Presuming

... have this time of fellowship with you people far away from that frozen North that I just come out of. I said to your pastor up in his study this afternoon, “This is going to be one of the greatest meetings I ever seen, or either I missed the will of the Lord.” I've never had Satan to fight me so hard as he did coming out here. When Brother Williams invited me some time ago, I just kind of hesitated a little. I said, “I'll let you know a little later, because I believe in praying over things before we make our choice. Let it be God's choice.”

And I just kept feeling led to come, because it was a time.... I always appreciate the Full Gospel Businessmen's fellowship. And then ... and this was a little extra, because I would get to meet the different churches, the different brethren of the different denominations. I love to do that, and kind of have fellowship together in different churches of all the churches of God. So then, when....

I said, “I will be sure now that it's the Lord calling me.” I said, “I'm going to give Brother Williams quite a bit of time to get somebody else, you know, to go out there. They ... be sure that.... If he's still waiting on me, then I know it's the Lord, and if all the brethren say they want me to come out.” I said, “Heavenly Father, I'll just take that for granted that you want me to go out to Phoenix.”

Well, then, I waited several days. And I thought, “Now I better let him know right away, because they've got to advertise it in the 'Businessmen's Voice.' ”

So after waiting a few days, then I called him up, and he said, “Oh, Brother Branham, all the brethren want you to come out.” So I said ... just felt that little nudge I should do it. So this would be a grand opportunity.

Well, I thought I would come just a little early. And I wanted to go over in Mexico and get me a suitcase I was badly needing. Someone give me the money at Christmas time to get it, and I could get it for about half the price I get it here for, and about twice as good, across the border. I thought, “Well, I'll go down around Texas, so I'm going to allow myself about three extra days so I can shop out and get a good one—so, rest a little along the road.” And I was going to start on a Thursday.

And we got all ready to start, and there come a blizzard across the country. And they even blocked the highways everywhere, and the south was impassable altogether; and they wouldn't let us go through the north part over 66.

I waited two days, and finally they opened the roads, said, “You can take your chance.” So I started off.

I thought, “Well, it'll be nice weather.” Ha! I don't believe I was ever in a worse blizzard in all my life—ice and jams, and all along the road, and everything.

Finally one of the recording boys here, Brother Maguire, his car backslid on him coming out. We was coming home. And so, we was having an awful.... I think it just give out. I don't think it backslid; it just give out, see. And so, he got an old generator, and the thing wouldn't work right. Tried it again, and it wouldn't work right. He put it in another shop, it wouldn't work right. He tried three ... up till about eleven o'clock one night, and still the thing....

The next morning started up. Fred would ... slept overnight. He's somewhere listening to me. I've never mentioned it even to his father-in-law and them, but he touched me on the shoulder coming out of the restaurant, said, “Brother Branham, you just ask God and it'll work right.”

I said, “You really believe that?”

He said, “I do.” It worked right. “We can go on now.”

So when I got to Phoenix, I thought, “Well, now my trouble's over.” And if I didn't get up this morning, with the flu—aching feeling! But I said, “Satan, it's a fight!” So, here I am. So we're here enjoying this fellowship. And I got to meet the pastor this afternoon in his study up here, and we had a wonderful time.

Such a lovely little church. And I bring you greetings from all the household of God up in the middle East, where I'm from. And so, we know that you're doing real well out here. We hear from you. And glad to see Brother Norman sitting over here tonight, from Tucson.

And I have some people.... I'm looking over this little bitty audience here, seeing people from up in Ohio, Brother and Sister Dauch sitting here. And I believe here's the people from Iowa sitting right back behind us here, and different ones. They just come from the east and west, don't they? Everywhere, flowing in together. So we're happy to be here.

And now we're looking forward for the nights that's scheduled for us to speak at the different churches. I think tomorrow night we'll be up in ... Tempe, was it? Tempe. And then the next night, I think, at Brother Outlaws'—that's the ... 20th and Roosevelt Street; then different ones.

And if you brethren are here that I had to miss those two nights, I'm sorry about that. But the Lord will give us a little special blessing on those Sunday mornings that we're to make it up. So it's kind of a full schedule, but by God's grace we'll make it.

And then, expecting a great time in this convention coming, this Businessmen's convention. So happy for the opportunity—maybe get to meet all those brothers, and shake their hands and.... It's something to meet friends, and we ... there's nothing like friends.

I'm going to quote something that I did to the pastor this afternoon. Oswald J. Smith (he's a great missionary-minded man), he was speaking some time ago in Louisville, Kentucky, to a friend of mine, Dr. Wallace Cobbles. And he said to Brother Cobbles, he said, “Brother Cobbles, I believe that when a man first gets married,” he said, “and his wife is young and she's beautiful, and everything,” he said, “You know, if she happens to go bad, and fly the coop, as we call it—run away, kick over the trace, or whatever—you know, get out and do wrong,” said, “if you have to leave her, or something,” said, “it's bad. But it isn't....”

Said, “You can ... you're young and you can look around, maybe, and find another one that will be right.” Said, “Then after you live with her long enough till the children comes on,” said, “it's awful hard if she does it then, you know.” Said, “You really begin to realize you need her. But when you get to about fifty,” said, “then you just can't hardly do without her.” Said, “Then, when you get seventy, you sure can't do without her.”

I happened to think ... kind of put a little spiritual interpretation to that. When I was a young minister, every man that made a mistake, he was out of the picture. He couldn't even run in the race. That's all. If he wasn't a Baptist, he just was out of the picture, that's all, see. He just had to see the things I saw, or the man was altogether wrong.

And then after I got a little bit older, I begin to realize that, you know, the blanket kind of stretched a little. I seen where ... what he had to go through with—a lot of toils, a pastor of a church, and the heartaches that goes with it. I realized that this blanket spreads a little over him, too, you know, to kind of keep him from getting cold. And now, as we come on down to about where I am now, I tell you we need one another so bad, we just can't hardly do without one another. That's all there is to it.

And as we see the days getting evil, and things the way they are, why, I think it's good that we come together and fellowship together. And I just long to get with the brethren, and talk to them, and so forth—all the different churches and brotherhood. I love that, see. It's something about it that's real, and....

I do think—not plugging for this little group of men, of Full Gospel Businessmen—but I do think that that's a great opportunity that God has given us all, where we can come together through that, and we can have fellowship. They don't draw any lines about any denominations, and so forth, and we can just sit together in heavenly places in Christ. Now I realize that it isn't going to be perfect. We're going to make many mistakes. I see theirs, and they see mine; and you see mine, and I see yours, and.... But we got to live with one another, and we got to realize.... But I think, after all, if it's all searched around, for my part it's the cream of the crop. That's right. It's this.

I put my choice with the full gospel many years ago, and I'm happier every day about it. And I am thankful to be one of them and having this grand experience of receiving Christ as my Saviour; and in return having Him to fill me with his Holy Spirit, living in my heart daily as a witness to me that I have passed from death unto life—testing my ... plan, my salvation, each day as I take inventory. See just the way the Spirit in me, what does it feel like? How does it cooperate with the things of the world? Or is it so heavenly set till the world seems dull, and dingy and dirty?

I was passing down this street.... I come here the first time thirty-five years ago this year, 1926, in an old T-Model Ford. And I lived at Sixteenth and Henshaw. I see they've even changed the name. It's Buckeye now, so everything's changing. But I recognize the old place. And you know, I rode horses around out through the valley down there, the Salt River, and down through that way. Why, they had burros just across the mountain there, wild burros, see, and old prospectors would come in. My! They got prospectors still coming in, but they're in Cadillacs. So, it's changed quite a bit.

But I find out that the gospel doesn't change. It still brings the same satisfaction. And you go back years after years, you find out it's the same. It's the same experience that they received at Pentecost. After two thousand years it hasn't changed a bit. We get the same thing, you see, just exactly the same thing it's done.

As I looked at the magnificent streets and seeing the places and lights, and places lit up, I thought, “Three hundred years ago (as I was talking to my son coming over) this valley laid peaceful and quiet. Perhaps once in awhile a coyote would howl, or some noise, a burro would bray or....” Three hundred years ago. And as we look, how it's been ... I don't know whether you say converted, or perverted, into what it is now.

It would be a convert if this streets was walking up and down with people with their hands up to God, praising God for a beautiful valley, and a lovely place to live, and a healthy climate; and praising God in churches, and brothers was brothers, and sisters, and so forth—just a great colony of God's economy. It would be a wonderful place.

But instead of that, with liquor joints, honkytonks, prostitution, cigarette smoking, gambling, cursing, swearing.... I just imagine one day that God will wipe the whole thing clear. That's right. And those who make their choice for Him will live again here in a endless age, that great millennium that is to come.

And it's to my intention, and what I'm here in Phoenix for, tonight, is to try to fellowship, first, to strengthen the church; to pray for the sick if any comes to be prayed for. We don't intend to give out any prayer cards, or so forth. We're coming to do just anything we can to help the people. If somebody wants to be prayed for, only thing you do is ask, and we'll pray for them—whatever we can do. I found out at home a few weeks ago doing that, it's far beyond anything else, you see.

And I remember when I first come here in Phoenix. We stood over there in Brother Outlaw's church. I believe he's the first one that invited me to Phoenix. And then there was a little Mexican church called Garcia's ... Brother Garcia's, little Spanish-speaking church down ... somewhere down in there. And what a wonderful time we had in there—and people standing in prayer lines, and being healed, just praying and laying hands on them.

The ministry has come higher. Certainly it has. Gifts has been multiplied. But somehow or another, I wish I was just back like I was at the first place, you see. I think more years.... We'd just forget some of the things I ever learned, I think it would be a lot better off, see.

Well, I think the road to God is through the path of humility and service. I think that there's nothing no better in the world to lift us up to Christ than that. You get to see carnal impersonations, and so forth, it dulls you and puts something in you. I wish it wouldn't do it, you see. If you just ... kind of brings you up.... I think it gets you in the state of complex when you should not be there. You should just keep all things away, and move on.

And so.... Then I hope that in ... this will strengthen our fellowships together to each other, pray that God will heal the sick people that will be prayed for; and above all things, save every soul that can be saved. I don't know where they are, who they are. So I'm just preaching. Whatever comes in, that's where I try to minister to them, and hoping that some day through that great eternity, and a peaceful valley—maybe not the Maricopa, but some peaceful valley somewhere—we'll live together, neighbors throughout ceaseless ages. That's why we're here.

Now, many are standing, and you're so lovely I could just talk all night. And so, I know we got several services, and I don't want to take too much time in each place. But if we'll just now reverently bow our heads before we open up the Word of God, and pray.

Gracious heavenly Father, it is indeed a grand privilege tonight to be alive, to have the opportunity to testify once again before the church of the living God. And as I was speaking to this people a few moments ago, and thinking of this great, mammoth, beautiful city, yet laden with sin like all other cities....

I was thinking, as my son said, “What is the use, then, Daddy?”

But I said, “Son, all over this city is scattered the church of the living God. It's that group that we're holding up before God.”

It's that ... that saints.... As Paul must have looked upon Rome, with its many thousands of population, and as different places that he went he would see the city turned over to idolatry. But there was jewels in that city that he had to labor for. They're resting yonder waiting for the general resurrection in the last day, which we believe is near at hand. We pray for every church in Phoenix, every one of them, Father, we pray that You'd pour out your Spirit upon them all. May they be such lights burning for the gospel till it'd dim the lights of these nightclubs and speakeasies. Grant it, Lord. May the people's hearts become so thirsty for You during this time of visitation, and may You truly visit us, Lord. Visit us with your Spirit, and pour it out upon us in great measures, Lord.

Bless the convention coming on. I pray, Father, that there will be many businessmen, and others, that will be led to this great experience of knowing Christ by the baptism of the Holy Spirit. Grant it, Lord.

Bless this church that we're here tonight, its lovely little pastor, and its whole being, Lord. It stands here as an example. It's a light to this city that people might see the way of truth. I pray that You'll make its members so salty that everyone in the neighborhood, and throughout the city, will thirst to be like them.

Now I know that You plant these churches here for a purpose. They stand as a witness against evil. And there is a witness in them that God is just and true. I pray that You'd bless them, Father, abundantly.

Now for this coming portion of the service tonight, no doubt but what You've already poured Your blessings upon them. We pray that You'll bless us, Lord, with Your great presence. Speak to us through the Word, in the Spirit. We ask in Jesus' name. Amen.

This afternoon, as I was sitting reading, my eyes fell upon a little text here that I might want to read, and use some of it for a context, if God being willing. And I wrote down some scriptures, and a few notes. I'd like to speak to you a little bit about ... for the glory of God. Now you that wish to turn, let's turn to Numbers, the 14th chapter and begin with the 41st verse. Numbers 14:41, and we shall read ... as it begins:

And Moses said, Wherefore now do ye transgress the commandment of the Lord? but it shall not prosper.

Go not up, for the Lord is not among you; that ye be not smitten before your enemies.

For the Amalekites and the Canaanites are there before you, and you shall fall by the sword: because ye are turned away from the Lord, therefore the Lord will not be with you.

But they presumed to go up unto the hill top: nevertheless the ark of the covenant of the Lord, and Moses, departed not out of the camp.

Then the Amalekites came down, and the Canaanites that dwelt in that hill, and smote them, and discomfited them, even to Hormah.

May the Lord add his blessings to the reading of his Word. I wish to take a text from there, if the Lord willing, upon the subject of “Presuming.” It's a.... I just love to read the Word because I know that that's true. The Word is what we stay by. It must always be the Word of God, or we'll go on the wrong road.

It's written over in St. John, I think about the 15th chapter, “If ye abide in Me, and my Word in you (See, the Word abides in you, see.) then ask what you will, and it'll be done,” because it's not you—it's the Word that's in you. And the Word is God, see, God in you. God is the Word. “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.”

Now in the return of the Holy Spirit bringing the Word in us, and it abiding in there, then it's not you that speaks; it's the Word itself coming out. So, it's ... the Word will perform the work.

Presume. I got the dictionary and looked up what the word presume actually meant. Webster says it means to venture without actual authority. To presume anything is to venture without actual authority, or to take for granted. To venture without actual authority, or to take for granted to do something before you are authorized to do it, without the actual authority to do it.

Now, we have just passed two of the major holidays, that we know here in America to be the Christmas time and the New Year's. It's actually not a Christmas. It's a day that we set aside....

'Course we realize it isn't the Lord's birthday. He couldn't have been born on December the 25th, because it's so cold up there shepherds could not have been on the hill, and so forth. And if you was ever in Judea along that time of year, you'd know it wasn't in the wintertime. But it is thought that it was perhaps along in April, or May, when lambs are born. And like He come by all nature, just like the regular lambs are born, He was the Lamb of God, and He was born along that time. But I don't suppose that He cares what day we set aside, because the actual day is lost. But it's in commemoration of his birthday.

And instead of we making it a commemoration, and a day of worship to God for his sending his Son to us, we have a celebration, see. We celebrate Christmas. And it is not a celebration. You could celebrate Washington's birthday, or Lincoln's birthday; or some other great man's birthday you might celebrate it. But Christmas should be a day of worship. But we have twisted it around and have made it one of the greatest commercial days. It's all fixed up on passing presents one to another, and having feelings hurt if we don't do it, and pay them back. And it's just twisted all up.

And then a few weeks ago, when wife and I were over in the shopping center in our little village at home, we overheard a conversation of two girls talking. And one of them said, “Well, what did you get Mother for Christmas?”

“Oh,” she said, “dear, I couldn't think of anything else to get her. But what she'd enjoy more was a pack of ... or a carton of cigarettes, and so ... for Mother.” And she said, “I got Dad a quart of whiskey.” And said, “You know, when....”

And she said, “Well, I'm glad you did that, dear, because I got him a new bunch of poker chips,” you see. You see, that's Christmas, see.

How can the world stand much longer? A celebration! And then, I suppose they presume that that's the right way to do it, see. That's what they're supposing to do. But they're just presuming that, see.

And here comes New Year's around. After New Year's gets around, why, usually the people all have a great New Year's party. And then in this New Year's party, they all get on a great big drunk around midnight. And I suppose they put to death their sins to forget them all, what they've done in the year. They just get so drunk that they forget all about their sins. And I guess they presume that that's the way you get rid of sins. But they're wrong. That only makes more sin. You can't righten anything by doing another wrong. So, it's just presuming, drowning out.

I wonder what people think, that when ... and the pleasure of drinking—that they call pleasure. When whiskey becomes into the system, it heats the blood in such a way it addles the mind, the brain, and you become blank. Your mind is so addled until ... with the heat of this alcohol in the blood stream, so the doctors say, that it just kind of blanks your mind.

Why, if there was some disease in your body that would make your mind go blank, you'd search every doctor's office in the city to find something to get rid of it. And yet, people celebrate the birthday of Christ, and try to drown their sorrows by blanking their mind. Don't you realize, my friend, that people ... you've got to meet that at the judgment bar? You can't get by with that. But they presume that that's the regular custom here in this nation, is to blanken your mind on Christmas Eve night, or on New Year's Eve night—blanken your mind with drinking.

They call it a little clean fun, or a little pleasure that people have to have, to give vent. Well, if that's all the pleasure that a person ever got out of life.... What pleasure would it be to blanken your mind so blank that you don't even know what you're doing? Then call it pleasure?

Now, I could see the men of the world doing that. But when it comes to the church doing that, people who call themselves Christians, then it goes to show that there's been a letdown somewhere, 'cause that's not the way you forget sins. They're on God's book, and the only way they can be gotten rid of is put in the sea of forgetfulness—the blood of Jesus Christ—and then remembered against you no more. That's the only way. But they presume that the right way is to do it the way the regular ... the people does it.

We also have preachers of denomination, great denominations across the nation, and these ministers preach the doctrine of their denomination, presuming that they are doing exactly what's right. Many of them, no matter how contrary to the Scripture it is, they presume they're doing right when they preach that doctrine, let it be whatever it might be. They presume that that's just what God requires—a certain creed, or a certain affiliation. They think that's just all that God requires. They presume that they're taking the people to heaven by just joining a church, and preaching a creed. They presume that that's all right, that's all you have to do. What a mistake that is! That's a terrible mistake, just presuming on that.

There's only one creed in the Bible: that's Christ. We only have to ... to know Him is to have life. Outside of that, there is no way to life, outside of knowing Christ by your personal experience with Him—and not by joining a church, or reciting a creed. And when we only bring it to that shallow condition, that's why we have drunken New Year's parties by Christians, so-called. That's why we have celebration of Christmas, and New Year's, and other holy days, and so forth.

That's ... the reason that the people do that, is because that that's all they know to do. Why, surely, if there is something that causes people to want to do something on that day, there ought to be something real to be done. There is something somewhere that's a right thing to do, if that's a wrong thing to do; because there's got to be a right to every wrong, or it would be right. So there has to be a pro and con, negative and positive.

There has to be a real dollar that a bogus dollar's made off of, or the bogus dollar would be the real dollar. And when we see a denomination, or a group of people that's hungering for something, and they go into church, and they join the church, they show that there's something that they're hungering for.

The human soul cries out for something. It knows that there's something that brought it here. It knows that there's something that's beyond here. They know that they come from out of the night, and they go back into the night. And they want to know where they come from, and where they're going. Now if that hunger is in there, you can never get it by blanking your mind.

You know, I heard ... someone was in that meeting here some time ago. Someone said, “Just let your mind go blank now. Just look right straight up towards the skies. Let your mind go blank, you'll get an experience.” No doubt but what you do! That's right.

But ... you get an experience, but what an experience. You see, when you do that, you just open your soul to Satan. He'll give you something, that's true. But I think a person coming to Christ should come with all the intelligence they got, and quoting in their mind when they come to Him every promise in the Scripture. Keep your mind alert, when you come to Christ. Don't let it go blank. The devil will make you do anything, see. They'll give you a sensation. He can do that, too. But you want an experience—something that the Bible teaches, something that's real.

Then they go away presuming, “Well, a little nerve shook. I saw a light before me,” or something like that. “I got it.” And they never live any different. They go right on out.

Many of them come up and say, “Yes, I recite this creed. I believe that I'm all right now.”

Now, you presume you're all right. You just think you are. Now, when they do this, then people come and join this church, presuming that they're doing what's right. And many of them is only asked to take a creed to live by, sprinkle a little water on them, and make them church members, and they're all right then. Them people go out—honest, good people—presuming that they're on the road to heaven.

Now that's where the trouble comes. Honest-thinking people believe that if they are brought into a certain condition, or a certain place, or to make a certain pledge or something like that, that that's all God requires—keep a commandment, or live by the ten commandments, or something like that, do some good deed, social turn, give the neighbors something. They presume that that's religion, and that's all they have to have. But how wrong that is.

Now we're living later than we think. Year by year, coming to Phoenix and other places, I wonder if we'll be here for the next year. I wonder then, when I leave, did I ... was I honest? Did I lay everything out just as clear as I knowed how to lay it? Lord, did I follow Your instructions? Did I say one thing contrary to Your Word, or did I keep every word right on Your Word? Because these same people will stand with me in the judgment, and I'll have to give an account for what I have said while I was at this certain place, where it is.

But the people.... After these ministers, I believe, presuming after so many education and get a degree and so forth, and learn a creed of a church, and go back out and take a pastoral job, and, I believe, with honesty and sincerity, just as sincere as anybody could be.... But sincerity isn't what makes it true. That isn't altogether truth.

I've stood when I ... and here not long ago in India, and seen them with an idol with rubies in the ears, that was worth thousands of dollars—and a hideous looking face in it with great eyes—and seen the priests pour holy water over a man with his body all full of fishhooks with little water balls hanging down from him. And seen them take a ditch of fire about thirty yards long—maybe ten foot wide, and several feet deep—just white embers of fire, and see the men with all this torture.... It may be with his lips, if he had lied or done some lies, doing penance, stick his tongue out and sew it to his nose, and run lances through his upper lip, bring it out up through his forehead here, and stick it out like that—all kinds of hideous things. And the priests pour holy water on him to.... And they kill a goat then, to make a blood sacrifice, to walk through that fire, presuming that they are doing the will of God. And they're sincere. They are sincere.

Down in Africa, see them take little children—just little fat black babies, little bitty fellows—and take ... the witch doctor take the knives and cut them, and rub that ink berry stuff into their faces, and disfigure them, and castrate the little girls and so forth, to make virgins out of them, and all kinds of carrying-on like that, with the deepest of sincerity. Certainly they do. Fall before idols, and even give their lives with the deepest of sincerity.

But sincerity doesn't make it. They're presuming that's right. They just think it's right. And you ... we look down upon them, and we think they ought to be taught different. But we in America are just as bad, and if anything worse off. It's true. We presume. We take it for granted. We venture anywhere without the actual authority of doing it. There's no authority in the Bible for a Christian to drink, gamble, lie, carouse.

People join these churches, and go right on just the same. They join these churches, women cut their hair, wear shorts, smoke cigarettes. Sure. Go right on. They think that's all right. They presume it's all right. But it's not all right! It's not all right. By a million miles it's not right. God's Word don't support it. It's contrary to it. But they presume it's all right.

Somewhere out here at the West Coast.... Now this isn't over on the Presbyterians, now. This is the Pentecostals, in a great fine church, wonderful organization. But they've so got away from the Word. This lady wore long hair. She had it done in a little round thing on the back of her head. And they'd go around to her, and say, “Hey, your tire's flat in the back,” and all of them made fun of her. Even the pastor told her she should have her hair cut because it was different. She asked me, she said, “Brother Branham, what about it?”

I said, “He told you something wrong.”

Our Pentecostal sisters does the same thing, like the world. Someone said the other day, he said, “Brother Branham, people regard you as a prophet. Why in the world don't you teach those people how to get spiritual gifts? Leave off of the way them women dress, and those men act. Leave off of it. You got no business saying it. Teach them great, deep, spiritual things.”

I said, “How can I teach them algebra, when they don't know ABC's?” How can you give them a college education, and they're not even out of kindergarten? Don't even have common decency to clean yourselves up, and act like Christians, and dress like Christians, and live like Christians—and then talk about spiritual gifts. Come out of kindergarten.

They presume that's all right, but it's wrong.

You shouldn't do it. Your mothers didn't do it that was in Pentecost years ago. But they do it. And you men—how do you stand and let your wives do that? You're still in kindergarten, see. That's right! You presume it's all right, but it isn't. You say, “Well, wife will do this and that.” You're the head of the house! God said so, see.

You just presume it's all right because the rest of them does it. I don't care what the rest of them does; it's what God's Word says. That's what's truth.

Just presume it, see. You say, “Well, I guess it's all right. The pastor....”

I don't care what the pastor says. The Word is right. The Word's what's right, see. Don't presume it. You'll get in trouble. Just do what the Word says do. Yes, sir. The people, they keep on doing it just the same, but they're presuming to be right when it's not.

People say, “Well, He's too good. He's too good to do it. God is so good.”

I believe that. I believe God is good. A teenage boy said not long ago in our town, our city, he said, “You know what?” He said, “God is so good, Brother Branham.” He said, “You know, God is so good He just let's me do anything.” He said, “He don't care. He don't mind, 'cause He's just so good to me.” Nonsense!

God is a good God! We hear so much about Him being a good God, and I believe He is a good God. That's right, He is a good God. But if He's a good God, He's got to be a just God. He can't give us a commandment to do something another, and we disobey it, and expect to escape the judgment. He's also a God of wrath, a God of judgment. That's what makes Him a good God, because He keeps His Word. He watches over it.

So we can't expect to do wrong these things that we do, and get by with it. No. We just.... He's not too ... He's not.... He's good, that is true. I don't want you to misunderstand me. But God is a good God. That is exactly right. But remember, the only way He can be good is to be just. And if He's just, He has to keep His own commandments. And if He keeps His commandments, it's wrong for Christians to intolerate with the world. It's wrong. We shouldn't do it. We're to be a different person.

And we're only venturing out, presuming it, without actual authority. God's Word gives us the authority, and that's the authority we should stand on—what God said.

Here Israel presumed that they were all right. He'd been a good God, where I just read in Numbers. He'd been a good God. He'd went down in Egypt, and brought them out of bondage. Sure, He was a good God. “Why, He even rained the manna out of heaven upon us.” Good God, sure. It was very well.

But then when it come down to a time that his Word was to be fulfilled, when it come to Kadesh-barnea and the spies come back with the evidence of the land beyond, then they presumed that it would be all right if they bypassed that. God was angry with them.

And Moses said, “Don't go up there with the Amalekites, because you haven't fulfilled what God told us to do.”

See, the commandment was, “I have given you that land. Go take it.” And they come back with the evidence of it, but they doubted it. They wanted to walk back ... rather, go back to Egypt than to go on and take it, because they was afraid.

So many people's afraid today that somebody, your neighbor, is going to say something against you. Many times the pastor is afraid to say something that ... about the Gospel. “I'm afraid it will hurt somebody's feelings.” They ought to be hurt. It should be hurt.

Sometimes the women are afraid, say, “Brother Branham....”

It's like this poor soul, she said, “I'm afraid to let ... if I didn't cut my hair off, my husband and the rest of the women, well....”

Brother, don't presume on those things. Take the Word of God for it. You know you got a soul that's got to be saved? Do you realize death doesn't change that soul? Death doesn't change nothing but its dwelling place, whatever it is when it leaves you.

We go to a funeral home, we feel sorry for the person that's dead. Sometimes we want to think of the best things we can for them. That is right. But Jesus so strictly said, “Except a man be borned again, he will in no wise enter in.” So there's no halfway line. You presume he went to heaven; but according to the Word, he didn't do it. See, you just presume he did.

“Well, he was a good church member. He done good for the neighbors.” That's fine. We believe that. That's good. I have nothing to say against that part.

But did you realize what kept the people out of the promised land? They were borderline believers. They went so far, but wouldn't go any farther. That's the way men and women, people, do today. They'll go so far in God....

They'll say, “Yes, I'll believe. I'll be baptized. I'll do this, that, or the other—any rules the church has to lay down.”

But when it comes to surrender everything to Christ, your life, and all.... That's where the line lay. That's what makes people say, “Well, I look at the rest of them.” And here to you older Christians, to the younger: the younger women look at the older women, the younger men look at the older men, and see the way you conduct yourself—to see what you do. And they presume that they're all right. It's because you do the way you do.

Now, if the Pentecostal church would really live to its standard, if it would live what it claims to have, then the world would thirst after it. But when they see the Pentecostal church let down with just as many things, almost, as the world's got, then they presume that they're just as good as you are. That's right. That's right. They got a right to, see.

But we got to get away from that. We can't presume it. We got to line up with the Word. Now, it's almost a impossible thing to get people praying, fasting, calling on the Lord. Seems like the church has got so drowsy, lazy in these last days—so pitiful. And I hate to come and just keep stirring, and preaching, and saying these things. But brother, sister, that's truth. I just can't hold it. It's the Gospel, and it must be preached. It's got to be preached, as a witness. It's true. So I think that we're just presuming too much.

We presume because we had an experience. “Five years ago, Brother Branham, I was walking down the street one day, and the Holy Ghost just blessed me. And I run down the street. And I thought, 'Lord, you have to take me somewhere 'cause I'm going to misbehave on the street.' ”

Maybe you were out in the church, and you got an experience. You spoke with tongues, and think, “Well, that's all right. I can go ahead now ... and okay, I see the rest of them doing this.” You're just presuming that.

Israel had those experiences. Israel had come out of Egypt—Israel, that had seen signs, and miracles, and wonders all down along their road. They'd passed through the Red Sea. They was on dry land. They seen manna fall out of heaven every night. They were witnessing the blessings of God upon their lives.

But then they failed to ... disobey one of God's commandments, and what happened? The blessing cut off from them. And they presumed that because God had been so good, He'd just go on, be good on. But God can't do that.

I think we've come to that spot. We've come to a Kadesh-barnea, where we ... when God's given the issue for the church to call a halt, and back to prayer life, back to a consecration, back to a spot that we consecrate ourselves away from the things of the world, and away from our little petty differences among us; and get back to God, and brotherly love, and humility, back to the power of God again.

See, we're just presuming that we're running all right because God is blessing. That.... He was blessing Israel probably the same day that they refused to go up there and take the promised land. The same day that they disbelieved the spies, the manna fell just the same that night. But they were altogether out of the will of the Lord. They could not win another battle until they come back and made things right with God. Now I think it's time for the church to get back to God again. Get back and get started like it should be going, so we can continue on in our journey.

Yet they knowed God was a good God. He was full of mercy. He'd give them mercy, He'd shown his glory, how there wasn't ... even their shoes wasn't wearing out, their clothes wasn't getting threadbare. And manna was falling from heaven every night. They'd seen miracles and signs all along, of the presence of God with them. Yet, they presumed that because God had did that, they could go up there and take that mountain.

Here it is. When ... if we want spiritual gifts in the church, if we want the power of God in ... the real power of God.... Now, I tell you, brother, sister, it's so easy for someone to be deceived on that—sensations, and things. The devil can impersonate nearly any sensation that God's got, see.

But you see, our church is not moving the way it should move. We know there's something wrong, see. And we know then, that God will not be with us until we get whatever it is straightened out. So it's time to check up, see the things that we should do, and what things we should not do; and then get ready, and go ahead. It's all right.

Blessings. Samson. Well, Samson was a great man. He was borned a Nazarite unto the Lord. He had his seven locks of hair hanging around his shoulders. He proved by his sign that he was a Nazarite unto the Lord. And God was good, though he run away from his parents, and went down and started going with a Philistine woman. And that was against the tradition, or against Israel to ever fool with a Philistine. But here he was, going down there. God just kept on bearing merciful to him—was all right.

And then she tried to woo him to his secret. Instead of coming right out and telling her not to do such a thing as that, that he was a Nazarite to the Lord and he wouldn't tell it, he told her, said, “Bind my hands.” Lied to her, see. And God forgive his lie. And he broke the bands, and on and on like that. Till finally, one time that ... he presumed that he could just do anything he wanted to, get by with it.

That's what's the trouble today—presume that we can do anything, and just get by with it. We're Pentecostal people, you see; we can just do anything, and get by with it. You can't do it. You cannot do it. We just can't go on because we're a great organization. Thank the Lord for that, for a great organization. That's appreciated.

But we just can't go on, say, “We got more members than the next fellow, and therefore he's not in the race, and we can just go on. I tell you, we're going to quit doing this, and quit doing that. And I think, well, I think this is old-fashioned. I don't think we'll have them prayer meetings, and all this going on. I think we oughtn't to do that.”

You're just presuming. I tell you again—instead of preaching ... taking so many of our students over here, and getting them crammed so full of theology, and things like that, I think it would be better to take them in an upper room like they used to have a long time ago, for an experience.

Hudson Taylor said one time, the great missionary to India.... A young Indian boy got converted. He was filled with the Spirit of God. He said his face was shining like a light. And he come in, said, “Mr. Taylor, now I believe I will go to school, and take my four years that I missed in college.” He said, “Then I think I'm going to study, and get my Bachelor of Art, and within a few years I'll be able to go out and preach the Gospel.”

Mr. Taylor, the renowned Christian that he was, he said, “Son, go with what you got now.” That's it. Said, “Start giving light when the candle is lit, not when it's half gone.” That's right. Tell what you know. If you ain't got no experience, you can't tell nothing.

But what we need is to get back to God. That's true. See, we must get back to that experience again, to the thing that cleans us up inside and outside. If the inside gets right, the outside will take care of its ... it will automatically be done. Yes, sir.

Samson said, “Well, I'll just raise, and shake myself just like I've always done. And then, when I do it God will be there. I just presume He's there.” But he found out He was gone.

You know what? I believe that the church ought to get back to holiness again. We ought to get back to the right way of living. See, we presume that because we received the Spirit, because that we danced in the Spirit, because that we've done these things that we have done, and God's blessed us, and we've seen the healing meetings, and we seen the revivals, and so forth, we just figure that that's all right.

“Now, when we do that we'll fashion it down, settle down, because we got a great building, we got a nice denomination, we got all this. We got the highest class of this, the best church in this city, and all these things till we can bring the world in, and say, 'See, our piano, our organ, and our so-and-so, is just as good as yours. And our benches is, pews is as good as yours, our preacher is just as highly educated as yours.'” We're presuming that God is still with us when He isn't. Remember that.

When we begin to see the miracles and signs and wonders of God, we see the power of God come down, and then see people live different, clean up their lives, brush off tempers, high-tempered fussing, stewing, fighting with one another, members disorderly (that's right), all kinds of sin among us, unbelief....

Somebody preach the Word of God, say, “God said you must be borned again. If you ain't, you can't get in.”

“I disagree with that.”

And say you got the Holy Spirit? The Holy Spirit won't deny His own Word. Got to stay with that Word 'cause He's the One Who spoke it. If I speak a word, and then deny what I said, then my word's no good. The Holy Spirit's got to keep what He said. And this Word written here is the Word of the Holy Spirit. I believe it. That's right. Now we find out that God.... See, we need more holiness. We need to be cleaned up, our churches.

Samson, he thought, “Well, I'll just....” Went down there, and lived with this prostitute, and everything. “Then she finally told me to do this, and I finally got by with it. And then all this.... Oh, I really told her the truth, that here's where it's all about. It was like this, and I think it'll be all right. I presume He's with me.” But when he got up and shook himself, he found out that his power was gone.

I think today, brother, when we look around upon our churches the way they're going, it's time to shake ourselves. Something's wrong. We're presuming that we're running all right. We're presuming that we're doing fine.

Like ... I was speaking not long ago to some of our businessmen, our brethren. I said in a certain meeting that we were in, over across the seas.... And the brethren was there, and they had a meeting. And they was telling how the Lord had blessed them. And they had a little bitty business on the corner, and they give their life to Christ; and they had a fleet of Cadillacs now.

So I said to the brethren, I said, “Don't say that! That's contrary. That ain't the way the first Pentecostals did. They got rid of what they had and give to the poor. Them men are businessmen. They own factories, and everything else. You've got to give them something that they don't know about.”

That's what's the matter with the church. We get the bright lights, and everything, and almost the honky-tonks in the church. We're trying to compare with the world. You can never do that. We got to invite the world on the church grounds; not go out on their grounds. We can't compare with them there, but we've got something that they haven't got. That's the [unclear]. That's the thing. The thing we want to show them is Christ in our lives, the power of the Holy Ghost, see, showing them something that they haven't got. Let them come on our grounds. If they want Christ, come on this ground.

But don't do like them, and act like them. That's wrong. There's where Samson made a mistake. He went from Palestine down into the Philistine country. He got off the wrong ... of his own grounds. He found one time presuming that God was with him, and God had left him.

Achan. Why, when he took that little wedge, and that Babylonian garment, why, he thought ... he presumed it'd never be seen. “Well, what's that? It's just a little old garment. I'll stick it under here, and probably my family will long enjoy this. I got a wedge. If we ever get into a tight place, so I got a wedge of gold. Nobody will see it. Just wrap the thing together and put it under my coat, and go on.” He presumed that it was all right. Presuming. But God's commandment was, “Take nothing out of that cursed city. Don't have nothing around you that's cursed.”

Then how can we smoke cigarettes? How can women cut their hair, if God says that when they do that it's wrong? How can you wear these little old trousers of a thing that they're wearing, when God said a women that puts on a garment pertains to a man it's an abomination in His sight? God don't change. How can we do it? And it's just presuming that it's all right. It's not all right. It's not all right! When our Pentecostal women does a thing like that, you better stop and check up, shake yourself, look back. Don't presume those things, 'cause you're wrong—absolutely wrong.

The Egyptians, when they come after Moses and the Israelites, they seen Moses march right through that sea, walk across there—every Israelite. They were circumcised and dedicated to the Lord. The commandments of God was with them, the signs of God was following them. They walked right through the sea. There was no mistake. The Egyptians stood and watched them do it.

“Well,” they said, “I presume if they can do it, we can too.”

Now we look back and see the Pentecostal church at the beginning. We think about the Pentecostal thirty, forty years ago. We think about the Pentecostal ... post-Nicean council. We think about them in the early ages of Irenaeus, St. Martin, Columba, Justin, Polycarp, all those sainted men. And we feel that, seeing them, that we got the same blessing they had, so we can perceive that we can just go right on like they do. We perceive that we can do the same things that they did. But we can't do it under these circumstances, under these conditions that the church is in now.

Look what those men did. Look what those churches did. What a sacrifice it was! What they had to give up! How they counted their lives not even nothing to them. They stayed on their face day and night praying to the Lord. They went everywhere they could, and searched for every crack and corner they could get to, testifying of the Kingdom of God to the people. And today, we just expect the pastor to bring it in his briefcase, with a evangelist, and “Bless God, I belong to the church.” That's it, see. “I'm a member there. I'm just ... I believe in this church. This church is all right.”

Sure, the building might be all right. Might be nothing wrong, no termites or nothing in it. But what about the building ... the other building? What kind of termites is boarded in it, see? That's the thing that might cause us trouble, see. The termites will eat into your soul. Oh, how we need to check up and see if there's ... instead of presuming that we're all right. Yes.

There them uncircumcised Egyptians, they thought, “We'll just pass right through the sea like they did,” and they lost their lives.

Achan thought, “This little old wedge won't make any difference.”

“The rest of the ladies are cutting their hair. I'll do the same thing. It won't make any difference.”

But what did they do? It never brought pleasure to his family. It brought death to every one of them. And when we compromise on any commandment of God to please the people, we kill the thing right there. One little wedge, one Babylonian garment, stopped the marching army. Brother, one thing that we permit the church to do that's wrong, one thing that we once called out against to make the people straighten it up, it will stop the march of the church.

They presume they're going on. We may be in name, we may be in numbers—but that ain't what counts, see. That isn't what counts. It's God with us, God in us, God moving through us, His Word alive in us.

Don't presume that you know that. Watch the way it makes you live, the attitude you take towards sin, how everything.... Why, you think about a holy God.... Did you ever think that that one you're going to stand in His presence, and give an account for this Word, and for Christ, when God so holy, sitting yonder in eternity, when ten million suns will be black spots before Him? So holy that even the angels look filthy in His sight. Angels before Him are filthy.

You expect you and I, with His Word and the blood of His Son to cleanse us from sin, and walk right over His commandments and walk out into the world—and expect to stand there blameless, when you knowed better than to do it?

The church better be straightening up. Don't ... let's not presume this, because we're bigger in number than we used to be, and we're more financially better than we used to be. We got better buildings than we used to have, we dress better clothes than we used to have, we have better cars than we used to have. But, oh, brother, I wonder about Christ, how much is He with us, see. That's it. We're just presuming. Yes, sir. The uncircumcised could not do it. That's right. They got drowned in the sea.

In the days of Noah, when Noah was building that great boat that was going to stem the tides.... Well, no doubt but many of the church members of that day said, “Well, that fanatic! What if it does happen? What if it does happen? What if there does come a storm? We'll get in our boat and ride. Our boat's as good as their boat. Our boat will float as much as theirs, whether it's God-constructed or not.”

That's what people do today. They say, “I belong to this church. I joined over here. That's as good as any of them.”

Well, brother, if we're not on the Word, and the Word's not in us, we're just presuming we're all right. Remember when the floods came, only the God-constructed boat floated. They presumed they'd be all right. But presuming you're all right and being all right is different.

You say, “Brother Branham, you're kind of tying us out here on a limb somewhere, aren't you?”

No. I just want to show you ... put something before you, see. Then we'll come to the rescue just in one minute. Yes.

You say, “Well, Noah....” Somebody'd say, “Well, here. I got ... well, I know John Doe down here on the corner. Well, he's got a boat that we can ride any stream with.”

But you see, it wasn't God-constructed. It wasn't put up with the shittim wood, and the way God constructed it.

You say, “I got a church, Brother Branham. Oh, we belong to the biggest denomination in this city. We're the biggest church there is around here, and we got the best dressed group of people. The mayor comes to our church, and the officials come to our church. Why, we ... all this we got,” see.

But unless that is constructed by God it won't stand. No denomination, unless it's destruct ... constructed by God's construction here ... that it will not stand. That's right. It has to come the way God said build it. It can't come any other way—not by creed, not by just joining, not by this, or not by sensation. It's got to come by the way of the cross. It's got to come by the way of the blood. It's got to come and be filled with the Holy Ghost. It's got to be Holy Ghost material, and Holy Ghost material makes Holy Ghost people.

A cypress boat material makes a cypress boat. A poplar material make a poplar boat. See what I mean? And worldly material makes a worldly church. A Holy Ghost material makes a Holy Ghost church.

“What is this Holy Ghost church, Brother Branham? What does it do? How does it act?” We'll find out just in a little bit, see. All right. Constructed. The same as now, they try to believe. So many today, so many down through the age, has talked about.... There's so many different ways, telling you so many people of different ways, it's a confusion. You go over here....

My old mother that just passed away a few months ago, when she was laying there on the bed, said, “Billy, I'm going.”

I said, “Mother, don't talk like that.”

She said, “I'm going.” Said, “I want to go see my other children. I want to see Dad. I'm going.” And she looked over....

I was standing there, her oldest; here stood my sister, the youngest. And there were ten of us children—nine boys and a girl.

She looked, and she said, “My first and my last.” She said, “Dolores, you're my only girl. You've been good to me.” Said, “You've come and helped me do my washing. You've loved me, and taken care of me.”

She said, “Billy, you've seen that I never went hungry. You've paid my bills. You've give me a place to live in.” And said, “You've been my spiritual guide.”

And I said, “Mother, a few years ago when I come to Christ as a little boy, after being called as a child,” I said, “first being Irish, I thought I'd go down to the Irish church. And they said, 'We are the church. No matter what anything else says, we are the church.' And said, 'This is what you come ... you got to come to this. This is the only church.' ”

And I said, “Then I thought I'd go over and visit the Lutheran. The Lutheran said, 'We are the church. We are that.' Now a church is a body of people, called-out body of people. And I thought, 'Well, now, which one of them is the body? Which one of them really is the church? One says it's this way, and one says it's that way. Went to the Methodists. They're this way; the Baptists this way.”

I said, “I found out there's about nine hundred different churches, see, each one pulling this way, and that way. Just as....” I said, “I could base no faith upon that. I could not do it, Mama. Therefore I didn't take any of them. But I went back, and I found out what the constructions was, what God laid down (the instructions rather, what the instructions was to be done), and I taught it just exactly the way the apostles taught it. And I got the same results.” I said, “Now that's it, see. That's it. I took God's Word and just laid it out like that.”

And she said, “Billy, I'm resting on that.”

And when the poor old thing couldn't even speak no more, I said, “Mother....” I wanted to commit her soul to God. I did my father, and I wanted to commit her soul to God. And she was laying there, she could no more speak.

I said, “Mother, I'm standing here yet. You know it? If you can, bat your eyes.” And she'd bat her eyes. I said, “I want to ask you something now, Mother. You're just a few minutes away now.” I said, “I want to stand here to see Jesus come get your soul.” And I said, “Then I'll commit it to Him.”

I said, “I want to ask you something, Mother.” I said.... I baptized my mother about thirty years ago, and she was filled with the Holy Ghost. And she was a Christian, a real saint of God.

And I said, “Mother, does Jesus mean right here—when you've got maybe five more minutes to live—is Jesus just as sweet to you as He was the day you received the Holy Ghost?” I said, “Mother, I want to say this for my own, so I can tell others. Is He just as sweet right now? You're my mother. You wouldn't tell me anything wrong. I want to know how you feel right now. Is He just as sweet as He was when you received Him back yonder thirty years ago? If it is, you can't speak, but bat your eyes real fast.” And she'd bat her eyes real fast, the tears run down her cheeks. Oh, brother.

Yes, that's it. You're not presuming then. You know where you stand. That's right. Oh, don't presume about it. There's so many different ways. Just don't presume. But God has give an a-vindication of his promise, see. We don't have to presume about it; God's vindicated it.

Now in Deuteronomy 18:22 you can find (18:15 to 22), you'll find out the Bible said that “The Lord your God will raise up a prophet liken unto me,” Moses speaking. “And the people, ever who'll not hear this prophet, will be cut off from amongst the people.” Then He goes ahead and said, “If there be a prophet among you, or one who professes to be, and what he says doesn't come to pass, then don't you fear him. It's not right. But if the Lord has spoke to him, He'll bring it to pass,” see. That's the way you'll know it. God give us instructions whether to know. We don't have to presume anything. Nothing. You don't have to just imagine; you can have an experience to know it. Yes, sir.

In John 14:12, that prophet that the Lord raised up, which was Christ Jesus, his Son, that same prophet in St. John 14:12 said, “He that believeth on Me, the works that I do shall he do also.” Brother, there's no presuming on that. Not a thing. He said that ye shall do it. In Mark, 16th chapter, from 15th to 18th verse, Jesus said, “These signs shall follow them that believe.”

You don't have to presume. “I imagine I'm right. Can I ... I think I'm right.” Jesus said, “These signs shall follow them that believe.” You don't presume nothing about it.

John, the Baptist, he didn't have to presume, say, “I presume maybe that is the Christ. I'm not sure. Now, that may be Him standing right there. I presume maybe it is.” He didn't say that. He said, “Behold, there stands the Lamb of God.” He wasn't presuming it was; he knew it was. Why?

God had told him in the wilderness, “Now, you're not going to be fooled by this, John. This is an important thing. You don't want to get your things mixed up.”

That's what's today. God wants His church to know what's truth. We don't want to get mixed up on this. Brother, you don't get another trial. You better be right when the ship pulls into your house, when death floats around in the room. You've got to be sure of this. Don't take no chance on it. Don't do it. It's wrong. Be sure you're right.

He said to John, “Upon whom thou shall see the Spirit descending, that's the one that will baptize with the Holy Ghost and fire, see, that's Him. That'll be the one.”

John didn't say, “I presume it.” He said, “There He is.” O God! That's it. No, He didn't presume nothing. He knew that was the Son of God. He knowed that was the Lamb that was taking away the sin of the world, because it was revealed to him.

And you'll never know no better until it's revealed to you. And how can God reveal to you something that's contrary to his Word? The only way the Holy Ghost will ever be able to reveal Himself to you is when He keeps His promise to you. “These signs shall follow them that believe; in my name they shall cast out devils; they shall speak with new tongues; take up serpents; or drink deadly things, they wouldn't harm them; lay their hands on the sick, and they shall recover.” “... this will all men know that you're my disciples, when you have love one for the other.”

These are the commandments, these are the things to watch. The fruits of the Spirit: love, joy, peace, longsuffering, faith, goodness, meekness, gentleness, patience. That's the fruit of the Spirit. That's the thing, the evidences, that's the vindication. That's how God vindicates it. He proves it to you.

What was the difference in Moab up on the mountain with seven altars and seven rams, and Israel down in the valley with seven altars and seven rams?—both of them keeping the commandments of God, both of them trying to do it. But God vindicated Israel.

How did Cain.... When he made an altar just as pretty, or prettier than Abel's, he offered fruits. He give his tithes, he brought his income into the house of the Lord. He knelt on the altar, he bowed himself. He prayed, he worshipped, just as sincere as any man. But God vindicated Abel, by consuming his sacrifice.

On Mount Carmel that great day, when four hundred pagan priests had gathered out there, of the house of the first lady of the land, when they gathered out there to make their sacrifice they called all day long—and there was no sound nor fire. But when Elijah laid the bullock upon there, and poured the seven barrels of water upon it, God vindicated that that was the truth.

If you say you're a believer, God vindicates it. You don't have to presume anything. It's God's consume; you don't have to presume. That's right.

The brass altar consumed the sacrifice. If the sacrifice laid upon the altar and it was not consumed, God refused it, see. It's consuming.

And you are God's sacrifice. Lay yourself upon the altar, and say, “God, just take it all out of me. Empty up so You can fill me up, and use me.” That's right. Don't presume it; believe it. Yes, sir. If you don't believe it, God won't receive your sacrifice.

He could say, John did, “This is Him. He's true. I know it's Him.

Nathanael went back to Deuteronomy 18. And you find in Deuteronomy 18:15, if you want to put it down.... He didn't have to presume. When Philip went over and got him, he said, “Come and see. We found the Messiah.”

Now you see, Philip was positive. He knew what he was talking about. He said, “We found the Messiah.” Not “Come, let us go over here and see. Let us reason it out together, and see if this could be the Messiah. Let's you and I just take our books and go down and find out.” It wasn't no reasoning with him. He wasn't presuming it was the Messiah; he knowed it was. He knew it was.

So Nathanael, being a good scholar, when he walked up there in the face of Jesus, and Jesus said, “Behold an Israelite in whom there is no guile,” presuming was done.

He said, “Rabbi, when did You know me?”

He said, “Before Philip called you, when you were under the tree.” No more presuming.

What? He knowed that God had said that. God had said, “If there be a prophet, one that raises up among you, and what he says doesn't come to pass, then don't hear him. But if it does come to pass, I've sent him.” There you are. He didn't have to presume. He knowed that was the Messiah.

Look at the woman at the well. When Jesus was out there at the well at Samaria, when she was standing at the well, she said.... You know the story about “Bring me a drink,” and said, “The well is deep and You have nothing to draw with,” and so forth, as the conversation went on.

And finally He told her, said, “Go get your husband and come here.”

And she said, “I have no husband.” She said, “Sir, I perceive that You are a prophet.” After He told her.... Said, “I have no husband.” He said, “You've said well, because you've had five, and the one you're living with now is not your husband.”

She said, “Sir, I perceive that You are a prophet. We know...” (not “we presume. We presume that maybe, we presume maybe that the Messiah might do this. We presume....”), “We know that when the Messiah cometh....” Hallelujah! That's it. We know! We're not presuming nothing. We know exactly what the Scripture says.

Brother, the Scripture says we got to be borned again. We got to separate ourselves from all filthiness of the world and be holy. We've got to do that. That's what the Bible said. Our women are not to act like the world. Our men are not to act like the world. We're not to stand around and tell dirty jokes to each other. We're not to go out here and smoke cigarettes, take a social drink to keep our job.

Why, if I had to eat soda crackers, and drink branch water.... I'd rather starve on the street than I had to keep a job where I had to drink the devil's rot and smoke cigarettes, and everything else to keep favor. No, sir!

I'd rather separate myself from a group of people that calls themselves Christians that'll call me old-fashioned (if I was a woman) 'cause I had to wear long hair and decent looking clothes. I'd rather separate myself and be a fanatic, than to associate with such people that would laugh and make fun of such things as that. Why, it's an abomination in the sight of God. That's right.

But yet, we try to say that's just the thing. We presume that's all right. The rest of them does it. Why, that don't make any.... Judas betrayed Christ. Is that a sign you have to do it? No, sir. We don't want to do that. You want to ... you want to keep God's Word. Don't presume nothing. Take what God's Word says. Yes, sir.

What if the disciples, now, at the day of Pentecost (closing), what if the disciples said, “We went up there....” And they was up here for nine days. On the ninth day, what if Peter come around and said, “Brethren, you know our Lord can't lie. No, He can't lie.”

Matthew'd say, “That's right, Simon. He can't lie. What do you think about it, Mark?”

“Oh, that's right. He can't lie.”

“He told us if we'd come up here to the city of Jerusalem and tarry, He would send the promise of our Father upon us. We believe that, don't we, brethren?”

“Oh, sure.”

“I tell you what. We done been here nine days. I presume we've already received it.” Oh, that'd make good Baptists and Methodists and Presbyterians, see.

“I presume we've got it, brothers. Let's go out and start a meeting.”

They'd have never had it. But they didn't presume nothing. Why? They knowed that over in the Scriptures.... I'll give you some Scriptures just a minute, as soon as I turn to it. In Isaiah 28:11, He said, “Precept must be upon precept; line upon line upon line; here a little, there a little; and hold fast that what's good. For with stammering lips and other tongues will I speak to this people. This is the rest.”

Joel 2:28 said, “It shall come to pass in the last days I shall pour out My Spirit upon all flesh; your sons and daughters shall prophecy.” Hallelujah! They waited until the Scripture was made manifest to them. They didn't presume nothing. They waited till it was over. They waited till they got it.

Pentecostal church, still their women cutting their hair, their men still smoking cigarettes and the things that we do, and things like that, and letting our people carry on like that. We're presuming something. Let's come back, brother. Let's go back here just a minute. We're running ahead of ourself. We can't be Pentecostal and do like that. No, sir! Let's come back until there comes a consuming fire of God down, and receives the sacrifice, gets the church wholly filled with the Spirit of God, and old-fashioned Pentecostal powers begins to show itself in the church again. Sure. Sure, we're just presuming. See, we're just taking....

“Well, yes, sir, I believe I spoke with tongues one day. I believe I received it, Brother Branham. I believe that's right.”

And acting the way you act? Doing the things that you do? Associating with the world? Watching television on Wednesday night instead of going to prayer meeting? All of these things, love them ... “We Love Suzie,” and all them other things better than you love the Bible? Reading magazines before ... Pentecostal people reading magazines before.... 'Cause the rest of the women act like that, you have to do it too? Doing all these kind of things? And then.... You're just presuming! He that loves the world, or the things of the world, the love of God's not even in him. That's right. It's the truth.

Getting to a place where it's all show. It's all just a show, instead of old-fashioned holiness, instead of getting back to God. You see the pictures today of advertisements of evangelists going out, and real pretty, curly hair. I'd like to have some. That's true. But you notice them. They'll take their picture ... they hold their head down sideways to show that real pretty, curly hair, advertising out yonder in stuff like that.

Let me tell you, brother, no wonder the Spirit of God's departed from the thing. No wonder we're back just as cold as the Methodists, or Baptists. We've got to come out of this, brother, sister, or God will consume us. Exactly right. We got to come back to the power of God, to old prayer meetings and shakings of the Holy Ghost, until men and women live holy and sanctified. Yes, sir. Get the world, and all the Hollywood and dress and stuff, out of the thing. My! That's right, brother. Yes. Oh, how sin is so deceitful. How easy it creeps in like that, and takes the things, and just grabs on to you and holds you, and goes away with it. Yes, sir.

Intellectuals. You churches sometimes voting for your pastor, or however you do it.... They do it like the Baptist churches, and so forth, and Presbyterians, and Methodists, and Pentecostals, too, of course. You want your pastor.... You try to find some great intellectual guy, so you can say to your neighbor over here, “You see, our guy ... our pastor's got a college education,” see. We ... you pick a man like that.

If I wanted a man to teach my children, to leave them under his tutorship—and things like that—and my brother, my mother, and someone that I'm expecting to meet over on the other land, I'd rather have a man that didn't know his ABC's when it comes to the intellectual standpoint. I'd rather he'd know Christ (that's right) as Saviour. Yes, sir. Whether he could preach, or stand up ... and slobber and everything else, wouldn't make me no difference. If he wore overalls in the pulpit, what difference does that make? Trouble of it is, we got too dressy, and fashion, and.... Pentecostals! We just....

It's just all of us. We're just going to be consumed if we don't do something about this. We need prayer meetings. We need back to the power of God. Yes, sir! And just say a little thing about it, oh, my goodness! The people just think that's horrible. “Oh, my! Wouldn't want him in my church saying things like that,” see. That's it. What's the matter?

It goes to show there's something's wrong inside. This is God's Word. This is His plan. We're presuming we're all right, but I wonder if ... I wonder what God says about it. Yes, sir. Yes, sir. Yes, sir. That's awful to say that, but it's right. Yes, sir.

The day of Pentecost they waited till they had Scriptural authority. That's right. Before they claimed anything, they knowed they had it. They didn't say, “Well, I felt a little sensation.” They felt it, saw it, everything else. They knowed it was there. They seen it moving in them, working in them, talking through them, everything. It was there! They didn't have to presume nothing. It was there talking for itself.

In a man, when he's borned again of the Spirit of God, it's the same thing today. You don't presume. “I believe we received the Holy Ghost when we believed.”

No, you didn't. You don't.... You could do it, but just 'cause you believed.... If God didn't fill you with the Holy Ghost, then He hasn't vindicated you yet. You haven't got it, see. That's right. Don't presume you've got it. Be sure of that thing. You don't want to take a chance on it. No, 'cause you'll be lost. Just don't presume. Just stay ... go stay till it's over with. Today we take it by a creed, or by some kind of a sensation.

I heard someone.... As I was saying at the beginning of my message, back here a few days ago I was in a place, and some of them said, “Now, you have to wear Elijah's garment.” My, there's more different garments, and touching, handling, and sensations I ever heard in my life.

Said, “Now, just let it go blank, go blank. Hold your head back (good, honest people), go blank. Don't think of nothing. Just let your mind go completely blank. Now say, 'I believe God. Oh, I believe you're going to give me Elijah's garment.' ”

I don't want Elijah's garment; I want the Holy Ghost. I want to come upon the basis of this Word. I want to come with the knowledge, see, that I come upon God ... believing that.... I can't be covered with Elijah's garment. I want to be covered with the garment of the righteousness of Jesus Christ, clothed in His righteousness. Sure. That's the garment we want. Yes, sir.

Say then, “We have it. We....” And people go believing that. Say, “Well, I presume now that I got it. I had a funny feeling,” you see. Or, “I really did. Cold chills run all over me.” Yeah. Some of them said, “Well, it even made me cry.” I did at my mother's funeral, but still, that didn't have anything to do with that, the Holy Ghost.

The Holy Ghost is the power of God that sinks into your heart as a witness of the Spirit. You're borned again, your life is cleaned up, the world is dead, and all the stink of it. It is like the garlic in Egypt, see. You're far away from it. You're a new creature in Christ Jesus. Old things has passed away. You become new altogether, a new creation, borned of the Spirit. Yes, sir!

Your whole members of your body submissive to his Spirit, and you're moving in the Holy Ghost, and not listening to the sound of the world. Your eyes are on heavenly things. That's when you really ... if God's a-vindicating the thing. But, as long as you still got the world and want to say, “Well, they do this, and they do that. I presume that they got it.” They might have it. I don't know what they got, but it ain't this I'm talking about. That's exactly right 'cause.... That's one thing true, 'cause it makes you different.

Then, can you imagine a person having the Holy Ghost, and denying part of God's Word? Taking half of it and saying the other half is no good? Say, “I believe a man ought to live a pretty good life. But when we come to a time of thinking about divine healing, and all this stuff like that, and abstaining, and oh, we have to be this, that, I don't believe....” Uh-huh.

The Bible said that would come to pass, having a form of godliness but denying the power thereof. They deny half of His Word, and all of His power. That's right. Yes, sir. That's true. And then they presume they got it. “It's all right,” see.

A lady ... a couple of ladies met one of our sisters coming down here. She had a little wreck on the road, or hurt a ... bursted a plug in her car, or something or another. And some women picked her up from a certain church and.... Told her where to come. Said, “Oh, the Lord led us here.”

Said, “You're in error.”

The Pentecostals in error, you see. So we.... Oh, I'd like to've been there.

Stop presuming. Wait until all the temper are gone, the signs of the Bible of your salvation is performing in you. Moses presumed without an actual call that God would surely reveal it to the people. He was going out and take over Egypt down there. He presumed that it was time to do it. But he failed, and miserably failed, and give up the plan, give up the whole thought of it, till one day God met him.

When he met God at the burning bush, he got in the bush and the bush got in him. Then there was a difference. He didn't presume. “Now, I don't know. I believe I'll just kill this Egyptian, hide him down here in the sand. That will be all.” That was another Achan's wedge, you see. See. But when God spoke to him in the burning bush, and he actually seen God, experienced God, and knowed that God was, and heard Him say, “I will surely be with you,” that's a personal call.

Many times people go and say, “I believe I was called to preach the Gospel,” see. A man's got no business preaching the Gospel until.... Now, I don't care how well he's educated, how well he knows the Bible.... The devil knows it better than any of us. That's right. But he can't live it. That's it. He can't live it, see. That's the only advantage you got over him, see. He might know it as well as you do, but he can't live it like you can. Christ died that you could live it, see, and He never for him.

So, now, you see, no minister's got any rights—no matter how smart, how much theology he knows, and how well he knows the Bible—he's got no business in the pulpit preaching the Gospel until first he has met God. Not presuming that “I ought to go out. I'll make a better living, and I won't have to work too hard.” You're mistaken there, brother, if you're really a preacher. Now. But, “I'll ... and people will be this way, and I'll be popular amongst the neighborhood where I am, and things like that. And I think it's the right thing to do.” That's not it.

A call of God is something you don't presume. It's something ... an actual experience, something that you've talked face to face with God, and you know you're commissioned to go do it. “Surely I'll be with you.” You don't presume nothing. You just believe it. Yes. Don't presume it.

Just don't presume “I'm running all right.” Wait for a Christian personal experience. Don't claim the Holy Ghost when you see yourself still dilly-dallying in the world. Don't do that. Don't ... you'd be better off if you just forgot about it, see. If you forgot.... “Well,” say, “Brother Branham, I got shivers over me one day.” That might be all right too, see. But you say, “Well, I danced in the Spirit, I spoke with tongues, I might have done these things.” That's fine. Yes, sir, that's all right.

But if that life hasn't straightened up, if you men still smoke cigarettes, tell jokes, take sociable drinks, lie, cheat, not honest with your neighbor, not even honest with your family, see, and claim to have the Holy Ghost, don't you testify that no more, brother.

And you women that hasn't the common decency to let your hair grow out, like God told you to.... That's right. The Bible says that a woman that will bob her hair dishonors her head, and that dishonors her husband. And you that will wear these little old garments like the rest of the world wears, the Bible says that he that ... “a woman that'll put on a garment that pertains to a man is an abomination,” filthy in the sight of God. And then you claim to have the Holy Ghost? You're presuming you've got it. But when you get it, it cleans you up. That's right. It makes you different.

You that claim you have the Holy Ghost, and you that's got long hair, and wear your dresses neat and everything like that, and you'll stay home on Wednesday night to watch a program—a television program—instead of going to church to prayer meeting, you're presuming you got the Holy Ghost. For when the Holy Ghost is in there, the love of God is so constrained in you that you just can't stay away from those people. You that has to be forced to prayer....

What if my wife ... if I told my wife.... If I marry ... I was married, I told my wife that I loved her and that was a lie, and when it really come to the showdown, it's an artificial love, I'm just, I'm.... It's not really the truth, see.

It's just like you can wear artificial teeth, if you have no teeth. That's all right. You have to have something to chew with, so you get artificial teeth. Them teeth's all right to substitute until you get more. But them teeth is not connected with you. They're not connected there. They're all right. They're a substitute, but they're not connected with you. They'll not come in the resurrection 'cause they're not connected with you. That's right.

If you had an arm cut off, you put on an artificial arm, it's a substitute, something—wear a glove—and so, that's all right. It's perfectly all right, see, to do that. But that artificial arm will never come. Nothing artificial will ever come in the resurrection. And neither will an artificial Christian ever rise in the resurrection. You're not connected with Christ.

And if you don't truly love your wife better than any other woman in the world, she's not yet ... there's something wrong. If you don't love your husband, if you trifle on him and don't live the right kind of life, there's something wrong. That's right. She'll not ... they'll not be there. So in the resurr.... You might've married him, you're living honorable to him. That's fine. I appreciate that. You should do that as a lady for your children—and you men to your wives. That's right. You should do that, honorable. But in the resurrection that'll not be her.

You ... just same as in Christ now. You've got to be connected, part of Christ—not something artificial put on. “I go to church, and say that I follow the Apostle's Creed, and so forth. And I believe I'm running just as well as the rest of them.” Brother, you're presuming. Don't you just take that for granted. You're walking on grounds you actually have no authority to claim the Holy Ghost. You have no actual authority.

What did we say back here Webster said? Webster said, “to venture without actual authority.” You're venturing out, saying that “I'm Pentecostal,” when you haven't got the experience, and you haven't ... living the life, see—without actual authority, or taking it for granted.

“I spoke with tongues, so I suppose I got it.” I believe in speaking in tongues, too, but if the life doesn't follow it, then it does no good. Sure.

I've seen witches speak with tongues, wizard's interpret it, you see. I know that. And I've seen saints speak with tongues. It was interpreted too. But you see, it's got to be a life. “By their fruit you shall know them,”—the kind of life it is. And look at our Pentecostal message today in preaching; and our people letting down constantly, even in normal little things that can't even get on a foundation of common decency. Then how we going to claim the Holy Ghost? It's time, brother. No wonder the world says you ain't got what you claim to have.

We're presuming it. We're taking the name of Pentecost without living the life of Pentecost. A life of Pentecost is a consecrated life filled with the Holy Ghost, rich and royal, till there's nobody can put a finger on you. That's real Pentecost. Oh, don't we.... Why would you want a substitute? Why would the devil trick you into something like that?

Reading here not long ago, how easy the devil can trick a person to that. I was reading the life of St. Martin. Many of you've read that, of course, in the Nicene ... Post-Nicene Council, (Fathers, rather), how that Satan come to him so real that.... He came to this Martin. He was dressed with a fine crown on his head, beautiful to look at—shiny hair, golden shoes. Martin ... just staggered him when he seen the vision of him standing there.

He said, “Don't you know me, Martin? I'm Christ.”

Martin was a man filled with the Holy Ghost, and it really done right, see. Just listen to this.

And he said, “Accept me, Martin. Why do you stand and hesitate?”

Martin looked back, said, “Don't [blank spot].... My Lord does not come back with a crown upon his head. His saints crown Him,” see. The Scripture—stay with it! Yeah. He was on the Word.

One night in the school, one of his students.... A minister had a school, the monastery, and many of the ... which they call them now students, and Bible schools. But one of the students began to get a self-styled feeling. He said, “I'm one of the prophets of the Old Testament. You all listen to me.” (We have that today. “Listen to me.” A real prophet never says a thing like that, friends. It would be the last word ... last person to say that, see.) “You all listen to me. The Lord's given me authority.” He kept doing that.

The real brethren never paid no attention to him; neither did the bishop—just went on. And finally he said, “Because you all haven't believed me, I'm prophesying tonight the Lord God will come down and give me a white robe to sit among you. I'm one of the prophets of the Old Testament.”

Doesn't that sound kind of natural about today? Check it up now. Just go ahead, see. Someone said not long ago (had it in the paper) God come down, and took him up before God the Father, and felt angels with feathers on their wings. Whew! All right.

Then that night about midnight, truly there was a light come on in this place—and they only had torch lights in them days—real light, and hear whispering, the people. Directly he walked out with a white robe on. Everybody felt of it, never seen anything like it. Everybody come around. The bishop come around, looked at it. Not even what fabric it was—beautiful. It was not a white robe. It was a purple robe, real puffy, and pretty—and never seen anything like it made in all time. Wouldn't Pentecostals have swallowed that up? M-m-m! My! That would have been it. Yes, sir.

So, the old bishop was a pretty smart man, though. What was the matter with the church back there? They stayed with the Word. They never presumed nothing, no matter what kind of a sensation it was! God bless your hearts, brethren—stay with that Word. I don't care how much your pastor, or how much John Doe or somebody else says, or the church, or the organization says this, that or the other, “It's all right. Do the best you can.” Don't you believe it! Just stay with that Word.

So this robe wasn't natural. And he said, “Now, you see, from this forth I sit among you in this lovely garment sent down from heaven.” Whew! Wouldn't that've tore up a Pentecostal meeting, brethren? Wouldn't they have done it, see? Blinded eyes just receive something.... Oh, it's so easy to be deceived, see. That's right. Don't you take that.

He said, “The Lord give me this. And now you all have to know that I'm a prophet. I'm one of the Old Testament prophets. Now you all listen to what I tell you,” see. “I'm going to give orders around here from now on.”

But somehow the old bishop, it didn't set with him. There just wasn't ... something wasn't right, see. It didn't look just right, 'cause the boy's attitude wasn't right, see. That ain't the way prophets act. They're not vindicated by what they say, what they ... like that, what they profess. It's what signs follow them—a Christian the same way, and so forth.

If we say we're Christians, and still in the world, then there's something wrong, see. There's something wrong. It just don't feel right, don't look right. No matter how much you say it's right, it isn't right yet. It's got to come to the Word, back to the Word.

So he said, the old bishop said, “We'll spend the rest of the night in singing hymns, and offering prayer.” Everything went on.

The old bishop prayed all night long; the rest of them sang hymns to the Lord. The next morning.... They knowed that Martin was a vindicated prophet of God. He didn't have to tell nobody. His works proved that. So he said, “There's one more thing I want you to do, son.” Said, “I want you to go stand before Martin.”

He said, “Oh, I am warned not to stand before Martin.”

There you are. There you are! He that's got good gold don't have to fear taking it to the touching machine. He that lives the life above reproach don't care what the world calls him—holy roller.... That's right.

When a man lives a life above reproach, when the woman lives a life above reproach, she can hear any kind of a word preached out of the Word of God, or he either one. Doesn't bother them. Certainly not. You don't have to fear the touching stone, if you got real gold. Don't have to worry about it. It will stand the test.

And so they said, “You're going anyhow,” because they knowed that Martin was a vindicated prophet of the Lord. So if God had been with him in the things that he'd done, and proved that it was.... So they started to pick him up to take him anyhow, and the robe vanished. See how easy? Presuming. That honest boy presuming he'd heard a voice, how easy it would have been for that bishop, and any of them to have fell for that. But them brothers stayed with the Word.

When that Nicea council come up there, they started the argument. Many of you ministers know what I'm talking about. The ones that was real schools—like St. Patrick, and them that went over into ... different ones, and Irenaeus and the different ones—they stayed with the Word. The rest of them took dogmas, and went off. And there it is yet today. But the real believer stayed with the Word. Bless God. I know ... let's presume nothing. Stay with that Word, and God's obligated to make....

That Word is a Seed, and that Word will bring forth everything it promised to bring forth. It'll do it. It will take the world out of you, it'll sanctify you, it'll make you live a different life, it'll make you do things that you thought you couldn't do, 'cause it's the Word in you.

Don't presume you have it. Watch your life, and measure up and see what your life is, see the way you're living. See if you're in the faith. Search out, and see if everything's going just right. See if the world's still got a love so much it'll call you away from the things that's really of God to love the world. If it is, brother, check up right here.

Stop right here, say, “Satan, you take that dirty thing back. I'll not receive it.”

“Well, over at So-and-so's church they do that. Brother So-and-so lets his people....”

I don't care what Brother So-and-so does. The Word says not to do it. That settles it. That's right.

“Well, they're the greatest organization in the country. They all do it. They say it's all right.”

Yes, you might say it's all right. But when God said ... see. God's Word said....

Satan said, “It is written.”

Jesus said, “It is also written,” see. There it is, see. It's written.

We must keep the Word of God. Don't presume nothing. Just don't take it for granted. Don't venture out when you haven't got authority to. The thing to do is stay there, and wait—if it's ten days, twenty days, ten years, or whatever it is—until you are dead positive, and the Word witnesses by itself that it's so. Then you're right. That life will straighten up, and come right to [unclear word] come right to its place. It sure will. And the church....

I've often wondered.... I'd like to walk into a church (I hope I get to see it before I die) in closing ... walk into a church some time, and walk through there, and just see, oh, how sin couldn't even sit in that church. Any member would have to confess it before they even got there. The Holy Spirit would call it right out on the spot, like that, see, just like, see the women sitting there look like ladies, see men like men, really men of integrity—Holy Ghost-filled men, Spirit-filled. Let just one sin be in the church anywhere, the Holy Spirit call it right out. Like Ananias, Sapphira, have it right there before you, see. Oh, that's a church I'd like to see. I wish I could see it.

I've fought across the country, friends. I've beat, I've battered, I've done everything—hollered at people, and sometimes condemned their organizations, and things. Not the organization. It isn't that. The organization's fine. I ain't got nothing against that. But listen, brother, so many people, see, are depending on that organization, see. If you was going down the river towards the falls, and I seen you was in a little boat, and that was going to sink, and me fussing at you, it isn't because I don't love you. It's because I do love you, see. You'll bust up on the falls.

And if you say, “Well, we belong to this. But, Brother Branham, I tell you, our pastor, he's a good man.” I don't doubt that a bit. And the man's honest. He's presuming that he's right. And you say, “Why, he says there's no such a thing as divine healing. There's no such a thing as speaking in tongues. There's no such a thing as these things. That's not right. Why, he says that's wrong. His organization teaches that.”

Well, I'm not against his organization. But that thing will bust up. Jesus said, “These signs shall follow them that believe,” see. Don't presume; be sure. Then you've got it, when you are sure. How many would just really like to have that kind of an experience, would like to walk into a church like that? Wouldn't it be wonderful? Let us bow our heads just a moment.

Our heavenly Father, in the presence of His holiness, knowing that He is the true and righteous One, how hard it is, Lord, to come to brethren and sisters and speak things that cuts, and digs and tears. And how hard it is to say those things, Father. I pray You be merciful to me, and know that my heart goes for the people in love, that I just love to be with them.

And why would I have to say such things? Because, Father, I believe that it should be said, that it's Your Word, and it should be did. And many times it helps our brethren along the road, when the congregation gets so arrogant that they just walk right over the pastor's commandments and things. And then, Lord, You send along sometimes someone else, and making the mouth of two or three witnesses, and seeing that it's really believed, and it's really the truth, and different ones quoting it. Then the people will stand without an excuse in that day.

Now Father God, I know there's no one here that would want to be lost on that day. The very farthest thing from their mind would be to be lost on that day. And, Lord, no matter what we've done, You said, “Except a man be born again, he cannot even see the kingdom of God.” Then if we're borned again, we're children of God, and the things of the world are dead to us. We do not associate in them no more. They're dead.

And I pray of Thee, Father, that You will be merciful tonight, and grant that every member of the church that's been associated in such things as a little coldness, and getting back into the world, that quickly they will be like the dove, that was turned from the ark to go find land and come back. It could find no rest for the soles of its feet upon the dead carcasses, and knocked at the window, until father Noah let it rest inside the ark until the floods had gone down. Oh, Lord, may that person return back to God tonight.

May the church return in whole. May this be a time of searching in Phoenix. May the churches be stirred to holiness, Lord. And may there be such a moving to see that the great moves that You start up, and the power of God begins to flow among the people. And then worldly and indifference, and impersonations, and carnal comparisons, and worldliness creeps into the church, just exactly like it was our text tonight.

They did run well. They come out of Egypt under the circumcision, and the blood of the lamb, and they were doing fine. But when they come up there to another part of Your Word, and then doubted it, right there they stood, and they lost the battle. And Father, we pray that that will never happen to Your church in this last days. God, don't let the battle ... let us be defeated.

Let us lay all the Achans out, and the wedges out of the camp, and come back to the Word, and come back to holiness, and come back to righteousness, and living for God in the power of the Holy Spirit. Grant it, Lord.

Through Jesus Christ I pray that You'll put a hunger in people's heart to see that church like it was back in the old days, when they didn't even have as much as a fixture in the church, didn't even put an altar in it because pagans would fall before the altar, and prostrate themselves before the pagan idols. And they was afraid to put an altar in the church because the people, the simple converts, might try to worship the altar instead of the living God.

And they'd fall on their knees right out in the open, and lay their hands right up to the unseen God because they loved that after-effects of the flowing of the Spirit. Sat on old cold slabs of rock, and on the ground, to listen to some godly man explain the gospel. And the power of God and then the Holy Spirit fall in the meeting.

O God, see them go into lions' dens, and to the fire pits, and everything, Father. And in the resurrection, where will we stand? They may not be required today to go to pits, and to lions' dens, but God, we are required to live decent and holy, and after the pattern of God; to live godly, searching and praying, and waiting, and watching at any moment He would come. Not afraid for Him to come, but love His appearing. Grant it, Lord.

We'd love to see that great church called together. And this portion that rests and sojourning here in Phoenix.... We believe that You've got literally hundreds of the members of Your church sojourning here in Phoenix, waiting for that time. Lord, they're not presuming. They're filled with the Spirit. Their lives tally out, and show that they are. They're Your children.

And there are some would love to be that way, Father. They have just maybe presumed, and they look back on their lives and see that it just doesn't operate that way. There's something wrong. I pray, Father, that tonight will ... if there's any here, that this will be the night that it'll be called up, that they'll not be ashamed, but will stand and say, “I'm wrong. God forgive me, and help me from this night on to really come to the Word, and believe it all, and be filled with the Spirit, and sanctified in such a way that my testimony will not be against me in the city.” Grant it, Father.

Now while we have our heads bowed, our eyes closed, I'm going to ask you as your brother, as a pilgrim with you seeking a city whose builder and maker is God.... And I wonder, some of you sisters here tonight, some of you brethren, no doubt you're good, sincere. I have not wanted to hurt; but I wanted to tell you what's the truth, the Word of God.

And I've been in your city, and held revivals. You've seen that I believe in God. God doesn't answer sinners. We know that. And we ... I believe to be a Christian, and your pastors has told you through the city here.... And you find out that you're confessing that you've got the Holy Ghost, and you find out that you still dally in the world—dilly dally out there with the world. You don't want that, do you, sister? You know that. You're too nice a person to be that way. You wouldn't miss it for nothing. And now, from tonight on, God ... if you never heard it before, God will hold you responsible for it. He'll hold you responsible.

Brethren, if you're guilty of some of those things that we've been talking about, you don't want to be like that, do you, brother? Certainly not. You want to be a real Christian.

How can God ever take us into algebra, as I said, when we can't leave the kindergarten, see. We might have emotions. We might shout, and praise God, and dance in the Spirit, and all like that. That's all fine, brother, sister. I believe in that, too. But I've seen them dance right around a pagan idol the same way, shouting and screaming, and speaking with tongues, you see.

So, it's the life that counts, see. By their fruit they're known. And you see that you're ... it isn't tallying up. Would you like to be a real Christian? And now, I want you with your eyes closed, praying, if you will. I want you to be real honest now—just right now be real honest.

Sin cannot be covered by drinking, by casting it aside, by joining a church, by trying to do better. Sin can only be killed by the power of God, the blood of Jesus Christ. Wouldn't you want a life like that? If you would, and you believe that God is in the building.... His never-failing presence is always near, no matter where you are.

The vision the other morning, He told me that. He said, “Do not fear.” He said, “Stand up boldly, see, 'cause the never-failing presence of Christ is near.”

Would you want to be that type of Christian, like you really know you should be? You're trying to be, but you just haven't reached that place yet? Now your own life proves it, see. Raise up your hand to God. Just say.... God bless you. That's honest, sincere hearts. “I really want to be....”

Now, what if you have ... if you know in your life that you're not tallying up to what a Christian is required to do, and then.... Even now in the presence of the Holy Spirit, Satan makes you keep your hand down, and won't receive it. Now, what about that? when you know right here with the Scriptures that you're wrong. I say that in love and respect, see.

What a horrible thing that is, see, that you would know that. I don't say that you are. But, I say, if you would know it.... To know that your life ... look what you do, and the things you're acting, see your life doesn't compare with the Bible, and you hear.... The Gospel's preached, you read it yourself, and you know it's wrong to do those things, and yet you do it, see. Isn't that a horrible thing?

Now at least twenty, thirty hands was up. Was there one left out would like.... Now, don't nobody look. Just let me look. I want to pray. Some that was left out would put up your hand? I see you in the balcony, yes. God bless you. There's plenty more, yes. God be with you. That's really sincere. Why don't we settle it tonight? Just ... why not? We just say, “Tonight let's settle it.”

Now, coming among you out here at Phoenix, this lovely place, appreciating you so much, letters you write, and encouragement, and things that you try to encourage me on, and you pray for me. That's the reason I got to be ... I want to be sincere with you. See, then Christ is going to make me answer for this. Then if I don't tell you all the truth, then see, I'm going to have to answer. And that's the reason I want to.... I want you to be there, brother, sister. Don't take a chance. If there's a slightest chance, don't take it. Don't just play with it. Don't.... Let's really be real, real Christians. Let's ... you can be. Others are. You can be, too. You know a certain lady that you'd like to be like, a certain man you'd like to be like, a certain minister you'd like to be like, a certain person—you want to be that way. You can be. Now, let's just believe with all of our heart.

And now, while we have our head bowed, I'm going to ask our sister at the piano there, if she will, just to give us a little chord of a song, sister, if you will. And I wonder, you, that really would like to.... Now, if you're really sincere, it'll happen right now—if you're really sincere. But you have to be sincere.

I've got a testimony. I've been.... Since my mother went away, I've been out in the wilderness laying in a cave, fasting and praying. A vision came to me. And that was one of the things is sincerity. Now ... are you ... really mean that, that you want to be a Christian like that? You want to just let all the world go, everything taken off of you?

If you really mean that, you're not ashamed of anybody in this church. You're not ashamed for anybody to see your stand. No, sir, you're not. You held your hand to God. You're not ashamed of anything. You're coming.... The only thing you're ashamed of is your life, see, and you want ... you want it to be straightened. You want ... you've always wanted to overcome so you'd do the thing that was right.

If you're that sincere, I want you to raise up and come here, stand here at the altar—like you was coming to be prayed for if you were sick. I want to pray for you, and lay hands on you. If you want to come up here now for that, you just move right out, and I'm sure that the heavenly Father will.... Just come quietly, and stand right around the altar. Come for consecration, quiet as you can.

“I'm consecrating my life from this night on, Brother Branham. I ain't going to presume nothing. I'm coming right now. I'm coming right now. I'm through with it. I'm promising God I'm.... No matter what comes or goes, I'm through with sin right now. I want to be a real Christian. I'm coming to consecrate my life.” That makes me feel so good to see you do that.

Just a moment or two longer now. Is there some one else would like to just stand, and say, “I ... tonight I'm consecrating my life. God, I'm tired of this. I've always wanted to be a real, real Christian. It's burned in my heart ever since I was a little boy (or I was a little girl). I want the very.... I can't take a chance like this, knowing I've got to die.” Won't you come just stand around the altar a minute for consecration? Consecration means to be consecrated to something—consecrated to Christ.

Will you come and stand around the altar for this just a minute? Christians that doesn't have this experience, don't take a chance on it now, see. How's the tree known? By the fruit it bears.

Now, we're just coming as solemnly as we know how to come. Little later on in one of the meetings along in the churches, you'll know why I'm doing this. I haven't time to say it tonight, and go into it. But you'll understand why I'm doing this. I believe God's giving His church His call. It's the last ... it's about the last one we're going to have, see. It's ... something's going to happen, and I don't know when. It might happen to you before morning; it may happen to me before morning.

But brother, sister, can we afford to take any chance on any one little thing, just no matter what it is? “Guilty of the least is guilty of the whole.” You must be clean, washed in the blood of the Lamb. The least sin will keep you right away, see. If the angels look dirty before Him, what would we?

Now, I'm just waiting just a moment or two longer, 'cause there might be some other soul. Again, one move now and then coming up. I want you to come in dead earnest now.

No doubt at all, but what many of you standing here at the altar has had experiences of different things. Maybe you have shouted, cried, spoke in tongues, danced in the Spirit, you brothers and sisters. No doubt but what you have. And them things are fine, very fine.

But do you know when the Hebrews, the 6th chapter.... “The rain come upon the earth oft to prepare it, dress it for which it's for. But thorns and thistles is nigh unto rejecting, whose end is to be burned.” How did they know the difference? The same Spirit, the same life, the same water that fell upon the wheat fell upon the thorns, too. And the thorns, and the briars, and the weeds were just as happy and refreshed with the same rain. And people can sit in the church, friends, and receive the same kind of experiences.

Now, don't be deceived in this, friends, see. You can receive the same experience by the same Holy Spirit that some one sitting by you received, and still not be that. The sun shines on the just and the unjust. The rain falls on the thorns and on the wheat. It's sent for the wheat. The Holy Spirit's sent in the church for the consecrated saints, but those sitting there enjoy it. Sure. But by their fruits they're known. “Shall we pluck them up?” said they.

“No. Let them grow together. And at that day the angels will go forth and gather all the briars and creepers, and will burn them. But the wheat will be gathered to the garner. By their fruits you shall know them.” That's why you're standing here tonight, is for fruit, fruit of the Spirit. Now, remember.

“Why is it,” you say, “Brother Branham,” (Maybe ... some of you women standing here, I noticed you have short hair.) “Why is it, Brother Branham, I'm a Christian, and I still ... look like I just can't do that. I can't let my hair grow out. Yet I know the Bible teaches that that's right.” (The New Testament teaches that that's the thing to do.) “I just can't do it. Looks like I just can't overcome it, see, can't get to that place, see.”

I believe you're a good person. I believe you're sincere. You wouldn't be standing here as an example tonight. You're doing that, and that's what you must do. It's the Scripture. You must do that, see.

Some of you brethren, God only knows your heart, what you're standing here for, the things that you want to overcome. Now, you can do it, if you'll just accept it this way. You say, “Lord, I'm nothing now, and I'm just yielding myself to You, and here I come. By Your grace I'm going to do it.” Now you can't do it without Him. There's nothing in the world you can do. You have to let Him do it. You just consecrate yourself to Him, and believe it with all your heart. Then He'll do it. He will do it for you, see, if you'll just take Him at His Word. He wouldn't do one that way, and He wouldn't do the other one that way. He'll do all of you that way, see. He'll make you every one the right thing.

Now I want all you people that are Christians and living above these things, I want you to pray, want you to pray with me, especially the minister brothers to pray with me. I want each one of you, now, down deep in your heart, see....

You know that the rain has fell on you. You say, “Brother Branham, I danced in the Spirit, I spoke with tongues.” That's truly.... But look at ... see, there's something ain't right there, see. You see, you've got to get from this weed now, to a wheat —humble, sweet, with the Word, obedient, see, obedient to the Word.

Now just let the Holy Spirit come in, and let God change you, tonight, from what you was to what He wants you to be, as we pray.

Our heavenly Father, I realize that around this altar, which ... the church is an altar—the place where people come and place themselves upon it to be received as a burnt offering unto the Lord. And I know, Father, tonight some of these people standing here, and their associates, are in the churches here. And they stand here at this altar for consecration. And that's a big thing for them to do, because they're witnessing to the people as they stand here, and before You, that there's something lacking in their lives.

And as hard as I had to cut the poor little sisters tonight, Father, on their ABC's, and here they get right up from their seat, walk right up like a lady, stand there and say, “Then, God, if I'm wrong, mold me and make me.” Here's brethren standing here likewise. Yet they raise right up out of their seat, and come right on.

Down in their heart there is a desire. And Father, Satan wouldn't put a desire in their heart to do right; he would put a desire in their heart to do wrong, continue on. “Don't go up. Let it alone. Don't believe it.” That's what he would say. Then how do we judge it? By the Word.

Like I said, St. Martin, Paul, all the early bishops of the church, and elders, they judged the cases by the Word. And now, tonight, they are judged by the Word. And when they are judged they are chastened, that they should not be condemned with the world.

So they have come now, Lord, to consecrate themselves to be set aside from the world, that they don't want nothing to do with the world. They want to be so completely surrendered to You till their whole being reflects Christ; that when they walk, talk, dress, act, it's Christ's reflection constantly in their lives. And, heavenly Father, I pray that You will grant that to them.

Now, knowing that the time is so close, the coming of the Lord; and to see this great move through Phoenix just now among the people; and to see the times that we've come through in healing services, and see how their faith was give to me to help deliver the people from their sicknesses, and afflictions; see Your Spirit move among us, Lord, in the vindication that You were there both physically and scientifically, then tonight with this call I give them to You, Lord, in my prayer.

Every minister in here, Lord, every Christian that's walking in the commandments of God, they pray with me, Lord, and we give our prayers to You now in behalf of these people. May each one of them be consecrated from this night on, Lord. May the power of Jesus Christ just humbly, right now, just tear into their hearts in such a way that it'll just mold them, and just make them different from tonight on.

May a sweet, humble, broken-up spirit come into them, Lord, in penance of what has been done wrong. And may a great determination of God's grace come upon them to continue their lives in a sanctified way for You, Lord. Receive them, Father. We give them to You now, as they consecrate their lives, in the name of Jesus Christ.

Now, with your heads bowed, as you've been praying, I trust.... And you can't say one word to God unless He knows it. The weakest of saint makes the devil tremble. And you're His children. And have you fully with all your hearts, each one of you, fully laid your life before God, and said, “God, mold me, and make me the kind of Christian that's been talked about here tonight, that I have given my life to You. Just take all the things out of my life that's wrong, Father. And tonight on, I'm going to ... by Your grace I'll live every day for You, watching for my life to pattern right up with that of the Bible requirements”?

If you've did that in your heart, will you just raise up your hands before God? Say, “I have did this, and I believe it with all my heart.” The Lord bless you. The Lord bless you. God bless you.

Now, Father, they're Yours. They've raised their hands, they've made their consecration. And no matter how little the gift is, You're here to receive the smallest of gifts. And they give theirself to You just the way they were. They want to be a member of that great body without a blemish, without a wrinkle. And they're now consecrated to You, Father. I pray that You'll keep them from the things of the world as long as they live. Through Jesus Christ's name, amen. Now go to your seats rejoicing, and be happy that Christ takes you at your word.

I do believe.... While they're going down, there's a lady sitting here in a wheelchair, and a man, I believe, and they're talking through their hands. No doubt but what they're here to be prayed for. Will you all bow your heads and let me go down and pray for them?

Now, brother, that you can speak to them, there in the wheelchair, and what they are, see.... Now, just say to them this: The Lord Jesus Christ so loves you that He's willing now to heal you. If there was anything that I could do otherwise than pray, I would do it. But He's answered my prayers so many times for people like you who are suffering, and has healed them. My heart has gone out to you since I've been standing here.

As I look at the lady, I think of my mother that just went to meet God a few days ago. She, perhaps, is somebody's mother. I'll pray for her. I want you to believe, sister and brother, that God will hear our prayer, and He will answer. And from this very hour, I want you to believe that the work is done.

Now, to the rest of the audience out there, was anybody else come to be prayed for? Some sick people, or something, some one to be... A lady here, somebody over there? All right. You come right around the altar here. I'll just be glad to do that.

Now, how many can remember here, a long time ago—about fourteen years ago—down at Brother Outlaw's church? Anybody remember Brother Outlaw's church when I was down there, about fourteen years ago? Brother Garcia and those down in there? Remember how I'd bring the people up? I've crossed the world time after time, discerning spirit. I take you to Word and order tonight. Did you ever see one time it failed? Never. Of the thousands of times, it every time was perfectly, exactly right. Is that right? Now, all that knows that that's true, raise up your hands, been in the meetings here. What did He say? “... what he says comes to pass, then hear it.”

Now, visions doesn't heal people. Visions only vindicates the presence of God, see. Now, I think that we really know that now. But the way I did then was just pray. There was a lady here that used to be out somewhere here in Phoenix. Her name was Sister Hattie Waldrop, I believe it was. I believe it was, her ... yes. She had cancer. Her husband was a plumber, and they're usually in the meetings. I don't know whether she's here tonight or not.

I remember that she was in the meeting, and they said she died, and she looked like it in the line. And I remember the cancer in the heart, and the doctor here sent x-rays, and so forth, to show. That's been about fourteen years ago. She's living now.

I remember calling to pray for a little crippled, red-headed boy. The Lord healed him, and made him well. So many things, just so many it's just innumerable.

I say this with Christian sincerity. I suppose, if I could write down every instance that taken place that I have seen Christ do, since I have been a minister, I couldn't pile a volume of books that high. I have witness of doctors' statements of five people being pronounced dead, laid out dead, and come back to life again. Many that claim that did, and I couldn't say that. I wouldn't say it unless there's some way to prove it, you see, to know it. But seeing them after being dead for hours, days....

Well, the little Mexican baby down here in Mexico city had been dead for.... Well, it died that morning at nine o'clock, and it was ten something that night. The doctor signed the statement. The baby died with pneumonia, and been dead all that time. And standing out in the rain, that poor little Mexican mother.... I never did one thing but just put my hands on the baby. I saw a vision, laid my hands on the baby. It started kicking, and squealing. And the Christian Businessmen packed an article of it not long ago, or something about it in the “Businessmen's Voice,” about raising up the dead. Now, it can be done.

But what if.... I tell you what. Let me say to the members of this church here, and I'll say it to any members' church: You consecrate this church to God, and all of its members, see, consecrate it to God—every one of you with a holy life before God. Watch what will take place. When that church binds itself, and starts praying, see, the prayers of those people begin to go up before God. He will not turn it down. That's right. Now, I'm just one, which there'll be many of you here praying. And divine healing doesn't lay with any certain person. It's sincere hearts that pray to God, and it's sincere people who receive it.

I realize there's gifts sent to the church like ... have faith. And I realize that my ministry of crossing the nations, and just taking ... just bringing a few people up, and showing visions, and comb it down.... And those who pass through prayer lines of other men, and so forth, they come in, I'd have to stop. Maybe there's something back in that person's life. And many of you here seen it right on the platform—sin called, secrets of their hearts, and things—and told out the reason they couldn't be healed.

But through that, by just getting that few.... 'Cause just a few and my strength's gone, see, and then.... You understand that. It's scriptural. And how.... Then, there's been many a mother with a little baby out there, I didn't even get to pray for, see. Many a sick person I didn't get to pray for. I think it's known well enough now that everybody ought to know, that I've told you the truth, see, that it's the truth. And I'm just going to pray for the sick people, and ask God to heal them. And I believe that every one that we pray for will get well.

Now, if there's anything in your lives.... People that's standing here, let me ask you this. If you're not a Christian, you become a Christian. You give your heart to Christ standing right where you are. If you're not filled with the Holy Spirit, don't cease praying till God has filled you with the Holy Spirit. If you're doing anything wrong in a Christian, stop doing it. Stop doing it. Check your life up. Live for Christ. Now I'm going to pray, and ask God.

Now, one morning at some breakfast, or either some night, I want to tell you something that happened just ... just.... I left the field and waited, went back to pray and fast, to see what it was. And something I've always longed ... it happened. So I....

It's nothing, now, fantastic. I don't go for that stuff. I want ... it's got to be “thus saith the Lord” by the Word, see. It's got to be. Have too much of this here touch, feel, and everything like that now—superstitions, and so forth. Let's get away from that stuff. Let's come right back to God. We want the Holy Spirit.

I believe that God sends people to pray for sick. And I'm one of the humblest. I'm one of the little ones that He sent. And I want to give my prayer for you, tonight, to be healed. You believe. And I want these brothers here, and sisters, all over the building, to join with me in prayer, and just let....

I believe we'll start right along here. Let somebody walk right up to the pulpit, and then let them walk off, or back the way they did. That'll be fine. Somebody, Billy, some of you help me. Just bring....

Right here, this lady right here, you don't have to start with any certain one. Just ... I can't ... I'm afraid to let them ... if they could let them come down.... Can they come down that way, brother? All right. Now, we're just ... now we're just a little late, but you all bear me a record just a minute, to pray.

I know sister here. I believe she's a member of Brother Outlaw's church. How's he getting along? Fine. And say, I can't call your name, but.... Bagby, Sister Bagby. I ought to know you. You've been nice to me, Sister Bagby. And wasn't that ... wasn't you the one that Brother Outlaw taken me to to pray for in the hospital when I first come here years ago? Was it something like a ... what did you have? Diabetes or heart? [“TB of the throat.”] TB of the throat, and she's still living for the glory of God. Well, that's just fine. Now, He's still the same God tonight, just the same as He was. We may have changed, but He hasn't. Now, whatever your trouble is, He'll take it away. You believe it. Will you believe it?

I ask the church to pray with me. Heavenly Father, as I lay my hands upon this sister, in the name of Jesus Christ, may God heal her. I pronounce this blessing for the glory of God, in the name of Jesus Christ. Amen. Now believe, sister.

Do you believe that God will make you well if we pray for you? And you'll get well? And you are a Christian, and will give all the thanks and praise to God. But when we pray for you, now, you're going home to be well. That settles it forever. No more thinking about it. Our heavenly Father, along with this church that many of them has just rededicated their lives, Father, I pray that You'll heal our sister in the name of Jesus Christ. Now, not only my prayers, but just look everywhere. In deep sincerity we're not ... we really mean this from our hearts. You're going to be all right.

You will believe the same thing, won't you?

Our heavenly Father, with humbleness of spirit ... and God forgive our untrue hearts. Make us pure, Lord, as we lay hands on the sick people, because it's pronouncing something that was asked to be done by God. And just help these poor people, Father. I lay hands upon sister in Jesus' name, and ask for His healing. God bless you. Sure. I trust.... God bless you, sister. Would you just a moment.... The lady sincerely confessed, and she said she has a spirit on her of high temper. And we realize that that's not ... that's not nice. But sister, not only you, but there's plenty of us. But, maybe some might not be as honest to confess it, but he that will confess his sins.... He that'll hide his sins will not prosper, but he that will confess his sins shall have mercy. You know that. So, I pray heavenly Father, by laying hands on sister, that this temper will leave her. May it never bother her again. In the name of Jesus Christ. Bless you, sister.

My brother, you believe He's going to going to grant the request? Oh. God bless you, brother. Maybe that ... see, being nervous might cause the heart to fly up like that. Our heavenly Father, realizing that we never know what time our heart's going to stop—might any minute—and brother has heart trouble, and with a temper that causes him to fly into tantrums. Oh, that devil would like to take him to a premature grave. But I, as Your servant along with all these other servants tonight, we ask that in the name of Jesus Christ that the temper will leave him, and the heart will be well, and will be true to Christ all the days of his life, and be well to serve Him. In Jesus' name, amen. Bless you, brother. I believe it's all over, and you've been healed.

How do you do? Do you believe that He will grant your request? Our heavenly Father, we bring our brother to You under the name of the Lord Jesus, bring him, as it was, under the cross and pointing him up. Look at those wounds there. Watch that blood as it drips out of His side and across His face—the Son of God dying, that we might be cleansed from all our sins and sickness. Grant it to our brother. Through Jesus' name I offer this prayer. Amen. I believe it's over. Don't you, brethren?

How do you do, brother? Do you believe now this is going to be the night? It's all going to be over from tonight, and you're going to be well. Our heavenly Father, as holding our hand of our brother, from this night henceforth may his request be granted, he'd be well, and live for You all the days of his life. In Jesus' name, amen. I believe it's going to be all right.

How do you do, brother? This is the hour that it's all over. Make your decision now. Our heavenly Father, as brother said, “Amen,” this is the time the decision is made, right here in the presence of Christ. May it be finished from this night on. In the name of Jesus Christ, be ye healed. Bless you, my brother. I believe it's over now.

How do you do, sister? May I have your handkerchief to go.... That's all right, that's all right—something or another, a little token. Might say it's soiled, but I imagine that the garments that they wore in the old days.... What about Jesus? He had one garment. He probably had to sleep in it, live in it. But look what it wrapped up.

Our heavenly Father, her precious husband is laying crippled. And here's his companion standing here tonight with a little cloth in her hand, and he's crippled. I pray, Father, that You'll be merciful, and that the prayer of this church that's gathered together here, these that are sojourning in Phoenix, and the different parts of the country that's represented here tonight, our prayers will be heard. And when this cloth is put upon the man, may the power of God bring him back to normal life again. In Jesus' name, amen. Now, it has been asked. Now let it be done. You believe it, sister.

How do you do, sister? This your handkerchief? Now, you're perhaps very sick, and do you want to tell your trouble, or just.... Arthritis. That's ... twenty-something years. There's a man sitting right behind me by the name of Brother Ed Hooper. He was so bad with it over here in Phoenix one time they had to keep his hands on pillows—wasn't it, brother? And he was dying almost with it that afternoon, or the way I understand the story. And he told his wife he thought he was going then. And he looked and he seen Christ on the cross, or something pitched forward, or something. And he was so healed, till he could ... there he sits right here now. Brother Hooper, she just want to see you. Raise your hand, so she can see.

Let us pray. Our heavenly Father, the man present lets us know that You're the healer. We lay hands upon sister with just a little consecrated humble prayer we offer for her healing, Father. In the name of the Lord Jesus, for his glory. Amen. God bless you.

How do you do, sister? Our sister suffers, since her husband died three years ago, with diabetes, and arthritis. She believes that God will heal her. We believe the same thing. Heavenly Father, with hands laid upon her now, may she return back to the church with many of the others, just thanking God that it's all over and gone. We ask this to be so, Father, in our humble prayer in Jesus' name. Amen. God bless you, my sister. You believe now.

How do you do, sister? You believe that tonight will be the end of it, and you can accept Him now as your healer? Oh, precious God, the prayer of faith shall save the sick, and God shall raise them up. We think of our Lord, how He journeyed here on earth and ministered to the sick, and the many things he did. Now I pray for our sister in the name of Jesus Christ. In the commission that was granted to us as ministers, we offer this prayer for her healing. Amen. Just believe it's all done now. All the faith you have, put right with it. It will come to pass.

How do you do, brother? On the basis of His Word to be finished right here, heavenly Father, grant this request of our brother. In the name of Jesus Christ, may he be healed. Bless you, brother.

How do you do, sister? Are you prepared now, and ready to receive His healing? And as we ask you see, by that, nothing in the way that would keep Him from pouring out His Spirit? Our heavenly Father, as I lay hands upon our sister, seeing You heal the people, I pray and believe that with all my heart that You'll grant her request. In Jesus Christ's name. Amen. God bless you, sister.

You know, I just want to say this while we're coming up. I never could understand why I.... Just before even I become Pentecostal, I used to just go and pray for the people, and they'd just get well. I don't know.... And then, nothing I would have to do about it. It's just believing Him. And I'd just offer prayer, and the first thing you know, the people would be well. That's the way anyone does. We just offer prayer and believe it. They just get well. That's all, see. How many has been healed by divine healing?

You see, you can tell you're amongst Pentecostals and Full Gospel people, them hands. They believe that. Don't you see why the Lord is zealous of you? Not to try to hurt you, but to try to ... you know, bring us into that place without a spot or wrinkle? I hope you don't get angry with me for bringing words of that out of the Bible. I do it in tolerance of good faith towards God.

This is the hour for it to happen to you, isn't it, sister? Now, it's got to happen, see, 'cause He promised it. Our heavenly Father, bless our sister as I lay my hands upon her, and by faith every Christian in here puts their hands upon her. This church praying, we ask for the sickness and the affliction to leave her. In Jesus' name, amen. It's what He's promised us.

How do you do, sister? Do you believe tonight is the night for it? Our heavenly Father, in the name of the Lord Jesus, let this be the finishing touch this hour, that she'll be made well. In Jesus' name, amen. Bless you, my sister. It will be over from tonight.

How do you do, sister? This is the hour for your healing? All right, sister. Our heavenly Father, I bring our sister before You in the name of the Lord Jesus, and offer this prayer in her behalf, that she'll be healed in Jesus' name. Amen. Now, see, it isn't only my prayer. Everybody in here is praying, see, all at one time. And we are aware that God's present. We know that He has to be, see. He promised it. You go, believing.

How do you do, sister? This is the hour for it, isn't it? Our heavenly Father, let it be settled for her from tonight on. May she leave this church tonight happy, rejoicing, knowing that it's finished. In the name of Jesus Christ, amen. Bless you, sister.

How do you do, sister? This is the night for your healing, isn't it? This is the time, right now, before the Bible and the church, and Christ. Heavenly Father, among the ministers, among the laymen, all the saints of God, the angels, and the Holy Spirit, in the commission of Jesus Christ that these signs shall follow them that believe if they lay hands on the sick, they shall recover, so we claim it finished for our sister tonight, her healing, in Jesus' name. Amen. Bless you, my sister.

We will do the same thing for you, brother. You will believe it? Our heavenly Father, he said he believes. So it must be done, Father. That's what You said. These signs shall follow them that believe, and he believes. So, we thank You for his healing, Father, in Jesus' name. Amen. That's good. You know how to accept it, and believe it.

How do you do, brother? This is going to be the night of your healing. Just leave it lay here, and walk away from it. Our heavenly Father, we bring our brother to You in Jesus' name for his healing. He's going to leave it right here, Lord. The enemy will have to leave him. He'll be made free again in Jesus' name. Amen. So be it.

How do you do? You believe Jesus is going to heal you here tonight? Our heavenly Father, as this child comes to receive her healing, we, the church, offer our prayer in the name of Jesus Christ for her healing. Amen. It's all over. Bless you, sister.

It's all going to be over from tonight on, isn't it? Our heavenly Father, the people are believing. They believe, they wouldn't be walking across the platform here. They're sick. They know what to do. They're trained. They know that this is the hour that they make their final decision, and they come for that confirmation. These signs shall follow them that believe. And I lay hands upon her in Jesus' name. So shall she be healed. Amen. God bless you, sister. [The sister speaks to Bro. Branham.] Is that.... Jonesboro, Arkansas. My, many years ago. What was your trouble, sister [The sister explains.] Praise the Lord. Could you hear the testimony? Praise God. Wait, I ... just a minute, sister. I'll repeat it.

At Jonesboro, Arkansas—it's been some ... about fourteen, fifteen years ago—she had a big goiter hung out on her neck. And she was a Jehovah Witness. And that morning, when she'd heard about our services up there for the Lord, she said I was a prophet of the devil. And she went out in the garden to pray, and the Lord spoke to her, and said go up there, and she'd be healed. And the Lord healed her. She has no goiter, and her people (which were Jehovah Witnesses, most all of them) are Pentecostal tonight.

Now, if He can make that nice Christian woman's neck smooth like that, He can heal you, can't He? He sure can. Our heavenly Father, with hands laid upon our brother, we ask for his healing in the name of Jesus Christ. Amen. God bless you.

He is just the same for you as He would be for her. Is that right? Our heavenly Father, a simple little prayer with simple faith.... Oh, I'm so glad, Lord, You make it simple, so that I can understand it, and just accept You. And Father, I pray that You'll heal him, and make him well in Jesus' name. Amen.

How do you do, sister? Oh, yes, ma'am. I see where you breath too. I guess you ... that's such an awful thing. Oh, my. That's ... suffers [unclear words]. There's no reason for her to suffer any longer, is there? See, the doctors has perhaps operated, and taken the ribs out of her lung, and probably give her pneumothorax treatment, and collapsed the lung. And the lady's suffering. And you come believing that Christ will heal you, and you want to spend all your life for Him in service, to do for Him. Then, Christians, I think we have a right to bring this lady before Christ, and He'll heal her. Let us pray, all of us.

Our heavenly Father, our sister comes in humble adoration tonight, knowing that her doctor has done all that he could do. He tried hard. But still it won't heal up. But Thou art the healer. Let her be healed, Father. We commit her to You, that You'll heal her in Jesus' name. Amen. Bless you sister. Be healed now. I believe it will heal up, and you'll be all right.

How do you do, sister? You believe that He'll heal you tonight? He'll do it, though, if you'll just believe Him. You will? All right. Let us pray. Our heavenly Father, the lady comes believing. She said she don't even know what's wrong with her, but He knows. Whatever it is, Lord, she wants to get rid of it. She knows it's of the enemy. I pray that You'll grant her request in the name of Jesus Christ. Amen. Bless you, sister. You go believing with all your heart.

How do you do, sister? You believe that tonight will be the settling time? I was thinking, the lady from Arkansas just testifying, I remember, along the line (I'll never forget her) a lady holding a handkerchief. I thought she was weeping. And when she took it down, the handkerchief, she had no nose. Cancer had eaten her nose off. And her son was an exterminator over at Texarkana. And I prayed for her.

And the very next meeting, a lovely woman standing there, looking.... She looked very young, and looking at me. She said, “Don't you remember me?”

I said, “I don't believe I do.” And the boy started kind of weeping, and looking. It was that lady. She had a new nose. It growed back on her face. I know that sounds unreasonable, and I wouldn't want to say something that wasn't right. So there ... we shouldn't do that. We should be dead earnest when we say these things. But I looked at the lady who was standing there with no nose. And then a few weeks after, I met her again, and she had a nose. And ... it just.... She said the cancer just quit eating. And after awhile it just started like something growing back, and there she had a nose again. It's so wonderful to see how He could do it.

Now, He that could do that can heal you, couldn't He, sister? It's not the question His power to do it; ... His willingness. And I would like to say this to you, sister, as a mortal, that both of us has to stand like this in His presence some day. He's already did it, if He could just get you to believe it. And there's a little ... act like to be a Christian, to be baptized and so forth, like that. You believe it when I pray for you, you'll get well, sister. Now, all the church pray with me when we pray.

Our heavenly Father, this young lady standing here, and in the presence of God, I lay my hands upon her, and ask for her healing in the name of our Saviour, Jesus Christ. Amen. God bless you, sister. Let it be done from now on.

Yes. Ninety-five. This is a sweet thing ... coming for her ninety-five year old mother with cataracts. Our heavenly Father, as she stands proxy as she said for her mother, well-stricken in age, with cataracts, we pray for her mother. O God, this church offers our prayer for her mother's healing in the name of Jesus Christ. Amen. Don't doubt it.

Sister, dear, is it going to be fin.... Can you believe that it'll be finished? Our heavenly Father, with hands laid upon her, for a finished work to be completed, may it be so in her now. In Jesus' name I ask it. Amen. God bless you, sister.

My brother, you believing now with all your heart? Father God, we bring this young man to You here, laying hands upon him in the name of the Lord Jesus. May the finished work of Christ at Calvary be completed in him by healing him. Amen. Bless you, brother. Be it over tonight.

How do you do, sister? We're going to believe that it's going to be finished tonight. God's going to complete it right here. Our heavenly Father, just as it has been written, now it will be spoke. Then it must be done. Let it be so in our sister's body. In the name of Jesus Christ we ask it. Amen. We believe it now with all of our heart, that you'll be all right.

Broken neck? Bad throat. Oh, my. Major .... Well, sister, now each one of us here Christians, all of us, we just imagine how we'd feel with that on us. Now, what if it was just vice versa, the lady was praying for me? Or what if she was praying for you? Now how ... she's in misery all the time. Now how ... you'd want some one to be real honest, sincere, and dead earnest about this, see. If it was me, I would. And now, do unto others as you'd have them do unto you.

Now, every one of you just hold this faith, and like a real church, say (as we are), say, “Father God, take the misery from our sister now.” Our heavenly Father, may she come back bringing this piece that's around her neck, knowing she don't have to wear it no more, that it's been finished by Jesus Christ, as the church prays and asks this blessing. Answer these Christians, Lord. They've consecrated their lives to You. In Jesus' name may she be healed. Amen. Just let it be over. Stop. It won't hurt no more. You'll be all right.

Brother, it be finished now? Settle it forever. Heavenly Father, in the name of the Lord Jesus, grant the healing of our brother. We ask this for the glory of God in Jesus' name. Amen. Bless you, my brother. Be finished from now on.

Lord, this little woman that stands here tonight, let the work of the Lord Jesus be performed in her body, for by His stripes we were healed. We ask for this blessing in Jesus' name. Amen. It's finished now.

How do you do? You believe Jesus going to make you well tonight? Asthma? My! That's a mean old thing, isn't it? Certainly. Brother Williams, here, Brother ... Christian Businessman, he had a.... Mayos just give him up with asthma. Said he'd never gain any more weight, or anything. He come by up there, it's been about ... pretty near a year ago, I believe, up at the Tabernacle one night. I went out and prayed for him, and the Lord made him well. I guess he's gained.... Said he couldn't gain no more weight, would never be able to gain no more weight. And he's gained thirty, thirty-two pounds.

[Someone from audience speaks.] Hear that, honey? This lady, is she here now? Little lady here with ... Oh, yes, I see. You hear that? Now look, Jesus healed that when she was probably smaller than you, little. And she had pneumonia, and everything —just taking it so bad. And look, Jesus loves ... He loves you. Look how ... how nice she looks, see, and well. Now, you can be that way, too.

Let's pray. Now, heavenly Father, laying our hands upon the little girl, we ask that the asthma leave her, and she'll be made well, through Jesus Christ, our Lord. Amen. You go, and you're going to get over it, and you'll be well, and testify like that lady did for her little girl.

How do you do, sister? You believe the Lord Jesus will heal you? Our heavenly Father, we pray that You'll heal this little girl, also. May her testimony be like the sister's just said. From coast to coast may she praise God for the goodness of healing her. Amen. Bless you, sister.

How do you do, sister? This is the time for your healing now? Our heavenly Father, as the lady comes, sincerely believing that this will be the hour of her deliverance, may it be so, Father, as we ask in Jesus Christ's name. Amen. Bless you, sister. Let it be over from now on. No more thinking of it.

How do you do, sister? I know that sounds rude, saying no more thinking of it. But I don't mean it in that way. I mean it that just it's a finished work. It's already done. Do you believe that He'll make it all well? Our heavenly Father, I pray that You'll heal our sister, make her well. We lay hands on her in Jesus' name, asking for her healing. Amen. Just let it be finished in your mind, settled, and it will be all right.

How do you do, son? In your stomach? Do you believe Jesus will make you well, son? It's your son? You believe that He will do it, sister? I know it. It sounds, well, you know the testimony, what we ... the Lord has did in His church in the last days, far beyond what our little brother has at this time. He's God, who can create. He can, like....

Look. If a stalk of wheat's coming up, and a clod falls on it and defects that wheat, and makes it turn the other way, then the wheat is not growing right. But remove that cause, then the wheat will grow right, see. Why, Satan did something evil here. But the prayer of faith can cast him away, and it'll grow right. You believe that, don't you? Now, let us pray for this precious boy here.

Heavenly Father, simple yet powerful, let the power of God heal our little brother. May there be such a change in this boy, that the mother will be so elated over it in the next few hours. We ask it in Jesus' name. Amen. God bless you, my brother. Believe Him. God bless you. Mighty sweet boy. God bless you.

Heavenly Father, our brother confesses of a high blood pressure. I pray that You'll heal him, Lord. May it leave him tonight. May, when he gets his next checkup or whatever it is, the doctors say, “Why, you're back normal again.” Down in his heart he'll be thankful, Lord. I pray in Jesus' name. Amen.

I'll gladly do it, my brother. Heavenly Father, his father of earth here is ill. He's got a handkerchief here, wants to lay it upon his daddy. O God, I pray that You'll honor the faith of his son, and will heal his father in Jesus' name. Amen. God bless you, my brother. May God grant every bit, and I believe He will.

Sister, it's going to be over now, won't it? From right now on, it's going to leave. Our heavenly Father, as we, your church, pray for our sister in her condition, may the power of God heal her, and make her well. In the name of Jesus Christ, amen. Bless you now, sister. Ask and it shall be given.

How do you do, sister? Is He going to make You well from tonight? Our heavenly Father, I pray that You'll heal our sister, making her well. She comes and says she believes that it will be so. So be it then, Father. I ask in Jesus' name. Amen. God bless you, sister.

How do you do, sister? This is the hour of deliverance for you. Our heavenly Father, these humble people walk across the platform, believing that You will heal their sickness. They've heard so much said, and faith cometh by hearing, hearing testimonies with which we overcome by the blood of the Lamb in our testimony. I pray that You will heal our sister, and make her well through Jesus' name. Amen. God bless you, sister.

Leave it right there, brother, dear, and this is going to be the hour it's going to be over. Is that right? Our heavenly Father, I bring him to You, with this church, their prayers of all these faithful ministers, and deacons, and elders, and lay members, all.... The Holy Spirit in our midst bearing record of His Word, they shall lay hands on the sick, they will recover. You promised it, Father. Now heal his eyes, and make him well in Jesus' name. Amen. Bless you, my brother. Let it be over from right now on.

How do you do, sister? You believe that it will be over from now on? Our heavenly Father, may it be over for our sister from this night on. May she be healed for the glory of God. Amen. Bless you, sister. Believe now with all your heart. Believe it's over.

How do you do? It's a baby. Oh, my. That's too bad. You're a mighty pretty little girl. Jesus is going to make you well. Now, our heavenly Father, with my hands upon this little child, feeling down in my heart, “What if it was Sarah, my daughter?” It's someone's daughter. And I pray, Father, that You'll heal the little girl from this ... an allergy. And may the attacks leave her. May she be well in Jesus' name. Amen. Now you're going to get over it, honey. It's all right. You believe that.

How do you do, brother? Going to make it over from tonight, is that right? Father God, I pray that in Jesus' name that You'll heal our brother, make him well. May it be finished right now in his life, everything finished—that he'll have faith, undoubting faith in his heart he'll be well in Jesus' name. Amen. Bless you, my brother.

Why, bless your heart. Heavenly Father, his mother, eighty-three years old and suffering with heart and asthma, grant, Lord, that when this little token is laid upon her, may she get well in Jesus' name. Amen. God bless you, brother, and your mother, too.

Let it be over from right now on, sister. Just let that be the past. This is the future coming on here. Heavenly Father, in the name of Jesus Christ heal this, our sister. We ask it in Jesus' name. Amen. Gone.

How do you do, brother? Going to be over from now on? Our heavenly Father, I pray for our brother, that You'll heal his body, and make him well. May it be over from this hour on in Jesus Christ's name. Amen. Bless you.

Oh, my. Have it prayed over. Why, I'd gladly do that, brother. You believe with me now that she's going to get well. Our heavenly Father, the lovely lady somewhere that's waiting this handkerchief to be laid upon her, we send it to her for her healing in the name of Jesus Christ, the Son of God. Amen. God bless you.

Now there's a lady sitting here that can't get up, and one over here, and a man, too. I'm going down to pray for them. Now, you all pray with me, will you? [Someone says, “The lump that she had in her breast is gone, and the pain is gone.”] Isn't that wonderful?

I love Him, I love Him,

Because He first loved me,

And purchased my salvation

On Calvary's tree.

God bless you. Heavenly Father, I pray that You'll heal our sister, and make her well in Jesus Christ's name. I ask that this will be completely healed for Your glory. Amen. God bless you, sister. Go be well now.

See how simple it is? Now tell me what passed by here to remove that lump, and take the pain away from the woman who couldn't even hear the message? See, she's over there praising God. If a woman that's both deaf, dumb and blind, can praise God for taking a cancer off of her, surely we who are in health, as we are tonight, could give God praise for it. Don't you think so? Let's just kind of shake each other's hands when we sing.

I love Him, I love Him,

Because He first loved me,

And purchased my salvation

On Calvary's tree.

In the name of the Lord Jesus, grant that whoever this lays upon, may they be healed for the glory of God. Amen. Isn't He wonderful? I tell you this, I just like this way. I like God, I love Him with all my heart. He's my Saviour.

Now, tomorrow night, I think the next service is at Tempe, Arizona, with Brother Groomer, Brother Groomer up at the Assembly of God. Is it? Assembly of God at Tempe, Full Gospel. Yes, it's been announced, I think. Now, do you love him real well? Amen. It's wonderful.

Now, I turn the service now to Brother ... the pastor.

Someone to be prayed for? Just a moment. Go ahead. Why, I'd gladly do it.

My precious brother, now, for his sick wife—been sick for two years. Now let's just believe. Father, I know the world might look down upon this, and say, “I don't believe that.” What about the lady that testified a few minutes ago, that had that goiter on her neck up there? What about it, see? These people that's ... little girl here, that's a young woman now. There was that asthma, and everything in her condition. Look what all that we know to be true, see. He'll ... God ... to his wife, too. Let's pray.

Lord Jesus, a sick wife. I pray that this cloth laid upon her will be a token of this meeting tonight, and the Word of God. And may she be healed for your glory. Amen. God bless you, brother.

Let's pray. Heavenly Father, thank you, God. I pray that You'll grant this, Father, in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ. Amen. He did it now. He fulfilled it after thirteen years. They that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength. It's all right, brother. Oh, it's wonderful. Well, see you tomorrow night, most of you. If the pastor here ... now Brother....