Be Not Afraid, It Is I

So good to be here again tonight. Just had a wonderful time yesterday, and I've been living in the atmosphere of yesterday's meeting all day today. So I'm happy to be in the service of the Lord tonight. Now, with so many waiting, or standing, rather—that I should say, standing, rather—that we're sorry that we don't have the adequate room for seating. But we know that if you'll just be patient with us a little while, the Lord will certainly reward you. I hope He does, and I'm sure He will, because He always rewards those who are patiently.... And, “They that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength, and they shall mount up with wings like an eagle.”

Now the last few nights, or days, I've just been preaching, kind of, to you, and having the small calling lines, and so forth. I kind of believe I owe it to the sick people, tonight, to pray for the sick because there are so many of them here. And I told the boys to give out some prayer cards this afternoon. I guess they did, or did they? Did they? That's fine, all right. Thank you, Brother Gene. We will call them up just in a few moments.

I asked Brother Moore to speak for me tonight. Only thing I'd have to do is come in, pray for the sick. Did you do it? Anybody want a job, follow me, speaking for me? Oh, around on the way? Oh, my. Well, I am....

These handkerchiefs here that's sent up here to be prayed over, we reverently believe in praying for these cloths. Now, remember that this is a Bible doctrine, to pray over these cloths. Now many people anoint them with oil, and send them back to the patients. We send thousands of them a month around the world. And if you don't have one in here, if you just write our office, why, we'll sure send it to you free of charge. No charges for anything we do.

In the Bible (if you'll bear with me), I believe, Scripturally, Paul never prayed over them or anointed them. They taken from his body. I believe Paul was scriptural. Don't you think so? Would you like to know where I think he got that from? Elijah ... one time when a baby was dead, Elijah said to Gehazi, “Take my staff and go lay it on the child.”

Now Elijah knew that the Holy Spirit upon him ... and everything he touched was blessed. And he said, “Take this staff and lay it on the baby.” I think there's where Paul got the idea of laying ... taking handkerchiefs and aprons from his body, because I wouldn't think that St. Paul would do anything unscriptural. So he sent....

Now we realize that we're not St. Paul. But He's still Jesus, see. He's still God. So God, being no respect of persons, He sends your pastors and evangelists and things along, that you might have the same faith in the same God that St. Paul represented. And then, if we have the same ministry that St. Paul had, the same things take place in our ministry took place in St. Paul's meeting.

Now just before we ... or tonight, before we start praying for the sick, I want to lay hands on those handkerchiefs and pray for them. Many times ... I've got pictures, you notice in the books there, from South Africa where they had, I believe sixteen or eighteen grass sackfulls, one night's service. Just great, big.... We call them ... I guess they're burlap sacks, stuffed full of handkerchiefs, and letters, and things.

And one of the reporters said, “Brother Branham's very superstitious. He was praying over cloths, handkerchiefs.” They don't know the Scripture, that's all. They're lovely people. They just don't understand. That's the way a lot of it is today. They're all nice people, but many times just don't understand. So we just bear with that.

So then we are glad to minister in any way.

Now if you write up to Jeffersonville, just tell them.... It'll be a cloth that I prayed over. I can't send a handkerchief; they're too expensive in sending thousands of them a month. I take ribbon, and cut them off, and pray over these ribbons. And then some sister over in Illinois makes me little cloths—about like that, not very expensive. Oh, I think ... I forget what they pay a hundred for them. And we get them by the great big boxes, and I take those and pray over them. And then there's a letter made up.... We have a chain circle around the earth. The entire earth is encircled with this. We have more miracles done by them cloths than we have right in the meeting, because we reach more people.

I'd like to tell this. I know it's taking a lot of your time, but a few days.... Oh, it's not a few days. Few—about two years ago, there was one sent to Germany. And on the cloth it says, “If your pastor is a believer, call him in. If you've done any sin, confess it, make everything right.” God will not heal only under conditions, see. “So, call your pastor in, and if you've did any wrong, confess it.” The Bible said, “Confess your faults one to another, pray one for the other that you might be healed, for the effectual fervent prayer of the righteous availeth much.” And I say, “If you have no pastor that believes in healing, maybe you got a neighbor that believes in healing, some member of the church, someone that you can talk to, and confide in.”

This little German woman called in some neighbor women, and she said, “If I've done anything wrong, I'm willing to make it right. I know nothing about it.” She'd been an invalid in a wheelchair for twenty-some-odd years. So they prayed, and took the handkerchief out of the letter, laid it on the little German woman. And on the back of the page where they gave the translation of her testimony.... She said, “Now, old man devil, you've been in me long enough. So get out.” She just got up out of the wheelchair, and went walking on.

Now, it's just that simple. “Old man devil, you've held me long enough. Now get out of me.” Just got right up and walked away. Now that's just how simple it is.

Brother Jack Moore and I, on one of our first missions going west.... (Haven't thought of this for a long time.) We were praying for the Indians out in San Carlos. Yes ... was you thinking that? Well, maybe the Lord wants me to say something about it, then. We'd been down with the Spanish people. First time I'd ever prayed for Indians. And there was an alcoholic, and a tubercular come into the meeting at Phoenix, at the Byrd High School Auditorium. And when I seen them bring them Indians on the platform .... My heart always went out for Indians anyhow.

Well, I think they got a rough deal out of this American situation. So then, I asked the Lord, if He'd heal those two Indians, and make it definitely heal them, then I'd go back to the reservation. Before I got to California, there was somebody there let me know that they were both healed. So we had to go back up on the reservation. And I remember going in there, speaking to those Indians, those Apaches, great big, strong people.

They were sitting around everywhere. And I said, “Now, I know how you must feel.” I said, “I think it's wrong to send billions of dollars overseas for them to build up airplanes, and make bombs, and come back and blow us out with it (that's right), when thousands of these Indians die every year from starvation, on the prairie.” It's a stain on our flag to do a thing like that. After all, this land belongs to them. We just pushed them back. What would we think if the Japs come over here and pushed us back, or something like that? Same feeling. Remember, they're human.

I said, “All of that I cannot help. I'm just one American. I'm just one person that votes just like you do, and got the same rights that you have and all.” But I said, “I'm not here to tell you about this nation. I'm here to tell you about somebody that will give you a square deal. That's Jesus Christ.”

And I remember when we called the prayer line.... A Indian's kind of a funny fellow, you know. So there was nobody come in the prayer line. Used to be, we'd have to take and fight them away with great gangs of ushers. But, called the prayer line, there was nobody come. I looked around at Brother Jack, and he looked at me. Finally the interpreter went back.

What was that woman's name that had that mission out there on that...? I believe she belongs to the Assemblies of God, yes. I forget her name now. But, however, I was on her church steps. What? Mitchell, Mrs. Mitchell. Many of you Assembly of God people might remember. And we stood out on the steps with loud speakers.

It just looked like old covered wagons days, to see them sitting around, with that sun going down, and all. The old Chief, and his little Indians all around him, just forted out in there, all around over that San Carlos river banks.

And then, after awhile, this interpreter.... They got all time to do anything in, you know, so they just went back in, brought out an Indian woman. Well, as soon as she came out ... great big, wide wrists, couldn't speak a word of English, looked me in the face.... I watched her a few minutes there. I said, “The woman has a venereal disease. It's not because that she's immoral, but the way she's had to live.” And she looked at me real strangely, and that interpreter got that to her. She nodded her head, “That's right.”

So the next come out was a little girl, and she kept her head down. I said, “Now, this little girl,” I said, “she belongs to one of the great men in the tribe, and she had a fever. It made her go both deaf and dumb. She's been deaf and dumb for over two years. She hadn't spoke or heard anything.” I said, “Now, all of you know this little girl, because she's right here on the reservations.” I said, “Now, Jesus Christ loves the Indians. He'll heal the Indians.” Laid hands.... I said, “Don't interpret this.” And so I prayed, “Lord, give me favor with these people.”

And I prayed for the little girl, and I got down to her. And if you ever heard Apache language, oh, my! So, I said, “Do you hear me?” She turned around, looked at me, and that little ol' black hair, little dirty face. And she looked up at me. I said, “Hear me?”

She said [Apache language]

And I said, “She'll talk better.”

And her mother turned around and said, “Hm. Her talk heap good now.”

And I said, “Well....”

Next, they had a little ol' boy. Pushed him out of that little building, his little ol' hair as coarse as a mane on a horse, and head down. And I said, “Well....” I let the little boy look up at me. I said, “He's got crossed eyes, hasn't he?” And the mother was kind of rough. She just grabbed him by the top of the head, and pulled his hair back, eyes back, his little eyes setting in like that.

I said, “Wonder if I could get...?” He was scared of me. So, I had a piece of chewing gum. I made friends with him, let him smell it, you know. Kept his head down, began smelling it, them little crossed eyes looking around. I picked him up, and got him in my arms. I thought, “God, if You ever help me, let it be now. If I can just find favor with them, then they'll believe, see.”

I had him on my shoulder, little head on my shoulder, and I said, “Lord, I pray that You'll straighten his eyes.” I said, “Now, you raise your heads.” I said, “Now, before I let the child leave my shoulders, if his eyes is not straight I'm a false prophet. If his eyes is straight, then you believe I've come with a message from Jesus Christ for you.” I turned him around like this.

And you talk about a prayer line—there was a stampede! Dust flying, and everybody.... Well, we couldn't get.... No one could get in line. They was just fighting, and pushing, and hollering, jumping over one another, and so....

Really, the next was an old Indian woman coming from the back, and there was a little bitty stout ... about eighteen-year-old boy. He just climbed over all of it. He was pretty strong. He got next in line. And I said, “Son, you're not next. This old woman's next.” I couldn't make him understand it. And Brother Jack's a pretty good little man himself, you know, carpenter. So he just got the little lad and pulled him out of the way.

Here come that old Indian woman. I'll never forget that as long as I live. Her crutches was made out of two broom sticks, with a piece of wood tacked over the top, and rags wrapped on it, to pad. And she couldn't.... It must've been an arthritis condition, and she put these two sticks out. She looked to be at least eighty.

And she put these two sticks out, and she'd make a step, and then she'd set the other. I just stood real still. And she walked right up like this to me, and she was shaking, like that. And she looked up at me like that. Oh, my! I seen them old plaited hair, gray, you know, them old deep wrinkles in her cheeks, and the tears cutting a way through, like the river there going down, dropping off her face like that. And I thought, “Somebody's mother.”

No doubt that old feeble hand there, wrinkled up, has stroked the tears back out of many crying baby's eyes; the hardships she's went through. She just stood and looked at me, and never opened her mouth and said a thing. All at once she just started smiling, reached down and got a hold of one crutch, one the other, handed them over to me, and went walking out of there as good as anybody else. No prayer nor nothing. She just believed.

Remember?

And long about, I guess it was nearly daylight.... I'd been there all night, about four o'clock—four o'clock in the morning. That was before sundown that afternoon. We had been praying all that night till four o'clock the next morning. I noticed all the Indians coming in was wet, way up around in here. I said, “What's the matter with them?”

And she said, “Well, at first they thought you were false,” but said, “now,” said, “the ford's way down.” But said, “They run out into the prairies, and got their loved ones. And they're wading across the river at midnight, packing their loved ones over to be prayed for.”

They'll rise in the judgment with the generation of white people, and condemn them many times, some of these people that won't even darken the door to a meeting.

And so I remember one instance there.... Excuse me for taking the time, but faith cometh by hearing. We overcome by the word of our testimony, and this was a very outstanding case. There was an old Indian that had a board like this, and it had four sticks across this board. Didn't have a stretcher to put the old fellow on, so they let him lay his arms up here (just as gray as he could be), and his knees across the other part of the board. And there was two great big fellows packing him, just as wet as they could be.

I said to one of the fellows, (he was next in line coming up), I said, “You speak English?”

“A little.”

I said, “Aren't you afraid you'll take pneumonia?”

“Nope.” Said, “Jesus Christ has take care of me. I brought my dad.”

“Uhm.” I said, “You believe Jesus Christ will heal your dad?”

“Yep. That's why I brought him.”

Said, “All right.”

Passed him by. I said, “Pass him by.” I just laid hands upon the old fellow, that plaited hair laying there, and shaking like this, you know. I laid my hands upon him. I said, “God, be merciful to him. Heal him for Christ's sake.” I said, “Take him up ... on,” I said. “Let the next come.” They come across like that. Few minutes I heard a great rally out there amongst them Indians. You just couldn't see from the end of the lights for Indians. Looked out there. The old man had the board on his own shoulder, going along waving at everybody.

We try to make it too complicated. We reach plumb over the top of it trying to find it, see. We try to make it some mysterious thing when it's just simple. The more simple you are, better off you'll be. Just don't jump at it, try to press yourself. Just receive it. It's just that easy. You jump over it, trying.... That's what our theologians do—jump over the top of it, trying to find what's sitting right next to you, see. So simple. The Bible said even a fool shouldn't err. That's right. It's so simple, the gospel.

Oh, I tell you, when we cross the other side I just wonder what it'll be when we get over there. A airplane can stop, somebody aboard say, “Brother Branham, I was suffering with so-and-so....”

Over here at the train station down.... I was way up in northern British Columbia, been back on a hunting trip after a meeting. And I had beard that long, and hadn't took a bath for four weeks. I smelt like the horse. And I was just.... We had twenty-one head of horses back in there, and so we just had to stay with them horses all the time.

And I come out, and I was pulling up on the panniers, and old flop-down hat from them rains and snows, and whiskers about that long, turning gray, and just dirty as could be. And we stopped at a little place called East Pines, way back up in the northern British Columbia on the Alcan Highway.

I seen some Indians coming by, them white moccasins on, walking like that. I seen a little red-faced woman kept looking at me. I don't know whether she was Eskimo or Indian. She kept looking at me like this. And I just looked around. I don't see how she ever seen my face, the beard out all like that. I pulled up the panniers and I felt somebody tap me on the shoulder. I turned around, she said, “Pardon me, aren't you Brother Branham?”

I said, “Yes, Ma'am. ”I said, “How did you ever know me?”

She said, “I see your picture.”

I said, “Where?”

She said, “The dog sled passes through once a year, and it brought your book called, 'A Prophet Visits Africa.' ”

Brother Rasmussen, did you ever hear of him? He lost the key to his car and I went in at Dawson Creek. Oh, it's a big city, about five hundred, six hundred people, and ... right at the beginning of the Alcan Road. And I seen a big key sign, and I said, “Maybe I can get the man to make a key.”

There stood an old sour-dough. Oh, my! His face, his nose big as the end of my hand nearly—swollen, red—big parka on. And I asked this man, I said, “Could you make a key for a car?”

He said, “No, sir, I can't.”

I said, “Thank you.”

I stepped out. I felt somebody turn me around; looked like little bitty eyes set back behind all that fur. That man looked me in the face. He said, “Yeah, I believe I'm right.”

I said, “What do you mean, sir?”

Said, “You're Brother Branham, aren't you?”

I said, “Yes, sir. How did you know me?”

He just started crying. The tears run off that beard; hugged me like that. He said, “I'm your brother.” He said, “I got one of your books. I got seven or eight shacks on my trap line. Takes me two weeks to make it around with the dog sled.” Said, “By candlelight many a night I've knelt down by an old grease candle out there in them places, and prayed for you.” He said, “I got the baptism of the Holy Ghost.” He said, “I'm your brother.”

When we all get to heaven,

What a day of rejoicing that will be!

When we all see Jesus,

We'll sing and shout the victory.

(Won't we?)

Around the world everywhere, God has his children. Get on a steamship and start somewhere.... I was over in Jamai.... Oh, I'll just stop. We just stand and keep testifying. Wherever they are, whatever walks of life, somewhere, somebody's heard about the power of God to heal the sick.

I wish tonight ... I'm not going to preach, because I want to pray for the sick tonight. But just to get you accustomed now to the meeting for the next fifteen minutes or so, I want to call your attention to a scripture found in St. Matthew, the 14th chapter and the 27th verse. And I would, now, that you'd just be as reverent as possible, see. Listen, now, and catch on to the words.

How many's here has never been in one of the meetings before? Let's see your hands. Oh, my! We all couldn't get in the place at one time. So, nearly half the crowd has never been in the meeting before. We certainly welcome you here, my pilgrim brother and sister. We are fellow citizens with you in this great kingdom of God, enjoying his economy of the presence of God, and the baptism of the Holy Spirit.

As praying for the sick, I do not claim to be a healer. There's only one healer. That's God, and we're just sent as his servants. But I do claim that Jesus Christ is coming right away. I'm looking for Him. If He doesn't come tonight, I'll be looking for Him in the morning. If He doesn't come this week, I'll look for Him next week. If He doesn't come this year, I'll be looking for Him next year. I want to be ready when He comes.

And I believe that He promised, “As it was in the days of Sodom, so would it be in the coming of the Son of man.” And we find out that in Sodom it was sinners, a bunch of sinners, Sodomites. Then there was a bunch of Christians, lukewarm believers, which represented the church living among them—Lot and his people. Holiness people—sins of the city vexed his righteous soul. Then there was an elected group which Abraham had, called out. And each one of them received a sign. And I believe that the sign that the angel of the Lord did, manifested in flesh there, was the sign of the manifestation of Christ in his church at the last days.

Now, Jesus said, St. John 14;12, “The works that I do shall you do also.” And He also said, “A little while and the world [the world order] will see me no more, yet ye shall see me.”—the church, the believers, the called out, the elected. “For I (I, not someone else, but I, personal pronoun), I'll be with you, even in you to the end of the world.”

Hebrew 13:8 said, “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever.” Then if He is the same today as He was then, He's the same Saviour, the same healer, the same high priest, the same Lord. He's just as He was then. Only, instead of being in a corporal body named Jesus, God is living in his church—your body, my body—that He sanctified with his own blood, that He might cleanse us by the washing of the water by the Word, and present to God a church without spot or wrinkle. That He ... “The works that I do shall he do. These signs shall follow them that believe.”, the supernatural.

All right. In Matthew 14:27:

... straightway Jesus said unto them, ... be not afraid ... Be of good cheer; it is I; be not afraid.

“Be not afraid. It is I.” Now carry that in your mind now, reverently. And you especially that's sick, and you that's not saved, hasn't come into the fellowship of the Spirit yet, carry that in your mind. And I'll hurry just quick as I can, call the prayer line.

Watch this conversation. Let's break in, and now make a little drama out of it, so the young folks can catch it. The sun had just set, or was setting across the horizon in the west, when its last glimpse was on the Sea of Galilee. I can see the brawny muscles of the big fisherman as he was pushing the little boat by the stern, as the bow of it pushed out into the water —the people standing on the banks waving and crying.

As he finally got the little boat off the gravel into the water, climbs up to the middle of the boat where his brother Andrew was sitting by the side of an oar, and took his place. They'd make a stroke or two, and then wave to the people on the bank; stroke or two, and wave to the people on the bank.

After awhile, as dusk began to set in, they were out of sight now. And it must have been young John (he was the youngest among them), it must have been he that waited a moment, stopped his oaring for just a few moments to catch a breath, as they had quite a distance yet to go across Galilee. And when he stopped to get his breath, he must have said something like this, as he wiped the perspiration from his face.

Said, “Brethren, we can rest assured that the man that we're following is not a fake. Today, when I stood over his shoulder and watched Him take those little fishes, and break them in two; and watched no sooner than He broke, there come another part of a cooked fish out. I seen Him take that bread and break that bread and hand to the brethren. Every time He broke a piece of bread off, no sooner than his hand left, there was another piece of bread there.”

I want to ask you, what kind of an atom did He turn loose? Not wheat; bread already baked. It bypassed the oven, like He did his first miracle in Cana. That water would have eventually become wine; grow up through the vines into the grape, crushed out, become wine. But He bypassed all of that. He was the creator Himself. So in the great resurrection, He'll bypass papa, mama, give birth to this. He'll speak, and we'll come from the dust, like He did Lazarus.

And John must have said, “You know, today has been a day that's settled all doubts in my mind. No matter how much that the rabbis and the teachers of this day say that He isn't God, I know He is. For I remember my mother reading me out of the sacred Scriptures, in the scrolls of Exodus, how that when they were hungry like these people were today, God brought bread down out of heaven and laid it upon the ground. So when I seen....

“I said to mother, 'Mother, has God got a big oven up there to bake that bread?'

“She said, 'No, Honey. God is a creator.'

“And when I seen Him break that bread again today, I knowed that was that same Creator. Did not He look like Jehovah when He stood there looking upon the multitude, and breaking this bread, and passing it out? I was minded of the Bible stories that my mother used to read to me about Jehovah feeding his people bread out of the heavens. And today, Jehovah remains the same, because today, brethren, we have seen Jehovah break bread, and give it to his people again and multiply. He surely must be what He says He is, the Son of God.”

And as the young John was stopped then a moment by Simon Peter, who always had to say something .... And he said, “Well, while we're resting a moment, I'd like to give my personal testimony—being that John has give his. I remember when Andrew, a brother sitting here, used to tell me, 'You should go down and hear a prophet preach, predicting that there is coming a Messiah.'

“And I said, 'What kind of clothes does he wear?'

“Said, 'He had a sheepskin around him, come out of the wilderness. He's the Elijah that was spoke of to come. I believe it.'

“Then one day he come back and told me about another man coming down, a young fellow about his age, and all about some kind of a mystic light over the top of Him or something, and said this prophet said he heard a voice, saying, 'This is my beloved son.' How do I know what to believe what that prophet said? I've never heard him, don't know nothing about him, so I just dismissed the whole thing as a bunch of nonsense. And I thought my brother had went off on the deep end.

“But one day He came down to the seaside. And I thought, 'Well, I believe I'll walk up there. It ain't very much out of my way. I'll walk up and see what this fellow's got to say.' And no sooner than I walked up there, I knowed there was something different about that man.

“And I said one thing before I went up there. I remember my old daddy. He was a great old Pharisee, as all you brethren know. And I remember when we used to fish out here in the sea. He was very religious. I remember before going out he'd say, 'Simon my little son, let us kneel and ask Jehovah who owns all the fish, that He'll fill our nets tonight with fishes, for I need it. We need bread at home. And we have need of some fishes. So let's pray, Simon.' How we used to kneel on the bank and pray.

“I watched him when his hair begin to slip away, turning gray. Finally one day he sat down on the side of the boat after a big catch, that God had answered prayer, and he said, 'Simon, my little boy, your daddy's getting old, and I must answer my summons pretty soon on high. I've always prayed, Simon, that I'd live to see the day when the Messiah appeared.

'“'Now, Simon, there's no doubt but what there'll be a lot of confusion in that day. There'll be all kinds of things falsely rise up, just before that coming Messiah. But I want you to be.... I believe you'll see it, Simon. So I want you to be sure of one thing, Simon. Don't never accept it 'less it's got the sign of the Messiah. Be sure that that Messiahic sign is scriptural. And now here, Simon, here's how you're going to know Him.'

“I remember sitting on his knee and looking in his eyes as they quivered and filled with tears. 'Papa, what will he look like?'”

“'He'll just be an ordinary man, and perhaps not liked amongst our people. He'll be a man of sorrow, acquainted with grief. He'll be rejected and despised. But Simon, there'll be many men rejected and despised. But this man will be a prophet, for Moses said, 'The Lord your God shall raise up a prophet liken unto me. Moses was a perfect type of Christ—law giver, priest, deliverer, so forth, as the Bible reads of him. And Moses said that God told him that there'd raise up a prophet like him. And this will be more than a prophet; He'll be a God-prophet. And you'll remember him, oh, Moses, as all of our people have ... or, you'll remember him, Simon.'

'As all of our people does know, prophets are sent from God. And prophets have.... He is a revelator of the divine Word. He's the divine interpreter of the divine Word. And if this prophet says something, and God backs it up, then that prophet's from God; because if he says something that's the Word of God, a promise of God, and God turns around by that prophet and backs it up, and says it's true, then you hear Him, because that's our commission, Simon. Don't be deceived, Simon. But now, Simon, when you see them things comes to pass, you watch this prophet.'

“And that day all that seemed to flash back to me, for my dad's been dead for years. But when I walked up there, began to look at that little fellow, 'no beauty we should desire; we hid as it was our face,' I thought, 'That's just exactly what Dad told me that Scripture said about Him'—no different from any other man, looked just like other men.'

“But when I walked up into his face, He looked straight at me and said, 'Your name is Simon, and your father's name is Jonas.' Not only did He know me, but He knowed that godly old father of mine that had passed on.

“I fell at his feet and said, 'You are the Messiah.'”

Said, “That settled it for me. For I know my daddy had taught me the scriptures, that that would be the sign of the Messiah.”

Must have been Philip about that time said, “Yes, Simon, I was standing, seeing that. You know what I done? I took around the hill to find our brother Nathanael, sitting up here. Nathanael, remember it?”

“Oh, yes, Philip. Well do I remember it.”

“I remember I went around the mountain, and I found Nathanael praying under a tree. And I said, 'Nathanael, come see who we have found, Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph.' And remember what you said, Nathanael?”

“Well do I remember. I said, 'Could there be any good thing come out of Nazareth [amongst them holy rollers, or whatever you might call it.]? If there be any Messiah coming, He'd come up here to Caiaphas, the high priest. He'd come make Himself known to our organization. So there couldn't be anything raised up down there in that. Any son of Joseph, or so forth, could ever be any Messiah.' And you remember...? I remember what you told me too, Philip.”

“What was it?”

“Said, 'Come and see.'”

That's the best idea. Don't stay home and criticize. Come find out for yourself. Come examine it by the Word. See if it's right. That's good theology. Come see for yourself.

Said, “Yes, I remember.”

And said, “You remember what we talked about, coming along, Nathanael?”

The boat was rocking along, the little waves now, going across the sea.

“Yeah, I remember.”

They was all giving their personal testimony about Jesus, what they thought of Him.

And so, he said, “Yes, well do I remember. Yes, I remember. We was talking about you, Simon.”

“Yeah.”

He said, “You remember that old fisherman that couldn't even sign his own name on a receipt for your fish?”

“Yes.”

Said, “He told him who he was and who his father was. Now you know, Nathanael, that you're a scholar. And you know the Bible says that the Messiah will be a God-prophet. We'll know Him by the sign of a prophet.”

“Yes, I remember that. And I remember you told me He might tell me who I was when I come before Him. Oh, I remember that.”

“Well, now, Nathanael, you want to testify from here out?”

“I certainly do, brethren.” Oh, my! If you've ever met Jesus, you like to tell about it.

I can see him stand up in the little boat, and say, “Brethren, I walked up there. I wondered what that man.... I'd heard Philip talk about Him, and I thought, 'Well, surely Philip wouldn't tell me anything wrong!' I got there, saw a little group of people, [Oh, perhaps maybe what's like here tonight, or something.],” said, “a little group of people standing along. [Maybe it was in a prayer line.]

“And when I got up before Him, He looked at me and He said, 'Behold an Israelite in whom there's no guile.'

“I thought, 'Now that's strange. I never saw Him before, and He never saw me before. So how does He know that I'm an Israelite? How does He know? I could be a Arab. I could be a Greek. Why, we all dress alike. So how did He know I was a Israelite and had no guile; I was a just, honest man?'

“So I said to Him, 'Rabbi (I didn't want to disregard, disrespect Him.),' so I said, 'Rabbi, how did you ever know me? You've never seen me, and You don't know me. This is the first time we met. So how did you know me?'”

He said, “Before Philip called you, when you were under the tree, I saw you.”

“Yes,” said Philip, “I remember what you done. You fell at his feet and said, 'Rabbi, Thou art the Son of God. Thou art the King of Israel.'”

“Say, you remember Rabbi Levinski over there, what he said? He said, 'Now, look, congregation, don't you believe that stuff. That's Beelzebub. That's the devil in that man doing that. He's a fortune-teller,' see. You remember what Jesus said to him? He said, 'I forgive you for that, but some day the Holy Ghost is coming, and He'll do the same thing. And if you speak a word against it, it'll never be forgiven you in this world, neither in the world to come.' Remember that?”

“Yes, yes. I remember that.”

It must have been Andrew, sitting by the side of Peter then, said, “Can I testify, brethren?”

“Yes.”

Said, “I want to speak for the whole group of us.” Said, “When that day.... When we were going down to Jericho, from Jerusalem going down to Jericho; went right down the mountain. But He had need to go by Samaria. We always wondered. Now I remember Him telling them priests that day that.... He said, ”Verily, verily, I say unto you, the Son can do nothing in himself; but what He sees the Father doing, that doeth the son likewise.“

“So we seen Him that day walk through multitudes of lame, blind, halt, twisted, withered; and found a man laying on a pallet. Said, 'Take up your bed and go into your house.' The man obeyed Him. The priest questioned him, and He said, 'I do nothing till the Father shows me.' And He knowed the man had been in that condition. Brother, that settled it that He was ... He knowed. God had showed Him what to do, showed where the man was. Knowed he'd been that way for thirty-eight years. He wasn't paralyzed, or he wasn't crippled. He could walk. Said, 'When I'm coming down, somebody steps ahead of me.' ”

“Yes, I remember that.”

“And somehow He was strangely led. And we all know that. We went up to Samaria. And isn't it strange, when we got just outside the city there at that well...? He sat down at this well, and sent us all away.”

“Yes, brethren.” Said, “Yes, we remember that, Andrew, very well.”

And said, “When we went down into the city.... And John, that's where you showed off, and wanted to burn the city up, you know, because they wouldn't give us something to eat. But we come back. And you know, when we come back up through the bushes there, we were so surprised when we saw our Master talking to a woman, a young girl, young woman perhaps his age. And you remember, she was just pulling up the waterpot when we come up. So we wanted to see what He would do.

“So He said, 'Woman, bring me a drink.'

“And quickly she looked at Him and said, 'It's not customary for you Jews to ask us Samaritans things like that. We have no dealing. We have segregation here. You shouldn't say such a thing as that to me.'

“And He said, 'But if you knew who you were talking to, you'd ask me for a drink. And I'd give you waters that you don't come here to draw.'

“'Why,' she said, 'the well's deep and you have nothing to draw with.'

“You remember, brethren, how we all slipped down under that bush and listened to see what He'd say?”

“Yeah, I remember—right behind the well there.”

“And, Andrew, you remember I tried to push your head down, trying to peep over the wall. And so, we listened to see what He'd say to this woman.”

“So she come closer to Him, and she said, 'Our fathers worshipped in this mountain; you say at Jerusalem.'

“Remember the conversation went on a little while? And after awhile, He looked her right in the face, and He said, 'Go get your husband and come here.'

“Remember what she said? 'I don't have any husband.'

“Oh, we thought, now, now something caught Him. Now He's got it. That woman said.... Now we know if she'd say a lie and He'd be our God, our Lord, we know that that woman would probably die right in her tracks. [That's right—to dispute God's Word right to his face.] So we wondered what would happen.

“She said, 'I have no husband.'

“He said, 'You said the truth.' So we wondered what was going to happen. Then we hear Him raise up again, said, 'You've had five, and the one you're living with now is not your husband. So you said the truth.'

“You remember the looks of that woman's face? Her hair fell down, her big pretty eyes looked out there. She scratched her head. She said, 'Sir....'

“Now, John, keep still. I know what you said. 'She's going to say He's Beelzebub.'

JOHN4:19

“But she said, 'Sir, I perceive that you are a prophet.'”

She knowed more about God than the preachers does. She said ... in that state. Oh, yes. A over-trained theological seminary experience takes you away from Him sometimes, farther than walking the street.

“Now, there she said, 'I perceive that You are a prophet. We Samaritans know that there's coming a Messiah which is called Christ, the anointed One, the prophet that Moses spoke of. And we know when He comes He'll tell us these things, because that'll be the sign of the Messiah. He'll be a God-sent prophet. We know that He's coming.'

“Jesus said, 'I am he. [Oh, my!] I am he that speaks with you.'”

“And she looked again. She dropped that water pot and took off in the city as hard as she could.

“You remember, we went over. We said, 'Eat, Master, eat Master.'

“He said, 'I have bread to eat that you know not of.'

“And we went on down into the city. And here come the men coming out. And we remember that woman going down through the street. We could hear her plumb out to that well. All the men around the market place.... She was saying, 'Come see a man. Come see a man who told me the things that I've done. Isn't this the very Messiah? Isn't this the sign of the Messiah? Yes, come see the man that told me what I've done. Isn't this the Messiah?'

“And, brethren, you remember when all them men come out there and they believed that woman's testimony and accepted Him as the Messiah.”

“Oh, we all witnessed that. So we all know (they must have said), brethren, that we know that He is the Messiah.

And He promises, now, for us not to go to any Gentiles. That'll be for another age. But go, rather, to the lost sheep of Israel, see. Now, strange He's made Himself known to the Jews; He's made Himself known to the Samaritans, but not to the Gentiles. He'll perhaps do that later. They're not looking for a Messiah.“

Now, must have been about that time that Satan looked over top the hill after it got dark. Satan's scared of light. Any devil's afraid of light. That's right. Any creeping evil thing's afraid of light. You take a wild animal in the jungles of Africa.... When I'd be out there hunting, just flash on the light, they're gone. They're scared of light. Get an old nasty roach, throw a apple core down out somewhere, when it's dark, he'll come around nibbling. Just turn the light on him, watch him take for cover. Certainly. Spiders and everything else'll take off. They're afraid of light.

That's the reason people are afraid of these old time Holy Ghost meetings. Children of darkness work in darkness. Children of light walk in light. “Ye are the light of the world, a city that sets on a hill.” Don't put a bushel over it now, see.

Satan looked over soon as it got dark, and said, “Well, I guess it's about time for me to start prowling all the night clubs, and honky-tonks, and everything.” Said, “I wonder where them disciples and Jesus is.”

So they looked. And as him and all of his demons looked, there they was, out on the sea without Him. Said, “Now's our chance, they've gone off without Him. Now we can get even with them.” That's just what he looks for—you and I to go off without Jesus one time.

I say this with reverence and respects. I'm afraid that's what the Pentecostal people are doing. You're going off after big buildings and big organizations, and societies, and you've left Him. You're so busy in building programs. You forgot the little mission down on the street, and the old tambourine, the guitar. You're afraid of jail sentences and things again, see. There's something wrong. Went off without Him. Got on a tantrum, programs and so forth, and forgot about Him.

That's the reason our sisters bob off their hair, and wear these little ol' dirty clothes. And deacons put in the church....

I know a Holiness Church, a great Pentecostal church, one of the greatest in the United States. And I know a friend of mine at that.... A man going to this church found a woman, a young girl in there, he loved better than he did his wife. And he had a sweet little girl. And he left his wife, married this girl of the church. And they made him a deacon after that. Brother ... yeah. He went off without Him. That's all I know, brethren. Yes. Because he paid heavy on the plate.

People are beginning to look too much about money, and dressing, and fine things. You better look up. Better get away from that stuff. 'Cause remember, that's the leading to Laodicea, which the church age will go out in. Make God sick at his stomach. He just spews you from his mouth, He said, just acting like Christians. He wants real born-again Christians with real genuine faith to believe every word God writes. Now, I don't want to get started on those things, because I keep you here too long.

Now, notice. Then Satan seen them out there without Him. Said, “Here's our chance to get even with them now.” And that's what he's done to the church. I was called today by some of my sponsors on a meeting. They called me long distance this afternoon, a group of Pentecostal ministers (not Baptist, Presbyterian—Pentecostal ministers), and confessed that they had believed not in divine healing; and wanted me not in the city; and wouldn't sponsor a meeting where they prayed for the sick. Pentecostal ministers. Pitiful, isn't it?

I had another call, said ... from a group that said, “If you let another group sit on the platform with you, we'll have nothing to do with it.” That's worse off than ever. What's the matter? Gone off without Him! The love of God in our heart constrains us to preach to every denomination in every place. When it gets to a spot that you can't have a tender love for every human being, something's happened to you.

God so loved you when you was a sinner—an alien away from God, an enemy of the commonwealth of God—He so loved you that He gave his life for you. Sure. If you get a spirit in you you're better than someone else, then you're worse than anybody else that I know of. I don't care if you're ever so correct in your theology. Your motives and objectives is wrong. I'd rather be wrong in my theology than be wrong in my heart. That's right. The Spirit of God dwells in your heart. In the garden of Eden, man took his ... he compromised.

Now in the garden of Eden there was a choice made by the man. The devil took his head; God took his heart. And he sends him off to a seminary, freezes him up with some good theology and dehydrates him in there. And he comes back out, his head all puffed up, too big to wear an ordinary hat. Then he comes out with bitterness in his heart against a fellow citizen of the kingdom. That ain't God. Right.

Satan seen them go off like that without God. And so he said, “Now let's get rid of them.” And that's just the good way to get rid of them, too. Brother, when you get a place that you can't reach across the fence, come across the street and associate, and call a man a brother just because there might be some little hair's difference.... How do you know you're not a little different in God's sight? some little something? And be a brother? Why, certainly.

Brother, the altar's your place. That's exactly right. Get right with God. I wouldn't want that evil spirit on me. That's right. I'm sorry to see that creeping into Pentecostal groups—all sides of them, too, all sides. Pot can't call kettle black, because it's just six of one, and half a dozen of the other. So they're on both sides.

But, oh, brethren! Don't let that evil thing come on you men. No, sir, brother. Stick together like molasses on a cold morning. Just really, really cling together. Be thick. That's right. For:

“Blest be the tie that binds

Our hearts in Christian love;

The fellowship of kindred minds

Is like to that above.

Before our Father's throne,

We pour our mutual prayers (that's right);

Our fears, our hopes, our aims are one,

Our comforts and our cares (that's right).

That's the way we should be. Yes, certainly—not greedy, selfish, indifferent, ungodly. The fruits of the Spirit is love, joy, longsuffering, meekness, gentleness, faith, patience. That's it. That's the fruit of the Spirit.

You know a tree.... If a tree's got sycamore bark on it, and apples growing on it, what is it? It's a apple tree. The life in the tree produces apples. No matter what your theology is (right or wrong), if you're bearing the wrong kind of fruits, you're the wrong kind of tree, brother. Jesus said, “By their fruit you shall know them.” Not by their tree, but by their fruit. That's right. True.

Now, he saw them without Jesus. Then he began to blow his poison breath at them, and a great storm swept down. And the little ship's just about to tip over, back and forth, up and down, back and forth. The little boat become waterlogged. The mast pole blowed down, the oars broke. (That's about the crippled condition we're getting into. That's right.) He begin to blow his breath, saying, “Whew, you belong to our organization, or you don't belong to anything. We're the ones that's right. The rest of them's wrong. Segregate yourself.” Oh, my! “Yeah, days of miracles is past. Oh, that divine healing, there's nothing to it. Aw, there's no such a thing as this, that, or the other.” Oh, my! See?

That's the poison breaths of Satan. “Don't have nothing to do with him. He don't believe like we do.” There's only one faith, that's the faith of God. That's right. God's faith. Your human faith don't go very far. But God's faith in you makes you love everybody, makes me love everybody, that's right. That's what God's faith does, see. Makes you have the same feeling that Jesus did, because the Spirit of Christ is in you.

All hopes was gone. They were just about ready to sink. They was about holding one another, and say, “Why did we go off without Him? Why didn't we constrain Him to go with us?” But you know what? He does things like that sometimes just to see what we'll do. I think He did it then. Instead of leaving them altogether, you know what He done? He knowed that was going to happen. He knows this thing right now, that's going on now, was going to happen. But you know what He done? He climbed the highest hill there was in Palestine. Got up on top the hill so He could see all the way across the ocean to watch them. Oh!

When He died at Calvary He climbed the ramparts of Calvary till He kept on climbing, on that Easter morning, till He climbed beyond the moon, stars, sun; until He could see from eternity into eternity. His eye is on the sparrow, and I know He's watching this meeting tonight. He wants to see what we'll do.

All hopes was gone. They thought everything was past, they was going to drown. And when the very crucial moment, when He had watched them.... And here He come, walking to them on the troubled sea. And now the sad mistake that they made, I want to say in closing, is the same sad mistake that the church is making today! They were afraid of Him. They thought He was a spook, a spirit, something spooky, fortune-telling and devils. That's what they thought. They begin to tremble. But listen to that comforting word, “Be not afraid. Be of a good cheer. It is I. It is I.” The only thing that could help them, the only help there was to be helped, and they was afraid of it.

And today the only thing that'll break down the barriers, the only thing that could melt us together as brothers and Christians, the only thing that could bring us together again is the Spirit of God, or the love of God that's shed abroad in our hearts, a message of grace from God that we are not divided. All one body are we. God heals them just the same as they was ... whatever they are. We are not divided.

They see the Spirit of God that was promised by Christ Himself. In the last days, He said, “As it was in Sodom,” when that angel set of.... God's Spirit manifested in flesh, eating the flesh of a calf, eating the milk from the cow, drinking buttermilk, sweet milk (whatever it was), eating butter on cornbread, sitting there eating like a man. Had his back turned to the tent; a stranger, never been around there before.

Abraham had never saw Him. As far as Abraham knowed, he'd never saw Him. And He said, “Abraham, where is your wife, Sarah?” How did He know he was married? How did He know he had a wife? And how did He know her name was Sarah?

I'd imagine Abraham said, “My leading was right.” Said, “She's in the tent behind you.”

Said, “Abraham, I am going to fulfill my promise to you.”

Notice, not an angel, not a man, but “I,” going to fulfill “my.” What a promise. “What I promised you.” Oh, my! Can't you see it was God? Abraham said it was God. He called Him Elohim, Lord God, Creator. El, Ela, Elohim means the “all-sufficient and the self-existing One.” Amen. He was the self-existing One, Elohim, manifested in a body of flesh, eating and drinking like a man—that knowed he was Abraham.

The same God was made manifest, and said, “Your name is Simon, and you are the son of Jonas.” “I saw you when you were under the fig tree.” El, Ela, Elohim. See it?

And in the last days He said, “As it was in the days of Sodom, so shall it be at the coming of the Son of Man.” Don't be afraid of God. It's the only thing that can help you.

“Will it help us Methodists?

“Yes.”

“Help us Baptists?”

“Yes.”

“Help us Oneness?”

“Yes.”

“Twoness?”

“Yes.”

“Threeness?”

“Yes.”

Fourness, Fiveness, I don't care what you are, it's help for all of you. Don't be afraid of it.

God's Bible message to every one of you, “Whosoever will, let him come and drink from the fountains of the water of life freely.” “Don't be afraid, it is I”, said Jesus. “And I will be with you [I, that pronoun again, personal pronoun], I'll be with you, even in you, to the end of the world.” Amen. “Jesus Christ the same yesterday, today, and forever.”

When He was yesterday in his day, He was a pillar of fire. He was manifested in flesh, said, “I come from God and go to God.” A few days later after his resurrection, Saul, breathing out great threats, went down to Damascus. A light, a pillar of fire struck him down.

He said, “Who are You?”

He said, “I'm Jesus.”

Peter was in prison, the pillar of fire come in the window. Peter thought, “I'm having a dream now.”

He said, “Come on, follow Me.”

The gates opened by itself, passed right by the guards. He didn't realize it was God till he was on the outside. Amen. I love Him, don't you?

Let's now ... my time's five minutes over, let's just sing this little song to Him, all you people, every one. “I love Him, I love Him because He first loved me.”

Our heavenly Father, we thank Thee for thy Word, Thy Word is truth. “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.” And the Word was manifested before us in flesh. In the book of Hebrews it said, “The word of God [Christ, of course], is more powerful and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the sunder of the bone, the marrow, and even a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the mind.” O God, be merciful to us. Grant it, Father.

Make Yourself known tonight in human flesh by performing the same things that You did back there, that they might know. And when we stand in the judgment bar there'll be no excuses. Father, take your eye salve of the Spirit tonight, and open the people's eyes that they might see that it is You, that it's your Spirit. You're not dead, You're alive forevermore. May many of the people, even like the woman touched his garment, may they be graciously healed, for we ask it in his name, amen.

I love Him, I love Him,

Because He first loved me;

And purchased my.........

..... Calvary's tree.

Now real sweetly. Do you love Him? Really love Him? Makes you love everybody, don't it? All right, now while we sing again softly and sweetly to Him, let's everyone shake hands with somebody quietly right by us.

I love Him, I love Him,

Because He first loved me;

And purchased my salvation

On Calvary's tree.

Now let's just worship with our heads bowed. Quietly, hum it now. (Hums) Just think how good He is to you. O God! Just think in your heart now. Lay your hand over on Calvary. O dying Lamb, thy precious blood shall never lose its power. Why do you love Him? Just think, why do you?

Because He first loved me;

And purchased my salvation

On Calvary's tree.

Father, we thank You now for this sweet fellowship. Oh, how we love it, Lord. Just bathe at the fountain, bathing ourself in the beauty of his righteousness and holiness and his power. Our sins are all gone. The blood of Jesus Christ, God's Son, cleanses us from that. We're fixing to come in to the throne now, Lord, to ask favors. You've got a group of sick children here, Father. They've come tonight because they believe in You. And I've come to bring the message to them.

O God, some of these people in here will die right away if You don't help them. Our beloved physicians of the earth here has give some of them up, no doubt. Some of them are crippled and blind, and something that the medics don't know what to do about. Father, You're the creator.

David, one time as we quoted, he was caring for his father's sheep. God, let me just take his place tonight, caring for Father's sheep. One day a lion, an enemy, come in, grabbed one of the sheep and run out, a lamb. And he didn't have nothing but this little slingshot. But he went after the lion. He trusted You. He slew the lion, brought the lamb back.

Father, there's many of them here tonight sick and afflicted, that medical science is stumped. They don't know what to do. They've come here tonight. They're your sheep. I'm taking this little slingshot of prayer, and I'm coming after them, Lord. Give us power of faith to kill that lion, that devil, that cancer, that devil that's crippled them, or whatever it is, that we might restore them back to the sheepfold for You, for our Father don't want to lose his sheep. Forgive our unbelief, Lord, and set our souls aflame with thy Spirit.

We realize that healing has already been purchased for us, for He was wounded for our transgressions; and with his stripes we were (a past tense) healed.

Now grant, Lord, that You'll come tonight in this meeting, and will do something that You did just like You did when You were here on earth, because You promised it would be done in this day.

And when we leave the meeting tonight, may we feel like Cleopas and them coming from Emmaus, when You did something there just like You did before your crucifixion. They knew that was the same Jesus. He'd rose, and was doing just like He did before his crucifixion. Light-heartedly they run and told everybody, “Truly the Lord is raised from the dead.” And they said, “Did not our hearts burn within us when He talked to us?”

I pray, Father, that they won't be afraid tonight while You've been talking to them in their spirit, for may they realize that that still small voice that attracted the attention of the prophet.... The mighty rushing wind struck over the cave. It didn't rouse the prophet much. The thunder and the lightning, the blood and oil and so forth, all poured down. But it didn't attract the prophet. But when that still small voice spoke, then the prophet veiled his face and come out. God spoke with him.

God, let us veil our face tonight and walk out, hear from You. May we not be afraid. May we veil ourselves with the Word of God, walk out upon his promise now—that still small voice of the promise by the Word—and see you perform these things that we're asking tonight. We commit it all to You now, in the name of Jesus Christ. Amen.

I want to pray for this just now. Lord Jesus, You promised it. And one day, it's written by a writer, that the children of Israel were on the road to the promised land, and the Red Sea got in their way, right in the line of duty. The Red Sea was keeping them from the promised land, and the writer said that God looked down through that pillar of fire with angry eyes and the Red Sea got scared and rolled back. And the children of Israel went on to the promised land.

Now, Father, the promise is that You would heal us, that You have healed us. And doubt is in the way, superstitions, all kinds of troubles. Now may God not only look through the pillar of fire tonight, but through the blood of his own Son. May them demons that holds the people that's sick, that sent these handkerchiefs in.... When these handkerchiefs of tokens is laid upon the people, may that devil turn them loose, and they go over into that promised land of good health. Grant it, Lord. It's in the line of duty. We send these handkerchiefs in Jesus' name for that purpose. May they be restored to the promise that God gave them. And the promise above all things I wish ... would that you prosper in health, so they can serve God. Amen.

The ones that own them may get them after the service.

I don't know how we're going to line the prayer line up here. The line ... the walls are full. How many prayer cards did you all give out? Fifty. What was they? A's, B's, or C's? Let's see what we can do. Is there room for a line between you all and the wall there, brethren? Could a line...? You wouldn't mind it? That's all right. No, don't. Don't get out of your way. We'll make ... we want you to stand right here.

[Break in tape.] ...

difference whether I pray for you or not. that don't have much to do with it. It isn't my hands; it's his hands. That's the reason I have them times.... Now remember, if there was anything in the world I could do to help you, I'd do it. But there's nothing I could do towards healing you, only telling you a message that Christ has already healed you. How many believes that's the truth? See. How many knows that every sin in the world was forgiven when Jesus Christ died at the cross? All right. Then what do you when you hear the Word? You accept it. That's right? And then if you believe it, you're saved.

Then how many knows when Jesus died at the cross that by his stripes we were healed? He healed every sick person. That's right. Then what can anyone do? If you're already brought out of the pawn shop.... If a fellow's standing there with a ticket of redemption, the only thing you have to do is receive it, see. Let's just take it. You're free, you don't have it then. (What say? I called to 25. Got all of them in.) All right.

Now, now in this prayer line only thing I'm going to do is pray for the sick, see. Now how many knows that's been here in future meetings, that knows that the Holy Spirit that promised in the last days that the message would be like it was in the days of Sodom, and Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today and forever, and made a promise that He would do these things? How many Bible readers know this, He promised it? All right. Do you believe that we are at the end of the Gentile age? Like it was at the end of the Jewish age, and the Samaritan age?

Now, Jesus made Himself known as the Messiah to them by a Messiahic sign. Is that right? Anybody knows that? How many knows that He had the Messiah sign? Sure, sure He did. He said, “If I do not the works of my Father, believe me not.”

The woman at the well said, “We know when Messiah cometh, He'll tell us this,” see. And so, to know the secrets of their heart, to do just the same thing it's always done—

and then how many knows that He didn't perform that before Gentiles? Sure. How many knows He promised He would do it at the end-time? Sure He would. Sure. All right.

Why? When God is called on the scene—now listen, you Bible studiers. Listen to this. Put your faith in the Word of God, for when God is ever called on the scene to make a decision, He cannot make any other decision but what He has to stay with his first decision. How many know that? 'Cause He's infinite, every decision's perfect. He don't have to make no two decisions. If He made another decision then his first decision was wrong, if He changes it. Therefore when God does anything in the Bible, He has to do it again or He did wrong when He did it the first time.

So if He made Himself known as Messiah by the sign of Messiah, a prophet-Messiah, then, to the Jews, to the Samaritans, and promised it to the Gentiles, He's got to do the same thing.

Now, how many's seen it happen? Let's see your hands so I know. Oh, I guess everybody. How many never did see it happen? Let's see your hands. Never did see it? Raise up. Never did see God do a thing like that, stand at the platform, never was in one of these meetings before, never seen the sign of the Messiahic sign. Let's see your hands go up, never seen it. There's a few. Some newcomers in the back, all right.

What say? What say? Yes, just in a little bit. All right, you think they can line up the others? 26, prayer card C26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 30, 31? Say, is the Spanish-speaking people here tonight? These people speak Spanish? I don't know what might ... there's four, five, six cards missing, might be Spanish-speaking. All right, 30, 31, 31, all right, 32, that's right. 33 come right over here, 33, 34, 35, 36, 37, 38, there we're coming, 39, 39. Right this way, come this way. 39, 40, 41, -2, -3, -4, 41, -2, -3, -4. All right, back in the back. 44, 45, 46, 47, 48. I didn't see 48. 48, 49, 49, 49, I didn't see it, prayer card C49. All right. C50? Who has prayer card C50? Now we're getting them lined up. Now, now that's all the prayer cards.

Now. [This woman here needs help, Brother.] All right, when the time comes, when the time comes he'll help to lift.... I'll tell you, when time comes for me to pray for her, I'll just walk down there and pray for her. Leave her sit right at.... What's her number? [48] 48. All right, you remind me now, Brother Jack, the time when 48 comes, I'll go down, pray for the lady. All right.

Now, now the rest of you in here that doesn't have a prayer card ... which, all prayer cards are in the line. Now, now ... that wants Jesus to heal you, raise up your hands—doesn't have prayer cards.

Now I want to quote a scripture to you. There was a woman ... we're just going to say, one time a woman that didn't have a prayer card in the Bible. And she said, “I believe that man, and if I can only touch the hem of his garment, I'll be made whole.” You know the story? All right. What happened? She pressed through the crowd till she touched the hem of his garment.

Now did anybody ever see a Palestinian robe? It's way loose and got an underneath garment. Keeps the dust off the limbs. And a Palestinian garment.... If she touched the hem of my coat I wouldn't feel it. If she touched my trouser legs like that, or cuff of my trousers—how about a big garment hanging out like that? So Jesus turned around and said, “Who touched me?”

And Peter rebuked Him, said, “Lord, all of us touching You, why do you say a thing like that?”

He said, “But I perceive that I got weak.” Virtue went out. Is that right?

And what did He do? He looked out over the audience until He found the little woman, and told her her blood issue was gone. Her faith had saved her. How many knows that? Now wouldn't you like to touch Him? Well, is it possible that you can touch Him? Is He a high priest now that could be touched by the feeling of our infirmities? Well, then, if He's the same high priest, how would He act now? Like He did then. Is that right? Now you touch Him, and see if He acts that way. That's the way to do it.

Oh, isn't that wonderful, when you bring God's Word to a showdown?

Now if He stood here with this suit on, and you walked up to Him saying, “O Master, Lord, O Master, I pray that You'll heal me.”, you know what He'd say?

“My child, I've already done it. Don't you believe Me?”

You say, “Lord, let me see if you got scars in your hand.” Anybody could have scars in their hand. “Let me see if You got scars in your side.” I got them where a horse throwed me. Sure. Now I got another one over here, where I was shot with a gun. Gun went off when I was a kid. Another fellow's gun shot me across the side. But that don't mean that you'd be a Messiah. No.

But the life of Messiah would be the Spirit of Messiah in his church. Now no matter how much He'd put it on me, He's got to put it on you too, because we can't work separately. We got to work together.

Jesus went into a place claiming He was the Messiah, and many mighty works He could not do because of what? Unbelief. He's the same yesterday, today and forever. If you don't believe Him there's no way for Him to work. If you will believe Him, He'll come right in your flesh, the Messiah will. Amen. He's the same God that's in flesh. Do you believe it?

Now, in this prayer line, you all that's in this prayer line, how many's been in a prayer line that's been here at other meetings, and seen God—how He revealed the secrets and things? Raise up your hands, you that's in the prayer line. All right. Now, if I don't say one word to you, just pray, do you believe that God will do it? You believe it? Do you believe it without seeing? I know what you're feeling. I can just feel it, see. I can tell it.

All right. You out there without.... Let's have the discernment line out here without prayer cards, the ones without prayer cards have the discernment. Let these pass through so that you'll see that the angel of the Lord is here.

Now if that pillar of fire that was in the burning bush in Moses' time.... The pillar of fire was in the burning bush in the time of Moses when it was made flesh. How many believes that was Christ? He said, “Before Mos... before Abraham was I AM”, see. All right.

Now, that pillar of fire that was in the wilderness when it was made flesh.... We know it did that, didn't it? And now, is He a high priest tonight that can be touched by the feeling of our infirmities? All right. You just have faith and believe God, and God will grant that to you. Now every one of you, just bow your heads silently and start praying, each one of you. Don't be upset, hysterical, but just believe that Jesus Christ is here. You have a need of Him. Just believe.

Oh, how wonderful ... the sympathizing Jesus. Now, I've talked about Him, spoke his Word. Will He now fulfill his Word? All right. It's all ... got your prayer line? Just a minute. I want the discernment to be out there, if God'll just grant it once more. All right, raise your heads. Look on me, now, just like Peter and John, passing the gate called Beautiful. Believe me as his servant.

Hold your affliction in your mind, and say, “God, I'm suffering with so-and-so. Have mercy on me.” All of you, don't think that you're past healing. You're not. Just as easy for Him to heal you as it is anybody else. Just have faith. I wish I could heal every one of you. I'd do it. I can't do no more that just what I see going on.

I'm watching the light. It was here just a second ago. It moved and went this way, and I don't see it now. It's away from the platform at this time.

Yeah, the little lady there with her hand up to her mouth suffering with that gall bladder trouble—if you believe with all your heart, Jesus Christ make you well. Had more faith than you thought you had. “If thou canst believe, all things are possible.”

Brother, sitting right there, don't fear. You're going to be all right. And if you'll believe with all your heart.... That man you're praying for that that horse fell on, he'll wake up if you'll believe it. Do you believe it? You believe it? All right. Have faith. Nothing's impossible.

I want to ask you something, what did he touch? He's forty feet from me. What did he do? He touched the high priest. His faith moved back, and I caught it. Amen. “If thou canst believe....”

Think God can heal you of them varicose veins? Wasn't that wonderful? Little sister sitting over there on the end of the row, you want God to give you a baby, don't you? Little lady with the green-looking dress on. Have faith in God, and you'll embrace your son that you've asked for.

Ask them people. I don't know that woman, I never saw her in my life. She's a stranger to me. Are we strangers, lady? ever who that was that was called? If we're strangers to one another, raise up your hand. Yeah, raise up your hand so that the people see. What did they touch? The high priest. Now do you believe? Now you touch. You do the same kind of touching, I challenge you in Christ's name to do it. Now we'll pray for the sick.

That strike you? You believe that I am his servant? With all your heart. I don't know you. You're a stranger to me, just so the people see whether the people hasn't got prayer cards, or prayer cards, it doesn't matter. Now you know there's some kind of anointing here, is that right? You know that it ... something takes more a than man to do something like that. It takes God, doesn't it? Yes, it certainly does.

Do you believe that God could tell me what you're standing here for? You know He could. That's fine. All right. If you'll believe it, I see you're shadowed. Yeah, something horrible. You're shadowed. And that's the reason I looked around, the anointing being on me.... Now, I couldn't take each one of them people down that line. I'd drop off here on this platform, I'm so weak now. See how beads of sweat standing?

I couldn't do it, because if He felt weakness from one person touching Him, what about now when He has to work back through a sinner saved by grace, see. And that was the anointed God. Just his holy virgin-born body that God was working through made Him weak. What about me, a sinner saved by grace? Because He said, “More than this shall you do. The things that I do shall you also, and more than this.” It says “greater” in the King James, but....

You say, “What're you talking to me for, Brother Branham?” I'm trying to contact your spirit just like He talked to the woman at the well. That's right. I can tell you now, you're suffering with an extreme nervousness. You got heart trouble also. That's right, isn't it? If that's right, raise up you hand so the people see it. Now you believe? with all your heart? Well, the same God knows this same thing's the matter with you, see? That just does it.

I keep feeling that.... Every once in a while somebody says, “He's guessing that.” I'm not guessing that. How could I guess that? Now don't think them things, because I catch it right here, see. And that hinders the rest of the meeting. Here's ... let's see if we was guessing it.

You're a fine person. Now, I couldn't have guessed that. I don't know you. I've never seen you. We're perfectly strangers. Is that right? That's right. All right, sir, that's true. Now I don't know what I've told you. The only way I know is get that tape. Let me get in contact with your spirit again.

See, you're a woman, I'm a man. That's the same way it was at the gate, at the well at Samaria. But, we being Christians, see, and the Spirit of God between us, we're brothers and sisters. Then there's a God of heaven here trying to work through me just like this ... this thing. It don't know what to say. It can't say nothing. Neither could I tell you. I have to speak through this to make a voice go through it. Well, He has to speak through me to tell me what's wrong. You see it, audience?

Now I'm just yielding myself. I just have a gift from God to yield myself. I don't know what He's going to say. If He can tell you what has been, surely you could believe if He'll tell you what will be. Now somebody'll say, “Well, let's see if He'll tell you what has been.” God have mercy so the people can see and understand, is my prayer. I just want.... I don't mean to dig up your life, but I just want to see if God will tell it so that the people see that something.... I won't ask Him no more, if He'll in this meeting tonight, if He'll just let it happen.

Yes, I see it now. I see her shaking, walking to a window. She gets real nervous, late of a evening especially, right after work. And she's got heart trouble. Oh, my. There's something else. Yes, here's something has been. It's an operation of some sort, a cancer, in the breast. And you're afraid that part of it is still there. That's right. Yes, on your side. See, I was pointing to my left side, yes. And you've had some more trouble. You've just recently lost your husband. That's right. Is that what has been? You believe God can tell me who you are? the same that knowed who Simon Peter was and so forth? Mrs. Badd, now go believing. It'll all be over.

Now if I just lay hands.... There's something anointing here, isn't there? If I lay hands on you, the Bible said, “These signs shall follow them that believe; ... if they lay hands on the sick they shall recover.”

Our heavenly Father, I lay hands upon my sister, and ask while this anointing is here, for her healing. Amen. Go believing now with all your heart. If I lay hands upon you, do you believe that God will heal you and make you well? The whole church is praying for you. In the name of Jesus Christ may he be healed. Just have faith. Go believing with all your heart.

Now, you know I know what's wrong with you. But I don't have to say it, do I? Just as long as I tell you your heart.... Well, go ahead. See, I done said it.

Now you know I know what's wrong with you. Is that right? If I tell you, would it help you? Which would be greatest? Me to lay hands on you or tell you what's wrong with you? Tell you what's wrong with you. All right. You're bothered with nervousness. Now take off the platform and be made well.

(Don't know whether to shake out of that now. You go ahead. Stop the prayer line, see if it don't. Here it is again.)

Do you believe your back trouble will be all right? Go believing with all your heart.

Now you know God could tell me what was wrong with you, and if He would, would it help you? All right. Get rid of that old asthma. Go on and believe with all your heart.

(Can't get out of it somehow. Just pray for me) Do you believe that God will heal you? Your heart'll be all right, and you'll get well? All right, go believe with all your heart.

Now, that's all right. Now just pray, and believe with all your heart. Now He knows what's wrong with the people. Now, are you believing? Now just have faith. Don't doubt. Now if each one of you will believe, and just accept your healing reverently where you're at, just accept your healing. Now be real reverent.

(It's again.) I don't know you. Don't know nothing about you. I guess we never seen one another in our lives. This is our first time meeting. If that's right raise up your hand. Just another place like our Lord met a woman at the well one time. He talked to her, He found out what her trouble was, and then He told her her trouble. And she said He was the Messiah.

If He could tell you the same thing through me, would you believe that He's still Messiah? You believe it with all your heart? I just wanted to ask you that for a reason. You've had an accident in your leg. Had to take the knee-cap off. That's right. And then, besides that you've got a hernia that bothers you, and you're extremely nervous. And the greatest thing you need is to give your life to Christ, and from a sinner become a Christian. Will you accept Him as your Saviour now? You do accept Him as your Saviour now? I pronounce you to be healed in the name of Jesus Christ. Go and sin no more.

Let us say praise be to God, everyone just worship Him a moment.

Father God, as she passes by may she be healed, in Jesus' name.

If it keeps on you'll have a crutch afterwhile, but do you believe that God'll take it away from you? Your arthritis will leave you and be gone, in the name of the Lord Jesus.

Yes, Ma'am, God bless you. Our heavenly Father, I lay hands upon this dear woman. In the name of Jesus Christ, heal her, Father.

Heavenly Father, as I bow my heart to You, I pray for my brother. As he passes by, may he come under the shadow of the cross and be healed in Jesus' name.

Now if I would tell you what was wrong with you, would it help you? Because you're trying to go blind. But that's not what's doing this. It's diabetes is what's a-doing it. And if you'll believe with all your heart, it'll leave you. Will you believe? Then in the name of Jesus Christ, go and be made well.

Father God, in the name of Jesus Christ may she be healed. Amen. Have faith.

Heavenly Father, I pray in Jesus' name that You'll heal her.

Now don't think just because I don't tell them that that's ... it's kind of hard for me to get away from it, see. But I know that it's all right. God's doing it just the same, see. Don't matter, see. I can't, if you do all the line.... I just told Brother Jack to watch it if it kept on going on. I'd have to leave the line, because it's just spinning to me now. How many understands that Scripturally? Why, sure. See, you can't hardly....

All right, do you believe me to be his prophet? Or his servant, I mean to say. That stumbles some people. I'm not a prophet. I'm just his servant, see. You believe with all your heart? Do you believe that he'll get all right, huh? He's real nervous, isn't he? He's got heart trouble, high blood pressure, and he drinks. Go believe. That's your husband I'm talking about. He'll get all right. Have faith in God.

Our heavenly Father, I pray that You'll heal our sister, in Jesus' name. Go eat your supper. You feel, sitting there in the chair, your stomach trouble's left you.

O God, I pray, God, You'll heal this servant in Jesus' name. Amen.

Lord, I pray that You'll heal our sister in Jesus' name.

God, lay hands upon the little one in the name of Jesus Christ. May....

Father God, I pray that You'll heal her arthritis and make her well. Her nervousness, I pray that she'll be all right, in Jesus' name.

Father, I pray that You'll heal her in Jesus Christ's name. Go and be made well.

God, I pray that You'll heal our brother, and make him well as I lay hands on him, in Jesus' name. Amen. God bless you brother.

Our heavenly Father, I lay hands upon our sister. In the name of Jesus Christ may she go and be healed. Amen. Have faith. Now don't doubt.

Our Father, I pray that You'll heal our sister in the name of Jesus Christ.

Passing by, like, don't come by me, but under the cross in the name of the Lord Jesus.

Our Heavenly Father, I pray that You'll heal our sister in the name of Jesus Christ, amen. God bless you, sister. Do you believe that? Just have a good courage, see. You know I know what's wrong, but go believing it anyhow, see.

You want me to say it. If I will tell you what's on your heart, will you believe me to be his prophet? You will? One thing's wrong with you. You're bothered with nervousness. That's right. You got a nervous stomach that causes you trouble. That's what you want me to pray for, isn't that right? You've had it all your life. I tell you, you got a burden on your heart. Can God tell me what your burden is? The salvation of your father and mother. That's “thus saith the Lord.”

I know you, sister. O Lord God, while the anointing of the Holy Spirit ... this woman's been so kind to me, I pray that You'll give her her desire tonight. Grant all these things that she's asked, Father, and especially for the family, I pray in Jesus' name. Amen. You know what I mean.

Our Father who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name. Grant the healing of our precious brother. Come believing. Don't doubt. God bless you brother. Have faith.

In the name of Jesus Christ I lay hands upon him while the anointing of the Holy Spirit is present. In Jesus' name may he be healed.

Father, as we feel the vibrations of this fine woman, I pray, Father, that You'll heal her in the name of Jesus' Christ. Amen. Come believing now. Don't doubt.

Sister, just look at the prayers that's going up for you. Look at this fine bunch of ministers here. This is the church of the living God. Our Father, we pray that You'll heal her as by faith we lay our hands upon her in confirmation of Jesus' own words that said, “These signs shall follow them that believe....” May she be healed in Jesus' name. Amen. The prayer of the faith shall save the sick, and God shall raise them up.

Heavenly Father, with the effectual fervent prayer of the righteous—and we're not righteous but we accept the righteousness of our Lord—I pray this prayer for her, and present it to You in her behalf in the name of Jesus Christ. Amen. God bless you, sister. Go believing now.

Most dangerous disease there is, heart trouble. But God's the healer of heart trouble, isn't that right? Do you believe? Come believing. Our Heavenly Father, I pray that You'll bless our brother and heal him. Grant it, Lord, as I lay hands upon him in Jesus Christ's name. Amen. Bless you.

Our Father who art in heaven, hallowed be Thy name. I pray, Father that You'll grant the healing of my brother in Jesus' name.

Father God, as I lay hands upon the little woman, I pray that in the name of Jesus Christ that You'll heal her, and make her every whit whole. Amen.

Don't doubt. Just come believing. Lord Jesus, tenderly and mercifully, Lord, she brings the little one tonight. I lay my hands upon them and pronounce the blessings of God. May it be healed in Jesus' name. Amen. God bless you, sister.

Our heavenly Father, this humble little woman moves up here carrying the Word of God over her heart. I pray, Lord, it'll go deep in there and she'll have faith to believe in Christ's name. Amen.

Our heavenly Father, we ask the mercies of God upon this our sister. May the power of God heal her, and make her well, in Jesus Christ's name.

I'm going to ask these people sitting here.... They haven't got prayer cards but they're in these wheelchairs. Would you all bow your heads and pray with me just a moment, everyone, while I go and lay hands on them.

We used to sing a little song:

Pray, pray, the only way

To reach higher ground;

Pray, pray, the prayer of faith

Will bring God's blessings down.

That right? Are you all believing in God?

[Brother Branham prays.]

Oh, excuse me. I let the prayer line go. All right, is this the other lady? All right. Now, how many believe? This lady, I don't know you. I've never seen you as far as I know. We're strangers to one another. Now every person out here in the building let this [unclear word] be an example to you. Here we are, just walk right this way, sister.

I don't know this woman. I have never seen her. We're total strangers to one another so far as I know. But if the Holy Spirit will tell me something that's wrong with her, or what she's here for.... It might be she's sick. Maybe she's here for somebody else. Maybe she's here for domestic trouble, financial trouble, church affairs, spiritual condition. I don't know. That's true. I don't know the lady. God does. But now that you people might always know that Jesus Christ in your presence, making infallible confirmation of his Word, let me talk to the woman just a moment while I have myself yielded to the Spirit.

Now you that I prayed for, and laid hands on these wheelchairs, if you haven't got enough faith to rise up and walk, don't let that bother you. You just have a little mustard seed. So you can hold right on to it, and just keep moving right on, see.

Now, Abraham was given a promise of God, and for twenty-five years he waited for that promise to be fulfilled. Is that right? He never staggered at the promise of God through unbelief, but strong, giving praise to God. Now we know that God still remains God.

Now, if this woman here had walked up in the presence of the Lord Jesus Christ tonight.... Let's say she is sick, and she walked up in the presence of the Lord Jesus, and she is in the presence of the Lord Jesus. Not you, not me, but the Spirit that's here.

He's the vine, we're the branches. Is that right? How many know the vine doesn't bear fruit? The branches bears the fruit as it's energized by the vine. Is that right? Now watch close and listen. Now, if she stood here in the presence of the Lord Jesus...

Something happened to that boy there then. I tell you what I want you to do. I want you to take a string, and tie it around that wad of his, see, tonight. And tie a knot around it. And then on the last night [unclear words] tomorrow night. Tomorrow night you tie another knot, the next night another knot, and bring me that string and lay it up here on this pulpit ... drawed on that boy, and you see how much that head shrinks between now and then, that you might know.

Now the reason I've done that is to have your faith, see. You've got to have something in faith. If you don't doubt, it'll take place.

Now you watch, I want you to tie your string, make a little knot in it. Then pull the same string tomorrow night. After the service tie another little knot, how much it shrank. Then on the last night tie your knot I spoke of in church. Then come up on the platform (cut it off), and show me how much it shrank between now and then.

Now you see, friends.... You say, “Why do you do it, Brother Branham?” I'm trying to bring myself back to a place just a little bit, see, so I can talk to you just a moment. I look out there and see, like you are all one big milky group now, see. But I'm trying to let you see that your brother, I, your brother, has not one thing in earth to do with this. It's God confirming his Word, his promise, that He said He would do.

Now don't be afraid of it. If I could hear his voice speak tonight, He'd say this, “Be of a good cheer. It is I. Be not afraid.” For He's the same yesterday (that's what He did yesterday), is today, will be forever. Do you believe that? Now see, so that you'll know that it ain't prayer cards or something, somebody, or ... in the ministerial breakfast, and for three nights now, three services, we haven't had a prayer card. And have you done in other services without prayer cards? Just like He done tonight with prayer cards? Prayer cards only line them up so we won't fight over one another's place, see. Too many in one place.

Now, sister, excuse me, I keep forgetting about it. Not beside myself, but I hope you forgive me for that. I didn't mean you stand here and make a gazing stock from you. Now, just a.... Did you have a prayer card, or they just put you up here? You had a prayer card. All right. 'Cause I thought if you was able to walk around like that wouldn't be right. But let me know, because you could be ... to them. But they gave you a prayer card. You was in line. All right.

Now if the Lord Jesus ... like here a woman and a man again. If He can tell me something that, like you're here for, would you believe it? You're here for me to pray for your eyes, got eye trouble. If that's right, raise up your hand.

“Well,” you say, “sure. She's got on glasses.”

All right. Let's just take that out of the way. Now you look at me and believe. Do you believe? Now you're.... Just let the people know. Now right now you feel a sweet, warm Spirit. If that's right raise up your hand, because you are a Christian.

Now did you ever see the picture of that light, that pillar of light in the picture. We got it here. It's been taken all over the world? We got them right here at the building. Now how many ever seen it? All right, that light's hanging between me and the woman right now, I'm looking right at it.

Now, do you think He can heal your husband? He's here, too. If I can tell you what's wrong with your husband, will you believe me to be his servant? He's got skin cancer on the face. That's right, isn't it? All right. And you got some other loved one you're praying for that's a daughter, loved one. They're not here. Got trouble with the ear. They're not even in this country. It's in Georgia. Is that right? You're not from this city. You're from the city called J-a-... Jasper. That's right. Your name's Mrs. Kimmage. That's right. Go home and be made well.

How many believes? Jesus said, “These signs shall follow them that believe.” Is that right? Lay your hands on one another. “If they lay hands....” Don't pray for yourself now. Pray for the person you got ... way back in the back there. Lay your hands on one another. Now pray the prayer of faith.

Our heavenly Father, I pray that You'll help us. Satan, you've lost the battle. You're exposed, Satan. Come out of them.