A Greater Than Solomon Is Here

God bless you. Anyone that couldn't preach behind that wouldn't be called a preacher, would they? Wonderful, beautiful, well done. Certainly appreciate that in my lovely brother. I was just inquiring about him, how close he was for the next meeting. I think he's from (I didn't get it just right), from another province, or something. But that's really fine. So thankful that God has given this brother this lovely talent to sing his praises. You know, it all goes to make the gospel. I was preaching the other day, down in the States there, on four ways of seeing God. You know... and there's a thousand ways of seeing God, if you just look around. He's everywhere.

Now, we're sorry that we kept you so late last night, when you was awful hot in here. Some of the friends that was with me said, “Whew!” They was just fanning away. So then someone said, “That doesn't bother the Indians though.” Said, “They stay right there all night, testify the rest of the night.” So I'm grateful. Maybe when I go, just get up and start testifying, telling about what the Lord did for you.

How many of you ever hear of Tommy Osborn? He's a very precious friend of mine, and he goes to the old country much, over across the seas, a missionary. And he said one time... I was going to... I was on my road to South Africa, and he came to the meeting. And when I walked out on the stage at New York City, that place where they do all that wrestling, the big arena there... And the place was packed out and jammed together.

And I was walking out across the stage, and Tommy come running over and grabbed me around the waist and started hugging me. And I said, “Tommy, what you doing way up here?”

“Just say farewell to you, and ask God's blessings on you while you're gone overseas.” He's one of my converts to Christ in the healing ministry. And he said...

And I said, “I guess you're wore out, Tommy.” He'd been preaching so much.

Said, “No. I don't have any discernment, and have to get wore out.” Said, “You know what I do? I just stand there for fifteen minutes, and tie the devil up in a knot with the Word.” Said, “He can't get out of it. Then I have them pray for one another, and then I get me a chair and sit down, and listen to them testify till daylight,” he said. Said, “One will get up and testify and tells what God did for him, and that makes the other one believe, and he gets up and testifies. And while he's testifying another one's getting up.” And said, “I just sit there, and clap my hands and have a good time.”

Oh, my! It's wonderful to see how God has his different ministries, you see, how He works it. This lovely brother here singing, that's a ministry of song. And others has a ministry. See, God has set in the church predestined gifts. One of them is... first is apostles, prophets, teachers, pastors, and evangelists.

Now, apostles is actually what we would call today... we give them a new name, missionary. A missionary is an apostle. Now the word “missionary” means one that is sent. And the apostle means one that is sent, the same thing. But how they ever wanted to be called apostles... or missionaries instead of apostles, I don't know. But a missionary must have the call of God, and sent of God—one sent.

A prophet is a seer who sees the people's hearts, and foretells the things that's coming to pass. And now, there's a gift of prophecy. That's in the church with the local members. It falls upon any of them. They give a prophecy. Then it cannot be received to the church until it's been judged by two or three witnesses. And then, they have to put their seal on that, to say it's of God. Then they have to watch to see if it happens. Then it may never fall on that brother or sister again. It may be on another one the next... That's a gift of prophecy.

But a prophet, p-r-o-p-h-e-t, is borned a prophet, always, from... Was ordained that before the world ever even began, see. Now you take like Jesus Christ, the King of prophets. He was, from the garden of Eden, the seed of the woman, prophet. And Moses was borned a proper child, a prophet. John the Baptist—why, Isaiah saw him 712 years before he was born, and said he was the “voice of one crying in the wilderness,” 712 years before he was born. Jeremiah—God said before he was even formed in his mother's womb that He knew him, and sanctified him, and ordained him a prophet to the nations, see.

Prophets have the Word of God, and are borned a prophet. A gift of prophecy is different. That's a gift. Now there's nine... there's five ordained gifts in the church—apostles, prophets, teachers, pastors, evangelists. Now that is the five gifts that God places in the church by his foreknowledge.

Then there's nine gifts that's locally in the church—speaking in tongues, interpretation of tongues, and gifts of wisdom, and knowledge, and prophecy, and so forth. Them's nine spiritual gifts that operates through the church. But then there's five office gifts that God puts in the church. And, oh, how we love to see them all operating in the...

One of them is the pastor, teacher, and those things. Then the others comes along in confirmation. Gifts are to magnify. God's just got it so even a fool will not be excused, will he? It's so simple the way God has made them. I like that.

The more simpler you become, the greater you'll become before God. That's right. Don't never try to lift yourself up. When you do, you're bringing yourself down, see. He that exalts himself shall be abased.

Not long ago I was... Am I doing something wrong here, brother? Oh, thank you. Thank you. I probably wasn't sounding right, back there.

There was... recently I was in... the people had sent me a letter to come to a great rally in a great city in United States—Chicago—to a Pentecostal rally. Well, I couldn't go anyhow, but I hadn't answered the letter back, and the man that was in charge sent me word, “Don't you come.”

“Well,” I thought, “that's all right.”

So then they got some great minister that had a great name, and my, how... it was some big Bible school teacher. And when the man come up that night, he had a great big book. It had pages, and he gave that intellectual talk as he read it from the pages, and turned it back—a very fine intellectual talk, see.

But the saints of God just sat still. It wasn't going over. He knew it. When he got up, chest swelled out, collar turned around, you know, and all this to-do. And he found out that that didn't go with the people of God. And when he seen it didn't go... So he just closed up his books, and walked back down with his head down, real humbly walking away.

There was an old saint sitting back in the corner, punched the other one, and said, “If he would have went up the way he come down, he'd have come down the way he went up.” That's about right. Humble ourselves before the Lord. That's the way to do it.

And I was just thinking... When I was sitting out there (drove up and listening to Brother Borders finish up his message), I was thinking about my Indian brethren. I hope this is all right. I remember in Phoenix, Arizona, we had a circus tent and I was having a meeting there. And there was an Indian came in from... I think he was a Navaho. And he come in... very typical Navaho, you know, with a blue band wrapped around his head, and scarlet shirt on. And he didn't sit down in the seat. He just sat right down on the floor, see.

And so, Billy had been giving out those prayer cards, and coming down, mixing them up and handing them out to the people. And when people come up on the platform with a toothache, and the other one had... Maybe he had a... you know, a tummy-ache or something another, some little minor something.

And I said to Billy, I said, “Son, quit giving them cards out to them people with nothing but just toothaches when there's people sitting there with cancer, dying. They must get on the platform. Ask the people what's wrong with them, and then give them a prayer card. Somebody... get something up there that's dying, 'cause they just got one more night, and we got to close. And there's about five thousand people there to be prayed for, and they're real sick.

So Billy got up on the microphone. He said, “Daddy said just give these cards to people that was really sick.” Said, “Now when I give them out to you, you tell me what's wrong with you and I'll give you a card.” And he said, “Just people that's got toothaches, and so forth, and things like that, having little headaches, 'course, that's a big problem to them; but it ain't a problem like a man dying, and heart trouble, or something real bad.”

So, I'm going to call him Chief. He was sitting over in a corner, on the dust on the floor, and he walked up to Billy, patted him on the back, held out his hand.

Billy said, “Chief, what's wrong?” Said, “Daddy told me to ask what was wrong with the people.”

He said, “Me sick.”

He said, “How are you sick, Chief?”

He said, “Me sick.”

Billy said, “Well, I don't know what to do.” He said, “All right. You sit down. I'll get to you in a few minutes.”

He watched him, them little eyes watching. When that little bunch of cards got pretty low, walked up and tapped him again. He said, “Me sick.”

And so, Billy said, “Chief,” said, “you'll have to tell me what's wrong with you. Daddy said just to give these cards to people that was real sick. What's wrong with you? How are you sick?”

He said, “Me sick.”

Billy said, “All right, Chief. You take this and write on it 'Me sick.' ”

So it happened to be, he got in the prayer line the next night, the following night. So he come up there. 'Course the Lord begin to speak, telling him what was wrong, and so forth.

And so I said, “Chief,” I said, “do you believe the Lord'll heal you?” He looked at me. I seen he didn't get it very good. I said, “Do you believe the Lord'll heal you?”

He said, “That right.”

And I said, “Will you be a good boy afterwards?”

He said, “That right.” Everything I said to him, he said, “That right.”

Come to find out, there was only two words he could say. He had learned that—“Me sick” and “That right.” I met him about, oh, six or eight months later down there. I said, “There's that Indian brother.” I went over to him. I said, “How are you, fellow?”, like that.

He said, “That right.”

Some one in the missionary out there said he was healed, see. He was healed. That's all he knowed. “That right.” That's all you have to know. “That's right.” So we are very grateful for that simple faith. The only thing you have to know is, “That's right,” when we talk about the Bible. That's right.

A Chinaman one time (There may be some Chinese here tonight), he said, “You Americans don't read right.” He said, “You all read across the page like this.” Said, “I am going to read John 3:16 for you.” He said, “You say, 'God so loved the world, He gave his only begotten son... whosoever believeth on Him shall not perish.' ” Said, “You're saying, 'No, no, no.'” And said, “We Chinese, we read up and down the page, 'God so loved the world, He gave his only begotten son.' ” That right. That right.

Traveling around meeting different people in different nations, it's amazing but to find out all God's children are wonderful people. No matter what language, what they are, they're all God's children, and very sweet. And I love them all. Norwegians, Swedes and Finns... In Finland, that's where the little boy was raised from the dead. You probably read the story there.

And that's five straight times, by doctor's examination that five people, being dead, being... by the grace of God, through a vision called their life back to them again. And that's signed doctor's statements, you see. You read that in the “Christian Businessmen” not long ago about the little Mexican baby?

Now that... you see, before you put anything in print you've got to be able to prove it, see. You can say it. That's all right, 'cause you can deny it. But when you put it in print, you better have it right. And so this little Mexican baby, the doctor signed that it had died that morning, down in Mexico there. There was thousands. Well, one altar call produced 20,000 people at one time. And this little Mexican baby...

Now, they were all Catholic, and they were... Oh, it's such a... just... they come there at nine o'clock at morning, and wait till I got there at nine that night, waiting for us to come. And I come on the platform. Been raining all day, just pouring down, and they stood right there, right in that rain.

Night before that there was an old Mexican brother come across the platform, no shoes on, trousers all ragged, an old hat sewed up with twine cord. And he was coming across the platform, shaking, like that. He reached in his pocket and got out some beads to say a “Hail Mary.” And I said “That's not necessary.” The interpreter, Brother Espinoza... some of you Assembly of God people would know Espinoza. He's with... And so, he was my interpreter. And I said, “That's not necessary.”

So he come up, and I looked. And there I was, standing there with a good pair of shoes on, nice suit somebody give me; and there that poor old brother was—didn't have no shoes, didn't have no suit. His coat was ragged, no shirt at all, dusty. Probably the old fellow never had a good meal in his life. And I just got through eating a fine meal.

Remember, he's a man that Christ died for, same as me or anybody else. Got just as much right as I have. Probably a bunch of little kiddies at home—or maybe young folks then, 'cause he'd have been about the age of my father—and there was totally blind.

And I put my foot up side of him. The congregation couldn't see. Oh, the platform was about as long as this building is across, and I put my shoe up side of his foot to see if it would fit him. I'd give him my shoes. And I thought that... and his feet was much larger.

Then I tried my shoulders to his shoulders. My coat wouldn't fit him. I thought, “O God, there he is.” And I seen his gray hair hanging down, his eyes white. I thought, “If I could only help him some way.” You've got to feel for people, or you can't do no good when you pray for them. You've got to feel for them. I thought, “What if my daddy would've lived? He'd have been about that age.” He was probably somebody's daddy. And I thought...

And then, just think that Satan has been so evil to him. Nature has got him in the condition he's in probably, in this poverty-stricken... And here he don't even have eyesight to see to get around.

I put my arm around the old fellow, and I said, “Heavenly Father, I pray for this dear old man.” I looked at him standing out here in a vision in front of me, looking right at me. Oh, my! There ain't nothing going to stop that, when that vision comes. Yes, sir.

I seen he could see. I just pulled him away from me like that, and he hollered, “Gloria a Dios!” That means “Glory to God.” There he could see as good as I could. And the next night there was a pile of old shawls and hats that was about three foot high and about fifteen, twenty yards long (How they'd ever know who it belonged to, I don't know.), just piled together to be prayed over.

When I got to the platform, Billy, my son, said to me... We had just started preaching. Brother Espinoza... I walked up. We had three nights, all we could be there. I said, “Now, I'm going to speak tonight, as I did last evening, telling you all what Jesus was; and you seen Him here go out through the congregation. You seen Him restore sight to the blind. Look, laying there. What a pile of old crutches, and chairs, and things that the people sat in!”

I said, “It goes to show that their faith in the risen Lord has did this.” And I said, “Now, faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.”

And Billy come to me and said, “Daddy, I've got almost three hundred ushers on this side.” And he said, “They can't hold a little woman.” And said, “She's just about so high, young woman.” Said, “She's got a dead baby, and she's been standing in that rain out there.” And said, “Mañana never give her...”

Mañana. The word “Mañana” means “tomorrow,” and he was so slow till I called him “tomorrow.” He was supposed to come after me... They'd say at five o'clock, and he'd get there about eight-thirty, or nine, see. And I called him Mañana.

He said... He was giving out prayer cards. Billy just had to watch that he didn't sell one, you see. That's what we have to watch, not... A person giving out prayer cards has a responsible job, and that's the reason I have my own son giving them out, 'cause people... could be something done bad. And so then, he just watched him, and he give out the prayer cards.

And said, “He's give out all the prayer cards, and this little woman didn't get one.” And said, “Them people has been standing” just as far as you could see around that big bull ring there, with a... Been standing there all day, since eight or nine o'clock that morning when they opened the gates, and this was about nine-thirty that night, maybe quarter to ten.

And said, “And that little woman has climbed through them ushers. She's got a dead baby wrapped up in a blanket. She wants you to pray for it.” And said, “She climbs over the top of their shoulders, runs between their legs.” And said, “We just have to get back there, and kick her off the platform, see, 'cause I can't let her up here without a prayer card; 'cause it'll cause a riot, you see; 'cause them people's stood there that long waiting for a prayer card.”

And brother Jack Moore (many of you all may know him, from Shreveport, Louisiana), somebody might have heard him. He's a very fine man. He was on the platform. And I said, “Brother Moore, that woman wouldn't know me. Go over and pray for the baby, wherever it is over there, and she'll never know the difference.”

He said, “Okay, Brother Branham.”

He started off, and I said, “Now, Brother Espinoza, interpret.” I said, “As I was saying, Faith is the substance of things hoped for, the...” And looked, and right here in front of me was a little Mexican baby sitting there. It was a little dark brown face, and it was laughing at me. It didn't have any teeth, just its little gums showing, right here in front of me.

I thought, “Wonder if that's that baby.” And I stopped. I said, “Don't interpret.” I said, “Brother Moore, wait a minute.” I said, “Billy, make a way, and bring that woman up here to the platform.”

And so they brought the little woman up, and she come up.

She fell down on her knees, begin to holler, “Padre, Padre.” That means “Father.” She was Catholic, see. “Padre, Padre.”

And I took her by the hand. I said, “Stand up. Stand up.” And she held her little stiff baby out, about this long, under a blanket, just soaking wet. Oh, it was just pouring rain all day, and it was real wet. And I said, “Know English?”

And she just kept saying, “Padre, Padre.” And Brother Espinoza told her to keep quiet.

And so, I put my hand on the little blanket like that, and the little stiff, cold, form. I said, “Heavenly Father, I know You don't have to heal to prove Yourself. You heal to fulfill your Word.” I said, “We all know that You're God, but just a moment ago a vision came before me, as You know—a little baby. Was it this baby, Father? If it wasn't...”

About that time it went “Waa! Waa!” and began to kick its little feet like that, and there it was alive.

So I said to Brother Espinoza, I said... And she just started screaming, and fell backwards like that. And so, I said... Beautiful little lady, just a little thing, about maybe in her twenties, probably her first baby.

And so, I said to Brother Espinoza, “Now don't you say nothing about that, now, see. Because, first thing, put a runner with the baby, and find out... Let her doctor sign the statement, see, 'cause we don't want nothing...” It must be true, see. You don't want nothing... Someone reads anything, you want it to be the truth. It mustn't be something wrong, because that wouldn't be right before God.

And so... went, and the doctor signed the statement that the baby died with pneumonia that morning at nine o'clock in his office. And that was at ten, about ten o'clock that night. Been dead all that time, and lives in Mexico today, healthy and happy, see, because Christ lives. Christ lives. And what does it take? Simple faith.

I said to your pastor, Brother Eddie Byskal, I said to him tonight, or this afternoon when I was speaking with him, I said, “It's just too bad that we didn't have the full six weeks we've been coming up the coast to be right in here amongst the people.”

He said, “Brother Branham,” said, “that's not one third of the Indians.” He said, “They are commercial fishermen, and they're all out in these islands, and out through here.”

I said, “Oh, my. How I would like to get in a little boat, and go from island to island among them.” Not only that, but I noticed last night in the meeting, some of you Swedes, and Norwegians, and Germans sitting back there, Canadians—wonderful faith. God bless you. You're wonderful people. We have a great Saviour that loves us all. And I am here...

I could not heal you. If I could heal you, I'd do it. You know I'd do that. If I could take... if to heal you... if I could take a quarter, twenty-five cents, and lay it on the ground and push it up and down this street all day long with my nose, and then see you get healed, I'd do it. God knows my heart. Here's the Bible. And that's right. I'd do it. But that wouldn't do no good, see. But, and now if somebody ever comes by and says, “I can heal you,” don't you believe that, see, because even medicine don't heal. God's the only healer there is. “I'm the Lord thy God that heals all thy diseases.”

When this little Canadian, Donny Martin... You read the story in “Reader's Digest,” when they brought him all the way down there—so spastic and drawed that John Hopkins, Mayo Brothers, and all, turned him down. And he came down to Costa Mesa, and was in the meeting. And the Holy Spirit spoke. “Reader's Digest” wrote up, said, “The evangelist didn't ask the boy. He told the boy who he was, told him what he had done, and where he come from, and what about it.” And he was healed, see.

And then I was called in at Mayo Brothers for an interview for that, and they said... I said, “Well...” They never put Mayo Brothers' name on there, but there... they had the “Reader's Digest,” and the father had said it. But of course the writer wouldn't say that about a hospital, and what it said.

Many great... if you read the article, it said many great clinics through the United States and Canada had turned him down. And a spastic, drawed up, name was Donny Martin. October's “Reader's Digest,” about four years ago. And then, he said this little boy about eight years old...

Oh, it's a pathetic story, how this little Canadian brother come down on a sled. He said he knowed some deaf and dumb girls that was brought to my meeting, before that, and the Lord healed one. And one of them is a singer in church, and the other one is a telephone operator. So, was both deaf and dumb.

So he said, “We're not whipped, Donny. Let's go and tell...” And the mother and them thought they could maybe take fifty dollars, and all of them come to the United States, and take Donny to the meeting, and everything else. It wouldn't even pay one of their ways on a airplane. They had to come by bus; couldn't even come by train. And when they got there, they had to take Travelers Aid to get out there to where the meeting was.

And the Holy Spirit told him who he was, where he come from, and so forth—little drawed-over father, holding his baby. And so... Then it told him exactly what would happen. The Lord healed the child to the glory of God. And when being interviewed on that, they said at Mayo Brothers, “Reverend Branham, we don't profess to be healers. We only profess to assist nature. There's one healer. That's God.” That's the best, see.

The doctor can set an arm where it's broke, but he can't heal it. The doctor can pull out a tooth, but he can't heal where it come out of. He can cut out an appendix, but who's going to heal? See, there's no medicine that will build cells. Cells is growth, see, and nothing can heal that. No one can. And to have growth is a multiplication of cells, which is creation. And there's one creator: that's God. And He has to knit that place together, put that bone together. The doctor can set it but, you see, it takes calcium, potash, and so forth, to go into that bone to mend it together.

Now, if I was cranking my car out here, or fooling with it and broke my arm, and I run into a doctor, and said, “Doc, you're a healer. Heal my arm right quick. I want to finish my car,” he'd say, “You need mental healing boy.” That's right. “Well, if you're a healer, heal my arm.” He's not a healer, see.

He'd say, “I can set your arm. God has to heal it.”

So then, see, the Scripture's always right. “I'm the Lord who heals all of thy diseases.” That's right. We're thankful for hospitals, and medicine, and so forth. They aid nature, but they do not heal. No, they're not healers. God's the healer. The Scriptures cannot lie, see.

Now, I guess that's the reason I take so much time. You're so nice, I just stand and talk to you, and there you are. But you know what? I'm just passing through this time. I don't have but a little bit to stay with you. But I want to make a date with you. Can I do it? all of you? After we cross over the river on the other side, and we become young men and women again, I want a thousand years of appointment with each one of you.

We'll sit down by the evergreen trees, and sit down there and talk, and there'll come Abraham by, and we'll raise over and shake hands with Abraham; and Daniel will come by, and we'll shake hands with him; and jump around, and shout a little bit, and sit back down, and just talk about Port Alberni when we had the meeting here. Now that sounds like to some people it might be fiction. But that's truth. Amen. That's just as truth as it can be.

Now, before we pray for the sick, or whatever we do, now, I want you to know that divine healing... We do not try to make that our great hold. A doctor, F. F. Bosworth—a good friend of mine—just went to heaven recently, a real old man. Many of you has heard of Fred Bosworth. There was a godly, saintly, old man. And he said, “Divine healing is just like going fishing.” Said, “You never show the fish the hook; you show him the bait. He grabs the bait, and gets the hook.”

So about 86% of Jesus' ministry was on divine healing. It attracts the attention, of something supernatural being done, and the people then believe in a mighty God. That does it, you see. So, divine healing is a minor, and you can never major on a minor. That's right, Mrs. Byskal, isn't it? That's right. You can never major on a minor.

So we have to remember that this here is just something... Now, my real way of seeing it... Now we have great men in the world today, great men: Tommy Osborn, and oh, who all? Oral Roberts, and those men. You got great men through Canada here, goes by, healing with prayer, laying hands on the sick. Oh, I respect that. Oh, my. They're men of God. Great faith to hold on.

But, someone wrote me a letter years ago when I first started. He said, “Brother Branham...” Good criticism, and I appreciate that. It makes you know where you're standing, as long as people don't get, you know, oh, real mean about it—just wants to be a brother and tell you where you're wrong. I appreciate that. I'll always admire criticism, as long as it's right. And then, this man said, “You know, Brother Branham,” he said, “Oral Roberts will pray for five hundred, while you pray for two.” He said, “You are the slowest man I ever seen.”

“Well,” I said, “that's true.” Wrote him back.

But he said, “Brother Roberts can stand up there, and lay hands on them like that, and pray for them as they go through, and pray for them like that, and here you're still standing there dealing with one,” see.

I said, “But you see, God gave Brother Oral Roberts a way to pray for the sick, and He gave me another way to pray for the sick. And Brother Oral Roberts does it his way that God told him; I do it the way God told me.” That's right.

I said, “Now, here's what it is. When you're looking... What, for instance, if you got great faith... (Just let me say something. Usually them that miss this, comes in.) Now say for instance, we got great faith, and here stands a man on the platform having a great time shouting, and the glory of God around.” I said, “Now, maybe this man stole some money, he lived evil, maybe run around with some woman immorally, or he done a murder or something, that God had put this sickness on him.” You know God uses sickness for whips to bring us to Him. You believe that? Sure is. Look at Job, chastening of the Lord.

Now you have to notice, prophetic gifts can get yourself in trouble. Certainly can. Now what if this man's done something evil; and I'm standing there, great big (what we call in America) bulldog faith, and I grab a hold of him, say, “Hallelujah, Hallelujah! Satan turn him loose! Glory to God!” And I take that disease off of him; and God put it on him for a purpose. I'm in trouble with God. You see what I mean?

Maybe you don't get it. Wait, let me give you some scripture. I know you won't doubt the Scripture. Here, let's take Moses. How many believe Moses was a prophet? A great prophet. God told Moses, “Go down there and speak to the rock.” And Moses went down there, and done what God told him not to do. He smote the rock. He smote it the first time, but God told him speak to it. And the rock was Christ. He was smitten once. It spoke of the weakness of the blood of Christ then. And Moses smote it the first time, waters came forth. Then they cried again, and kept crying for more water, and something else, and God told him to go down and speak to the rock.

But he smote it; the waters didn't come. And he smote it again. He had power to do it. He was a prophet. And the waters came forth. That's right. What did God do? Said, “Come up here, Moses.” Said, “You see the land yonder? You're not going in. You didn't obey Me down there at the rock.” You remember the story, don't you? He had power to do it, but he better watch the way he used that power.

Look at Elisha. He was bald-headed, and he was coming down the road, and some little children began to say, “Old bald-head, old bald-head, why don't you go up like Elijah did?” making fun of him. Now that was all right. Them little kids, they didn't... Maybe it was their parents that taught them to do that, those little fellows. They was making fun of this prophet. But they got him angry, and he turned around and put a curse on those children, in the name of the Lord. And two she-bears come out of the woods, and killed forty-two little innocent children.

Now that don't sound the nature of the Holy Spirit, does it? No. Kill them little children, see. But a angered prophet, he cursed them children. Had to be recognized, because he was a prophet, see. So you have to watch.

Notice, in that line. I see what the trouble of the person is, tell them. Then watch over, see what they're going to say, or do. See what He tells me to do. If there's something there wrong, it still remains black and dark and cold, I say, “Go, and the Lord bless you.” But then if it isn't, and I see it's being done, see them in the future, then I say, “Thus saith the Lord,” you see. Then you see it's all right, then. It'll happen.

Now, just pray, believe, and some day I hope to get back with you, so we can stay a long time together. So, if the Lord willing.

Now I want to read a familiar little text out of the Scripture, and it's found in St. Matthew in the 12th chapter, and begins with verse 41:

And the men of Nineveh shall rise up in the judgment with this generation, and shall condemn it: because they repented at the preaching of Jonas; and, behold, a greater than Jonas is here.

And the queen of the south shall rise up in the judgment with this generation, and shall condemn it: for she came from the uttermost parts of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon; and, behold, a greater than Solomon is here.

Now I would like to take for a subject, “A Greater Than Solomon is Here”—a greater than Solomon is here—and for a text, “Recognizing God's gifts and signs.” Now may we pray.

Our heavenly Father, we have just read from your Word, and You are the Word. And You've always been the Word. And now, we thank Thee that we have faith to know and believe that everything is running just exactly on schedule. Tonight this meeting is just exactly on time, and the world and all of its achievements is just exactly on time.

O Father, when passing through the World's Fair a few days ago, looking at the achievement that man has done, and how he's progressed, how the people had gathered from around the world to see what the world was doing, finding their best that they have did. Germany, England, Switzerland, the world around, was displaying what they had been able to improve upon.

Then Lord, we come over to this little city way back here at Port Alberni, where some isolated Indians from off the island, who knows what it is to thank God for a good catch of fish, honest and sincerely; who can stand on the mountain and watch the sun set and cry; give praise to God when the birds wake at morning and begin to sing; and can see God in nature, and hear him scream in the gulls, watch him lap his great wings in the air...

But we have gathered here for a spiritual world fair, to see what God's been able to do with his church through the age; how He's come from confession to gifts, and signs, and speaking in tongues, and wonders; and now right down to the last sign, God in his great affair, showing to the world what He's been able to do with his people. And we're so glad to be represented tonight, Lord, among a group of people that believes it, and sincere, and travels everywhere to find the goodness of God.

Now, heavenly Father, bless thy Word. Bless thy people everywhere. Save the lost, Lord. O God, they must go some day, we know. And I trust, Lord, that tonight it'll come to pass that we will be the kind of Gentiles that Jesus admired.

We read in the Bible where Jairus... His little girl laid sick, dying, and he said, “Come lay your hands upon my child, and she will be well.”

But when the Roman Gentile, he said, “I'm not worthy that You'd come under my roof. Just speak the word, and my servant shall live,” then You turned, and looked at Israel, and said, “I've not found faith like that in Israel.”

Now, Father, we're not trying to lay hands upon the sick, that when I leave they might say that “a certain brother come by and laid hands on me.” But, Father, I pray that they will see that what... the motive in my heart, and the objective of thy Word, that I'm trying to bring to them that their Saviour, Jesus, is with them. He's ever living. He's alive. Two thousand years of criticism, and coldness, could not kill Him. He's still alive, right in our midst tonight.

And let the people see his presence, see Him working, not wait to someone to lay hands upon them; but by faith believe the resurrected Christ, and receive their healing, and their salvation; go up and down the islands everywhere, testifying like the little lady we spoke of last night, at the city of Sychar, and over in the land of the Samaritans. Grant it, Lord.

We are your servants, humbly committing ourself with this text tonight. Speak, Lord. We are in your hands. Do with us as You see fit. In Jesus' name we ask it. Amen.

Now, in these meetings, to the clergymen, I have tried to keep it very simple—just the message and of healing, so that we can watch our Lord. Now many times people go around, you know... And it's just human. They say, “Oh, Brother So-and-so, hallelujah, don't you think he had a gift of God? He laid hands on me. Hallelujah!”

No. That was your faith that did it, see. It was your faith; not the brother's hands. It was your faith, see, because if there is healing in some man's hands, then what happened to Calvary? There's where He paid the price of our healing. It's our individual faith in his finished work. Any man knows that, you see. Now, therefore, I have not come trying to say, “Let's all come up and lay hands on you.” I'm trying to say this to build your faith.

Now, what if one of you Indian brethren, or sisters, would get sick way out on one of those islands? You think, “Well, I'm poor, ain't got no money. If I could go down to the States, go way down to Brother Branham, go way over to Oral Roberts...” Well, maybe Brother Roberts, you'd... probably takes months to get in.

I got three hundred sitting there on a waiting list now, from all over the world. But that's for private meeting. See, when we come in there, I take a case like that, we never leave it. We leave it alone until God reveals. It takes God to reveal what he must do, what he has done and so forth like that. Now them's private interviews. That's something in life. We got the plan laid out in the Bible here, but the private life of things... Oh, it would take years. I could write volumes of books on what I've seen Him do. And not one time did it ever fail. Not one time does it ever fail. Just ask anybody at any place. It never does. It can't fail. It's God. There's one thing God cannot do. He cannot fail. He can't fail.

Now. Believe now. Now, Jesus was rebuking that generation for not believing his sign, that He had proved to them that He was the Messiah. Now, we took that last night, how He was the Messiah because He was the Word. Is that right? Now Messiah means the Christ, the anointed one. And then He was to be the King, the God prophet, and here was the Spirit in Him. Now, remember the ones who really stayed with the scripture teaching, they recognized Him. But those who went off with the other church in their traditions, they missed it, see.

And Jesus told those teachers. He said, “You with your traditions, you take the commandments of God, and make them of none effect.” Now what would they do with their tradition today, saying, “The days of miracles is past.” That's a tradition. “There's no such a thing as divine healing.” That's tradition, not the Bible. I can show any man where Jesus ordained his church and commissioned it to all the world, to every creature, and these signs shall follow them that believe. Now, I want somebody to show me a spot of Scripture where He's taken it away from the church. It's not there. It's still in the church. It's the traditions that's twisted it out.

And that's the reason they didn't recognize Jesus, because their traditions had twisted away and got some... They thought the Messiah would come, and no doubt they built a temple, and said, “He'll come down the corridors of heaven. They'll beat the angelic band, and He'll come in like that.” And what was He? Born in a manger, in a barn where cows and animals was, in a little box of straw; and was supposed to be a illegitimate birth—his mother and father not married. Oh, my! The devil painted an awful picture for Him.

And they said, “A man like that? No! What school did He come from? Where did He get his education? Why, his daddy was a carpenter, and then say He's the Son of God.” See, they couldn't believe that. But yet, He was so phenomenal until they couldn't deny it was there. And then they just said, “Oh, he's of the devil.” And that's the same thing today. They'll class it the same way, because wisdom is justified of her children. Did you know...?

As I made a remark last night, I felt it sweep over the audience, and kind of had a funny feeling when it returned. But when I said, “Education has been the mark of antichrist all through the ages”... Education is the worst enemy the gospel ever had.

Listen. I'm off the subject, but just a moment. Let's just take the lineage. There was Cain and Seth. Abel was killed, and Cain was brought in his place—death, resurrection of Christ. And Cain's children were all smart, intelligent scientists, all down through to the days of Noah. And Seth's children were humble farmers, sheep raisers, peasants all the way through. It's always been that way, see.

When Jesus come, the Pharisees and Sadducees and educators, look where they were at. Religious? Oh, holy? My! You couldn't put a finger on their life. But you see, they were unbelievers. Anything that doubts one punctuation of God's Word is an unbeliever. I don't care how religious you are, Satan's religious, too. You've got to believe the Word. And if you've got the Holy Ghost, the Holy Ghost will punctuate every word, every sentence with an “Amen,” see. It'll never take from it. It'll believe it, see.

So, when Jesus came, where did He get his disciples? Did He go to Caiaphas now, and say, “What's the smartest group you got?” He bypassed those. They wouldn't believe Him.

Where did He go? He went and got the Indians of that day, the fishermen down on the river. That's exactly right—men who couldn't even sign their own name. The Bible said that Peter and John were both ignorant and unlearned. That's right. But they could heal a man at the gate called Beautiful in the name of Jesus Christ; and it pleased God to give a man that couldn't sign his own name the keys to the kingdom, saying, “Whatever you bind on earth, I'll bind in heaven.”

Why does education play such a part today, twisting the people away from God instead of bringing them to God? Paul... you say, “What about Paul?” But what did Paul say? He had to forget all he ever knowed, and he said, “I never come to you with the wisdom of man, with enchanting great words, that your faith would be built upon such; but I come to you in the power of the Spirit, that your faith would be in the resurrection of Jesus Christ.”

[Blank spot on tape]... and was saying to them, rebuking them because they had not believed Him. He said, “If I do not the works of my Father then don't believe me.” And here He was telling them...

Now remember, God in all ages has always done the supernatural, because He is supernatural. Did you ever think what God was? Let me give you just a small picture now, before I go... (Oh! I guess I won't be able to. Yes, I am. I'm going to try it anyhow.) In the beginning before there was anything it was God. Before there was a meteor, before there was a light, before there was a atom, before there was a molecule, He was God. But He couldn't... He was the great controlling power of everything. And He was... everything in Him.

Now in Him was attributes. You know what at tribute means? Raise up your hand, anybody knows what attribute... show you know what a attribute is. Something that it's in you; it's got to display itself. Like an attribute... like you love scenery, and when you see that scenery, something just, oh, my! it just thrills you.

Now in God... He wasn't God yet, because God is an object of worship, and there was nothing to worship Him. He was God, but He wasn't God in that manner. Then He must've created angels. Then they began to worship Him. Next, He had a attribute to be a father. Next thing He had a attribute to be a son. Next thing He had a attribute to be a healer. Next thing He had a attribute to be a saviour, see. And all these things had to display themselves, see. And God to make a man sin, so He could punish him? No. And He put him on the basis of free moral agency, and man sinned himself. And so, therefore, God became a saviour then, see.

So it's just only the attributes of God displaying themselves that we see, and everything is perfectly on time. Every gift, everything's moving just exactly according to the tick of the watch. She's right there.

Now, Jesus in his time, He came to display the attributes of God. In Him... God was manifested in Him. Notice. Now, He'd showed this Messiahic sign. It was... unbelieving. And God in all ages has had signs to the people. And now, when the people believed that sign, it was a golden age to the people. But when they disbelieved it, it was chaos to the people. Right. Now, let me quote that again, 'cause I'm only going to take just a few minutes, now. Look. When God sends a gift, and the people believe it, it's a glorious time for the people. But when God sends a gift, and the people turns it down, that generation goes into destruction. Now, notice. What if the world today would receive God's gift?

Let's go back for a minute. Noah come with a gift of God as a prophet, saying there was coming a storm that was going to cover the whole world with water. Now, it didn't meet with scientific ideas of that day. Remember, they were greater scientists then than we are now. They'd built the pyramids, and Sphinx, and we couldn't build that now. They embalmed the body to make it look natural. Even to this day—a mummy—we couldn't make it. They had coloring that we can't touch. They were greater scientists than we have today. And now, they probably could shoot radar to the moon, too.

And Noah, this man standing out there after hearing from God, and preaching, prophesying that God was going to destroy the world with water... It was going to rain down out of the heavens. Why, I'd hear... the scientist'd come up there, and say, “Look, we've got an instrument that we can shoot plumb to the moon.” You know, it had never rained in them days. God watered the earth up from the springs, never been no rain in the skies. The earth, leaning back after the antediluvian destruction, causes the rains.

So Noah said that it was going to rain from above, and the people didn't believe it. Science says, “There's not one drop of rain up there. No water. How could it rain?”

Noah would say, “If God said it's going to rain, and rain's coming from up there, God's able to put rain up there,” see.

But the people didn't believe it. One day she rained, see. And that race, because they did not believe it, they were destroyed—the whole world.

Years later come a prophet named Moses, came down out of the wilderness, a pillar of fire over him. And he was bringing them the promise of God, telling them that God had promised by his Word to take them to a land that was flowing with milk and honey. And he had this pillar of fire over him, and God was working with him, to prove to those Jews that he was a prophet.

He said, “Tomorrow get everything ready, because a certain-certain thing will take place.” And it happened. Just exactly. He was a prophet.

Notice. I thought the other day how glorious that must have been for Israel when they heard that. They believed him. Notice, they were slaves. They'd throw them out molded bread. They eat it, or done without. If those Egyptians wanted to take their young daughters and ravish them, what could they do about it? Nothing. Go and take their young sons, and kill them, what could they do about it? Nothing. They were slaves, and yet they were God's people. Amen.

Notice. Now, here they were God's people in that kind of a shape, and down come this prophet, with “thus saith the Lord,” according to the Scriptures. “God, our Father, met Abraham, and told him that his seed would sojourn in a strange land for four hundred years; then He'd bring them out with a great promise and power. He would deliver them, and take them to a good land where Abraham sojourned. And the time is at hand.”

Any man could have said that, but this man had a pillar of fire over him. And he was a prophet. What he was saying was happening just exactly the way he said. Oh, my!

Israel believed it. What did they do? They marched out of Egypt under that pillar of fire, on the road to a promised land that they had never seen, or knowed nothing about. And none of them had ever been there, but they went because God's word bid them to go. They were in the line of duty.

(I hope I'm not too loud. I've been used to preaching outdoors and things. Just a minute. Notice. I'll stand back a little.)

Notice, they followed that prophet through the wilderness, and God fed them in the wilderness. He supplied all their needs, rained bread out of the heavens of a nighttime, and fed them; and took them up till they come to a place called Kadesh-barnea. Kadesh-barnea was one time the judgment seat of the world.

And they had a great warrior with them called Joshua. And the word “Joshua” means “Jehovah-saviour.” He went out of the camp, crossed over the Jordan. Nobody'd ever been over there now. They didn't know the land was there, only by the promise of God. And he crossed over the Jordan, went over into the promised land, and brought back the evidence that the land was just exactly what God said it was, see. It was there.

And it was then that the people—ninety percent of them—disbelieved Joshua. They had to wander a while. But God making the promise, He took them over. How lovely. They didn't have to work under Pharaoh. They could marry their wives, build them a little house on the place, raise their own grub and stuff, and eat it, and raise their children in peace. The nations feared them, and so forth. And after a while the hillsides of that lovely land become spotted with graves.

Then along came the greatest warrior of them all—Jesus. And He said that God has prepared a place where there's no death, amen, where we can live forever, build houses and inhabit them, plant vineyards, and eat the fruit of them, and we'll not leave it for somebody else. Amen. “In my Father's house are many mansions. If it wasn't so I would have told you. I'm going to prepare a place for you, and return again to receive you unto myself, that where I am there ye may be also.” He promised it, that there's life after death. Another great Joshua. Nobody's ever been over, and come back. Just another great Joshua.

Notice. Then when he got to that place, he met his Kadesh-barnea, the judgment seat for all of us—Calvary. There's where He was judged for the sins of the world. He crossed over the Jordan of death, that we know it, over into the other land, died. He died so until the sun quit shining, the moon wouldn't shine, and, why, the earth had a nervous chill when the rocks shook out of it, when He died. And He died, but on the third day, He come back from across Jordan, bringing back the evidence that a man lives after he dies here. What a great warrior!

Now He said, “I'm going to give you the earnest of your salvation.” You know what the earnest is? Is the down payment. Like if I wanted to buy a boat from one of you Indian brethren, and I went out and said, “How much you want for the boat?”

You say, “Two thousand dollars.”

I'd say, “Well, I'll tell you what I'll do. I'm going to give you fifty dollars to hold it for me until next week. Will you do it? Will you hold it for me?”

“I'll do it, Brother Branham.” Then you give me a receipt, and I'll give you fifty dollars. Now you can't sell that boat, because I got first bid on it. That's the earnest that I'm going to get the boat. It belongs to me.

Well, now, God came back, and said, “Go up there to Jerusalem, and wait. I'm going to send you the earnest of your salvation. And they were up there all in one accord, and one place, and suddenly there came the earnest, come down from heaven like a rushing mighty wind. It filled all the house where they were sitting.

Now looky here. We can look back and see where we were once unbelievers. We seen once where we'd have walked around a meeting like this and laughed at it. We seen once back in our lives where we would have criticized divine healing. We... one time we didn't believe in God. One time we didn't believe in his Word. But now we have been raised up from that, lifted up, died in Christ, buried with Him, raised with Him in his resurrection, and now sitting in heavenly places in Christ Jesus. Once...

See, the earnest. Here we are today in the earnest of our salvation. We stand here tonight already dead, buried in Christ, and raised with Him, and sitting in heavenly places, enjoying spiritual things coming back from across the way. See, heavenly places. Oh, my! It makes us shout to think about it.

Like an old colored woman, Negro woman sister, said down in the States, she said, “Dr. Branham,” said, “I's want to give a testimony.”

“Go ahead, sister. Testify.”

She said, “I wants to say this, people. I hain't (that's a word they use in the South),” said, “I hain't what I ought to be, and I hain't what I want to be. But then, another thing I know, I hain't what I used to be.” That's good. She knowed something had happened. Amen. So ought every man that's borned of the Spirit of God know you're not what you used to be. Amen.

I ain't what I want to be, and I ain't what I ought to be; I ain't what I used to be either, see. I have raised with Him. Now, I'm this high up, waiting for my change to come.

Now. Moses. Moses was God's servant. Now, Jesus speaking here, He said, “The men of Nineveh shall rise in the judgment because they repented at the preaching of Jonah.” Jonah was a prophet.

Now a lot of people just talk bad about poor old Jonah, and they said he was a backslider. I don't think so. I think the Bible says that the footsteps of the righteous is ordered of the Lord. Now, we do things that we don't understand why we do it, but we just keep still. As long as we're led of the Spirit, go do it anyhow. It may be contrary to our thinking, but when the Holy Spirit said “Go,” we go.

For instance right now I've got a meeting... be set in New York—I'd have it this week—where there was three hundred Spanish-speaking people taking Madison Square Garden that seats nineteen thousand. And wanted this very week here that I'm in here, to be in New York, see. But the Holy Spirit led me over here. Seems like it'd be contrary. But I don't know why, but I'm here. You see, children of God are led by the Spirit of God. We don't understand, see.

Now, the other brethren can go to them people. Now, like Brother Roberts, he couldn't go there... he couldn't come here. He has to have, around, I think, it's around fifteen to twenty thousand dollars every day—television programs, and all kinds of things, and a three-million-dollar building there to operate. That brother couldn't come here. You couldn't support nothing like that. You can't afford to do it, see. And neither could Tommy, and his great program With thousands of missionaries across the land. He couldn't do it.

So you see, the Lord never let me grow up like that. He just let me stay so I could go in any little corner, 'cause I don't need nothing but just his presence. That's right. I was on the field before any of those brethren. But you see, the Lord has spoke to me, saying, “Don't get none of that. Don't get mixed up in money. Leave it alone.”

I never took an offering in all my life. I've been preaching for thirty-one years, and never took an offering in my life, see, because... And I held meetings as much as 500,000 in one congregation. Then I went and held a meeting where the church only seat twenty people, but the Lord said, “Go,” see. It's wherever He says, “Go,” go.

Here not long ago... You've heard of Brother Roberts, the great man. And I went... oh, he's a sweet brother, very good friend of mine. And I went to his great big building. I went over to Tommy. And Tommy was down here at Portland when that maniac ran out to kill me that night on the platform. You've heard the story. Great big fellow, and said, “I'm going to knock you out there in the middle of that audience. I'll break your neck.”

And the Holy Spirit said, “Because you've challenged the Word of God, you'll fall over my feet.”

Said, “I'll show you whose feet I'll fall over,” pulled back his big fist.

And I said, “Come out of him, Satan,” and he fell across my feet, just exactly. There he was.

So Tommy was standing there. The police run out, and said, “We're after that man to put him in jail.” Said, “Is he dead?”

I said, “No, sir. But roll him off my feet,” see. He weighed about... over about two-fifty, so they rolled him off my feet, and there he was.

He said, “Is he healed?”

I said, “No, sir. He worships that spirit.” I'd led those two little police to Christ in the dressing room back there at the Portland Auditorium.

Now, you see in that, Tommy became a servant of God, and now he... and going out in the fields, done a great work. And Brother Oral, there was his great building. It's a great thing to think that one man, one man could put up about a two and a half, or three million-dollar-building. Whew! My! Look at...

I went in Oral's place, and there's five hundred IBM machines running. His letters never touch human hands. There's a machine picks them up, writes it off, takes it down, folds it, and sends it out. Goes to the bank and gets money, and brings it in by great big truck, and dump it in a... A conveyor runs around in different languages. They pull them out, like that, and they take care of the money. Why, you never seen anything like it in your life. And it's a great thing. And Oral taking me through to show me, and Brother Fisher, and one of the missionaries with him there.

And then I'd seen Brother Tommy with his great big place over there. I thought, “How wonderful, how good.” And I happened to look out. Brother...

The police come up, and said, “Brother Branham, you can't get out that door.” Said, “There's fifty people standing out there waiting for you.” Said, “They're just waiting to see.”

And I said, “Well, is there a back entrance?”

Said, “Yes. Go out through this way.” And they said, “We'll send a man around to pick you up.”

And I walked out in the back parking lot. I was walking up and down there looking at that great big building. Oh, my! Just like... I never seen anything in any part of the world like it. A little Pentecostal boy did it.

I thought, “Isn't that wonderful?” I thought, “God, how wonderful.” I thought, “Just think of Brother Tommy's place, where... how that great, big, almost a city block, just in making books; and secretaries, and so forth, and IBM machines running. I thought ”My! I'd hate for them to come to my place to look mine over.“ I got one little typewriter sitting in the end of a trailer. And I was trying to get someone to help me answer my letters.

And I thought, “But, boy! I wouldn't have all that responsibility for nothing. I ain't got brains enough to take care of that.” I thought, “God knowed that.”

I was standing there, and then I got real melancholy. I got thinking, “God, each one of the brothers said that they seen the ministry You gave me, and it started them on the field.” I said, “To that, I'm grateful. We're all working for one big place up there called heaven.” And I said, “I'm thankful for that. But,” I said, “I suppose maybe you couldn't trust me, and you knowed that I wouldn't be able to take up money like that. And I wouldn't have the intelligence to know what to do with it if I took it up.” And I said, “I guess it just happens to be that way.”

I was standing there; kind of felt a little choked in my throat, because... I don't say this... I just say this is the truth. I heard a voice just as plain as you hear me, said, “But I am your portion.”

I said, “Thank You, Lord. I'll go anywhere, any place, at any time. I want to do what you'd have me to do,” and thanking God. Now, Brother Osborn, and Brother Roberts, and Brother... all those precious brethren throughout the world, we're all working for one place. One place, you see.

And this... the little gift that the Lord give me is to press into these little corners. You can't be all tied up with money, and programs, and things like that. Just press into the little corners, and get the thing started. That's all. And I'm thankful for this portion. I'm so glad He is my portion, and He's the one that I'm waiting on.

Now, Jonah had a ticket to go down... wanted to go to Nineveh, what God called him to do, but he went to Tarshish. Now you think, “Well, he done exactly what God told him not to do.” But just a minute. If a prophet is led of the Lord, it always comes out right. Now, he got out there and the storm come up, and the seas got rough and the boat was sinking. And they tied Jonah's hands together, and his feet together, and throwed him overboard in the ocean, and a whale swallowed him.

Now, not long ago they had a whale laying on a big flatcar down at Louisville, Kentucky, about fifteen years ago, or maybe twenty. And they was giving a lecture. And the little scientist that was giving the lecture was making fun of the Bible. Here's what he said. Said, “Now, I want you people... you know the legend...” Legend? This Bible's not a legend. It's the truth. And he said, “... the legend about the whale swallowing Jonah.”

He said, “I want you to notice. You couldn't take a good-sized baseball and put it in the throat of that whale. So as far as that legend, there's nothing to it. This is a good, ordinary-sized whale, and the whale could not have swallowed a man because he wouldn't have went through his swallow. It's... the most you could stretch it would only be about four inches that the man could have went through. And he could not have done it.”

That was just too much for my Irish background, you know. I said, “Mister, I want to say a word.”

He said, “Yes, sir. What is it?”

I said, “You just don't know your Bible.” I said, “God said that He prepared this fish. This was a special-built bird. See, God prepared this fish. It was a different type.”

This one, he could have... he could've swallowed a house if he wanted to. God can do what He wants to. The Bible said God prepared a fish. Oh, he had a big throat in him, you see.

And so Jonah went into the belly of the fish. And you ladies know now, when you feed your little goldfish, you know what he does? He goes right down to the bottom of the little basin, and puts his little swimmers against the bottom and rests. He's got his belly full, see. He's laying there just resting. He's done prowled through the waters until he found his food, and went down and rested. That's the way fish does when they feed—get a bellyful, they go back. The trout out here will get under a rock somewhere and rest. That's the way.

And I imagine this big old fish got a bellyful of this prophet. So he goes down in the water, and goes down to the bottom, and lays down.

Now you talk about Jonah being in a condition. He was in a bad shape. Lot of people talk about symptoms. They say, “Well, I was prayed for last night, but, hmm, I still got the pain.” That don't have nothing to do with it. “I was prayed for. My hand's still crippled.” That don't have nothing to do with it. If you believe it, you don't look at that, you look at a promise, see. You're not looking at the hand. That's what we call symptoms, looking at symptoms.

Now, there's nobody in here could have symptoms like Jonah. Brother, he had the awfullest case of symptoms I ever seen. Look here. Now, he was out on the ocean, his hands and feet tied behind him, and he was in the belly of the whale, probably several fathoms deep—laying in the vomit in the whale's belly on a stormy sea. Now, you talk about symptoms!

He looked this way; it was whale's belly. That way was whale's belly. Everywhere he looked was whale's belly. There's nobody in that bad a shape here. Look what... look at the symptoms he had. But you know what he said?

He said, “They're lying vanities. I won't believe any of it.” He said, “Lord...,” turned over on his back, the vomit all around him, seaweeds around his neck. He said, “Once more will I look to your holy temple.” Oh, not look at the whale's belly, or the circumstance, but, “look at your holy temple.”

Solomon... when Solomon dedicated that temple he prayed. He said, “Lord, if thy people be in trouble at any time, and look to this holy place, then hear from heaven.” And Jonah acted upon Solomon's prayer. And God... I don't know what He done. He put a oxygen tent down there, or something, and He kept him alive for three days and nights.

Now, we're not in that bad a shape. There's none of us as bad off as Jonah was. That's right, 'cause here's the Holy Spirit here. We're not in the belly of the whale, we're not in that condition. But if Jonah, under those circumstances, could look to a temple that a human being prayed when he dedicated it (and the man that prayed backslid later), and God heard his prayers; how much more under this circumstance can we look towards heaven where Jesus sits at the right hand of God, ever living to make intercession on our confession? My, my! I won't look at my tummy-ache, I won't look at my heartbeat funny, I won't look at my crippled hand. But I'll look towards the promise, for He sits there ever living to make intercession. Amen.

I want to show you something now, show where God knows what He's talking about. Now, the people of Nineveh—that was a big city about a half a million people, pretty near the size of St. Louis, Missouri; and they were heathens. They were in all kinds of sin. They worshipped animals, and idols, and everything, and their occupation was fishermen. And so, the whale was the god of the sea.

So all of them was out about eleven o'clock fishing, all the fishermen pulling their nets out there in the sea, and the first thing you know, up come the sea-god, the whale. Run up to the bank, licked out his tongue, and the prophet come walking right out on the bank. Sure they repented! God knows what to do. God knows how to do things to people that wants to believe, see.

Jonah wasn't out of the will of God. See, the whale-god spit the prophet right out on the bank. Sure they're going to believe his message. There he come out.

And Jesus said that, you know, that there was a greater than Jonah there. But notice what He said. Now a little bit before we go into another subject, look. Jesus said... They said, “Master, we would see a sign.” (Three verses behind where I started reading.) “Master, we would see a sign.”

He said, “A weak and adulterous generation seeks after a sign.” Is that right? And He said, “There will be no sign given that generation...” Now listen, close. How many knows that Scripture repeats itself constantly? We know it. And He said, “There will be no sign given that weak, wicked, adulterous generation.” That's this generation.

There never has been so much in all the world of wickedness and adultery as there is right now, perversion. Well, homosexuals, perversion, women on the streets stripped, every... It's just terrible, the way people are doing all over the world, and especially in the States. And it's getting to be almost as bad in Canada. It's too bad, but it's true. That big nation, this little nation's a pattern off of it. Don't take your pattern from them, take your pattern from up here, Christ.

Notice. And there they were, a wicked... He said, “There will be no...” Now listen, close, so you won't miss it. They will receive a sign. “As Jonah was in the belly of the whale three days and nights, so the Son of man will be in the heart of the earth three days and nights.” They will receive that sign.

What is the sign of? The resurrection. You get it? That's exactly what we're getting now, the sign that He's not dead. He's raised from the dead, and among us, doing the same things He did when He was here on earth. And the wicked and adulterous generation, see, will receive that sign.

Then, one more, closing. He said, “And the queen of the south shall rise in the judgment with this generation, and shall condemn it. For she came from the utmost parts of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon. And behold a greater than Solomon is here.”

Now listen, in closing. In the generation of Solomon, God gave a gift to the earth, and that was a gift of discernment. And it fell upon Solomon, and all the people believed it with one heart. What if all the people today would believe... what if Canada and the United States would believe their gift that God sent them, the Holy Ghost? What if all the people that professed to be Christians just believed it? Why, we wouldn't have to worry about Russia's atomic bombs, and all them things.

You'd never be able to dig out away from the atomic bomb. Well, the thing... people are digging holes, and down in the States they're going down in caves, and making government offices. Well, that atomic bomb, the one they got now that will burst the earth, I believe it's three or four hundred feet deep, and for 150 miles square. Well, if you was ten thousand feet under the earth, plumb down into the lava, it would break every bone in your body. You can't dig away from it.

But we've got a bomb shelter. It's not made of steel, it's made of feathers—under his wings. Amen. Be lifted up. That's right. Before that bomb drops, we'll be in glory. What's the matter? Then they say we're crazy. If I am crazy, leave me like I am. I feel better this way. I like to stay this way.

Now notice. Now, in Solomon's time, everybody believed that gift. Oh, my! Everybody, they wasn't going around saying, “Oh, he's, oh, Assemblies, and he's, oh, this, and he's, oh, that.” No. They was all with one accord. They believed it.

And how everybody coming by... They didn't have jet planes, and things in them days; they had to travel through camel caravans. And when they passed through, they'd say... Go down the other parts of the world, say, “You ought to hear up in Palestine. They got a God up there, and that God is making Himself known through a man.”

Now, see, pagan worship is to prostrate yourself before the idol, the imaginary god, and believe that the imaginary god is talking to you. Christianity is vice-versa. God takes a living man that prostrates himself before Him, and speaks his own words through the living man, not through an idol. Just turns right around from pagan worship—idol worship—to Christian worship.

Now. They said, “They got a man up there that's... their God that they worship, speaks through that man with discernment. Oh, it went everywhere. All nations feared them. They sent in gifts and everything. No wars in time of Solomon. No. He was... they thought he was too smart. It wasn't him; it was God, the Holy Ghost in him, that was making him smart.

Now, that news came way down across the earth into the land of Sheba. And if you'll measure on your map, it's a long ways down there, across the Sahara Desert. And this little pagan queen, she was a heathen. And people coming in, saying, “Oh, you ought to see up there in Palestine. Such-and-such, and such-and-such.” My! How they'd think about that!

Now you know, faith comes by what? Hearing the word of God. Now the little woman would say, “What?” You know God in her, she believed that there was a God. And so, when that faith begin to touch her, that there was one, she begin to look for Him. And everybody would come in. When they come into her kingdom (camel caravans going through, you know, traders, and so forth, with silks and linens and so forth, and produce, and whatever they had, coming through), why, she'd call them into her palace, and say, “Did you come through the way of Palestine?”

“Yes.”

“Is it so?”

“It's so. It's so. You never... You know, them people are one heart and one accord. You never seen such in your life. Their God has given them a gift, and displaying it through a man. And they've made that man their king. Oh, my! They all believe it. Every one of them.”

“Well, did you get to see it?”

“Yes.”

“Is it so?”

“Sure, it's so.”

Oh, my! She wants to see it then, you know, when you hear about it. Now. She decided that she was... She got all the scrolls, and she begin to read what that God was. See, she was a heathen, and she begin to read what Jehovah was, see his nature. She said, “Then that must be Jehovah's nature that's displaying Himself in this man, because Jehovah, they say, is all wise, and He foretells things.”

So now, being the queen, she had a lot to go through with. She had to go over to her pagan priest, and ask permission to go, from her church. Well, you know what? I imagine that pagan priest, said, you know, “But you see, look here, girlie. You're a queen. You can't go down with that illiterate bunch, you know. You can't do that. You're a queen. And you know what? Why, you know, you would get out of your own class if you got down...”

She said, “But, sir, I want to go. Something tells me I want to go.”

“Oh, but you can't do it, child. You cannot do it. Now listen. We know they say all these kind of things up there. They crossed the Red Sea, and it dried up, and they rained bread out of heaven. But just legends. There's nothing to it.”

You hear that same old devil talking today. The devil takes his man, but never his spirit. God never takes his Spirit, either. He might take his man, but the Holy Ghost was on Christ, come back for the church to the end of the world, to do the same thing. Notice. Now, them big old scholars and things of that day, and that great big old bunch of Pharisees, they still live. Their spirits is right on others, you see. And God's Spirit still lives just the same, confirming his Word, going on. Depends on what you want to believe. That's all.

Now, if we notice. Then he said, “Now, there's no such a thing as that.” Said, “Now, if there was anything to that, our idols, our church, would be doing it.”

You get that, the same thing today. “Now, if there's anything to divine healing, the great So-and-so church would believe it. The great So-and-so church would do it,” see. But you know, God does things to suit Himself. He don't have to ask anybody about it. He's the self-sufficient One, see. He don't have to ask nobody. So God was doing it.

You know... little heart begins to hunger for God, there's nothing going to stop it. And she said, “Sir, I'm going anyhow.”

“Well, if you do, I'll give you your church letter.”

Said, “You might as well give it, because I'm on my road.” So she... See, nothing going to stop the person that comes to Christ that really believes Him. When you hear the Word of God, and know it's moving, there's nothing going to stop you. That's all. You're coming, anyhow.

And now remember, that little lady had a lot of difficults. I see her pack her camels, and here she thought of something.

She said, “Now, wait a minute. If that's truly... if that gift is right, then I'm going to support it.” So she got a lot of gold, and frankincense, and stuff, and packed it on camels. She said, “I'll take it with me, but if it isn't so, then I'll bring my money right back.”

That could teach Pentecostal people something—supporting meetings, and meetings that hate the very thing that you stand for; let your own church go without. They do it in the States. I hope you Canadians don't do it. But they do it down there, and just to be popular. “I give so-and-so to such-and-such.” Oh, my! Skim milk.

Notice. Now here he was. She put everything together, and she put it on her camels, all that money, thousands times thousands of dollars worth of gold. And remember, Ishmael's children, the Arabs, they were robbers in the desert then. How easy it would have been for them to... them fleet horse riders to ride right in, and kill that bunch of little guards around that queen, and take that money and fly away in five minutes.

But you see, if you're determined to know God, you don't know no fear. Faith knows no fear. That right? You don't care what the doctor says, what anybody else says, you believe it, see. And she wasn't thinking about the robbers, and this, that, and the other. She was thinking about getting over there and seeing God working in a man.

And now, remember. She... How long do you think it took that woman? She didn't have an air-conditioned Cadillac to come in. No. She had to ride on the back of a camel. You know how long it taken the camel train to get from Sheba to Palestine? Three months, ninety days, through a hot Sahara desert, the hottest place in the world on the back of a camel—trying to come to see a gift of God. No wonder Jesus said, “She'll rise in the judgment and condemn this generation,” see. She might have traveled by night. Daytime she laid up in the oasis, and read the scrolls, the Scriptures, to see what Jehovah was. She finally arrived at the gate.

She didn't come, say, “Well”, like people do today, “I'll go in, sit down. If he says one thing that's contrary to my belief, I'll get right up and walk out.” That shows ignorance. But she come to stay till she was convinced. She'd read the Bible, she seen what Jehovah meant, and what Jehovah was, and what Jehovah had promised. She wanted to see if that Jehovah they talked about was in that man.

I imagine her priest told her, said, “Well, now looky here. Here's our great Dagon. Here's our great idol here.”

She said, “Yes. My great-great-great-great-great-grandmother served them, and they haven't done nothing but stood there as a statue all the time. They don't breath, they don't move, there's nothing happened. And they say this God's a living God, doing something.”

That's it. Amen. I feel kind of religious right now—a living God; not a dead one. What good's a God that could open the Red Sea if He can't do the same today? What good is a God that could heal a leper in the days gone by, if He can't do the same today? A historical God's no good, if He isn't the same God today. That's right. He is the same God today—yesterday, today, and forever, the same one—only asking the same faith, that they exercise.

Now, she's at the temple. She unpacks out there in the temple yard, put up her tents, put her money back in a corner, put her little eunuchs around to guard it. And the next morning, maybe she got up early, her and her little maids was with her. And they went in and sat down, probably way back in the back of the church. And they sang all the songs, and the trumpets blowed, and everything, and after a while Pastor Solomon came walking out.

How all the people said, “Oh! Praise God. There's our pastor.” And they walked out, Pastor Solomon on the platform. And she watched that day the very things that she'd heard told taking place.

And day after day she went studying the scrolls. She waited till her prayer card was called, or whatever it was she had to get up there, her appointment with Solomon. And when she got up on the... there before Solomon, the Bible said that there wasn't nothing hid from Solomon. He revealed everything that she wanted to know.

Isn't that the same God that was in Christ, that knowed the secrets of the heart? What did she say? She turned (now, being a heathen), she turned, and she said, “All that I heard was right, and more than that.” It'd been done to her, you see. She was a witness of it. The same thing that Nathanael and them saw (last night), and Jesus doing the same thing, revealing the secrets of the heart. Here twenty-five hundred years before... no, about eight hundred years before it happened, here stood Solomon doing the same thing that Christ did when He come. It's the same God, you see?

What did she say? “Blessed are those who are with you, that see this gift working all the time. Blessed are the men that sits here daily, and sees that happening all the time.” And she become a believer.

And Jesus said, “She'll rise up in the last day and will condemn this generation,” because she came from the utmost parts of the earth to see the gift of God in operation and believed it. And people today won't walk across the street. That's right. They won't drive a nice car to the meeting. If anything, they'll make fun of it. And the very Christ predicted that a wicked and adulterous generation that would be seeking for signs would receive the sign of the resurrection. No wonder. What was the matter?

In closing, I say this. She seen something real. That's what real believers wants to see—something real. Remember, the very thing that saves the real believer, condemns and sends to hell the unbeliever. The very water that saved Noah, drowned the unbeliever. The same judgment that saved the believer, killed the unbeliever. The same Spirit today that the believer receives will condemn, in the day of the judgment, the unbeliever, see.

Just a little story to my Indian brethren, and all. I like to hunt. Oh, I just love to hunt. My, my, that's my second nature. My conversion never took that out of me. And I'd like to tell you a little story about hunting right here—where God told me exactly (your pastor, Brother Byskal remembers it; Brother Sothmann, back there), where He told me exactly what I was going to do, where I'd go, a caribou I'd get, where he'd be laying, a man would have a green checkered shirt on, and would kill a grizzly bear before I got back. Is that right? Is that right, Brother Sothmann? Hundreds of people I told.

Went right there, and Eddy heard me tell it the day before we left down there. Two days later he stood right there, and seen every bit of it come just to pass as I told. I said the horns would be exactly forty-two inches high.

And the guide said, “Forty-two exactly?” Said, “Brother Branham, after...” He said, “Where's that grizzly bear up on top of this mountain?” Said, “Brother Branham, according to what you told me, that... you're going to kill a grizzly bear before you get back to where Eddie Byskal is standing with a green checkered shirt on.” And his wife had put it in his camp bag, and he told me he didn't even have one.

I said, “Well, then, there's going to be somebody's going to have it, 'cause it's going to be there.” And he had that green checkered shirt on.

He said, “Before we get back there?”

He said, “Brother Branham, I had a brother had epilepsy. And you told me when he had this fit again to jerk his shirt off and throw it in the fire, and he wouldn't have it any more.” Well, he did, and God healed him of it. Now he said, “Then I can't disbelieve it. But where's that bear going to be?”

I said, “He's Jehovah-jireh. He can provide Himself a bear to make his Word come to pass.” And when we was just about half a mile from them (being about three miles from them), when we was about a half-a-mile from them, I was standing...

He said, “Brother Branham, we've just got a half-a-mile further. Where's the bear?”

I said, “Don't you...?” I said, “What's that, Bud?” There was a nine foot, silver-tipped grizzly standing up on top of the hill, looking right at me.

He said... we got within five hundred yards. He said, “Brother Branham, did you ever shoot a grizzly?”

I said, “I've shot many bear.”

He said, “You better shoot him from here.”

I said, “No. The vision said I was right up on him.”

He said, “Oh, Brother Branham!” He said, “Shoot him in the back, now,” said, “'cause if you don't shoot him in the back, they're great fighters.”

I said, “I know. But this one in the vision I shot in the heart.”

He said, “Oh!”

And I said, “Just keep going, Bud.”

We went over in the other little coulee, and come up, and then we was right close to him, about two hundred yards. I said, “This is just right.” I said, “Wait till he looks around.” Looked like a big hay stack. He turned and looked at me.

I had a little bitty rifle. And just as he turned and looked at me I shot him right smack in the heart. And here he rolled over the hill, like that, as hard as he could come, like that. And Bud stood there, turning white in the mouth. He said, “Brother Branham, I didn't want him on my lap.”

And I said, “Neither did I.”

He said, “Now, if them horns are exactly forty-two inches when I get down there, I'm going to have a screaming fit.”

I said, “You better have it right here, because it's going to be that way.”

He said, “I've got a measure in my saddle bag.”

And we got down there. The vision said a little hand would hold the horns. I pulled up beside of Brother Eddie there. I said, “Now watch that boy hold that horn.” And he went around, and got that tape measure, brought it out, put it down the base of the head. That little hand: his boy, Blaine, held it, went up there.

Bud said, “Mercy, Brother Branham, right smack on the nose, forty-two inches!”

I said, “Bud, He never fails. He tells just exactly.” Oh, He's God! When we can see something real and genuine... That's what that queen wanted to see, something real.

I used to hunt with a half-Indian brother of mine. His name is Burt Caul. He's a Britanner, and he lives up here (or Englishman), lives up in New Hampshire. Great hunter. I love to hunt with him. You didn't have to fool about letting him get lost. He knowed his way back. But he was the meanest man I ever seen in my life. That guy was really wicked. He had eyes like a lizard, and he always... look at me with them lizard eyes, and scare me to death anyhow.

But he used to say to me... He used to shoot little fawns—you know, little baby fawns. Now, it's all right. I've killed fawns when... If the law says you can kill a fawn, kill it. That's all right. Abraham killed a calf, and fed it to God. There's nothing in the size of anything, or the sex of it. But just to kill them to be mean, that's wrong. You shouldn't do... just kill to be mean.

That's one thing about the Indian. Reason he was the great conservationist we ever had, he took just what he had to use. If he caught more, he turned it loose. The white man was a murderer that went out and shot the buffaloes out, and so forth, for targets. That's the bad guy, that's doing things like that.

But Burt used to shoot them just for fun, to make me feel bad. He said, “You preachers are chicken-hearted.” So that's what... you know what I... (Is that word used up here, chicken-hearted?) Chicken-hearted. Said, “That's what's the matter with you preachers.”

So one day I went up there, and he'd made him a little whistle, to make it sound like a little baby fawn, with that little brrr. Crying, like it was crying for its mammy.

And I said, “Burt, you wouldn't do that.”

He said, “Oh, you chicken-hearted preacher.” He said, “Billy, you'd be a good hunter if you wasn't a preacher.”

But I had to get his game about every fall anyhow, see, so I just let him go. So I said, “Burt, you wouldn't do that.”

He said, “What's wrong with killing a fawn?”

I said, “Nothing. But just to shoot it to leave it lay there, go over and shoot another one, just to act mean”, I said, “that's bad, Burt. You shouldn't do that. That'll grow up into a big buck some day, maybe a doe, have many other deer. You might have children some day wanted to hunt,” so forth.

“Nah, nonsense,” he said, just as wicked as he could be.

So that day it was way late, and we have the white-tailed deer up there. And you talk about Houdini being an escape artist, he's an amateur for one of them. Boy, he'd be gone like that. You had to be fast, and quick, and a dead shot to hit him. And then, after they've been shot at a few times...

So, it was kind of late in the season, and we'd hunted all morning. Not even a track—about six or eight inches of snow. We always packed a thermos jug full of hot chocolate, where if we got caught out in a storm at night, or something, we'd keep going all right. So... we had a sandwich in our coat.

And about eleven o'clock, I thought, “Well, we haven't even seen a track, nor nothing.” Moonlight nights, and they'll eat at nighttime, you know, feed; and go in the day, lay under brush piles, back in the heavy timbers.

And so we was getting up nearly timberline and I thought maybe... Burt was leading the way. And we'd get up on top of the mountain, then he'd separate and go one way, and me the other. And we'd come around, and maybe we'd get in that night, or the next morning, one. And if we killed a deer we'd know where to go get him, and so forth; take a horse and go after him. So then I thought...

He'd come to a little opening about three or four times the size of this building here, and he kind of hunkered down on a snow drift, kind of hunkered. (That word ain't used here, is it? I'm a Southerner.) In other words, he... squatted? Squatted down like this. And he got down there, and he went to get back to get in his coat.

I thought he was going to get his sandwich, and so I went in after mine. I thought, “Well, we'll separate here. I'll go one way, and he the other, and hunt back this afternoon.”

He reached back and he pulled out this little whistle. I said, “Now, Burt.” He looked up at me with them lizard eyes looking at me, and kind of that little sneering laugh on his face. He pulled out that little whistle like that, and he blew it. And when he did, a great big doe stood up just across the way, across that little opening.

I thought, “Oh, oh. Oh, she made a bad move then.” Now that's strange. They won't do that usually. You Indian brethren know that, when they're hunted.

And then, he looked at me and them lizard eyes and he laughed, and he blew it again. And that mother doe walked right straight out into that opening. Now that's altogether strange for them there to do that.

Now, a doe is a mother deer, you know. I could see her great... I got close enough to see her big eyes, them big ears sticking up so graceful. She walked right out there.

Now what was the matter? She wasn't putting on a show. She was a mother. She was borned a mother. The instinct of mother was in her, and her baby was crying. She wasn't cared about fearing anything; she was coming to find her baby.

And we never carry a shell in the barrel. So he put a shell up, a .30-06 hundred and eighty grain mushroom bullet, and he pulled it up there. He was a dead shot. And when the... his model 70 Winchester... And when he pulled the lever down like that, the click of the gun, the deer spooked, looked, and she spotted the hunter. But she never run.

Now you know that's strange. But she was a mother. Her baby was in trouble, and she was borned a mother, and she was hunting for her baby. And she looked at that hunter, big nose up, looking like that, trying to find her baby. She'd heard it cry. She wasn't putting on an act. It was genuine. She was a mother.

I seen him level down, a dead shot, and I thought, “Oh, my. He'll blow her heart plumb through the other side. How can he deceive her like that? How can he be so mean as to do that? blowing that whistle, and getting that mother deer out here and shoot her. Doubtful he'd ever take her in.”

And I thought, “That loyal heart of that deer will be blowed out of her.” And I looked, and I see him leveling down right. And I thought, “As soon as that crosshair in that scope come right across that loyal heart, he'd blow it plumb through her.” I turned my back. I couldn't look at it.

I started praying. I said, “Heavenly Father, how can he do it? How can he do it, Lord? And he won't listen to me talking about You.” I said, “How can he do it?” And I was there kind of praying to myself behind a bush.

I listened for the gun to fire any minute, but it didn't fire. I waited. It didn't fire. I looked around, and it was going like this. He couldn't hold it no more. He looked around, the great big tears running down his cheeks. His black Indian hair fell down in his face. He threw the gun down on the bank, said, “Billy, I've had enough of it. Lead me to that Jesus you're talking about.”

What was it? He saw something real. He saw something that wasn't put on, artificial. He saw the real display of motherhood after her baby, something that was genuine. O God, make all of us that kind of a Christian.

How many in here would like to be the kind of a Christian that that deer was a mother? Your heart, danger, or nothing else... sees something great, see something that's real. Then God, oh, may his blessings...

Let's bow our heads just a moment. Each one of you in your own heart pray, say, “God, make me that kind of a Christian.” Just silently to yourself. O God, our Father, grant unto thy servants, O Father, pardoning of sin. Hear us as we cry. Bless us, now. Reveal our sins to our hearts, and make us real Christians. Let grace and mercy abound in our hearts. Grant it, Lord.

They saw something real, and they were ready then. They saw something that could not be manufactured. It had to be something that was real. It wasn't a manufactured thing. And we've got a God tonight.

That man is a deacon in a church. Right there on that snowbank, with his arms wrapped around my frozen pant legs, he said, “Billy, there's got to be a God somewhere.” Said, “Is there a God that can make me a Christian, as much as that deer is a mother?”

I said, “Yes, Burt. His name is Jesus. Will you receive Him?”

He said, “With all my heart, Billy, I receive Him.”

I knelt down in the snow, took the shell out of his gun, put my arm around his neck. There praying together, he received Jesus as his Saviour. That's been about twenty years ago. He's a faithful member of the body of Christ now. Wonderful brother.

Now while we're praying, how many here, in divine presence, with your heads bowed, would say, “I would like to be that kind of a Christian.”? Maybe you've never accepted Christ as your Saviour, and you'd say, “God, be merciful to me. I've always wanted to be a Christian, but really, I've never seen nothing that would just make me... nothing real like that. But I really believe that there is a God and I want to accept Him as my Saviour.” Will you raise your hand? Say, “Pray for me, Brother Branham.” God bless you, sir. Another? God bless you, lady, and God bless you, God bless you, you, and you. God bless you back there, lady. Some another?

Now, you may be a member of a church. I'm not talking about membership. I'm talking about it's you being a Christian, genuine. Death would mean nothing to you. You love Jesus so that He's just... You love Him like a mother would love her baby. You know, you talk about the love that He has for you? He said, “Can a mother forget her suckling babe?” Said, “She might. But I can't forget you. Your names are engraved on the palms of my hands.”

Now the queen of the south come to see the wisdom of Solomon. Here was Jesus, after all these hundreds of years, was doing the same thing. And He said she come to hear Solomon. And here was He with the same gift, only greater, and promised that in this day they would receive the sign of the resurrection. God, make us real. Pray now. God be with you. Just pray, just silently to yourself, saying, “Be merciful, Lord. I now repent of all my sins. I believe on Him.”

God bless you, trusting that it's faith in your heart. Now raise your heads. Look this way. I am your brother. I've come to tell you the truth. The God that gave the gift to Solomon is the same God tonight. Jesus stood there, being God manifested in the flesh, and showed the people.

Now the Bible predicts that in the last day the Spirit of God will manifest itself in the same way. Just before the coming of the Son of God, it would be like it was at Sodom. Do you believe that? Now let the God that you have accepted as your personal Saviour, let Him speak tonight.

How many of you people here that...? I'm going to omit the prayer cards right at this time. How many people here that doesn't have a prayer card? Now you do not have a prayer card, and you believe that God will heal you. Raise up your hands, say, “I will believe.” All right.

Now you look this way just a moment. Being a stranger to you, now if Jesus stood here tonight wearing this same suit that He gave me years ago... Now, if you come to Him, and you said, “Lord, will you heal me?” He couldn't do it. He's already did it. You believe that, don't you? “By His stripes...”

But He could prove to you that He was Christ. And the only way you'd know it—not by the way He was dressed, not the scars on Him, but the ministry He would have, He would be the Word. And the Bible said the Word of God is sharper than a two-edged sword, and a discerner of the thoughts of the heart. Is that right? Now, how many knows that's truth, say, “Amen.”

Now the Bible said that Jesus now is a high priest that can be touched by the feeling of our infirmities. Is that right? Now, if He's the same high priest, how about your faith touching Him, and watch and see... Now, if I'm...

Listen. Do you believe He would have anything to do with a hypocrite? Jesus? No, sir. Do you believe He'd associate Himself in lies? Not our God. No. But our God is responsible for His Word. Is that right? And humbly, He's permitting this to be done, not because He has to, but to show the people that He is God, and keeps His promise. God.

Some of you people back there, you Anglo-Saxons, do you believe it with all your heart? Raise up your hand, say, “I believe it. Before I see anything real done, I believe it.”

The Indian people, do you believe with all your heart? Raise up your hand.

Now again, I'm going to ask you. You without a prayer card, raise up your hand. Now, you haven't got a prayer card. Raise up your hand, the white people back there. All right.

Now I want you to pray. You people back there, pray, and say, “Lord Jesus, that preacher doesn't know me. But You know me.” Now you can take your hand down and pray. And say, “Lord Jesus, if You're a high priest, You let me touch You.”

And then you... Turn around—like the woman that touched His garment, and He turned around and said, “Who touched me?”

And Paul, or Peter, said, “Lord,” he rebuked Him. “All's touching You.”

He said, “But I perceive that I got weak.” Virtue, strength went from Him.

Now, if one little woman touching Him, using the gift of God, if one little woman touching Him caused Him to get weak, what about me, a sinner saved by grace? But what did He say? “The works that I do shall you do also. More than this shall you do.” Now the King James says, “greater.” But in the original translation... There's nothing could be greater. He healed the sick, He raised the dead, He stopped nature, He done everything. But, “more than this shall you do”, all around the world, (See?), “for I go to the Father.”

Now you pray. You know what's wrong with you, and you pray. And if you've never seen nothing real done, and He will appear here tonight, in His presence... Now not me. And no matter how much gift I have, you have to have faith, too, 'cause it's your faith that operates it. It's not me.

The woman, she touched His garment and He got weak. That was a woman using God's gift. But when He went away from the house of Lazarus, and went away and come back, and raised up a man had been dead four days, He never said He got weak then. That was God using His gift. Do you believe that? 'Cause He said at the grave, you know, “I thank Thee, Father, that thou has already heard Me. But for these I said it,” see. He said, “I do nothing till the Father showed Me.” That's the reason He didn't go back when they sent for Him. Now pray.

If I be God's servant... Now, if anybody thinks this is false, come up here and do it. Let's see you do it, if it's false. Pretty quiet. Then it isn't. It's of God. It's God's Bible. Now you believe. And just believe now, all...

I'm nervous. This is eleven straight meetings for me, and I'm just wore out. You know it. Night after night, every night, strength, virtue. And through the day, He'll send me down on the corner and say, “Stand here. There'll be a guy come by on a wheelchair.” That's the big visions.

These are the little ones. You're causing these. That's the one that God gives. Say “This man comes by, and he did a certain thing, at a certain time. He'll be pressing around the corner. Just speak to him, and raise him up out of the chair, and go on. Let nobody know who does it.” You hear it up here in papers, and things like that. Nobody knows who it is. He sends me down there, and says, “Do this.” see. That's God using his gift.

Now you do it. You use God's gift and say, “Great high priest of God, let me touch You. And You use Brother Branham to speak to me. And if You'll just tell me what's my trouble, and what... this, or something that in my heart I'm praying for, I'll believe with all my heart.” And then you'll be able to say, like the mother deer, like... you'll see something real, like Burt Caul saw.

Now here, here it is. Thank you, Lord. Look over this way. How many seen that picture on the paper tonight? You see it? Did he show it here? All right. You know that pillar of fire you saw in the paper? There it is. It's standing right there. It's over a little woman, sitting way back here, towards the back, a little lady. She's wearing glasses. She's kind of thin. She's suffering with an allergy.

Do you believe, sister? You put up your hand a few minutes ago you didn't have a prayer card. You don't have a prayer card, do you? Stand up on your feet. Is that what you're suffering with? If that's right, raise up your hand. And if I'm a stranger to you, wave your hand like this. I want to ask you something. Right now you feel a real sweet feeling, don't you? Just real... I'm looking right at that pillar of fire circling right around that woman right now. Your faith has made you whole. Jesus Christ. Now do you believe?