Why?

Thank you, brother. You may be seated. My wife said, “Bill, I kind of admire you on this meeting, going down to Texas where all that nice weather is.”

A while ago I called her. I said, “How cold is it?”

She said, “Not very cold. It's just about zero. But what're you-all doing down there?”

I said, “Just raining and sleeting as hard as it can.” I said, “The summer must have went on west to take its vacation.” It's sure left the lower part of Texas, hasn't it? I see that we got a slick rainy ride tomorrow so we solicit your prayers.

I didn't expect there'd be anybody out. I thought all Texas was afraid of bad weather, but I see some of them are not. So we're happy that you're here tonight, and happy that we had this.... You showed us this great fine meeting, one of the nicest meetings we've had in years—your fine spirit and cooperation. I want to thank these pastors, each and every one of you, for your fine cooperation. I didn't get to eat dinner with you—just had a breakfast with you all. But I'd like to go over and see how your wife can cook grits and biscuits, and, oh, my, I imagine it'd be fine, be dandy. I appreciate our little organist here that's been so sweet, helping us—all you people.

And they tell me that they give a love offering for me. All the expenses are made, brethren? If it isn't, turn it right in on that, see. And if everything's all right, and there's no particular need of it, I put it in the work of the Lord as I travel on. May God ever bless you. And I believe it said in the Scripture, “In so much as you have done it unto the least of my little ones, you have did it to me.” So I am that least one, so you have did it unto Him, see, that you did. I know it's a portion of your living you're sharing with me for the gospel. I pray that God will so richly bless you. And when life is finished here, at the other side you'll be rewarded, if not here; a hundred-fold here, and eternal life on the other side.

Your faith has been tremendous—how you have got together and pressed your faith on and blended in your faith. If it wasn't for that faith the meeting would not have been what it is; but it's because that you have believed, and believed with me, and I appreciate it. I've told my brethren, and told the friends that's called me up from different parts of the country, that it was tremendous how the people here in Beaumont had certainly put their faith and prayer behind the meetings, and helped.

There's no doubt but what everything, when it makes a little history or just something unusual, you have the pro and con of it. You have the good and the bad. You have to have the night to enjoy the day. You have to have bad weather to enjoy good weather. That's the way life is. We have to have bad people to make the good people show up. And so have to have a false to make a real. I'm not saying this because I was asked to say it. I'm saying it because it's out of my heart.

And I want to say to you, all you people, you churches, I wouldn't want you to think that I was a person that tried to disagree with all churches, and they're all wrong and I'm the one's right. If I've left that impression, forgive me. I didn't mean it like that, but I meant to say that there's not an organization in the world, I don't believe, of Christian religion but what's got good people in it, and they've got God's people in it.

I do not agree with organization, because that the organization.... Now listen close. If the organization'd say, “We believe this,” with a comma, all right. But if, “We believe this,” period, that's all wrong, see. If you end your doctrine with a comma: “We believe this, plus as much as God wants to add to it”; but when you say, “We believe this, period, and that's all,” then you shut God right out of it. And that's the way organizations do. They end it with a period.

Now, such things taken place. One of our brethren, because that he had prayed for years, and he had prayed for me to come here.... And I want to tell you how the Lord worked. I had great stacks of invitations, world-wide. I put all my American revivals together, and then my foreign overseas, the first of every year. I start Christmas week and we pray over them the week through, because we're usually home then. And so we prayed over it. And immediately my mind was attracted to Texas—Houston ... or, not Houston, but Beaumont. And then in ... I said, “You got anything from Beaumont?” The secretary brought out invitations, several of them, and I said, “Let's see.” And I just picked up one like that, laid it.... Picked out one and I seen this little pastor's name. I said, “Contact him.” See, just, “Contact Brother....”

And then the brother, with good intentions, with no ill feelings.... And if some of the state men are here, presbyters or whatever it is, brethren, don't do something evil that you'll be sorry of later. Be a Christian, be a gentleman. The little brother meant no harm. He was only trying to follow out and was thankful for a prayer being answered. That's all it was, just being thankful for God answering his prayer. He didn't mean to be evil, and I don't think he is. He's a good brother—fine, sweet brother.

And then when his good brother, one of the.... He belongs to the UPC, which is called among the people, “Oneness.” And some of the trinitarian-believing brethren come in. His heart's hungry for fellowship, and when his trinitarian brother came, what was he... ? Nothing to do but put his arm around him. Now, brethren, if you excommunicate a man from your Assemblies for such as that, God have mercy on your sinful soul. When I get to a place, or any organization that can't reach its arms out and get a brother from anywhere, God be merciful to you.

Assembly brethren, and you Church of God, Foursquare, and all of you, I'm sure you can appreciate a stand that a gallant brother would take like that. I'm sure that you Assembly brethren appreciate that, you Foursquare and Church of God and trinitarian-believing brethren. This brother reached out his heart. He didn't have the heart to say, “Stay away,” because he loves you. Now while he's in his part when he's down, having to grind hard, and relied upon that all the time, if anything should happen and the brethren should put him out of the organization because he fellowshipped with you, remember that.

Have fellowship one with another, and forget your little differences, and be brothers one with another and strengthen him. Lend him a hand and pat him on the back, say, “Come on, brother, we're right together.” That's the way to do it. That's the way to do it. You'll find out one thing, brother: criticism will only get you in trouble. That's right. Don't never down anybody; lift them up.

I'm going to tell a little story about this just comes on my mind. There's not many here tonight so we got a good time to speak. We'll pray for the sick, give my little farewell message to you. And I would like to say that.... Here some time ago I was in Ohio. We were having a great meeting. It's been about four or five years ago, maybe six. And the meeting got so heavy till I had to move out into the country. The little motel I was staying, so many was around—or hotel, rather—I moved out into the country. I'd been fasting for something special to happen, something that would win the hearts of people.

You know sometimes when we're praying for others, we're the one that gets the help many times, when you're praying for others. Like at nighttime when I say, “Put your hands on one another. Don't pray for yourself, but pray for the other fellow. He's praying for you.” The Bible said, “Confess your faults one to another, and pray one for the other.” That's the way we want to do. Let the Baptists pray for the Methodists, and the Methodists pray for the Baptists, and the Oneness pray for the Twoness, and the Twoness pray for the Twoness and Threeness and Fourness and whatever more comes along. Everybody pray one for another, that our faith won't fail in that one glorious One that we all love, Jesus Christ.

Now, so I moved out into the country about three miles out of the city. And so we had been having dinner over at a little Dunkard restaurant where the.... I believe it was the Mennonites. And they were a fine bunch of people that believes in holiness. And them little ladies dressed just as nicely and godly, with their clothes hanging nice on them, and long hair, and clean as a pin. I just loved to eat there. And they were attending my meeting and we just had a wonderful time. So on Sunday they closed the little place up. They was at the meeting. And especially on Sunday they didn't run it.

So I'd been fasting for about two or three days, and I was just going to preach that afternoon. I thought, “Well, seems like....” You never want to fast until you're led to fast. Then if you get hungry, it's time to eat. “Afterwards Jesus was afterwards an hungered.” Some of this thing, these people fasting, saying, “I'm going to fast forty days,” and the false teeth falling out, and losing weight, and.... My, you better stop that. You wait till God leads you to do that, some of those things. Be led of the Spirit.

I've had people, after a certain book was wrote and put out about fasting, people come to my line. Women, pregnant and things like that, come in my line—lose their mind, go in the insane institution from that, see. Of course you can't do that. Just because somebody else done it, that's no sign that you're supposed to do it. Let God lead you to do what you're doing.

If you're led to, when you get hungry it's time to eat. When God puts a fast on you, you don't get hungry. It's God dealing with you. “Jesus was afterwards an hungered,” see. After his fast was over, He hungered. So, however, let that ... you just judge that by yourself. Your pastor is more apt ... a better position to tell you those things. If I said wrong, forgive me.

But, however, I'd been fasting for a couple days, or three, which is about as long as I can ever fast because I'm on the move so much. So then I thought, “Well, I'm just going to preach this afternoon, so I'll just ... I'll go over and get me a sandwich.” And I thought, “Oh, oh, they're closed.” Over across the way was just a regular little old common American restaurant, typical. Well, I just slipped over there while they were down making the preliminaries. So I just thought, “I'll get me a hamburger and that'll kind of press out the wrinkles till I can.... Tonight I'll eat after service.”

So then I got my ... went over to get a hamburger. And I walked in the place. And when I walked in the place, the very atmosphere, you could tell you wasn't amongst them believers. Over to the left was some slot machines—and a policeman standing there, about my age, with his arm around a woman, playing a slot machine. Now, gambling's illegal in Ohio, and there he was playing the slot machine—a man that was supposed to uphold the law breaking the law. And a man that was supposed to be a ... set an example of morals and things, and with his arm around a woman where he'd ought not to have it, and a man my age. Well, I guess he was married and had a family. I don't know. Then I thought, “My goodness.”

And I looked back, and there was a table of a bunch of these boys, them motorcycle guys with that duck-looking haircut, and motorcycle jackets, and overalls pulled down on their hips or.... Any ... they need a real good old-fashioned southern daddy, with a hickory with the ten commandments on the end of it. That's exactly what they need. You call it.... What's happened to the American people? You know what? They call it juvenile delinquency; I think it's parent delinquency. That's exactly right. “Spare the rod, you spoil your son.” That's what Scripture says.

And there they was, sitting back there, and a young lady, pretty young girl.... And one boy standing there, kind of a leader of the pack, with his boots, sitting up on the table and his arm around that young lady where it was very ungodly—around her hips, like that—and hugging this waitress up to his arms. Well, I stood there. I thought, “My goodness.”

I looked over on this side and there sat an old grandma, about as old as my grandmother. And the poor old thing had on these tights or shorts, or ever what you call it; and her poor old arms, flabby flesh; and she had her toenails painted the same color of her lips, and great big black spots under her eyes here where she'd painted some kind of stuff; and her hair was colored blue. Now, you know human beings don't hardly have that greenish-looking blue. So I thought, “Well, poor old thing. Maybe that's all right. Maybe she likes that.”

But I looked, and she was with two old guys, and they were drunk. And one of them, right there in the summer time, had a big old army overcoat on, with a big scarf wrapped around his neck. And they had beer sitting on the table.

I thought, “Oh, I wouldn't eat in here for nothing.” So I thought, “God, how can You, being holy, look at such a thing?” I thought, “Is my little Sarah and Rebecca going to have to come up under such stuff as that as Americans? My two little girls, that I'm trying to raise for God to be missionaries or pianists or something (maybe marry a little preacher) that'll help him in the work of the Lord? Try to raise them clean and righteous girls to make real women, and they have to come up under such atmosphere as that.”

I said, “Father, with the spirit that I got that You gave me—my spirit being sanctified by the blood of your Son—and that looks evil to me, how can You stand to look at it? Why don't You just smite the thing and wipe it off the earth?” My righteous indignation might've arose, see. We don't want to say it was temper, but it was just something. It was the same kind of indignation Jesus had when He looked upon them with anger and beat them out of the temple, you see.

And I looked around and I seen all that, and I thought, “And my little Sarah and Rebecca is going to have to come up under such? God, look like if You're holy and how great You are, look like You'd just blow the thing off the map like that. How could You stand it?” I thought “Oh, my.”

And I felt something going, “Whew, whew, whew,” like a whipping. That's the way that light when it comes up, it's whipping like a fire. And I noticed it was standing close to me. I stepped back behind the door. I put my head against the wall, and I said, “Heavenly Father, what...?” I thought ... now here's what I was thinking. “Do You want me to call down judgment?” Now that just shows how a human being can get so far away.

I stepped back. I thought He was going to ask me just to go out there and say, “All of you, I rebuke you every one, you sinners. Repent or die!” see. And I thought that's what He'd tell me to do. I wouldn't do it unless He told me. So I went back there, and I thought He was going to show me.

When I did, I seen, looked like—when I opened my eyes after I knowed He was behind the door there with me—and looked like something turning. I began to look, and it was a world, this earth, and all around it was a mist, like a red mist a-blowing all around it. I looked far up above there and I seen Him.

Then I looked down and I saw myself. Looked like I come right onto the earth. And everything that I would do was mean, my sin would start up to meet God. And before it could get to Him, Jesus acted like a bumper on a car between me and God, see. It hit Him, and He'd hold his side, the tears would run out of his eyes, and I'd hear Him say, “Father, forgive him, he doesn't know what he's doing.”

I watched myself as a little boy, the things that I done. And I'd see every time I'd do something evil, why, it looked like it would start up. And God would've killed me for it, and I ... because He's holy. Sin cannot stand in his presence. But I seen that mist a-blowing around, and that blood of Jesus acted like a bumper between me and being slain by God. When I got up close to where He was at, and I looked, and there laid my book laying out before Him. And on there was my name, and every bad thing that I'd ever done was wrote right on it. And I noticed every time that I'd do something wrong, I'd done it, He'd catch it. And it'd hurt Him, and He'd catch his breath, like, and tears would run down his cheeks. And He'd say, “Forgive him, he doesn't know what he's doing.”

I thought, “Lord, did I make You suffer like that?” I thought, “I love You. Would I make You suffer like that? You mean my sins did that?”

He nodded his head to me, and I could see that ... looked like you see Him in the picture, with the crown on Him, like that, blood in his eyes and face. And He looked at me, and looked like tears all matted his beard together, blood stains all over his face. I said, “Did my sins do that to You?” He nodded his head to me. I said, “God, forgive me. I wouldn't want to hurt You like that, Lord. I love You with all my heart.” He took his side, patted it with his hand, took his finger like this and wrote on my old dirty book, “Pardoned.” Took it and throwed it over behind Him, like this, into the sea of forgetfulness, laid out a new book. I said, “Lord, I thank You. I'll never try to do anything wrong.”

He said, “Now I freely forgave you. I freely forgave you, and then you want to destroy her.”

And by that time the door had come back, and I was looking right at the woman sitting there. I wanted to destroy her, after I was freely forgiven. I just pulled the door back together where I'd been moving my arms while the vision was on. I pulled the door back there. I said, “Father, forgive me. I'll go right to her and I'll apologize.”

I stepped out the door. One of those old men, drunk, sitting there with her, said, “Do you think the rain'll hurt the rhubarb?” And got up and excused himself, walked out to the rest room. I kind of strolled over that way, and this policeman still playing the slot machine. And I walked over kind of where she was at. I said, “How do you do?”

Poor old thing looked up and said, “Oh, hello.”

And I said, “Could I sit down?”

She said, “Thank you, I have company.”

I said, “I didn't mean it like that.” I said, “I just want to say a word to you. I want to ask you to forgive me.”

Said, “What did you ever do to me?”

I said, “Will you wait just a minute, let me tell you?”

Said, “Yes.”

I said, “I stood in the door....” And I told her the story. I said, “Right back behind there He showed me where I was wrong.”

She looked up, and looked like it sobered her. She looked up, she said, “Are you Brother Branham?”

I said, “I am.”

She said, “You're that minister down here.”

I said, “Yes, ma'am.”

She said, “I'm ashamed for you to see me like this.”

I said, “Will you forgive me?”

She said, “Certainly.” She said, “Sit down.”

I said, “Thank you,” and I sat down at the little booth with her.

And she said, “I want to tell you something, Brother Branham.” She said, “I passed by and seen your meetings. I seen it advertised and I went in.” Said, “I was simply ashamed of myself.” She said, “What would you believe if I told you that my father was a Methodist minister?” Said, “I got two daughters. Both of them are Sunday school teachers.”

I said, “What happened?” She told me about a letter from her husband and he run off with another woman. She started in drinking, just started off.... She said, “I know I'm past redemption.” Strictly a legalist, you see. Said, “I'm past redemption.”

I said, “No, you're not. No, you're not.”

She started crying. She said, “Brother Branham, you think I'm not past redemption?”

I said, “Why did He say that to me then a few minutes ago?” I took her by the hand, knelt down there on the floor, and there she gave her life to Jesus Christ. You talk about slot machines stopping and everything else, everybody in there. And we was crying and praying. She got up, went out to go home, a new life.

See, God showed me that in my own heart wasn't right because I was trying to condemn her, and not looking at what I come from too. So if we can always remember, look back to the pit where we was hewed from, things will look a lot different, see. We don't want to condemn no one. Love everybody.

Whenever you lose that real genuine love that's in your heart, you've lost everything. Just don't never forget that. When you lose love, it's all gone. Now, remember that, the love this little brother had for all of you. And we'll remember the love of the brethren here. Brethren, whatever you do....

I'm not saying all you organizations break up and make one organization. It'll never be that way. You'll never do it. You'll just go through life just the same old thing, banging, and fussing, and stewing. That's wrong. Keep your organization. Stay in there if you can. That's all right. But reach out an arm, love everybody else, and have respect. Give him a little blanket too, because he wants to get covered also. It's set far enough for all of us. Room, room, there's plenty of room. There's room at the fountain for me. Room for all of us. And just remember that.

If I could see every Pentecostal church—the Foursquare, Open Bible Standard, Pentecostal Assemblies of God, United Pentecostal Church, and all the rest of them—put their arms around one another and forget their differences, just fellowship one with another, I'd say, “Let thy servant depart in peace for mine eyes have seen thy salvation.” And as long as Satan has got you shooting at one another, he just sits back and takes a vacation. He don't have to fool at all, see. I pray that I'll live to see the day.

And if you don't do it within yourselves, some kind of a persecution will hit this nation one of these days. You'll long for one another then, brothers of like precious faith. So why go through the punishment, when we can have a little piece of heaven on earth right now? God be with you.

I want to come back. I heard you ask them, said for me ... wanted me to come back. I'll come back some day, the Lord willing. I'd like to bring a tent and set it up out here somewhere, right in between the cities around here, and let us all come together and have fellowship one with another, try to build up the churches.

Every one of you has got something to do now. Every one of you get right in your church and work just as hard as you can for your local church, see. But don't never criticize. If you know something bad about the other side, don't say nothing about it, see. Keep that to yourself. The enemy's just listening to hear that, see. Don't let him know nothing. Don't speak nothing out, then he won't know nothing about it, see. Keep it to yourself and pray.

Say, “Well, the poor brother did wrong.” But don't down him. He's down anyhow. Try to pick him up, see. Lift him up. Be the good Samaritan, see. Try to pick him up. If you can't even talk to him, pray for him till it is that way. Just keep him on your heart, because his soul's worth ten thousand worlds.

Now let us pray. Our heavenly Father, as we want to bow to give thanks to You for this great people down here, your servants, I thank You for Brother King, Brother Petty, for all the rest of them, Lord, these fine brothers, these wonderful sisters, their churches, their members; and for those great people in the city, to the business places, how they've been so nice. We thank You for this auditorium, for this people that let us have it. God, have.... They always throwed their doors open everywhere for me, when rains, and storms, and things.... God, may they live to the coming of the Lord. Grant it. Bless the custodians, all the members of the lodge, all. May they all find rest and peace in Christ. Grant it, Lord.

Bless these fine policemen that's been watching the yards out here—that little fellow the other night that come out and looked over at me and said that wonderful compliment. Father, I was almost out then, just dropping out from the anointing, to being.... I didn't have a chance to say much to him. If that boy isn't saved and how he ... the compliments he said about the meeting.... I pray, God, that he'll receive the Holy Ghost (grant it, Lord), be in glory. If I never see him on earth again, may I be able to shake his hand. A man like that would make any city a good policeman.

This little fellow I talked to at the door just a while ago, God bless that man. We just thank You for everything, Lord. You're so good to us. We pray now that You'll continue to bless us as we travel on towards the west coast.

I pray that You'll bless Brother King now. And we've talked of his troubles, and we pray that You'll be with him and all the other brothers. And, God, the only one thing I can do.... A human being couldn't do it, but may your Holy Spirit constantly bind these hearts together of these people until they are one in Christ Jesus. Grant it, Father.

Give us a great service tonight. Many of them has come over slick roads, and out in this rain and storm, to get here tonight to hear the closing service. I pray that You'll bless them. May there not be a feeble person in our midst tonight. I ask that, Father, for your glory. May the power of the Holy Ghost come in tonight and give the exceeding abundance above all that we could even do or think. Further we wait on You. In Jesus' name, speak to us. Amen.

All the little parcels in here, you can pick them up as soon as we are ... I pray over them. I want to wait till the anointing of the Holy Spirit comes upon me to pray for the sick.

Now, over in the book of Jeremiah, the twenty-second verse:

Is there no balm in Gilead; is there no physician there? Why then is the health of the daughter of my people not recovered?

I want to take the subject in closing tonight of asking the question, as God did, “Why?” Now I hope we won't be long—twenty, thirty minutes—then we can pray for the sick. “Why?” If God makes a preparation or a place of escape and then the people fail to walk in it, God's got a right to ask why. Don't you believe that? He's got a right to ask why.

If ... you're not condemned because you're a sinner; you're condemned because you don't accept Jesus as your Saviour. Now, God would be unjust to condemn you and not make a preparation for you to come out of it, because you were born in sin, shaped in iniquity, come to the world speaking lies. No matter who your parents was, or what they were, you're still just a sinner, as any other child, when you're born in this world.

We're all born in sin. We could not save ourself. We could no more save ourself than we could take our boot straps and lift ourself over the moon. We could not do it. We're totally helpless. And therefore God would not condemn you on those basis because you are a sinner. He'd condemn you because you refuse to take the way of escape. So therefore it isn't God, it's yourself. You condemn yourself. And when you condemn yourself, there's nobody to pity but yourself. That's all. You must pity yourself because you haven't accepted God's provided way of escape.

Now, when God makes these ways just wonder how He feels when He makes a way for us—for our healing, for our salvation, for our comfort, for our peace, and all these things—and we just walk away and leave them. It must make Him feel terribly bad.

So, one time in the Bible over in the book of II Kings, there was a king who was a king of Judah, and his name was Ahaziah. He was the son of Ahab and Jezebel. He succeeded his father Ahab to the throne. After Ahab—that borderline believer, renegade to the gospel, lukewarm church member—went over and married a pagan girl to strengthen his kingdom, brought in idolatry into Israel then. Oh, what a horrible thing he done! Then his little pagan wife took the life of precious Naboth in order that the king could take his inheritance. And that prophet prophesied what would happen to him, and what would happen to her: the dogs would eat her in the street, and would lick the blood of Ahab off of his chariot. And that's just exactly what happened.

I can think of the time when Jehoshaphat, a man of God, when he really should have not associated in the wrong company. A believer hasn't got any fellowship with unbelievers. A crow and a dove cannot talk together. A crow eats on an old dead carcass. A dove is one bird without a gall. If it would eat that dead carcass, it'd kill it. It's a special-built bird, a dove is. A dove only eats grain. He has no gall. He could not digest it. So is the Christian—has no gall of bitterness in him. They cannot eat the things of the world. A crow could eat the things, wheat, and he can also eat carcass. He's a hypocrite.

And a dove, I want to tell you something, dove does not have to find water for a bath. Did you ever pick up a little dove? Rub your hand over him. He's oily. There's something from the inside comes out and keeps him clean. Oh, my. His body's oiled, from a oil from the inside coming out. Amen. I don't want to get started on that, I'll get off my subject. But he keeps his body, his feathers, his garments, clean by an inside oil. Every time he works his body, that works up there on his feathers and keeps him perpetually, all the time, clean. Oh, the blood of Jesus Christ sanctifies the believer day and night.

And Ahab went down and had some fellowship with Jehoshaphat ... or, Jehoshaphat with Ahab. And he.... Whenever you see some of the unbelieving world, “Would you come out to our little card party, dear?”, be careful.

“Well, you know you work here and your boss wants you.... We're just going to have a few little social things tonight.” Stay away from it. Get away from it.

“Well, it's Christmas, you got a right to have a little clean fun.” Don't you believe that. Stay away from it. Shun the very appearance of evil. Stay out of it.

But Jehoshaphat weakened, and went down to see Ahab. And Ahab had a purpose. He said, “Well, we got some land up here. It belongs to us.” They showed him all the great things. And that's the way the devil does—show you all the great things that he's got. See, all what he's got. Well, the glitter, the gold, kind of brightened his eyes up, you know, and he thought, “My!” It didn't brighten them up; it dulled them up.

And so finally they sat out there and he said, “Well, we go up to Ramoth-gilead, or shall I fore ... draw?

He said, “We ought to consult the Lord about this.”

So Ahab said, “Oh, of course, Saul. Uh-huh. We should do it. I've got the best ecclesiastical system there is in the country.” He goes down to his seminary and draws out four hundred prophets. That's right. Fine dressed, and collars turned around, and, oh, they were wonderful men. Every one of them ecclesiastical, theologians right to the dot.

Said, “All right, gentlemen, you're well fed and taken care of. This great thing, now, I tell you what I want you to do. Prophesy unto me and tell me whether we should go to Ramoth-gilead. See how great my robes are, and what a great bishop I am; and here's also Bishop So-and-so from up here at the other kingdom. We're going to join forces together. You know, we'll be united then, so we'll do great things, you know.”

So one of them even built himself a pair of horns and begin to run through the audience, saying he was pushing all the Syrians back. “Oh, the country belongs to us, and so you're going to win by this.”

You know there's something about a believer, if he ever was in contact with Christ, he just can't go for that kind of stuff. Yet, old Jehoshaphat sitting up there, he said, “Isn't there just one more?”

“One more? Why, here's four hundred of the highest-educated, best men there is in the country, and they're prophets. Why would we ask for one more? Each one of them has got a DLD, PhD, LLQST. Why, they're.... My, you couldn't ask for more degrees. My, they know the Scripture inside-out, backwards and forwards.”

Jehoshaphat said, “But you know, I got a little funny feeling. I wish we had.... Is there just one more?”

“Oh,” he said, “yes, but he's a holy roller and .... His name's Micaiah, the son of Imlah, but,” said, “I hate him.” O-o-oh.

So Jehoshaphat thought, “That sounds like a meal ticket.” So, “Don't let the king say so. But I'd like to hear what he says.”

So a runner run up there to the little shack where he was at, the little assembly somewhere up on the corner, you know. He said, “Oh, Micaiah, you know what? You must ... I got to put a bug in your ear now, see. You say the same thing that they say. You say just like they say, because I tell you that all four hundred of them ecclesiastics is saying we should do it this way. So you must say the same thing.”

Micaiah said, “As the Lord God lives, I'll just say what He puts in my mouth.” I like that. I like that. Uh-huh.

So they brought him down there. Ahab was having a raging spell. “Get that holy roller among us down here, it'll ruin our congregation as sure as the world.” So then, first thing you know, when he come up, he said, “Now I'm warning you, he isn't going to say nothing but evil about me, because I know he's always digging me about my women bobbing their hair and all these things. Oh, he's a holy roller right.”

He said, “I'm going to stay right with the Word though.”

So he said, “Micaiah, shall I go up to Ramoth-gilead and take the thing that belongs to me, or shall I forebear?”

Said, “Give me tonight. Let me see what the Lord'll say.”

So after night passed, he come back. Said, “What do you say?”

Said, “Go on up if you want to.”

He said, “How long will I adjure you [He knowed there was something wrong with that.] that you only tell me the truth?”

Said, “Go on up,” he said, “but I saw Israel like sheep scattered with no shepherd.” And he said.... Why? He was staying with the Word of God. He was saying the same thing the Word said, because the Word of God was with the prophet. And the prophet Elijah said he couldn't prophesy good against the man that was evil as Ahab. So the prophet, the Word had done said that Ahab was going to be killed, Jezebel was going to be fed to the dogs. And so what could Micaiah say any different than what the Word said? Right. He had to stay with the Word. No matter how great it sounds and how big it sounds, watch the Word. That's always truth.

And so this great state presbyter, or bishop, ever what it was, smacked him in the mouth, and said, “Which way went the Word of God out of me, if it went to you?”

He said, “You'll see some day.” He said, “I saw God sitting on the throne and all the host of heaven was around Him. And He said, 'Who can we get to go down and deceive Ahab to get him out there and make Elijah's prophecy come true?' ” God watches over that, you know. Said, 'Who could I get to go out there?'

“And a lying spirit come up from down ... probably hell. Come up and stood before him, said, 'I'll go down and get in them preachers and make them every one prophesy a lie.'”

God's Word's going to be fulfilled, brother, I don't care what takes place. John said, “God's able of these stones to rise children unto Abraham.” God's Word.

The son of that man had taken his throne after his death. One day walking out there.... He still hated them prophets. And he walked out there one day in his lattice and looking around, and he fell through the lattice and he got hurt. The Bible said he was sick. So he called some of his men and sent two of them, or a little company of soldiers, over to Ekron, over to consult the prophets of Balaam whether he was to get well or not.

So you know, God makes his secrets known to his prophets. Is that right? So Elijah down there in the mountain, back in a cave—laying on a pile of brush or something back there, his coat laying over it—the Lord spoke to him. And he went up there and stood in the road. He said, “Go up there. Stand there, because they're going up.”

These soldiers passed around the corner. They looked. Coming strolling down the road come an old fuzzy-looking preacher, beard all out over his face, with a big piece of leather wrapped around him. He wasn't very much to look at, but he had “Thus saith the Lord.” That's the main thing. Wasn't so classic.

So he stopped them. He said, “Why are you going over there to Ekron?” Said, “Go tell him, 'Why did he send over there?' Is it because there is no God in Israel? Is there no prophet here to consult? If he wanted to know something about it, why didn't he ask God? He's supposed to be the king here of Israel, so why didn't he ask God? Is it because we haven't got a God here? Is it because we haven't got no prophet down here? But because he's done this, go tell him, thus saith the Lord, he's not coming off of that bed.” Oh, my!

I wonder today, why does men want to smoke cigarettes? Why does people want to stay home on Wednesday night and watch a television program instead of going to prayer meeting? Why is it we want to do...? Because there's no joy in the house of the Lord? What makes a person want to drink, and run around, and act like that? Is it because we don't have any God? Is it because there's no joy in the house of the Lord any more? Is it because the Holy Spirit isn't ready to bless all of us? Is there anything wrong with it?

But because that we do it, that's the reason we're accursed. That's the reason God's put this thing upon the church, this cold and dampness. We're going to other places for pleasure instead of coming to the house of the Lord for pleasure. The house of the Lord is the joy of the Lord. The joy of the Lord is the joy of his people. He wants you to come to church and worship Him, and be happy and satisfied, giving praise and honor and glory and wisdom and might and power to God. He wants you to do that.

And now, you know when these messengers got back, and so ... they found ... went in to this king and they said, “A man sent us back and told us such-and such a thing.”

He said, “Who was he? How was he dressed?”

Said, “He was hairy all over and had a piece of leather around his loins.”

He said, “That was the Elijah, the prophet of God, the Tishbite.” Oh, my! He knowed what was coming.

It wasn't because they didn't have a God. It wasn't because they didn't have a prophet. But it was the king's own stupid ways. It was his own selfish and ungodly act, like his mama and papa. He hated that prophet. That's the reason today that judgment rests upon the world. It's not because we haven't got a God, not because we haven't got prophets. But it's because that the people hate the ways of the Lord and love the ways of the world. Exactly right.

It's just like a man, a patient, dying on a doctor's door step because he refuses to take his medicine. It's the same thing. He dies on the doctor's doorstep, with enough medicine inside for his case, but he refuses to take it. That's not the doctor's fault. It's not the serum's fault. It's the man's fault, because he won't take the serum. That's all. And that's a dangerous thing. It certainly is. You can't say the doctor was the cause of it, and you're right on his doorstep, won't take his medicine, and yet he's got something.

Now you say, “You believe in taking medicine?” I believe in ... anything that helps the human race is godly. Certainly it is. Exactly it is. Tell me, what would we do today without these clinics and hospitals and so forth? Certainly. I know there's some shut behind the door when I first started off, but where did it all go to? See, you've got to look at anything sensible. Anything ... if medicine, hospitals are not of God, they're anti-Christ. Burn them down, get them out of the country. Sure. But it's something to help you. Certainly.

But they ... ain't a one of them can heal you. There ain't a medicine in the world, no doctor.... If he is, he's a quack. He ain't a real doctor. If a doctor tells you they got a medicine that'll heal you, he don't know what he's talking about. Mayo Brothers says there's not a medicine in the world will heal you. Said, “There's only one healer, that's God. We only claim to assist nature.”

As I've told you, if I cut my hand, fell dead right here, all the medicine in the country couldn't heal that knife cut. You say, “No, you're dead.” Well, let them just embalm my body and look natural for fifty years again, and put a shot of penicillin in me every day, and everything else, and it'd never get any better. Put salve on it, sew it up, give me all.... It wouldn't do it. If it's made to heal the body, why don't it heal it? There it lays.

You say, “The life has gone out.” That's right. Now, what's life and I'll tell you who God is. It's exactly right. God is the healer. A doctor can set a bone but he can't heal it. What if I was cranking my car, broke my arm, run in and said, “Hey, doctor, heal my arm right quick so I can go out, finish cranking my car. Can't get the thing started.”

He'd say, “You need mental healing.” That's right. He might set it, but he can't heal it. That's right. He can take a tooth out, but he can't heal the socket it come out of. He can cut an appendix out of your side, but he can't heal the place he cut, because there's no medicine that'll build cells, multiply cells. And before you could heal anything, it'd have to be a multiplication of cells. So God's the only healer. You can't make God's Word wrong. Psalms 103:3 said, “I'm the Lord heals all thy diseases.”

I've been interviewed at Mayo Brothers, and many places, and they say that. “We're not healers. We don't claim to be healers. We only assist nature. There's one healer, that's God.” So God is the healer.

Someone said to me not long ago, said, “All right, Brother Branham, I'm going to ask you a question then.” Said, “What about penicillin for flu?”

I said, “Well, my, my, I hope you ain't that weak.” I said, “Look, what if you got a house full of rats, eating holes all through the roof and everything. Down everywhere there's a lot ... you put out a lot of rat poison and poison the rats. It kills all the rats. That don't patch the holes. Penicillin only kills the germ, the flu germ. It doesn't build up the tissue it's tore down. Just poisons the rats, that's all. God has to patch the holes. That's all. He's the Lord that heals all of our diseases. Yes, sir.

And I thank God for every serum that they got— for the Salk vaccine. Pray constantly that God'll give us something for cancer, for poor suffering people. Anything can do to help, I'm for it. Yes, sir, I'm 100% for it. And if we Christian people would pray more for such things as that, we'd be better off. The whole country would. Yes, great men, they give their lives just trying to fight back at those things that cripple children and everything. Certainly.

I certainly thank God for everything He's done for us. I thank God for an automobile. I thank God for soap to wash my hands with. And all the mechanics, all those things, I thank God for them. Certainly. There was one time we didn't have soap, you know. There was one time we didn't have an automobile. If I wanted to walk over to Phoenix I could take off, but I thank God for an automobile. I get in and trust Him, right down the road as hard as I can go, see. So we thank the Lord for those things. All things that's good, to help us, comes from God. Certainly.

But now, what if the patient's sitting out there on the doctor's steps and just refuses to take his medicine? And if the patient dies, it ain't the medicine's fault. “Is there no balm in Gilead? Is there no physician there? Then why is the health of my daughter, my people, not recovered?” Is there something wrong?

It's the same thing in the church. Men and women sit in the church and die in their sins because they refuse God's balm. That's right. It's not because there's no balm here. The Holy Spirit's here. We got plenty of doctors, physicians. So the people die in their sins, don't lay it on to God. There's balm in Gilead, and there's physicians there, but it's the people's attitude towards it.

Now, if you take ... like medicines. It's a horrible thing if you would refuse medicine. How much more horrible is it if you refuse God's balm for your soul? Refuse that toxine, then what's going to take place? You're lost forever if you refuse that. Oh, you ... your body you might patch around.

And then another thing, you can take medicine. What's good for one, will help one, will kill another. Penicillin almost kills a third of what it helps. It'll kill some and help the others. It's a very dangerous thing. And what'll help one, won't help the other one. But you don't have to worry about God's toxine. It helps “whosoever will, let him come.” Yes, sir. It's for all. You don't have to worry about it. No danger of fooling with it.

You go to fooling with it, you say, “Well, I tell you, Brother Branham, I don't believe it's for me.” Like people say today: “I just can't keep from smoking.” “I just can't keep from running out.”

A man told me not long ago, he said, “I got a good wife, but, Brother Branham, I just wasn't made for one woman.” Said, “I got to run with other women.”

I said, “You know what's the matter with you? You just refuse the remedy, that's all.”

That's what's the matter with the people today. We can drink, smoke, lie, steal and fuss, carry on—you refuse God's balm of love that draws us together and makes us one. It's not because there's not enough power of God here to send a revival through the city. We just refuse to use it, that's all. Amen. It's here. But if you die in your sins, your unbelief, it's not God's fault. It's not the Holy Ghost's fault, not the church's fault. It's just because people refuse it.

They say heart trouble is number one killer. No, no. Sin trouble's number one killer. That's right. Number one killer. It's got into our Pentecostal groups. A man was talking to me today about the Pentecostal people, and he said, “You know what, Brother Branham? It's getting to be just like I don't know what.” Said, “You know a lot of our people, they have their children, they bring them right in, put them on the cradle roll and come up. And that's the way. They just expect it to be that way.

As David DuPlessis once said about such a thing as that, “Why, you can't get in like that. That's what made the Methodists what they are. That's what made the Baptists what they were. They just kept bringing their children in, put them on the cradle roll, and bring them up. God don't have any grandsons. He just has sons. Sons and daughters; not grandsons and granddaughters. God don't have grandchildren. God ain't Grandpa; He's Father.” Amen.

I hope I don't hurt your feelings, but I hope I scare you a little bit anyhow. God don't have grandchildren. Just 'cause you were Pentecostal, your papa and mama paid the price, that don't make you Pentecostal till you pay the same price to get the same thing they had. Yes, sir, there's plenty of it left. There's plenty of balm in Gilead yet, plenty of toxine there for sin, unbelief. Yes, sir.

Our Pentecostal brethren raising up, saying ... denying divine healing and such things at that. It's just because you refuse the toxine, you grandson. Not a son of God. A son of God is born of the Spirit of God. He's God's child, but God don't have any grandchildren. Right.

You know what's the matter? They're afraid of the new birth. That's all that's the matter. Let me tell you something, brother. I don't care what kind of a birth it is, any birth is a mess. If it's in the pig pen, or if it's in the stable, or if it's in a pink-decorated hospital room, any birth is a mess. And the new birth is the same. It'll make you get down and squall, and bawl, and do things that you never thought you'd do before. It'll bring forth new life as sure as the world.

It might mess up your theology, it might mess up your card parties, it might mess up your swimming and dancing and roller skating. It might make you grow your hair, it might make you get something different, and make you quit smoking cigarettes. It's a mess but it brings forth life. Amen. What we ought to have is birth, life. Messy—has to get messy before it gets right. Yes, sir. You have to have.... Except a corn of wheat fall in the ground and rot (messy, get dirty with it).... That's right. Just die out. Get down there and....

A woman said to me one time, said, “I'd be ashamed. Them people down there,” said, “I couldn't hear you even preach.” Said, “Why, them women in there hollering 'Hallelujah, Amen, Praise the Lord,' I couldn't hear what you was saying.”

I said, “If they didn't say it, it would scare me to death.”

She said, “When that woman got up there and started crying,” said, “just chills run up my back.”

I said, “If you'd ever get to heaven you'd freeze to death.” I said, “because everybody will be screaming and shouting and praising. Right.”

What they're afraid of? New birth. That's the reason we got grandchildren in the church. Afraid of new birth, afraid of the Holy Ghost, afraid of the power of God. Afraid maybe it'll wash some of the makeup off of you or something. That's what's the matter. God send us the old time revival, bring forth the Holy Ghost again. There's plenty of it.

“Is there no balm in Gilead? Is there no physicians there?” Sure, there's physicians here. Plenty of balm here too. “Then why is the daughter of my people not recovered?” It's because the people refuse it. Amen. That's it. They refuse to come together. They refuse to have a revival. That's what's the matter—selfishness and things taking it over. There's plenty of balm in Gilead, there's physicians here, but the people refuse it. That's what's the matter.

There was a time when we didn't have toxine for typhoid fever. There was a time when we didn't have toxine for ... the Salk vaccine and stuff like that, but now we got it. That's exactly. We got it now. Thank God for it. There was a time that our toxine for salvation wasn't too good, 'cause it was lambs and things and goats. But now the toxine has been changed. Certainly.

How do they find remedies for medicine? You know what they do? They study up. Put so much of this in, and so much of this in, enough antidote to kill the poison, and so much ... see the case of the patient and how it was strong. You never take medicine unless you ask a real doctor about it because it'd kill you. And so then they find out.

And then, first thing you know, they squirt into a little guinea pig. If he survives it, then they give it to you. And sometimes.... All human bodies are not made like guinea pigs, you know. That's the reason it kills some human beings. They give the little guinea pig the test, and if that little fellow makes it, then they give it to you. Well, that's the way they test medicine. You know that's the truth. They find a certain thing and give it to the guinea pig, and if he survives it then they give it to you. And that's the reason they kill a lot of patients, because that we're not all made like guinea pigs.

Well, let me tell you something. When God tested his toxine. He never got a guinea pig; He took Himself. O God! When He was baptized there by John on the banks of the Jordan, and the inoculation come down from heaven, “This is my beloved Son in whom I'm pleased to dwell in.” They watched it, see if it'd hold. When they spit in his face, it held good. He was reviled, He reviled not back. When He died at Calvary, He prayed for his enemies. It held at Calvary. It held in death. It held on earth. It held everywhere. They put Him in the grave, and on Easter morning it held again. Amen.

Not a guinea pig, but a Son of God took the toxine. He took it Himself. Amen. Now I'm not getting excited; I'm getting to feel religious. Yes, sir. Who took the toxine? Oh, hallelujah! He was the one who took our sins and bore our sickness. He took the toxine on Himself. Not on a guinea pig, prophet, or something another; He put it on Himself. Hallelujah! Yes, sir. “He was wounded for our transgressions, bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon Him; and with his stripes we are healed.”

It held in the hour of death, it held in the cross, it held in Gethsemane, it held under every temptation, everything else. The toxine held. Amen. God was going to try eternal life, and He put it in a human body of his own Son. Come in and dwelt in Him and the toxine held. When He rose up on Easter morning He broke the bands of death, hell, and the grave, and come forth. He appeared to the eleven as they sat at meat and upbraided them because of the hardness of their heart and their unbelief, because they believed not them that seen Him after He had risen from the dead. Amen.

Said, “Go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature. He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; he that believeth not shall be damned—for I'm going to give them some toxine. If I give them this toxine, the things that I do, they'll do also. I'm going to inoculate the whole church,” He said. “... all the world. These signs shall follow them that believe. [Hallelujah!] These signs that I did, they'll do also because I'm going to inoculate the church with the same toxine. Can you be baptized with the same toxine that I'm inoculated with?”

Amen.

That's what's the matter today. We took some old church creed for inoculation. That's the reason sin crept in. If we get that same Spirit that was upon Him—that same baptism, that same power, that same glory, that same Holy Ghost—it'll inoculate us just the same as it inoculated Him. Take all fear out. Hallelujah! Stand in the face of the enemy and call God's Word the truth. Amen. Give you a backbone like a saw log. Take the wishbone out, and put a real backbone in it. Yes, it will. “Can you be baptized with the inoculation that I'm inoculated with?”

Certainly held in his life. When they spit in his face, He didn't say, “You old Trinity, you old Oneness.” No, no, it wasn't that. No, no. He was inoculated with the love of God. “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, whosoever believeth on him should not perish.” He was inoculated—a little virgin-born body the God of heaven dwelt in. He was inoculated with God. Eternal life was his inoculation. And it held in the time of temptation. It held in the time when everybody'd forsaken Him, it held. It stayed good. [blank spot on tape]

... an enemy in the face of death. And they wanted that same inoculation, because after being dead and in the grave for three days and nights—when all the heavens blacked out, the earth took a nervous prostration, and all the rocks wrung out of the mountain, and everything witnessed He was dead and He was in the grave.... And on Sunday morning the inoculation held, because He said, “I have power to lay my life down, and power to raise it up again. This inoculation that I have will lay the life down and I'll pick it up again.”

Brother, that's what I want. I want to hold out my arm. You don't get it in the arm; you get it in the heart. Hold out for inoculation of the resurrection, or the power of Jesus Christ. Hallelujah! Inoculation. Now you don't want to write any creed over the top of here. Just let Christ come in—that's the inoculation. He never tried it with a creed; he done it with his Spirit.

Is there no balm in Gilead? Is there no physicians there? Oh, yes, we got both balm and physicians. Then why? That's what God's going to ask us—“Why?”—some of these days. Why?

They wanted to get inoculated, so He said, “I tell you what you do. You go up to the city of Jerusalem, and you climb up in that upper room, and you stay there till your inoculation comes.” Oh, brother. Stay until you're inoculated, until the toxine comes down, the balm comes down.

And while they was all sitting together, singing hymns in one accord, suddenly there came a sound from heaven like a rushing mighty wind. It inoculated a hundred and twenty out there. My, what a running spell they had. Oh, my!

Like branding a calf. I used to brand calves. I always felt sorry for the little fellows. And I had to ride to bring the iron—and you Texans know what I'm talking about. And so they'd have him hog tied, and grab this old iron over there and slap it on him. I mean he'd have a spasm! He'd kick and squall and carry on there for a long time, but, brother, he knowed where he belonged from then on. He was branded. That's right. And sometimes it'll make you act like you don't have good sense, but you're branded, you know where you're at. You're one of them, filled with the Holy Ghost. Inoculated.

Hundred and twenty got inoculated. Oh, they were having them a time, what I mean to say. They were really getting a great time. Come out of there all inoculated, had eternal life, know that God would raise them up at the last days. And they were having a big time.

And they were so full of glory.... Many of them could speak in four, five, six, seven, eight, ten different languages, but they couldn't even find one of them to use to praise Him with, so they just.... God gave them a brand new language to praise Him with, for they just started to speaking in unknown tongues as the Spirit give them utterance. They was inoculated. That showed they had been inoculated. They were speaking of a kingdom where they were going to. They was inoculated.

Sin question was over. Peter wouldn't have to go out and weep bitterly anymore. It was all over then. He was inoculated. Yes, sir.

And you know what? Some of them people got so hungry for some of that, you know what they did? They said, “Men and brethren, what can we do? Have you got a doctor here?”

“Yep.”

“What is this?”

“This is a balm.”

“Got a doctor here?”

“Yes. His name is Doctor Simon Peter.”

“All right, Peter, will you write us a prescription?”

“Yes. I don't want to be writing this all the time. I'm just going to write one for all the time. I'll write the prescription.”

Now listen, brethren. You know what? If the prescription's wrote out right, don't you never take it to one of these quack drugstores that put a little bit to it, or add a little bit, take away from it. If you put anything different in it and mix that formula, it'll kill your patient. And if you take too much of the antidote out, or put too much antidote in, it won't do a bit of good. So just leave it the way it's wrote. He said....

What kind of prescription? He said, “Repent every one of you, be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost. For this prescription is for your children and your children's children and for them that's far off, even as many as the Lord our God shall call.” The inoculation. Oh, brother, repent and get right with God. Take away all the things.... God promised that He'd give you the Holy Ghost. That's the prescription.

“These signs shall follow them that believe. In my name they shall cast out devils. They shall speak with new tongues. If they take up serpents or drink deadly things, it'll not harm them.” For they're inoculated. Hallelujah! Preach it the way it is. Is there no balm in Gilead? Or is there no inoculation here? There's plenty of inoculation. Hallelujah! Glory! Whew! There's a balm in Gilead. Inoculated. Can stand the face of death. Come right in the face of....

St. Paul, one time, they was building a scaffold to cut his neck off there at Rome. I stood at the same place. Paul said, “Oh, death, where is your sting? Grave, where is your victory? I've been inoculated. How're you going to hold me? How're you going to speak that to me? But thanks be to God, who sent the balm of Gilead and inoculated my heart with the baptism of the Holy Ghost. Death has nothing.... Future, no organization, there's nothing can ever take it away, the love of God that is in Christ Jesus. Hallelujah! As long as we're in God, there'll not be ... place of the Word.

Organizations, boundaries, you'll jump right across them and hug another brother, if you got the inoculation. Amen! Oh, I feel good. Oh, we used to sing a little song: “I'll fly away, O glory, I'll fly away. Some bright morning when this life is o'er, I'll fly away.” I'm so glad to be inoculated. Oh, how the Son of God took his own life and injected into my life, injected into your life, and then comes down and energizes it with his presence! Oh, my!

You know, usually when you take a serum, every once in a while ... you're inoculated, but you have to get a booster. And what this city needs in the Pentecostal church today is a booster. Hallelujah! Don't boost it on saying, “We'll make a few more organizations.” That'll ruin your prescription. Go right back and take a booster of the very same thing that come in there the first place, the same baptism and the same Holy Ghost. Amen. Amen. Glory and power in the resurrection of Christ.

Then he said, “The things that I do shall you do also, because you've been inoculated.” Amen. Inoculated with resurrection power. Oh, what a foretaste of glory divine. Amen. I know you think I'm noisy, but, my, it's just the way I want you to get noisy too. Inoculated, branded. So glad I know where I belong, in the house of God. Aren't you glad, Christians? Oh, He's here. Oh, beyond the shadow of doubt. Let's bow our heads and worship Him.

Lord Jesus, O God, your Spirit is so rich and.... “How rich and pure, it shall forevermore endure, saints and angels' song.”—the love of God that reaches across the ... that goes to the depth, that reaches out for the fallen, the love of God that's shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Ghost. Lord, we've got balm. We've got inoculations. We've got physicians here that can read the prescription. God, You're here as a druggist to fill it and give the inoculation. I pray, God, that You'll grant it to every heart tonight that's indifferent towards Christ. Grant it. Let your great Spirit come forward now and show its power. Grant it.

As I lay myself across these handkerchiefs, aprons, little cloths, may the Holy Ghost that's bringing this joy of the springs of life into this church, O God, may it sweep through every one of these little cloths. In the name of Jesus Christ may they each be blessed and the people be healed. I commit them to You, Lord, with the audience in the name of Jesus Christ, the Son of God. Amen and amen.

Oh, my! How glad I am. Oh, I'm so glad, I'm so glad. When I was a game warden I passed through.... There used to be a little old spring. It was the happiest spring I ever seen. It'd just bubble, bubble, bubble, all the time. Summertime, wintertime. One day I sat down beside the little old spring, and I said, “What you so happy about?” 'Course it couldn't answer me. And I thought, “Now if he could answer me, what would he say?” I said, “You're happy because deers drink from you?”

“No.”

I said, “What are you bubbling about? Because bears drink from you?”

“No.”

“Do you bubble because I drink from you?”

“No.”

I said, “What makes you bubbling all the time?”

If he could talk, he'd say, “Brother Branham, it ain't me bubbling. It's something behind me bubbling me, pushing me.”

That's the way it is with a born-again son of God that's been inoculated by the power of the resurrected Jesus Christ. “It's not me that doeth the works,” said Jesus. “It's the Father that dwelleth in me. He's the one does the works.” It's not ... if somebody here that don't understand it, it's not these people bubbling; it's something down there bubbling them up. That's right. Gushers, geysers, springing up. He told the woman at the well waters would be as fountains of water bursting up into everlasting life.

Oh, no wonder the poet said, “It's joy unspeakable and full of glory.” Amen. Whew! Oh, I feel twice my size. Yes, sir, I'm home now. I'm glad. I'm glad that we have come out. Aren't you happy? Oh, my, what God could do with this little group right now! What He could do if He could ever get one person in his grip just so He can hold that one person. He can put ten thousand to flight with that one person. With one person with genuine faith He can put ten thousand devils running as hard as they can go. Yes, sir. I am so glad, aren't you?

We used to sing a little song when I first come into Pentecostal people. They'd say, “I'm so glad that Jesus set me free.” Certainly. You was all bound down. He give you inoculation. That did it. That's all it took. Amen.

I love Him, I love Him,

Because He first loved me.

And purchased my salvation

On Calvary's tree.

Oh, doesn't that do something to you?

I love Him (just think of it),

Because He first loved me.

(And what did He do? Inoculate us.)

And purchased (purchased the toxine)

my salvation

On Calvary's tree.

Oh, how happy I am. How glad I am that I ever found this. How glad I am that I ever knowed, ever come to the place where I could realize that I was nothing. And one day He picked me up, kissed me, all my tears away, and said, “You're mine now.”

Oh, that just broke my heart and I said, “Lord, let me walk with the Lord in the light of his Word. Let me stay day and night in the anointing of the Spirit.” Just a shame that we ever have to leave it, isn't it? It's just wonderful.

Remember, friends, I love you. The night won't get too dark, and the rain fall too thick, but what I'd do anything for you I could. Just remember, I'm your brother. I love you with all my heart.

Any prayer cards give out? Anybody's got a prayer card? Oh, I forgot it. Well, there's no need of calling one. All right, we don't have to. God'll heal just the same. Do you believe the inoculation? Do you believe that Jesus made a way through his blood, that He could put his serum into a believer and that believer, with that same serum in him, it'll do the same thing it did in the next man. It'll do.... Oh, He's wonderful, isn't He? “The works that I do, shall you also.”

All right, you people out there, if God will testify now.... How many's sick? Let's see your hands. Wants help from God, just raise up your hands. All right. Oh, isn't He just joy unspeakable and full of glory? Now, let's just be as reverent as we can for a few minutes and just look to Him now. Don't you just sense showers of blessings? “We shall have showers of blessing, send them upon us, O Lord. Grant to us now the refreshing.” Don't you like that? That refreshing, that life?

Brother, sister, I want to tell you something. I want you to believe me as I speak in the name of the Lord and say, “Thus saith the Lord.” There's only one thing can heal you and that's God. And the only one route you can come to Him by, that's by faith. Is that right?

Now we know we believe in laying on of hands. Don't you believe that? But if you'll bear with me.... You've always wondered.... People say, “Brother Branham, Oral Roberts prays for five hundred while you're praying for five.” I know it. That's right. Oral Roberts prays for them the way God told him to do, and I pray the way God tells me to do, see. So He obeys God, and I do too. But you see, Oral Roberts and those brethren there, laying hands on, if you'll bear with me, that's a Jewish custom. It wasn't so with the Gentiles.

Look at the priest. He said, “Come lay your hands on my daughter and she'll be all right—if you'll come lay your hands on her.” That's Jewish, lay hands on.

But when He come to the Roman centurion, he said, “I'm not worthy that you'd come under my house. Just speak the word.” What did he recognize? That Jesus had power over all sickness. He said, “I'm a centurion.” That's a hundred men. A century is a hundred men. “I say to this one, 'Go do this,' and he does it. I say to this one, 'Come,' and he comes. He has to, I'm over him.” What did he say so much? “I know that you're over every sickness, every disease. Just speak the word, that's all you have to do.”

What did Jesus say? He turned around and said, “I never saw faith like this in Israel.” Now we want to have it on a higher ground, don't we? Healing has already been done at Calvary. Now, if God will bring at least two to three people in this audience tonight that I don't know anything about, and will show that what I have preached to you is the truth, if He'll prove that I've told you the truth....

Now just shut yourself in just a moment. You say this, “Lord Jesus, the man don't know me.” Now there's about two or three people that I know out there. I know Brother and Sister Evans sitting here, and this is their two daughters sitting right here. And then Brother Sothmann, Brother Fred Sothmann there, is one of the trustees in my church in Jeffersonville. And I think Brother ... that's he and his wife, and Brother and Sister Simpson sitting right next to them. They're back just this way a piece. Now, I just want to look at the audience just a moment. I want you to believe with all your heart.

Oh, you don't know how that ... I just felt it strike me just then. I know it's going to happen. That's just all. God's promised it. His promises is true. Will you believe it? Believe me as his servant. It's wonderful.

As I was telling you the other day about standing in India, you know, where them thousands was—that's just the way it was. You got it right in your hand. God give it right over. I take every spirit in here under my own control for the glory of God. Oh, what could just happen now!

See, we rejoice. That's the joy of God. That's the joy of our salvation. Is that right? You see David never lost his salvation. He said, “Restore to me the joy of my salvation.” He had his salvation, but he lost his joy. Well, we got plenty of joy. We know that. We have joy—joy unspeakable and full of glory. Got it.

But now the power of God is something greater than joy. Power comes by settled faith. We can have a lot of joy but maybe wouldn't have no power in there to heal at all. But when we have the power of God, then we got the faith of God that moves up, takes hold of God, knows how to touch Him. Now just be praying. I'm watching for you. If He should touch me, then I'd know.

Anybody here never was in one of the meetings? Let's see your hands. Never was in one of the meetings before? One man, two men, three men, four, five. That's good. Six, six people never was in it before. I want to tell you something then, brethren. How did Jesus recog... how did the world recognize Jesus as Messiah? Because that He could tell them who they were, or what they were. When Simon Peter came up, just an old fisherman, He said, “Thou art Simon. You're the son of Jonas.” Peter believed Him. When He come to.... Well, we just went all through the Bible. Well, last night we taken Zacchaeus up in the tree. Blind Bartimaeus, when He touched him, He turned around and told him. The woman at the well, He told her where her trouble was, and she said, “Come see a man who's told me the things I've done. Isn't this the very Messiah?”

He never did it unto any of the Gentiles. It only went to the Jews and Samaritans, because they was looking for a Messiah. Now they're long ... two thousand years had wandered in darkness. But now the Gentiles has had their days of training, and now there's sifting in the church now. It's come down to the end. Just as it was their end, four thousand years, them there, now it's two thousand years; because He's just taking a people, not a nation—just a people out of the Gentiles for his name's sake. They'll have his name, see. Name's sake, He takes a people from the Gentiles. But they ... He taken Israel by nation.

But He's the same Christ, and He promised as it was in the days of Lot, then He did, He'd do it again. How many would like ... believes that that angel of God that ... that one that met Lot ... met Abraham... ? He never went down to Lot. He stayed with Abraham. Have you read the story now many times? Now there was two of them went down to Lot, and one of them.... They got them out, but this one never went down. And that was the one that was the Lord God, Elohim. And He had his back turned to the tent. First He looked to Abraham, and asked Abraham where his wife was, Sarah.

Said, “She's in the tent behind you.”

He said, “I'll visit you according to life, the time of life [the twenty-eight days again].” She was a hundred years old then. She was ninety, Abraham was a hundred. And said.... And she laughed. He said, “Why did she laugh?” Now He said that would repeat again.

I'll just do it both ways, see if it's the same God. Now, may God of heaven.... And look, with this Bible.... Let me say this, Christians, this Bible over my heart.... Got a little unbelief slipping around. One came in last night, sat up there on the edge of the platform, hurt the meeting. God'll take care of that. Thought I didn't know it. Don't you never think that, brother. Let me say this, with the Bible over my heart, I do this not for a show. I do this because it's to fulfill what Jesus said would take place. When He come He didn't have to heal. He did it that it might be fulfilled. Is that right? This ... He don't have to do this, but that it might be fulfilled. He promised it. It's his Word. So He just permits it because of the fulfilling of his Word.

Can God heal heart trouble? He did then, didn't He? It's all over now. I never seen the woman in my life, but she's healed now. Does that fulfill his Word? Well, you say, “Brother Branham, what does that fulfill?” He's a high priest that can be touched by the feeling of our infirmities. Is that right?

“Well, I thought you said He was El, El, Elohim.”

That's right.

“Well, you say He had his back turned and He found out what Sarah was doing.”

Correctly.

Now, you say, “Are you Him?”

No, sir. That's Him all over this building. That's Him in you, same in me, but He has to work through somebody. There's none of us worthy. We couldn't be worthy—we're sinners—but He just chose us. I believe we were ... that gifts and callings are without repentance. I believe that God chose us before the foundation of the world, his church. Do you believe that? The Bible says so. That's right—the antichrist would deceive all upon the earth whose names were not written in the Lamb's book of life from the foundation of the world.

Pray out in here, someone, pray. Our brethren, it's coming from you too, back here. Now you just pray with me. We'll see where that same angel is. Now just take your time. Be reverent. We'll just take our time. Got plenty of time. Don't be in no hurry. Don't be pressing. Just sit still, say, “Lord God, that man has got his back turned to me. And I know he's just a man, so if he'd know me it'd have to be You telling him. That's all there is to it, because I'm just a stranger sitting at the meeting here.”

Yes, there's a woman appears to me right here now. I'm looking right at her. I want you brethren to look here. Can't you see it? Look here, right at the edge of this cloth here, see, it's red, see. Look here. See that light? Now there's a woman sitting right in behind me. She's very upset. She has arthritis, and she has high blood pressure, she's bothered with an allergy, and, well, she's just got complications. Now if she just don't miss it when I turn. Her name is Miss Conn. Stand up, Miss Conn, receive your healing. Now do you believe? Have faith in God then.

“Abraham, where is your wife, Sarah?”

“In the tent behind you.” You see what I mean?

What about some of the rest of you? Can it happen to you? It can if you'll believe it. This little woman sitting right here. See that light just above there? Look here. She looked up at me, then she's praying. She's not praying for herself. It's for a son. It's what you was asking for, your son, wasn't it, lady? Do you believe God can tell me what's his trouble? Will you accept the healing for him? Stomach trouble. That's right. Just believe it, that's all.

What about somebody over in this district? What do you all believe over there? Do you believe with all your heart? Have faith. Just believe. How many over here is sick and don't have a prayer card? Just begin to melt into you now. You want prayer but you haven't got a prayer card. Well, nobody's got a prayer card, as far that's.... I believe they said there was one prayer card here somewhere, probably from a meeting or something. If ... everybody just have faith now and trust. “If thou canst believe,...” Right here, look here, you here in the front row. That hernia, do you believe God'll make it well? Believe it with all your heart? You can have what you've asked for.

What about you, mister, with your head down here? Passed over the woman, come right straight from there over to the man. You're needy too, aren't you? Do you believe that Christ can make you well? Got trouble with your eyes, with your ears. You're from Houston, Texas. Mr. Webb, go back and tell them in Houston that Christ heals the sick.

Do you believe with all your heart now? You've had a nervous breakdown, haven't you, lady? You from Corpus Christi there, believe with all your heart. God's a healer of all afflictions. Do you believe with all your heart?

You put your hand up there a while ago, mister, with that liver trouble and stomach trouble. Mr. Rainwater, from over in Louisiana. First time you was ever in a meeting, I think you put your hand up. What do you think about Him? Isn't He a wonderful healer? Go back and tell them over there what He can do for you. It's all over now.

Sitting back there in the back, that little boy, got a mental block, hasn't he? It was caused from ... a doctor done something to him. Too much anesthetic, give him a mental block. If I'll tell you who you are, will you put your hand on that boy for me? Mrs. Howell, that's right, put your hand on the boy. I condemn that devil. Satan, come out of him. In the name of Jesus Christ I ask for his healing.

Do you believe? Does everybody believe? Is God here? Is this the inoculation? Is this the same Holy Spirit? The same Lord Jesus, the One that was...? How many of you is believers? Raise your hands. Hallelujah! Then put your hands over on one another and do just as I tell you now. Be real fine, put your hands over on one another. I got something now, if you'll just mind it just a minute. All right. Now I'm going to say the prayer. Surely I know what it takes to defeat your enemy now. I'm going to put words in your mouth and you repeat them back from your heart. You pray. I'm going to say them.

“Lord God, creator of heavens and earth, author of everlasting life, giver of every good gift, forgive my sins of unbelief and give to me of thy mercy. I believe in Thee. I accept Thee as my Saviour, my only salvation. I need your strength for my health. I cannot go forward without You. I now accept You as my healer. I renounce the devil and all of his works. From this time henceforth I will think positive. I will believe every promise. The scripture that says, ”By his stripes I was healed,“ I now accept it. I believe it. It is mine. I thank You, Lord. I will continue testifying of my healing until I'm perfectly well.” Now, hold still, keep your hands on one another now.

Now you pray. Now shut yourself in with God. Going to see something happen now. All right brethren, ministers, everybody, are you ready? Now, if God will hear my prayer here, He hears it anywhere. Now you've prayed. You've made your confession, just like you would, coming into Christian. You're ready now ... if you was a sinner, you're ready for baptism. Now being that you are a Christian, you've made your confession, and now you're ready for healing. Now, what does it take?

Now, God's ready to give it to you. There's just one thing above you. That's a little thin shadow of doubt. Now if we can break through that.... Just like a great airplane. They tell me these jet planes, if they just struggle, and wiggle, and struggle and wiggle till they get through that sound barrier; but after they run through the sound barrier, then they're free. Now if you can just rise yourself above that little doubt barrier there, oh, brother, what'll take place! You'll run free. You'll be healed.

Now I want you to be real reverent. Hold your hands on one another, and keep shut in with Christ now, like nobody's around you but Him; and just imagine in your heart now you see Him come walking right down to you, standing right in front of you. Now open your heart and let Him in, while I pray and cast away this little shadow of darkness over you. And when it breaks, you're out of the sound barrier then, just rise and give Him praise. Every time when you feel your soul passing through that unbelief, then you're free in Christ.

Heavenly Father, thanking You for all that You have done—for the many healings, for the great power of God, for the many that's been saved, for the fellowship with the ministers, and above all things the fellowship with the Holy Ghost. You have not failed us one time, but has told us the truth every time, confirmed your Word with signs and wonders following.

And now, Father, this little group has staggered out through this ... slick roads and rains tonight to come here to see Jesus. We've seen You, we've felt You, we know You're here. We've got your Word in our hearts. They've confessed—they've openly, publicly confessed—that they believe, and have accepted You as their healer. Now their souls are struggling, Lord, to get through that little barrier there, that little thing yonder that's shaking them—“Wonder if it could be me? Wonder if it'll be lost?” O God, may the power of Jesus Christ raise them up right now, break away that barrier.

Satan, get back. You're losing the battle. Let the church come through. In the name of Jesus Christ, Satan ... away from here. I cast you out in the name of Jesus Christ. Rise to your feet and claim your healing. Claim your healing. I commit you to God by Jesus Christ in his precious name. I pronounce you healed, every one of you. Rise and accept your healing in the name of Jesus Christ.