Blind Bartimaeus

The Lord bless you. You may be seated. Noticing many people putting up requests for prayer. Now, we appreciate that very much, because the Bible said that they taken from the body of Paul handkerchiefs and aprons, and unclean spirits went out of people and evil sickness left them, and diseases. And God is still God. He's just as much today as He was in the days of St. Paul. He just doesn't change.

Now, many people take those cloths and anoint them with oil and send them to the loved ones. Now that's just fine. Anything that God blesses, I'm right for it, aren't you? But scripturally, Paul didn't anoint them. They taken them from his body. Acts 19 said they taken from his body and the evil spirits left the people. Now, we know that St. Paul.... We're not St. Paul, but He's still Jesus. So then, He's just as much Jesus tonight as He was in the days of St. Paul. So He just honored the people's faith in His servant, and He'll do the same for you. The greatest of the miracles that I have ever knowed of being performed was when the people sent in little prayer cloths ... or we sent them to them, and they were healed. Send thousands of those weekly all over the world.

And I remember in South Africa where we was having a great meeting at a big airfield.... They let us have it for the meeting. The people (was in Capetown), there was so many we had no building to put them in. We had it out on the airfield. And I think they had around ... I forget how many sacks of just big burlap sacks full of mail and ... to be prayed over. And I went along praying over this mail, and one of the reporters said, “Brother Branham is very superstitious because he's praying over letters to send out to sick people.” Now you see, the brother just didn't understand; that's a commission that's been left us as the Scriptures that we could pray over those things.

And just a little instance of it, because we want to tonight ... or we have given the service mainly tonight for prayer for the sick. It was some time ago. I was reading one of the testimonies returned back, a lady in Germany. She'd been crippled for some seventeen years, sitting in a wheelchair.

And when we send these out, we send little pieces of cloth when they don't send them ... because they used to be able to put a handkerchief in it, but when they go into thousands, and handkerchiefs about fifteen, twenty cents apiece, you can't do it. And so we just get hundreds of yards of ribbons and cut them in little pieces, and I pray over each one. If you happen to need one, just send to the office. We pray over them and send them out. Then they have a little form letter, and people gets up all hours of the night and makes a chain around the world, prayer for the sick. The Bible said we could confess our faults one to another and pray one for the other. And so all around the nation, around the world....

So this little lady got hers, and there's an instruction there that says, “If it's possible, call in your pastor. And then let him have prayer with you when you put the ribbon on you. And if you don't have your pastor handy, then call some good Christian neighbor. If you've done any sin, evil to anyone, spoken evil or done anything wrong that you know of, go make that right first before you put the ribbon on you. And then get ready. And then when they put the ribbon on, then believe that God heals. Place it,” I tell them, “on the underneath garment near their heart.”

And in so many hours—nine o'clock at morning, twelve o'clock at noon, and three o'clock in the afternoon—the world around, there's a prayer chain on that. People get up at two o'clock in the morning, and so forth, to make that prayer chain around the world. And then if maybe if a million and half or two million people praying at one time for each other, something's just got to happen. God is bound to hear that.

And then,

so on that day, this little German lady was very ... well, I wouldn't want to say (like it was sacrilegious to say it) kind of cute, but she said, “I put the little handkerchief on me.” She said, “There was my neighbor lady come over to pray with me.” And she said, “I had all my sins I confessed, and asked the Lord to let me walk again so I could glorify Him.” Said, “When all was done, Brother Branham,” said, “I put the little ribbon on my underneath garment.” I said, “All right, Mr. Devil, you've held me just as long as you're going to.” She got up out of the wheelchair and went walking along.

Now, just that simple. If we can just be simple! You know, the trouble with we Christians, or we human beings, we make God so far away and so complicated. It's simplicity.

I've been noticing each night a couple of Indians sitting right along here. They're not here, I suppose, tonight, but someone told me that they was some singers had been singing. Some Indian boys had been singing. I would liked to have heard them before they left; but, however....

I was thinking of the first time I ever preached to Indians. It was the Apaches in Arizona, up at San Carlos. And so, the Indian is a very odd fellow. I found that out from going fishing the other morning. I was asking one what he was using for bait.

He said, “Just bait.” He wouldn't tell me.

I said, “Thank you, sir.” He sure was a fisherman. And so I was ... it was amazing.

I remember my boy one time was giving out prayer cards at a big tent meeting in Phoenix, and I found coming on the prayer line people with maybe a headache and a bad tooth, and people sitting out there with cancer dying. And I said, “Billy, don't you do that. You ask the people what's wrong with them.” He usually just mixes up the cards, and gives them to anybody that wants them. So then I said, “Don't do that.” I said, “Because ... you ask the people. There's too many real serious sick people there to just give a fellow a card that's got a ... having a headache or a toothache, and a man sitting there dying with cancer and wanted to be prayed for.” I said, “Now, you shouldn't do that.” I said, “Just ask them what's wrong.”

So, Billy goes down to the meeting that night and he (just a little fellow then) and he got his cards and mixed them up. And He said, “Now, each one of you has to tell me what's the matter with you. My daddy said that ... to not to give these prayer cards to people that just had toothaches and headaches and so forth, and people are dying with cancer.”

So, the old chief, he was sitting right down in front, as usual, and he stuck his hat on, and so he walked over. He begin to notice Billy's prayer cards getting smaller and smaller as he was giving them out. He tapped him on the shoulder. He reached out his hand.

And he said, “Chief,” said, “my daddy said you'd have to tell me what was wrong with you. Are you very sick?” Said, “What's wrong with you?”

He said, “Me sick.”

So, he said, “Well, go sit down.”

He went over, started giving out. The chief noticed that little bunch of cards getting smaller and smaller. He came up again and tapped him on the back.

He said, “What's wrong, Chief?”

He said, “Me sick.”

He said, “Well, just a moment.” And so he was saying, “Anybody that's real sick with cancer or something....”, so he'd give them a prayer card.

After awhile Chief saw just two or three, he run and grabbed Billy and said, “Me sick.”

Billy said, “Take your card and write on it, 'Me sick,' and go sit down.” “Me sick.” I got him on the prayer line that night, and I said, “Chief,” I said, “do you believe God?”

He said, “'at right.”

And I said, “Are you going to be a good boy after the Lord heals you?”

He said, “'at right.” And everything I told him, “That right.” Come to find out he only knowed about two or three words and one of them was, “That right.” It was all right then.

We went to the reservation. There might be people here was at the San Carlos reservation that night. Thousands of them gathered out for prayer. And the Indian, he's not much to ... he's got to know what he's doing. He just don't walk into anything. When I was speaking, I was kind of anxious to find favor with them.

And if there's anybody or any nation of any people in all the world I feel sorry for, it's an Indian. That's right. They got a raw dirty deal from us. That's exactly right. If there's any stain on the American flag, it's the way they do the Indians: taking all the sheep away from him, and putting him out in the poorest country in the world, and give him ten dollars a month to live on, or something. That's not right. No, sir. After all, this is his nation. God gave him this; we took it away from him. That's exactly right.

And so, I always felt sorry for the poor people living out there, and I always wanted to pray with them.

So, I promised the Lord, at Phoenix, if he'd heal an alcoholic and a tubercular woman, that I'd go up to the reservation. And both of them brought back the certificates that they were healed. So, then, I went to the reservation that night. They stood me up on a little Assembly of God doorstep place, like a little porch at the little assembly. There was a lady.... Some of you Assembly brothers might.... Sister Marshall, that's who the lady was. She was missionary up there. And I stood there and spoke to them all, and they sat around, thousands of them out there. And it was beautiful to see them sitting on their blankets and things, waiting for the service.

And I usually make an altar call and we have a stampede, but

I said, “Now all that wants to be prayed for....” You couldn't speak their language, and in them days we didn't give out prayer cards anyhow. So I said, “All that wants to be prayed for, let them stand up.” And there wasn't nobody stood up. I thought, “Well, that's strange.” That kind of surprised me. Nobody stood up. “Well,” I said, told the interpreter, I said, “did you say what I said?”

Said, “Every word.”

I said, “May I say it again. All that wants me to pray for them for their healing, may they stand up.” Nobody stood up.

So, Sister Marshall came from back inside with a Indian lady. Apaches are great big people, a husky, burly people. And a lady came out, and I was looking at her just a moment. And I said, “Now, the lady is sick. She has a venereal disease, but it's not because of immoral living. It's because she has to live the way she does.”

And that lady looked at me as if to say, “How did you know that?”

And I prayed with her. In a little while, a man came out. He had glaucoma of the eyes. And then the next came out was a little girl, and she had her little head bowed down, and I said, “Well, can you look up this way, Sweetheart?”

“Nope!” Of course she couldn't even understand what I was saying.

And I said, “Well, the Lord can reveal it.” And then it said she had a fever, and she went deaf in both ears; and she being deaf, she went dumb also. She could not speak or hear. And I picked the little girl up in my arms, and I said, “Lord, if You please, we do not ask for miracles. We don't ask for those things, but if it would help the people, and if You'd just do it.... I want to find favor with these poor, rejected people.” And when I prayed for the little girl, I sat her down. I said, “Look at me.” Looked up like that. I say, “You love your mama?” like that. She went to mumbling off something, and I knowed she could hear. I said, “You see she can hear, but she'll probably talk better.”

And the mother, standing with the little girl, said, “Humph, her talk heap good right now.” I just couldn't understand. I couldn't understand what she was saying.

Then,

there was a little cross-eyed boy was next. I never in my life ever seen God turn a cross-eyed child down. I guess why, because when my baby.... When I was just a boy I lost my wife and baby, you know, and the little girl suffered so hard till her eyes crossed, and I just passed out, almost, looking at her, and I never could stand to see a child cross-eyed. The Lord always answers prayer for that.

And then when this little Indian boy, his little eyes was crossed, and I took the little fellow up in my arms and prayed; I knowed God had did it. And I said, “Before I even turn the little boy around, if his eyes isn't perfectly straight, then I'm a false prophet.” I turned him around. Then talk about a prayer line, we had a stampede.

And I asked the interpreter ... said, “They thought it was fake at first, but now they see it's real.”

So, then, the next in line was an elderly lady Sister Marshall was bringing out from the inside, and the poor old thing. If there's an Indian here, please don't think I'm saying this ... casting off something about being poor. But probably the poor sister was so.... She couldn't afford crutches, and she had broomsticks where they'd sawed off a little block and wrapped rags around it. And she was to be next. Arthritis. And she was so stiffened up, she'd take these sticks and put one out like this, and the other one, then make her step like that. Then she'd set them out, and make little bitty short steps. And when she got there.... It's a custom sometimes with Indians to plait leather in their hair. And she looked up at me, those little dark-looking eyes, and them great deep wrinkles in her cheeks, and the tears cutting their way down through like little ditches through her cheeks.

She looked up at me like that, and I thought, “Oh, God, somebody's mother. No doubt that hand has raked back a many a little crying baby's eyes. Maybe never had very many decent meals in all of her life.”

And you have to enter in to feel for the people if you're going to pray for them.

And so standing there looking at that, she just looked up at me and she started smiling. I never prayed or done a thing. She just got one crutch in one hand, handed the other one to me, and walked right off the platform just as good as anybody. Just that simple, see. Now, we try to make it complicated.

Is it all right to get one more little thing about...? It was about three o'clock in the morning and I was still standing in the line. And I said, “I'll pray for all of them,” because I had to leave the next day. And I noticed them all coming in wet, way up around this a-way. And I said “What's the matter with ... why are they wet?”

Said, “Well, they've run out into the reservation, bringing their loved ones.” And said, “They're not waiting go down about ten miles to the ford.” Said, “They're walking right across the river with them, packing them on their back, any way to get them over there.”

And then I ... coming along, pushing in from the sides, coming in the back door and going out the front. There was a man had took a board and put two sticks across it. He had an old gray-headed fellow with his legs across his knees here, and across his arms, and there was two great big husky-looking Indians packing him. And one was standing there, and his lips was real blue and he was shivering cold, wet all over. And I said, “You speak English?”

He said, “Little.”

And I said, “Don't you think you'll take pneumonia being wet?” See what he'd say, you know, testing his faith.

He said, “Jesus Christ is take care of me. I brought my dad.”

“What's the matter with your daddy?”

“Him sick.” He was shaking, he had palsy, like that; old fellow laying there, you know.

I said, “Does he speak English?”

“Nope.”

I said, “Bring him here.” They passed him by; I guessed his brother behind, a younger-looking man like, passed by. I put my hands over him. I said, “Sir, may the Lord bless you.” I said, “Jesus, help this poor dear man who cannot help himself. Honor the faith of his son who's brought him.” Said, “All right.”

Passed him on and I ... just a moment I heard something screaming, hollering. I looked around. The old Indian had the board on his own shoulders, going around, waving at everybody.

Well, many times us pale-faced people, see, we just sit, “Well, pray for me again. I'll go back through the line.” Oh, my. They just believe. That's all, just childlike faith. That's the way you have to do it, see. Just believe. It's not complicated.

Down in Mexico City last year when General Valdena.... Many of you brethren, I guess, know General Valdena is one of the outstanding generals in the Mexican army. I had the privilege of being the first Protestant ever invited to Mexico City to pray—for the sick people have a need—by the Mexican army, and that was through General Valdena. Just met him the other day at the convention (the Full Gospel Businessmen); shook hands with him ... try come back again.

We was only there two nights. I'd went to the bullring but we didn't get that, so they had a great big place out there in the field, another big arena-like, and the people.... Now, talk about wanting Christ! They come there at nine o'clock in the morning, no place to sit down, and I didn't even arrive till nine at night. They just leaned against one another, like sheep standing in the field.

And I remember the second night, pouring down rain, those poor people standing there in that rain, just ... the Mexican people.

And the night before there'd been a great miracle done. There was an old man come across the platform. In Mexico their economics is very poorly balanced. Maybe, you say, Pancho makes (he's a brick layer), he makes eight pesos a day, and he'd have to work four days to get himself a pair of shoes. Now that's the balance of the economics in Mexico. But yet they have to pay fifty cents out of that to burn a grease candle on a million dollar altar. But then when we come....

This old fellow come up there and he was blind. He'd been about the age of my dad if my father would have lived. And he didn't have no shoes on, his poor old feet all scuffed up, his trouser legs ragged, an old dusty-looking shirt on, old hat and it wound up with strings. And he was getting close and next in line. And so they told him, “Next.”

And Brother (one of the Assembly of God evangelists there) Espinoza (You all may know Brother Espinoza from California) he was my interpreter. He told him he was next, and he reached down in his pocket and got out a little rosary and started to say it. I went, “That's not necessary.” And he come up, and I looked at him. Oh, how a fellow would feel. A poor old man, maybe never had a decent meal in his life, and he didn't have no shoes on. There I stood with a good suit and a good pair of shoes. I put my foot up beside of his to see if my shoes would fit him. I'd've give him my shoes right there. And his shoulders was way wider than mine, my coat wouldn't fit him. And then there he was in blindness.

And I just put my arms around the old fellow, and prayed, “O God, be merciful.”

All at once I heard, “Gloria a Dios.” There he was running up and down the platform; could see as good as I could, as you can, just having a wonderful time.

And the next night, with a platform as long as this room is here, a rick of old coats and scarves and shawls, that high, laying there to be prayed over. How they ever knowed who it belonged to, I don't know. And then, it raining, them getting wet, just right out in the open, a great big arena.

And Billy come told me, said, “Daddy, there is a woman down here that's got a dead baby that died this morning.” Said, “You can't do nothing with her.” Said, “She climbs right over the top of them ushers, walking on top of their shoulders with that baby.” And said, “We've shoved her off the platform three or four times, but we can't do anything. You've got to come over and see her.”

How many knows Jack Moore? Brother Jack Moore from Shreveport, Louisiana? I guess many of you do. Well, he was with me. I said, “Brother Jack, you go and offer prayer for the little lady,” and I said, “for the baby.” I said, “It's been dead since this morning.” I said, “That'll kind of comfort her.” I said, “I can't bring her up here, she hasn't got a prayer card.” And I said, “It wouldn't be right to the people holding the prayer cards. They've got the priority of getting to the prayer line. They stood here early this morning and got those cards.” And so Brother Jack started over to see the lady.

And I just looked out across the audience, and I seen a little baby in a vision just gooing, clapping his little hands, little Mexican baby. I turned around; I thought, “Maybe I better go over there.” I said, “Bring her up.”

And so, they parted the way. A beautiful little lady about, I'd say, twenty years old, she had a little blanket like this, and a little form was laying under the blanket. And she fell down on her knees, begin screaming, “Padre!” you know. I said, “Just raise up, sister.” And I laid my hands on the little fellow. I couldn't speak Spanish and I laid my hands on the little baby. (God in heaven who is the author of this Bible knows it's true.) Laid hands on that little baby, and the first thing you know, a squeal let out and he started gooing, jumping and squealing.

And I said, “Now, don't say nothing about this. Don't you publish it in any paper until you go and let the doctor sign a statement that that baby died this morning.” See, there was about ... from nine o'clock that morning till around nine-thirty or ten that night the baby had been dead. And they got the doctor's statement signed that he pronounced the baby dead that morning at nine o'clock. And that was ten ... nearly ten o'clock that night, between nine-thirty and ten. And the baby's living today. Just by simple faith. I had nothing to do with the healing of the baby.

Of course, the vision come; but when the vision speaks, there's nothing can ever turn that around. It's always perfect. It's always perfect.

And in praying for the sick.... Tonight, as we pray for the sick, the Lord may come to us and give the visions; and if He does, remember the vision does not heal people. The vision is only a vindication that the Word is right.

How many knows what the word prophet means? Sure you do. A prophet means that one that foretells or forthtells, and it is a divine sign from God that this person that's speaking has the right interpretation of the divine Word, because the Word of the Lord came unto the prophets. And the prophet foretold, and done those signs which was a vindication that he had the interpretation of the Word.

EX4:8

See, a sign has a voice. Moses was told.... God told Moses, when He said, do a sign with his hand, then do a sign with the stick. He said, “If they don't hear the voice of the first sign, they'll hear the voice of the second sign.” Each sign has a voice.

And God's voice speaks to us; and if He does that, then I want each of you people to believe with all of your heart that Christ the Son of God is here to make you well. And now remember, when He's speaking, when He speaks, it's not me.

Now, I took two nights of real stern heavy preaching; and I wouldn't apologize for what I said, because it's the truth, friends. I'm zealous of the church, and tonight to hear this group of men.... I've sat with men more in the groups, but I never sat with a nicer bunch of real believing brothers that will put his arm around me and tell me a few minutes ago, and said, “We appreciate that message last night.”

I said, “It's very hard.”

He said, “But it inspires us to move on too.”

I got confidence in a man like that. Yes, sir. Yes. When we take.... If I was just saying it to be smart, then that would be wrong. I should go to the altar and get right with God. But when it's the truth, friends, then we ought to measure up to what God says. That's right. God knows.

One night this week I want to tell you something that happened to me about a month ago, and you'll understand then about.... Something that happened, whether it was a vision or not, I don't know. I told the brethren at the breakfast, and I want to see to the chairman and some of the committee if it's all right to speak it here on the platform some night, something that happened, like a vision, to me.

And I love people. I just love people and I want to live forever with them. I want to live in eternity with them. And I would rather kind of stir you up just a little bit now, than to hear you stand there on that day like a girl that died in our city recently.

There was a girl come to the Tabernacle, just a little old-fashioned girl, and so this girl made fun of her, called her old-fashioned and everything. And she asked her to go to a dance with them. The girl from the Tabernacle said, “We don't go to dances.”

She said, “That narrow-minded pastor of yours, Mr. Branham,” she said, “if he wasn't such a crank and a religious fanatic, you'd have more liberty.”

She said, “I do not do this because of Mr. Branham's convictions. I do this on my own convictions of Jesus Christ.” Hmm! God bless that girl. This lady that said that to her was a Sunday School teacher.

Mr. Perkins works for the undertaker there in the city. About six-months after this remark was made, this girl taken sick and died. They didn't know what it was. It was venereal disease. Mr. Perkins, when he was pumping the embalming fluid into the girl's body, he kept smelling something. It was leaking-like. And he opened up, and she had holes eat in her, like that, from a venereal disease. That's right. And a lot of room to make fun and say somebody is a fanatic.

When she died.... If it's all right, I'll tell you the testimony. When the girl died, she brought all of her Sunday School class in. They was to watch her go home to heaven, of course. But she was very worldly—very, very worldly. And then when she got ready to die, she thought it was all right. So you know there is a way that seemeth right unto a man, but the end thereof is the ways of death. Why, this girl, when she got ready to die....

Her pastor smoked cigarettes in a holder, long holder. Wore one of these turned-around collars. That's perfectly all right if he wants to do that, but if he'd just preach the gospel. Jesus, I don't think Jesus would mark himself any different from any other man. He dressed like ordinary men and went among men. He was a man among men. And so He was our example when it comes to dressing or anything else. I don't think we have to dress.... I think our lives tell better than our dressing does of what we are.

And so, then, this ... no disregards to that though.

But the man was out in the hall, and so when the girl got ready to die, and death struck her, instead of seeing angels come, she said, “My God, I'm lost.”

And they called the pastor, and she said ... and he said, “Here, here, here, here.” Said, “You know you're all right.” Said, “You've been a member of the church.”

She said, “You deceiver of men! You're the cause of it. I'm going to hell and you're the cause of it.” And she called for that girl that she'd said that, up there at the Tabernacle—little Mrs. Humes. But they didn't get her there in time. The girl died in that.... And the minister said she was in hysterics, and asked that the doctor come and give her a hypo; but she was gone before the doctor got there, saying all kinds of evil things against that minister.

Brother, Sister, I'd hate to stand before one of the people I'd preached before and hear somebody say that to me. If I have to make it real, so rough sometimes, I'd rather be that way and be good and clean and straight with God when the time comes.

Now before we open His Word, let us pray as we bow our heads.

Most gracious and holy Father, we approach Thy divine throne of justice tonight in the name of the Lord Jesus, pleading His blood upon our souls that we'd not stand in condemnation. But yet without that shed blood, we would all be condemned, and there'd be no way for us to ever approach Thee. But we have this blessed thing from Him, that if you ask the Father anything in my name, He'll do it. Then, Father, we pray tonight that You'll forgive us of our trespasses. Anything that we have done, or said, or thought that was wrong, forgive us for it.

If it be Thy divine will, we are to pray for Thy sick, suffering children in just a little while. We're approaching a subject in a few moments to build a platform, as it would be, for the people's faith to rest upon this foundation of the Word, God's eternal Word. Will you supply us, Lord, with context of the text that I've chosen for this afternoon? May the Holy Spirit take the Word and place it in every heart just as we have need of. You know our needs, Lord, and we pray that You will plant the seed of the gospel in our hearts until it will grow into great trees of salvation, and comfort, and health to each one.

And these handkerchiefs that's laying here, Lord God, I lay my hands upon them in the remembrance of St. Paul who done this commission, believing that he got it in the Bible where that Elijah took the staff and told Gehazi, “Go lay it on the baby.” For he knew that everything he touched was blessed, and he knew that that staff was blessed because when the Holy Spirit was on him his hands was on the staff, and then to get the woman to believe it. I believe that is where St. Paul must have got the scripture.

Now these handkerchiefs represent, no doubt, sick children, sick fathers, mothers and loved ones, convalescent homes; blind daddy setting somewhere in a room beating a white stick against the floor and wanting to see the sunlight again, wanting to see the trees, the pretty blue water, but the enemy has covered his eyes with cataracts; a mother laying there sick, a little baby with fever, waiting for the return of these handkerchiefs. O Lord, hear me, Lord, I pray.

It is written one time that the children of Israel was on their road to the promised land, and the Red Sea got in the road; and it's said by one writer that God looked down through that pillar of fire with angry eyes, and the Red Sea got scared, rolled back, and Israel marched on to the promised land. O divine Father, may You not only look through the pillar of fire but through the blood of Jesus, and when these little tokens are sent to the bedsides of the sick and afflicted, or wherever they may be, may You look through the blood of the Lord Jesus, know He died at Calvary, and He was wounded for our transgressions, with His stripes we were healed. May the enemy get scared, move away, and may the sick people pass into that good land of health, which is written in the Scripture, “I would above all things that you prosper in health.” Grant it, Lord. May every sickness leave the people, for we send them in the name of Jesus Christ for that purpose, as this great church here tonight prays together with me. Amen.

Now you may come and receive them just as soon as the service is over; and if you want one and don't have one here, just write me. Everything's free. We don't have nothing that we charge for. Just write me anytime at Jeffersonville, Indiana. We'll send you one. If you don't have no use of it, put it in your Bible on Acts, the nineteenth chapter; and if sickness occurs in the home and you believe, now take that little handkerchief and lay it on them. We believe that God will heal. If we had time, we'd tell many testimonies of that; but I don't have the time now.

Let us open our Bibles (you that are keeping the Scriptures down) to St. Luke, the eighteenth chapter, thirty-seventh and thirty-eighth verse, for just a little text. And now while you're turning, perhaps maybe tomorrow night and on (we don't know, just as the Holy Spirit will lead), we believe that maybe we'll be praying for the sick the rest of the week each night, getting a few each night, and what we can, and as long as sick people comes and wants the prayer cards, to be prayed for.

The reason we give them prayer cards is to line them up, see. You'd say, maybe, say, there's a thousand people here tonight. Maybe five hundred of them wants to be prayed for. We can't bring them all up here at once, and we know that. And on a line of discernment we can just get a very, very, very few, because it just nearly kills you. How many understands that scripturally? Sure you do, see. And so ... and then we can't bring too many, but night after night we'll try to get just what we can. All right.

And they told him, that Jesus of Nazareth passeth by.

And he cried, saying, Jesus, thou son of David, have mercy on me.

It was a real cold morning. He was tired. He'd been up all night long. He must have dreamed all night that he could see, and he woke up late. And in them days there were many beggars. They sat along the street sides, and the people coming in, the merchants going to their work perhaps, had an alm to give to them. And the first beggar he met, he gave his alm, and that settled it for the day. He had nothing else he could give. So, many of them had stalls like, or places where they sat and waited for someone to pass by and give them an alm. And if they missed it, well then, they done without through the day. Many times they had little things to give, little enchantments like. I was in India recently, and each one has got a cobra snake, or a little monkey, or something another to attract the attention of tourists.

This must have been a cold morning, chilly, in springtime, near Easter, and he was ragged. And he come in late, and his place was to sit at the gate of Jericho. His name was Bartimaeus. And we're told that he was married and had a little girl. But being that he was up all night, did not get much sleep, he got up late and he missed his time of begging alms. Most of the outside merchants that lived outside of the city had done went in. It was getting along up in the day.

So I can picture our scene tonight as it opens at the north side of the gate leading up towards Jerusalem, the north gate of Jericho. Many of the old stones was still laying there that was shook down during the time when the people shouted, and Joshua and the priests sounded the trumpet, and the walls of Jericho fell down.

Let's imagine Bartimaeus now sitting on one of the rocks near where the cobblestone highway still stands as it was in ancient days. It runs down, on down along towards the Jordan.

And as he sat there, he must have been thinking, “Now, I'll probably have to do without something to eat, my family tonight, for I was too late. I couldn't get in. All the merchants has gone by, and I won't get anything today. But I couldn't help it; I was so tired and worn out this morning when I got here.” And he sat down. Let's believe that he began to think about, “Oh, if I could've only ... if that dream could have been a reality, that I could again see. I've been blind now for many years,” he'd say, “and if I could just see like I used to!”

Then his mind began to wander back to when he was a little boy. He used to play out there in the springtime, which would be just, oh, a few days later, and how on the hills of the banks of Jordan the little buttercup flowers bloom all up and down, the little blue flowers; and what a beautiful sight it is! How that he used to think when he was a little boy how he would roam up and down that hill, and frolic and play with the other little boys.

And then he remembers that along after his sweet Jewish mother would call him in for his noonday meal, after he would have his dinner, she would get out on the porch, and she would put him on her lap and stroke his little hair back out of his eyes. And she'd look at him, and he'd see how pretty she was, and how she'd say, “Bartimaeus, your little eyes is as blue as the skies above.” Oh, he'd think about, “If just once more live those days over when I could see the flowers, and chase the bees around, and hear the pretty birds and see them, and see my lovely mother. But, alas! Old age struck her, and she wrinkled up and finally died, and we buried her many years ago. And here I am old and poor and poverty-stricken, sitting here begging, blind.”

And he used to think of how he cherished the little Bible stories she would tell him before he went off to sleep, as she would finally pull him up in her bosom and rock him to sleep. And one of the stories that he used to like was a story that I was just referring to awhile ago, of the little boy that Elijah raised up from the dead. How his mother used to quote that story to him, and say, “Bartimaeus, there was a great woman. She was a Shunammite. And she lived down in Shunem. And she had faith in a servant of God called Elijah, that great mighty prophet. And he came by her house quite often and one day she said to her husband, 'We perceive that this man who comes by this way is a holy man. He's a great man because God works great signs and wonders through him. So, I pray thee, let us show favor to him by building us on the side of our house ... building for him, rather—a little house that he might stop and would rest.'”

Now, I could imagine her saying to Bartimaeus, “You see, Bartimaeus, we are supposed to treat all people good. We're not supposed to be evil to anyone, and especially we are to honor and respect the household of God.” So, this woman, she was sure that this man that visited with her was a great, mighty prophet of the Lord. And, so, her husband consented to it; and when Elijah and Gehazi his servant came by again, there was a nice little room built out to itself by the side of the wall, a little pitcher with some water in it, and a little bed and a footstool, and a place for him to rest. He was on his road to a cave up at Mount Carmel where he went to fast and pray during certain days, like new moons and holidays, before the prophet spake in the streets.

“And when Elijah came in and seen all this that this kind woman had done, why, he sent Gehazi in and said, 'Go ask her what could we do for her. I'm a personal friend to the chief captain, and I also speak with the king. Could I speak in her behalf?' And when Elijah asked her this, why, she said, 'No, I abide with my people,' and, oh, she was a wealthy woman. They had need of nothing. She just done it out of the goodness of her heart.”

And that's the way you're supposed to do anything when you do it for God. Do it from the goodness of your heart. When you give anything, give it from your heart. If you can't do that, then don't do it, because your gift won't be respected to God. And just do it out of the goodness of your heart.

“Well, and when the servant came back and said to the prophet, 'Well, she needs nothing. Everything's all right with her. But I'll tell you one thing; she's getting a little aged, and her husband is an elderly man, and they don't have any children.'”

No doubt but what the prophet saw a vision, because no prophet or anyone else ever done anything of the Lord ... for the Lord like that, except it be by a vision. Now, remember, that's right. Find anyplace in the Scripture or anywhere, it's always first God tells them. Man can't do nothing at random. He's a servant to God. Even Jesus Christ said, “I do nothing in myself, but what I see the Father doing, that doeth the Son likewise.” St. John 5:19. And if the Son of God could do nothing without the Father showing Him first, how much less could we without God showing us first. Therefore, we boldly jump into things sometimes, not knowing what we're doing; but when God gives a vision and speaks and shows exactly what He's going to do, it's just a drama to act it out. That's all, because God's going to do it. He's already said so. So, that takes care of it.

Now, “So he said, 'Go call the Shunammite.' And she stood in the door. And he said, 'According to the time of life, you're going to embrace a child.'

“Now, she said, 'I'm old. But Elijah's words came to pass just exactly like he said, for in a certain amount of months she embraced a lovely little boy baby.”

I can see little Bartimaeus' eyes, say, “Did she love him, Mama, like you love me?”

“Yes, just like I love you. He was a pretty little boy, she thought the prettiest there was in the world, like I think of you, like all mothers think of their babies. And one day, when this little boy was grown up to about ten or twelve years old, he was out with his father in the field, because his father was a rich man and the harvest was going on. So he was out in the field with his father. And I suppose the little boy must have had a sunstroke. He began to cry, 'My head, my head.' It was about noontime. And one of the servants brought the little boy in, and he sat on his mother's lap until about the middle of the day. And the little boy grew worse, and sicker and sicker, until after awhile the little boy died.”

Now, I want you to watch what ... when God begins to deal with a person to do things, sometimes that they don't even realize what they are doing. She took that little boy and laid him in the prophet's bed. What a place to put him—just exactly right. Put him on the prophet's bed, where she had built this little house, and had took and put the little boy on the prophet's bed. And she said to the servant, “Saddle up a little mule and go forward. Don't you check unless I bid you.”

Her husband said, “Don't go up to Mt. Carmel. It's neither new moon nor Sabbath. The prophet won't be there.” But that mother's heart for her baby, she was in distress, and she knew if she ever got to that prophet that she would find out why God had took her baby. If God could tell the prophet she was going to have the baby, and she had it, surely God could tell why He took the baby away. She said, “All is well, go ahead.”

And the servant went on to the Mt. Carmel, and Elijah was there. He stood out in the cave door, looked out, and said, “Here comes that Shunammite.” And said, “She's worried, but God has hid it from me. He's never told me what her trouble's about.”

You see, God don't tell his servants everything He does; He just lets them know what He wants them to know, see. It's up to God. There was this great man, but he didn't know what was her trouble.

And so he said to Gehazi, “Run out and meet her and say, 'Is all well?'”

And he said, “Is all well with thee? Is all well with thy husband? Is all well with thy son?”

Look at that woman: “All is well.” I like that. Why? Her baby laying a corpse, her husband wringing his hands and screaming, walking up and down the yard, but “all is well.” I like that.

Her purpose was to get into the presence of this prophet who had the anointing of the Lord upon him, and she knew that that prophet would know what to do, what to tell her. She knowed he'd have “thus saith the Lord” for her, and so “all is well.” If God took the baby, all right, as long as it was God's plan. “God gave, God taken away, blessed be the name of the Lord,” see. But she wanted to know why; was something she had done, or what was wrong. And when....

She run up to the foot of Elijah and fell down at his feet, and so Gehazi thought that was a little misbehaving for a woman to fall at his master's feet, so he jerks her up. And so then she began to reveal to him about the baby being dead.

Now, he said to Gehazi, “Take my staff and go forward and lay this upon the baby, and if anybody speaks to you, don't you speak to them. Somebody salutes you [that's 'how-do-you-do'], don't say a word. Just put your mind on taking this staff to the baby, and start going.” I like that. We haven't got no time to fool around. The message is urgent, people are dying. Let's go forward.

And he took the staff and took off.

Now, I believe if the woman would have believed that that would have done the work, it would have done it. But her faith wasn't in the staff; it was in the prophet. So, she said, “As the Lord your God lives and never dies and your soul never dies, I'm not going to leave you. I'm going to stay right here.”

Oh, I like that. Hold onto it. If you take ahold of God for something, don't you turn loose. That's right. When you take Jesus for your healer, don't you let no devil, nothing else ever back you out of it. Hold on! I'll stay with it, stay right there. “As the Lord your God lives and your soul never dies, I'll not leave you till I find out about the baby.” Well, Elijah couldn't get rid of her.

So, that's the way you want to be with Jesus. You want.... Just get on His hands, just stay there, cry out day and night! That's the way. Yes, sir. Don't you turn loose. Don't you back up one bit. If you believe it, stay there, there's mercy in the Lord. Stay with it.

So, I think that's why Mary ... or, Martha, it was, that went out to meet Jesus. She knowed ... she'd read that story of the Shunammite baby. She knew if God was in the prophet, surely God was in His Son; and she knew that she'd get her request if she went with the right approach. That's the next thing: people'll approach God in the wrong way. You've got to come the right approach.

Not long ago I had the honor of praying for a king. They taken the cuffs out of my trouser legs, told me to never back ... not to turn my back on him; after prayer and things, to back away from him. Never turn your back on a king. That's a very good thing. Don't never turn your back on the King of Kings then, see. And it's approach, a certain approach.

In the courts, there's a judge upon the stand. And if you know something back there, and say, “Hey, wait a minute, Judge; I want to talk to you a minute,” you'll be called down. There's an approach to approach that judge, and you've got to come that approach.

And there's approach you've got to come to God. If you come to a gift of God, you've got to come in the right mental attitude. You've got to come the right approach, or you won't receive nothing when you come. That's the way this Martha did when Jesus came. She came with the right approach. This Shunammite woman, she came with the right approach, with her heart burdened, longing for God, and she held onto it.

And Elijah said, “Well, I'll just...,” girt up his loins and he went after him. He met Gehazi when he got there, on his road back.

Said, “I put the staff on the baby and there was no life in him.”

And of course not. The woman didn't believe it. If she would have believed it, it would have happened, but she wanted the prophet. She didn't know about the staff. Elijah had faith for that, but the woman had faith in the prophet.

So, when Elijah come to the room.... I want you to notice: no prayer. Elijah went there. You talk about a condition! There was the people in the yard, awful wailing and carrying-on, the father all tore up, and everybody screaming, and the little baby laying on the prophet's bed, been dead since that day at noon. And Elijah went in, and he walked back and forth, the Bible said, to and fro in the room. What was he doing? Waiting for the anointing. Amen. Walking back and forth. Oh, my! Just waiting for the anointing. After awhile the anointing of the Holy Spirit come on him, he fell across the little baby, put his lips against its lips, his nose against its nose, its forehead against his forehead, and laid there. He felt it got warm. Got back and walked again. Oh, my. I like that. Walking back and forth till he felt the anointing on him again. When the anointing come on him again, he fell across the baby again, his lips against its lips, his nose against its nose. And the first thing you know, the baby sneezed seven times and come to life. Amen!

Oh, how little Bartimaeus loved that story! I love it, too. Oh, he thought, “You know what? That same great prophet Elijah ... and when he went up, he sent a double portion of his spirit back upon Elisha, and Elisha was a great prophet. And then, just about that time, he happened to think, ”Not many years ago that Elijah and Elisha walked down this same road where I'm sitting by the side of, arm in arm, going down to Jordan to split her open and walk across.“ Amen. Oh, my! Oh, the wind blowed and he put his old ragged coat up a little more, you know, and kindly.... The sun was getting around the other side of the wall.

He thinks, “No more than a few hundred years ago, Elijah and Elisha walked right down these same old cobblestones here, with their arm in arm, going down. And Elijah took that mantle off and struck the Jordan, and said ... and the Jordan come open. Elisha took it and come back, and struck the Jordan and come back with it.”

Oh, I can hear Bartimaeus, now, scream out to himself and say, “Oh, if I would have only been sitting here then! If I would have been sitting here then, I'd've run out in the street and said, 'O great holy prophets of God, pray for me that the Lord God will make me to see.' And they'd've laid their hands upon me, and my dream last night of seeing again would have been true. I'd've got my eyesight. But, alas, my priest tells me at the temple that the days of miracles is past.”

Oh, when was the days of miracles is past? When the day of miracles is past, the day of God is past, for God is miracles. Certainly. The days of miracles never will be past. Never was and never will be. But they said that the days of miracles is past.

About that time, he hears a little clicking coming down the street. He listens. “It must be a ... it's a little mule, there's somebody run in front with sandals on. It must be a rich man coming.” He couldn't see, but he could hear. “It must be a rich man, because he's riding on a mule.”

So he got up off his rock, said, “Help me. My name is Bartimaeus. I'm a blind man. I have a little girl at home, a wife. Please, would you give me an alm? I was here too late this morning.”

And the servant stopped and said, “Master.”

And it happened to be the fellow on there said, “Listen, out of my way, bum, beggar! I'm a priest. I'm on my road down here to meet the ministerial association. There's a fanatic prophet in the land claims to see visions, and so forth, and heal sick people, and so forth. He's a fanatic prophet from Galilee. I'm going to meet the ministerial association to see that none of that fanaticism ever starts around Jericho here. Get out of my way! I'm on my way. Hmm! I'm the servant of the Lord! [with an attitude like that] ... on the way.”

Bartimaeus found his way back, and found his rock again. But, you know, the sun, as it went around the other side a little and it had kind of got shady there. So, he moved out in the sun again, found him another rock, and sat down, pulled up his garment again.

Thought, “Oh, wasn't that beautiful to think back when I was a little boy when mother used.... Oh, yes. I remember again. She told me how the great Jehovah led the children of Israel, my people, over into this promised land, of the great stories she told how Jehovah rained bread out of heaven and fed them, how He caused a great wind to blow in quails, how He brought water out of a rock. Oh, what's happened to that great Jehovah?

“But the priest tells me that the days of miracles is past, so there's nothing I can do about it. Oh, if I could just have lived in that day. If I could have only lived in the day when Jehovah was really alive and here on earth with His people! But they tell me that's all over, so there's nothing I can do about it.” And he just sat there.

He began to think, “Yes, and I remember the great warrior Joshua, how my mother used to say, 'Honey, just across there, just at the ford, right down there below the city, Joshua, the great mighty warrior who took Moses' place [a type of the Holy Spirit now]....” Moses didn't bring the children into the promised land. He was a lawgiver, but he didn't bring the children in the promised land. Joshua took them over, see. And the Holy Spirit is the One that's taking them over now. Christ made the way, and the plans, and was the giver of the law and so forth; but the Holy Spirit takes the church to the promised land—the rapture—take it up, the Holy Spirit in the rapture.

And how that Joshua, the great warrior, stood on the banks over there after he'd seen God moving with Moses. And he stood there. That was in the month of April, his mother told him, and all the snow-waters up in Judea in the mountains was melting, and Jordan was all the way across the plains here. But the great Joshua stood on the other side, and he seen God. And He told him to get the people together and have them to sanctify themselves to get ready, because He was going to open up the Jordan. And how that the great Joshua put God first, put the priests and the ark of the covenant first.

That's a real lesson. Wish we had time to dwell on it awhile. Put God first if you want to see something. If the doctor told you he's done all he can do for you, the man's honest. Then if he's done all he can do, put God out there now. Put God there and keep Him there. Take God for your healer and see what He does. The doctor is limited; God's unlimited. The doctor can do anything he can.... He can work on two senses: what he can see and what he can feel. The only two of his senses that will declare anything. God, my, He's ... untapped resources He's got; all things. He can just speak the Word, it'll be so. Put Him first.

Then they went to the Jordan, the Jordan opened. And he thought, “You know the very stone that I'm sitting on now, the power of God shook off the top of the wall, broke it down. The very stone that I'm sitting on, the power of God shook it off of the wall there. By the people shouting and giving a praise to God, the walls of Jericho fell down flat, one on top of the other.” [A little shouting helps once in awhile, I believe. It certainly does.] And when they sounded the trumpet, the people shouted, down went the walls. And to think that the very....

Do you say, “Well, I wish I might go over there and sit on one of those stones”? The very seat that you're sitting on is God's Word made manifest! The very earth that you walk on is God's Word made manifest. The dirt on the ground is the Word of God. Amen. Oh, my. This building is the Word of God, this desk is the Word of God. God created it. He created it with His own Word. There was nothing to make it out of. He said, “Let there be.” And He believed His own Word and there was a world come into existence. Oh, my! I'm ready to hang my soul on any phase of it and say it's the truth. Yes, sir. He said, “Let there be,” and there was, because He's God. He made His own Word come to pass. He still makes His own Word come to pass. He always did and He always will. He'll stand by His Word. What God promises God will do.

Abraham sojourned in a strange land twenty-five years, getting older all the time. Seventy-five before God ever called him. Could you imagine an old man and woman like that going down to the doctor's office and saying, “Well, Doc, we want to make arrangements at the hospital; we're going to have a baby.”

He'd say, “Poor old fellow, something wrong with him.”

That's the way every true believer of God is thought of. They think there's something wrong.“ There is something wrong: he's passed from death to life. He passed from the things of the world to believe in the things of God. The Christian looks at the unseen, not what he sees. He looks at what he does not see. You don't see with your eyes anyhow; you see with your heart. That's right. You look with the eyes; you see with your heart. Truly. You understand. Seeing is understanding. You look right up to things, say, ”I don't see it.“ You mean you don't understand it. That's the real word of it.

Now,

then Abraham, he went out, and said, “Sarah, we're going to have a baby. I want you to go down, and we'll buy up a lot of Birdseye, pins, and make some little booties, and get ready.” The first month passed.

“Abraham, no different.” See, she was way past menopause then. Said, “No different.” Second month passed. “No different, Abraham, just the same as it was.”

“Hallelujah! We're going to have the baby anyhow.”

“How do you know?”

“God said so, that settles it.” A year passed. “Anything different, Sarah?”

“No, nothing different.”

“Glory to God! It's going to have to be a greater miracle than it was if it happened last year. A year older now; I'm seventy-six and you're sixty-six. Hallelujah! Greater miracle than it would've if we'd been a year younger.”

“No different yet?”

“No different.”

Ten years passed, “No different yet.”

“Praise God, we're going to have it anyhow.”

And we're supposed to be sons and daughters of Abraham, like the children of Abraham; and if it don't happen in two minutes after we're prayed for, we go, “Ah-h I didn't get it.” Oh, you're a poor excuse for a son or daughter of Abraham, like that. Abraham ... and instead of him getting weaker, the Bible said he got stronger all the time. Got stronger. When he was a hundred years old, he was still giving God praise; he was going to have it. And he did. They had this child because God said so. God is to be took at His Word. What God says comes to pass. No matter how long it is, what it is, God said so, and you just hold onto it, that's all. Just stay with it; it'll bring you through.

There was Bartimaeus sitting there, thought, “Oh, if this very rock hanging on the wall, and the power of God by the people shouting, it fell off of the wall. What a wonderful thing,” he must have thought. “That was a wonderful thing. Oh, if I could have only have lived when Joshua crossed that Jordan, I'd go out there to Joshua and say, ”Joshua, thou great warrior of God, I know that you're a man of God. God has called you. You're a great man. Have prayer for my blinded eyes, Joshua, and I know I will see if you'll just pray for me.“

But alas, “The days of miracles has passed,” said his church. “We don't have that no more. God doesn't heal anymore, He doesn't do miracles. He's just God. He expects us to be a very good clergymen, and have a good education, and know how to speak to the people and say 'Ahh-men' real pretty, and, you know, and such things as that, and intellectual.”

It's got same thing today. It hasn't changed a bit. You know, the devil takes his man but never his spirit. And God takes His man but never his spirit. So they still war in human beings just the same. One will say.... Oh, very religious (like Esau and Jacob, and so forth, you know), very religious, but still don't believe the supernatural. But when the supernatural comes, it changes things. God comes amongst His people Himself and shows Himself that He is God, that He is the Jehovah.

And then Joshua, after coming over the other side, one day he was walking around, viewing the walls, seeing how thick they was and how great they were, walking around, and he saw a man, and the man drew a sword and started at Joshua. Joshua drew his sword, and he started to meet the man. Joshua said, “Are you for us, or are you for our enemy?”

And the man that had the sword drawed, said, “Nay, I'm the captain of the host of the Lord.” The great Joshua dropped his sword, threw off his helmet, and laid down his shield, bowed down at the foot of the man, the captain of the host of the Lord. Oh, my. “I'm the captain of the Lord's host.”

Blind Bartimaeus must have said this, “Oh, think! That man stood no more than a hundred yards from where I'm sitting. If I'd only lived then, I'd've run out to the captain of the Lord's host and said, 'O, great captain of this host of the Lord, restore my sight to me that I could see to make a living for my family.' And the captain of the Lord's host would have restored my sight. But alas, they said the days of miracles is past.”

Little did he know—little did he know!—that less than a hundred yards stood the same captain, coming again in the name of the Lord, on His road. That's what I think now. These people on the beds, and in the chairs, and with heart trouble, and whatever you got, and cancer—that same captain of the Lord's host is right here tonight in the form of the Holy Ghost, if you'll just open up your eyes and look (your understanding), that you might perceive that He's in our midst.

Notice, the first thing you know, he heard a noise coming. You know there's something strange: everywhere you find Jesus, you always find a lot of noise. I don't know why it was, and it's never changed. You still find a lot of noise where He's at. One time they tried to make them keep still. He said, “If they'd hold their peace, them rocks will immediately cry out.” Something about it is noisy. And he heard a noise coming, and some of them was singing, “Hosanna! Hosanna! to Him that cometh in the name of the Lord.” The others was mocking, making fun. Out of the gate they came.

Here come a young man in his thirties, walking with his head set towards Jerusalem, the burdens of the world, all the sins of the world laying on Him. That was the captain of the host of the Lord. That was the same One that was with Joshua yonder in the wilder... was with Moses in the wilderness. That was the same one with Elijah back there that raised the baby. The same captain was with Joshua; the same captain that's here tonight, the same One will be forever. Forever the same Lord God, He doesn't change. He's the same captain of the host of the Lord.

And here He was walking. I can hear people hollering, “Hey, you, let's see you do a miracle. Let's see you perform a miracle. We want to see it. We hear that you perform miracles.” When you hear people saying that, you know what kind of a spirit they got: it's the devil. Look what Jesus.... When Satan took Him in the wilderness, he said, “If thou be the Son of God, turn these stones into bread. You're hungry and you want something to eat, so just make these stones bread, if you're the Son of God. It'll make me believe you, if you'll just do that.”

Jesus don't mind the devil. No servant of God minds the devil. Jesus said, “It's written, Man shall not live by bread alone.”

When they had Him in the courtyard of the Roman court, they put a rag around His face, and took a stick and hit Him on top of the head. Said, “Now they say you're a prophet, that you can tell things what people has done, and what people will do. Now tell us who hit you, we'll believe you.” He could have done it, but He'd have been minding the devil. He didn't do it. He just sat there and never opened His mouth. With a rag around His face, and hit Him and said, “You're a prophet, huh? Tell us who hit you now, we'll believe you.”

That same devil lives in people today, say, “If you're ... if there is a God, a healer, if this guy has got a gift of divine healing, go down and heal this one here; let me see it, I'll believe it. Let me see it.” You know churches that put out that kind of a propaganda. You just remember that's the spirit ... the same spirit.

Them priests said, “If thou art the Son of God, come down off the cross now, pull your hands loose and come down, and we'll believe you.”

Why, he could have done that if he wanted to. You know, they paid him the greatest honor there they ever had paid to him. Caiaphas, the high priest, and them, said, “He saved others, himself he cannot save.” That was an honor. If He saved others, He could not ... if He saved himself, He could not save others, so He gave Himself so He could save others, see. He had to give Himself so He could save us. He could've saved Himself.

Like Billy Sunday said, one of his writings, one of his textbooks I was reading here some time ago, said, “Angels was sitting in every tree, saying, 'Just pull your hand off the cross and point to one of us. We'll change this scene around here.'” He could have done it too. But if he would have done it, where would we have been today? But He hung there, with spit in his face, and nails in his hands, and thorns on his head, and the blood running down with tears mingled, dying as a malefactor because He loved us; died for giving us a chance for salvation, giving us a chance to pray for the sick and they'd be made well, giving us that opportunity. He did it for us.

And here was that Lord's captain of the host coming out. I can hear that same priest that just spoke to him awhile ago and said, “Out of the way! We don't want none of them healing services in our town, bunch of people all stirred up and everything like that on a bunch of fanaticism. Some prophet out of Galilee was born a illegitimate birth, and he never went to our seminary, don't know nothing about our schools, and never belonged to our denomination. We know nothing about him. We'll just have that thing stopped. We won't have nothing to do with that, be sure of that.”

We can hear that same priest saying, “Hey, we understand that you raised a man called Lazarus. We got a whole graveyard full of them up here. Come out and raise one of them. Come on up here on the hillside; we've been burying them up there for hundreds of years. Come up here and raise one of them, we'll believe you.”

But you know what? He never paid one bit of attention to it. He was on his road to Jerusalem to be offered up as a sacrifice, the whole burden of the world upon his precious soul. He was facing Jerusalem, going right up the mountain then to Jerusalem to be crucified for them same people that was making fun of Him. They was throwing overripe fruit ... or eggs at Him, making fun of Him, driving Him from their city but He never paid a bit of attention to it. He just went, going on.

Bartimaeus got alarmed. He said, “What's all this about? What's the matter? What's all this racket I hear?”

And someone said, “Out of the way, beggar.”

Others this a-way, and that way, and finally ... I believe it must have been some precious lady. The old fellow had been pushed off of the rock, and he said ... she said, “Are you hurt, sir?”

“No, ma'am, I'm not hurt, but I can't understand what's all this noise about.”

“Why,” she said, “Jesus of Nazareth, the Galilean prophet, is passing this way.”

“My good woman....”

She must have been a follower of Jesus, because the followers of Jesus is always considerate, and they're kindhearted and like to help people, like to do something to help somebody. All followers of Jesus act that way, whether old people trying to cross the street.... A follower of Jesus just doesn't go on by and let them stand there to get run over. He stops and helps them across the street. And if he sees some poor old person with a big bunch of groceries, a follower of Jesus helps them pack them home. And if he sees somebody in need, they go help them. That's what followers of Jesus does. They're always kind, tender hearted, showing compassion, doing things for somebody.

Then this follower of Jesus said, “Why, sir, don't you understand the prophets?”

“Well,” he said, “I was just sitting here kind of dreaming about the prophets, what my mother used to tell me about the prophets.”

“Well, then,” she said, “you must understand that there is to be a Messiah come.”

“Oh, yes, yes. We know that there'll be a Messiah come, because Moses said the Lord our God will raise up a prophet liken unto him, and everyone that doesn't hear this prophet will be cut off from the people. He'll be a great prophet when He comes.”

“Well,” she said, “sir, this man is that prophet. Why, he looks down upon the people, he discerns their thoughts. He tells them the very thing that's in their heart. He tells them things that they have done, things that will be, and every time it's perfect.”

“Oh, you mean that that man has arrived?”

“That's him going by.”

“Well, why is the people hollering like that and carrying-on and making fun of him?”

“Because they know Him not, but we know Him because we are believers. We know Him. We follow him daily. We watch and see the miracles that He does, and we're persuaded that this is the Messiah.

“Why, I saw him here some time ago when He was talking to a woman at the well. He said, 'Go get your husband.' And she said, 'I have no husband.' He said, 'You've said well. You've had five, and the one you're living with now is not your husband.' 'Why,' she said to him, 'sir, I perceive that you're a prophet. Why,' she said, 'we know, we Samaritans, know when the Messiah cometh, he'll tell us these things.” And this man said, 'I am he that speaks to you.' And she run into the city, saying, 'Come see a man that's told me what I've done. Isn't this the Messiah?' And the whole city of Samaria was converted.“

“You don't mean.... Well, if He's the Messiah, that's the Son of David.”

“Yes, that's right, that's the Son of David!”

And he screamed out, “Son of David, have mercy on me!”

His dream could come to pass now.

Maybe yours could, sister, on the cot, your dream of health again to come to pass; yours in the wheelchair, yours eat up with cancer, your dream of going back to church and renewing your vows with God, maybe your dream is just about ready to come to pass. Maybe that captain of the host of the Lord will come by afterwhile. I trust that He is.

“Thou Son of David, have mercy on me, have mercy on me!” Oh, He couldn't hear him literally. He was out on the road, and hundreds of people swarming around, one screaming one thing and one another. And he throwed his old ragged coat back to holler, “Oh, Jesus, thou Son of David, have mercy on me! Have mercy on me!”

Let's just take a little thing that I believe he did (I don't know that he did). I can imagine he said in his heart, “If that is the Son of David, then I can stand right here and ask Jehovah. Jehovah will speak to him.” That's right. “Jehovah can stop Him because He knows my condition, and I've been sitting here longing to see Him.”

You know, that's the way to get God close to you, is think about Him, talk about Him. Just keep Jesus ... don't talk about the things of the world; talk about Jesus. That's the way to do it. People may think you're a little funny, but that's all right; just keep on. Let your conversation be about Him.

Here, I want to stop here a minute. My son, Billy, he's around here somewhere. Here about three or four years ago we were in a meeting, and they was playing some kind of music or something. We went in after service (at Woodville, Illinois), and we went in to get some food. They was playing some kind of a song, I don't know what it was. And he said, “Daddy, ain't that a pretty song?”

I said, “What song?” I despise them little old jukeboxes or ever what they call it. I've went into many a restaurant and say, “Lady, I'll lay two dollars down here (I've got my family) if you'll pull the plug out of that filthy thing there till I can let my family eat.” She'd just pull the plug out.

Them old rock'n'roll and booglie-wooglie, and ever ... that kind of stuff. It's a disgrace. It makes you so nervous you can't eat. I don't mind it myself because I got a little gear I can pull myself in and keep thinking about God and I don't hear it at all. So afterwhile (he was single then, before he was married) some little lady slipped by, and he said, “Daddy, hasn't she got pretty hair?”

I said, “Who?”

He said, “Daddy, all you think about is the Bible and God.”

I said, “Thank you, Honey, that's a very nice compliment. That's all I want to think about.” That's right. If I can keep my mind settled on Him all the time, that's all that's necessary.

“There, He stood there, and I was thinking of Him, and here He is near me, now. But there's too many between me and Him. I don't know what I'll do. Oh, Jehovah God, that is Your servant, that's Your Son. You said, 'My servant in whom I'm well pleased, I'll put my Spirit upon him, he'll show judgment to the Gentiles,' and so forth. That's Your servant. O God, oh, let Jesus of Nazareth, let Him speak to me!”

About that time, He stopped. Oh, my. He stopped, turned around. He didn't hear him physically. He was too far from him. If you're ever in Jericho, look where it was ... where it taken place at. All that mob, He couldn't've heard him anyhow. But He don't have to hear you; it's your faith that stops Him.

Look at the little woman with the blood issue coming through the crowd. She said, “Oh, if I could only touch His garment, I'll be made well.” And she pressed through until she touched the border of His garment. Now the Palestinian garment swings loose, it's a robe. It's got an underneath garment. Now, I would never feel if you could touch my pocket physically. How much more a big loose robe? He never felt her physically, for He said, “Who touched me?” And He looked around.

And Peter rebuked Him, said, “Well, everybody is touching you. Why do you say such a thing as that?”

He said, “But I perceive that virtue is gone from Me.” And He looked around, and looked on the audience, and He found the little woman out in the audience. And He said she had a blood issue and her faith had saved her.

Now that same God down there knowed.... When He was the same Jesus, going up, blind Bartimaeus couldn't get to Him. He was too far away from Him. But his faith stopped Jesus. Look! He had the sins of the world upon Him. He had the death of every creature that ever did die, or ever would die, laying on Him. He had every sin that ever had been committed, or ever would be committed, laid on Him. And He was on His road to Calvary in the midst of howling mobs of religious people making fun of Him, and daring Him to raise the dead or heal somebody; but the faith of that blind beggar stopped Him still in His tracks. I want to preach one night again on “Jesus Stood Still,” see how many times it happened. And Jesus stood still there, and He turned around, said, “Bring him here. What would you that I would do?”

Oh, I can see Him, when you find out that you've got his attention. “Oh,” said, “behold He calleth thee. Be of a good courage.”

He threw off his coat. Watch him. He never laid it down real nice, you know, he'd get it when he come back, where he could find it. He knew if he ever got in contact with Jesus, he'd be able to see his coat when he come back. So that's the way it is. That's the way. If he ever come and had an audition with Jesus, it would be different then. He could see from then on. So he just throwed his coat away. Away he went!

And He said, “What would you that I could do for you?”

He said, “Lord, that I might receive my sight.” That was what was in his mind. He didn't talk to him how beautiful heaven was, but he had a need. “I want my sight—that I might receive my sight.”

Jesus said, “Receive thy sight. Thy faith has saved thee”—the faith that stopped Him. If our faith tonight could stop Him, if our faith tonight can bring Him down here, we could receive our healing, what we have need of.

A little story before closing. I read a little fiction (It must have been a fiction; it was supposed to have been true, but I doubt it) about Bartimaeus. It taken the life of the prophets, and so forth, and I read an article on Bartimaeus. It said he had been blind since he was a boy. And, you know, in them days, they.... Today, when a man's blind.... I forget what they call those dogs that leads them, you know—some sort of a dog that leads the blind man: seeing-eye dog. In them days, instead of having a dog, they had a lamb that led. And Bartimaeus had a lamb, and he had two little turtledoves.

And said that one night.... He had ... He got a little daughter, a little blond-headed daughter, and one night the little girl got sick.

And he went out and prayed, and he said, “Lord, if You'll let my little girl get well, I'll offer to You my turtledoves tomorrow.” That was the only thing.... The little turtledoves tumbled over one another, and the little enchantments that attract the attention of the tourists, and they drop him something for his ... coins in his cup. And he said, “Lord, if You'll just let me get well, I'll take my two turtledoves to the church tomorrow, and I'll sacrifice these two turtledoves for You.” And the little girl's fever broke, got well.

A few weeks after that, his wife got sick and the physicians said there was nothing could be done for her, he'd done all he knowed. And he went outside the building, holding alongside the house, and he said, “O Jehovah, if You'll let my dear wife live, I promise You.... I haven't got nothing else to give you, so I'll give you my lamb,” that led him up there.

And so the next morning his wife was better, so he went on his road, leading... to take his lamb up for a sacrifice.

They said he met the high priest. He said, “Blind Bartimaeus, where goest thou this morning?”

He said, “O High Priest of God, I go to the temple to offer my lamb for the sacrifice. My wife got well when I prayed for her, and I promised Jehovah I would give Him this lamb.”

And the high priest said ... reached into his bag of money, and said, “Oh, Bartimaeus, thou cannot offer that lamb.” Said, “I'll give you money and you go to the buyers ... or the exchangers, and said, ”You go out there and buy you a lamb to be sacrificed.“

He said, “O High Priest, very much thanks to you,” but said, “I never promised God a lamb; I promised him this lamb.”

That's so much of the trouble today, friends. Easter we fill our altars full of lilies. The altar wasn't made for lilies. God... the altar was made for you, see. But we want to bring something else to substitute for us. We can't do that. Our substitute has done been brought. Christ.

He said, “I never promised him a lamb, I promised him this lamb.”

And the high priest said, “Bartimaeus, thou cannot offer that lamb. That lamb is your eyes. You cannot offer that lamb.”

He said, “O High Priest of God, truly that's so; but if I will keep my promise to God, God will provide a lamb for blind Bartimaeus's eyes.”

It was that cold morning that the Lamb God had provided for. The Lamb of God had been provided for blind Bartimaeus' eyes. I can see Him as He said, “Receive thy sight.” Standing a few minutes, looking at his hands. “Oh, He told me I would get it. He said my sight would come.” The crowd was going on down the road. After awhile he seen a shadow. He said, “Oh, here it is. I begin to see my fingers move!” And away he went, glorifying God. Sure. God had provided a Lamb for blind Bartimaeus' eyes.

That same Lamb is provided for you, sister; for you, sister; for you, for you, for me. For whosoever will, God has a Lamb provided for us tonight, for our eyes, for our eyes that our spiritual sight would come open and recognize that it's the Lord Jesus Christ in our midst. May He grant it tonight, is my prayer.

Our Heavenly Father, we thank Thee for these Bible stories that are so much to us. We love them because they are life to us. We see what You was; and what You was yesterday, You are today, and will be forever. Now, Holy God, the creator of heavens and earth, send again tonight the Holy Spirit. Jesus said, “When the Holy Spirit is come, He will take these things of mine and show them to you. He will show you things to come. He'll testify of the truth. He'll testify of me,” said Jesus. And we know that it's true.

And I pray, Father, that tonight that the Holy Spirit will do the works here in the audience that Jesus did when He was here on earth, that they might understand and these people's eyes would come open, every one of them. Many of them are good, loyal, Christian people, and they love You, and they love You with all their heart. Now, Father, open up their spiritual eyes that they might be able to understand that these things are exactly what You said would take place. It's exactly Your promise what You promised us. And may we see it tonight, the hand of the living God among us. Then all people's eyes will be open, and then we will all receive our healing, our salvation.

And when the church closes tonight, may we go home like those who came from Emmaus, after you had been dead and buried and rose again, walked with them all day, and they didn't recognize you; but when You got them shut in with You alone that evening, You did something just like You did before You were crucified. They knew that You was not dead no longer, that You had risen from the dead, for no man could do those things the way You did them. And they run rejoicing, saying, “Did not our hearts burn within us as he talked with us along the way?”

Grant the same thing to repeat tonight. Lord, come among us. Take our bodies. Take this poor body of mine. If You can use it, do so. Father, You could not use mine without using theirs, so use the sick people's bodies. Use our souls and bodies tonight to Thy honor and glory, that others might see and be healed, for we ask it in Jesus' name, the captain of the host of the Lord. Amen.

If there was a possible way for me to perform a healing, if I could cause this lady here to get up off of this cot she's laying on and walk away, I'd take a quarter and push it with my nose around this city just to see it done. What if that was my sister, my mother, my wife, laying there? What if this was one of mine? What if you out there with cancer, or heart trouble, what if it was my mother, my brother, my son, my daughter? My! But, I wish I could, but I can't. If Jesus stood here with this suit on that He gave me, neither could He; He's already done it. How many believe that salvation and every redemptive blessing is already purchased? Then what would He do if He was here? He would just act like He did when He was here on earth, do something that you would see that He was the living Jesus.

Now, how many knows this? That Jesus said that at this end time, (we've been preaching on it this week), that the Spirit of God would come on the earth (called the Holy Ghost), and would do the same works that He did? How many knows that? Show the same sign that He showed. He showed it to the Jews, He showed it to the Samaritans; but He never showed it to the Gentiles. It wasn't their day. Neither was the Gentiles looking for a Messiah. But today we are looking for the second coming of Christ. Now, we must receive the sign of the Messiah, which is the last sign.

And remember, remember He spoke of Noah? But he didn't say then, but He said as it was in the days of Sodom. He told what the morals of the day of Noah. They were eating and drinking, marrying, giving in marriage. But “as the days of Sodom,” He left that alone, see. That's revelation.

Watch the angels, how we'd been speaking about what they done. The ministry.... Look at the Billy Graham today. Just exactly! A modern Oral Roberts, Billy Graham—those mighty evangelists sweeping the world, calling out of Babylon, out of Sodom, everything they can. Is it getting any better? Worse all the time.

Now, watch the church elect. You believe in election? You sure have to if you believe the Bible. Our names were put in the Lamb's book of life before the foundation of the world, said the Bible, see. We was elected by God. By His foreknowledge He elected us. Now, then if we are called, you ought to be thankful to God that you was elected. That's what I'm so thankful about is God called me, chose me. I never chose Him; He chose me. You never chose Him. “No man can come to me except my Father draws him first, and all the Father's given to me will come to me.” That's right. So you see, if God calls you, He'll knock at your door. That's the time for you to come.

Now, today is the Gentiles' day. This is the day, the last message. And remember, Sodom was a destruction when fire fell from heaven.

Have you all been reading the paper about this rally that's going on out here in California? How those men are talking about ... throwing off from one party to another, but, of course, to me, I cast one vote. That was on Jesus Christ for my Saviour. I'm going to win. That's right. All right. I voted for the Lord Jesus to be my Saviour, that's all, see. Now, I believe in voting. I believe you should do it, but this pulpit is no place to talk about that. You talk about that wherever you want to. This is the gospel here. This is something I know it's straight and clean and true, and I know it's going to happen, that's all.

Now, when He's here, when Jesus comes to us tonight, I want you to remember that every redemptive blessing that He could ever give you.... “He was wounded for our transgressions. He was bruised for our iniquity, the chastisement of our peace was upon him and with his stripes we were healed.” Everybody was saved, everybody was healed when Jesus died at Calvary, but you've got to have your own personal faith in Him to be saved or to be healed.

Now, if Jesus was here tonight, you'd say, “Lord Jesus, come down, lay your hands on me” and heal you.

You know what He'd say? “Child of mine, don't you believe My Word? Do you believe My Word? I was wounded for your transgressions; with my stripes you were healed.” Now, His Word should be sufficient. But then, if you didn't believe my word, I'd probably just let it go. If I didn't believe yours, you'd let me go. But not God. If you don't believe His Word, then still He sent the Holy Spirit with gifts in the church. What's the first? Apostles, prophets, evangelists, teachers, pastors, all for the perfecting of the church, to bring the church to knowledge of Him. A teacher, a pastor, evangelist, a prophet; all these things are to make known.

How many Pentecostal people is here tonight? Well, you people believe in speaking with tongues. Paul said, “If there's one among you now who speaks with tongues and nobody interprets (unless it's for edification—somebody can interpret it unless it's for to edify the church), why the people that's unlearned will come in and go away and say, 'Why, you're all crazy, all mad' (which mad means ”crazy“) and say, 'Why, you're all mad. But if one is a prophet and will prophesy and reveal the thing, then they'll have to fall down and say, 'Truly God is with you,'” because that is God's last sign. We know that, and that's just.... We're living in it today. The Lord bless you.

Now, I forgot.... Where's Billy Paul? Is he...? Excuse me. He's so little I can't see him. How many cards did you give out? [Fifty.] Did you start from fifty, or one to fifty? All right. We can't line all of them up at once, so let's just line them up as we can. All right. Prayer card number 1, who has it? What's the letter? B? B number 1 [break in tape]

...be real or I am a false prophet and a liar, and the Bible's wrong. The God of Christianity promised that He would meet here. “Wherever you're assembled together, I'll be with you.” He sent an angel and told me, “Do not fear. You're sent to pray for sick people. You'll know the very secret of their heart.”

Now, visions started coming....

The first thing I can remember in life was a vision. It's always been. You're born with these gifts. You don't lay hands on one another for these kind of gifts. These gifts God sets in the church. Isn't that right, brethren? See, God sets them in the church. You're born with them. They're natural, just natural, like any other thing. Now, I'm trusting that He will grant His presence. If He does, may His great blessings be upon us. Be reverent, believe.

You say, “What are you stalling for, Brother Branham?” I'm waiting for Him. Exactly. If He doesn't come, I can't do nothing. But if He does anoint me, I can do it.

Now, you watch ever who is engineering this microphone here, because it may be that my voice.... Sometimes it's a unconscious.... You don't know what you're saying. It's a vision. You're seeing something that's taking place somewhere else. So now, if it happens not to be loud enough, say to some of the men. Remember, all of you, see you tomorrow night, the Lord willing. God bless you. Now may the Lord Jesus bless while we softly sing, “Only Believe,” every one of you together now.

Only believe, only believe

All things are possible....

I can see him as he come down off the hill, an epileptic child there. He said, “Lord, have mercy on my child. He's variously vexed of the devil.”

Jesus said, “I can, if you believe, for all things are possible, only believe.”

...All things are possible....

I take every spirit in here under the control of the Holy Ghost in the name of Jesus Christ.

Now is this the man? Is this the person to be prayed for? How do you do, sir? Now, we are meeting, I suppose, for our first time in life. That is true. All right. We are just two human beings that comes together. I don't know you, and you don't know me. And perhaps you are here for some sickness, or some loved one, or some financial—I don't know what—your domestic trouble. Whatever it is, God knows all about it.

Now, it could be so that I'd walk across here after I've told you these things that I have, and lay hands upon you and say, “I will pray for you, my brother, and you go and be well.” Or maybe I might do as some of our ministering brethren: just put our hands over on you and rebuke the spirit, and so forth, like some of those brothers who has real (what we call) bulldog faith. Like Brother Oral Roberts puts his hands upon them, and has a real faith and condemns the thing, like that. That's Brother Roberts' ministry, see, and God don't deal with no two men alike. I can't take Brother Roberts' place, and he can't take mine. We both have ministries and we have to do as God tells us to do.

But now, if I would come up here and say, “All right, brother, I got a ministry to lay hands on you.” And I'd tell you that, you'd go on; you probably get well. That's right. But now you could have a little doubt about that, see. Now, “Did he tell me the truth or not?” Now, if Jesus Christ still lives like He did in the days gone by, and I can yield myself to His Spirit, not knowing you, then if something comes in me and begins to reveal something that you have done back in your past, like He did the woman at the well, like He told Simon Peter when he come to Him, and ... oh, so many places in the Bible, see.

If he begins to tell you what you were, well, you'll know whether that's truth or not. Then you'll be witness of that, and you'll know whether that's right or not. You could witness whether it's so or not. Then if He tells you what has been, then tell you what will be, if that what has been is truth, then what He tells you will be will surely be truth. Is that right, audience? Then you don't have to guess; that's the Spirit of the Lord.

Now, I don't say that He will. I trust that He will. But if He will, the audience has already promised.... This right here.... If He'd tell this man, you'll see the same thing like He did when Simon come to Him, and said “Thou art Simon, and you're the son of Jonas,” or told him who he was, or Philip, some of the others like that, as He did when they'd come to Him. Why, it would make Jesus Christ the same yesterday, today, and forever, wouldn't it? Make His presence here, the great chief captain of the host of the Lord.

Now, I have no idea what.... You looks a healthy man to me. Nothing about him would look unhealthy, but there's surely.... He may not be sick. It may be something else. Lord knows. Now may the Lord help me. May the Holy Spirit of God come to me and speak so the people will know it know it's some spirit, and they'll be judged by what they call it. God, You're the Judge, let it be through Jesus Christ's name for Your glory, Lord. Not for a show, but for Your glory. Amen.

Now, if the people can still hear my voice, the man is going away from me. He has got something wrong.... He is troubled in his skull, in his head. That's where his troubles lays. That's right, isn't it, sir? If that's right, raise up your hand. Now, there's some power that knows that about that man. I don't. You say, “It might be....” Is anybody here never was in one of the meetings before? Raise up your hands. Never was in the meetings before. You might think I guessed it. All right. Let's see. Let him.... I don't know what it was. The tapes there has got it. That's why we keep these tapes, everything that's said. There's never been one thing ever said but what the Lord confirmed it to be true.

Yes, here it is. The man is suffering with something about his head. It's a... He got hurt. It was something about logs, or something about a log boom or something. “Thus saith the Lord,” that's right. That's right. You're not from here. You come here to this meeting. You're from California. That's right. You think God knows who you are? Could He tell me who you are? Would it help you? You believe it would make you...? You would...? All right, Mr. Robinson, you can go back home and be well. Jesus Christ makes you well.

Do you believe on the Lord? Now, you see, look friends that isn't me. God knows I can't tell you one thing was said to that man. It's a vision; I'm watching what's taking place, see. Now, that's the same thing.... How many in here, believers, know that that's the same thing Jesus Christ did when He was here on earth and promised it would be a sign of the end time? Now what more can we say? He's here. Now you believe on Him. That ought to settle it. The whole audience ought to rise up and say, “Thank the Lord, He heals me,” goes on. That's right. It's all over. He's proved it.

How do you do? Is this...? I'm not beside myself; but visions, you have to watch. You see, I look at you here, and I see you somewhere, you know what I mean: a vision. Do you believe me to be His prophet ... or His servant? You believe that? We're strangers to each other. I don't know you, but God knows you.

Now, this is another beautiful picture, like St. John 4, you Bible readers. A man and a woman met for the first time in life, a woman of Samaria and Jesus of Nazareth. You remember that story? What did Jesus do? He had need to go by Samaria. God sent Him up there. I had need to come to Klammath Falls. God sent me over here. A woman come out and was talking to Jesus. Jesus talked to her long enough to contact her spirit, and found what her trouble was and told her. And she said, “You must be a prophet. We know that when the Messiah—which is the Lord Jesus, Messiah—when he comes, he'll tell us these things.”

Jesus said, “I'm he that talks to you.”

Now, if you was ever in Samaria, it's a well setting in a little panoramic, just like this here. Here's the very kind of a story relived again. There she is. I do not know her, and we're strangers and meeting here for the first time. Have no idea what the woman's standing there for, but God knows what she's here for. He knows all about it. If God will reveal to me something that's your trouble, if something another wrong, or whatever you're here for, would you believe me to be His servant? Audience will do the same? The other was a man; let all the women believe.

Now the lady is aware right now that something is going on. Between me and the woman stands that light. How many've seen it on the picture? We've got.... The pictures are all here. Did you all bring the pictures to the platform? You should get one. It's a copyrighted picture, hangs in the Religious Hall of Art in Washington, DC, the only supernatural being was ever scientifically photographed. That's by the government. Photographed over here at.... What's this place that we're going next over here in California? Lakeport.

You have kind of complications, heart, different troubles that you're suffering with. You're not from here, from this city. You come from another city. It's called Lake something. Lakeview is where you're from. That's right. You're interested in someone else you're praying for too. You have some rectal trouble also. It's something on the order of a hemorrhoid, only it's more like a tumor. You have something in the nose also that's bothering you, in your nose. That's right. You've got a daughter here. That's right. Some kind of a trouble at the skin, bad feet. That's right. That is true, isn't it? Your husband couldn't come, but he's sick also. You believe I can tell you by the Holy Ghost what's his trouble? Hemorrhoids. That's right. Do you believe God can tell me who you are? Would it help you? Would you go home and believe what I've told you to be true? You would anyhow. Well, Mrs. Troxell, you can go home and be made well. Jesus Christ heals you. God bless you, sister.

Do you believe on the Lord Jesus? That should settle it over the audience.

How do you do, sir. You believe me to be His servant? If you believe that with all your heart, you're a mighty fine man. You're standing here for somebody else, got dropsy. That's right. Go believe now, he'll get over it. Just have faith in God, don't doubt.

That lady sitting right back there, she's the mother of some little sick children. You've touched something, young lady. You believed, didn't you? You have hemorrhoids yourself that you want prayed for. That's “thus saith the Lord.” Your little children is sick. You got two sets of twins. That's right, isn't it, lady? If that's right, raise up your hand. What did she touch? Look where she's sitting. What did she do? She never touched me; she touched Him, the high priest. He turned around. Don't worry, lady. You are healed and your children will be well. Your faith saved you, if you can believe.

Here sits a lady with her eyes bowed like that. She's praying for herself, got arthritis. Do you believe the Lord will make you well, sister, sitting there? You was praying. You said, “Lord, let him call me.” If that's right, raise up your hand, if that's what you said in your prayer. How do I know what you said in your prayer? Have faith in God, don't doubt.

How do you do, sir. We are strangers to each other. I do not know you, but God does. If the Lord will reveal to me something about you, will you believe Him with all your heart? Good. Your trouble is in your head. You're having trouble with your head. You have spells kind of, like passing out, and so forth. You're a little in doubt about your salvation, too. You're not exactly sure whether you're exactly right or not. That is right. And how this come about, you had a accident that did this. That is so. Mr. Woodland, do you believe that that's the truth? That's what it took, wasn't it? All right. Go on, it'll be all right. God bless you.

Have faith. Believe with all your heart. God will grant your request if you'll only believe.

Are you believe? Now look, you're aware that something has to do that. Is that right? Now, what kind of a spirit is it? You believe it to be the Spirit of God? Now, the Pharisees said to Jesus that He was a Beelzebub when He did it. He said, “I forgive you for saying that, but when the Holy Ghost comes if you speak one word against it, it'll never be forgiven.” Is that right? Now ask some of these people who the miracle has been performed on. Ask them. See whether it's real. God knows that it's so real.

How do you do, lady? Fine looking person.

Just look. See how it puts us? Just get so weak, the whole audience is like turning around and around to me. Remember, Jesus saw one vision, one person touched Him, and He said, “I perceive that virtue has gone from me.” What is virtue? It is strength.

Some of you out there now that don't have prayer cards and so forth, you pray. You out there, you look up to God and say, “God, I believe You. This man don't know me. If You'll just touch me, O Lord God, if You'll just make me well, just let him speak to me, I'll believe with all my heart. I challenge your faith to that. Don't believe me; believe Him, because I'm just a man like this microphone. It isn't the microphone you're hearing; it's my voice. It isn't me you're hearing; it's Him.

Sir, sitting there with your back trouble. Do you believe that Jesus Christ will heal you and make you well? Your wife sits next to you there. She's got trouble with her fingers. Do you believe God will heal her too. Do you believe, sister, also? That alarmed you, didn't it, brother? You didn't know you had that much faith. Put your hands over on your wife. She's got some kind of an infection-like that bothers her in her hands. Put your hands on one another now. Satan, I rebuke you. Come out of these people. In the name of Jesus Christ may they be healed. Amen.

Now, to you two that was just called. Neither one of you don't have a prayer card. You don't have a prayer card; you don't need one. All right. Now what did you have? You had faith. You touched the High.... I don't know you. If that's right, raise up your hands, if we're strangers to one another. I've never seen you in my life. I guess you've never seen me, but that faith, kind of unbeknown to you, but you touched something, and He rewarded you for it. Now you'll be well. Don't worry, your faith has made you well. If that isn't Jesus Christ the same yesterday, today and forever, I don't know the Bible. It is true. It is true.

Excuse me, lady, I just.... Look, it's your turn to be prayed for. I was just watching the audience, so that the people would see that it doesn't take a prayer card to heal people, you see. It takes faith in God. That's right. It takes faith in God to heal people. If you'll just have faith and don't doubt, God will heal you.

What do you think about that, Mr. Robertson, sitting there with a rupture. You think that God could make you well? You do? All right, sir. I never seen the man in my life. I never seen him in my life, but he was sitting there thinking about that. That's right, isn't it, sir? Raise up your hand. See, Jesus knowed all about what you're praying about, all about it. Just have faith. If you'll believe with all your heart it comes from God, whatever your trouble is, it will be gone. He loved you well enough to call you. When you called to Him, He answers you back. Isn't He wonderful?

Suffering with tremendous headaches all the time, sitting right back here on the end. You believe that God will make you well? If you'll believe it, headache days are done.

We are strangers to one another. I do not know you. We are probably years apart and miles apart, and here we are meeting. But Jesus knows both of us. That is right. If He, by His great power, will reveal to me something about you that you know that I do not know, will it just give you a great help? It would. Try this once, one more, and see if the Holy Spirit (such a kind person, waiting all that time) ... and we'll have prayer for the rest of the people. You're really here in behalf of somebody else. You are here for a person that's got a nervous, mental, nervous condition, kind of losing their mind. That's right. And you've laid a handkerchief up here to take to that person. That is right. You're not from this city. You've come from a place called Grants Pass up the Rogue River. That's right. You have kind of a heart trouble, complications. That is true. That's right. You've got a daughter here tonight you're interested in. She's adopted daughter, actually. She's in the line. She's in the line to be prayed for back there. She has rheumatic heart, tumor throat.

You've come here by bus. You're to go back tomorrow. This would be your last night here. That is true. Say, you've been a minister, a woman preacher. That's “thus saith the Lord.” That's the truth. Now, do you believe? Then go home and receive just exactly what you've asked for, and may the God of heaven ever bless you. Just go on in, sister. It's over. You're going to be all right. Just don't doubt, just go on believing. Now, I could not see the girl from where the woman was standing, but I seen her out here in front of me.

Now do you believe, all of you, with one accord? Do you believe on the Lord Jesus, everyone? “Whosoever will, let him come.” Sir, if you'll believe God, the arthritis will leave you. Do you believe that? Then go on your road and rejoice, saying, “Thank You, Lord, for being real good to me.”

And you had the same thing. Another thing of a man of your age actually have a prostate, a little black, that make you nervous. So, if you'll believe with all your heart.... Do you? Then go on your road and say, “Thank You, Lord,” and you'll be well. All right, sir.

You're a mighty young woman to have heart trouble, but do you believe that God can heal heart trouble? Go on your road and say, “Thank you, Lord Jesus, for ever making me well.”

All right. Come, lady. You're shadowed. There's a dark shadow upon you, which means that you've got cancer. It's shadowed to death. You believe that God can heal you and make you well? Raise up your hands, say, “I accept it, Lord.” Go on your road and be made well; believe with all your heart.

Come, lady, if you will. All right. You have back trouble. You believe that God can heal your back? Go on your road and be made well. Believe with all your heart. Do you believe out there?

All right. Come, sir. You've got a asthmatic condition. Do you believe God can heal it? Go on your road and say, “Thank You, Lord,” and be made well.

Come, sir. You've got diabetes. You believe that God can heal diabetes? Go on your road and be made well. Believe with all your troubles.

Your trouble is in your back you was injured. Do you believe that God will make you well? Go on your road and be made well, having faith in God.

Come, sir, this way. Just a minute. I perceive this man has got a deaf spirit. Bow your heads just a minute. O Lord God, creator of heavens and earth, author of life and giver of every good gift, open the ears of this man and make him to hear, Lord. He cannot hear. His faith comes by hearing (it's a deaf spirit on him) open it up, Lord. I pray in Jesus' name. Satan, turn him loose. How long has he been this way? Long time? All right. Can you hear me now? [Unclear words.] All right. Do you hear me now? [“Yes.”] You say, “Amen.” [“Amen.”] “I love the Lord.” [“I love the Lord.”] “Praise the Lord.” [“Praise the Lord.”] [Unclear words.] You're healed. By the way, you was healed once before in my meeting. Amen. I see what has happened. [Unclear words.] God healed you years ago. God bless you. Isn't He wonderful? Isn't our Lord wonderful? Now, tell me one thing that He doesn't do.

That's the reason I called that man over there. I don't know how deaf he was. He said his eardrums was bursted by a dynamite cap, and so I didn't know whether he could hear any or not. I just knowed there was a deafness on him, and that's the reason if he can't ... if he can't hear. But then when I went to pray for him, I seen him standing there in the line and I seen the glory of God over him, and he was healed in another meeting. And so the man is all right now, perfectly normal. That's the reason we hold him like that, and hold it until it happens, till he can hear. Then faith, he can hear. Faith cometh by hearing.

Do you all believe on the Lord Jesus? How many in here believes now and is confident that the chief captain, the captain of the host of the Lord, is in the building? Do you believe it? Now, lay your hands over on one another, let's have a congregational prayer. Each one of you, do you believe that. “These signs shall follow them that believe.” Now, we cannot heal, but believe. Please believe. He's passing this way.

Jesus, Thou Son of God, have mercy on me. Thou Son of God, have mercy on me. O Lord God, creator of heavens and earth, author of everlasting life, giver of every good gift, send Thy blessings upon this people who I bless in Your name. I'm so weak I can't stand here any longer. I pray that Your Spirit will come in great power and unction and take ahold of this audience. May the people rise to their feet screaming, “Thou Son of David, have mercy on me.” O God, grant it! And may every person here be healed. Satan, I condemn you upon the basis of the shed blood of Jesus Christ, in the vicarious suffering, the resurrection. Come out of this audience! Leave this people, in the name of Jesus Christ!