to govern the Pentecostal believers, the Holy Spirit believers. The King God, was sent to do that.

Now, they chose him, and he was a great man, fine fellow. Just exactly what they wanted, that was the guy. Now, before they anointed him king, they made him chief captain, just to give him a try-out. He was a failure to start with, to begin with. It wasn't in God's program. But however, when they chose him, finally was going to make him king, Samuel told them, he said, “Now, go on. First, if you choose to have a king and reject God, you know what's going to take place?” Here he says what's going to take place: “He'll call all your sons and daughters to be his servants. You'll pay a tenth of all you got to feed his army. And your fine vineyards and all your fine cattle will be taken over, and everything, and that's the way it'll be. He'll have to have armour bearers. He'll have to have soldiers. Your daughters will be cooks and confectioneries to feed the soldiers, and that's the way it'll be.”

“Oh, that's all right, but we want him anyhow. We want him anyhow.”

Then he called them to a place, before anointing Saul king, he said, “I want to ask you something.” In other words, let me put it like this: “Have not I been with you since a child as a prophet? Have I ever took any of your money? Have I ever begged you for anything?”

“No.”

“Have I ever spoke to you in the name of the Lord but what it come to pass?”

“No, that's right, Samuel. All that you have done has been of the Lord.”

“Well, then, why don't you let God be your king?”

“Oh, we know that you're the prophet. We know that you're the servant of God. We know that you speak the truth, and we know that you're right. And you've been the right kind of a judge and everything over us, through the Holy Spirit. But still we want the king.”

Oh, brother. When people get their heads set on something, they just go on anyhow. There's just hardly anything you can do. They just got their mind made up, they're going to do it whether it's right or wrong. Why, you can stand and preach to people that it's wrong for their women to dress immoral, for men to go and women to go to dances, for this rock and roll stuff, they'll take right out of there like a hog to its wallow and a dog to its vomit. That's exactly right. Pay no more attention to it than nothing in the world, because they are determined they're going to do it anyhow. They say they want it anyhow.

All right.

So, after all the warnings had been given, then finally they wanted a king anyhow. So Saul was anointed king. The first thing taken place, the enemy slipped in on one side and put the right eye out of a lot of the people of God. You know the story. It's found here in Samuel 8, 9, and 10. Put their right eye out. That's just what the enemy wants to do. That's what the enemy is trying to do tonight, put the right eye of God's people out. You notice it was the right eye, the one that's spiritual.

If he can put the spiritual sight out of your eye, where you see the natural things and not the spiritual things, he's got you whipped right there. As long as you can have churches and big places and fine intellectual-dressed people and so forth, as long as your eye looks like that and don't see the Spirit side, the enemy's got you under his control, because you don't know where you're going. Amen.

Brother, listen! What we need today is an old-time, backwoods, sin-killing revival. The Bible, Holy Ghost, back into the church again with the power of God over the audience and the people filled with the Holy Spirit—that's what we need today. And if that would take place, every wall of denominational difference would be broke down. The Oneness, Twoness, Threeness, Church of God, Pilgrim Holiness, Nazarenes, all of them together would be shouting and eating off the same apple. Why, they would be so brotherly and sisterly, there would be not even one thought of it. But see, we want to pattern after something of the world.

That same thing got into our nation. Our nation used to be governed by real true politics. Christians would go together and pray and come out anointed, try to govern our nation. Now it's just as honeycombed as it can be with everything. Crooked! They tell me that communists is all over the country, free thinkers, and all them kind of stuff of organizations rising up. And it's just in such a state there's no stop to it. And it only shows one thing: that the true king, the Son of God, is coming to take over and reign, just as certain as we're in this convention tonight.

Oh, if people could only remember, no matter how long you stay here on earth, still you've got to meet God. You take and make God your king, your supreme Lord. Many people likes to receive Jesus as Saviour. Oh, yes. “I don't want to go to hell, so I'll take Him as my Saviour,” but not your Lord. When He's Lord, He's got rulership. He comes right in and governs you and controls you. But you say, “Lord, You can be my Saviour, but don't go to meddling in my private business. Now, don't get in all these things.” You don't want your private life, you don't want to surrender it all to God. And that's true, friends. And whatever you do, when you leave this convention, you leave this meeting, you go home with one determination: that you're going to seek God day and night and live in His presence, and get away from the things of the world.

Oh, yes, they wanted this king. And when they got the king, then the enemy begin to put the eyes of the people out. And then they couldn't see where they were going. That's the first thing the devil does when he can get a servant of God: he blinds him to the fact that he's lost. That's the first thing the enemy done when they got Samson, another judge. They put his eyes out where he couldn't see where he was going. As soon as the enemy of the Philistines come in upon Israel, they put their right eye out, so they couldn't see good where they were going.

When the enemy comes into a church, he puts their eyes out to the real facts that the Holy Spirit is the one who rules and governs the church. All discipline is brought by the Holy Spirit. Amen. Oh, I wish I could say the words that would make it go home to the right place, see, that it never would leave, clinch in there. God gave the Holy Spirit to rule and govern the church. The Holy Spirit.

Now, when this taken place, they put their right eye out.

Did you notice that cunning little thing that Saul done? Oh, he was a slick article, because.... What did he do? He sent out all around over the country pieces of ox that he had killed, and said, “Let all the people follow me and Samuel. [Oh, my.] Me and Samuel.” See, he put Samuel, used Samuel's good reputation, to deceive the people. And many times today, and our leaders does the same thing, they put it in our churches. They say, “Why, So-and-So, our founder, he believed, he did this.” Yes, he was a good man. But, brother, something's happened since then. That's right. What happened?

You Methodists that used to lay under the power of God all night long, when Asbury and John and Charles was here in the United States.... They were called Holy Rollers and put out of the real churches, the big churches, laid out there in the school houses, and the people.... They preached under the power of God until the people would fall out in the floor, and they'd throw water in their face and fan them, back and forth. That's.... I've seen them do it.

John Wesley, preaching divine healing.... One of his little books, a man from the Anglican church turned a fox and the fox hounds loose amongst his congregation. And John pointed his finger in that man's face and said, “The sun will not set on your head three times till you'll call for me to pray for you.” That evening the man died with cramps in his stomach, calling for John to come pray for him. And today you talk about a healing service amongst the Methodist people....

Some Methodist man was writing a thesis on a book right here some time ago about divine healing. He said, “There's only one fault the Methodists can find with you, Brother Branham.”

I said, “What's that?”

He said, “One thing, that all that come to your meeting nearly is Pentecostal.”

I said, “All right, we'll just change it. You Methodists sponsor me, and I'll come to you.” I said, “Will you start it in your city?”

“Well,” he said, “of course, I....”

I said, “That's what I thought,” see. Just exactly.

God will send His message to somewhere. “It will not return to Me void, it'll accomplish that which I have purposed.” God is able of these stones to rise children to Abraham. But they refer back to some great fellow—Moody, or Wesley, or some great person like that—where they sprung up from.

Now, that's the same trick that Saul done. “Who will not follow Samuel and I? Who will not follow Samuel and I, let it be.” Well, that's just a smooth trick they try to pull.

But Samuel still ... he'd told the people not to do this. But they did it anyhow, because they wanted to do it. They said they would do it anyhow. And I was just looking here on the Scripture where it said here that Samuel, when he almost persuaded the people that they were doing what was wrong and then they went ahead and wanted to do it.

Then when they got ... this thing taken place, then Saul won this victory. And he sent out and told all the Hebrews what they should look for, what the Hebrews had done. And it really wasn't Saul that won the battle; it was his son Jonathan that won the battle.

Then we find again that when this man Saul, the first thing you know he got great then, stuck out his chest. Certainly. “We built this big thing. We done this.” And when he done it, then he got to a place he didn't want Samuel's advice anymore. He done it the way he wanted to do it.

And that's what's happened today. The people has got to a place that they don't want to do it the way that God wants to do it. They want to do it the way they want to do it. That's what's the matter today. God wants divine healing among His people. The big, high fellow says, “Now, wait a minute, the days of miracles is past.”

Now, what caused Saul to do that? When he got to a place that he took over the leading of the people, instead of letting the Holy Spirit.... Now, Samuel told him, he said, “Now, if you'll go ahead and have your king, and you'll all live right and keep God's commandments and do what the Lord says and follow the Spirit, Saul will be able to preach us some mighty good messages.” And he did. They had no right to disbelieve Samuel, because Samuel always prophesied the truth to them. He told them what was the truth. But he said, “Now, if you'll just let ... Saul, and all of you follow the leadings of the Spirit, keep the commandments of the Lord, everything will be all right.”

If that taken place tonight in every church in the United States, there would be a revival start in this nation. I tell you, whiskey joints would be broke up. It would be one of the most grandest things that this nation has ever known, if every preacher of all denominations would just follow the leading of the Holy Spirit instead of some creed of their denomination, what some bishop said, or somebody else said, or somebody else said. What somebody else said has nothing to do with it. God sent the Holy Spirit, and He's our guide. He's our leader.

But when they even see the Holy Spirit moving they get scared of it. They don't know what it is. It's a stranger to them, because they're not taught in that line. They're taught just upon a certain thing that the church believes, and they go on right like that, and go through life calling themselves Christians, and go on with the things of the world. And then when they come to die, they say, “Why, my faith saves me.”

I said to a man some time ago, I said, “Sir, didn't the Lord ever condemn you for that smoking?”

“Oh,” he said, “no.”

And I said, “I have seen you drink myself.”

He said, “But looky here, preacher, I want to tell you something.” (I was visiting another man in the room.) He said, “My faith saves me.”

I said, “But, mister, let me tell you something now, faith without works is dead.” And I said, “The Holy Spirit don't live a life like that.” And I said, “You may be disappointed.” I said, “Now, the faith's all right; but if the works don't follow the faith, then the faith's no good.

And when you die, remember, it doesn't change your spirit; it only changes your dwelling place. And whatever type of spirit you got in you, that's the place it will go to. And sin can never enter heaven. So, if you....“

You say, “Well, I confess mine every night. We got a prayer book, and when we go to church, we confess all of our sins.” And turn right back around and do them again? Turn right back the next day, “God, forgive me for drinking, forgive me for committing adultery, forgive me for lying, forgive me for stealing.” Turn right back and do the same thing. “Forgive me for getting drunk last week. I didn't mean to drink that much.” Turn right back around, drink it again. Well, that's not ... that shows that something hasn't changed inside. You're trying to paint the outside, kind of whitewash it. But what it needs to be done is put in the blood of Jesus Christ and washed white instead of whitewashed. That's what the world needs today.

But then we find out then, that because that Saul took upon himself.... Samuel was a little late one day to offer the burnt offerings, which was only legal for him to do under the inspiration of God. And Saul said, “Why do we have to wait on him?” He went and offered it hisself. He started leading the people himself, instead of letting God lead the people. There's where he made his mistake. That's where every church that's ever been organized yet made their fatal mistake. I've never seen an organization—I've took history, I've read all the way from the pre-Nicene fathers and Josephus and all the early historians—and I've never seen one time where a church ever come into a great spiritual revival and fell and got away from it, that ever rose again. I want you to show me where it was at. If they won't follow the light, God will lay it right up on the shelf and let somebody.... “God's able of these stones to rise children unto Abraham.”

Luther was the light of his day. But they got a group in there in that Lutheran church and twisted the scriptures around to make it fit their own theology, and the first thing you know, the Lutheran church was on the shelf, the revival was over.

God raised up the Methodists. The Methodists come out with sanctification, had a great revival, world-sweeping, one of the greatest the world's ever had, in the days of John Wesley. And a great revival swept the land. By the time John and Charles and Asbury and all those died off, we got a new group in there begin to think a lot about, “Well, we oughtn't to do this, a blood religion and all this kind of stuff.” And the first thing you know, they begin to bring in all kinds of creeds and things. And now look where it's at, laying on the shelf. Oh, yes.

And the Pentecostal has done the very same thing that they did, just exactly. Going the way of all flesh.

Yes, you want to be like the world. Don't be like the world. We are different! Servants of God are different. They're born again, they're new creatures in Christ. You have no right to take the things of the world and mix it with Christianity. The Christian road's not made up of church-made theology. The Christian road's made up of the baptism of the Holy Ghost and nothing less than that. And a life to follow that baptism of the Holy Ghost makes you live right, do right, act right, talk right, live right. That is true.

But then when Saul wouldn't wait on the Lord no more, Samuel turned right away from him. Remember, at the first time—not the second time—but the first time that Saul took upon himself to take over the service of the Lord, Samuel turned his back on him and walked away from him. And the first time that the church lets their leaders take over to lead the people, the Holy Spirit gets right away from them. And the very first time that you go being led by a man instead of God, the Holy Spirit will get away from you, too. Let the Holy Spirit lead. That's what we need, is leadership! And God gave us a leader, and we don't hear it.

Here not long ago I was reading in a ... Brother Gene brought it to me, I believe, in one of the magazines, about geese leaving Canada. And they have a leader. And if this leader isn't a real good leader, they haven't picked a good one, he'll take them anywhere. Take them over the mountain way, and they'll all die. Here some time ago a bunch flew ... an old gander that didn't know where he was going, didn't know his directions, his instinct wasn't just right, he flew a bunch of geese all the way to England. They've never been able to come back. Their nature is to migrate every year. And they just get together and squawk and holler and carry on over there in England, and they don't know how to get back home.

Puts me in mind of some of these cold formal boards that we got today, get so far away from God you don't know how to get back. You'll never come back by creeds! You've got to have inspiration to lead you, brother, and that inspiration comes by the Holy Ghost! Yes, led of the Spirit. Sons and daughters of God are led by the Spirit of God. They love the Spirit. They don't try to say, “Now, wait a minute. In my church, they don't say 'amen.' My church, they never raise their hands. They're very quiet. Why, we'd give our pastor chills and fever if somebody hollered 'amen.'”

Well, you ought to chill him up once in a while then, just find out what would take place. That's right.

What we need today is a good old heart-felt religion. Let me tell you something. If a baby is born and that baby don't cry, it don't whine, it don't open its little mouth and say a thing, nothing happens, what's the matter with that baby? He's born dead. I think we've got too many still births today in the church.

Fellow come up and say, “Do you believe God the Father Almighty, creator in heavens and earth, Jesus Christ his Son?”

“Yes, I do.”

“Will you promise to do so-and-so for this church?”

“Yes.”

Take his little salt shaker and a few little drops of water, give him the right hand of fellowship, put him in the church. That's still-born babies. Yeah. That's right. What do you ... happen to a baby when he's born, if he don't cry as soon as he drops into the earth? What's the first thing you do to him? Is pick him up, turn him over your arm, and give him a little ... what is you call it? Paddling, that's right. Give him a few raps like that [smack] and the first thing you know, “Whaaaa,” out he'll go, and you got a baby living.

And that's what it needs today in the church.

Is not somebody say, “Now, I know it might not be all right to do that.” Little sissified thing. You need a man behind the pulpit that'll tell you, that'll tear you to pieces till you'll get to squalling out once in a while, and let God come in, and let something take place. Then you're born. Not somebody to baby you around in your sins, and say, “Oh, well, our forefathers believed that.”

Why, our forefathers, our Bible, said it's right. That's what's right, is our Bible. And the same Holy Ghost that fell on the day of Pentecost, which we all know that that was the birth of the new church, if that same Holy Spirit don't bring the same experience to you, then you got a different Holy Spirit than what that was. That's exactly right. If it don't make you live a sacrificial life, and a life full of joy and pleasure, and the baptism of the Spirit leading you into signs and wonders and miracles and things, there's something happened. Jesus said, “These signs shall follow them that believe.”

Look how they perverted it today when men leads. “Here's a good church member. Oh, I know he does this. Oh, I know he does that. But he's a deacon in the church, and he does this and that and the other. But I tell you, he's certainly ... when we come time for we ... us to have our missionary program, never fails to put in a five hundred dollar check. And if we got a repair to do, oh, he's a fine fellow.” Then stand there with your collar turned around, and preach his funeral some day over a half-mast flag, say he's gone to heaven. Ain't that the sinful thing?

Let me tell you something. What we need today is new birth, new life, new creatures in Christ Jesus! What a difference

A man said not long ago, a preacher told me, that he had to take a member in his church secretly. Said, “He's a good man,” but said, “he just couldn't stand out before that audience and be brought into church.” Said, “I had to take him into the prayer room in the back and take him into the church secretly.” Said, “What do you think of that, Billy?”

I said, “I'd have turned him right straight towards the altar and kicked him just as hard as I could.” That's the way I'd've took him in. That's right.

I was going down to the river here some time ago to baptize a woman, and there was a whole group going along with me. And so the woman going along there, she said, “Brother Branham.”

I said, “Yes.”

She said, “Well, I finally decided for you to go down and dunk me.”

Said, “What's that?”

She said, “You're going to fix me up this afternoon and dunk me, aren't you?”

I said, “No, ma'am. Before I do that,” I said, “you've got to get your heart right with God. I wouldn't baptize you on no conditions. You're still alive in the world yet.”

You've got to be dead. We only bury dead people, those who are dead in Christ and ready to rise to new life again. And the person make a remark like that against baptism isn't a fit candidate for water baptism. That's right.

Well, there's where we go.

We find out the Spirit.... Saul said, “I'll do it myself. I know how to do it. I know as much about it as that old fogey Samuel.”

And Samuel had proved that he was a servant of God. He proved that the Holy Spirit was with him, for he said, “I'll take you to record this day. Have I ever spoke to you anything in the name of the Lord but what come to pass? Have I ever come and begged and bummed money from you, and all these great things?”

“No,” they said, “you haven't done that, but still we want to have it the way we want it,” see. And that's then. You see what they were getting then.

Now, we find out then when a man rejects the leading of the Holy Spirit.... You know what God did for Saul? He give him a evil spirit to lead him. Now, how about that? He give him a evil spirit. God gave him a evil spirit to lead him. So, when a man rejects the leading of the Holy Spirit, or any person rejects the leading of the Holy Spirit, you've got a devil on you to lead you. That's exactly the Bible. O God, I wish we could have a revival. I wish there could come a time that when the Holy Spirit could really get into the hearts of the American people again, that they would see it's Him. They want to look, say, “Well, now look, I can't cooperate in this meeting, because my church don't....”

What difference does that make? What's that got to do with it?

“Well, I tell you, they believe in this and we don't believe that.”

As long as they're preaching the Bible and the whole Bible and the full gospel and nothing but the truth, listen to it. Long as they're led by the Spirit, believe in it. And God will make Hisself known. If a man is led by the Spirit of God, God'll make Hisself known to that person. Yes, sir. God promised to. So, in doing that we know then that the Holy Spirit leads the people, and God takes care of it. Amen. Do you believe that with all your heart? [Congregation says amen.] Certainly we do. All right.

Then I'd like to say another thing, that evil spirit begin to lead Saul, and it led him. And today when the Holy Spirit's rejected, it wants ... what will it do? You'll get an evil spirit to lead you. Now, listen. I don't want to hurt you, but I want you to get this, see. Just as it was in them days, so is it today. They don't want the Holy Spirit to lead them so they get a evil spirit. What takes place with the evil spirit? The evil spirit wants to lead them then. And now watch.

They don't want ... they didn't want God to be their judge. And people today don't want the Holy Spirit to judge them. That's the reason they turned Samuel down, because his judgment was of God. It was scriptural and they didn't want to be led by the Spirit. And they turned it down for an ecclesiastical man. And what did they get? A evil spirit to lead them.

Now, the people today don't want to be led by the Holy Spirit. They don't want the Holy Spirit to judge them. Now, that's true, friends. They don't want the Holy Spirit to judge you.

Then people said to me, a woman said to me, not long ago.... I was preaching real hard, and I was bawling the sisters out for cutting their hair, and telling them that the Bible said that she was a prostitute if she did so. She was unfair to her husband, and he had a right to put her away. Just exactly what the Scripture says. Any woman that'll cut her hair off of her head, she dishonors her husband, the Bible said, which is her head. And you can preach to them.... That lady met me outside and she said, “Let me tell you something right now, preacher, you're sure going to ruin your ministry.”

I said, “Any ministry that the Word of God will ruin, ought to be ruined.” That's exactly right.

She said, “Well,” she said, “everybody'll walk away and leave you.”

I said, “As long as He stays with me, that's the main thing,” see. Let Him stay.

And sure, they don't want the people ... you don't ... because they want to be like the world. They don't want ... women don't want to dress like the people of God, decent, moral.

Why, here a few weeks ago, I went to a Pentecostal meeting. Now you Baptists get ready to shout, and Presbyterians. I went to one of the leading Pentecostal churches of the United States. And my associate and I was sitting there. I was going to have a Sunday morning service. And when.... They knowed that I'm always against that kind of stuff. And then when they let Sunday School out, and I was sitting out there in the parking lot, here come the Sunday School teachers. Now, that ain't Methodists; that's Pentecostal. Real short bobbed hair, and make up all over their face, looked like they had been eating red beefsteak and got it all over their finger nails, and all out like that, all that paint and manicure on them, walking out there. And here come men my age with that brick top hair cut, and duck-tailed in the back like that. Brother, if I had a congregation like that, I'd sure tear them to pieces, brother. It sure would be. Yes, sir.

Oh, they wasn't going to stay and listen at a holy-roller preach. And then claim to be Pentecost!

I got up there, and the Sunday School teacher come out, said, “Good morning, Reverend Branham.” And all of that red stuff on the face and this black pencil over their eyes and all the ... and dress so sexy-like.

And they say, “Well, now, wait a minute, Brother Branham. That's the only kind of clothes you can buy.” They still sell goods and sewing machines, so there's not a bit of excuse for you. That's right. If you're led by the Holy Spirit, straighten up.

They don't want the Holy Spirit to judge them. They don't want ... there's no excuses. God won't listen to your excuses. He wouldn't listen to Saul's, and He won't listen to you. You've got to compare with what the Bible said.

I think any woman ought to be clean. She ought to look her best. Any man ought to, too. Look pretty and clean, but be decent. You know if you dress yourself, just them old clothes that people wear, them old shorts and....

Woman said to me some time ago, said, “Brother Branham, I don't wear them shorts,” said, “I wear slacks.”

I said, “That's worse.” Worse.

You know what God said? It's an abomination in the sight of God for a woman to put on a garment that pertains to a man. And God is God and never changes. He's the infinite God. If it once made a sickening stinking smell before Him, it still makes a sick and stinking smell to see a woman put on a garment pertains to a man. He made men men, and women.... [break in tape] ... if He doesn't preach it that way. That's what the Bible said. That's exactly right. And, oh, they don't want that.

One lady said to me said, “Well, do you think it's wrong for a woman to wear some ... this make up?”

I said, “Yes, sir, I do.” I said, “God, if He'd wanted you to look like you was a barn, He'd have made you a barn,” I said, “all painted up like that.”

If He wanted you to smoke, He'd've put a smoke stack on top of you and some flues, so that you could have breathed it out. But He give you lungs to breathe good fresh air. That's what He did it for.

But they ... oh, no, but they don't want nobody, they don't want the Holy Spirit to judge them. Now, if you get the Holy Ghost and can still live that way—you come to me and tell me you got the Holy Ghost and living like that—I can't be your judge, but according to the Word you've missed the line somewhere, brother. That's exactly what the Spirit says, see. That's right. We need back holiness again, brother. We need to come back to God. Yes, they reject it. Certainly they do. They don't want to know how that ... they don't want to come under the jurisdiction of the Holy Spirit. They don't want the Spirit to guide them.

Let me tell you something, ladies. I'm not making fun of you. This is no place for that. This is the place for judgment goes forth, and judgment has to go right, and judgment's by the Word of God. Looky. There was only one woman in the entire Bible that ever painted her face. That's right. One woman. And she never painted her face to meet God. She painted her face to meet a man, to try to vamp him. That's right. Jehu, Jezebel. You know what God did for her? He fed her to the dogs. That's right. So, when you see a woman wearing make-up, you say, “That's Miss Dog Meat.” That's exactly what it is before God. He fed her to the dogs. So that's all she stood for. He fed her to the dogs. How many knows that's the truth? Say, “Amen.” That's exactly right.

So you see how those heathen traits get into the church? It's because some lukewarm son of Kish stands behind the pulpit and is afraid of his meal ticket to preach the truth. Brother, let me tell you, we need men behind the pulpit, and not a bunch of theological sissies that's afraid of something to say to the people. We need men of courage, good men filled with the Holy Ghost, that stands there, that will not preach sissified stuff and creeds and denominations, but will preach the gospel and shuck the hide off of them. That's exactly right. Right.

Your little old kids, say now, “Junior, honey, don't you do that.” Get you a stick and skin him. That's what you need. Look what you raised up out of that “Junior, honey.”

Little Martha, you know, stomp her feet and tell her mammy, “You go shut up, I ain't going to do that.” Oh, boy. Good thing they didn't have my daddy. That's right. Yes, sir. All this stuff, see what you got? A bunch of juvenile idiots, just exactly what you got. Insane, just exactly. The insane asylums filling up with them. Beatniks, that's what caused. “Junior, dear.” The Bible said if you spare the rod, you spoil your son. That's exactly right. And God knows what's truth and what's best.

Samuel tried to tell Saul that. God knows what was best. But Saul said, “Well, the people want me.” That's it. Long as he gets somebody to follow him, that's all he wanted. He used Samuel's name to get somebody to follow him. That's all he wanted.

No, they don't want that real true gospel. They don't want that real truth. Don't want the Holy Spirit to guide them. They'd rather have the intellectual pastor, see. Now here's the kind of man they want: somebody ... they don't want ... they want somebody that'll not tell them “It's wrong to do this, and wrong to do that, and quit doing this and quit doing that. No. They don't want that. But they want a man that's got a theological seminary experience, that they can say he's got several degrees, and he stands up very nicely, and he dresses very nattily (which is perfectly all right).

But when he gets there, he kind of does their own interpretation of the Bible. Not according to the Bible, but according to some theological seminary's experience, instead of a baptism of the Holy Ghost down in him to make him shuck the hide off. That's exactly right.

Tell me a prophet in the Bible that was a true prophet that didn't shuck the hide off. Tell me whenever it come to pass. And they didn't want to believe them then, but God give them signs and wonders to follow them, to make the people ... to vindicate that their ministry was right. It's always been that way.

The Holy Spirit today comes right down in the church and said, “These signs shall follow them that believe; In my name they shall cast out devils; speak with new tongues; take up serpents or drink deadly things; lay hands on the sick, and they shall recover.” When the day of Pentecost was fully come, they was all in one place and one accord. Suddenly there came a sound from heaven like a rushing mighty wind, it filled all the house where they were sitting. Cloven tongues sat upon them like a fire. They was all filled with the Holy Ghost, and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance. Out into the streets they went, screaming, and dancing, and acting like drunk people.

And remember, you Catholic people, the blessed virgin Mary was among them. And if she couldn't go to heaven without getting that kind of an experience, how are you going to make it? Think of that. Yes, sir. There she was all full of the Holy Spirit like they were drunk, men and women all together. Anything short of that, you're short of Pentecost.

Now what do they do today? Take you, bring some old wore-out letter from four or five different churches that's had it, and place it down there, set you in a church, and call you a member. There's Saul. That's exactly the way he did it.

But Samuel wanted to be led of God. These people go to church on Sunday morning, a pastor to interpret the Word. They go right back out there and do what they want to through the week. He tells them ... they go home after he's give the interpretation of a few things of the church, and they say a few creeds. They go home, kind of half-satisfied, consoling themselves. “All my religion is done. It's all right till next week, I'll go down again.” Take the communion on Sunday morning, some bread and grape juice, and so forth, and whatever they do, and let it go like that. Oh, brother!

But now what did Saul do? He certainly made a great army. He certainly did. He brought Israel to a great army. He made them all with fine polished spears. He trained them with them spears to fight just like real gallant men. He made them all big shields and everything. They were real polished and trained, all to the very minute. Well, they were getting along fine. The rest of the nations looked out, said, “You know, Israel's coming along pretty good.”

But one day, one day (God don't let it go too long), until one day there came a challenger by the name of Goliath, folded his arms. And Israel shook till their shoes were trembling on the ground. That old head-and-shoulders above all the rest of them shook with them, too. There he stood, he never seen such a thing. The Spirit had to take over. The God of Israel had to show its power.

Oh, yes, there'll be a Goliath somewhere. We've had one not long ago. We've got some today, I don't understand why. We've got the greatest intellectual, the best-dressed crowds. We've got the best theological seminaries, some of the finest trained men that ever came out. They've trained choirs until they can sing “How Great Thou Art” till archangels couldn't compare with them hardly. Oh, they're trained in the very best of schools and everything like that, knowing all about it. But when it comes to the time of the supernatural, they know nothing of it. God sent a challenger out to show which was right, to show that that thing was wrong.

Brother, I say this with godly love and respect: one of our sons of Kish, head and shoulders above all the other evangelists, was called by a Mohammedan the other day and challenged to the Word of God, and trembled in his shoes, and left the grounds. Oh, my. What's the matter? It was something besides theology. It had to bring the supernatural power of God into it. He knowed nothing about it, same as it was in the days of Saul.

But listen, you true believers in Christ, you true Christians that believe in God and the supernatural, all the time Saul was training this big army and all these intellectuals coming up, God had a little David out there somewhere, feeding his father's sheep on sheep food (the Word), not on theological weeds. Right. He happened to be standing by when that happened. Oh, my!

They wanted to give him a seminary experience. Saul said, “Come here, maybe my armour would fit you.”

He said, “Take the thing off of me.”

“Oh, I'll make you a bachelor of art and give you a doctor's degree.”

He said, “I don't know nothing about it. Take the thing off of me. But let me tell you something, I've got this slingshot.”

“Well, that's no compare....”

“But looky here, one day a lamb was out there feeding. One of my father's sheep was out there feeding, and a lion come in and got it and packed it off. And I took this slingshot, and I trusted in the God of Israel, and I went after him, and I knocked him down and slew him and brought that lamb back.” Said, “A bear come in and got a kid and started off with him, one of my father's, and I put the rock in a slingshot. Just a little bitty thing, but I went after him. I wasn't trusting in the slingshot but I was trusting in the power of the God of Israel.” Amen.

What is that? F-a-i-t-h i-n J-e-s-u-s. That's right. Trusting in the power of the God of Israel. “And I knocked that bear down, took the little sheep out of his mouth, and took it back.” He said, “And how much more.... I'm a deliverance minister, I know what I'm talking about.”

Listen, they got some little Davids in the world today. They may not be recognized by Sauls, that's true. But there's some little Davids in the world that's pastoring and feeding God's sheep sheep food. And one day a great big cancer come in and got one. The doctor said, “Why, he's gone.”

But that little David said, “I don't know, I ain't got very much, just a prayer of faith. But I'm coming after you, because you're my father's sheep. I got faith. Hallelujah! I'm coming after you.”

There was a paralytic stroke hit one. He said, “I don't know how I'm going to get it, but I'm coming after you. You're one of my father's sheep.” Hallelujah!

Don't reject the King of Israel. Glory! Whew.

He didn't have very much, but he had faith in the God of Israel. I tell you, they had rejected. They had all their choirs and trained scholars and theology, but when it come for the supernatural, they were stunted. They didn't know nothing about it. Why didn't David know this gallant man? Because he was feeding in another pasture. That's right. He was training under another atmosphere. One day a sickness came in and got one of father's sheep was going to take it to a premature grave.

These little Davids said, “I don't know how I'm going to do it.”

They said, “Oh, nonsense, that little slingshot.”

“I might not know how to do it, but it's a promise and I got faith in it, so I'm coming after that lamb.”

And he brought it back. Hallelujah! Oh, my. What we need tonight is to get away from all of this man-made theology, and bring the king back in the faith in the Son of God. Yes, sir. Don't you worry.

They were afraid to publish the meeting in South Africa. Joseph Boze did it. When ten thousand Mohammedans sat there and seen a little old, twisted boy, all twisted up like that, and wobble up to the platform, not even in his right mind, but when they seen the Holy Spirit tell him who he was, what happened and what done it.... And when he got through praying, he straightened right up like a man, like that. Ten thousand Mohammedans laid their trophies to the ground, and accepted Jesus Christ as personal Saviour. Yes, sir.

Look at Tommy Osborn, Oral Roberts, men who feed the flock on sheep food. The days of miracles is not past, as says the theologians. If the days of miracles is past, the day of God is past. God is a miracle. Certainly. There you are, sheep food.

Oh, my poor dejected friend, the devil might've took you, sister, out yonder to a place where you never do desire to let your hair grow. Might get you to a place where you think that some pastor is nonsense when he's preaching you pure holiness the way you should dress. Some of you men out there that goes around and does these things that you ought not to do.... And you men that'll let your wife do a thing like that and smoke cigarettes, I got little respect for you, even as a man. Now, that's exactly right.

You know, a man's the head of the house, as long as he takes his place. But I like to see a man a man. A man's not judged by how many muscles he's got; that's beast. A man's not judged by the brawny muscles, but he's judged by the bags in the knees of his pants where he's been praying. That's what takes a man.

A man is character. Not beast, but character. I've seen men that weighed two hundred pounds didn't have an ounce of man in him, grab a baby out of a mother's arms and ravish her.

Any man would give a woman a cigarette is little and low-down, and knowing that that's one of the greatest fifth columnists that's breaking the backbone of our nation. And these cigarette factories and everything out here, putting out cigarettes and whiskey, and then they take and write off all their income tax on these advertisements to put out more tommy-rot on television, and pattern these.... O God, what's the matter with our country? It's rejected the leadership of the Holy Ghost, that wouldn't stand a minute for stuff like that. No wonder sickness and disease is on the rampage.

What we need today is a God, the rejected King, the King of Israel, to ride in among us like this.

He might've took you like that. There might be sick people here tonight that's going to stand in this prayer line. They might stand here. Cancer might've took you. The devil might've packed you out of the reach of a doctor, your beloved physician, and he's took you to a place where you can't come back. That may be so, but let me tell you something, brother. When I bring you in this prayer line tonight, I ain't got nothing but a little bitty slingshot called f-a-i-t-h. I'm coming after you. That's right. I'm coming after you. I've seen Him bring others back, He'll bring you back, too.

The God that could heal these people, other people, can heal you. You believe that? Yes indeedy, the same God still lives. And we're coming after him tonight.

And with the power and faith in Jesus Christ, we'll knock that devil down to the flat and bring him back. Why is it? It's the Father's sheep. It's God's little lamb that Satan stole away. Said, “He's got a lot of influence. I'll take him away from the church. I'll take her away from the church.”

“Come on, David, let's go.” Yes, sir. God promised us the victory. How much more will this uncircumcised, unbelieving Philistine ever stand and defy the Word of the living God. Yes, sir.

I'll be like the Hebrew children. Our God's able to deliver us, but nevertheless we won't bow to any images, of formal denominations or nothing else. I'll come, that's all I can do. I can't say I can bring it back, but I'm coming trying. I'm going to meet him in the name of Jesus Christ with a commission of an angel who come to me and said, “If you'll get the people to believe you and be sincere when you pray, nothing shall stand before your prayer.” It's done for tens of thousands times thousands!

You poor little sick sheep tonight, I'm coming after you now, in the name of Jesus Christ. I want to bring you back, away from them old places, to the shady green pastures and the still waters, where you can lay down and put a straw in your mouth and look up towards God, say, “Oh, I got peace like a river. I got peace like a river.” Yes. That's what we want to do. Oh, there's more, there's pastures.

How many preachers in here that believes in deliverance for the sick and the afflicted? Just look here. You're coming back, little lamb, tonight, because we're coming after you. Yes, sir. That devil of a lying called cancer, that devil of a lying called anything he wants to be called in the medical name, whatever he is, he's a devil. And we've got commission from Jesus Christ, “In my name they shall cast out devils.” He better get going, because there's many here, and we're going to catch him tonight. We're coming to bring you back.

How many has those prayer cards? Now raise up your hands. Where's Billy? Get in here, ever where he's at, Billy Paul, some of you. I want you that's got the prayer cards to stand right down here. Line up just exactly the way you was last night. Just those with prayer cards first, please, that's holding prayer cards. All right.

[Someone speaks in tongues and someone interprets: “Yea, the mouth of the Lord has spoken this night, and He doth say unto thee, 'If thou will be willing and obedient, yea, thou shalt eat the good of the land. But if thou doth refuse and rebel, yea, the sword of the Lord shall devour thee. For indeed the Lord doth delight to bless thee this night and heal thee and send thee on thy way rejoicing.'”] Amen. Amen.

Come believing, have faith. How far down the line was yours, sister? That's right.

One time, David.... Now, just you with the cards that was here last night. They didn't give out any tonight. We're going to give them out again tomorrow evening. You with the cards stand up here just a moment. You that's in your seats just sit real still, just a moment. We're coming after you, too. That's right. We're coming in the name of Jesus. You that's standing outside, we're coming after you, coming in the name of the Lord Jesus. I'm getting tired of this negative and half-way profession. Let's get to business with God. God promised it. God don't keep His Word, He's not God. He does keep His Word, so He is God.

One time when they were standing, David was speaking, Israel was trembling, the enemy was at the gate. Listen how scriptural. And while David was yet speaking, not knowing what was taking place, the Spirit fell upon a man. And he prophesied, and said, “Go down and lay at a certain place for an ambush.” And the enemy beat his own self to death, right there. They caused a confusion and they whipped their own selves, and they only went in and got the spoils. Listen, you that's sitting out there in the audience, you don't have to be up here; just have faith and believe God. You know what'll take place? God will cause the enemy to leave you right where you're at. Confusion will come in, he won't know where he's at.

A man speaks out and says, “Hear the Word of the Lord. The mouth of the Lord has spoken tonight,” and so forth like that, and tell them what to do, to obey the commandments of the Lord. “These signs shall follow them that believe; in my name they shall cast out devils, speak with new tongues; lay hands on the sick, they shall recover.” All these things is promised. It's God's business and He is the King. Amen. Don't you love Him? Praise Him. How many loves Him?

While they're gathering, let's sit real still in our seats now, while they're fixing the prayer line. Let's sing this song. All right. “I Love Him.” All right.

I love Him, I love Him,

Because He first loved me,

And purchased my salvation

On Calvary's tree.

I want to ask you all in the prayer line, a word, all of you in the prayer line, sick, needy. Have you prayed over this sincerely? Have you prayed over your sickness? If you have, raise up your hand, you've prayed over it. You believe you prayed through on it, it's God's will to heal you? If you have, raise up your hand. If you prayed through on it, it's going to happen. Ain't but one thing to do, then, is cast it away from you when you come by. Oh, my!

I'm afraid the audience is going to think that just an evangelist is the only one has power to do this. I want a bunch of preachers to come here with me. You deliverance ministers that believes in this, come here, stand with me a minute. Come here, brethren. Just stand, make a little line along here. Come on, brethren, many of you. Come up here and stand along here, so you'll see that it's preachers also. I'm not ... it's not only me. My brethren here, they're just as much ordained to do this as I am or anybody else. They're servants of God. That's good.

Now, I tell you what let's do. The people says, brethren, that they have all prayed up on this, they're all ready. Then if they prayed up on it, prayed through on it, there's only one thing left, that's cast the enemy away when he comes by. You don't have to pray for them, they've already done the praying. Is that right? See? So that you'll see it ain't a hocus-pocus.... It's not that; it's the power of God in His Word. These men are anointed men. They're men of God, and they pray too. Now, I tell you what, if they've prayed up on it, there is no need of us praying. Just lay our hands on them and cast the enemy away from them.

Look, little sheep. We're coming after you. Are you ready to go back? Let's go back to good health tonight. Everybody, real reverent.

How about forming a double line right along here? And let's pass these ... everybody through, and just cast the enemy away. Just say, “Satan, we'll....” What say? [A brother speaks to Brother Branham.] All right. We'll make a single line then.

All right, you brethren, move right up here. I want each one of you men to lay hands on these people as they come by with me. I want everybody out there to pray while this line is passing through, and I'll believe you'll see the glory of God.

Will you bow with me and pray with me? Each one of you Davids out now with your slingshot, come on. I don't believe in any crooked shooting. If you haven't got your sights lined up, zero them in right now. Let's go for the kill. Looky here, God's little sheep. It's not God's will that any of them should be sick, and they've prayed up. The only thing they need is a little help. That's all they need. “In my name they shall cast out devils.” Amen. You believe that? Say “amen.” Satan, you might as well turn them loose, they're on their road.

Let's all bow our heads now, and let this audience, these people, walk right through here. And when you come by, each one of you, when first minister touches you, raise up your hand. Praise God. It's over. Come right through here, and you'll go down off this platform the happiest person you ever knew. We've come to get you, are you ready to go? All right. Let us all pray now with our heads bowed. Come right up. That's the way...?... people that come up. See?

[Brother Branham and the ministers pray for those in the prayer line]

In the Name of the Lord Jesus, may this devil go out. Amen.

In the Name of the Lord Jesus, may this devil go out.

Come out, Satan...?...

In Jesus' Name may the devil go out.

In Jesus' Name may the devil go out.

In Jesus' Name may...?...

Be in prayer everybody, now pray, pray. This is somebody; this is sheep going by now. Pray and just set still; set real still and pray.

In Jesus' Name may she healed. [Brother Branham continues to pray for the sick] Grant it, Lord.

Lord, I'm coming after her in the Name of Jesus, may the devil...?... [Brother Branham continues away from the microphone] We're coming after you, Satan. Turn him loose.

Do you love Him? Now be real reverent. Just get your seat a minute. I believe solemnly, with all my heart and all that's in me, that Jesus Christ the Son of the living God, makes every one of them well. Do you believe it with me? I believe the prayer of faith is prayed over them. The reason I did that, so that this congregation and your congregation that's here.... These men of God who stands here, ministers anointed with the Holy Ghost, they have just as much right, just as much authority to pray for the sick and to cast out a devil as anyone else does in the world. Now, do you believe it? All right.

Now, how many is in here that's sick and hasn't got a prayer card, and you want God to heal you? Raise up your hand. Still a great bunch. If thou canst believe, all things are possible. Do you believe it?

These are handkerchiefs, I pray over them just a moment. I'm waiting for the Holy Spirit to do something. I thought maybe He would show me someone out in the audience, that you'd see each one that come by, that these men.... They may not be able to see visions. They wasn't born for that purpose, but they got the same Holy Spirit, same God. But I haven't got no education. Some of those men are smart. But don't think they're the sons of Kish, though. They're men who believe in divine healing, believe the God of heaven. They're gallant men. Certainly they are. And they believe in this. They wouldn't stand up here and show you that they believe in it. I want the congregation, before this audience breaks and some of you be going home, I want you to know that your pastor has the same authority.

And I want to show you that this is truth, that God made the promise. He is still God. Now you pray and believe.

You out there in the audience, see if the Holy Spirit's anointing, see if He's still here. Amen. Oh, I love this. Oh, isn't He wonderful? I just know He's with us. You just pray and say, “Lord, help Thou me. Help my unbelief.”

I see a little woman sitting right down here, shadowed with death. She can't live unless God helps her. You're aware of that, aren't you, sister? You. Cancer. Little white rim of flowers around your hat. Do you have a prayer card, lady? You don't, you haven't had one? All right, sir. You don't need one. That's the truth, that's what you're suffering with. There's a dark shadow hanging over you. Do you believe me to be God's prophet? Then, Satan, in Jesus Christ's name, turn her loose. I come to meet you. There he goes! The shadow went away from her. Something happened to her. Now, the same Holy Spirit can tell her those things, don't you know He's healed her? Do you feel you're healed, sister? Stand up to your feet. Amen. There you are. There you are. If you'll just only have faith and believe, all things are possible to them that believe—if thou canst believe. Is that right?

I see a little lady sitting right back in here looking at me. Never seen her in my life. But there.... Can't you see that light hanging over that woman, right here? She's praying. She's suffering. She's got high blood pressure. She's got tumors. She's not from here, she's from Chicago. Do you want to go and get well now, sister? All right. Stand up to your feet. Little red-head there. Go home, be made well. Jesus Christ heals you.

You got it too, sister, on your trouble, too. God bless you. Go on home now and be made well, Jesus Christ heal you. Do you believe with all your heart? Somebody pray. Somebody just say, “Lord, let me touch Your garment.” I don't know these people.

Yes, you. You're not sick, but you're praying for your friend, that man. You got a prayer card? No, you don't have one? Do you believe me to be God's prophet? You do? I wouldn't know that, is that right? Do you believe that paralyzed condition will leave your friend? Do you believe the fellow will get well? Do you believe it? Raise up your hand then, shake it to God. All right. May you receive just what you asked for.

How about somebody over in this direction? Do you believe with all your heart? Somebody over there is suffering, don't have a prayer card, raise up your hand. Just say, “I believe.”

What about it, mister? Do you believe, believe me to be God's prophet? You've got a hernia, rupture. Do you believe that God will heal you? You're not from here either, are you? Toledo. That's right. I don't know you. Is that right? Raise up your hand if that's truth, all that's truth. All right, if you believe, go home and get well. I challenge you in the name of Jesus to believe the King is here.

This little lady sitting out here on the end, praying. She's not praying for herself; she's praying for her mother, sitting back from her there. That's right. Bleeding ulcers. Been in the hospital. All right, have faith now, and God will make you well. Amen. Do you believe with all your heart? Have it. Amen, sister, go home now and be well. See, that's what it takes, somebody to pray.

What was that, then? What did He say that was? Ulcers? That's a cancer demon passed.

Now just a moment. Sombody's praying. Ah, laying back there on that stretcher. He heard it. He heard this. That cancer demon passed through here just then. If you believe with all your heart, believe me to be God's servant, I tell you in the name of Jesus Christ, walk out of the stretcher and go home. She's doing it! Do you believe with all your heart? How many more believes? Raise up to your feet. Stand up on your feet. There she is, perfectly well. Do you believe with all your heart? Stand up to your feet, and receive the Lord Jesus, every one of you.