Sirs, We Would See Jesus

... tonight in Bloomington. I have looked forward to this coming for the past two years. I've been feeling led to come in this part of the country, which I understand that many of the evangelists has not been here. Some of the outstanding evangelists of the nation has never been into this country. And I thought it would be a great thing—as I felt the tug of the Holy Spirit to come and minister with these brethren, these eight nights here, in the name of the Lord—to come and place in our part of the seine, to seine for souls. That's our business of being here is to try to see the church of God increase in its power and in its membership, and to the glory of the kingdom of God.

And then, we pray for the sick. That's part of the gospel, as our Lord Jesus has told us that we should go into all the world and preach the gospel and pray for the sick; and we have these nights along in our campaigns that we pray for the sick. We do not claim to be a healer, now. We just claim that we pray for the sick, like anyone else does.

We believe that all that God can do for you has already been purchased for you at Calvary. When He died at Calvary He finished the plan of salvation—redemption for the soul and body. And now we draw the earnest of our salvation, which is the Holy Spirit. And then also we have the earnest of our resurrection: that is, that when our bodies are sick, God is our healer. I believe that it is upon a finished work that was completed for us at Calvary some nineteen hundred years ago, when Christ died for us to redeem us from these things.

I do not believe that there is any one that could forgive sins, unless it's a sin against them. If you'd sinned against me, then ask me to forgive you, I could do that, and would do it; but I believe that the sins that you have committed against God, that God is the only one can forgive those sins.

And I believe that divine healing is based upon a faith, just like salvation, that we believe that “He was wounded for our transgressions, with his stripes we were healed.” You notice the apostle Peter places it in the past tense: “... we were healed.” It's a past tense, just like salvation is a past tense. When Jesus died at Calvary, He saved the whole world. Every human being ever would be on the earth, the sin question was settled once for all when Jesus died.

But it will never ... you'll never be a beneficiary of this policy until you accept it. And there's nothing you can do to merit it. It's an unmerited thing that God has done for you, and you just accept it by faith. In the simplicity of faith, God has made it so we can all reach it. Rich or poor, illiterate or educated, we can all accept it, because it's in reach of all of us—just by childlike simplicity to believe that the finished work at Calvary included me.

And the same goes by divine healing, that we believe that divine healing is something that Christ purchased for us at Calvary. It's a finished product of God. And the only thing we do is to receive it by faith, believe it. That's the reason we call it “healed by faith,” because that's what it is.

Therefore it could not be in an individual—any person have something or another that would heal another person. Frankly, there's nothing that can heal you outside of God. “I'm the Lord that heals all thy diseases.” The Scripture is infallible and cannot be broken.

So therefore medicine doesn't claim to heal. Medicine—we're not against medicine. Medicine is of the Lord, but medicine cannot heal. Medicine only can assist nature in God's divine plan of healing. There never was a medicine ever healed anyone. There's no doctor will tell you that, because....

I was interviewed at Mayo Brothers some time ago upon the Reader's Digest writing that article of the miracle of Donny Martin. And on the interview they said, “We do not profess to be healers, Mr. Branham. We only profess to assist nature. There's one healer: that is God.”

For instance, if I broke my arm, and I went in to the doctor and said, “Great healer, heal my arm, I must continue my work,” why, he'd say, “You need mental healing.” That's right, if I would say such a statement as that. Now he can set it. On his scientific profession he can set the arm, but he cannot heal the arm, because healing is a multiplying of cells, and that can only be done by life and God. God is life.

If I cut my hand and I fell down dead they might put medicine in my hand cut, and they could give me shots of penicillin for years after years, and that would never heal. If they could embalm my body to make me look natural, for fifty years I would say, it would not heal, because there's no healing quality in medicine. Medicine only kills the germ, and keeps it clean while God heals, see.

Now, medicine was made ... I've often said that a medicine that would heal a cut in my hand would heal one in my coat. And someone would say, “Well, now, wait a minute. Medicine wasn't for your coat. It was for your body.” Well, then, why doesn't it heal, then, after life has gone out of there? Why doesn't it heal, then, if it's for the body? See. It would do just as much healing there as it would here. If it was for the body, it would heal the body.

But you say, “Well, life has to be there.” That's right. So, then, life is God, and God is the healer, see. So it's all right back to “God is the healer.”

The Scriptures does not contradict themselves, and there's no scripture in the Bible that contradicts itself. I've asked for that for years and years. No scripture, no statement that can contradict itself, unless it can be straightened with the rest of the Word of God to rightly put it together—which, Jesus thanked God for, that it was hid from the eyes of the wise and prudent, and would be revealed to babes such as would learn, see.

Now we've got to be humble in this. We've got to throw away our ideas about it. We've got to accept God's plan of it. That's the only way you'll ever be able to get anywhere with God for salvation for soul or body. It'll have to come through God's provided plan.

Now, if you've got an artesian well on this side of the mountain spurting water by the millions of gallons an hour, and a crop on the other side burning up for water, now, you could stand and scream until you took your tonsils out, and screaming, “Oh, great water, come over here and water my crop.” It won't do it. No, sir, it'll stay right there. But if you'll work according to the laws of gravitation, and get this water to come around the mountain and water your crop, it'll do it—if you'll work according to the laws.

Now, there's enough electricity in this room to light the room if it was correctly.... Like we'd be out in a big field where it's dark.... And we know that Franklin, and so forth, has proved that—science—that electric is in the air. Now, take a copper wire and hold it up, drop it down, and the static, the electricity, will pick up till it'll almost light the earth if it was a mile high in the air—would set the earth afire.

Now you can stand out in that field and scream as loud as you wish to, “I'm lost! I'm lost! Great electric, come now and light the way up that I can see how to get out of this darkness.” It'll never do it. But if you'll work according to the laws of electricity, why, it'll light the way up so you can get out. But you have to work according to those laws.

Now, God has a law, too. And there's healing, and salvation, and God's termination for you, if you'll work according to his plans and his laws on such. So that's the way we must plan the meeting, that's the way.... Seven times around the world I have been—to all different races, kinds of people, by the tens of thousands. I have seen great things that our Lord has did. But I always notice that it takes people that will humble themselves, and lay aside their own thoughts of it; and just take God's thought of it and work according to his plan—which is faith in what He said.

Now, we believe that God is Almighty God. Here in a Christian college, on this grounds, and with Christian people, I'm sure we could all say a hearty “Amen” to that: that God is God (He's the same God. If He isn't He never was God), and that God is infinite. He is infinite, omnipresent, omniscient, omnipotent. He is God. If those qualities isn't in Him, He isn't God.

And He's the great eternal one. He never did begin, He never will end. And anything that has a beginning, has an end. It's just those things which did not begin, has no end, that's eternal. Eternity has neither beginning or end. And the only way that we can have eternal life is receive part of Him in us; and that makes us sons and daughters with God's life in us. Then we have eternal life as we are sons and daughters of God. Therefore we are eternal with God when we receive eternal life. There's only one way to do it: that's be born of the Holy Spirit. It's the only way we can have eternal life, is be born of his Spirit.

Now then, if God being infinite and He has ... then He is perfect. And if God is ever called on the scene to make a decision on something, if the way He makes his first decision (now don't forget this as the services goes on), the way He makes his first decision, his next decision has to be the same thing. And every decision He ever makes thereafter has to be the same. If He does change it, then He did wrong when He made his first decision.

See, we're finite. I can say something, I have to take it back, because I'm a man. The smartest of us has to take it back, year after year.

Three hundred years ago a French scientist proved it by rolling a ball over the globe, and said, “If a person would ever ... could be able to obtain the terrific power of thirty miles an hour, gravitation proved that he'd go off the earth.”

Now, I tell you, science won't look back and say what they said, because they're going about two thousand miles an hour now; and staying on the ground at about four or five hundred miles an hour, see. So they wouldn't look back to what they said. But yet it was a scientific proof that some way they rolled a ball around, at that speed, they said, at thirty miles an hour it would lift him up off the earth. Now, that's ridiculous today. So we find out that in this we have to ... them fellows were finite. That's the best they knowed how. I would not condemn that man for that. That was the very best that he knowed how, but, you see, he has to change their ideas now, because it wasn't right to begin with.

But that can't be God. If God says anything.... He's infinite—that's perfect. If God was ever called on the scene to save a man calling for his lost soul, and God saved him upon a certain basis of facts—a declaration of facts—then if them same facts are met by the next man, and by every man that approaches God, he has to use the same system. And He'll have ... if them qualifications is made, then God will have to act the same way. If He didn't, He did wrong when He saved the first man.

And if a man is healed upon the basis of his faith.... A sick man called on God, and this sick man, when calling on God, God healed him because of his faith. If another man calls on God, uses that same faith, God's got to act the same way, see. So I'm trying to let you see

there's so much in the lands today that's under the name and the auspices of divine healing that ought to never be on the field. It's some kind of a sensation. And you can be fooled by sensations, but the Word is what stands—God's eternal Word. God's no better than his Word, or no one else is no better than their word. So it's back to the Word.

Now, I don't mean to say that God doesn't do things that He hasn't written in his Word. He could do anything He wishes to. That's God. But if I'll just ... there's plenty wrote here for me. If I can just make this come to pass—the promises that He's give—then I know it can be backed up by the Word of God. So it's God, that's all.

Now, we'll remember that as we go along. Remember, God is infinite, He cannot change, He's the same yesterday, today and forever.

He has to stay by his Word. If God ... if this is not the Word of God, then the Catholic church is completely right—it's the church instead of the Word. But if this is the Word, in the book of Revelations, twenty-second chapter, God said, “Whosoever shall take a word out of this or add anything to it, the same will be taken ... his part out of the book of life.” So this is the truth.

Now, I may not have faith to make it all come to pass—like Enoch, who believed in God so much till when he'd taken an afternoon stroll with Him, and just got tired staying on earth, and walked up home with Him. I may not have that kind of faith, but I'll never stand in somebody else's way who has that kind of faith. I'll be thankful to God for somebody who can take an afternoon stroll and not have to die, and go right on up with Him. I wish I had that faith. I hope to have it at the end of the road, or before that time if I can.

So what we have got, we're here to pool together. Not something new, but the same gospel that's been preached to you all along. Just here to put my net in with these brothers here, and pull together as a group of people for the kingdom of God's sake; to give new life to the church, to place my ministry with these men's ministry. We are not divided. We are brethren. And we're not here to add something to, or take something away. We're here to magnify what's already been preached, and what we believe as children of the living God.

Jesus said, “The kingdom is like a man that went to the sea and cast in a net. When he brought forth he had all kinds....” That's what the gospel net catches. It catches all kinds: turtles, frogs, snakes, lizards, and everything. The gospel net will do that. It's not my business to say which is which, or no one else. It's God makes the decision. That's God. But I just.... Some man standing on a corner fishing, throwing his net in, and pulling, someone else come by and help him, that's just what I've done here to Bloomington, is come; because I felt led of the Holy Spirit to come and to place my net with my brothers, and throw it out across this country here and pull for the kingdom of God with them, to bring in all the souls that we can.

Now, divine healing is a minor. You can never major on a minor. Anyone knows that, see. You cannot do that. But yet, as Dr. F. F. Bosworth, one of my managers (was in foreign fields with me, and just recently went home to glory, eighty-four years old), he said, “Brother Branham, divine healing is like the bait you put on a hook to catch a fish. You never show the fish the hook; you show him the bait. He grabs the bait and gets the hook.” So that's the way it does. Divine healing, and powers of God to heal the sick, draws the attention of the people; and when it does, then you can let the gospel go to catch them into the net, and heal the soul—which is millions of times more than the healing of the body. That is right. The Lord bless you is my prayer.

Now, this is the divine Word and I solemnly believe it from lid to lid, and I rest my soul on any phase of this blessed old Bible. I've been preaching it now for thirty-one years, around and around the world, and I've never seen it fail yet. And it won't fail. As long as it's God, and we have the faith to back up what He said, then God will perform what He said He would do.

Jesus said, “The Word of God is like a seed that a sower sowed.” And any seed that will fall into good fertile ground will produce its kind. And if I can only, by the help of the Holy Spirit, cast forth the seed into your heart—into the unbeliever's heart, into the lukewarm's heart, into the sick's heart—let that seed catch life. If it's in the right kind of ground and the right conditions, it will live.

Recently I seen where they went down in Egypt and got sunflower seed that had been in there for almost.... I forget how many thousand years it was. Some of the wheat that was in the garner Joseph put in there, way back twenty-five hundred years ago or more. Planted it in the ground and it raised a crop of wheat, because it was germitized. That germ lays in there. Any people that will take the seed of God in their heart, under the right condition it will produce just exactly what it says. I've seen sarcoma cancer healed by it, and I know that it's true.

Now, first it must come in the right kind of ground, and that ground is not theology. That ground is faith. We just lay aside our theology for a while, because there's difference of us, and let's just think about the faith that we're going to speak of.

Now, did you ever pour a sidewalk in the wintertime? Where is your greatest crop of grass at? At the side, the edges of the sidewalk. Why is it? That seed that fell off that grass beneath that walk is covered over with concrete, but the s-u-n is the life giver of all botany life. It has to come when the sun is in a certain condition. Springtime, the warmness of the sun, will bring that life out. And you can't hide it. That grass may be buried in the middle of that sidewalk, but let the warm sun get just right, it'll make ... you can't hide that life. It'll come right through and stick its head right up, to the praises of God, because the sun, s-u-n, is shining.

One day the S-o-n will come, the Son of God. All life—no matter where it's at—that's a born-again life, that's germitized to the Word of God, it'll come forth. I don't care whether it's buried in the ashes, at the bottom of the sea, it'll rise in the likeness of the creator and will live forever. That's God's Word. Let's bow our heads now, while we talk to the author of it for a few moments.

Most gracious and holy God, who brought again Jesus from the dead, we thank Thee from the depths of our heart for this great act; and this great assurance that “He was wounded for our transgressions and was bruised for our iniquity, the chastisement of our peace was upon Him, and with his stripes we were healed”; and that we know that we have been cleansed by the washing of the water by the Word. Now we have eternal life through the grace of God—this treasure that we hold in these earthen vessels, not put in there by man, but by the power of the resurrection of God. And we hear the poet as he wrote, “Living, He loved me; dying, He saved me; buried, He carried my sins far away. Rising, He justified freely forever. Some day He's coming, O glorious day.”

We wait and groan with nature, Lord, for that great day that's soon to come.

We pray, Father, that You'll search our hearts tonight, and if there be any sin—which is unbelief.... No matter how religious we are, if we still disbelieve God's Word, we are sinners; for “he that believeth not is condemned already,” for we know at that day the secrets of all hearts shall be disclosed. That great searching light of God will search our hearts tonight, and see if there be any unclean thing about us, any unbelief in God or his Word.

Then cleanse us, Lord, from all that, that we might once again here in Illinois see a great sweeping revival. Lord, we pray that it'll start right here in Bloomington, and will go statewide and nationwide. Grant here among these people that's assembled tonight, and all these cooperating churches, that the power of God will be so manifested in their midst until they'll see and take new heart again.

Grant this college, Lord, that has let us have this auditorium, that there'll be a revival break out here like at Wheaton, and down at Asbury, and many of the other places. It'll be a day and night prayer meeting, Lord, that people will come from the east to the west. God, give them an old-fashioned, John Wesley revival, a burning zeal of these young men's hearts that will leave the college here, that they might go forth like another Asbury. Grant it, Father. Give us of thy grace. We dedicate our lives to Thee, and the services to Thee, and all that we have, both mentally and physically. Speak to us, Father, we pray, in Jesus' name. Amen.

In the Word tonight ... which, I believe that no meeting.... This is just a little get-together night, so that we could kind of get acquainted. I realize that I'm strange to many of you, but I would not have you feel that way, that.... I'm your brother, and I'm here in the interest of helping you, and you helping me, to know Christ better. And over in a familiar text.... And the ones who's followed the campaign, I thought just ... I'd speak for these few moments on this subject, that might give a basic background of what we are trying to get to the people. St. John 12:20 (and in Hebrews 13:8, and also we might refer to the book of Acts, the third chap ... third verse, 1 and 3):

And there were certain Greeks among them that came up to the feast to worship: The same came therefore to Philip, which was of Bethsaida of Galilee, and desired him, saying, Sir, we would see Jesus.

And in Hebrews 13:8 says, “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever.” Acts 1 and 3, Jesus showed Himself and many infallible proofs, many infallible signs that He showed the people that He is risen from the dead.

Now we'd like to ask this question to you tonight (and I want you to pay real close attention because the future meetings will be based upon something of this type): Have I read from the Word of God, or is that just another book? It's God's Word. Then I believe it with all my heart. Now, if it is God's Word, there is a question asked here, and it was asked by a Greek—or Greeks, rather, I might say. They came up to the feast, of the Pentecostal feast, and they wanted to see Jesus. And they went to Philip, which was of Bethsaida of Galilee, and said these words, “Sirs, we would see Jesus.”

And we realize that Philip, the servant of Christ, worked it around so that they got their request. They saw Him, because they were hungry-hearted people that desired to see Jesus. And I don't believe that there is anybody that has ever at any time ever heard or read of Jesus but what would long to see Him. I'm sure that would be the desire of every heart of Christianity—to see the Lord Jesus. That's why we labor, and why we lay aside everything, to try to live so that we will be able to see Him some day.

But I wonder, if the Scriptures plainly say that He is the same yesterday, today, and forever, then why can't we see Him today?

Now we have as much right to ask to see Him as those Greeks did. Asked to see Him. They said, “Sirs, we would see Jesus.” And by asking a servant of Christ, this servant was able to produce Jesus for them to see. They never asked to see his works, or to hear his wisdom; they just asked to see Jesus. And they were granted that privilege by a servant of Christ.

Now, we are just a few days past celebrating the resurrection. And to many of what we call today “Christians,” that's as far as it ever goes—is on Easter to recognize that that is a memorial day of a historical event. But it's more than that. That was just the day that it started. Now it goes on and on and on. It never ends. He is alive forevermore.

And as Luke, writing the Acts of the apostles—or, the Acts of the Holy Spirit in the apostles—sixty-five years after the event, said that He showed Himself by infallible proofs, by signs, infallible signs that He was the same Jesus that had walked on the earth. He showed Himself alive by infallible signs that He was the living, resurrected Lord Jesus.

Now nineteen hundred years has passed since then, or better, but that doesn't mean one little dot to eternity. If we were here ten million years it would still not be.... Just as it was, as the old saying is, “Where was the man when he jumped off the bridge?” See, you could not figure it out. Someone said, “In the water.” He hadn't jumped yet. Said, “On the bridge.” Well, he's still on the bridge. He hasn't jumped. So he ... you see, you can't ... there's no beginning or end to it.

Now, the same is by Christ. If He's raised from the dead, the infallible Christ, then He's just the same today that He ever was, or the Scripture's found wrong.

Now, then I wonder tonight how many in this visible audience would like to raise their hands and say, “I would love to see Jesus. Sirs, we would see Jesus.”? Well, now, let's see if this is the Word of God. We believe it. Now, if we would long to see Jesus, just about.... Two Greeks came and wanted to see Him, and their desire was met. So there's at least two hundred, or three, in here tonight. And more are here wanting to see Jesus, so if He was willing to show Himself to those uncircumcised Greeks because they were desirous of seeing Him, how much more ought He show Himself to his children, that's saved and born of the Spirit of the living God. Why wouldn't He be more willing to show Himself alive to us tonight? as He was to the forty and the different ones as He met with them in the circles. It's a question; but it's a promise.

And then if Hebrews 13:8 said He's the same yesterday, today, and forever, then He's got to be the same in principle, the same in power, the same in every way that He was yesterday, or He isn't the same. Someone say, “He's the same in a certain way.” No, He's the same, the Scripture says. That's the same Jesus that was, is today, and will be forever.

Now if I should comb down through this audience of people, and say the Baptists, the Methodists, the Pentecostals, the different types, “Do you teach that in your church?”

“Yes, sure we teach it.”

Well, that's what you should do. That's right, because it's the infallible Word of God; but did you ever try to ask God to make it manifest? To make it real to you? Not just as a historical Christ, but a risen Christ.

Now, many people accept Christ as their Saviour because they're afraid of hell. Others are afraid to die without it. But have you accepted Him as your Lord, who can stand in the innermost part of you, and open up the doors of your faith, and just let yourself be in his hands? I'm sure if you do, He'll punctuate every promise in here with an “amen.” For it's ... his own Spirit that wrote the Bible is here to make it say “Amen,” because He's the author of this Bible. And then if you'll just believe Him and open your heart.... And we'll ask Him now if He will come and make Himself known to us like He did.

Well, now, I might say, “Do you find Him in your Baptist creeds?”

“Yes.”

“Methodist creeds?”

“Yes.”

“Pentecostal creed?”

“Yep.”

That's right, you find it. It may be written in there, but let's ask this: Is it said that He is the same today as He was yesterday? Then let's ... if I went to your Baptist creed, or Methodist creed, or Pentecostal creeds, to ask for such, you'd say, “Well, it's thus and thus.”

And one would say, “No, it's this way.”

And another would say, “No, our creed reads it this way.”

“We've been taught this way.”

There'd be different ideas about it. But the only way to justly make it so is to go back and find out what He was yesterday, and what He did yesterday, how He acted yesterday; and then see if He'll come and be that same thing today. Now, everyone believes and knows that the corporal body of the Lord Jesus sits at the right hand of God Almighty, at the throne of God making intercession upon our confession. Do you all believe that? And the Holy Spirit is here which was upon Him, which was God in Christ. Now this is God in his church.

God was in a pillar of fire once—the logos that went out of God, that was the angel of the covenant that went with the children of Israel through the wilderness. Then He was manifested, the same God, in the flesh which was his Son—that He overshadowed a virgin, created a blood cell, and lived in that body of flesh, the Son of God.

Now, then, when that Son of God gave his life and his body for a sacrifice, and God raised his body up on the third day and set it at his right hand on high, then the Holy Spirit came back. And on the day of Pentecost, the Bible said, there were tongues of fire—like tongues, like a lick of fire—sat upon each of them. That was God, the same Holy Spirit that was in the wilderness with the children of Israel.

You say, “That wasn't Jesus.”

It was. After his death, burial, and resurrection, Saul was on his road down to Damascus, and a great light struck him down. Jesus, on earth, said, “I come from God and I go to God.” And after his death, burial, and resurrection, and his ascension, Saul, on his road down to Damascus was struck down onto the ground. And he looked up, and there was a light that blinded him; and cried, “Saul, Saul, why persecutest thou me?”

He said, “Who are you, Lord?”

He said, “I'm Jesus.” Had returned back to that same pillar of fire that led the children of Israel in the wilderness.

St. John, the sixth chapter, they were discussing with Him about different ideas and things, and said, “You said you're as old as Abraham.” And said, “You said you seen Abraham, and you're a man not over fifty years old. Now we know you're mad and got a devil.”

He said, “Before Abraham was, I AM.” Before there was, He was, because He was the I AM that was in the burning bush. The pillar of fire that led the children of Israel through the wilderness was the same God that was manifested in Jesus Christ, died, ascended up on high, and sent back the Holy Spirit, and in John 14:7 said, “He that believeth on me, the works that I do shall he do also; greater than this shall he do; for I go unto my Father.”

St. John, the fifth chapter, and the nineteenth verse of the fifth chapter, 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.” He did as God showed Him. So He said, “I say unto you, I can do nothing....” He didn't claim to be a divine healer. He said He only did as He saw by a vision what God told Him to do; and promised the church to do the same thing.

“Yet a little while and the world seeth me no more; yet ye shall see me.” Now watch. “World cosmos, which means ”world order“ will see me no more. [Unbelievers will see me no more.] Yet ye shall see me [Ye, the believers], for I [I is a personal pronoun] will be with you, even in you, to the end of the world.” Jesus Christ the same yesterday, today, and forever.

Now, if He is the same, then his power, his resurrected life should be living in the church, bringing forth the same ministry that He had here on earth, for He promised it. Now, all cannot receive that. We realize that. Men are born to condemnation. The Scripture says so. “But he that has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the church,” see.

Now, let's find what He did, then we'll find out what He'll do now. Find out what He was, find out what He is now, and see if we're able to discover Jesus Christ in his resurrection. Now, we find out that when He was conceived of the virgin, and born, and then at the age of thirty He was baptized by John the Baptist at the river of Jordan. And then immediately was led into the wilderness to be tempted of the devil, and was there forty days, and came out and began his earthly ministry. Let's go back to the first chapter of St. John, now, as we have started on the book of St. John; and as the week rolls on, we'll continually take this, and wrap it from Genesis to Revelation in such a way there's no critic in his right mind, or no way at all, can dispute it. It's God.

God's in his Word. Do you believe that? “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God ... And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us.”—St. John 1. And in Hebrews, the fourth chapter, it said that the Word of God is sharper than a two-edged sword, piercing to the ... asunder of the bone, even a discerner of the thoughts of the heart—the Word, when it becomes flesh in us.

Now, we find out Jesus, immediately after He started his earthly ministry, He began healing the sick. Now, listen close. Those people were looking for a Messiah, the Jews were. There's only three classes, or three races, of people on earth: that's Ham, Shem, and Japheth's people, the three sons of Noah, if we believe the Word of God; which, they all spring from there, because the antediluvian destruction destroyed them all. Besides that the whole world was destroyed, and from them three boys came forth all the races of the earth.

And if you notice, that was Jew, Gentile, and Samaritan. Peter was given (in St. Matthew, the fifteenth chapter) the keys to the kingdom. On the day of Pentecost he opened it to the Jews. Philip went down and preached to the Samaritans and baptized them, yet the Holy Spirit hadn't come on them. And he went down and laid hands on them, and they received the Holy Spirit. In Acts, the tenth chapter, the forty-ninth verse, that ... Cornelius had seen a vision in his house, being a Gentile. And Peter received a vision on the housetop, to go up. “And while he yet spake these words, the Holy Ghost fell” on the Gentiles. From there on it was open to all the world then—Jews, Gentiles and Samaritan.

Peter had the keys. That was that notable sermon that he preached.

And every church—I don't care if it's Catholic, Protestant, whatever—if you're going to be a Christian, you have to go back; and the first church that God ever ordained was at the day of Pentecost. It was a Pentecostal, believing church with a Pentecostal experience. Now, take the Nicene Council of the early church fathers, or any history that you want to, it'll refer you right back. The first church was a Pentecostal church, filled with the Holy Ghost, signs and wonders and miracles accompanying them.

And if God isn't infinite.... God has set his church in order like that on the day at Pentecost. Every time he sets the church in order will be the same thing. Has to be, because He's infinite, it cannot change. Our doctrines and theology has taken us off to one side till we're wandering in a wilderness. God's Bible remains the same, and God's Spirit remains the same. This is the last days. It's back to where the prophet said, “It'll be light in the evening time.”

Now, if they were looking for a Messiah.... How many knows that the Jews seek signs; Greeks, wisdom? Paul said, “We preach Christ crucified.” Now, the Jew, to receive a Messiah He had to have a Messiahic sign, because Deuteronomy, the eighteenth chapter, from the fifteenth verse to the twenty-second, proves what the Messiah would be. And if what he showed them as a sign of He was Messiah, that will remain through all generations there is to come, as long as there is a person to receive it.

Moses said, in Deuteronomy, the eighteenth chapter, beginning with the fifteenth verse: “The Lord your God shall raise up a prophet among you like unto me.”

And the Messiah was to be a prophet—a God prophet—and He would do the sign of the prophet. Also, in many other places in the Scripture that we could refer to, God said, “If there be one among you who is spiritual or a prophet, I, the Lord God, will make myself known to him. And what this prophet says, watch it. If it comes to pass, then hear him; but if it doesn't come to pass, then do not hear him.”

Now, that was Israel's sign of this great Messiah was to come. He was to be a God-prophet, show signs of the prophet, because the prophet is the one the word of the Lord came to. So when ... his coming was to change the whole dispensation and everything, and He'd have to have a prophet's sign to prove that He was the prophet. He had to, because everything was changing, and that's the reason they'd have to know it.

Now, we know, as Christians, that Jesus came exactly the way He was prophesied to come; but the churches in them days had it all turned around some other way. They thought that probably God would lower the corridors of heaven, and He'd come down upon wings of fire or something.

And John the Baptist—the Elijah that was coming—that he would be some great fellow, because the mountains was to skip like rams, and the leaves was to clap their hands, and the high places made low, and the low places high. Well, they expected some great outstanding something to shake the nation. But when he came, what was he? He was a man with a piece of sheepskin draped around, with beard all over his face, lived off of locusts and wild honey, and came forth preaching on the muddy banks of Jordan, and shaking the churches to repentance. When he seen many coming to his baptism, he said, “Generation of vipers, who has warned you to flee from the wrath? Think not to say within yourself, 'We have Abraham to our father,' for I say unto you that God's able of these stones to rise children to Abraham.” Also, “The axe is laid to the root of the tree. Every tree that bringeth forth not good fruit is hewn down, and cast into the fire.” So you see, it was altogether different. They couldn't receive him.

When Jesus came, He came with an illegitimate name, came as a child born out of holy wedlock. Never went to any seminary, school, or anything else that we have any record of in the Bible or history, that He ever attended one day of school. But He astounded the priests. Because He was sent of God, He had the wisdom and power of God to back up everything that He said. And He astounded them at his doctrine, for He didn't teach like a scribe; He taught as one who had the Word of the Lord. We seen his teaching was altogether different than what the churches had it at his day. Perhaps it'd be a lot different today if He was here.

Now, we'll notice.... The first thing we'll take in St. John 1, we find out that there was a man by the name of Simon and he had a brother named Andrew. They were fishermen. (Now listen close, don't miss this.) So Andrew perhaps talked to Simon after he had been down to the meeting and seen the Holy Spirit descending like a dove upon the Lord Jesus—this great light coming down from heaven like, had wings, and lit upon Him, and a voice saying, “This is my beloved son in whom I'm pleased to dwell.”

And then we find that he must have told his brother, so Simon came on his way up to see Jesus. A well-taught Pharisee, knowed his father was a great worshiper of God, and had taught him how the Messiah would be when He came. He said, “There'll be a confusion in that day. No doubt that there'll be all kinds of false things rise up, just to prerun, or in the day. But, Simon, don't you forget, this Messiah will be God's prophet and He'll show the sign of a prophet, because Moses said, 'The Lord our God will raise up a prophet.' So remember He will be a prophet, Simon.” (Now, we're looking for Him yesterday.)

And Simon walks up, with a honest heart before God, walked up into the line where Jesus was standing. And as soon as Jesus saw him, throwed his eyes on him, he said, “Your name is Simon. You are the son of Jonas.” Oh, I imagine that took all the starch out of Simon. “Your name is Simon, and you are the son of Jonas.” Simon maybe staggered, and looked at Him. Not only did He know him, but he knowed that godly old father of his. Then must've come into Simon's mind, “That's Him.” And falling down at the feet of the Lord Jesus, Jesus said, “From henceforth you'll be called Peter, which means little stone.” And He gave him the keys to the kingdom.

There was one standing there by the name of Nathanael. He saw this done and he knowed without a doubt.... Or I mean Philip, the one that we're talking of tonight. He saw that done, and he run around the mountain. If anybody here's ever been in Palestine to watch where they mark, it's about fifteen miles from where Jesus was preaching around to where he found his friend Nathanael. Walked up and knocked on the door, no doubt asked where Nathanael was (a great Bible student). And his wife must have said, “He's back under the fig trees back there somewhere, looking at his grove.” Around the mountain he went until he hit the little fig tree, and there was Nathanael, on his knees praying. Listen! And as he saw him praying, as a Christian gentleman, he waited till he was finished before he moved around any. And he waited till the man had finished praying, and as he got up and was brushing off his garment, right quick he said, “Come, see who we found—Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph.”

Now you know this man was an orthodox believer, and he said, (now, I could imagine him saying this) “Philip, I know you to be a good man. You surely have gone off on the deep end. You mean to tell me that Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph... ? Could there be any good thing come out of Nazareth?”

You know, I think he gave him the best answer that anybody could give: “Come and see.” Didn't say, “Stay home and criticize,” or “Get up and get out.” He said, “Come see for yourself.”

Around the mountain they went. I can imagine Philip saying to him, “Oh, you know that old man we bought them fish from that time, by the name of Simon?”

“Yes.”

“Well, he came up before the Messiah the other day, and the Messiah told him, 'Your name is Simon.' You remember he didn't even have education enough to sign his own name?” The Bible said that Peter—the one that had the keys to the kingdom—was ignorant and unlearned. He couldn't even sign his own name, he was so illiterate. But it pleased God to his faith to give him the keys to the kingdom, for he had the revelation of Jesus Christ—illiterate, unlearned man.

And he said, “He told him who he was, and who his father was. Now, Nathanael, you know that the Messiah is to be a God-sent prophet. God is to be in the Messiah, because He is to be a king of the prophets. But He's to give us the Messiahic sign, according to the Scriptures; and if this man would do this, wouldn't you believe He was a prophet?

I can imagine Nathanael saying, “Now, wait just a minute, Philip. We haven't had a prophet for hundreds and hundreds of years, and how can this Galilean, how can this man of Nazareth... ? We have no record of him in schools, or any place where he's been. How could he ever do a thing like that?”

“Just come find out. Come and find out for yourself. See if it's going on or not.”

“I heard of that wild man down there, John.”

“Well, he was just a forerunner that was the Isaiah ... that was ... or, the prophet that was to come, forerunning Him. But he's now ... that's the Elias that was to come. Now this is the Messiah because He shows the sign of the Messiah.”

And if that was the sign of the Messiah yesterday, it's the same today or He give the wrong sign. Then Israel was right and justified by killing Him, denying Him to be the Messiah, because He'd be an imposter. But they killed Him because that He proved that He was Messiah. There wasn't a rock to be overturned. As we get to it further in the week you'll see. He is the Messiah.

Now, I imagine him saying, “You know, Philip, I want to believe you, but I just can't do it. I just can't believe that such a thing has happened. It's too good to believe.”

Well, you know, Philip might have said this, “Nathanael, it wouldn't surprise me but what He tells you who you are when you come up.”

“Oh, it'll never happen like that. No, I don't believe it. I'll have to see it first.”

So they came, finally got to the meeting where Jesus was. Maybe he might have come in the prayer line, I don't know. He might have been sitting out in the audience—or which way they were—sitting on the ground, or standing up. But as soon as Jesus' eyes fell upon him (Listen!), he said, “Behold an Israelite in whom there is no guile.” That was Jesus yesterday. Is that right? “Behold an Israelite in whom there is no guile.”

It so astonished that man until he said, “Rabbi, when did you ever know me?” In other words, “This is the first time we ever met. How did you know I was an honest man, just man, an Israelite?” Not the way he was dressed. All Easterners dressed the same—beard, and turban, and long garment, and so forth, dark skin. “How did you know me?”

Listen at his words: “Before Philip called you, when you were under the tree, I saw you.” That was Jesus yesterday. That's the way He manifested Himself.

What did He say? “Rabbi, thou art the Son of God; thou art the King of Israel.”

Jesus looked at him and said, “Because I told you this you believe. You'll see greater, then.” He was a believer, ordained to eternal life, to see the works of God.

Oh, there was some standing there didn't believe that—the rabbis of that day. They stood there. They knowed they had to answer to their congregation. There was no way around it. The people were standing there and saw it done, and they knowed the Scriptures taught that's what the Messiah would be. So they had to answer to the people. What did they say? They never said it out loud, but in their hearts they said, “This man is Beelzebub, a fortune-teller, or some evil spirit. See, he's a prince of the devils, a fortune-teller. And that's how he does these things, is by his fortune-telling.”

What did Jesus say? He said, “I'll forgive you for that, but some day the Holy Spirit will come. Speak one word against that, it'll never be forgiven in this world nor the world to come.” See where we place ourselves then, calling.... What is the blaspheme of the Holy Ghost? Calling the Spirit of God—which was doing exactly what the Bible predicted it would do—a demon power. There's never forgiveness for it, nor this world or the one to come.

And Jesus cannot lie because He was God, and it's impossible for God to lie. God was in Him. He said, “It's not me. It's my Father that dwells in me.” The Son was a man. God was the Spirit that was in Him, and it was the Spirit speaking out of Him.

Now, you see what He done to them Jews? When He met them, them were ordained to life recognized it. Don't miss it, church! Those that were ordained to life recognized it and believed it; but those who did not believe it was turned away to perdition. Did not Jesus say to those holy, sanctified men who knowed the Scriptures from A to Z—or claimed to—He said, “You are of your father, the devil.” That's exactly right.

So don't place sin on smoking, drinking, gambling. That's not sin. That's the attributes of unbelief. Sin is unbelief. You might never've touched a cigarette, drank, or never done anything evil in your life, and if you disbelieve God's Word you're still a sinner. Sin is unbelief. There's only two spirits: one believes, and the other does not believe.

No matter.... We have based all our thoughts upon some kind of a holy act, something that we want to do, and something that we've done. “I give Joneses some coal when they were.... I got a right to heaven.” You haven't got no right to heaven till you believe God. You accept it by the basis of faith upon the shed blood of Jesus Christ, the Son of God. You have no rights for no other way. No matter ... you might be a staunch member, a Pentecostal to the core, or Methodist, Baptist, or Catholic to the core. Makes no difference what church you belong to. If you've solemnly believed on Jesus Christ, and accept Him as your personal Saviour, as your faith in Him.... I don't care what church you go to, you're saved by faith, and without that there's....

There's no holy church. There's no holy people. It's the Holy Spirit in the people, what makes it holy. A holy God that lives amongst people is what makes the holiness. Not something that I do, something that you do, or something that we would have done; but it's what God has done for us through Christ Jesus. That's the Bible.

Watch the Jews. They believed it solemnly, some of them that were ordained to life. Others, staunch orthodox in their beliefs, broad-backed, they wouldn't even make a letter.... They had to come through a lineage of priesthood—down, down, down, down, from grandfather to grandfather, grandfather—to be a Levite, to be a teacher. But they'd been taught in a tradition instead of the real Word. Jesus said, “You're the father ... your father is the devil.”

But those poor little fishermen, humble, who would receive and believe—who had been taught and knowed that ... what the Messiah would be—they recognized it at the moment they saw it; and believed it. Said, “Truly Thou art the Son of God.”

“Truly, Rabbi, we know that Thou art a teacher comes from God.”

Nicodemus well expressed it. The church wouldn't let him receive it but yet he was.... “We know that you're a teacher comes from God, because no man could do the things that you do except God be with him. We know it's infallible. You are the Messiah. You showed us your sign that You are Messiah. We know Moses spoke that You would come. We know the Scripture says You would come. We know that You was to be a God-prophet. And here You are proving to us, even knowing the thoughts that's in our hearts. We know Thou art a teacher comes from God.”

Now, He only comes to those who are looking for Him. We Gentiles, the Anglo-Saxon, in them days were heathens—Romans, so forth. We had a club on our back, and worshiping idols. But there was another class of people which was the Samaritan, was half Jew and Gentile. Then they were looking for a Messiah. (Now, quickly now, we've just got about five more minutes.) They were looking for a Messiah.

And Jesus was on his road down to Jericho, but He had need go by Samaria. I wonder why? Now listen real close. And when He got to a certain city He sent the disciples in to get some vittles, and He Himself sat down beside of a well.

If you were ever there, it's a panoramic well, still there. Just something like this here, not quite so high, vines around it—the public well where the people come to get their water. The ladies come out there and get these big jugs full of water yet; put them up on their heads, and walk just as smooth as you please. And talk (as ladies can, you know, to each other) go right along and never spill a drop of it. And they come there to get their water.

Jesus sat down because He was tired, as He said. And the disciples went into the city to buy food. And while they were gone, a lovely looking young woman came out, which was a woman of ill fame. She had defiled the marriage vows. She had been married five times and was living with her sixth husband. Let's say she came out.... In them days, the real truth of it is, she couldn't come with the women early of a morning, because they didn't have no fellowship together, right and wrong.

Today it's all mixed together, can't tell which is which. Dress alike, look alike, talk alike, just the same thing. All smoke cigarettes, and get out and carry on, cut their hair, and use makeup. You can't ... just dog eat dog. There you are.

Here they come.

And so she came out to the well after all the rest of the women was gone. And she started to let down the ... it's a windle and they have a hook, a big.... It's really not a bucket; it's a pot or a kettle-like, got a long neck on it, got two hooks. And they put the windle under these arms-like and let it down into the well, and get the water, and then windle it up again. So when she started to let the pot down into the well, she heard a man say, “Woman, bring me a drink.”

She looked over and she seen a Jew sitting there. Oh, He was only about thirty-three years old, but he must have looked about fifty, because they'd just told Him He looked fifty anyhow. Said, “You're not a man over fifty years old and say you seen Abraham?” See, so his work must have broke Him down quite a bit. So there He was sitting up against the well. Said, “Woman, bring me a drink.”

And she looked around, and she let Him know that there was segregation in that country. She said, “You are a Jew and I am a woman of Samaria. You have no such customs here as to ask me such a thing as that.”

Watch the question come back, “But if you knew [O God], if you knew who you were talking to, you'd ask me for a drink. [Break in tape.] There's waters of life bubbling up.” So the question came up about worshiping in the mountain or at Jerusalem. What was Jesus doing? Now, He had need go by Samaria and He said he did nothing till the Father showed Him. Then He had need go by there. The Father had sent Him up there, and no doubt.... He said in St. John 5:19, “I do nothing until I see the Father do it. The Father shows me first in a vision what to do.” How many ever read that scripture? St. John 5:19. “Yes, I do nothing until I see the Father doing it first, then I do just what he shows me to do.”

Then He seen this go on, and He must have seen the woman coming, but He had to question her. He was trying to find her spirit, see. So He said.... That's the reason He said, “Bring me a drink.” He knew by the vision that's what it looked like, the woman.... So He knowed she was supposed to look that way—perhaps, maybe, her curls all hanging down in her face. And she wasn't very presentable, but yet she come to get the water. He begin to talk to her, and He said....

She said, “We should worship in this mountain, and our fathers worshipped here, and our father Jacob, see, dug the well.” They knowed God was God, too. They were looking for a Messiah to come. And said, “You say at Jerusalem.”

He said, “The hour is coming, now is, when you won't worship in Jerusalem or in this mountain; but God is a Spirit, and they that worship Him must worship Him in Spirit and truth.” The question went on, carrying on, talking to her, until He caught her spirit. Now, I said I'd have to prove all things by the Word of God. Now right there, I couldn't prove that by the Word, but by ... if you would.... It had to be that, because He was talking to her. You know He talked to her, and He caught her spirit and He found out where her trouble was. How many knows what her trouble was? Sure, she was living ... had six husbands.

And He said, “Woman, go get your husband and come here.” Now watch, this is Messiah. Do you believe He was Messiah? “Go get your husband and come here.”

She said, “I have no husband.” Oh, what a blank denial of what He'd said.

He said, “You said the truth. You've had five husbands, and the one you're living with now is not your husband, so you told the truth.” Look at that woman. Look how much more she knowed about God than what them priests did.

Think of that, brethren. Them priests said, “He's Beelzebub, a fortune-teller.”

What did that woman say? She said, “Sir, I perceive that thou art a prophet. We know, we Samaritans know, that when the Messiah cometh, that'll be his sign. He'll tell us these things, when Messiah cometh. We know the Messiah—which is called the Christ, the anointed one—when He comes He'll tell us these things. But who are you?”

He said, “I am He that speaks with you.” Oh, my! She dropped her waterpot. She ran into the city, and said, “Come, see a man, that told me the things that I've done: isn't this the very Messiah?” And the Bible said the men of that city believed on him for the saying of the woman. Is that right, Bible teachers? Because of the saying of the woman, they believed Him.

That was Jesus yesterday. That's how He made Himself known to both Jews and Samaritans. But not to the Gentiles. Not one time was that done before a Gentile. But He prophesied and said in the evening time that would come.

You say, “Whereabouts, Brother Branham?”

All right, I'll give it to you in one scripture, right now in closing. Jesus said, “As it was in the days of Sodom, so shall it be in the coming of the Son of man.” Is that right? Let's take Sodom, see what He did. And Sodom ... Lot had separated himself, a lukewarm believer, and had went down into Sodom, and had built him up a nice reputation down there. But Abraham stayed out of Sodom, and lived according to the promise that God had given him.

Now, always there's three classes of people. Every meeting has them, every city has them, every church has them. That is unbelievers, make-believers, and believers. That's exactly right. It's always been that way. It is yet today—every congregation, every assembling together. Even when the sons of God came up before God, there he was.

So we find out here, that in the type of Sodom.... Now, watch how close He said this—how He said it, how He worded it, see. In Sodom was just before the fire fell, see, and that's what's fixing to fall now—fire. We know that. This is a doomed world. We know it. She's without hope, without God, she's lost. Just a little remnant of people ready for the rapture. This week, God willing, we'll prove that, word by word. Notice, we're a doomed people ... or, the world is. The church is not. Thank God there's a remnant.

Notice. But now notice, the last sign that Sodom received.... He'd been with Abraham all along, but one day, just before the burning of the city of Sodom and Gomorrah.... We find out that they'd got a lot of perverts down there. Look at the nations today, see. Every thought of men's heart was evil till they were perverting themselves in sexual affairs, so forth.

Notice, there were three that came up to meet Abraham. Looked like men—dust on their clothes and professed they were strangers. And two of them went down to preach to Sodom, trying to find ten people. Remember, went down to Sodom, the lukewarm church. A modern Billy Graham, and so forth, down in Sodom, preaching the gospel, blinding the people by the gospel. That's what the evangelist Billy Graham, Oral Roberts, and many of those great men of God have did. Shook the people. This nation has been shook. The world knows about it by the great ministry of these God-given men. Shook the nations with their ministry.

But remember, the word church means “called out.” Abraham separated himself from all that stuff. So the one that stayed behind and talked to Abraham, which Abraham called Him “Lord”.... That was God. I know you might disagree with that, but look what the Scrip.... Abraham was the one talking to Him, called Him L-o-r-d, Elohim, Lord God. What was He doing? Abraham fed Him the meat of a calf, milk of a cow, butter and cakes; and He eat it. And He was Elohim. What did Jesus refer to it?

Now, watch,

a few days before that God had changed the name of Abraham ... or, Abram to Abraham; S-a-r-a-i to S-a-r-a-h, Sarah, princess. Abraham—giving him part of his name. Elohim; Abraham, as a father of nations. And watch this one who sat and talked to him—a man dressed in clothes, dust on them, eating meat, just like any other human being. He said, “Abraham, where is your wife, Sarah?” Watch the Scriptures.

Abraham said, “She's in the tent behind you.”

He said, “I'm going to visit you.” That proved what He was. “I'm going to visit you according to my promise I give you. I'm going to visit you and you're going to have this baby that you've waited twenty-five years on. She's ninety and you're a hundred now, so I'm going to give you that baby.”

And Sarah laughed in her heart. To herself, said the Bible (and the angel with his back turned), in the tent, and said, “Me, an old woman, have pleasure with my lord out there, him being old also?”

And the angel, with his back turned, God manifested in flesh, said, “Why did Sarah laugh, saying within herself...?”

What did Jesus say? “As it was in the days of Sodom, so shall it be at the coming of the Son of man.” That same thing—God manifested in the flesh of his people. Not angels coming down, but men born of the Spirit of God, with eternal life within their bosom, performing and doing the same thing that angel did there at Sodom.

“Sirs, we would see Jesus.” If He is alive today, and was in this church, He would do the same as He did then. And this is the closing of the Gentile age. The prophet said there'll be a day that could not be called day or night, but in the evening time it would be light.

Now the sun, geographically, rises in the east and sets in the west, the same sun. Well, now, when the S-o-n rose on the eastern people and showed forth his miraculous powers....

We've had a day that's been a dismal, rainy day. We've had enough light till we could join church, build organizations, and have a great time, be Christians, accept Christ; but that sunlight has never poured through since then. But this is.... Civilization has traveled with the sun. The oldest civilization is China. We've come ... it's traveled from the east, coming west, with the sun. We're at the West Coast now, and the Bible said, the prophet said, “It'll be light in the evening time.” That same sun that rose in the East will be shining with his same power on the western people as he did on the east.

“Sirs, we would see Jesus.” Why can't we? Why can't we when He promised it? You say, “Brother Branham that's the Bible, but will it work?” If it's God's promise, it'll work. It's got to work. Do you believe that? If He would come into this audience of people tonight, and perform and do the same thing that He did when He was here then, to let Him know ... let you know that He is here—the same Christ would do the same thing—would you believe on Him? Raise your hands and say, “I would believe if I could see it done.”

Let us bow our heads.

Almighty and omnipotent God, we thank Thee, O holy Father, for the promise that You gave us. And we know that thy promises is true. Now, it is a bad night outside, but a glorious night inside. Not a night inside, but a day where the Son of God is shining in our hearts and lives. We thank Thee for believers, and for a Christ who promised to come to these believers and manifest Himself; and show in this last day to the Gentile race.... Which we know, Father, it's never been, according to history, since the early church died out, until this time.

How St. Paul, and those in the old days, how that the visions broke upon them, and they done the same thing; Ananias and Sapphira, and Paul upon the sea that night. And the angel of the Lord stood by him, and he walked out and told the people. And how that the great powers of God was known in that early church—You promised it again in the last days.

I pray, Father, that You'll forgive the mistakes of your servant. And now let the Holy Spirit come forth because it is his Word. Let Him do before these people ... after I have told them, Father, that salvation is what has already been done for them at Calvary, divine healing is what You did for them at Calvary, and I pray Thee, Lord, that they might understand that it's their own faith. And when they see the God that made the promise come forth in his power, and do as He did then, they will know it's the same Jesus that made the promise. Grant it, Lord, as we commit ourselves to Thee, and this congregation, for the kingdom of God's sake. In Jesus Christ's name we ask it. Amen.

Now, I'm going to ask if there is anyone here that wishes to go, for the next ten to fifteen minutes, that you would go now, so you won't disturb the service. Now, please don't move around from henceforth, see, after this moment. Just remain in your seats. Each day that we're going to have prayer for the sick .... I'll speak this while ... someone has to go. But if you can, stay another fifteen minutes to watch and see if the Word is right. Now, anybody can come and say that but, now, it takes God to make it work. That's right.

Now, if ... every day that we're having prayer for the sick at night, we will come down and the boys will give out prayer cards. Either be my son, Billy Paul; this boy right here, Gene Goad, which is one of the tape boys; and there's another one called Leo, Leo Mercier. Either of them boys will give out the cards. They'll stand up before the audience and mix the cards all together. Then they'll come down and give you a prayer card. Therefore they don't know what kind of a prayer card they're giving to people, who will be called up, who will not be. That justifies them.

And no one knows, again, where they will start, until that night when the Holy Spirit lays upon a heart wherever. Of course that has nothing to do with the healing of the people, but it's only to get somebody here on the platform before the Spirit of the Lord.

Then you out in the audience that does not have a prayer card, don't be worried. Sit there and believe with all your heart, watch what happens. Now I hope you will listen to the thing that I have said, that you will not walk around anymore.

And, please, no one take any pictures during this time, because ... a little later I can tell you. It's a light, the angel of the Lord. We all know it was a pillar of fire. We had the picture of it here from Germany, from Switzerland, from America, from before the FBI, and it's all been proved. It is a supernatural being. It'll be on the platform in a moment. And it's the same Spirit of God exactly. So don't take no pictures from hence, from now on through the service. And be seated and be real reverent and quiet while the people are coming.

Now, I believe ... did you, or Billy, you give out ... 1 to 100? This late we'll not be able to call too many, but you hold your cards. Let's call a few of the people up here.

Who has prayer card number 1? If you can raise up, or raise your hand, prayer card number 1. What's the letter on it? A, A number 1. Anyone's got it? There must be something wrong somewhere. Well, we'll start.... Oh, I'm sorry. All right. Would you come right here, lady?

Number 2. Prayer card A number 2, raise your hand. All right. Come right here, lady. Number 3, would you raise your hand? All right. Number 3. Did I see it? Yeah. Way back. Number 4, would you raise your hand? Way back. All right. Number ... he gives them out anywhere in the building, anybody that wants them. Number 5. Would you raise your hand, ever who has prayer card number 5? All right. Number 6, would you raise your hand? Raise your hand so I can see. All right, sir. Right here. Number 7, number 8, number 9, as I call you. Number 10. That's fine.

See, this may be a basketball floor, an arena; but it isn't an arena tonight, it's a church of God, see. So we must have reverence and respect to the Holy Spirit. 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9. Number 10. Who has prayer card number 10. All right, lady. Number 11. All right. Number 12. Number 12, 13, 14? 14? 14? 14? Well, that's enough. Let's start right there.

Now whoever has cards just hold them. They'll be called.

Now, I suppose that 99% of this audience is perhaps strangers to me. All that's in this audience that is strangers to me, raise up your hands. See, I guess about 100%. All right. How many in here that does not have a prayer card, and you're sick and you want God to heal you? You don't have a prayer card and I'm a stranger to you. Raise up your hands, everywhere in the building. I don't care where you're at. It's just about general everywhere.

Now while they're lining the people up, I'd like to say something to you. One time Jesus was going over to raise up a little dead girl, Jairus's daughter. And there was a woman who had an issue of blood. And she said within her heart, “I believe that He's Messiah, so if I can just touch the border of his garment, the hem of his garment, I'll be made well.” How many ever read that story? Sure. And she touched his garment, because that was what she wanted to do. She believed Him. She'd never seen Him before, but she believed Him. As soon as she saw Him, she believed Him.

So then she touched his garment.

Now, He could not have physically felt it. The Palestinian garment hangs loose, and it's got an underneath garment. And then He could not have felt that. And the little woman touched his garment. Everybody was shaking hands with Him, and so forth, and hugging Him. And so, He said then.... She went out in the audience and sat down, or whatever it was. And He said, “Who touched me?”

And Peter rebuked Him, said, “Lord, why did you say such a thing as that?” Said, “Everybody is touching you.”

He said, “But I perceive that I have gotten weak.” The King James says “virtue,” which virtue is strength. “I perceive that virtue has gone from me.” And He looked all over the audience until He found the little woman and told her that she had had a blood issue and her faith had saved her. Is that right? Well, now, to you people that don't have a prayer card, if He's the same yesterday, today, and forever, would not He act the same way today if you touched Him? Is that right?

Now, how many of you ministers here know this—and you ministers and Bible readers out there—that the Bible said that Jesus Christ right now is a high priest that can be touched by the feeling of our infirmities? Is that right? Right now He's a high priest. Is that right, brethren? Well, if He is the same high priest that He was then, how would He act now? If He's the same high priest He was then, He'd act the same way. Is that right? Because He's the same high priest. He's God, He can't change. He can't be different that what He was.

If He lets this Gentile church go through without having that same Messiahic sign, then He did something for them (the Samaritans and the Jews) that He didn't do for us, so that wouldn't be just. They couldn't get through on theology. They had to have a time to condemn their theology, to bring God's Word manifest to them in flesh and so does ... the Gentile church is getting it now.

Now, please, I ask again, don't walk around. Please don't. See, the Holy Spirit is just as timid as it can be, and sometimes when you're moving.... See, you're a spirit, you're a soul. Then when you move, that interferes, see. Just sit real quiet. Be reverent. Now, after something is done, if the Holy Spirit does something, you want to say, “Praise the Lord,” all right. But when you're coming into the contact of the Spirit of God, keep real quiet. Just keep in prayer.

And you out there that doesn't have a prayer card, you say this, “Lord Jesus, I know that man doesn't know me, and I know he's just a man. But I believe You're God. I believe.... He's read the Scripture. He's told me the truth. So I'm sick and needy. Let me touch You, Father.” Find out what happens. Say, “Now, you speak through him. He's just a mouthpiece.” Look. This microphone is a mute until something speaks into it. So would I be. I don't know any of you.

Now everybody in that prayer line that knows I know nothing about you, raise up your hands. All along there, knows I know nothing about you, see.

And here's my hand. I've never seen them people before in my life, as I know. There's not a person along there that I've ever seen. I can't see a person in the building that I know, unless this is my good friend Brother Skaggs from Chicago sitting over on this.... Is that you, Brother Skaggs? I thought it was, there. And I know that there's Brother Fred Sothmann. I believe he's here somewhere in the building, and perhaps Tom Simpson, I suppose, is here somewhere in the building. I don't know. Where are you? Are you here, Brother Fred and Brother Tom? I seen their car out.... Yes, right here, way back in the back. All right.

Now be real reverent. All right. Now, if the people gets a little weary, give them a chair. Just come up here, lady. Now, here's the Word. How many believe that I read to you and preached to you the Word of God, the promise of God? Now here's God's Word. Now here's a person that I've never seen before. Will it work? It will if she believes, and I believe, and I can yield myself to God, as by a gift, and let Him ... just get rid of myself and let Him talk. So if there's anything done, like it would be the Lord Jesus, you'd know it would have to be Spirit.

Now let's take this, like I was quoting a few minutes ago, St. John 4. There's a lady and a man that's never met before, now, being strangers to each other, just in a little panoramic like I was talking about. Now St. John 4, Jesus met a woman of Samaria, and He talked to her a little while till He caught her spirit, then told her her trouble. And now if He would do that same thing to you tonight, knowing that I don't know you, see.... God knows you. And you don't know me, or unless you just know me by name or something. But if He'd do the same thing, would it make you believe with all your heart? It will? Would it make the audience believe with all their heart?

Now every soul in here under the control of the Holy Spirit, in the name of Jesus Christ.... And ever who's the engineer on these microphones, if my voice gets low—because I don't know what I'm saying—if it gets low, step it up so the audience can hear it. Now be real reverent and quiet while we talk to the woman just a moment. If you'll stand right across here, so I'll be sure that they hear—just across.

Now, our Lord, when He came to the woman of Samaria, He said He had need to go by Samaria to see the woman. And, of course, God the Father had sent Him up there. And He met the woman and He knew nothing of her. He'd never seen her in his life; she'd never seen Him. But yet He had to give that Samaritan woman the same sign He gave the Jew. And now you're the Gentile woman, see. Now He has to be the same Jesus yesterday, today, forever. Is that right?

Now, if He would do something like that, you know then it'd have to come from some spirit. You know it would have to be a spirit. Now, you could take the Pharisee's side, the religious of that day, and say it was the devil. Then that's up to you and God. But if you'd say it was Christ, then you receive his reward.

Now if the Holy Spirit will tell me....

Now, say, if I'd come here and say, “Sister, I have a gift of healing,” lay my hands upon you, and say, “Glory to God, the Bible says, 'These signs shall follow them that believe. Lay hands on the sick, they shall recover.'” That's true. Well, you could go believe that. That would be all right, but yet there could be a little wonder in your mind, wonder if that is true; because the Bible said, “If there be one among you who's spiritual or a prophet, what he says comes to pass then hear him. But if it doesn't, then don't hear him.” Now the showdown is here now. Have I told the truth? Is that the Word of God? Is that the promise of God? If it is, then He'll make it manifest.

Now the woman is aware that she is in the presence of somebody besides man—a real sweet, humble feeling. Is that right? If it is, just raise your hand, so they all.... Between me and the woman is that Spirit of Christ, that light. The woman is here to be prayed for because of a nervous condition. She's got a real serious condition of nerves. If that's right, raise up your hand. Do you believe?

Eventually ... I never seen a first night but what it will do that. Somebody, in your heart (Don't think you can hide your thoughts now, because you can't.) you said I guessed that. I did not. Just for a rebuke for you, that you might know, we'll see if it's so or not. Every time, a first night, when something's said.... Now right now I couldn't tell you what I said to the woman, but that you might know that it's the Spirit of God and not what you're thinking, this will be a plain rebuke to you.

You're a good person, a fine-spirited person, but now.... Yes, here it comes again. The woman is moving from me. She's bothered with a nervous condition, and an intestinal trouble. That is true. Let me show you whether you believe I'm a servant of the Lord or not. That woman sitting right there on the end of the seat is bothered with intestinal trouble, too. If that's right, raise up your hand, lady. That's right. See them devils trying to get by with it? They can't do it.

It's all finished for you, lady.

You have a stomach trouble. That's true, a nervous stomach. Here, that you might know, believe me to be God's servant, standing here under this anointing, your husband, he's here, too. He has a nervous stomach also. You're not from this state or this city. You're from Kansas. Do you believe God knows who you are? Mrs. Walton. Now return home. You're healed, you and your husband, too. You can go home and be made well in the name of Jesus Christ. Do you believe now? Could I have guessed that? Let us just bow our heads and worship.

Our heavenly Father, we thank Thee, in the midst of every kind of thing You still move in on the waves. You're God, You never fail. I pray that You'll bless these people now. Amen.

All right, this lady here. Do you believe that what these things are taking place is from the Spirit of God? Do you, lady? Then us being strangers to each other, then if ... something would have to happen, would have to let me know something about you. And if God can tell what you have been, surely He can tell what you will be. If He knows the past, He knows the future. That makes it prove that it is God. And you know that I would know nothing about that, because I'm just a man here, your brother. That's right.

Got a great faith in the audience tonight to begin with. It left me and went towards the audience. You're so happy about your healing a few moments ago, you put your hand over on that woman sitting next to you. Yes, with that growth on your breast. If that's right, raise up your hand. Am I a stranger to you? Wave your hand back and forth. I want to ask you something. What did she touch? She's twenty feet away from me. What did she do? She touched the High Priest. Do you see that God still lives, He's the same Lord Jesus? Just believe. God bless you.

I can only speak as it speaks through me. I have to ... wherever it goes, I have to go with it, see.

You have a tumor on the breast. You have a stomach trouble also. Also you have someone here that's sick also. Your husband. He's a preacher, and he's got a nervous stomach. Mrs. Seward, return home and be made well, both of you, and be healed in the name of Jesus Christ. Have faith, don't doubt. Just believe.

Do you believe that Jesus Christ...? “Sirs, we would see Jesus.” That's Him, see. That's the Lord Jesus. Now, you have to say it's something. You know that. These people, with their hands up before God we've never met, but it's his Spirit that does these things. Just have faith.

Are you the lady now? We are strangers, one to the other, I suppose. But the Lord Jesus knows us both. But if He can reveal to me something about you that you know that I know not, would it encourage you to make you have faith to believe?

You see what it does to me. It makes me so weak I can hardly stand up. We realize that. I'm sure that the audience realizes that, too. How many knows that that.... If one vision made our Lord feel virtue go out of Him, the Son of God, what would it do to me, a sinner saved by grace? Because He said, “The works that I do shall you do also. More than this shall you do.” Now, I know the King James has “greater,” but take down to the original translation, see. How could you do greater? He stopped nature, raised the dead, and done everything that could be done; but more, because He could be in his church universally, see. “More than this shall you do.” It's his grace.

You're here for somebody else. That's a daughter. You think Christ can tell me what her trouble is? It's her eyes. That is right, isn't it? Do you believe they're going to get well now? You've contacted something, haven't you? Do you believe it to be the Lord Jesus? If He'll tell me who you are, like He did the apostle that came up, would it make you have a lot of faith to believe Him? Well, Miss Nichols, you return home. Believe now Jesus Christ will heal and make well.

Are you believing, everyone? (Please don't walk around. Please don't walk around. Please.) I do not know you. I have never seen you in my life. But Christ does know you. If He will describe to me what you're here for.... It might be finances, domestic. It might be sickness, salvation. I do not know. I'm just a man that's standing here, us meeting for the first time in life. One thing, you're really nervous. That is right. And I see you trying to get from the bed real slow. You got arthritis. That is right. Then you've got a bad ill effect from an operation that you had. That's right. It was a gall bladder operation. If that's right, raise up your hand. Do you believe now? Then go. As you have believed, so will it be unto you.

If I told you that God healed arthritis would you believe it meant you? Then just go right along thanking God, saying, “Thank You, Father.” If I told you God healed from anemic trouble, would you believe that He'd heal you? Just go right on, thanking God, believing with all your heart. Are you believing with all your hearts, everybody with one accord? What if I didn't say one word to you, just laid hands on you? Would you believe? All right, sir, pass by, and in the name of the Lord Jesus, go and be made well. Don't doubt.

(Please don't walk around. See, it grieves the Spirit from me, and I just can't hold it, see. Please. I ask you kindly as a Christian brother. I asked if you did not believe, please don't stay in the building. It's dangerous for you to stay anyhow, see.) Just have faith, don't doubt.

If I laid hands upon you, would you believe that you'd get well? Come here. In the name of Jesus Christ, may our brother be healed. Come. Whether I told you your trouble or not, would you believe me as his prophet ... or his servant? Well, your back trouble is finished. Go and believe, have faith in God.

Come, lady. If I didn't say one word to you, but just laid hands on you, would you believe anyhow? Well, I want to tell you, when you was in the line standing down there, got in the line, you seen that first thing happen, the heart trouble left you, so you can go home now.

You walk different since you got in there, haven't you? Your arthritis left you in the line, so just go believing with all your heart.

Sister, of course, one of the great things wrong with you, we all know, but this is one thing there's about ninety-five percent of this audience suffering with the same thing—a nervous condition. You're real nervous, isn't that right? Let me show you how it'd be hard to call them. Every one suffering with nervous condition, raise up your hands out there. See? You've tried to find a place to start. They told you to get next to yourself. Satan told you you were going to lose your mind, and all these things, but it's a lie. Do you believe with all your heart? Then from right here, in the name of Jesus Christ, go and be well for the glory of God. If thou canst believe....

That man that's been sitting there weeping for a little while, looking at me, you got trouble in the chest. Do you believe that God Almighty will make you well? If you believe it, you can have it, sir. Raise up your hand to accept it. Go home and be made well.

Your arthritis is finished. Go home and be made well in the name of Jesus Christ. God bless you. A lady just raised her hand up there, put it on the back of her head, with a skin trouble. You believe that God will make you well? Do you have a prayer card? You don't? You don't need one. You're healed anyhow. Jesus Christ heals you and makes you well.

Are you believers, each one of you out there now, solemnly believing in the Son of God? Do you believe that it's his Spirit here if He does that, keeps his Word? You say, “Brother Branham, could you heal me?” No, I can't do it; He's already done it, see. It's something He's done. He's just here ... if He was standing here with this suit on, He couldn't heal you, because He's already done it. He'd say, “Won't you believe it?” He's just making Himself known, that He is here.

How many believes it with all your heart? Now I'm going to give you something to do, so that every person here will be healed. How many believers did you say there was? Raise up your hands, all around everywhere. Jesus said ... his last commission to his church.... His first commission was, “Go, heal the sick, raise the dead, cast out devils.” His last commission was, “These signs shall follow them that believe; In my name they shall cast out devils; speak with new tongues; if they lay their hands on the sick they shall recover.” Is that right?

Now, each one of you, as believers, lay your hand on somebody next to you. Just lay your hand over, wherever you are, just lay your hand, if you are a believer. You have just as much right to lay your hands on one another as anyone else does. Now do not pray for yourself, because the person you got your hands on is praying for you. You pray for the next person. They'll be praying for you, and I'll pray for you from this platform. And the God of heaven, who raised up Jesus from the dead and made Him alive forevermore, He is here tonight to fulfill every word that He said. It's his presence. Now, you bow your head while I pray for you. Just believe with all your heart that God will hear my prayer. Surely you understand that it's not me. The Holy Spirit now has proved the Word of God right.

Just before we pray, with your heads bowed, if there is an unbeliever was in here and now is a believer, would you stand to your feet to be recognized in prayer while we pray? Somebody that wants to receive Christ as personal Saviour, would you stand to your feet to be remembered in prayer just now while you're in his divine presence? Would there be those here who would love to accept Him right now, would stand to your feet? “He that will witness me before men, him will I witness before my Father and the holy angels.” Stand up just now, and say, “I will accept Jesus Christ as my Saviour.”

You're here and I know it, but ... He's revealed you to me. But don't rely upon your church membership, because it's no good. You've got to receive the Holy Spirit or you're finished. Now, remember it's not me; it's the Holy Spirit that's bringing his Word to pass. So if you wish to stand, stand now while we pray.

Our heavenly Father, this is the closing hours of this world's history. We know that there is no remedy left. The coming of the Son of God is at hand. He said, “As it was in the days of Sodom, so shall it be at the coming of the son of man.” We see the atomic bombs and the hydrogen bombs, and every little nation just waiting for somebody to let one loose. Then into the midst of the air yonder, as a sun popping open, will this earth go. But before that takes place, and we know it could be before morning.... It could be at any minute. As our scientists tells us, it's long ago three minutes until midnight. But we know the hand of God has stopped time, to wait—just longsuffering, like He was in the days of Noah. And now You've proved your last thing that You said You would do just before Sodom was burned. Immediately after that sign was finished, Sodom burned. God, it's just about over. But there is only one who can draw men's hearts. You said, “No man can come to me except my Father draws him first.”

Many will see and hear, and walk continually in darkness, ordained to this condemnation, said the book of Jude—perverse minds, souls that's wandering like lost stars, raging waves of the sea, foaming out their own shame of unbelief. To know tonight that we stand in the presence of the great Holy Spirit, who brought the Word, who wrote the Word, who confirms the Word, and brings Himself present to fulfill the Word that He has promised.... I pray for these believers who have their hands on each other. I pray with all my heart that You'll heal their sick bodies, cast away every evil spirit.

Satan, you've lost the battle. You are a defeated person. You have no rights any more. Our Lord Jesus died at Calvary, and through his holy, unadulterated blood—the blood of Almighty God that was broke at Calvary—You redeemed the human race, Lord. And you defeated Satan by that same blood, stripped him of every power that he had. And You're alive tonight here in Bloomington, Illinois, in this college ball floor. You are here tonight, alive among your people, proving Yourself that You are the same yesterday, today, and forever.

And Satan is aware of that. He knows that his hour is close. Satan, I adjure thee by the living God. We call your bluff. You can't hold these sick people any longer. Come out of them. In the name of Jesus Christ, depart from them and let them alone. The Lord God of heaven rebuke thee, Satan. You cannot have any power. Jesus is over you. He's taken the powers away from you. He redeemed the human race back to Himself. Come out. I adjure thee by the living God that you depart from this people.

Now as you have your hands laid upon each other, the way you pray in your own church, lay your hands on somebody by you and pray for them. You pray just the way you do in your church. Lay your hands over on somebody and pray for one another. And when you feel the faith of the living God which is present now, pouring down into your soul to make you a believer, then rise in the name of Jesus Christ and claim your healing for the glory of God.