It Is I

Thank you, sir. Good evening, friends. You may be seated.

We most certainly deem this a grand privilege to be here tonight in the service of Christ. We wish to thank all you fine people here in Grande Prairie for this lovely time of fellowship. We shall never forget it. Trusting that if it's God's will that I could get back again sometime to be with you, perhaps with a longer stay... Just kind of a fly-by-night that our brother got the information and they made ready right quick for our coming. He did not have time to advertise it. And I've been mostly rude to keep you farmer people up so late at night, knowing your plowing season and things is at hand now. So I'm sorry that I held you up, but I hope that something was said or done that'll last through eternity for you.

I certainly want to thank the pastors, all these fine cooperating pastors here that come in. I'm so glad that you people have pastors like this, that's shepherds over the flock of Christ.

Now, trusting that the meeting, the results will be long lasting with you, that you'll never forget the visit of our Lord...

I was sorry to come to you so tired and worn out, but as you know, I was on my way up for a—a little time of fishing and hunting with some friends up at Dawson Creek. And I just been six months on the field without stopping, so I'm really worn out. The meetings hasn't nothing like being what they should've been, because the first vision or two, then I'm just gone. And anyone knows that in the regular meetings sometimes there's thirty or forty of them in a night. And so it's—it's because I've been so tired, not because of your faith.

Another thing, I think if we had an instruction service to let the people know. Many of them, it's new to them. When the Holy Spirit... When you're praying, you be praying and remembering that God's fixing to answer your prayer right then. And as soon as it speaks, you rise. That's... Quickly. That's... God wants you to move real quick. See? And rise to it.

You notice many times I see the vision over someone and then I'd speak and—and if they don't respond to it, it moves right over to someone else (You see?) and then... It's very timid, the Holy Spirit is. And It'll move... Maybe that person setting there with good faith, believing that would help them a little. It will not heal them. It doesn't heal them, but it—it gives them confidence to know that their prayer touched the High Priest. And sometimes that way they'll—they miss it by not knowing just how to take ahold of it. It's something new. And it's not no more than what your pastor, anyone else who'd pray for you. Because after all, it's just the prayer of faith to save the sick. The pastor has just as much right to pray for you as anyone there is. And if your pastor's not there, a good saintly person in the neighborhood, anyone... 'Cause confess your faults one to the other and pray one for the other, that the Scripts... I believe in Saint James the 5th chapter...

And it's been marvelous. Many times I wonder sometimes how that so many things happen. But it's just simple prayer. I come up and pray for someone, maybe dying, sarcomas cancer or something, just eaten up. After while along the road some... “You remember me, Brother Branham? I was the one that was so-and-so.” Tens of thousands of them world around... So you see, it's just simple faith; it's nothing and anything that we work ourself up to; it's just something that we believe like a child would believe, just like you'd promise your little girl a new dress Saturday, the little boy a overall jacket. See? They expect that. Just simple childlike faith. That's all God wants us to be, because we're just children anyhow.

And so we—we are happy to have this time of fellowship with you. May God bless you people.

So thankful to see this lovely little new church. It shows there's a thriving congregation that would undertake to build this church like this in these—this little city here and its growing population. I trust that God will be—expand it so they'll have to buy the properties next door and build a—a bigger building, and many hundreds of people being saved.

God bless the pastor, and the deacons, and trustees, and all the other associates with us here together. We are not divided; we are one body. We believe that there is one Christ Who saved us all. And so that's how we stand.

And now, perhaps soon I'll be in the foreign lands again. And now, here in America you can just go out, preach, and maybe lay hands on the sick. That's all right. You get by with it. But not when you're on the battlefront. Out there you—you face devils, I—I mean challenging devils, witchdoctors and, oh, what they call holy men, and—and everything that's not afraid to challenge. But I say this, God being my Judge, I've never seen one happen but what God triumphed over it with a great victory, like that, every time, every time.

We have literature, but I didn't think of bringing it. If you'd want any or anything, just write to us in Indiana, Jeffersonville, Indiana; we'd be glad to send it. And if any time you need a prayer cloth and want to carry it in your Bible, well, just write to me, just Jeffersonville, Indiana. We'll send it no charges. No charges on nothing, we do not charge for anything. Everything's free. Jesus said, “As freely as you receive, freely give.” So we... No charges on any...

We do have books, but they're not mine. They're books that other men has wrote of the ministry. So we have to buy them. And we get a forty percent discount on them. Then we have to haul them to the meetings, and we always place them in the meetings and—and get somebody to sell them. We give a couple of young fellows that goes with us fifty dollars a week to sell the books at the beginning of the meeting. At the end of the meeting... We will not sell them on Sunday. And then we got orders, no matter who it is, if the person comes by and wants a book and hasn't got the money, give it to them anyhow. See? And never turn a person down, because it's not to sell the book (See?); it's always to get the message out.

And anyone knows, you brethren who sell books, there's no money in selling books 'less you... nothing... They won't even pay for themselves. Love offerings is what pays for the books to the people that...

Sometime when I leave on a big campaign they'll give me a love offering. And when I do that, I take it to my church, turn it into the church. And it goes to foreign missions. Out of that they give me enough money to live on: a hundred dollars a week to my family and—and home, and automobile, and expense, and phone calls, and things. 'Course, that doesn't go for the other phone calls; they run hundreds of dollars a month, the phone calls.

And I seen the time that phone calls on long distance alone would average sixty-four long distance and hour. So you can imagine what it is. It's just not just one little place; it's all the way around the world. See? And people laying in there waiting for months, hundreds of them on the waiting list now just for a—a few minutes: come from Africa, India, Asia, everywhere to come in on those private interviews. Now, there's where you stand before God and wait until He speaks and tells just what has to be done. And not one time has He ever failed us. So we're thankful for that, grateful to God.

Now, I'm going up to Dawson Creek next. And we invite you there. Brother Sothmann came and got me a few moments ago, he and my son, while I was in the room praying for the meeting tonight. And he said they was going to have a breakfast, I believe, on Saturday morning. That's good. And we'd glad for you to come, attend the breakfast, attend the meeting. And then pray for me.

I want to ask this one favor of you before I turn to the Scriptures. You know when the winds are blowing hot and the—the—everything's going contrary and witchdoctors on every hand, and—and devil powers challenging on every hand, wonder if I could just depend on you back over here in Grande Prairie some time each day to whisper a little prayer for me? Will you do that? Do you promise me to do that? Thank you, thank you. I'll always remember you. Every time coming through I'll try to stop and see you, if coming back and forth. And if I do not see you again until we cross the river, I'll see you on the other side over there where. . . . And remember, the same gospel that I teach about tonight, I'll be standing there with it in my hand, saying it was true. And I'm sure our Lord will vindicate that, that it's true. Not only does He do it then, but He does it now. He does it now. That is true.

I certainly appreciate you and love you with warm Christian love. If any time I can be a favor to you, call me or write me. I'll do anything that lays within my power to help you, make life a little easier for you, and the rough places a little smoother. Any time I can pray for you, do anything for you, let me know.

Shall we bow our heads just a moment as we speak to the author of this Word. Lord, the God of creation, of the heavens and earth, who made all things by Christ our Lord, who sent Him to be the propitiation of our sins, given us his Word, which is the water of separation. . . . Washed by the water through the Word of separation, that through faith, believing it, we are separated from our sins—called out, set apart, ordained to the gospel of the Lord Jesus, the good news. Goes all the way from the pulpit, Lord, to the little housewife that could testify and tell of the goodness, of our blessed Saviour.

We just humbly bow our heads in humiliation, Lord, and thank You, to know that we were once alienated from God—without hope, without Christ, without God; and while we were yet sinners Christ died in our stead to reconcile us back to the great family of God. So we could not be able, Lord, by human speech to ever express the adoration of our hearts for thy goodness and mercy to us. But, Father, in our simple, humble, childlike way, receive our thanksgiving, Lord God.

Now I pray, Father, first for your ministers here, my brethren. O God, I'm so glad to have fellowship with them. It said once in the Bible that how sweet it is for brethren to dwell together in unity! It's like the anointing oil that was on Aaron's beard that run to the hems of his skirt. How we thank You for that, Lord, for brethren of like precious faith that believes on God. We thank You for their churches, and I pray, God, that You'll bless their efforts wherever they are; and may the congregations grow, and the grace of God be with them, Lord. May signs and wonders accompany their ministry, Lord, that'll shake this nation with the power of God. Grant it, Lord. Send us men out of this wilderness like John the Baptist, who came forth burly and blasting, that prophet speaking of a Messiah was coming with his fan in his hand that would thoroughly purge his floors, and burn the chaff with unquenchable fire.

Now, Father God, bless this audience tonight. Here sits mothers with their little babies, see dads and mothers sitting together, and sick people and needy. I pray, God, that the angel of mercy will sweep over here tonight. May there not be a feeble person in our midst when this service is closed. May we go to our homes tonight rejoicing, saying, “Did not our hearts burn within us as He talked to us along the way?” Grant it, Lord, for we know You remain the same yesterday, today, and forever. Bless this people, Father. And if it happens to come to pass that some of us crosses over the river before we see each other again, God, grant that we'll all meet again somewhere yonder in the great beyond, and there we will fellowship together forever.

How I would like to go home with each one of these men and women, visit their homes. Be a blessing to me, Lord, to sit down and read a scripture, and kneel down at their table and pray. How gracious it would be. But, Father, the day is way spent, the sun is going down, eternity is coming in. Oh, we must battle as long as we can. God, if I never get to do it in this world, may I be able to do it in the world that is to come.

Give us of thy grace. May the Holy Spirit speak to us tonight through the written Word. Close our mouths to anything that would be wrong, and open our hearts wide to receive it. May the seed fall in good ground that'll bring forth a hundredfold for the glory of God. We ask it in the name of his beloved child, Lord Jesus Christ, our Saviour. Amen.

I wish to refer to just a scripture tonight, and I was so sorry I kept you late last evening. I was talking . . . I just talk too much. So I. . . . Thank you, sir. That's awful nice. A lot of grace, brother. I thank you for that, that's very nice. Makes me feel good, to know that you put an effort forth and it's appreciated. You know what I mean.

Now, what's my cause here? To try to help you, try to make life a little smoother for you. And what good would it do me to come here as an imposter or a hypocrite? I'm not paid to come. I do not ask money. It's not popularity—I shun that. A man who tries to be popular cannot be right with God. So, it's not that. It's because in my heart I love you. I'm tired and wore out. I'm fixing to go for a little rest for a week or two before I enter the services again. But my love was that I just couldn't pass you by without stopping in, saying, “How are you?” and having a little meeting and associating with you a little while.

So, remember, what I'm telling you is this: that your Lord and my Lord is not dead. He's risen from the dead, and He's with us. We are his children.

Now, in healing, if you'll just appropriate the faith, and say, “Now, if He's here, then his attitude towards one is his attitude towards all.” Now, maybe someone will have just a little high faith that can reach in above yours and touch Him, and bring down a vision over them. That doesn't mean that that person is the only one can be healed. No, you have . . . God's attitude's just the same to you.

But you just can't stand it; it just tears you to pieces. How many understands that? Just raise up your hand. Jesus said (pardon me), Jesus said, when one woman touched his garment, He said, “I perceive that I have gotten weak. Virtue's gone from me.” So you can realize.

Listen, my brother, sister, may be our last time meeting. No one, there's no one in this world will ever know what I've went through. That's right. You can't explain it. You can't explain God. And you sit in a meeting . . . not in here, but many times you talk a few minutes to find: here's critics over here, here's a doubter, here's one superstitious, here's one, a devil possessed, sitting there. And all that, you feel that coming against you like a breath. And then you've got to. . . .

See, there's a godly saint sitting there, trying to find God; here's another one is wondering and doubting. Here's a little baby dying, here's one that's cross-eyed, here's a daddy sitting here with cancer. And then all that by the thousands meeting you at one time. You don't realize how it tears you to pieces, see.

And there . . . and just think, Satan's waiting for one little crooked word somewhere. That's all, see. And knowing that you're human, you have to completely rely upon Jesus Christ, just completely throw your life to Him.

Now, in the scriptures of St. Matthew, the fourteenth chapter and the twenty-seventh verse, we read this:

But straightway Jesus spake unto them, saying, Be of a good cheer; it is I; be not afraid.

Now, I wish to take that for a text: “It is I.” “It is I,” three words.

And now, I want us tonight, so we can hurry, to attend a testimony meeting. You like testimonies? We all do. And would you not like to have lived in the days of the apostles, and sit down somewhere on a log out by the lakeside, and heard those apostles testify? How many would like to have heard that? Just have heard them together, those who walked with Jesus. And surely if they walked with Him and knew Him, they would know how to testify about Him. Don't you believe that? Sure. They would know his life. They knowed just what He was.

And remember, they were not angels, now. They were men that had their ups and downs just like we do.

Many times people think when a ministry becomes supernatural, they think that person ought to wear a robe, clothes, and “touch me not” and . . . you know. When a person acts like that, they're trying to be something that they're not. God uses men, just ordinary men. When you see a person like that, to me it's a stuffed shirt, see, somebody trying to be something they're not. “Holier than thou art . . . not touch me.” Oh, God can't use that. You know that.

So we're. . . .

God . . . I'll say this one thing: some of the finest old hearts that I ever shook a hand, beat under an old blue-patched shirt. That's right. Real pair of steel-grey eyes, look you in the face, and say, “Preacher, I believe it.” Brother, you can depend on that. Mark it down. Callused from plow handles, or something. That's right. You don't have to have on a tuxedo coat, your collar turned around, to be a Christ fearing Christian. No, it's not what you wear; it's what you are inside, what makes you. Not how smart you are; but how much you are on the inside. To us, there's none of us any good. If there's any goodness about us. . . . There's only one good and that's God, Christ said.

But I'd like to go to a testimony meeting, and just sit down, and get me a seat, and hear the apostles testify. Oh, I've always thought I'd love to do that. And I always thought I'd like to hear Jesus when He said . . . stretched forth his loving arms, and said, “Come unto me all ye that labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.”

Oh, you know, they got so they claim if a voice is ever spoke (you know it more than I do), a voice, it never dies. It lives on, like radium. Goes on and on and on, like a pebble dropping in the water. The little waves carry on and on for miles, vibrations till you cannot see them with your natural eye, but they're carrying on and on and on. And your air . . . when you speak, that's where you get on electronics in the radio. That air wave, it goes on. It never dies.

I thought I'd like to live till science maybe could pick up that voice of his. They claim that some day, if they keep going on, they'll be able to do it—pick up his literal voice when He said, “Come unto me all ye that labor and are heavy laden, I'll give you rest.”

Well, I may not live to that day. Frankly, I don't think the world will stand that long; we're so close to the end time. But I would like to be with you to preach to you awhile on those things. But I've tried to make our little messages just simple, and drama—because I'm tired—and then you'd understand it better.

But, I may not live to hear that, but there's one thing I do want to hear, and I believe I'll hear it: “It was well done, my good and faithful servant, enter into the joys of the Lord.” That's what I'm expecting to hear some day. I'm sure He won't disappoint me. And if He does turn me down at the end of the road, I'll still love Him. If He sends me to hell, and I can still love in hell, I'll love Him anyhow, see. Because I deserve to be turned down at the beginning, see. And if I had ten thousand lives to live, and there's nothing after the end of them, if there's no God, no Christ, I'd still take this Christian way to live anyhow. To have men and women that I can associate with, it makes life so much different, see, if you just be a Christian.

Now, let's break in upon this testimony meeting and listen at the apostles testify. It must have been about sundown, about this time in the evening, when the big, brawny backed fisherman began to push the boat off of the shore. I can just see him as he takes the little ship, and his big brawny back pushing, shoving the boat, and as it gets off the shore, gets it off into the water into the blue Galilee. And then he climbs up over the seats and takes his position by the side of his brother Andrew. And the little oars begin to dip into the water, and then make a dip, and then wave bye bye to those on the shore—because they'd had a great meeting that afternoon and they were leaving, and the people loved them.

There's something about the love of God in our hearts that it just kills us to part from one another. A real Christian group, when they come together, when they have to leave one another at church, I've seen them just stand and hug one another and cry, see. I think of Paul kneeling down on the shore and praying, saying, “You won't see my face no more,” and how it is to separate from one another.

We used to sing a song down in the old Baptist church in the South:

Blest be the tie that binds

Our hearts in Christian love.

The fellowship of kindred minds

Is like to that above.

When we asunder part

It gives us inward pain;

But we shall still be joined in heart,

And hope to meet again.

There must have been that feeling as the little ship moved out into the waters, and waving good bye, and all saying, “Come back, be with us again, brethren”; seeing the men on the bank, and them wiping the tears from their eyes and waving to them, “Come back and be with us again,” as the little ship moved on out into the waters. And after a while it come out of sight. They couldn't see no more, the dark was settling down. And they had been pulling . . . in those days they pulled by oar, two men in one seat. And they'd take these oars and keep time as they pulled the little boats. And then if the wind was blowing, they'd hoist a little sail and helped them along.

And they were crossing over the Galilee.

And after it got . . . for a little rest period, we'll believe that it must have been young John. He was the youngest among them and rather an enthusiastic little apostle. And so when they pulled their oars out of the water, and someone must have said, “Brethren, let us take a little break and rest for a few minutes, and let's have a little testimony meeting.” And that's the one we want to break in on.

Young John must have said, “Well, today has been the day that settled it forever for me. I have been a believer since I was a baby. I can remember my precious old mother reading the Bible stories to me, and how she told me that when our people come across out of the lands of Egypt, was brought up into this country that we inherited by God. She used to tell me stories of how great Jehovah was, and how He cared for his people. And how I used to lay and look up into her pretty face, and she'd say to me, 'John, oh, beyond the stars yonder there's a great God that loves his people. Don't forget it, my son.'

“And then she told me that when God Jehovah had called his children up out of Egypt, that He provides for those who take a step to walk in his commandments. And they were following Jehovah out of Egypt and they got out into the desert and they run out of bread. They didn't have no bread to eat, and Jehovah brought bread down out of the skies and laid it on the ground. And the next morning the only thing they had to do was go pick it up and eat the bread.

“And I used to say to my mommy,” he might have said, “ 'Mommy, perhaps God's got a great bunch of ovens up there in heaven, and a whole lot of angels that work overtime, and they would bake all this bread. And then the angels would get big baskets and run down and lay it all around the camp.'

“She said, 'No, son, you're too young to understand, but you see, son, Jehovah is a creator. He just created that bread. He don't have to have ovens to bake it. He just created that bread and it fell upon the ground.' ”

And, oh, John might have said, “That always stayed with my heart, how that Jehovah could create bread and send it down on the earth already cooked. Brethren, I want to make my confession in this testimony tonight here on this boat, that I know that we're not following some false prophet. We're not following some imposter, for when I saw Him today take those little loaves—five loaves and two little fishes—and break that bread and feed five thousand people, I knowed that was God.

That settled it for me, because He did the works of God. Do you remember, brethren, He said once before to us, 'If I do not the works of my Father, then believe me not.'?“

But what did He do, brethren? I want to ask this congregation, what kind of an atom did He turn loose? Took those little biscuits and broke five of those and fed five thousand people. Not grow wheat and. . . . He does it all, sure, but He bypassed all the routines of nature. Not only did He grow wheat there, He growed bread; not only bread, but baked bread, already seasoned and ready to eat. That's our God.

Fishes, why, He put every fish in the water. But He took these fishes and broke them. Not just raised up another fish out of the water, but broke a fish, and went back and took . . . another piece growed on while He was breaking that one. A fried fish, already seasoned, rolled in corn meal and fried, ready to eat. How did He do it? What kind of an atom would the science say today that He turned loose there?

I can hear John say, “Brethren, it was so astounding to me till I climbed up behind the rock, and looked, and seen where He was . . . I could find where He was getting it from. But He just took the bread and held it up, and broke a piece and laid it on Andrew's basket; and reached back, and there was another piece ready when He reached his hand for it. So, that proves it to me that He's God, He's Jehovah. Only Jehovah of the Old Testament could create bread here to feed hungry people. And here that Jehovah is manifested, and I know that that is the Son of God—could only be. He's associated with God somewhere, because He done the same things God did.”

It must have been Simon Peter about that time said, “That's a good testimony, John. May I give my testimony now? You know, brethren, that I was a fisherman. My father before me was a fisherman. My father was a godly old Pharisee. And do you remember, he stayed in the church a great deal of the time? And we fished on the river, here on the lake. And my mother and . . . how I would see her and dad take Andrew and I of a morning when we went to get the fish, and kneel down around the side of the table; and how I'd see Dad look up and say, 'Jehovah, I need fish today for the market to feed my little children. Will You help me catch a good catch today?'

How that when we'd catch the fish and come into the shore, how that Andrew and I and Dad would kneel down by the side of the boat and thank God for the fishes before we took them to the market.“ Oh, we need more fathers and mothers like that. Bring up a child in the way it should go.

“One day I remember,” he might have said this way, “that we'd had a great catch that day—oh, a tremendous catch. And we pulled our little boat into the shore, and I jumped ashore and tied up the boat, and was helping the fish out into the baskets.

And after we had prayed, I can see my dad brush back the grey hairs from his face, put his arm around me, and set me up on the boat. Said, 'Simon, my little boy, I've raised you to serve God the best of my knowledge.' And he said, 'Simon, I, like all true believers have looked forward for the day that when the Messiah would come. I thought I would see Him in my day. But, Simon, I'm getting old now, and my days are numbered, and my steps are getting shorter. I perhaps won't see Him. But, Simon, my son, you are the younger, so perhaps you will see the Messiah that we've looked for for all these years, the hope of Israel.'

“ 'Simon, before He comes there'll be. . . . Many things has raised up down through the ages, saying they are messiahs, and all these things. And by the time of his coming there'll be all kinds of things raise up. But, Simon, the churches has got off on many tantrums. But I want to tell you, my son, you remember to believe what Moses said, our prophet, that when this Messiah comes . . . Moses told us, that the Lord our God should raise up a prophet liken unto Moses, and he would be the one that we were to go to.'

“ 'And, Simon, whatever you do, always remember, no matter how anything looks, remember, the Messiah will be a prophet, for it's according to the Scriptures. Don't be carried away, Simon, with foolish things and strange doctrines, but stay with the Scripture, my son. Because Moses, our leader . . . that we know God sent Moses, and Moses said the Messiah will be a prophet. And the sign of the Messiah now. . . . We haven't had a prophet for hundreds of years, but one day there will be one raise on the scene that will be a prophet. And that will be the Messiah, because we're waiting for that day.' ”

And he might have said, “And brethren [put his arms around Andrew and said], Andrew, you remember when you went to hear John preach, speaking of a messiah. Well, I thought it was one of these errors that they all had. There's this and that, and I never paid much attention to you, Andrew. But one day when you finally persuaded me to go see this fellow that was . . . been introduced as the Messiah, and when I went to see Him, brethren, when I walked up into the face of this man. . . . And Andrew, going up along the hill, said, 'That's Him. You see the one?'

“ 'Why, he don't look no different than any other man,' I said to Andrew.

“But he said, 'Just a minute, let's move through the crowds. He's fixing to speak just in a moment, and everybody will be breathless while He's speaking.' And we moved through the crowd. And Andrew had seen John introduce Him.

“And so, then, I moved up close. And I thought, 'I'm going to get a good look at Him and I'm going to hear what He says, see if He's with the Scriptures.' So, I moved up close that day. When He got ready to speak, I thought, 'Now I'll just see what Andrew's been talking about.

“And before He opened his mouth to say anything, his eyes fastened upon me. And He looked at me and said, 'Your name is Simon, and you are the son of Jonas.' Oh, brethren, that fixed it for me. Not only did He know who I was, He knowed that godly old daddy of mine that had warned me and told me what the Messiah would be. Therefore, I knowed that that was God's prophet, the Messiah that was raised up. That finished the testimony for me.”

It must have been Philip about that time that raised up and said, “Now, brother Nathanael, I'm going to tell this on us now, in the testimony meeting here out on the ocean.” (Wouldn't you've loved to've been standing listening at it? Sitting up on the brail of the boat listening at them?) And Philip might have said, “Well, I was standing there, Simon, when I saw Him do that [or heard Him], and I seen the expression on your face. You just fell right at his feet, and I thought, 'Surely that big burly man, Simon, would just droop his shoulders down.' And He told you your name would be a little stone after this.

And I knowed that would be a good fitting name for you because you were solid—when you believed anything, you believed it. And then I thought, 'How would He ever know that?' So, I'd read the Scriptures too.

“So, I knew my good friend, sitting up here at the end of the boat, which is Nathanael, so I took around the mountain to find him. And I found him under a tree praying. And when he finished his prayer and had gotten up, I said, 'Come see who we have found—Jesus, the son of Joseph. That's the Messiah.'

“ 'Oh, now,' he said, 'could there be anything good come out of Nazareth?'

“And I told him, 'Come see.'

And you remember along the road, our conversation.

“And as soon as I brought Nathanael into the presence of our Lord, He said, 'Behold an Israelite in whom there is no guile.' And I'll tell you, I'm going to stop my testimony now; now, Nathanael, you finish it.”

“Well,” said Nathanael, “all the doubt was taken out of me. But I was astonished, as soon as I seen the man—the first time I'd ever seen Him—that He'd tell me that I was an Israelite and no guile. How would the man ever know me, when I never laid eyes on him in my life until I come to his meeting? And I thought I would question. . . . I was so enthused, to think could the news be true? or was I just dreaming a dream?

So I said, 'Rabbi [or reverend, teacher, whatever you wish to call it], when did you ever know me? Why, you have never seen me in your life, and how would you know that I was an honest, just man, no guile?'

“He said, 'Why, before Philip called you, I saw you when you were under the tree.' Brethren, I knowed then that was the prophet that we've been looking for all these years. And I confessed Him publicly before my priest and all the rest of them, knowing that I'd be excommunicated from the church for saying such a thing, or taking a stand. But it made no difference to me. I knowed the Scripture said that's the kind of a man it would be, so I stayed with what the Scripture said, because Moses. . . . We were taught to believe Moses and the prophets; and they said that this Messiah would be a prophet. And we haven't seen anything of it for hundreds of years, and here it was right with us. And I know the man did not know me, so it settled it for me.”

And about that time Andrew must have raised up and said, “Brethren, I would like to say another thing. Do you remember the day that He said He was going down to Jericho?”

“Yes.”

“And He had need go by Samaria, and we all wondered, 'Why is He going up around Samaria instead of going down to Jericho?' But He had need to go by the Samaritans, and you know we didn't have any dealing with them at all.

But He stopped, and we thought maybe He didn't want to show his face in Samaria. So, He sat at the well, and He sent us in to get some food. And when we come back, do you remember what we seen? We were embarrassed. Our Lord was talking to a woman of ill fame—a beautiful young woman, but she was a bad woman. She was standing out there, with the marking of a bad woman, coming to the well at that time of day, and He was talking to her.

“Do you remember what He said? He said. . . . We hid behind the bush to listen to see what He was saying, see what our Lord would say to this ill famed woman. He said, 'Woman, bring me a drink.”

“She said, 'It's not customary for you Jews to ask us Samaritans such things. We have no dealings with each other.'

“He said, 'But if you knew who you were talking to, you'd ask me for a drink.'

“And she said, 'You have nothing to draw with.'

“And our Lord said, 'Go get your husband and come here.'

“She said, 'I do not have a husband.'”

“Do you remember, brethren, how we felt? Oh, oh, now He's slipped up. He's made a mistake. 'I do not have a husband.'

“Then we heard his words. 'Thou has said well, for you've had five husbands, and the one you live with now is not your husband.'

“And then do you remember that Samaritan woman of the city of Sychar there, what she said? 'Sir, I perceive that thou art a prophet. Now, we Samaritans know that there is coming the anointed one called the Christ, the Messiah. And we know what his sign will be. That will be his sign; he'll be a prophet. When he comes, he'll show us these things. But who art thou? You must be one of his servants.'

“He said, 'I am he.'

“Oh, how we seen the expression on that woman's face when she set down her water bucket and ran into the city and began to scream, 'Come, see a man that's told me all the things in my life!' Now, He never told her all the things. He just. . . . She was just so happy. He just told her the one thing, but if He knowed that one thing, He knowed all things. 'Come, see a man who's told me the things that's in my life. Isn't this the very sign of the Messiah? And He's sitting right out there on the well.' And they brought the men out. And the Bible says that the whole city believed on Jesus because that He told that woman that thing.”

It must have been Matthew, the scribe, taking down this testimony so I could read it to you tonight. He said, “Could I speak next, brethren?”

“Oh, yes, Matthew, go ahead, speak.”

“Do you remember the morning that we were going into Jericho? And Rebekah, our sister down there in Jericho, she was the wife of Zacchaeus. And he was a businessman, a tax collector in the city, and he was a rich man. And you know Rebekah believed on our Lord. And she had prayed and she had prayed for her husband to become a Christian.

“But, of course, he was one of the big payers in the church, and he played golf with the priest [you know, understand what I mean]. He had his social affairs, and they all went out together, and they had their big times together, so it was hard for him to pull away from his membership. And therefore . . . you know anybody that follows our Lord is excommunicated from the churches right now. See, they have nothing to do with them. And so, we was asked by our sister Rebekah to pray for Zacchaeus, her husband, that he would receive our Lord.

“And you remember when we stood on the corner and told Zacchaeus, 'Zacchaeus, you are a Bible reader. What seekest thou? What sayest thou of Messiah? Rebecca's testimony is true. He is the prophet that the Lord our God was going to raise up in these days.'

“ 'Oh, but Rabbi Levinsky tells me that he's a false prophet. He's a Beelzebub; he's possessed with a fortune-telling spirit. I won't believe it.' Walks away.

“And you remember Rebecca's testimony that day, how she said when Zacchaeus got up early that morning. . . . And she'd prayed all night long that Zacchaeus would get to see Jesus when He came into the city.

[Now, women, that's the way to get your husband won to God. It takes some praying, holding on.] All night she prayed. And the next morning. . . . She knew that Jesus was going to visit the city that day; so, all night she had prayed that Zacchaeus would see some kind of a miracle that Jesus would perform that would change her husband's heart.“ And you know we're taught this, friends, the prayer of faith will do great things. All things are possible to them that believe.

And then Matthew might have said, “And, brethren, you remember that morning when we met Rebekah, she said, 'I've prayed all night. And this morning about daylight . . . well, Zacchaeus got up early, put on his best robe, and groomed his beard [you know, because he was an important man], so put on his best clothes, you know. And I said, ”Where are you going darling?“ '

“ 'Oh, just for a morning stroll.' That was unusual, you know, because he didn't get up that early.

So, Rebekah got down in the floor and said, 'Thank You, Lord; I know You're dealing with him, see, because he's been so grouchy the last few days. [That's usually when he's on the road.] Oh, he's cut me off to everything. But I know that You'll lead him somehow right around to where Jesus is.' Well, now, you remember we took a. . . . And she stayed home to pray.

“So you remember what Zacchaeus told us after the story. He said down in his heart all night long he had dreamed of seeing God dealing with him. And the next morning when he got up, he went out and went down to the corner of the gate of the south side of the city, to which He was to appear. And when he got there by daylight, the Galileans had piled all over the gates to wait for Him.

Well, he was a little man, so . . . he was small in stature, and he said, 'I'm too little to ever get in a bunch like that. I'd never see him. But I'm going to give him a piece of my mind when I see him. I'll tell him He's a false prophet. He's no seer.' So, he happened to think, 'You know, if he comes in here, I won't see him; but I know he's going over to Levinsky's over there for dinner, my competitor. So, I'll tell you what, I'll go up here, and I know he'll pass by Hallelujah Avenue, where it goes down Glory Street. [And He usually passes that way, you know.] So, I'll go up there and stand up there, and when he passes by, I'll see him.'

“Well, he got up there. He was groomed all up. Said, 'I'll stand right here, and when he comes up, I'm going to say, ”Rabbi, I've slapped my wife out of the bed many nights because of you. I want you to leave her alone. I want her back in church [with the ladies' sewing circles and all that, see]. Why, I'm a disgraced business man in this city because she's been hanging after a bunch of fanatics, bunch of holy [or, you know, people like you, see]. . . . So, I want you to get out of the country!“ I'll tell him. Boy, everybody will know I'm some fellow, I've got some brains, see.'

“He was standing on the corner. Happened to think, 'Well, you know what? That crowd will follow him. That's right. They will. Wherever he goes, they'll go too. You know what, I'm so little, when they get up here they just might trample over the top of me.' So, he was only . . . 'I don't know how to do it.' So, he looked and there was a sycamore tree standing there. Thought, 'Well, you know what? I believe I'll get up in that, and when I get up there. . . . Now, what am I doing all this for? But if I get up there, I'll see him when he comes by, and I'll preach him a sermon from the top of this tree.'

“So, he looked around, and he was too short to reach the limbs, you know. But he was determined he was going to see him. [If you're determined, God will fix a way for you to see Him, all right, see. You just be determined, see.]

And so he looked around. He happened to think, 'Well, the garbage collector hasn't come by yet this morning,' and the garbage pail was sitting over there. So, he goes over to get the garbage pail, and it was too heavy. Well, nothing else around, but 'I want to see him. [Oh, you'll do strange things if you want to see Him. You'll do things you don't think you'd do, embarrassing things.] So he puts his arm around the garbage pail, here he comes now.

“And just about that time, here come two or three businessmen around the corner, his competitors. Hah! Then he's caught in a trap. [Maybe some of you in the same shape tonight, you're caught amongst these holy rollers. So, there you are, might as well just take it, see.]

So, there they was. He had the pail in his arms. His little face got red. He didn't care; he was going to see him anyhow. [That's the way! Now, Zacchaeus, now you're getting right.]

“Takes it over and sets it down by the tree and shinnies up. . . . [I don't mean to say that. We call it in America shinny up the tree. You know, it's get up on the tree and climb up it.]

He got up there, got him sat down where two limbs come together like this. Sat down across those limbs.“

That's a good place to sit down awhile, where two ways meet, yours and God's, think it over a little bit. You're going to die one of these days. You've got to meet the God who wrote this Word. You've got to give it an answer one of these days. So, I hope that there's many Zacchaeuses here tonight will sit on that crossplace tonight, make up your mind.

“What a pitiful looking sight he was, sitting up there, picking the splinters out of him, garbage all over his new suit. But he was determined to see Jesus. He wanted to see Him.

So, he began to think, 'You know, what's making me do this? You know Rebekah told me that that guy was a prophet, that he could see. Now, I don't believe that. There's no such a thing in this day. My priest told me there's no prophets of this day. Prophets was hundreds of years ago, way back in Moses' time. But there's no prophets today. So, you know what I believe? Before I give him a piece of my mind, I believe I'll just cover myself up so he can't see me.'

“So, he got all the limbs and pulled them all around him, and camouflaged himself so nobody could see him.

So, he left him one big leaf, like this, like a door he could raise it down and look out. And he sat there wondering. 'Now, he'll never know I'm up here, because he can't see me up this tree. And I'll just see how much prophet he is.'

“And every once in a while he'd hear some noise. [You know, usually where Jesus is, there's a lot of noise. I don't know why, but it's usually that way.] And so he pulled the leaf down, looked out over the leaf, nobody coming. After awhile he heard a noise. He looked down, and the streets was beginning to crowd full of people. He peeped under the leaf, you know, watching, looking around to see.

“After a while a great big strong man come around the corner of the street, standing full. . . . 'I'm very sorry this morning, friends; would you step back and give our Master room? He is very weary and tired. He's been up much through the night. He's been healing the sick yesterday, and things has been done. Would you please step back?'

“ 'That must be who Rebekah said was Simon Peter. He looks like a big brawny looking fellow.'

“ 'Would you stand. . . ?'

“Here come some more men by. 'We're very sorry, but give our Master room, will you, because He's very tired this morning.'

“Well,” I thought, “now, he'll never see me sitting here. And so, after a while I looked over on the corner, and there stood a friend of mine with a sick baby that. . . . I'd just been down there and talked to him. And the doctor, that eats at my same restaurant that I and the priest eats at, told that man that baby would die at any time, and its fever was so high. And here they are, wrapped up in a blanket, standing out there to see this fanatic come around.”

“After a while the little father run out in front of Him, and fell down and said, 'Would you have mercy on my baby?' And He just touched the blanket. The little girl got to jumping and running, going away. And when he looked down, there was something about this man Jesus that when he saw Him, he changed his mind. He didn't feel like giving Him a bawling out. [If you ever look straight into the Scriptures and see Jesus, what He is, you won't criticize Him no more.] He didn't want to bawl Him out, but he pulled a little leaf down and began to watch Him come on. He had his head down, walking steady. [The Bible said there's no beauty we should desire Him, so He was probably a little stooped shouldered fellow, walking along the street.]

“And when He got right under where he was at, He stopped. And here he was, looking over this leaf. He looked up, said, 'Zacchaeus, come down, I'm going home with you for dinner today.' Not only knew he was in the tree but knew who he was. 'Zacchaeus, come down, make haste, come down right away. Rebekah's waiting for us.' You remember how. . . ?”

“Oh, yes. All of us remember that. Yes, sir. We remember that testimony, what Zacchaeus said up there that day at dinner, how he was ashamed. And he said, 'Lord, if I've done anything wrong, I'll make it right. I know that Thou art the Messiah. Sure, I'm satisfied. When You called my name, me sitting up there in that tree. . . . Oh, yes.'

“And say, when we went out of the gate, you remember that old blind Bartimaeus was out there on the other side there? You remember his testimony, brethren?”

“Yes, I remember it. He was sitting there dreaming of the days that when he could see, when he used to be able to run around, and pick little flowers along on the Judaean hills.” (Break in tape)

He said, “I do nothing till the Father . . . till what I see the Father doing, that doeth the Son likewise.” How many knows that scripture? St. John, the fifth chapter.

When Jesus passed through the pool of Bethesda, He healed one man, left the multitude, thousands laying there—lame, blind, halt, withered. He went to a man that maybe had a prostate trouble, maybe he had T.B. It was retarded; he'd had it thirty-eight years. Why didn't He heal those that was crippled and blind? Right. Passed among every one of them; then went over to this fellow. Now, remember, the Bible said Jesus knew that he had been in this condition. And he said, “Will thou be made well?”

Said, “I have no one to put me in the water.”

Said, “Take up your bed.”

Said, “Somebody can beat me.” He could walk. Said somebody outruns him, gets down there first, get in the water when the angel troubles the water.

Said, “Take up your bed and go into your house.”

And He was questioned. If He did that in this city tonight, He'd be questioned. Watch the devil say, “We got a man selling pencils down here on the street is blind. Let these divine healers heal him.” See that devil? The same one that said, “If thou be the son of God, perform a miracle before me. Turn this bread in . . . this rocks into bread, I'll believe you.” The same devil, when he had Him in the courts, put a rag around his head and a bunch of drunken soldiers hit Him on the head with a stick, said, “If you're a prophet, tell us who hit you. We'll believe you,” see.

God don't clown.

Jesus 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.” There you are. There's the real servant of God. “I can do nothing in myself but what I see.” Not hear; see. Then Jesus never done one thing until God showed Him by a vision what to do, or He told something wrong in St. John 5:19. “Verily, verily [that's absolutely, absolutely], I say unto you, the Son can do nothing in himself [that was the Son, the body that God dwelt in], the Son can do nothing in himself, but what I see [see] the Father doing: that doeth the Son likewise.” “The Father worketh and I work hitherto.” In other words, “The Father shows Me what to do and I just act it out as a drama.”

Now, blind Bartimaeus said, “Who's passing by?”

“Oh,” they said, “shut up.” Shoved him over. And there, finally, a kind little woman, a servant of Christ. . . . All servants of Christ are kind. Do you believe that? They like to show courtesy to those who are needy, help the blind across the street, bring them to the meeting, do things kind. When the neighbor's sick, go help them. Never expect money, do good to others. All Christ's servants are like that. They like to help those who are run down and tramped over.

This poor old blind man, pushed over there, and all of them hollering: One saying, “Hail, hail, the king, the prophet, the Galilean prophet! Hail to Him!”; the other saying, “Away with that imposter”; the other one say, “Come raise the dead, you hypocrite—plenty of them laying up here on the hill. Come up here and raise one of our men. We had a godly priest to die last week; come raise him, if you're the Son of God.”

Jesus never opened his mouth, just kept walking on. All . . . He was going to Calvary right then, going up to Jerusalem. The burden of the world was upon Him. Every man that ever died, every sin that was ever committed, was laid upon Him. And He knowed He was going to death. I can hear Bartimaeus say, “Who passes by?” Nobody would tell him.

Directly this kind little woman said, “Sir, let me help you up, kind sir.”

“Oh, you're a nice lady. Who are you?”

She told, “I am the servant of the Christ.”

“The what?”

“The Christ. You are a Jew?”

“Yes.”

“Have you not read in the Scriptures where the Messiah was coming?”

“Oh, the son of David?”

“Yes. ”What kind of a man will he be?“

“Oh, He'll be a prophet,” said blind Bartimaeus. “He'll be a prophet.”

“That's Him that just passed by.”

“Oh, Jesus, thou Son of David, have mercy on me!”

Some of them said, “Shut up!”

How could He hear that?

Go to Jericho one time and see where he was sitting and where Jesus was at. About three hundred yards. Thousands of people saying: “Hail to the prophet;” other one saying, “Away with the hypocrite!” Overripe food throwed at Him, and everything like that. “Out of our town!” see. And others blessing Him, and some cursing Him. Same thing today, same thing. Some say, “It's true, it's of God;” the other say, “It's a devil.” There you are, see.

God takes his man, but never his Spirit. The devil takes his man, but never the spirit. Just kind of lives on in somebody else. Just keeps coming back, like the Holy Spirit. Now, they both live today. They both live in Grande Prairie. You know that. Sure, they are, both spirits. Wherever men are gathered together, you find both spirits.

Here they was.

And now, there . . . Jesus could not have heard him literally, too much noise. But blind Bartimaeus must have said this, “I know then that that's that Messiah that I knowed would come. And I know that He's a prophet.” So, he must have fell on his knees and said, “Jehovah, Jehovah!” [See, it compares with the rest of the Scripture—the woman that touched his garment.] He's a high priest tonight, that you can touch his garment. “Jehovah, I'm blind. I have no money for an operation, and it couldn't do me no good anyhow. Jehovah, that's the Son of David and He's passing me by. Have mercy!”

His faith stopped Him—the faith of a blind beggar, an insignificant person.

Not his cry, He couldn't have heard it. Too much one saying this, and the other one saying something else. But his faith stopped him, because Jesus said so. And remember, with the sins of the world on Him, going to Jerusalem, the faith of one beggar stopped Him in his tracks.

Wish I had a few days. I'd like to preach to you one night, just on preaching, “And Jesus Stood Still.” The sun stood still. One of these days, time will stand still. But Jesus stood still, said, “Thy faith has saved thee.”

“You remember what blind Bartimaeus said? He said, 'If that was the Son of God, that man was a prophet; my faith was strong enough to stop Him. And I asked Him for my sight, and He said, ”Thy faith hath saved thee.“ I stood looking. The crowds went on down the road. I said, 'It has to be so. It has to be so. I know it's so.' And after while I began to see a shadow. I began to notice and there was my hands. And I'm running down the road rejoicing.' ”

Oh, sure.

Oh, what a testimony meeting they were having. No doubt they were weeping and shouting and jumping up and down in the boat, hollering, “Glory to God, praise God, brethren! We know we're right. We know that He is the Messiah.” So is it today. You take all your dead theology you want to; I'll take the living Christ. For me and my house, we'll serve God. Oh, I like an experience, a Urim and Thummin, a Word of God made flesh and dwelt among us.

At the meeting,

that testimony meeting, about that time they began to notice. . . . The devil must have looked up across the Galilean hill, and said, “Oh, there they are. Out there having a testimony meeting, but they've gone off without Him. He's not with them now. So, if He's not with them now, now is my time to get them.” My precious brother, that's what he could say again. The churches are going off without Him. They're going off on a great denominational spree. Our Pentecostal brethren are, trying to get more members in this one, or more members in that one, having great programs going on, great things, trying to compare with the other churches. We're not to do that. Let's stay with Jesus.

The devil says, “Now I'll sink them. I've got them—gone off without Him.” And that's just what he's trying to do now. So he began to blow his poison breath. “Whe-e-ew!” The old sea went into a nervous prostration. Here the waves began to jump and to flip, and he said, “I'll sink them now!” Standing, glittering eyes on every wave, and the lightning aflashing, the thunders aroaring. Said, “We'll get 'em now because we've got 'em out here without Him.”

That's what the devil's done to the church today: gone off without Jesus on a great big denominational spree, and the first thing you know, other kind of things of the world and trying to compare with the world. We can't compare with the world.

Don't go over on the world's ground to get the people in. We've got something they haven't got. Hallelujah! We've got Jesus. They got glamour. How can we compare with them with glamour? The gospel is not a glare; it's a glow. Sure. And you can't glow it; it gets in you and glows itself. Amen.

Yes, it's what we're trying to do—get on some kind of a tantrum to get more than the Baptist, or more than the Methodist, and make our churches look like theirs, and our denomination to equal theirs. Oh, nonsense! Let's go back to Christ. Let's get back to the old-fashioned prayer meetings, back to the godly nights, and tears, and crying before God, until we see the living God moving among us. Prayer meetings breaking out, and people coming under convic- tion—back to that. He's caught us off on a tantrum, too.

Now, what happened? All hopes was gone, the oars broke, the sail went down. But, you know, I don't want to leave you sitting out there. We don't want to stay there. But you know, it's just like Jesus. The Frenchman calls Him Jesu. It's just like Jesu—He won't leave you. You know what He done? He knowed they was going to get in trouble. He knew something was going to happen out there, and He knowed something's going to happen to us. He's God. He knowed the end from the beginning.

You know what He done? He climbed the highest hill there was in Palestine. Farther up you go, the farther you can see. So, He climbed up to the top of the highest hill so He could watch them. When they got in trouble and needed Him, He could be a very present help in the time of trouble.

And, brother, when they crucified Him at Calvary, the world thought they had Him. Death thought they had Him, hell thought it had Him, the devil thought he had Him—but He broke every seal. Not only climbed to Calvary, but beyond every moon and star, and sits at the right hand of the majesty tonight.

And his eye is on the sparrow, and I know He watches me. Don't you? He sees our trouble, our flusterations. Everything whirling this-a-way, and some of them kind of say, “Well, I just don't believe it;” another one saying this-a-way. Sickness, cancer, diseases, all kinds of things setting in amongst Christians, getting off, acting worldly and everything. Just let the whip come in, that's all.

But remember, He's sitting up high watching you, seeing what you're going to do. Right at the darkest of the hour, when all hope was gone for a revival, here He come walking on the sea. Here He come walking, down along there on the sea.

You know what? Those disciples was just about like a lot of people today. That was the only help they could ever get, the only thing that could help them, and they were afraid of it. They said He looked like a spook. “He must be a fortune teller. It must be a telepathy.” They were afraid of it.

That's what it is today. People don't know what to do about it. He's walking right among us again. Amen. Walking among us, the troubles, when atomic bombs and everything's hanging everywhere; but right in this dark hour when the churches is all confused, and tore apart, and denominational differences, Jesus comes walking right among us. And the people say, “I don't know. I don't know, now. It didn't come to our organization. We have to watch, see.”

But what was the words? “It is I, be not afraid.”

So tonight, Grande Prairie, I'm your brother, He is your Lord. But that's Him moving among you. You Pentecostal people, does not the Bible say, did not Paul say, “If you all speak with tongues, and there come in one among you who is unlearned, there's no interpretation to it, would he not say you're mad? But if one is a prophet and reveals the secret of the heart, then they'll all fall down, say truly God is among you.” I'm not an outcast; I'm your brother. If Jesus could speak with an audible voice tonight, you would hear Him say the same thing. “Don't be afraid. It is I, be not afraid.” It's the same God, same Spirit. “A little while and the world won't see me no more, yet you'll see me [the believer], for I'll be with you, even in you to the end of the world. The works that I do shall you also.”

He prophesied in this last days, in the evening time, that same thing would take place, that we've been through it this week.

“As it was in the days of Sodom. . . .” What was? Not Noah now. Remember now, He explained that by Sodom. This is the time of Sodom, when the world's going to be burned. Not drowned; burned. It's going to be burned. And this time was to return, not an ark, but God dwelling in the flesh of his people, in his church. Jesus said, “At that day you'll know that I'm in the Father, the Father in me, and I in you and you in me.”

It's God in you. All that God was He poured into Christ; and all Christ was He poured into the church. So it's God above us, God with us, and God in us. No wonder we are commissioned to baptize using Father, Son, and Holy Ghost. It's not three different Gods: three offices of one God. See? God above us in the Father, God in—with us in the Son, cleansing His way, condescending, coming down, making a way for me; to get back. And bring His people back to manifested sons of God, like they had them in the garden of Eden. The whole world's a-groaning and waiting for that hour for the manifestation of the sons of God.

He has no voice tonight but our voice. He has no hands but our hands. He has your hands; that whose hands it is. He said, “I am the Vine; you are the branches.” I hope that you'll listen to this poor voice tonight, and the little still voice of the Spirit that can speak in your heart, and hear Him say, “It's I; be not afraid.” Will you believe? Let's bow our heads.

Lord Jesus, the hours are growing late and dark. I don't know just what time You might come. I believe that You've reached Your great hand out and stopped time, just held a little while. Science said a few years ago, it was three minutes until midnight. You said in Your own Word, when you see these things begin to come to pass, Israel restoring, the fig tree putting forth it's bud... Israel is a nation now. The six point star of David, the oldest flag in the world, it hasn't flown for twenty-five hundred years, waves over in Israel tonight. Israel restoring: she's got her own money, her own army... She's a nation. Thousands returning, saying, “Where is that Messiah?” What a opportunity now we have.

Said, “Let us see him do the sign of a prophet. If we could see him do the sign of a prophet, then we'll know that's Messiah, that He was Messiah. He promised it.” O God, as the Gentiles are getting their last call, may they hear the voice of God, tonight, say, “It' is I, be not afraid.” Lord, I'm tired. I'm so tired I can hardly stand here. I pray that You'll do something special for us tonight. Grant, Lord. Do something just the way You did it. Pick up the testimony here after nineteen hundred years. Let these apostles and disciples of this churches tonight, might go away from here with the same kind of testimony, they could say tomorrow, “We know that our Lord is risen from the dead and He saved us from sin. He gave us the Holy Spirit. He used our lips to speak words that we not—don't know what we're talking about. We've seen Him speak through our brother in the Spirit of prophecy to bring the last sign that was promised to the church.” We believe now, Lord. Help us now to get our sleeves rolled up, as it were to say. Help us to dig into it. May every Christian in every neighborhood... Grant it, Lord.

And may every sick person that's here, every spirit of the devil that's caught these Christians, may these Christians be in such unity and one accord till there'll not be a feeble person among us tonight, when the service is over. Grant it, Lord. Show Yourself alive tonight, Lord. As I leave this city, Your Spirit will not leave; It'll stay here until It brings back the body of our Lord Jesus.

Bless my brethren, Lord. Bless my sisters and these young men and women at the crossroads of life. May they make their decision tonight to serve You. Grant it.

May all sick people realize and know from their heart that the Scriptures has predicted this hour, and this hour has arrived at Grande Prairie, which we, as Your ministers all agree that we're in the last days and these things should be.

Now, Father, won't You move on the scene for a few moments and prove that You're here. I've given a testimony of You. Now, Lord, You come testify that I've told the truth and we'll believe You, Lord, with all of our heart. And every person in here will be healed, saved, for the glory of God. We ask it in Jesus' Name. Amen.

I told my son I'd be finished tonight, at nine thirty and it's ten minutes till ten now. You're... I just talk so long.

Ah... Where's he at? I forgot... Brother Fred, did—did—does he give out the—the did he do with these prayer cards? I told him to come down and give out prayer cards. I didn't know whether they did it or not and... I was in prayer when they come after me tonight and—and I didn't think to ask them. But he give out prayer card... How many—how many's out?... Well, how many and what letters? What was you give out first? Where... A-30. Where did we start at the other night? 1? All right, let's take some B's. Just get a few up here. We're going to pray for every one of them. See? Let's start in the B's now, 'cause the ones, probably, was here to see it before. The B's are the new ones. How many did you get in the line that night? Thirteen, fourteen. Well, let's take fifteen out of the B's tonight. Let's see. Let's start so men... Let's see: eighty-five—eighty-five, ninety, ninety-five, hundred... Let's start from 85. Who has prayer card B-85, raise up your hand. A man back... There's two hands up here. B-85, is that yours, sir? Come here. B-86, who has prayer card B-86? This lady here? Would you stand right over here. 87, B-87, would you raise your hand, please, so we know who you are? 87, is it? What say? Eighty-five. This is 86, here, I think. 87... That's nine. 86, prayer card B-86. You have...

[Blank.spot.on.tape]

He'd act the same as they did then, if He's the same High Priest. Isn't that right? Now you believe. Every one of you now, be real reverent. Don't move around, just believe.

Now, oh, brethren, now hear me...?... This is it. Now if anybody's got a doubt that this is not God, then you come here and take my place. Come here and go down this prayer line. Let the Holy Spirit speak to you. Got a better way of doing it, let me know. Yeah, I'd certainly be thankful.

Now, every one of these people in this prayer line, as far as I know, I do not know you; you're Canadians up here, and I'm from down in the States. And if I do not know you, each one of you in this prayer line, raise up your hands if I do not know you. Every one. How many out in the audience knows that I do not know you, raise up your hand—know nothing about you? Everybody, as far as I can see.

I know Brother Evans' two daughters, setting right here on this seat here, and outside of that, that's the only ones that I can see that I know. Yes, here's Sister Evans and Brother and Sister Dauch, right here, right here. Yes. All right.

Now just be real reverent. Now, you've heard me testify from the Scripture and take apostolic testimony meeting. If there's apostles testifying, and course I—that was a drama. But exactly, everything I said was Scriptural. Do you believe that? Well, it was Scripture, put in the form of a drama. Now, if He is just a historical God, then He died and it's all over. And we can...

Or, you people up here in the north, you know that you cannot... A man cannot get warm by a painted fire. If a man was freezing to death and you took him over and show him a great picture of a big fine red fire that burned one time, he can not get warm by a painted fire. Neither can we be saved by a historical God. We cannot add the joy of a Pentecostal fire unless it's the same fire today. We cannot—we cannot serve a historical God, and what good is He to you; the God of—that was in Christ, if He isn't the same God today that He promised to be? That's Scriptural, friends. Now, shake yourself just a little bit. Don't be emotional, but just wake yourself up for a second. It's exact, the truth.

Then where we are, with my hands before God, my Bible here, that you're strangers to me. In this prayer line, I don't know one of them, never seen them in my life. The only reason they're standing here, somebody come down, and the boy, had a bunch of cards and mixed them up and give somebody a prayer card. And we come down tonight, and just said, “Well, I'll call from a certain number.” We call from some other number. You don't even have to have a number, don't even have to have a prayer card; just set there and say, “God, I believe that the Bible is right, and I believe that You're the High Priest. And I believe we're living in the last days. And this man doesn't know me, and I'm sick. Let him tell me what's wrong with me. Let him—let—let him speak to me like He did the woman, and find out what takes place.” If He doesn't do it, then I'm an impostor and the Bible tells a lie, and that's impossible for the Bible to tell a lie. I could be an impostor, but it's impossible for the Bible to tell a lie. But if the Bible backs up what I said, then I'm not an impostor; I'm a witness of His resurrection and you can be the same.

Now, isn't this glorious? Find out. Where's another religion in the world? Go get your Buddhas and Mohammedans. Let's see if He's alive. But our Christ is alive. Go get the creed. See if it will work. It doesn't. It won't bring salvation; it won't bring the supernatural. If God Almighty... If the Holy Spirit would come right now and reveal one thing, just one thing, that would be as great a miracle as could happen. Exactly right, because it's supernatural. Who can figure that out? Who could figure out how that a—a man—two people not knowing each other, never met in life, and yet a Spirit come down and reveals the very things that they're doing, and thinking, and what they have done, and what they will do, and never fail? It's got to be God. It can't be nothing else. So, you see, I swear it, and know it, And you know it, that man can not do those things; it takes God. So if He proves it one time that it's truth, then you all ought to rejoice and be happy. And remember, it's to you also. Will you do it? Will you accept this Jesus that I've been telling you about, as your Healer, if He'll do it? God grant.

Now, heavenly Father, that's as far as I can go, Lord. I can only say what the Word says. It takes You to perform the Word. Here's Your servants, the ministers, godly men. Here's godly women, servants, setting everywhere, sick and afflicted. If You were standing here with this suit on that You gave me, You could do no more for them. If they come up and said, “Lord, will You heal me?” Why, You'd say, “My child, I did that nineteen hundred years ago when I was striped for your healing. Believest thou this?” They'd say, “Yea, Lord, but how do I know it's You?” Then You'd show that You was the Christ. You could show them, do something that—that would prove to them that You was the Christ; not with nail scars in Your hands, because anyone could impersonate that. But the supernatural is to go down into that person's life and know what they're doing and what they're here for. Then we know it's Your Spirit: You, great Vine, moving in Your branches. Let it be so tonight again, Lord. Honor Your Word. Forgive us of our sin as we have forgive those who have sinned against us. Give us sweetness of spirit and may the Holy Spirit now come right quickly and confirm the Word, that every person in here might know that the Son of God is not dead but is risen from the dead and is alive after nineteen hundred years, and alive forevermore, through Jesus Christ's Name, I ask it. Amen. [Blank.spot.on.tape]

Now, just keep your attention. Just pray and... All right. Is a... That's the man? All right. Now, I want you each one, everybody be alert. Be alert. And be praying, saying, “Lord, I'm suffering with such-and-such. Let Brother Branham just turn to me. I know he don't know me, don't know what's wrong with me; but if You'll just speak to him, I know I've touched You. Now, you could touch me all night and be like touching that desk; there'd be nothing to it. See? But you just touch Him, one time, see what happens. See? Your faith touched him.

Now, here's a man that happens to be... If I can get somebody up here before me first. You see? 'Cause after speaking, and so forth, a—then I...

I—I talk to him, just like the—Jesus did the woman at the well, till He found what her trouble was and then told her, and she said, “Why, that was right.” Then see, now that's the way it... with this man.

Now, we do not know one another, do we, sir, you and I? I just want you to move right over here, so I get you... just so I can... not look at that prayer line. Then looking this way, they're... sometimes spirit leaves and some of you here...?... high faith it goes to them.

I'd like to talk to you first. Now, we are two different people, two men that's met for our first time in life. That is true, isn't it? All right. Now, if there's some... I have no idea what's wrong. I—I know not. Then if I—if I could help you to be well... Or you might have domestic trouble; you might have financial troubles; that you might be sick; you might have cancer; you might have tumor; you might have TB. I don't know. See? I have no idea. But if I could help you and then would not do it, I'd better leave the platform. I'd be a hypocrite; I wouldn't be worthy to stand back here. But if I—if Jesus was standing here, and you'd ask Him to help you, and you—that He—He would grant it to you.

Now, if you want to know it was Him... Any man could have nail scars in his hands and nai—prints on his forehead. But a spirit... See, because if He was standing here, the millennium would be on. He'll never come to earth again until He meets the church in the air. We're caught up with Him to meet Him in the air, then He returns with His church. So He could not be here on earth that way, only as His Spirit in His church.

Now, do you believe... Now, the Angel of the Lord told me... (As you've probably read my book; I don't know.) But He's... You read it. All right. Remember up at the mill that night, when He talked to me and He said, “If you can get the people to believe you, and then be sincere when you pray, there's nothing will stand before your prayer.”

I said, “I... They won't believe me. I—I—I have no education.”

He said, “As Moses was given two signs for a vindication, so are you.” Said, “First, you'll take the people's hand, then you'll know what's wrong. After that, if you'll be sincere, it'll come to pass that you'll know very thoughts of their heart.” And He said, “They'll have to believe this.”

How many remembers that prophesied when I was here the first time, or, years ago? I told you it would come to pass. Now, see if it did or not. You just look on me now, as I... Peter and John passed through the gate, and the man was crippled, said, “Look on us.”

And they looked on him... Why? They was trying to get his attention. That's the reason Jesus said, “Woman, bring Me a drink.” See? You're a spirit inside of that body; that's what I'm dealing with, is the spirit in here. Now, I don't know you by my spirit, and you don't know me; but God knows both of us. So therefore, it'll have to take something in me to tell you; then you'll know whether it's the truth or not. If it's the truth, well then, it comes from God; if it isn't truth, it isn't God. That's logical, isn't it?

You're not here for yourself; you're here for somebody else; that's a woman. It's your wife and she's not here. You believe God can tell me what's wrong with her? Would you believe then? She's had a stroke. That is right. Do you believe she's going to be well now; that spirit that's on you? When you go to her, lay your hands on her, in the Name of the Lord Jesus; don't doubt; she'll get out of it. Go now and believe. God bless you...?...

Do you believe? You believe? Ask the man if those things were right. Just have faith now; be real reverent—reverent. Just as long I can stand...

We are strangers to each other. I never seen you in my life. You're younger than I. I—I have just never seen you. But perhaps that woman that met our Lord at the well that time, she was probably younger than He was. And that was their first time meeting. And here we meet just like they did. Now, you're a human being; I'm a human being. I don't know you; you don't know me. But by being Christians, then we have a Father Who knows both of us. If He can tell me something that you're here for, or something that you have done, something that you ought not have done, if He can tell you what has been, surely you can believe what He says will come will be right, if He tells you what has been.

Now, if I come here and said, “God give me a gift of healing.” I lay my hands upon you, “Glory to God; be healed,” you could believe that; that could be true. That's right. I believe that with all... The Bible said so. But now, let's go beyond that. We've had that day. Let's go beyond that. And now, what if He stands here now and can tell you what you are, what you're wanting, and the desires of your heart, and the secret of your heart, and the things in your life that you need, or ought not have done... If they're not under the blood He will expose them. See? Now, because if they're under the blood, they're in the sea of forgetfulness; no man can dig those up. That's right.

You are a Christian. The vibration of your spirit... (That's what I call it; I know it's a the wave.) You feel welcome, you believe me. I... You believe that. See? Soon as you walked up, I knew that. You could've been a—a deceiver, walked up here, and then what would've happened? You heard of what happened on them: many laying paralyzed tonight, many in the grave for that. We're not playing church. We're serving a God.

You're real nervous: got—had a lot on your mind, a rough life, your back life, a lot of worry and trouble. You also suffer with a rupture...?... Now, you believe me to be His prophet, or His servant?...?... And you think that was a guess? Wait a minute. And she's a very fine contact with God, this little lady. I don't know what I told you, but ever what it was, was the truth. Is that right? Now, if we have to stand with this woman just a moment...?... she can talk to someone, a real fine spirit. Yes, nervousness (That's right.), and a nervous condition, and Satan bothers you about it, says you're going to lose your mind and everything, but you're—he's lying.

You had a rupture; I see that, waiting for an operation, but that... You have also varicose veins in your limb. That is right. Then you've got somebody on your heart; that person is here: your husband. You think, if God can tell me what's wrong with your husband, will you believe it? His back. That's right. Here's something else; I see a child appear. You're praying and interested in a child; there's something wrong with that child. It's because it doesn't learn very well. That is true: THUS SAITH THE LORD. Those things true? Do you accept it all as a deliverance ticket from God for you? Go, and it'll be just as you have believed. God...?...

You believe? Have faith; have faith. I do not know you; we're strangers to each other. Ma'am? You've met me before and you know me. I don't know you. See, a lot of people know me just come in the meetings and being places like that; but I never know, know nothing about you. See? You believe me to be His servant? I believe that. You got a rupture; that's what's wrong with you. You're not from this city either, but Alberta, place called Easton. That's right. You believe God can tell me who you are? Would that help you? Mrs. Braun. Now, go and be made well...?... God bless you.

You believe? You believe? You believe God can reveal to me what's your trouble? You're seriously. You're facing an operation, so the doctor said, rather strong man: a female trouble. And you don't believe in operations; that's why you've come to me to pray for you. And you felt within your heart when you prayed, if you could get on this platform, I lay my hands on you, you wouldn't need the operation. If that's your prayer, raise your hand up. How do I know what you asked God? Come here. In the Name of Jesus Christ, may her desire be granted. Amen. Don't doubt; believe.

Now, you're a stranger to me. You believe that God can tell me what's your trouble? Think your shoulder would get all right? What'd you touch? Be all right now. Seen a much larger woman appear here; you was praying. All right. Your faith saved you now. What did she touch?

That little lady sitting there with a black hat on looking at me, yes, you, your stomach trouble has left you now. Go, eat your supper. Jesus Christ makes you well. All over now, go eat. Had a peptic condition in your stomach, it's all over.

What about them headaches, setting back there, young lady? Believe God can heal headaches and make you well? If it's... Yes, you had more faith than you thought you did, didn't you? Your headaches will stop now. Frankly, you don't have it now. What did she touch? Just think: what did she touch? She touched the High Priest.

That lady setting way back in the back with arthritis there, you believe that God will make you well back there? That woman with glasses on, I don't know you, never seen you in my life, but you're setting back there praying. If that is so, raise up to your feet. God bless you; you'll never be crippled with it.

I challenge you to believe Him. Don't know these people; I've never seen them. But my Lord knows them.

The man setting about second one back from the room back there, suffering with stomach trouble, you believe that God will make you well? Accept it? God bless you. You have a prayer card? You have a prayer card? You do? You won't need it. Amen.

God can cure diabetes, can't He? All right. Go, believing; just have faith.

He heals nervousness too, don't you believe that? Keep walking, saying, “Thank You, Lord.” Just believe with all your heart.

Come. He heals arthritis; you believe that? Then just keep on going. Yes, sir. Just a minute, something happened. Come here. 'Course we see you're walking on a cane. I won't mention that. But your diabetes and heart trouble, you believe that God will make it well? And. May—could heal you? And you believe it?...?... God will heal you? Keep moving on, saying, “Thank You, Lord.” Go on; be well. Say, “Thank You, Lord.”

You believe, everybody? Just have faith; don't doubt; believe with all your heart. What about that gall bladder trouble, setting over there against the wall. You're looking so sincere...?... I don't know you, do I? We're strangers to one another. And that's what your trouble. That is right, isn't it? Are we strangers to one another? Raise up your hand. Was that your trouble? All right, sir. You was setting there praying, wanting God to touch you. You touched Him and He touched me. Now, Clarence, Mr. Roon, you can go home, be well. God makes you well. That's your name, isn't it? If that's right, raise up your hand. I never seen you.

You believe? How many of you believe with all your heart? Now, it's Christ here, friends. I want to show you something. My brethren here is men of God. They have just as much right to pray for sick as I do. Come here, brethren; come here. Just put yourself on each side, and make a double line, right on here. I want you to see when I'm gone, don't have to wait for me to come back. Here's men of God, prays for the sick too. Just make a double line right along here now; come right on both sides of me. Don't want to leave the congregation thinking that just some evangelist has to come by and pray for the sick. I want to show you that God will heal the sick through these men's prayers.

How many here has got prayer cards? Raise up your hand. Kinda take your numbers. All the A's first, line up right over here. No, wait. Where did we—you leave off? Okay, I... All right, let—let—'fore we get to... Just a moment, if you don't, we'll get all mixed up. Let these people over here that's got prayer card A, get in the line. That—A and B get in the line over here, this—this section over here; line right up over here, A and B. On that section only now. Just a moment. Just get the—get that side over there. We'll get them every one. Just a moment. Just a moment now, till we get every one. See? We'll—we'll get every one.

All on this side with A and B...?... Now, we'll have to take these here back around the other way when we get them. You see? We have to get one side at a time. All with A and B, line up on this side. All right. Now, as soon as this side gets through, let this middle row come through on that side, after they get cleared out. And as soon as they get cleared out, let this side come through. Everybody that will believe and will pass through here, with all faith in God...

Are you afraid? “Be not afraid, it is I,” said the Lord Jesus. Don't you believe it's Him? How many believes it's Him? Now look, if He's here, just because that He made me a seer, He made these men ministers. See? They're got the same Spirit that I have, same God, same Holy Ghost, same charge before God, to pray for the sick; same hands, same Spirit. They're anointed...?... We're going to stand here together and pray for each one of you as you pass through, laying our hands upon you. And when you pass through here, you act like that you got healed. You go through here saying, “Thank You, Lord.” And go back out there and watch your stomach troubles and all these other things leave you. Do you believe it?

Let's pray now together as we bow our heads. Lord Jesus, Thou art here. You proved Yourself here, Lord, all around over the building, telling the people, calling them. And here stands Your servants, Lord. And I want this people here to know that Your servants, they don't have to wait for some special person to come through, some special evangelist. But God, they can go out call their pastor. They are Your servants, and here they are when I call for them, like real soldiers stood right out before the congregation. They're believers; they're ready, anointed to lay their hands upon the sick. And God Almighty, Who raised up Jesus, Who's our Saviour, Who stands in our midst tonight, anoint us, Lord. Anoint us with Your Holy Spirit, that when we lay hands upon these people, may the blessings of God come on them, and may every one of them be healed. Grant it, Lord. We start them through here, and pray for them, in the Name of Jesus Christ.

And Satan, we have a word for you; we want to tell you that you've deceived the people as long as you're going to. You have no legal right to hold them. Jesus Christ took every right you had when He rose up from the dead. He triumphed over you, and you're nothing but a bluff, and He's here tonight to call your bluff, and expose you, and tell you who you are. And you can't hold this audience any longer. We take this audience, this sick people here, God's children, in the Name of Jesus Christ, to cast you away from them; and you'll have to leave them. We're going to lay our hands upon them to fulfill the Word of God. When they go through here, their hearts will be full of glory of God and shall go out off of here praising God. They shall be healed, and there'll be a revival. O God, grant it, in the Name of Jesus Christ; may it be so, through Jesus Christ our Lord.

Now, as the congregation with your heads bowed, if you cannot pray, sing while somebody leads the singing.

Only believe, on—...

Now, each one, as you come through, believe now as you go through. Pray, Brother...?... [As the people pass through the prayer line, Brother Branham's words are not always intelligible—Ed.] ... In the Name of...?... In the Name of...?... In the Name of Jesus... In the Jesus' Name... In the Name... In the Name of Jesus...?... In your Name we believe...?... In the Name of Jesus, grant the healing of my... [Blank.spot.on.tape—Ed.]

I love Him, I love Him,

Because He first loved me,

And purchased my salvation

On Calvary's tree.

Oh, how I love Jesus. Don't you love Him? Isn't He wonderful? Don't...?... How... This is to me like heaven. Can you... Oh, I'm not emotional, not—I don't think to excess. But I just feel a real sweet feeling, just like if the Heavenly Father would say, “It was well done.” Everybody prayed for? How many believes you're going to be well now? Raise up... Every one. Look, the Spirit of God through the meeting, coming right along, that's exactly what He said. There's only one thing to keep it from it. If we just don't believe it, it won't happen. If you do believe it, it has to happen; it's already finished. See? It's a finished work. Oh, isn't He wonderful? Oh, I just love Him.

I love Him, I love Him,

Because He first loved me,

And purchased my salvation

On Cal...

[Brother Branham speaks to someone on the platform] Has she been through? What's wrong with the girl? She's just agitated...?...

[Brother Branham starts to hum “I love Him.”]

I love Him,

Because...

... purchased...?... (...?... put the...?... [Brother Branham speaks to someone]) ...vation

On Cal...

Let's just bow our heads a moment. Heavenly Father, I know there sets in the audience one who is—Satan has bound, and he's trying to hold the woman. God, grant that he'll leave her. A lovely person, why shouldn't she be free? I pray that You'll grant it, Father, through Jesus Thy Son, we ask it. Amen.

I... I ...

Because He first loved me,

And purchased my salvation

On Cal...

Is there a sinner here, would like to accept Christ as their Saviour? In the Presence of God now, would you stand, say, “I accept Him as my Saviour.” Would there be that one here who has backslidden and would like to come back to God right now under the anointing of the Holy Spirit? God bless you, son. God grant it to you. In the Name of Jesus Christ, I give you the desire of your heart. Return now to the house of God, calling upon His Name, and live true to Him.

Pastor, I sure appreciate this fine fellowship. Why didn't you ask? That's a pastor: let his congregation go through and not ask for himself. That blood will stop. Bless you, brother. Caught his hand here and a vibration running. It'd run into a cancer; you'll be all right now. Never said a word to me about it, never mentioned it. I just caught it when he shook my hand. God bless you, Pastor. God bless you, congregation.

Till we meet! Till we meet!

Till we meet at Je...

God bless each of you, my brothers. God bless you, brethren.

Till... (God bless you, brother...?...)

Till we meet... (God, in Jesus'...?...)

God be with you till we meet again.

As I give you your pastor, let's bow our heads and sing it softly.

Till we meet...

May the God of heaven ever be with you, ever grace you. I'll be praying for you. You pray for me until we meet. Meet where?

...at Jesus' feet

Till we meet. God bless you, Pastor. God bless you...?...