Confirmation And Evidence

Good evening, friends. May we remain standing just a moment for prayer. Let us bow our heads, now, in his presence.

Gracious heavenly Father, as we come tonight again upon this solemn occasion to speak to thy people, we realize the great need of the hour; and we realize the possibility of a great outpouring of the Spirit, if we can just approach in the right way. So we come in the name of Jesus to ask for mercy.

And then, Father, we realize tonight again that we have before us the purchase of the blood of Jesus, and how we must handle this. And it's too much of a job for a human being, so we ask, Lord, that You'll let the Holy Spirit come now and minister to us, and give unto us the things that we have need of. And if our desires be thy will, Lord, we pray that You'll pour out our desires to us tonight in his mercy.

Heal the sick, save the lost, comfort the uncomfortable, and make known Thyself in our midst. And may You do something tonight for us, Lord, a special thing.

We know one day, coming ... as after the great resurrection the women had returned from the tomb, and was saying that He was risen. And then Simon came and said that He was risen. And two were on the road over to Emmaus, and a stranger walked out and talked to them through their journey. At the end of the day they invited Him in. God, this is another end of a day. We invite You in. We know it's been You that's helped us through the day.

And then in the presence of these two men, Cleopas and his friend, You did something just like You did it before your crucifixion. By that they knew You were risen from the dead and alive among the people. They hurried quickly to their comrades and said, “Truly, the Lord is risen.”

And, Father, we pray that You'll do something tonight in the midst of our gathering here just like You did it before the crucifixion, to confirm that after two thousand years You're still alive, and remain the same God as You were then. We commit this to You as we lay our prayers and our faith upon your golden altar, Lord, and call upon it the name of the Lord Jesus, and ask that You grant our requests. Amen. You may be seated.

Today has been a very unusual day. This morning at the breakfast we had such a wonderful time of fellowship around with our brothers and sisters. And I've been to many breakfasts, but it's the first time I ever had them to come back and say, “You want the third helping? second helping?” It's always the little [unclear word] over on the corner, and you find out that you haven't had enough to eat. But I tell you, we had a gastronomical jubilee this morning. We certainly did. We really got filled up.

And then the sisters kept coming around, “Could we pour you some more coffee? Could we give you some more eggs?” And all around the tables. It certainly was no reason for anyone to leave hungry. Had a grand time.

And then, I did something that I never did before. I had the opportunity to speak in a Jewish synagogue. That was the first time I ever had. Just a great time. And we certainly had fellowship there with.... A Brother Michaelson, knowing ... I believe he has a degree of doctor and they call him Dr. Michaelson. And I've heard him on the Hebrew Christian Hour, a very gallant soul indeed—certainly burdened for his people. I've always longed to meet this fine man. But at this time he was in Palestine, I believe, with his people, and the burden's upon his heart. And I've never had the privilege of meeting him, but they say he's seventy-six years old.

When I was.... Someone asked me the other day, said, “Brother Branham, how old are you?”

I said, “Oh, I'm past twenty-five.”

They said, “How far?”

I said, “Just twenty-seven years past twenty-five.”

So, I thought I was getting old, till I heard that this morning ... of seventy-six and still going. Then I felt real young then. I thought, “I've got a lot more time yet, if the Lord tarries.” So sometimes we find those old soldiers, and makes.... His associate is sitting here behind me. I didn't notice him. Those old soldiers makes us feel kind of small then, when we think that we've done something.

I was speaking about precious old Brother Bosworth, when.... How many ever knowed F. F. Bosworth? I guess many of you old soldiers did. When he was dying, he.... I said to him ... hurried down to meet him, and I seen him raise up. And he was eighty-four, I believe it was.

He'd just come out of Africa on missions with me. And his little old arms, his little bald head.... Raised up his arms like that, reached them out. And I ran over and threw my arms around him. I cried, “My father, my father, the chariots of Israel, the horsemen thereof.”

And he said, “You know, Brother Branham,” he said, “this is the most glorious hour of my life.”

I said, “Do you know you're dying?”

He said, “Well, I can't die.” Said, “I've been dead for sixty years.” He said, “I'm just fixing to change dwelling places.”

And you know, all of you that knew him, he had a sense of humor, and he was talking to me there. And he said, “No, Brother Branham,” he said, “of all my ministry, this is my happiest time.” He said, “All that I have lived for for the past sixty years has been Christ. And at any minute He'll walk in the door, and I'll go with Him.” Oh, my!

Before he died.... He'd been kind of in a coma for a few hours. And he raised up in the room, standing there with his hand out, shaking hands with his converts of fifty years ago that had passed over the line. Oh, my! “Lives of great men all remind us... ,” as I quoted. Let my end be like that. That's right. Godly, saintly old man. So, this is our age. We'll raise in this generation, and we'll have to stand judgment with these people.

The other day when I turned my fifty-third year, I said to the wife, I said, “You know, I would.... What if in the morning when I wake up, if—I'm on my birthday—if there would stand the Lord, Jesus, as I noticed the angel of the Lord standing in the corner, that light. Beneath that light would stand the Lord Jesus, and He'd come to me, and say, 'What is your desire?' ”

I'd say, “Lord, that I might live longer to serve You.”

And He'd say, “It's granted. I'll turn you back. Now, you'll be twenty years old, or eighteen years old. Live the rest of the time out again on serving me.”

But that wouldn't be right. If I went back to be twenty years old, then my wife.... And here I've got a son twenty-seven. So that wouldn't be right. So, then I thought, “Well, I love my wife so. And to see her forty-three years old, and me eighteen, that wouldn't be right.”

Then I thought, “Well, what would I ask for?” I thought, “Well, now, if I would say.... Well, I couldn't ask for that, because.... Again, here's another thing. See, these people that I preach to in my generation, I'll have to raise with that generation, see. I'll have to rise in the judgment with this generation, to declare the ministry that I've preached, you see. So, I couldn't go back in another generation, and die over here under this generation after I preached to this generation.”

So I thought, “Well, as far as I know I'm healthy, as far as I know anything about. And I still got good sight, hearing's strong. And the ministry that He gave me, I'm so thankful for it. I've done the best I could with it. So there's isn't but one thing I could do, and that, say, 'Lord Jesus, I'm thankful that I'm what I am by the grace of God.' ” That's right.

Reminds me. It's no place for joking. I don't believe it should be here at all. But it's not said in the light of a joke, but just to make a statement. There was a colored sister who was in one of the conventions, and she said, “Well,” she said, “I wants to give a testimony to the glory of God.” She said, “I am not what I ought to be.” And said, “I'm not what I want to be. But then again, I know I'm not what I used to be.”

So, I thought that was very good. And I'm thankful for that—that I'm not what I used to be. And I guess we're all thankful for that, that we're not what we used to be, for we've passed from death unto life. And if there's people here tonight who doesn't know that, and have that assurance, I trust that you'll not go out the doors until that soul is anchored in the haven of rest, to sail the wild seas no more.

Now last evening we didn't let you out till real late. Here it is late tonight. But we're going to go home early. And I haven't tried, or attempted to start preaching, because.... I don't preach very long—sometimes about six hours, or something like that. The other day I preached six hours at the Tabernacle, so I know you don't want me to start preaching. So I just get a little scripture here, and read it, and pass some comments. And I don't even know what....

Did Billy give out prayer cards? Did he give out prayer cards today? Oh, there's some left from last night. Well, we may call up a prayer line then. I don't know what He'll have us do. I just like to stay in the sweetness of his presence, and then enter the room, then just do what He tells me to do, see. That's right.

I think that we all love that, and I think ministers should do that. It's not be out on parties, and mixing up with people in a social affair, as I think we ought to stay in the quietness, in the presence of the Lord. And that's tried to be a practice of mine, to enter in every afternoon at three o'clock, and then talk no more until I enter the pulpit that night.

Now tonight for a Scripture reading, let us read over in the book of St.... or, of Hebrews rather, pardon me, the 6th chapter, beginning with the 13th verse. I like to read the Word, because I know this Word will never fail. My word is the word of a man. It can fail. But if I read that Word, then I know that that's enough to anchor the meeting, that no ... then his words will not fail. Now let's listen real close, as I'm giving a moment of time for you to get to the Scripture.

Remember, that we mustn't never come to church to play religious. We mustn't come to just put on a religious act, to go to church. We must come to worship in spirit and in truth. We must be deeply and sincerely.... We must really mean what we're coming here for. The days are getting evil. The time is evil. And we want to make every minute count, and especially when we're in the house of the Lord.

I'm looking here tonight, a little lady all bundled up, patched up, sitting in a wheelchair. Another man sitting here ... I noticed his wife, or someone, then just wiped his face, sitting in a chair. Here sits a lady over here in a wheelchair, feet propped out; an elderly lady sitting in the back in a wheelchair.

Maybe some of them out there with heart trouble. Maybe they've heard hundreds of messages preached, but they're trying to find a way to health tonight. They're trying to find a way out. And maybe some of those in the wheelchair might live for many years yet. There may be someone sitting in there with cancer that's going to die in the next few days if something doesn't happen. Or maybe someone sitting there with heart trouble. Seems like that they're all right, but a blood clot moving right up. They may die in the next few hours if something isn't done.

And above all that, there may be someone sitting there who doesn't know the Lord Jesus. And they know they do not know Him in the power of his resurrection, pardoning of their sins. They'll perish when they die. And they know those out there maybe that's standing in a justified state, that's never been borned again of the Holy Spirit. They're waiting for that.

So you see, altogether.... I said, made a remark, “If I had two drops of the literal blood of Jesus in a glass, how I would hold it to my heart and weep; stand there watching that I didn't stumble to spill it, as I walked with it to wherever I was destined to go with it. How I would watch every step, that I didn't stumble, placing my feet just where they should be.” I thought, “How I would hold those two drops of blood!”

But you know, in the sight of God tonight, sitting before me is a greater thing to Him than his own blood, because it's the purchase of his blood. He shed his blood for you, and here I hold you in listening, tonight, of the gospel. Then how close I must be to tell you exactly the truth, because God will make me answer for it at the day of the judgment—more than if I took the blood, the literal blood, and threw it on the ground. It would be a greater penalty to mislead the people, the purchase of his blood, than it would be to throw the blood from the charger that I had it in.

Now let us be real sincere, as we read and study and pray now. In the 6th chapter the 13th verse we read:

For when God made promises to Abraham, because he ... [Let me start that again, I turned two pages at once.], because he ... swear by no greater, he sware by himself,

Saying, Surely blessing I will bless thee, and multiplying I will multiply thee.

... so, after he had patiently endured, he obtained the promise.

For men verily swear by the greater: and the oath of confirmation is to them an end of all strife.

Wherein God, willing more abundantly to shew unto the heirs of promises the immutability of his counsel, confirmed it by an oath:

That by two immutable things, in which it is impossible for God to lie, we might have ... strong consolation, who have fled for refuge to lay hold upon the hope set before us:

May the Lord bless his Word, as we speak about ten or fifteen minutes on it, and see what ... when He leads us, what to do.

I was thinking on “Confirmation and Evidence.” It seems like that man always requires a confirmation, or some sort of an evidence; and so much more as this time of ... age of skeptics that we're living. Everything must be confirmed, it must be an evidence to it. And the evidence of the confirmation gives us the surety of what we are looking for.

When a man buys a car he must have a deed to that car. And though he has not the car sitting in his garage, if he has a deed it's a confirmation to him that he owns that car—because he has a deed, or the title.

And then, if we bought a piece of ground—though we have never seen the ground, know nothing about the ground—and yet we have an abstract deed to that ground, it belongs to us, whether we have seen it or not. It still belongs to us. The car belongs to us. Whether we have seen it or not, yet we have the title given to us, and we hold it in our possession, in our name, that that title shows us that we own that car. And the abstract deed tells us we own the property.

Now, in Hebrews we're taught, again, that the faith.... Hebrews 11: “Faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.” It is a substance. Now, it isn't a hope. Most people come with hope. But faith is the substance. It isn't something that you're hoping for. When faith has taken a hold, you have a substance, not just a myth. You've got a hold of something. You know it. Nothing shakes you from it. It's yours. You're positive. You have it in your hand. You've got it. It's your possession.

For instance, if I was starving for ... was dying of starvation, and a loaf of bread would save my life, and the purchase of a loaf of bread is twenty-five cents, and someone gave me the twenty-five cents, now, I can.... Just as much as I can see, and know that I hold that twenty-five cents, which is the buying power of the loaf of bread, I can be just as happy with the twenty-five cents as I could be with the loaf of bread, see, for I already have the purchasing power that buys the loaf of bread.

So that's the way faith is. Faith is something that you have. You know you got it. And when you receive faith that God is, then that God is going to give you this.... Yet your healing might not be there, but yet, something has anchored within you that tells you that it's going to be all right. Then you can be just as happy as you were ... you can be just as happy sitting in the wheelchair, as if you were out there on the street jumping up and down, shouting and running around praising God, because you've already got the evidence. It's already yours.

See, it isn't a myth. It isn't an imagination. It's a substance. And anything that's a substance isn't a myth. It's something that you actually have got a hold of it. Now there is where so many people fail to get healed. They have a hope instead of a faith. You hope that you will. You kind of have imaginary faith, because that you feel that you have appropriated that. But when actually you've got a hold of faith, it's a substance. It's something real. Then you hold that. That's what brings it.

Oh, I wish I could have that instantaneously faith that I'd like to have. I'm sorry I do not have it. The only way that I anchor great faith is when He tells me something to do, or shows me to do it.

If He would appear here on the platform tonight, and would say to me, “Go to the presidential graveyard. Tomorrow morning at ten o'clock call George Washington from the dead,” I'd invite the whole world to come watch it be done. Yes, sir. For I have faith in what has been told me, because never has He failed to confirm whatever He said to me. So I have faith in it, believing it, that it's the truth, because it's a built-up affair.

Down through life since a little boy, all the visions, of the thousands, not one of them has ever failed. Therefore, it's the truth. That gives me faith. I got faith in what He says.

Now, I've often wondered if sometimes I didn't go beyond the boundaries by saying, “God, give me faith to speak to this one, speak to that one, speak to that one.” Now we realize that our Lord Jesus, being Emmanuel, never did that, for He plainly said in St. John 5:19, “Verily, verily, I say unto you, the Son can do nothing in himself, but what he sees the Father doing [not hears the Father saying, but sees the Father doing]: that doeth the Son likewise.”

See, there's got to be something happen that makes you have this evidence, this confirmation. Now if God said, “It's going to be raining in the morning,” it wouldn't be hard for me to make ready for the rain, because I know it's going to rain. Now if we can change that around from seeing a vision, or hearing the audible voice of God.... But to change it around to.... The initial way of having faith is by hearing the written Word of God. Now, when God comes into our midst and proves Himself to us, in giving us the Holy Spirit, speaking with tongues and giving interpretation, sending gifts among us, like that; or prophecy that stands at a certain place and says a certain thing, and does a certain thing and proves it, time after time, that it never fails, that should build us into a place that would give us a hold on that Word that wouldn't let it loose. It ought to be a evidence right there. As long as God said so, that settles it, see.

I'm afraid that many times that we don't stop long enough to think of the position that we are in. Now, most of the people.... I'm sorry I said that. Many people in the outside world, they look upon a meeting of this type as some kind of a hocus-pocus something, not knowing what they're saying. And we will give credit to this: that there has been many false representations of this.

But before you can have a bogus dollar, there has to be a real dollar for that bogus to be made off of. If it isn't, then the bogus is the original, see. As sure as there is a false, there's got to be a real one that it's made off of. So there is a real Holy Spirit, a real divine healing, a real power of God, a real faith in the Word. And that is the confirmation, something that's anchored. How glorious! It confirms.

Man looks for that. It's the nature of man. God made man that way. That's the way God made up a man. Now, so therefore, making up a man with that kind of a make-up, God does something to answer to that man's desire. God is a good God, as Oral Roberts has often remarked. He's a good God, but don't take that too far now. He's a just God, too. He sure is. Don't take Him too good. Like someone ... the teenage boy said not long ago, “God's so good He don't care what I do.” Oh, yes, He does.

If disbelieving his Word, just misconstruing it one little iota, caused every heartache, every sickness, every death, every little baby crying, dying, every graveyard.... Because one person misbelieved just part of God's Word, it caused all of this trouble; don't think that we'll ever let one bit of it slip through again, and go in, disbelieving anything that God has promised.

Therefore, I may not have faith, as I said, to walk like Enoch did—take an afternoon stroll and go home with God—but I wish I had that faith. But I'll never stand in somebody else's way, and make fun of them that's got that kind of faith. I will admire them, a man that's got a hold of that faith.

Now, faith. God told Abraham here, give him a promise, and then God confirmed this promise to him—give him an evidence by taking an oath before him. And the immutable thing is that God cannot lie. And not only that, when He promised him, then beyond that He swore to it, God taking an oath to Himself. You've got to swear to someone greater than you, and there was no one to swear to greater than Himself. So, He swore to Himself. And the promise was unto Abraham and (and is a conjunction) to his seed after him. Not seeds; but his seed. And Christ is the seed of Abraham. And we being in Christ, the life of Christ in us makes us Abraham's children, and are heirs with him according to the promise.

And Abraham, after he had received the promise, staggered not at the promise by unbelieving, but was strong, giving glory to God, for twenty-five years. And it was an impossible thing, almost, when he received the promise, 'cause he was seventy-five, and Sarah, his wife, was sixty-five. She was probably five or ten years past menopause. And he was seventy-five, and he was constantly giving praise to God, continually.

I hope you don't think it's sacrilegious, but I can just imagine now, Sarah being past time of womanhood, and he'd say, “Sarah,” after the first twenty-eight days, “how you feeling, darling?”

“There's no difference.”

“Glory to God, we're going to have the baby, anyhow,” see.

And the next twenty-eight days, “Anything happen, honey?”

“Not a thing.”

“Glory to God, it'll be a greater miracle now 'cause ... than it did if it happened last month,” see. “We're going to have it.”

Because why? He believed God. He had a hold of something. He could take God at his word. A hold! He could hold to God's promise.

Now we notice, then, as the year passed, nothing happened. Two years, still, “Glory to God.” Sarah had the little booties made, and the little Birdseye, you know, and everything waiting. She was waiting because she knew that this baby was coming, 'cause God promised it.

And now we're supposed to be Abraham's seed, spiritually speaking, being in Christ. Now we should take a hold of every promise of God, and cherish it as though it was already done; for when God has spoken He can never take it back.

Now when God is brought to a decision.... And the decision that God makes the first time has to ever remain the same, because He is infinite. He's perfect, and his decisions are perfect. Therefore, He cannot say, “I said that last year, but I know more about it this year.” God is infinite God! He is perfect and every decision He makes is perfect. He never has to alter it, because it's perfect to begin with. He never has to take it back.

Therefore, I can make a promise. I don't know. I have to take it back. But God doesn't do that. And if God was called on the scene to heal a man that was sick, and the basis that God healed that man on, He's got to forever keep that same thing.

When a man was lost, there was only one way He made a preparation to save that man. And on the basis He saved him, it still remains today—the shed blood. To heal a man was by faith. And that's the only way He heals today, is by faith to believe his Word. That's exactly right.

Now. So, God after confirming.... I wish we had time, but I made a promise. After God gave Abraham the promise, then He confirmed it to him by giving him circumcision. It was a sign, and it was in his flesh.

And now, I'm speaking to a mixed audience, but you regard me as your brother. Now, when Abraham's getting old and the Bible said that his body was as good as dead, he could look down to this sign in his flesh, and know that it was God's token that He'd keep his word! Circumcision. Look at that evidence, say, “God made the promise.”

Sarah'd say, “But I'm ninety, and I'm far past any act of life.”

But then Abraham could turn and look at the evidence that God said, “This is a token.” And Abraham could give glory to God and be stronger than ever, because it was a token, a confirmation that God was going to grant it to him.

Now, He also promised that his children would sojourn, and be in a strange land for four hundred years. And they were in this land for four hundred years—slaves, like dogs! Seemingly, God had turned his back! But it was according to his promise. He must keep his promise.

If they wanted to take one of those young Hebrew girls and ravish her, those Egyptian soldiers, they just did it. If they wanted to kill one of the sons, they just killed him. They'd throw out to him old molded bread, and they'd eat it or died. And they just slaves, and they were burdened and beat down. And it seemed strange that God would permit a thing like that. But sometimes God does those things, acts in peculiar ways. But He always keeps his Word.

And when the time of the promise drew nigh, there came down out of the wilderness a prophet with “Thus saith the Lord,” a pillar of fire circling him. And he come down and gave them the Word of the Lord, that He'd heard their cries, and remembered his promise—and each of those circumcised.

Now, He'd remembered his promise. And so He told them that there was a land where they could raise their children. It was a beautiful land. It was a good land flowing with milk and honey, and there was no need of anything there. It was a precious land. Remember, none of them had ever been there. They knowed nothing of the land. But they had to act by faith to the promise, and they acted by faith. And they left Egypt under the leadership of God, and his prophet that was telling them of a better land.

So they come up out of Egypt, and they came to a place called Kadesh-barnea. I believe it was along there that Joshua, a great warrior among them, went over to spy out the land. He crossed Jordan, and went over to the other land, and came back with the evidence that the land was good, that God's word was perfect, his promises was true! And he had the evidence, the confirmation that the land was there! He had a hold of something, that the land was exactly what God promised it to be. Two men was packing a bunch of grapes. The people could taste of it and see that the land was good. It was a confirmation that God had kept his promise.

Then Israel crossed the Jordan and went into the promised land, and Joshua divided up the land for them. They were in peace. They were a nation. They had their churches. They planted their crops. They raised their children. They took them to church. And they lived happy! And God put fear in all the other nations of them, and they were a great people.

But finally, after so many years, they started making graveyards over there, because the old warriors of faith finally had to come down to the end of the road and die. And begin to come tombstones, and headmarkers, graveyards planted in this glorious land that God had promised them. They had to die, regardless of the good land they were in, the good fruits they were eating. But they had to die.

Then one day, down come the great chief captain, the Lord Jesus, and He began to tell them of another land. “In my Father's house is many mansions: if it was not so, I would have told you. And I'll go and prepare a place for you, and come again to receive you unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be also.” Other words, like this: “You have been loyal to the cause, but you have to die. But there is a land that a man lives and don't die. There is life after death.” What a promise to the people. It was astounding, and astonished many.

But He came to his Kadesh-barnea. The judgment seat was Kadesh-barnea. And He came to Kadesh-barnea—Calvary, where upon Him bore the.... He bore the sins of the world at Calvary.

But He crossed also the Jordan, that we call the Jordan of death. He went over into the other land, and was dead for three days and nights. He died till the sun quit shining. He died till the earth had a nervous breakdown. It shook the rocks out of the mountains. He died! And on the third day He rose back again, with the evidence that there is a land where a man can live, and not die. He returned back from that land. There is life after death!

Now, He says to his disciples, “I'm going to give you the earnest of this. I'm going to give you the confirmation of this,” as they did to Abraham with circumcision. “But wait up there at Jerusalem, until you have got the confirmation, until you have the evidence.” And they waited. And on the tenth day there came a sound from heaven like a rushing mighty wind, that filled all the building where they were sitting. And they were all filled with the Holy Ghost. Tongues of fire sat upon them, and they were all filled and began to speak with other languages as the Spirit gave them utterance.

What was it? It was the evidence that our Joshua, Jehovah-saviour, had returned from the dead and given us a evidence that when we die we live again on the other side—confirmation, confirming, giving the evidence of it.

And now, today, after two thousand years, we still can look back, and we can see where we once were: down in the muck of sin. And sin is unbelief. That's the original and only sin.

A man said not long ago ... I beg your pardon, it was a woman. I was preaching in a Methodist church. And I said, “Drinking is not a sin, committing adultery is not a sin, lying and stealing is not a sin.” And it was just too much for one precious old sister. And she raised up and said, “I pray you, tell me what is sin?”

I said, “Unbelief.” You do those things because you do not believe. If you believed, well, then, you wouldn't do them. It's the attributes of unbelief. And righteousness is a attribute of faith, because you anchored in that faith. Confirmation. Evidence.

Now, look back where you once were. Now look where you've raised up to now. Then you died with Christ. You were buried in his name. You raised with Him in resurrection. Spiritually tonight, according to the Word, we are now risen with Him, sitting in heavenly places in Christ Jesus, with every conquered devil under the feet of Him—sitting in the living presence of the Lord Jesus.

Oh, if that oughtn't to give you a hold on something: to see Him with that same evidence, that same faith that was once delivered to the saints, now in operation doing the same things today that it always did. See the appearing of the Lord Jesus among us; and looking back, and see where we once were, and now where we are now. We were dead then, and now we're alive. And as sure as we are dead and buried with Him, we've raised with Him in the resurrection, for we've raised up from down there. Amen!

Now I feel religious.

Why? We are dead. And our lives is hid in God through Christ and sealed by the Holy Ghost. I look back and see where I once was. That William Branham died thirty-two years ago. And now we are a new creation in Christ, already raised with Him and sitting with Him now, in heavenly places, with the authority of his promised Word that every devil shall be subject to us, and nothing stand in the way. “In my name they shall cast out devils, and speak with new tongues, take up serpents, drink deadly things, lay hands on the sick, and they shall recover.”

That's his promise. Here's a confirmation of his promise. Oh, let us confess our weakness, and God give us strength and faith in the very living presence of Jesus Christ here tonight, the Son of God.

I stood with two of my friends here in February, when we were out into Arizona, and we were out at the mountains. Been out there hunting for a few days after the meetings. And we seen two stars, how close they were, and I said, “Perhaps that they are many millions of light years away from one another, farther than we are from them.” And I said, “To think that the God who made the universe, the God who made the solar system, who made the heavens and the earth, and created them by his spoken word....”

Remember, a word is a thought expressed. God thought it. Then when He expressed it, it had to happen, for the world was framed by the word of God. And things were made out of things that do not appear. It was God's word! He thought it, and He spoke it, and it has to come to pass. It's a seed that's growing and, marvelously, that has to bring forth its season.

We can take his Word, and see that He promised in the last days that He'd draw this people out; and do the very same thing He did, like He did in the days of Sodom. And we look at it and see these things. We ought to take a hold of the promise of God, and come to Him, seeing that we've anchored our souls in this haven of rest. Let us bow our heads.

Lord Jesus, confirmation. How we thank Thee for the presence of the divine One tonight. If the people could only realize their authority in Him, oh, how great it would be, Lord, if they could only believe it, have faith. May they, tonight, take a hold of that faith. They've been taught it, they've been preached ... it's been preached to them, rather. And they have read it out of the Bible. They have seen others who appropriated it.

O great God Jehovah, the mighty One who was made flesh and dwelt among us, now You're made flesh in our flesh by the Holy Spirit here tonight, quickening the Word and quickening the promises that You have spoken. Grant, tonight, that every believer might see it and be healed; and every unbeliever might have their eyes opened to the presence of Jesus Christ, and a confirmation of your resurrection.

And the God that Joshua, our Joshua of the other land, who came to us and met his Kadesh-barnea for all of us.... And our Kadesh-barnea was there at the altar one night. Now we are reckoned dead, and our lives are hid in Him, raised with Him in resurrection, sitting at his right hand today in heavenly places. Grant, Lord, that the people's understanding may be opened. And we'll give Thee praise, in Jesus' name.

Now with our heads bowed just a moment, I'm going to ask the question solemn now. Our time is running out. I want to ask a solemn question, and I want you to give it from the bottom of your heart. I charge thee before God that you will.

If you have not yet accepted this promise of eternal life, and you've got the perfect assurance and the working of the Holy Spirit in your life, and you would like to have it, would you just ... with your heads bowed, everyone, just raise up your hand. Say, “Pray for me, Brother Branham. I want that in my life.” God bless you. God bless you, lady, bless you.

All right. Someone else now, while we're waiting? Say, “Brother Branham, pray for me. I wish I had that confirmation in my heart; that I'm anchored in Christ, all my sins are under the blood, and I have peace that passes understanding, and I know that I'm alive in Christ. I wish I could say that, Brother Branham. Will you pray for me?” Was there any that has not put up their hands would put up their hands now? God bless you, and you.

Praise the Lord. That's good. All right. Just keep putting up your hands. I see them way back in the back. Just waiting. Preachers, everybody, pray now. God bless you. He sees you. He sees your decision. He sees you. Just keep praying. He sees you. He's watching. Way back, I see it, sonny boy. God bless you back there. This over here, just keep praying. All right.

Our heavenly Father, You've seen their hands go up. According to scientific rule, they defied science right then, 'cause according to science their hands must hang down. Gravitation holds it there. But there was a spirit in them who made a decision. They raised their hands. They were ready. They knowed that there was something speaking to them that was immortal, the God of heaven. And they knew they wasn't right, and they wanted to be right. They raised their hands, they believed it. Now, Father, I pray that You'll deal with them now. In the name of Jesus Christ, amen.

How many in the building just now.... I started to make an altar call, but the Holy Spirit stopped me. That's a strange thing. Sure is. There's something else. He said, “You haven't give the presence of my ... my confirmation of my presence yet.”

How many people in here that does not have a prayer card? You do not have a prayer card, and you believe Jesus Christ, the Son of God, that is here now, is with us. Raise your hands. All of you. Just everywhere. Thank you. Just a moment. A little later. You just pray and ask God, “Lord, I believe that the Scripture tells me.... My pastor has read it to me and he's preached on it. I've heard others. And they tell me that You are a high priest that can be touched by the feeling of our infirmity. Now they say You're the same yesterday, today, and forever.

“Lord, I am coming. I'm sick. I wasn't here to get a prayer card, and I'm going to touch You, Lord. And now if Brother Branham has told us the truth—he doesn't know me, or know nothing about me—I want You to speak through his lips like You did through Christ's lips that day and ... like He told the woman about her blood issue.”

And you just touch Him. And now I feel in myself.... It's a gift, and I feel ... it's just like pulling into a gear.

And now, if you will believe Him and ask Him, God will grant it to you. And if He will do that by his grace tonight, we can go home and say, “Truly the Lord is risen,” like those who came from Emmaus. “And I have a confirmation, now, that.... He promised that 'the works that I do, shall ye do also,' the very same kind of works that we spoke of last night. And He's the same yesterday, today and forever, and the Scriptures are confirmed.

“And we know assuredly that we're living in the day like Sodom and Gomorrah, for we see the evangelists in the world; and we are taught that the elect church is a pulled-out church, and separated from the world, or the things of the world. And I seen that same sign that He gave there, before the burning of Sodom, and it's a promise that He's going to burn the world pretty soon.”

And then if God will do that, all you that's in Sodom flee as hard as you can. Come out to the church! “How is...? What church?” The new born babes in Christ. There's only one church. You don't join it, you're borned into it. It's a new birth. May God answer prayer.

Now let's take just rows, and let Him speak by rows. All along through there now, that doesn't have a prayer card.... Now, if you got a prayer card, don't raise your hand. The ones without a prayer card, anywhere in this right hand row, raise up your hand, say, “Brother Branham, I'm praying.” If it's not for yourself, pray for somebody else, anything you want to. Just have a request. Pray. All right. God bless you.

Now look this a-way and say in your heart, “Lord Jesus, I believe your Word.” And the Bible says, in Hebrews the 4th chapter.... Now we know before we say this, that Jesus was the Word of God made flesh. Is that right? The Bible says in Hebrews 4, that the word of God is sharper than a two-edged sword, dividing asunder the marrow of the bone, and a discerner of the thoughts of the heart.

That's the reason He could look upon them, and say, “Thy faith has saved thee.” He caught it. That's the Word! “And if ye abide in me, and my word in you....” Don't get some denominational man-made doctrine mixed up in you. Stay pure unadulterated with the Word. “If ye abide in me and my word in you, ask what you will...,” for the Word is a discerner of the thoughts of the heart. Just believe now. Have faith. See if He confirms what I've said to be the truth.

Just be reverent a moment. Preaching ... and then, I was going to make an altar call. But He just wanted to call me to do this, so surely He'll help me.

Yes. There it is. That lady sitting right back there, kind of a orange-red dress on, praying for her mother, she's nodding her head this a-way. She has dark hair. Raise up just a minute, lady. Yes. Have you a prayer card? You do not. A real strange thing happened to you just a moment ago. You felt real ... like something real humble and sweet around you. I'm looking directly at that pillar of fire, right over where that woman's standing.

She's praying for her mother. Her mother isn't here. Do you believe God can tell me what's wrong with your mother? Would you believe, then, with all your heart? She has heart trouble. If that's right, raise up your hand. Now when you go, find her well. Amen. Do you believe?

Now in this row. Pray, and say, “Lord God, that little preacher standing there doesn't know me, but You know me. And I'm touching your garment. Let me, Lord, let me.”

Here ... right over a colored man sitting out here on the end of the row. He's facing an operation. You, sir. Have you a prayer card? You don't. You don't need one. A bladder trouble. You believe that God can heal that bladder trouble? Do you believe me... ? There's a fine spirit right there.

Do you believe me to be God's prophet, or his servant? Excuse me, that stumbles people. Do you believe it? With all your heart? Thank you, sir. That's the way to believe on them that God sent. If you want to prosper, you know what He said do. Mr. Benton, that's your name. You're not from here. You're from a city called Compton. If you'll believe with all your heart, it's over. God bless you.

Do you believe? Right straight back the line is a lady. She's praying for a loved one, and the loved one has a stroke. It's an elderly man. The lady, Mrs. Dawson, believe. Have you a prayer card, lady? You do not. I do not know you. You're a stranger to me, but you're praying for a loved one, and that loved one has a stroke. It's a grandfather. And he doesn't live here. He lives at a place called Bakersfield, and he is a minister of the gospel. That's “Thus saith the Lord!”

Do you believe? Have faith now. This lady sitting here praying, that's got heart trouble, sitting right back there looking at me, do you believe that God'll make you well, lady? The gray-headed lady, shaking her head, right straight over here. All right, you, yes. You believe that God'll make you well? Have you a prayer card? You do not. You don't need it. Your heart trouble has left you now.

Now look, you continue on. Now if you lose the faith.... You feel all right, right now. The faith that can make you feel all right, right now, can keep you that way as long as you keep that faith. Don't you doubt it. Amen.

It sits right here over this lady in this ... just behind the lady in the wheelchair. It's a woman back there.... yes, the lady sitting there praying for her mother, that's sitting next to her there. You're praying for her. Do you believe that God can tell me what's wrong with her? Will you...? Have you a prayer card? You do not. All right. If you believe that Bright's disease will leave her, it will leave her. Lay your hand over on her, and believe with all your heart, and she'll get well. Don't you doubt!

Oh! He is the rose of Sharon, the lily of the valley, the confirmation that He's alive forevermore. Do you believe it? Would you like to come at this time, as an invitation? All ... every soul of sin oppressed, will you come now and stand here? If He will let me know what the people's troubles and all about these things....

He tells me now, there's people in here that ought to come, and surrender their life to Him. Will you come? Raise right up out of your seat, you that raised your hand. Come right here and stand. You that's never been borned again, know nothing about God and these things, will you come now? In his presence, if you believe that this is the Holy Spirit, come now while we stand and sing some hymn, whatever you have chosen. Anything.

And while we stand and sing this song, I want you to come right now, before we go on with the prayer service. Let's have this over, 'cause something said just then, “Make your altar call now! You preached on confirmation, and here you are.... I've confirmed that I'm here!” Amen.

If you can't see that, friends, you're blind. There's something wrong. You're without hope, when God's doing a thing like that. How many believes He's here? How many believes it's Him? I'm positive, with all my heart, with my Bible, Jesus Christ, the Son of God, the great I AM (not I was, I AM), is here performing in the flesh of these people the same thing He did when He was in human flesh on this earth. Hallelujah! I believe it with all my heart. Do you believe the same thing?

While we all stand, come this way everyone, I'd like to shake your hand, stand here and touch you. And if you want to find Christ, ask forgiveness of your sins.

I surrender all,

I surrender all,

All to Thee, my blessed Saviour,

I surrender all.

That's right. Come right out, come down this way.

I surrender all,

I surrender all,

All to Thee, my blessed Saviour,

I surrender all.

Just a moment. A rebuke of the Holy Spirit: when some two hundred hands or better went up a few moments ago, and when I made the altar call, about three hundred went out the door, going the other way, and a little boy, two of them, has come and knelt down here by the side. Talk about a Sodom and Gomorrah! Talk about a day of judgment at hand, when God in his mercy, showing everything that He can do, and people so gospel-hardened till they walk right out in the face of the Holy Ghost.

Say, “Them wasn't people....” Yes. It was people ... should've come. If I know what this is, I know what that was. Yes, sir. The Holy Spirit was terrifically grieved. And you may have done it your last time. I hope not. But you may have done it your last time. This is of the Lord. And just remember, I'm not a quack, I'm not a fanatic. I know exactly where I am, and what I'm talking about.

No wonder we can't have the revivals. No wonder Los Angeles, and the rest of the world, is on its road to hell. No wonder you're ripening for an atomic bomb. You little children, nestle down by the side of the cross and stay there!

The hour's at hand. I went into Bombay, India, here not long ago. I picked up a paper, said, “The sign of the earthquake is over.” Two or three days before the earthquake come, all the little birds flew away from their nests in the rock walls. All the sheep and cattle that stood around the sides of the walls, they all went out in the field, and stood around holding against one another, kind of leaning like this, against one another, making shade for each other.

Why? There was an instinct. Something told them that there was an earthquake coming. The earthquake shook those walls down. If they'd have stayed in there, they would have perished. But now, after the earthquake was over, they come back to the walls again that were standing up.

Now, let me tell you, friends. That God of Moses who could take them in the Ark, could take them away from them walls. And if God by instinct in a bird, could call it from danger, how much more ought it to call human beings, who are inspired by the Holy Ghost? What an evil thing! What an adulterous generation! What an evil place that we're living in. What a sinful, ungodly nation that we have. God-forsaken, God-hating, sign seekers, bandwagon riders, impersonators, carnal comparisons. Let up with a bunch of nothing, coming to the end of the road. I speak that in the name of the Lord. Once more I'll call. It's up to you to answer. All right.

I surrender all,

(Come, sinner, in the presence of God.)

I surrender all,

All to Thee, my blessed Saviour,

I surrender all.

I surrender all (I surrender all),

I surrender all (I surrender all),

All to Thee, my blessed Saviour,

I surrender all.

Remember, some day I'll stand in your presence in the face of God, when this generation comes up. I offer you tonight freedom from your sins through Jesus Christ. I offer you peace that passes understanding. I offer you the baptism of the Holy Ghost, if you'll follow the directions of God's Bible. Won't you come, receive it?

While the ministers go down, if they will, around these people....

I surrender all,

I surrender all,

All to Thee, my blessed Saviour,

I surrender all.

I surrender all (I surrender all),

I surrender all (I surrender all),

All to Thee, my blessed Saviour,

I surrender all.

Let's get our hands up now, and praise God, every one of us. Surrender your life.

Lord Jesus, receive our offering, Lord. These people that's on the altar, receive them, in the name of Jesus Christ.