Believest thou this?

You can find this sermon at ChurchAges.net

1 Thank you, Brother Bosworth. Good evening, audience. Good to be here. And be seated, if you will.
Everybody feeling good? I trust that you are. I was very happy this morning to tune in and hear the program from the temple. My, and hear the testimonies of the people that had been healed. Last evening, we had quite a spontaneous break, and the Spirit of the Lord come down upon us in a great outpouring. We're expecting that to grow greater all the time. I believe it will, don't you?
And if I'm not mistaken, there's a man setting right in front of me now, if I'm--with a minister's badge. Wasn't you in a wheelchair last night or something? [The man says, "I was."] I just made a statement awhile ago. I don't know what's happened between there and that; you're not in a wheelchair, whether you're just setting there. But the man has a great faith. And if he isn't already, if they packed him and put him there, whatever it is. I believe the man's going to be healed during the meeting. I thought it was him last night that was pulling. It was, partly. Just have a good courage, and believe with all your heart.
Now, these things I have no way to control them. God does the healing, and I... Only thing that I do is just speak and show what He told me to do. But God has to do the healing. We all believe that, don't we?

2 Now, this afternoon, I come, not under the anointing for healing, which we... This is a coming to just speak of the Word, and to try to exhort the faith, and to get you to believe on Jesus.
It's been a very sweet week, the past week has. Crowds is been about the smallest I've ever had in all my life in the services, the audience of people. Believe it's the smallest audience to have... This being the fifth night, I believe it is, or coming up the sixth night of service, that I ever had in all the time since it's been to me, even when I was in small churches before I went out.
But there's been a unity about it. And I realize that the city has been hit pretty heavy; there's been many services in. The other day, I got a check that was put in the offering that belonged to some other man. He was supposed to have gotten last August. Somebody mixed up and got it over in our offering, some other man that came through the city.

3 Brother Roberts has been here for a while. And then it seems like that the way it... Everybody is in campaigns and going around. And we're all trying to do some good for suffering humanity. I'm sure that that's the purpose of every man's heart, is to try to help, or do something for the church.
Many big services has been attended through the past year here in Houston. And the--it seems to be all about on the same line; it's preaching the Gospel, and praying for the sick, and so forth. And whatever it is, we thank God for what He's done, and for the results that's been brought forth by every...

4 But people, meeting after meeting, meeting after meeting, meeting after meeting, become worn out. I know that to be so; for in my own sphere of praying for the sick, and being in meeting after so many nights... Really, last night would've been our last night, see. Five nights is about our limit, three to five nights, and then we go somewhere else.
The other ministers who preach healing by the Word, it takes a long time to build in faith like that sometimes. It's... Sometimes they stay six, eight, ten weeks, maybe, three months, because it's necessary for them to do that.
But up here on usual just to demonstrate, to show that--what God has done in this way of this phenomenon, why, it doesn't take long till the people... First fifteen or twenty minutes, if they're spiritual minded, they'll catch it right away, and then things begin to happen. And usually within five days, we're gone from the city to somewhere else.

5 It usually falls my lot during a time to speak a little bit to the audience on a Gospel message. And they asked me Sunday afternoon to--if I would preach, or try to at least. And I'm not a preacher.
As I heard your pastor, one of the pastors here, Brother Richey, on the broadcast this morning, I thought, "My, if he's setting on the platform this afternoon, my, what would I feel like." But I... Only thing I can do, is do the best that I can for God's glory. I'm uneducated, have many defects that way that keeps me from being a preacher. I'm not a preacher.
I often made this little statement before starting in the message... [Gap in the audio.]

6 One time when I was a little boy, my father was quite a rider. He could just ride, break horses, and so forth.
Frankly, that--it was in a riding match when he met my mother. And he was about nineteen years old, eighteen or nineteen, and she was fourteen. They got married. And I was born when my mother wasn't quite sixteen years old yet.
But I always liked to be like my daddy, for I thought someday, when I was a little boy, when I got to be a man, that I was going to be a real cowboy. That's a big word to say in Texas, ain't it. But... They say that's the home of the cowboys, so...
A little fellow like, you know, and reading Western Story magazines, going to picture shows, and so forth. Well, I thought the height of my ambition was to be a cowboy. Just wait till I get to wear those chaps, you know, and boots, and the great big hat, and... Oh, I was--had great enthusiasm.

7 So when I was about eighteen years old, why, I went out West, out in Arizona to be a cowboy. I run off from home.
And I had a little practice before I left home, of riding. I used to take the old plow horse, old. And I'd plow him all day, and the poor old fellow couldn't hardly get back up to the watering trough to get a drink. I'd get the harness off of him, and get me a handful of cockleburs, and lay it up under the saddle, and pull it down, and then jump up on him.
And poor old horse was old and stiff, he couldn't get up. Tired, you know, he just stand there and bawl and jump up and down. I'd take my old straw hat and hit him. I'd say, "My, if I'm not a cowboy." [unclear words].

8 My little brother and them would set on the fence and laugh at me, you know, and give me a great big hand, because I was real cowboy. I thought, "Wait till I get out West. My, I'll show them what a cowboy is from Indiana."
I went out West. I remember the... I had enough money. I was going to buy a pair of chaps. I thought I had enough. I went out. A great big pretty pair that had A-R-I-Z-O-N-A, and the bottom had steer heads like that, two big brass buttons for his eyes. I thought, "My, them looks pretty. Try them on." I put them on.
Can you see one of these little banty chickens with the feathers down his leg, that's about the way I looked. There's about three foot of leather laying out on the floor. Them boys are long legged over there, too much for Indiana.
I seen all that; I thought, "My, I'd be a beautiful sight pulling all this leather down the street like that." And I thought, "What a... Um." So I thought, "Well..."

9 They's going to have a rodeo, so I... Fellow said... I said, "How much are these?" I found they run around twenty-five, thirty dollars. Oh, my, and I had about three dollars or four.
He said, "You better compromise for a pair of Levis."
So I did. And I went out. The first time I'd ever seen a rodeo. And I seen all those cowhands lined up on the fence, and I thought, "Well, I will get out there and set down too."
And I got me a big hat that's kind of a pasteboard affair, you know, looked like a real western hat. I climbed up there with those big fellows, looking around, you know, like I just as big as they were.
They brought a fellow down there was going to ride a certain horse. When he came out of the stalls, why he jumped in the saddle, and that horse made about two jumps. I knowed that didn't look like my old plug up home. So looked like you could put all four feet in a wash pan and throw the saddle off of him. Made about two jumps, and that fellow was laying out in the middle of the road there, and the pick-ups come got him, and the blood was running out of his nose, and his ears, and what a horrible shape he was. The ambulance had to pack him away.

10 The fellow came down through there; said he'd give any man fifty dollars that would stay on that horse a minute. Kept looking all around. Nobody'd take him up. He looked right about me, said, "Are you a rider?"
I said, "No sir." I changed my mind right quick. When I... I knowed that wasn't my old plug that I'd been riding.
So when I first was ordained in the Baptist church, my, I was the happiest preacher you ever seen. Somebody'd say, "Are you a minister?"
I'd say, "Yes, sir."

11 One day when I had my first meeting with holiness people. I was over in St. Louis, and I met Reverend Robert Daugherty. And he was in a tent meeting. And I went up there that night, and his little girl had just been healed. Her testimony appeared there.
And he went taking me down to the meeting where they was having it. He got up there, and he started preaching, and first time I'd about ever heard a Pentecostal preacher preach. That boy preached till his knees buckled together. He went plumb to the floor, and he'd catch his breath. You could hear him two squares away. Come up preaching.
Someone said, "Are you a preacher?"
I said, "No, sir." No, no. My old slow Baptist ways don't think of it that fast. That's all. I just... I wasn't no preacher then after I'd heard that. So I kept still from then on around Full Gospel people about being a preacher. I just let it go. I said, "No, I'll pray for the sick." Let it go like that.

12 But I do enjoy coming on this day like this, to try to read some of the Word and explain it the best that I know how; because all... I believe that it's the truth. Every Word of God is the truth. And then, coming in a service like this, you don't have to come under that anointing for healing. You don't have to be under prayer or fasting. I just come right in and go to reading the Word and whatmore. You see? It's a different feeling when you're preaching the Gospel, than when it is when you're under that anointing for that Angel of God. Because you're so sensitive to every spirit. Feels like it's built in the wall, and feel one dripping out here or there, like that.

13 And then this afternoon, I come to try to speak a little bit on the Word. And I was trying to decide just... I thought I was going to speak on a little subject I used to speak on, "Show Us The Father, It Sufficeth Us." John 14. Brother Lindsay said, "I wished you'd wait just a little longer, and get it--get it on a recording."
So I thought I would speak then of the resurrection of Lazarus, how that he was raised from the dead. I don't know whether I ever spoke on it when I was here before of not. Did I? All right.
Over the 11th chapter of Saint John, if you want to read with me for a few moments... I just love the Word, don't you? My, the Word is real. And begin about the 20th verse of the 11th chapter of Saint John. And listen close, and give me your undivided attention just for a few moments.

14 And I'll lay my watch out here and try to leave just quickly, so you'll have chance to go early, and get home and have your dinner, supper it is up in Indiana yet. But I don't know what it is down here. But I'm just a old-fashioned sassafras boy that still believes it's dinner, breakfast, and supper to me. Anyhow, my supper tastes just as good as your dinner does to you. That's right. 11th chapter and the 20th verse, we read this:
Then Martha, as soon as she heard that Jesus was coming, went and met him: but Mary sat still in the house.
Then said Martha unto Jesus, Lord, if thou had been here, my brother would not died.
But I know, that even now, whatsoever thou will ask ... God, God will give it thee.
Jesus said unto her, Thy brother shall rise again. (I like that, don't you?)
Martha said unto him, I know that he shall rise again in the resurrection at the last day. (See, they believed in the general resurrection.)
Jesus said unto her, I am the resurrection, and ... life: he that believeth in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live:
And whosoever liveth and believeth in me shall never die. Believest thou this?
She said unto him, Yea, Lord: I believe that thou art the Christ, the Son of God, which should come into the world.

15 Let's bow our heads a moment for prayer.
Our heavenly Father, we have gathered here in this auditorium this afternoon for one purpose: to glorify Jesus Christ Thy Son. And I pray Thee, Father, that Thou will just, as it was, pull down the curtain to anything else but to the Word of God this afternoon in the power of the Spirit, that It might have the right of way in every heart, and every believer in here may be blessed, all the sick that's in our midst this afternoon may be healed, and God receive glory, and all sinners come to Jesus. Hear the prayer of Your humble servant, Lord, and bless this part of the service now. Anoint the lips of Thy servant to speak, the ears of Thy people to hear. For we ask it in the name of Jesus, our Saviour. Amen.

16 During this time of the ministry of our Saviour, He become very popular. He lived with Martha, and Mary, and Lazarus, which was all brothers and sisters. (Can you hear me? All right.)
They were brothers and sisters. And we're taught by some historians that Lazarus was a scribe, and that Mary and Martha made tapestries and so forth for the temple, which that, I guess, could not be proved, or it doesn't make too much difference what they did.
But the main thing, they were friends to Jesus. And Jesus' ministry had grown so great, until He was called out of the country at this time to be away on missions elsewhere, to preach the Gospel, to heal the sick, and do His earthly mission as He was ordained of the Father to do so.

17 His birth, when Jesus was born on earth, He had a black mark to begin with. He was always received by the common people, and scorned mostly by the religious sect of the people in them days, and of the great ritzy and high minded people. And it's just about that way today too. It's the same.
Not as I'm trying to say that rich or ritzy people cannot be saved; they can, if they'll humble themselves and come like the rest of us. But we must all come in one way: that's come, knowing that we are nothing and He's all; and being willing to surrender ourselves to Him in order to receive benefits from Him.
If you ever get anything from God, you have to humble yourself and become nothing before Him, and know nothing, but one purpose; that is, you're trying to find Jesus. Then when you humble yourself down, God will exalt. But when you exalt yourself, God will see that you are brought to abase. That's right. He said so in His Word.

18 Now, Jesus, when He was born, He was... I believe that all gifts are foreordained, the foreknowledge of God. You believe that? I believe it. I believe there's nothing that you work yourself up to, or anything that one person could give to another. I do not believe in that. I don't say it couldn't be so. My belief wouldn't change God's program. But I can't see it in the Scriptures.
To base it in all that I preach, and believe, must have a... I must have a--something behind it, in other words, to make faith out of it. And it must come from the Word of God, which is the basic of all faith. Faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the Word. And therefore, I believe that all great gifts were foreordained of God to come into the world.

19 For instance, Jesus Himself. He was foreordained of God to come into the world. Do you believe that? He was the woman's seed that was to bruise the serpent's head. And his head was to bruise the heel.
I believe that Moses was foreordained of God. Do you believe that? When he was borned, he was a proper child. And he was raised up on Pharaoh's--in Pharaoh's palace with his foot on the throne to become the heir of, even Pharaoh's son, to fall heir to the throne. But he was ordained of God. If he'd been an ordinary man, he'd a went ahead and took those great honors. But he was ordained of God for another purpose.
I believe that John the Baptist... I believe it was seven hundred and twelve years before he was born, he was seen by the prophet Isaiah, and said he was the voice of one crying in the wilderness. He was ordained of God.

20 Jeremiah, before he was even brought from his mother's womb, God said He knew him, sanctified him, and ordained him a prophet over the nations, before he ever come from his mother's womb. Is that right?

21 I believe that those things are ordained. I think where it is today, we, more or less, get worked up in a little excitement, or a little enthusiasm, and sometimes brings more reproach than it does good. Don't you think so? Don't never say nothing.
Like, I seen young man come in and say, "Oh, the Lord's called me to preach. Got converted last night. The Lord called me to preach." You'd better wait, young fellow. Find out whether God's really called it. There's a plant, you know, that's planted at one time. And when the hot sun come out, it withered down. Set down and 'fore you build the house, count the cost and see if you're able first 'fore you do it. And then...
But sometimes we get enthused. And I'd rather have a little enthusiasm than no "asm" at all, just to have somebody get enthused about it.

22 But Jesus, when He was borned, He was borned with that mark of being illegitimate child, that his father was Joseph. And that he was a born, in other words, a bastard child, born by a father which... by a mother that was... He was conceived before that they were married. And I say that that's wrong, because God was His Father. And He was borned of a virgin birth.
Then we find out, that His coming on the earth, before He got here, He was announced to be here. And God always...
Now, if I get some doctrine in this, you don't believe it, that's all right. We won't fall out about it. But just like if you'd ask me to eat cherry pie at your house. And I love it. If I was eating cherry pie, I'd go ahead eating pie till I hit a seed; I wouldn't throw the pie away, I'd throw the seed away, just keep on eating pie.
So that's what you do about this. What you believe, receive it. And what you don't believe, well lay it aside.

23 And God, when He sends a great something to the earth, He announces it by angels. We realize that. The birth of Jesus and all down was announced by angel. Now, minor angels will come. Say for instance, the One that come visit me, a minor angel.
But when you see Gabriel come down, something major on the road. Gabriel announced the first coming of Jesus; He will announce the second coming of Jesus. He will sound the trumpet, the dead in Christ shall rise. Gabriel, the great Archangel of God...

24 And now, during this time, before the birth of Jesus, why Mary, the mother, the little virgin lived in Nazareth, brought up there.
And even before that, John had to come as a forerunner. We look at John the Baptist, what a great man he was. Jesus, at this time of our message, was going down to see John the Baptist. He drawn all the regions around Judea and Jordan, down to Jordan to hear him. What a great man he was. He also was foreordained.
And when he was borned, Zacharias... Before he was borned, his father was in the temple. His obligation was to offer incense while the people were praying, burn incense. And one day... Notice, he was a devout man (I like that, don't you?), a man who worshipped God.
Now, there was a disgrace at his home. His wife was old. She'd always wanted to bring children, which all Jewish women did, but... They thought it was a great honor, and a dishonor to be barren. Like David's first wife, when she laughed at him by dancing before the ark, God put a curse upon her that she could bear no children.

25 And now, Zacharias, a just man, a holy man, a devout man, he and his wife had prayed, and believed that someday God would give them children; held onto God. And then, at this particular time, while he was waving this incense in there, Gabriel, the Angel, appeared before him and told him: After the days of his ministration at the temple, he was to go home and be with his wife, and she was to conceive and bear a son, and they would call his name John.
Zacharias, yet a good man, holy man, righteous man, that had prayed for these things... Notice it. He failed to believe what he'd been praying for, when his prayer was answered. Isn't that about like most of us today? Praying, and if God answers your prayers, scare you to death.
Notice. He had prayed all this time, and God was answering his prayer. And I say this here. God will answer every sincere prayer (I believe it.) in His own way.

26 Then she's a past the age of bearing. Zacharias said, "Oh, this couldn't be so. My, my. She's old, and I'm old. And how could this be?"
And because he disbelieved the Angel, the Angel said, "You'll be dumb until the day the baby's born." And he was stricken dumb. And you know how the people waited for him. And when he come out, why he beckoned to them. They seen that he'd been--seen an Angel.
And he went on up, and his wife conceived, and this little John was on his road to be born.

27 Six months later, the angel came down again to a little virgin by the name of Mary, lived in the meanest town, worse than Houston, Texas. Come down into a city there named Nazareth, and...
And no matter how mean the people are, God... This Houston, Texas is a fine city, one of the nicest cities I've ever been in. But you here, like in all other cities, you have good and bad everywhere. That's right. Depends on... Good and bad was put before the people in the garden of Eden. And it's still there, good or bad.
You want to see something out of a bad city, a little city that's wicked, you ought to come around my little town up home. All right. It's called "Little Chicago." So don't feel bad when I said Houston, Texas.
Because God has children everywhere. That's right. I believe when the rapture comes that people will come from everywhere going up in the rapture.

28 And when this Angel came down in Nazareth... Let's kind of dramatize this a little, and think that it was on "Blue Monday," maybe wash day, when Mary had to go down and get the water, in the Oriental type, packing it on her head, maybe coming up a packing the water along... And all of a sudden, a great light shown around her. And in this light stood the great Archangel, Gabriel, standing there before her, and said, "Hail, Mary, blessed art thou among women."
Why, that salutation frightened the little virgin. It would frighten you, that such a appearance of an Angel standing before you. It did me. And said, "Blessed art thou among women." And He begin to tell her that she was going to bear a Son knowing no man, and they'd call His name Jesus.

29 Now, I want you to look at the difference between Mary and Zacharias. Zacharias, that minister, Gospel minister, or a preacher, as it was in that day, priest in the temple, had knowed all kinds of things that had happened before of the miraculous power of God, but doubted the Angel in his case, where Mary said, "Behold the handmaid of the Lord." She didn't question what could be or so forth.
And look how much more she had to believe than what he had to believe. Hannah had had a baby before, when she was past the age. Sarah had a baby before ... after she was past the age. And that had already happened many times. But Mary had to believe something that had never happened before. No woman had ever brought a child like that into the world by knowing no man.
But she had more to believe than what Zacharias did. So therefore, she didn't question God; she just took God at His Word. Amen. I like that. Take God at His Word. Believe it anyhow. No matter how impossible it looks to be, believe God, and He will bring it to pass.

30 And notice. Just as soon... She didn't wait till she was positive she was going to have this child. She didn't wait till she felt life before she said anything about it. She started right away testifying, telling people that she was going to have this baby when there was no signs of it yet. God give us some more Marys. That's right.
Don't wait for signs and wonders. Take God at His Word, and start rejoicing, saying it's going to happen. God said so.
I believe if every patient in this building, right now, would accept it upon the grounds of God's Word, and believe it, and start testifying, and praising God for your healing, the meeting wouldn't close with one crippled person in here. That's right. God is under obligation to answer His Word.
Can you hear me all right? Am I too loud? All right. Pray with me.

31 Notice. Then as soon as she started up into the hilly countries of Judea, because the angel told her about Elisabeth... And Elisabeth and Mary were first cousins. Jesus and John were second cousins. And when she started up into the hilly country to see her cousin who was going to be a mother also, when she met Mary--or Elisabeth seen Mary coming, no doubt they run out and begin to greet each other, hug each other, like women used to do, meet each other, smile, be friendly.
I tell you, that's what's a whole lot the matter with the people today. They're not friendly like they used to be. The people has got too selfish, got to a place where they think they live in a little world by themself. You know that's the truth.
Why, you know it used to be out on the farm, when one of the neighbors would get sick, we'd go out and help do their work, and cut the wood and bring it in. And now, you don't know your neighbor's dead unless you're to read it in the paper. That's right. Selfish...

32 And the people pass down the street, used to, why, we'd grab a hold of one another's hands and shake their hands like that, saying, "How are you, brother?" And today when they pass on the street, they give a little silly grin, throw their head up in the air. Oh, my. No wonder the love's gone.
I despise that old somebody feel they're bigger than somebody else. After all, you're six foot of earth. That's all you are. That's right, everybody.

33 Not long ago, I was standing by a museum. There's a picture of a man there, a hundred and fifty pounds. And it give the analysis of the chemicals of his body. He's worth eighty-four cents. That's all a hundred and fifty pound man's worth, is eighty-four cents. But he will be sure to put a ten dollar hat on that eighty-four cents and think he's something big. That's right. A woman will wrap that eighty-four cents up in a hundred dollar fur coat and won't speak to half her neighbors.
What's the matter? The love of God takes you somewhere. That's right. What is it? It's still eighty-four cents. You will take care of that all right. But that soul's worth ten thousand worlds, you will let anything be poked down it. That's right. That's the truth.

34 Not long ago, I was in a big meeting. And this some princess of some sort there. She set in the meeting, way back in the back. If I would've seen her setting back there, as almost as close to being naked as that woman was, I'd have took my coat off, and went, and put it around her, and told her to wear it, while I was preaching the Gospel.
I did that one time to a woman. She got angry, and got up, and stomped out of the building. But I got the privilege of telling her anyhow. That's right. That's right.

35 It's a shame the way that Christian women dress and allow their young girls, and things to dress out on the streets. I tell you. They tell me that the way Adam and Eve realized they were naked, because they eat apples. If eating apples caused women to know that they were naked, it's time to pass the apples again. That's right. That's exactly the truth.
Oh, it's a shame. Dress themselves out here on these beaches somewhere to get a suntan, some married woman with a little kid, or something like that, or these young ladies, and call themselves full of the Holy Ghost? If you are... The tree's known by its fruit it bears. That's right.

36 I got a little girl in here. I don't know what she will be. But I'm telling you, if I ever catch her stretched out on the beach, she will get a "son-tanning," but it will be Mr. Charlie Branham's son will tan her with a board. That's one thing sure. That's one good thing. Yes, sir. That might be old-fashioned sassafras preaching, but it will save you. That's one thing sure. It will straighten you up. It might not be just said in the right kind of words, but you will listen to it; it will do you good. That's one thing sure. Yes, sir. It's a disgrace how people...
This woman want ... come walking down after the meeting. She got one of the managers. She said, "I want to meet Doctor Branham." Doctor Branham. I'm your brother. Amen. She come walking down through there, a pair of glasses on, up on a stick like this, with her head up in the air, threw her hand up like this. She said, "Doctor Branham, I'm charmed."
I said, "Well, get it down here so I will see you, or know you when I see you." That's right.
All that put-on. I like the old fashioned type, a handshake, that's got a [unclear words] to it; where the people really can shake hands with somebody and feel it, a good old warm handshake. God bless your hearts. Sometimes a best of heart's beating under an old blue shirt like that. That's right. Truly.

37 Now, there Mary was in that way though. When she seen Martha, and they... Mary, I mean, and Elisabeth. They run to each other, threw their arms around one another, begin to hug one another. And I can hear Mary say, "Oh, I've been told that you're going to be a mother."
She said, "Yes, but I'm just..." Let's dramatize just a moment, so you get the picture. "I'm going to be a mother, but I'm just a little afraid." See, John was six months older than Jesus, six months later when angel Gabriel appeared. And he said, "I'm just a little bit afraid, because it's six months with me as a mother, and the baby has no life in it. It's never moved." See?

38 And that's altogether subnormal, because life is about two months, something like that. But here's six months, and no life yet. And she said, "I'm worried about the baby." In other words, we're just dramatizing this part. See? "And I'm just a little worried about it.
And Martha... Then I see Mary say, "Why, the Angel Gabriel appeared to me, and told me I was going to have a baby, knowing no man, and I should call His name Jesus."
Just as soon as she said, "Jesus," the power of the Holy Ghost fell, and the little dead baby in the mother's womb begin to leap for joy. If the name of Jesus first spoke by a human lips will bring life to a dead baby, what ought it to do to Christians who are borned again, that's supposed to be alive in Christ Jesus. That's right.

39 Said, "Whence cometh the mother of my Lord? For as soon as your salutation come to my ears, my baby leaped in my womb for joy." Received the Holy Ghost in his mother's womb before he was born... Hallelujah.
Sure, I believe in miracles and signs in the power of the Gospel of Christ. Yes, I love Him with all my heart. And I know He's real. If the whole world gossips, that don't make a doubt in my mind. I believe it with all my heart. Yes.
His name was spoke, and the little baby begin to leap. Dead in his mother's womb, received life when the name of Jesus was first breathed through mortal lips by His mother... "Whence cometh the mother of my Lord. For as soon as your words was spoken in my ears, my baby leaped in the womb for joy."

40 What kind of a baby oughtn't this to be that was born from his mother's womb, the Bible said, full of the Holy Ghost? He was a Holy Ghost preacher. That's right.
And when he came out... When he was about nine years old, we're taught that he went into the wilderness. He was anointed with the spirit of Elijah, acted like him, looked like him, little old frail-looking fellow, bald-headed, piece of goods wrapped around him like this, and a camel skin around him, and a leather girdle around his loins. But when he came out of the wilderness of Judea, he preached a message that stirred all the regions. God, give us some more Baptists like that. Amen. Yes, sir. Come out with an old hairy trousers on, not with his collar turned around in the back, and fried chicken twice a day, and had to have a hundred dollar salary a week before he preached. He come out anointed with the Holy Ghost. Hallelujah.

41 He didn't throw out any lines either. When Herod come up there with his brother Philip's wife, somebody said, "Don't you preach on marriage and divorce." Walked right up in his face and said, "It's not lawful for you to have her." God, give us men who will stand for the truth (Amen.), regardless of who's sitting close or who it is. Let the chips fall where they want to, and lay the Gospel to the hewing line. That's right. Call black black, and white's white. Right's right and wrong's wrong. If you're not right, then get right. It will straighten you up, make you look different, act different, live different, be different. The Holy Ghost is good for you. It will straighten you out.

42 That's what's the matter with down in these countries now, and all around over the world. We got too many old cold formal churches, having a form of godliness and denying the power thereof. What we need today is get a little starch out of the church. And that goes to Pentecost too. Amen. You know it is.
Because you're afraid. One side setting here, and the church of God here, and the Assemblies are over here, and this one over here, afraid of this, that, or the other. When you forget that and get in Christ (Hallelujah.), the Holy Ghost can have the right of way. Amen.
You're going to call me a holy-roller anyhow, so I just might as well let loose. That's right. That's true. God's Spirit will do it. Maybe I am a holy-roller. If I am, I'm the happiest holy-roller you ever seen. If it takes a marking to be a holy-roller, and believe the Word of God, then brand me there. That's right. That's right. I believe it's the truth, that your sons and daughters shall prophesy; upon my handmaids and maid servants will I pour out of My Spirit. And the day is here, now. That's right.

43 Then when I seen them standing there... Oh, my, the little baby leaped in his mother's womb for joy. Then when he was born, he preached. All the regions come around to hear him. We wonder what kind of a message he preached. He preached Christ.
If the churches will quit preaching on theology and stuff like that, some kind of a human theology and some philosophy, or something like that, or who's going to be the next mayor, or something about the flowers, the roses or something, and preach Christ, the Son of God (Hallelujah.), it'll draw men. Hallelujah. "If I be lifted up, I will draw all men unto Me." That's right. It's true.

44 Oh, my. How the old-fashioned Holy Ghost, now, right now in existence, free for all... Very typed all through the Bible that the Holy Spirit would lead the church today. Israel, when it was called out of the wilderness, it was a church; it was a people of God.
I was talking to Brother Frodsham awhile ago on the street. The... Used to be the editor of the "Pentecostal Evangel."
When Israel was in the wilderness, when they were in Egypt, they were the people of God. When they were called out, they were the Church of God. For the church means "called out." And now, God's calling out a people, out of Babylon, out of confusion. Hallelujah. Amen.
You say, "What are you amening yourself for?" Well, I'm not... If you won't say it, I will. I believe it. Amen. That's right. The word "amen" means "so be it." And I know it's the truth. Yes.

45 And there, when Israel was called out, a type of the church... Israel always was a type of the church. That was the church natural, this is the church spiritual. They was called out. And as soon as they were called out, they passed through the Red Sea, baptized unto Moses. And as soon as they come on the other side, they were baptized then with the Spirit.
Miriam picked up a tambourine, and down the banks she went, dancing. Hallelujah. Yes, sir. She had the victory. Did you ever get that much? All right. She was dancing in the Spirit, and all the daughters of Israel followed her, dancing. Moses stood with his hands up and sang in the Spirit.
Why? There laid all those taskmasters laying behind them. All the old things they ever done, the meanest they... And things that you've done when you see the red blood of Christ is cleansed you from all sins, you can sing too with a victorious song. Hallelujah.
Amazing Grace, how sweet The sound,
That saved a wretch like me,
Once was lost, but now I'm found,
Was blind, but now I see. (That's right.)

46 Then I look at them. And immediately after that, they needed food to live on. God rained food down out of heaven, manna, type of the Holy Ghost. Every morning they went out and picked it up. It was good. They eat it. It taste like honey. They would just lick their lips and eat it.
I tell you, this Holy Ghost that rains now, which that was a type of and this is the Antitype, it tastes like honey. That's right. I seen the saints of God so drunk upon it till they licked their lips, say, "Um, um, so good." There's something about honey. That's right.

47 David, the old, the Psalmist in the Bible. He talked about the honey. And he was a shepherd. The shepherd used to carry a little scrip bag. In there they had honey in it. And when their sheep would get sick, they would put that honey all on a rock, a limestone rock. And those sick sheep would go to licking on that rock. And when they did, licking off the honey... [Gap in the audio.] [ Unclear words]. There He is, Hallelujah. Glory. Just lick on it. That's right.
Listen brother, let me tell you. I'll put it on Christ, and not some church either. It'll go on Christ where it belongs on. Lick on Him. Hallelujah. They need healing, if there's any virtue, if there's any power, if there's any praise, it belongs to Him. Amen. That's right. On Christ, the solid Rock. The Rock, the rock played a big part in it too.

48 A long time ago when they used to have the rock. Used to be that people'd get bit by a mad dog. They'd take and stick them to a madstone. If they stuck, they got well. If they didn't stick, they died. The worst mad dog I know of is the devil. That's right. And the only cure I know is the Rock of Ages. Stick to it. Hold on, God will take care of it.
Little boy here in the wheelchair, you blind sir, you laying on the cot, hold to God's unchanging hand. The devil might have bit you, but there's enough drawing power in the Rock of Ages, cleft for me, let me hide myself in Thee. Hallelujah. The devil can't get you when you're hid in there.
Stick with it. Hold on to it. Don't let it away from you. No matter how many symptoms appear, how many this, that, or the other, hold to it. Stay there until the healing power has drawn all the disease from you. That's right. He will do it.

49 Notice this Manna again, before we leave it, to be a perfect type, a very perfect type of the Holy Ghost. Remember, that Manna fell every night, every night. And they had to get a new supply every day. Is that right? If it is, say, "Amen." All right. If they kept some over, wiggletails got in it.
That's what's the matter with a whole lot of Pentecostal experiences today. They're depending on testifying something that happened two or three years ago. Them experiences gets wiggletails. Why not now? Hallelujah. Get a new fresh one. That's right. Every day... Every day with Jesus is sweeter than the day before. There they are, eating manna every night.

50 Now, notice. A type of the Holy Ghost. It never come up; some priest never come give it to them; some preacher never baptized it into them; but it come from above, coming down from God.
And notice. Moses said to Aaron, and then they went out, gathered several big omer's full, that it might be kept in the holiest of holy, that every priesthood coming in behind the holiest of holies after that, might ask about these things. They had a right to have a taste of the original manna. It didn't get old back in there. It stayed forever good back in the holiest of holies. Is that right? Worms couldn't get in it. But it was laid back, that every person that entered into that priesthood had a right to taste of some of the original manna.

51 How beautiful it is. On the day of Pentecost, when the Holy Ghost fell down from heaven, our manna, after we's come through the blood, and have been saved, been cleansed from our sins, and the Holy Ghost fell, brother...
Peter said, on the day of Pentecost, "It's for you and for your children, and for them that's far off, even as many as the Lord our God shall call." And every person that enters into the baptism of the Spirit can have the same kind of Holy Ghost that they got on the day of Pentecost. Hallelujah [unclear words] I believe it. God's truth.
Not something that looked like it, but the real thing. Same kind of Holy Ghost that fell back there falls now, the same kind. The real Holy Ghost brings forth the same kind of a evidence and proof that they had back there, comes with the same Holy Ghost. Hallelujah. Amen. Oh, how good. You say, I like this... "Oh, I--I feel it right now." That's right. It's real. Just as real as it ever was to me. That's right. Just the same Holy Spirit that fell back there on the day of Pentecost.

52 What's the matter today, we got... Our churches has got away from it. It's exactly right. Reminds me of what we try to do is build a big fine church, put fine pews, get the very best of this, and somebody to sing like angelic choir. See them stand up on a platform, sing with painted-up faces and everything else, and sleeves up around their arms like this, and their naked knees almost showing; go out on the street and light up cigarettes. And call the angelic choir? What's the matter with you women and men? Call yourself Christian. Act like it then. By their fruits you shall know them. But we compromise.
Remember, beauty from the eye is what Satan does. In the beginning, he... Way back in the beginning, he tried to make a better place than what Michael had. Down, he come down into Cain, tried to use the same thing, yet he offered God a sacrifice. He done the same thing that Abel did, but without the blood. True.

53 Reminds me of one day, me and my brother was going along, and we seen an old turtle. And that was the funniest looking thing I ever seen, old terrapin. Don't know whether you have them here or not. He can throw their legs like that, you know, when they're walking. I said to my brother, I said, "Isn't that a funny looking thing?"
He said, "It is."
We went up to him. He went [Brother Branham illustrates.] Puts me in the mind of some of these people, when you really go to preaching the Gospel, they pull right back in their shell. "I belong to the Baptist. I belong to the Methodist."
Go on, if your name's not in heaven, you'll go to hell too. That's right. Only those who are written in the Lambs book of life, by being redeemed, born again... Jesus said, "Except a man be born again, he will not enter the kingdom." Truly. Then you're born again, you become a new creature, a new creation in Christ. Oh, hallelujah. In other words... Don't get excited about it. Hallelujah means "Praise our God." And I praise Him. Amen.

54 Then that old turtle, I looked at him, how funny he looked. He drawed right back up. I said, "Well, I'll tell you what I'll do." I said, "I'll make him walk." I got me a big long willow, and I begin to pour it on him. He just laid there. You can't whip them into it. That's all there is to it. No, they'll just lay there and sulk.
I took him down at the water. I said, "I'll fix him up." I put him down in the water, and just a few bubbles come up. You can baptize them this way, that way, head forwards, anyway you want to. He goes down a dry sinner, comes up a wet one. He's still a sinner. You're not saved by water. That's right.
I thought, "How can I get that old fellow moving." You can't argue baptisms and ever get the church to move on. Don't you think that. You can't do it.

55 I went down and got me a piece of paper, and build a little fire, and set the old boy on it. I tell you; he moved then. That's right. What we need today is a old time Holy Ghost, God sent fiery revival. Amen. That's right. That'll move them. That's right. Preach the fire where they can't sit still. True.
After while, took the old turtle down there, and he caught one and cut its head off. Laying there, and my brother come by, said, "You got a turtle?"
"Yeah."
Looked down there, started to pick him up. And the old turtle's mouth laying there went, snapped at him. Been laying there about a hour. Said, "I thought you said you killed him."
I said, "I separated his head from his body." Said, "He's just dead and don't know it."
That's what's the matter with a whole lot of people. Dead and don't know it. That's right. Around them churchanities and so forth. Don't know what the power of the Holy Ghost means. Don't pay no attention to what science says, and this says, and that says, believe Christ. Amen. Oh, my. I feel good. Amen. I do, I feel good. Thank the Lord.

56 Now, let me tell you something, friends. Then when Jesus came down to the Jordan to be baptized of John, John saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove, went upon Him, He was filled with the Spirit of God, then into the wilderness He went to be tempted forty days, came out, and the miracles and signs begin to follow Him. The Bible said, "These signs shall follow them that believe."
It's always, signs and wonders follows God's church, everywhere, Always has, and always will. You can't never... You can take history wherever you want to. God has sent revivals and revivals; and come up, and then they'll make an organization out of it, and then they can't stand that, of course. Then the first thing you know... There has never been an organization that ever fell that rose again. God always moves His people on away from that thing. That's right. That's true.
God's calling today a people together. I believe that with all my heart, not out of your church, but together in heart. Let the churches alone. They're fine, every one of them. But what we need is an old-fashioned, Saint Paul's revival, and the Bible Holy Ghost preached in them churches with power; straighten up those members again. Amen.

57 Now, I see Him as He came out then. His ministry got so great until He had to be called away. Lazarus taken sick while He was gone.
Listen. When Jesus leaves your house, watch for sickness to come, trouble, heartaches, disappointments.
Don't you believe that? When Jesus leaves your house, trouble's coming in just as soon as He leaves.
'Course, in this case, He wasn't driven away. He went away because His Father's work was calling for it, and He went away to preach somewhere else.
I believe that Jesus seen the vision of Lazarus. They sent for Him. He didn't come. They sent for Him again; He didn't come.
If that'd been your pastor you sent for, and he didn't come, "Why, the old hypocrite. I'll go over and join the other church." That's the reason your pastor can't do nothing for you. You've got to believe him as a man of God. Do you believe that? You've got to have faith in him. If you don't, he will never be able to do you any good. If you get sick, send for him. Let him come anoint you with oil, and pray over you. God promised the prayer of faith shall save the sick. That's true. He's a man of God, God will honor him. That's true.
Sometimes he can't come just when you call. But remember, all things work together for good to them that love God.

58 Now. After a while, Lazarus got sicker and sicker. They said he died with hemorrhages, some of the historians say. I know not. But anyhow, he took sick and he died. And they took and buried him. One day passed. What a dark hour. My, my. Oh, the breadwinner was gone; them two young girls left.
Second day passed. Oh, how dark. The Man they had so much confidence in, they... Their beloved Man that they'd left their church for, and everything, and here they'd--He'd disappointed them. And their brother was dead. Doesn't things look dark?
You might be prayed for, come here and see the powers and miracles of God, and go back, and the first thing you know, well then, you feel bad the next day. You may be sick the next day. Something may happen the next day.
Well, don't you know, when Jesus prayed for an epileptic boy, when He come to him, He had the hardest fit he ever had? Your faith is not in symptoms; it's in God, believing God. See what I mean?

59 When your pastor prays for you, say, "Well, he must not be a man of God, or God would've heard his prayer." What about your faith? It's your faith that touches God, not altogether his prayer. You're obeying God's Word. And when you obey God's Word, God's under obligation to answer you, if you believe Him. It lays in you. Don't blame the other man. All right. God shows signs and wonders and miracles and everything, but look like the people don't get a--what it is.

60 A man come to me here not long ago. He said, "Brother Branham, I been to Freeman, I been to Roberts, I been to Ogilvie, I been to all of them. They can't do me no good. I come to you."
I said, "You're just as bad off now as you ever was. You've gone to the wrong person. Go to Christ." Amen.
What you fool around with man? Man can't do nothing for you. He can preach the Word; he can show His signs of what God give him. But he can't heal you; God has to heal you. That's right. You believe that's the truth? It is the truth, friends. That's right.
Well, your pastor's just as well to do that, or any elder of the church, as any other man. That's right. He's got just as much right as any other man to do it. For the only thing you have to have, is faith in God. There you are.

61 Now, notice quickly. Then, fourth day come. First, Jesus said, "Our friend Lazarus sleepeth."
They said, "If he sleepeth, he doeth well."
"I go wake him."
He said, "If he sleepeth, he doeth well."
Said, "He's dead, but I go wake him." All right. They went with Him then and went over. Now, here they was coming to the city. Just a few moments, I'll close. My time's just getting right away. I... Oh, my, I feel good this afternoon, just feel the responding faith. This builds me up, right there with your faith moving out.

62 I see now, if I could get my version of showing you God's attitude towards healing you... If you've been preached divine healing and practice divine healing through the age as you have the Gospel of the Holy Ghost, then, brother, sister, the same results would come right here this afternoon by healing, as it was by the Holy Ghost. You believe that? Sure. But when I go to preaching on the power of the Holy Ghost, and He begins to take the Word of God and place it out there, every Holy Ghost filled child will reach and grab it like that. My, they just grab it right now. They can't help it; they're hungering for it.
Brother, if you'll turn right around and realize He was wounded for your transgressions, and with His stripes you are healed, you can receive the power of God right there to heal you right where you're setting. Amen. True.

63 Here He comes to the city now. Four days... There's Martha and Mary setting there. Dark, my, all hopes is gone. Lazarus was rotten out in the grave. That's just words that you--all of you can understand. Just simply laying there, and you can say, "deteriorating" if you want to, but he's rotten. That's...
One night, I said I've got so sick I puked. And all them commenced to laughing. I said, "I'm just as sick when I'm puking as you are when you're vomiting, so what's the difference." I said, "It's just the same."
Don't try to put on a whole lot of stuff, be just who you are. That's what's the matter with people today. They're trying to get too starchy. It's the truth. Amen. I mean that, don't you? Amen. I believe it's the truth.

64 People's got putting on so much of... The Gospel's got to a thing it's all padded up, educated up. They put them in the, out here in these seminaries, or cemeteries, or whatever it is ... (all the same, both dead places.)
And that just put me in mind of a... Seminary preacher reminds me of a incubator chicken. A little incubator chicken just chirps, and chirps, and chirps, and ain't got no mammy. He's mechanically turned out. Puts me in a mind of a incubator preacher too. That's right. Hold on. I love old-fashioned God saved Holy Ghost people and Holy Ghost action. True. It responds. That's true.

65 Notice, quickly. Now, as we see Him come into this city, Martha was sitting there. She'd been very much dilatory through her days, seeming to be. But now, one time faith caught with her. Somebody come and said, "The Master's coming into the city."
Oh, my, I can see her quickly. The darkest hour she'd ever seen, just the very darkest of hour that little home had ever seen. Oh, their loved one was dead. Four days had passed. Their faith in their Master that they thought when they could drawed him out of the church to follow Him.

66 Ever who followed Jesus was renounced to come back into church. You know that's right. He was a fanatic, claimed to be. They claimed Him to be, rather. And ever who followed Him was put out of the church.
They'd left the church and everything to follow Him. And now, He'd gone and left them when their brother died.
I can hear some of them say, "Now, if there's anything to Him, why didn't He heal His friend."
I can hear them say, "Aw, there you are. See, He slipped off to get out of that." See?

67 And there the darkest of hour that they ever seen. And then Jesus come along. Oh, my. Darkest of hour, then Jesus comes along. He usually comes along at the darkest of hours. That's right.
Oh, if I had time right here; I feel something boiling up in me. Wished I could get it out of there. But I haven't got it. I'll speak some other time. That dark hour...
I remember when I think... [Gap in the audio]...

Believest thou this?

You can find this sermon at ChurchAges.net

1 Thank you, Brother Lindsay. Good evening audience. Very happy to be here this afternoon to speak about the greatest person that ever lived on the earth, or ever will be on the earth, our Lord Jesus Christ. That's why I've...
One day I was talking, and wife... One of the first meetings we was ever in, she says, "All those people come?"
I said, "The Gospel is the greatest drawing card the world has ever had." I say...
"If I be lifted up, I will draw all men unto Me."

2 And now, it falls my lot this afternoon to speak. A little warm under the tent. And I--not a preacher to begin with, but I--I like to talk on the Word. Faith cometh by hearing, hearing of the Word. That's what gives us faith. Before we can have faith, we must have a basis for faith. Isn't that right? The...
If you was going to get married, you'd have... Your wife would have to tell you she loved you and how she'd be true to you. And you have a--you have her word then. And then, your faith, it just depends on how you feel about, if her word is all right or not.
And that's the way we have to do by any way. By faith we have to have the--a background, a foundation.

3 And now, we're going to just not keep you no longer than possible in speaking. As I said, I wasn't a preacher; I just love to talk on the Word. I once... When I was first ordained as a--a Baptist preacher, my, that was the--one of the greatest hours of my life. I...
When I was a little boy, I thought it took a sissy to pack a Bible. But when I was saved and got ordained, I'd go down the street with my Bible under my arm. And my, when they would call me "brother" or something, I just all swelled out. I thought I was a real preacher. And they just had a local exhorter license, just for the state of Indiana that I could preach, and marry, or bury, or baptize.
So I thought I was a real preacher until one day I heard a real preacher. And then I realized I wasn't any preacher.

4 It reminds me of when I was at home. My father used to break bronco horses. He was borned in the state of Kentucky. My mother's from Oklahoma, and moved down into Texas, just above Paris. And my dad went west to breaking horses. And he was a quite a rider, and a very fine shot, and, with a gun. And he went west breaking horses, and that's how he met my mother.
So I always thought that I wanted to be a rider. I'd hear my dad talk about how he would break the horses, and skin the... you know, and the team and so forth.
And we lived on a farm, and I thought, "Oh, my, when I get just a little bigger, I'm going to be a real rider." I'd been to the picture show a few times and seen some of the movies, you know, of some of that, on them dude ranches. And I thought, "Oh, I will just be a real hero."

5 So when I used to get the old horse after we'd plow with him all day, you know, and get him out behind the barn to the watering trough... How many country boys is there in here? Let's see your hands. Now, don't be backwards. I thought so. All right.
And we'd get out there by the old watering trough, and I'd get me a handful of cockleburs, and put it under the saddle, and pull down the cinches on it. I'd climb up in the middle of the old horse, you know. And my, the poor old thing so tired, he--he's just worked to death. And here I would set there, and he couldn't get his feet off the ground. He'd just bawl and turn around. I'd take my old straw hat, and have my little brothers lined up down there. And I'd say, "Look at me as a cowboy," just a beating that old horse with my hat. And the poor old thing, why he--he couldn't have throwed an egg off his back hardly. So I was up there in this saddle, you know, just a bucking away. I thought I was.

6 And one day I thought I was a real rider. So I left home and went out west to be a cowboy; I landed in Arizona. And so I was at Phoenix. Now they was having a rodeo. And I thought, "Well, now, here I'm broke, so I'll just get some money."
It happened to be a little later, we's checking the time, Brother Lindsay was just a little away from there the same time, preaching the Gospel. And we didn't know that till recently when we checked our times when we were there.
And they had a rodeo up there, after the round-up. And they was talking about, oh, how you could go out and ride, and there'd be prizes for riders.
Well, I thought, "I will have to get me a pair of chaps, you know, before I go out there." I went down to one of the outfitting departments, and I got a pretty pair, you know, had a great big A-R-I-Z-O-N-A on it, and steer heads, you know. And I put them around me, and there's about that much leather laying out on the floor. I looked like one of these little banty roosters with that--all that feathers hanging down.
Well, people wasn't going to... I knowed that wasn't nothing. So I finally come to find out the price of them; I didn't have the money. So I got me a pair of Levis, and went on out to the pen.

7 They were... I climbed up on there with the rest of those old disfigured cowboys, you know, and the bow-legs, and setting up there. And they call--went through, and called that they was going to have a certain rider to ride a certain horse. I thought, "Oh, my, I will watch him." And I said, "If he can't ride it, I will." So I--I never seen a rodeo before.
And after a while when they come out, I seen this fellow climb up in the chute, stand like this, and he will catch-as-catch-can when he come out. And my, when he dropped on that horse, he made about two bawls and looked like he'd... Was one of those outlaws, you know. And he could put both feet in a wash pan and throw a saddle over the corral fence.
So just as soon as that fellow hit on him like that, he made about three lunges like this, and sunfished. And when he did, that fellow went up in the air twisting around, fell down. The pick-ups got the horse.
The fellow come back through calling, said, "I will give any man fifty dollars who will stay on him one minute--fifty dollars." And he been look all down along that fence. "Fifty dollars, who will take it?" He come right straight to me; he said, "Are you a rider?"
I said, "No sir." Well, that... I wasn't a ride... I thought I was then till that time.

8 Well, then when I thought I was a preacher one time. I packed a Bible around, had a little paper in my pocket. And I thought I was preacher.
And one day I was in St. Louis, Missouri, and I run into a Pentecostal camp meeting. And there was a Pentecostal preacher there by the name of Daugherty. And my goodness, that man started preaching. He would just turn blue in the face, and buckling his knees and go plumb to the floor. When he come up, he'd catch his breath, you could hear him two squares and still preaching. Fellow walked up and said, "You a preacher?"
I said, "No, sir, no, no."
My old slow Baptist ways don't think of it that fast. That's all. So I just have to come take my time. So around where there's real preachers, I never say I'm a preacher. So I kinda keep covered up for that. So...

9 But I do like to get out when you're not under that anointing for the sick, you know. And you can just be at liberty, you feel free to preach, or to speak of the Word, or anything. And that's what it is. They give me a little time once in a while so I can kinda rejoice.
Now, when the anointing for healing is on, I just keep praying, fasting. And it gets to a place you feel a real sacred calm feeling, not like rejoicing; you just feel a real sacred feeling. But when you're speaking of the Holy Spirit, then it comes with joy, and happiness, and gladness, and the refreshening from the Presence of the Lord. And I'm very happy to--to have that this afternoon.
Just before we go into service, I read a text as, if we should call it a text. I thought I'd make myself clear first that I wasn't a preacher. 'cause, you people are hearing these good preachers around here, well then, you'll know different in a few minutes.

10 But what I wanted to tell you was a little bit upon Divine healing, just before we read the Word.
So many people think that Divine healing is just a hocus-pocus affair. That isn't it. It's plain simple and the Gospel of Christ.
Now, what would you think if I told you this afternoon that every sick person in this building was healed? That's right though. That's true. As far as God's concerned, you're healed.
See, many times people want to debate. Here not long ago, this minister where the picture was taken, wanted to debate the subject of whether Christ... Said, "Christ didn't atone for our sickness when He atoned for our sins."
Now, here's what it is, friends. And sometimes it's just so simple, if you'll just try to understand it. How many sick people's here this afternoon? Let's see your hands. I know there's a group of you. All right.

11 Now, I want you to do this. I want you to get just what I'm saying now, and then hold to it while I'm speaking. Will you do it?
You'd never live any higher than you confess that you are. It's your confession that saves you. He that confess Me before men, him will I confess before My Father and the holy Angels. When you say you're sick, you're sick. Now, that... I'm not preaching Christian Science now. I'm preaching the power of God, and the Holy Spirit bears record of it. See?
But here's what it is. You accept Him because that you feel that He saved you. And you go telling people, testifying of it, and believing your testimony, and it works righteousness. It'll do the same thing for healing.

12 Now, here's what happens. Sin is what brought sickness in the world. Sickness is a result of sin. Now, before we had any sickness, we had no sin. And when sin came, sickness was a results of sin. So Jesus came to rid us of sin, and to rid... There's not a Gospel preacher in the world but what would believe that Jesus Christ died for our sins.
Well, they... That's where it's at here, up this place here. Now, watch close. Here's where He paid the price. And when He died for our sin, as a result of His death, sickness fell right in with it. See?
In other words, if my foot was what was you wanted to kill, kill the head and you got the foot. See? The foot goes in with it now.
That's when He atoned for sins, He atoned for the sins' results. Sickness is an attribute of sin. And Jesus died for our sins. And sickness, iniquity, and all was included in His death for our sins. You see it? Then when He died for the sins of the world, there at Calvary He healed you, you, you, you, every one of you. And you're already healed. You're already forgiven of your sins if you'll just accept it.

13 Now, you don't go to hell because you're a sinner; you go to hell because you refused to accept the way away from hell. There's a bypass; that's Christ. There's a bypass from your sickness, quick death, premature grave; that's through Christ. But now, you're--you're--you sinned in the beginning, and Christ died for your sins. Therefore, He saved you when He died. He saved you, and He healed you when He died, for He took your place.
But now, all you have to do is to accept it by faith, and you'll receive it. See what I mean? Now, there's nothing more to be done, because your healing's already paid for. You can have it right this afternoon. You can have it right now, this very minute when you believe it. When your faith meets God's requirement, to believe that Christ died for your sickness, when He died for your sins (and He died for your sins at Calvary), and accept it upon that basis; at that moment, you are healed in the sight of God. See? Then you go on testifying of it, believing it.
You don't... We... You testify of the things you do not see. Faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things you do not see. And we look at the unseen.

14 Abraham, twenty-five years before Isaac was born, testified, and believed God when he's a hundred years old. Paul, before the storm ever ceased, knew what was going to happen, because he had God's Word for it.
Now, you've got God's Word for it this afternoon. And I wished you would do this. If you'll do this... Here's a challenge that I will make as a minister of the Gospel. If you'll believe this afternoon, and the Holy Spirit will come down into our midst, and you can actually, while you're praying, feel the Holy Spirit in your heart, that He's accepted your prayer, if you'll stand on that right there, and believe it... Don't fool with any more prayer line; you don't need it. If you'll believe it right there where you are, then that settles the sickness for the rest of the way out. That'll do it. Then rise with a stern faith, walk boldly. Say, "How do you know you're well?"
"Because God said I was, and I believe His Word. That's why."

15 Now, you're not saved because you feel like that you're saved. If I... If somebody'd say, "I know I'm saved, because I had a chill run through me, and so forth." That's not why I'm saved. Satan could whip me around a stump anywhere, and he can you too upon your feelings. That's right. But when I walk back and say, THUS SAITH THE LORD, my faith is built on the Word of God. And he can't whip that away.
Remember. Jesus had all the qualities of the Father in Him. Do you believe that? Sure He did. All the fine gifts of God was in Christ, His Son; for He was the offspring of God. But notice, when He met Satan, for your example, He never used one gift on him. When Satan came to Him, He said, "It is written (Deuteronomy 7:14, I believe, or it's 8:14, and also in the Psalms): Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every Word proceedeth out of the mouth of God." Satan caught Him again up on the pinnacle of the temple: Jesus said, "It is written." And he took Him up to the top of the mountain. Jesus said, "It is written." See? "It is written."

16 Now, notice. Here it is! I want you to see it and get it now. The Word of God, written Word of God will defeat Satan anywhere, any place, any time. It's written. There it is.
Everybody wouldn't have gifts. Jesus brought it down to a place where those who do not have gifts, that do not have very much faith, could just say, "It is written." There it is; and then stand right on that.
Corn will bring forth corn. Is that right? Barley will bring forth barley. Wheat will bring forth wheat. Jesus said that the Word of God is a Seed that a sower sowed. And every Word will... Every Word of God, every promise of God will bring forth of its kind. Do you believe that? See?

17 Now, what does the farmer do? He sows the wheat. Well, look for the harvest. The next morning, what if he goes out there and uncovers it, say, "Why, it ain't it sprouted. There's nothing to it. So I--I ain't going to have no wheat." Well, if he isn't going to have any wheat... If he keeps digging it up, looking at it, he will never have wheat. You just sow it and let it alone. Amen.
There it is. It's up to God to bring it forth. It's up to God to send the rain. And it's you to accept God on His Word. Hallelujah. And it's up to God to bring His Word to pass. No man's worth any more than his word, and God's not worth a bit more than what His Word is.
And I say this with a challenge in faith, that every promise of God will be brought to pass if you take the right mental attitude towards it. That's right. Look at it. Believe it.

18 John Sproule, many of you has heard of John, the Glory Barn, years ago. In Alsace Lorraine, France, said him and his wife walking out one afternoon looking at a statue of Christ. And he stand out criticizing; he said, "Why, I don't see no suffering. Don't see nothing that look like anything would be so great about that monument there."
The guide said, "Well, you're looking at it wrong, sir." Said, "You get down here at the altar." Said, "There's a altar built here." And said, "Now, look up."
He looked up and said, "Oh, my." His heart like to broke.
See, it's just the way you look at it. If you look at the Word was way back there, and Christ lived years ago, and He's not today, and He's not the same yesterday, today, and forever, that's just what you'll get out of it. But it's not to be looked off as history, it's to be get down and look up to It and believe It. The way you look at the Word of God...

19 Now, accept it right now, and say to God right now in prayer, "Lord, this afternoon I'm setting here sick. I've seen all these ministers preach the Word; I've seen Christians; I've seen prostitutes made ladies and saints; I've seen drunkards on the street come in and become gentlemen and upright men, saints of God become Gospel preachers by preaching the Word. I believe You sent those men." Say, "Now, Father, I--I seen someone come in claiming the gift of Divine healing, to know the hearts of the people. I see that. And I know that You're dwelling in Your people. All over the world, You're moving... through Your people. And this afternoon, I'm going to accept You as my Divine Healer and my Divine Saviour. And I'm going to believe it, and confess it, and stay with it; if You'll just bless me this afternoon, and make it so in my heart that I can believe it."
Will you make God that promise? Will you do it? To you that's sick, say, "I promise that, Lord. If You'll just touch me with a little faith this afternoon, then I'm going to believe it, and walk out of here and be a healed person the rest of my life. I will refuse to see anything else but the promise of God."
Now, you do that. That's the only way you can be healed, is by faith. So accept it, believe it, and God shall bring it to pass.
All right. Let's bow our head.

20 Our heavenly Father, we've gathered here now for a few moments of the Word, speaking the Word. And faith cometh by hearing, and hearing of the Word. And now, as we're just about to open up the Bible and read It, we realize that no man can open the Book. John said, "No man in heaven or on earth could open the Book, or beneath the earth. But the Lamb, which had been slain from the foundation of the world, was worthy to come take the Book out of the hand of Him that sat upon the throne, and to open the Book, and to loose the seals thereof.
And now, may the Lamb of God, by the Holy Spirit, come right into this meeting this afternoon, take the Word of God, and just open it up into every heart. And may, as they receive the Word, may Thy servant's lips be circumcised to speak, and may their hearts be circumcised to receive; and may the fruits be a hundred fold. For we ask it in the lovely Name of Thy Son Jesus. Amen.

21 In the Book of Saint Matthew--or Saint John, rather, the 11th chapter. I wish to read just a few verses. You that wants to mark it down, just of an old familiar text that many times your pastor's talked on it, and, the resurrection of Lazarus, beginning at the 20th verse and down to the 27th inclusive. Listen closely to the Word.
I know it's awfully hot in here this afternoon. But oh, friends, we're here trying to bypass the place that'll be much hotter than this. There'll be no fans down there. And--and we want to bypass that great place, don't we, called hell.
All right. Now, 11th chapter of Saint John, and the 20th verse beginning.

22 I tell you, I like you people here, bringing your Bibles and reading the Word. I like that. You're very nice. Crowds hasn't been what we--what I thought they would be here, because it's way out of town, and we've had difficults. But what's been coming has been a lovely, lovely group of people, seemingly, with a great faith, very obedient, just as nice a groups as you could speak to anywhere in the world, as I have. Now, listen closely to the Word.
Then Martha, as soon as she heard Jesus was coming, went and met him: but Mary set still in the house.
Then said Martha unto Jesus, Lord, if thou had been here, my brother had not died.
But I know, that even now, whatsoever thou will ask... God, God will give it thee. (I like that, don't you?)
Jesus said unto her, Thy brother shall rise again. (See what that kind of faith brings?)
Martha said unto him, I know that he shall rise again in the resurrection at the last day.
Jesus said unto her, I am the resurrection, and... life: he that believeth in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live:
And whosoever liveth and believeth in me shall never die. Believest thou this?
She said unto him... (Listen to this closely.)... Yea, Lord... (Oh, I love that.)... I believe that thou art the Christ, the Son of God, which should come into the world.

23 Can we pray now?
Father, bless Thy Word as It's been read. May It go forth now, and sink into the hearts as I speak on It. And may the Holy Spirit bring a hundredfold for healing of the body and for the soul also. And may there be an old fashion revival start here, Father. We're longing, praying, knowing it's the only hope that's left in the world now, for all kingdoms and powers will be shook and moved. But we receive a Kingdom which cannot be moved. Help us today, God, to introduce this Kingdom. And may men press their way into It. For we ask it in Jesus' Name. Amen.

24 Now, this was in the early part of the ministry of our Lord. He was borned in the world, had a bad start, just to began.
You know, I like to think of Him as how... If you would ever know Who Jesus really is, then you can appreciate His great sacrifice so much more. You have to know Who He is, first.
He wasn't just a righteous man, or a good man. He was the Son of God. No one, no Angel, no nothing else could have ever took the place but He. And He was willing to come down for us.
And when He was born, He borned on the earth here, and come by the way of a stable, and went out the way of capital punishment. And yet, we complain sometimes because we have a few trials and troubles. Well, look what He--what happened to Him.

25 You know why He was borned in a stable? Because He was a Lamb. Lambs are not born in houses; they're born in barns. And He was... Did you notice to the Calvary, they led Him away to the slaughter. That's the way they do Lambs. They lead them away. He was God's Lamb... provided Lamb, provided for us, that we sinners might have access to God through Him.
Now, when He was born, His reputation... He was supposed to have been an illegitimate child. They said that Joseph was His father, and Mary was His mother. But Joseph actually wasn't His father.

26 Not long ago up in the mountains, I met a man, an old trapper. And he told me, he said... He was supposed to have a real education. He was a scientist, had been. And he come up there in the winter and went to trapping, and just liked it much better; so he stayed because it was peaceful.
And he said to me; he said, "You believe that story about the virgin birth?"
I said, "Every Word of it."
Said, "You don't really believe that, Billy."
And I said, "Yes, I do, every Word of it."
He said, "Why, it's impossible." Said, "He couldn't have been born like that." Said, "That's against all scientific research."
I said, "I don't know what scientific research it's against, but it's not against God's Word." And I said, "God said that He was His Son, and I believe it."
He said, "Well, depends on who you think God was. If you want to say Joseph was God, it's all right."
I said, "Joseph was a man like you and I. But God is Jehovah, the Spirit of God, the Spirit that brood over the earth."
He said, "Oh, that's impossible." He said, "Billy," he said, "corn can't even make... or nothing." Said, "No baby could be born without actual contact between male and female."
I said, "Grampy, I hate to dispute your word as an old man, but," I said, "you're wrong there."
He said, "You don't really believe that that baby was born."
I said, "I believe that Jehovah God overshadowed a little virgin called Mary, and created in her womb a blood cell without knowing any man at all, and from there came the son of God."

27 And we're not born into that by His righteous, Holy Blood, without sexual desire. He died at Calvary, giving His blood that we could be free from sin. Brother, you believe that? If you don't, you're lost. That's all. Because it's in the Blood.
We're saved by the Blood of God. The... We're the blood of our father. Jesus was the Blood of His Father, which was holy, unadulterated Blood, not by sexual desire, but by Holy Ghost was He born, conceived in the womb of Mary, and was born. I believe it with all my heart.
He said, "I just can't see that that could be so." Said, "Because it could not produce without actual contact." And he said, "And no, they had to be..."
I said, "Look, Grampy. Will you admit to me then..." After a few days of argument. He met down there in a--in a little old cabin where there's a bunch of men. He started again. I said, "Will you admit to me that He had an earthly mother, but it's impossible for anything to be borned on this earth without having a literal father and mother."
He said, "That's exactly right."
I said, "Well, I want to ask you something then. If you say it's impossible for Him to be here by Jehovah God, the Creator, without a hea--earthly father, yet you give Him credit for having a earthly mother, then how did the first man get here without father or mother?" He had to have a pappy and mammy somewhere, let him be a tadpole, monkey, whatever you want to call it; he had to have a papa and a mama according to him. He's never answered me yet today. He... That's right. And he can't. God the Creator made man in His own image. That's the way I believe it.
He said, "Well, Darwin said so-and-so."
I haven't got faith enough to believe that. I just believe what God said about it. My faith is what the Lord said.

28 And He came into this world under a critics, and went out the way of capital punishment at Calvary, a sin Offering. But His birth was glorious. The Angels of God came down and sing about it.
Back from the beginning of time, I believe that He was the woman's Seed that was to bruise the serpent's head. I believe that. And He was to come through the woman, a Saviour.
And notice. Then when He was... Before He was born, great things were taking place. There was a remnant of people who were believing, having faith that God was going to send the Messiah. It had got down to just a very few. But God always has had a remnant of people. (Am I hollering too loud?) Always a remnant of people who believe His Word. You believe it? And He's got today, somebody somewhere, who will believe Him. I trust that we're all in that group this afternoon.

29 Notice. Then when He spoke to the prophets, and told them all about Him coming... Every one down through the age told about His birth. John the Baptist told about it.
When John was a very peculiar child... When his father, Zacharias, his mother, Elisabeth, when they were old and past the age of bearing... Zacharias was a righteous man, God fearing man. God, give us some more Zacharias today, God fearing men and women. Offered prayer in their home, supplications before God.
Zacharias was at the temple one day making his offering, burning incense as it was his lot. And God sent an Angel by the name of Gabriel, came down from heaven and stood by the altar.

30 Notice what kind of a man He came to now: a man that was a righteous. A righteous man's not a sinless man, but a man that depends on His righteousness by confessing his wrongs to God.
Notice. Then the Angel said to--to the priest, Zacharias; He said when the days of his ministration was over, he was to go home, and his wife was going to conceive and bring forth a child. And they call his name John.
Now, Zacharias, yet a priest, a minister of the Word, failed to believe the Angel. Notice. Then the Angel said...
When God has spoke anything, He will perform it. Amen. You believe that? He's going to have a Church. I don't know who's in It, but He's going to have a Church without spot or wrinkle. It's somebody. I don't know who it is, but It'll be there. You say, "Where will they get it?" I don't know. But It's going to be there, for God has said so, and God can't lie.

31 Notice. Now, when anything's going to happen on the earth, first, God sends a messenger. And that messenger is anointed by an Angel. Now, sometimes minor Angels comes. There's minor Angels and major Angels. Now, this Angel that came was Gabriel, Who stands in the Presence of God. That was something major. And He came down. And when Gabriel comes from heaven, remember, something's going to happen. Gabriel announced the first coming of Jesus, Gabriel will announce the second coming of Jesus. The trump of God shall sound first--an Angel.
Notice. Then He came and He announced that John was to be borned. And Zacharias, priest, righteous man, yet without the appropriated faith... You get what I mean? Many people come in the line, say, "I been a Christian for thirty years." That's good. But what about your faith now? God don't heal you on them merits of your salvation; He heals you on the merits of your faith. If ye believe... Hallelujah.
Notice. If ye believe... He never said to the Gentile woman anything, but said, "If ye believe..." All right. That's the question. Can you believe God and take Him at His Word? Oh, my, if we'd do that, there'd be a hallelujah sweep the country. Healings would come from everywhere. You'd see men out on the street holding with one hand... the other, claiming God healed him. Stay with it. God will bring it to pass. That's right. 'Cause He's under obligation. He swore that He would do it.

32 Them days, when they made a covenant, they would take a lamb or a beast. They'd write a covenant out, two men between them. They would write it out what it was. And then they would kill a beast. And over this beast, they would tear this thing in two. One man would take one part and one the other. And then, in order to confirm this covenant, that man had to take this same piece of paper and bring it back, and it had to perfectly... Now, here it is. It had to perfectly dovetail with the piece that was tore off from.
Now, God made a Covenant with the Church. And He wrote It out--the Bible. And on the day of the atonement, God killed His Son. You believe it? Tore Him apart, and He took His body up to the right hand of His Majesty, and sent His Spirit back as a Covenant to us. And at that day, unless we have that same Holy Spirit in us, we can't go in the Body.
That's just old sassafras preaching, but it'll save you. That's right. We have to have the Spirit of Christ in us, the same Spirit that come out of that Body, to make up His Body, to go back again with Him. Oh, my. That's right. God made a Covenant with us.

33 And then, our priest, he didn't believe God, didn't believe the Angel. And the Angel said, "Because you haven't believed my Word, I'm Gabriel that stands before God, you'll be dumb till the day your baby's born."
Zacharias come out and beckoned to the people. They perceived that he'd seen an Angel. Went up into Judaea in the hilly country where they lived. And then, his wife, past the age of bearing, conceived, and hid herself months away, for she was going to be a mother.
Then six months later, God sent Gabriel again. Oh, my. I just love Him. I--I get pretty happy once in a while. You may think I'm a little noisy for a Baptist. But I'm one Baptist that's got the Holy Ghost. So I... It gets one, gets noisy. So don't think I'm a fanatic, 'cause I'm not. If you felt the same way I do, you'd probably be doing the same thing.

34 Notice. He sent Gabriel again to the meanest city on the earth (Minneapolis has a chance then, don't they? All right.) meanest place on the earth, Nazareth, to a little virgin who lived right before God.
Poor. Not the rich and haughty. God don't look at your money, or the way you dress. He looks at your heart. Hallelujah! I'm glad that this old time salvation will make a pair of overalls, a tuxedo suit hug one another, and call them brother. Will make a calico dress and silk set together, and call each other sister. Takes away pride...
That's what's the matter with the Church today: got too starchy, too much pride. Let down, you're in six foot of dirt anyhow. That's right. Got a soul's got to meet God someday. That's what's the matter with our Pentecost church, and other Holiness churches. They get up too pride. They get a good church and a nice place, and think we want to pattern after the world.
That's where God's people always got in trouble, when they patterned after the rest of them. He's our pattern. Hallelujah. The matching time.

35 You paint your steps red, and see if the neighbor don't paint his steps red. That's right. Buy a Mercury and see if the neighbor don't want a Mercury. They want to match. I don't care whether my pants match my coat, or my shirt matches my suit; I want my experience to match God's Bible. That's the kind of a match that Christians ought to have. Not whether Jones has got a big church and I got a little one. I want Christ. Hallelujah! That's right. Yes. There's where it comes, friends.

36 Mary, a little innocent virgin, down in Nazareth. And maybe we will call it, wash day. I don't know.
Mondays usually at my house when my wife washes. It's always a hard day. We used to have to pack the water and boil it in an old tub behind the house, and... You know what I mean, and wash. And I'd help wash too. Old cedar tub, how... Good times, though.
As long as you love the Lord, what difference does it make? Happiness does not consist of how much of this world's goods you own, it's how contented you are with the portion's allotted to you. That's what happiness means. Find Christ and you got happiness. You have. That's true.

37 Then here... Look at Gabriel. Comes down from the heaven by the command of God. All those many girls around through there, probably with manicured hair, what you call it, and all that kind of stuff, around like they have. I said the wrong word, but... I don't know about how they do it. But you know...
But He came to a simple, plain, humble believer. Hallelujah! That's the way He does today, too. You don't entice God by the way you dress. You entice God by the way you live, and think, and act. God help us to get back to the old fashioned Holy Ghost Gospel. I believe in it, don't you? Old time, backwoods, sky blue, sin killing religion. That's right. It'll help you. It'll save you.

38 All right. Here she was going down, probably, to get some water. Let's dramatize it just a minute so the little fellows can pick it up. Maybe she's going down to get some water.
In the Oriental type, they packed it on their head, big old pitcher with the wings out on the side here, handles.
And I can see little Mary, about seventeen years old, engaged to a man about forty-five, some children. Here she come up along. But she was righteous in her heart, because Joseph was a just man before God.
Feel a lot better if women--young ladies today picked something like that today, instead of some little boy with a pack of cigarettes in his pocket.

39 And not long ago, there was a little girl back there at the Tabernacle, my church. She's a sweet little old girl, a little Christian girl. She was running around with some little old boy who packed a flask in his pocket and smoked cigarettes. I couldn't see nothing in the boy myself. Tried for two or three years to get him to be a Christian, but he wouldn't do it. And I asked her, I said, "Sis, what do you see in that boy?"
You know what kind of answer she give me, like some of these bobby sock kids today? She said, "Brother Branham," said, "he's just got such cute little feet, and he smells so good."
I thought, "What a way to pick a husband." I said, "I'd rather marry a man that was a Christian, that had feet like a box car, and smelled like a pole cat, if he was a Christian." That's right. If he's a Christian. That's right.
By the Blood of Christ, we're saved. Hallelujah! He will make a living for you and be a gentleman, if he's saved. All right. Not by the outwardly appearance, but by the heart God judges. It's true.

40 Years ago, we had a good old fashion church, they tell me. I didn't--wasn't in them in them days. Where the people got together, they sang praises to God, they shouted and praised Him, glorified Him. And today? My! All that's faded away. It's time to get back (That's right.) to the days when God will bless us.
Notice, then Mary, on her road up, as we go with our drama. She was walking along, probably singing some hymn, and chanting some Psalm.
All of a sudden, a big Light, let's say, swarmed before her. And standing in this Light stood a great Angel. Oh, my, it frightened the little virgin. It would frighten you. I know how I felt myself when one appeared. And the Angel said, "Hail Mary..." In other words, "Stop. Blessed art thou among women, for you have found favor with God." And He said... Now, He begin to tell her about Elisabeth, her cousin. John and Jesus were second cousins. And Mary and--and Elisabeth were first cousins.
And said that she'd found favor before God, and she was going to conceive and bring forth a Child without knowing any man.

41 Now, I want you to notice something closely. Look when the Angel came to the priest, Zacharias, and told him that Sarah... or Elisabeth was going to have a child by him, he had plenty of examples before that. Hannah had had a child past age of bearing. Sarah, near a hundred years old or better, had brought a child after the age of bearing: plenty examples. But that calloused priest failed to believe God.
But Mary never; she never questioned. She said, "Behold the handsmaid of the Lord. Be it unto me according to Thy Word."
Notice. She didn't wait till she was positive. She didn't wait till she felt something, felt life. She started right then praising God for it, for she had His promise.
Brother, sister, give us some more Marys here in Minneapolis, who will take God at His Word, not wait till you feel something, or something happens, take His Word and start rejoicing about it. Hallelujah! God said He's the Healer; I believe it. He said He created me. I believe it. Take His Word and start rejoicing about it. Hallelujah! That's the kind of people we need.

42 She went right around telling everybody she was going to have the baby, and wasn't no sign or nothing of it. She didn't have to have any signs. Only thing she had to have was God's Word. That's all we have to have. God said so; that settles it with me. What about you? Believe it. Take Him at His Word and say it's so, and just go ahead. That's all you have to have, is His Word. Bound to bring it forth. You believe it, brother? Stay with it. Hallelujah. That's right. Stay with it. It'll bring the results every time. I've never seen it fail.
When a true heart come before God and meant business, and took God at His Word, and started testifying of it, and looking to the unseen; then God's promises always produces what is asked for. That's right.

43 All right. Mary went around telling the folks that she was going to have a child, knowing no man. Right quick, she... The Angel had told her about her cousin, and up into Judaea she went to see her. Oh, my.
There's something about the Gospel, when we hear the good news, we like to tell others, don't we. Everybody gets saved wants to tell somebody else. Everybody gets healed wants to tell somebody else.
Away she went to bring her cousin the good news, that she was going to have the child, and how that her cousin was going to have a child. All right. I can see her going up to the house.

44 And let's do a little drama here again. I can see Elisabeth setting on the porch, maybe doing her--her work, knitting, or ever what she might be doing, and Mary comes up. Real quick, as soon as Mary comes, she sees Elisabeth. My, both Christian women, as we would call it today, ran out, threw their arms around one another, hugged one another, kissed one another, saluting each other.
Oh, I like that. I like a good, warm feeling, don't you? I hate that old, cold, formal way we got. People today, they're so far away from one another, you don't care for one another. That's what's the matter. Even church members get the same way. They don't care for one another. Why, if anybody does anything wrong, trying to shove him down. Don't shove him down; pick him up; help him. That's right. Don't try to criticize him and tell somebody else; go to him with your arms around him. And today, they got so afraid, they don't even want to shake hands any more.
I like a good, old Methodist, pump handle handshake. You know, one of them kind. Get right down and shake.

45 Here not long ago, I was in a meeting. There was some kind of a princess, or something or other, I don't know, from... She come to the meeting. She had on about enough clothes to wad a musket shotgun. And if I'd of seen her before the meeting, I'd have went and put my coat on her while I was preaching. I'd have done that.
And she come up after the meeting, holding a pair of glasses on a stick, you know, out like this. I don't know... A funny looking thing. No clothes hardly on at all. Come walking up like this. And she said, "I want to meet Doctor Branham." Doctor Branham. The very idea. No doctor, I'm your brother.

46 And she come up. And one of the managers brought her over to me, you know, like that, to s--introduce, said, "this is So-and-so," some kind of a big long name. Said, "Well, Doctor Branham," she said, "I'm charmed." She had her hand up like this, going...
I grabbed at the hand going down. I said, "Bring it down here so I will know you when I see you again..." Oh, I don't like that old put on, starchy. What are you anyhow? You got to stand in the Presence of God someday to give an account for that sinful soul, and answer before God. There she was, standing there all like that.

47 Used to be, a long time ago, when the neighbor got sick or something, we went over and cut his corn, cut him some wood if it was wintertime. And today the neighbor can die, and you don't know it till you read it in the paper. That's right. No friendship among one another any more. That's awful.
Love... "Because the iniquity shall abound, the love of many shall wax cold," said Jesus in Matthew's the 24th chapter. That's true.

48 Now, and she begin to talk to Elisabeth, and Elisabeth begin to talk to her. And I can hear Elis... Mary say to Elisabeth... Let's listen to their conversation. I can hear Elisabeth say--or Mary say to Elisabeth, "Oh, I am so happy, because that I've been told that you were going to be a mother in your old age." And of course, she could see that and know that.
And I can hear Elisabeth say, "Yes, I'm--I--I am. Oh, I'm so happy about it. But Mary, I--I'm just a little afraid. See, it--it's six months with me as mother. And as far as we know, the baby had no life." She was a little weary yet about it, you know. Little John was there. And that's altogether subnatural. You see, it's--it's not right. And so about two or three months, life. And here she was all this time and no life yet.

49 And Mary said, "The Angel Gabriel met me and told me that I was going to bring forth a Son also. And I was to call His Name Jesus." Well, just the time that she spoke Jesus, little John begin to leap and jump in his mother's womb.
Brother, the first time the Name of Jesus Christ was ever spoke, it brought life to a dead baby. What ought it to bring to a Holy Ghost Church when the Name of Jesus... power of sickness and sin. Hallelujah! Yes, it's... That Name, Jesus Christ, when it was spoke first by a mortals lips, it brought life to a baby that was dead in his mother's womb. The Bible said, he received the Holy Ghost, and was borned from his mother's womb full of the Holy Ghost. Hallelujah! Oh, my.
What's the matter with Christians? Wishy-washy, half jellyfish. Get a backbone in you and stand up for God and what's right. And today, stand for what the Bible says, and believe it with all your heart.

50 Little John begin to leap in his mother's womb for joy, and the Holy Spirit came upon Elisabeth. She said, "Whence cometh the mother of my Lord? For as soon as your salutation came into my ears, my baby leaped in the womb for joy." Oh, my.
Think what it done. When Jesus' Name was spoke, brought life to that dead baby. What ought It to bring to your limbs, sir? What ought It to bring to your sickness, to you men setting here, and you over there.
Take the name of Jesus with you, everywhere you go; breathe it everywhere in prayer. Be loyal; be holy. Live for God, and God will confirm His Word. Yes, sir. He swore that He would do it. There you are. The Word come into her ears and her baby begin to leap for joy. They was hugging one another.

51 After while, after they left, after a few days up there, then they wondered whether this little John, what kind of a boy he would be. When John was borned... We're kindly believe that he was about eight years old or nine; he was taken into the wilderness, not to the theological cemeteries, or seminary. It's all about the same thing. That's about right. Even if I did see one. That's true.
You know what a seminary preacher always reminds me of? I'm not hurting your feelings, brother, I hope. But look, it does get some men once in a while. But a seminary preacher reminds me of a incubator chicken, just chirp, chirp, chirp. It ain't got no mammy. That's right. Got a great big...

52 I'd rather have a man that didn't know split beans from coffee, and knowed God in His heart to deal with my people, than I would some man with enough education to choke a mule, and know nothing about God. That's right. God bless your heart, brother. An old fashion sassafras experience, what we need today.
We don't want to know "genealogy," you need a little "kneeanology." That's what man needs today. Back to God; back to the prayer life where... speaking out. Pray, hold on to God till it comes to pass. God will do it. Hallelujah!
Now, don't get scared with that "Hallelujah," means "praise our God," and He's worthy of all of it. Amen. I believe it. "Amen" means "so be it." You won't scare me when you say it.

53 All right. Notice. Here we are now. And little John, when he was born, taking out into the wilderness and stayed with God. When he was...
Then Jesus was born, we know all about His birth six months later. When little... When Jesus... John came out of the wilderness, look at him how he come. My, oh, my. He came...
And I've often wondered what John was preaching. What a man. People didn't go out to see how he was dressed. He had an old pair of hairy trousers on, a piece of... strip around him out of a camel skin to tie on this old piece of goods he had around him, or an old hairy animal skin around him.
And he came out, stood on the banks of Jordan; was no seats to set in. Them may be hard, but they didn't have any at all. But he stirred all the regions around about Jordan. Think of it: no seminary experience, not how to stand up and say, "aaaaamen," like a dying calf.
But he--he had a Message from God. That's right. He didn't preach vain human philosophy; he preached Christ, and it stirred the nation.

54 God bless your heart, give us some more Baptists like that, and I will believe them. Amen. That's right. I said to a bishop not long ago, "Produce me some more Johns. He preached the Holy Ghost, and he had the Holy Ghost." Yes, sir. He didn't draw any punches either. He put it right out the way they belong. And he preached, and he stirred all the regions. Why? He preached Christ. That's right.
Christ preached the way of simplicity will stir the people. It's the power of God. "If I be lifted up, I will draw all men unto Me." That's true. Notice closely. After Jesus...
Then we have to hurry, 'cause I get caught; my time's already gone, about ten minutes left. Oh, my. We just never get through talking about Him.

55 And how Jesus, when He was baptized, I can see... Let's take a little drama again and... I can see Jesus and Lazarus were friends and played together. They knew not each other. And Lazarus, we're taught, was, kind of was a scribe at the temple, and maybe the--his daugh--his sisters made tapestries and so forth, and done some needle work.
Just in a--a drama picture now, I can see Jesus and Lazarus playing together. And after while, Lazarus comes back and tells Jesus, "My, there's a mighty prophet standing down on Jordan. He speaks of One greater than he's a coming, Who will baptize with the Holy Ghost and fire. You ought to go down and see him." And little did he know he was talking right then to the Man.

56 You don't know who's setting right next to you today. And in church, and that fellow's made a mistake. That's one of God's sons or daugh--or God's daughters. Don't turn him down, help him. That's right. Put a arm around him. You don't know what God could do with him if you just help him a little. That's right.
And then, after while, I can see Jesus go with John--or go with Lazarus down, and was baptized of him in the Jordan. And Jesus went into the wilderness. And when the Father had spoken, had--had testified of His Son, vindicated Him to be His beloved Son in Who He was well pleased... And out into the wilderness He went to be tempted of the Spirit.

57 That's just the way it happens. When you get the Holy Ghost, the first thing the devil comes right along for temptations. When you claim your healing, watch the devil come right along to back her up and say it's wrong. That's the time to stand, because you don't testify of what you see or feel. You testify of what you believe. That's right. Stay with it.
Out into the wilderness and was tempted of the devil, returned back, His ministry at time of our text (Now, we will get just as quick as we can.) had got to a place where crowds was coming from everywhere and being healed, and listening to His precious Words as they fell from His lips. His ministry got so great until it was pushing out. Oh, my, the people were coming, just tasting of that honey that fell out of His mouth.

58 Last night when I was reading that text of Saint Luke the 5th chapter, how that they come to hear His Word, pressed upon Him to hear the Word of God, how glorious... The Church today ought to be pressing everywhere to hear the Word of God, staying with the Word.
We're the church natural--or the Church spiritual, just like Israel was the church natural. We were brought out of bondage, human bondage, just like Israel was brought out of Egyptian bondage. You believe that? We come across...
We had a sacrifice to come out by. The blood on the lintel, the door, and on the post, just a cross, perfectly. No one was to go under the blood after once coming in until the call come to go out. They crossed Jordan--or crossed the Red Sea, type of the Blood, sanctifying power of God killing all sin nature, sin behind you, the taskmasters, the cigarettes, the whiskey, the roadhouses and the picture shows. Everything that bothered you back there and hindered your Christian experience died in the Blood of Christ. Yes, sir, brother.

59 If you've ever once been purged by the Blood of Christ, them things are dead. If it isn't... If you love the world, the things of the world, the love of the Father's not in you. That may be a little hard to be taught here, but it's the truth; let me tell you. I don't have measuring sticks in church. No, not a bit. No, sir.
Old, old oak tree you have around here holds its leaves all winter long. Spring of the year comes, you don't have to go pick the old leaves off, just let the new life comes in, the old leaf drops off. That's the way it is. Let Christ come into the heart; the rest of it will take care of itself. That's right. Just get Christ in the heart; it'll take care of the rest.

60 And as they marched over, how beautiful; that types our churches today, how that they crossed through the Red Sea. And then, Moses began to sing in the Spirit. Miriam picked up a tambourine, begin to dance just like an old fashioned Holy Ghost meeting: dancing and singing, and praising the Lord. Why? They had the victory. They got the victory. All the tas... [Gap in the audio.]... the next morning. And when they went out, Manna laid all over the ground. [Gap in the audio.]... From God out of heaven. They tasted it, and it taste like honey. Oh, my. There's something about honey that's sweet.

61 David, a shepherd, used to... The old shepherds of the days gone by used to carry a scrip bag on them. And they put honey in that scrip bag. And when their sheep would get sick, they'd take that honey and pour it on a rock and let the sick sheep go to licking on that rock. When they licked off the honey, they got some of the limestone out of the rock and it healed the sheep.
Now, look brothers. I got a whole scrip bag full of honey. Now, I'm going to put it on a Rock called Jesus; you sick sheep get to licking right quick and see if you don't get well. Yes, sir. Lick with all you can. Hallelujah! And brother, I will put it on Christ Jesus, not on the Baptist, Methodist, or Presbyterian church, or whatever it may be. It belongs on Christ. Don't lick on your church, lick on God. Hallelujah! That's where the promise is. Not what Doctor So-and-so said about it, but what God said about it. That's the One to believe. Yes, sir.

62 Something about that stone, hold to it. In the old days when they used to... A person get mad dog bit, they'd take the--the person that was mad dog bit, and take them to the mad stone. If they stuck to the stone, they got well. If they didn't stick, they died.
Oh, the worst devil--or worse mad dog I know is the devil. He's bit all of us in the--in the way. That's right. And I tell you there's a Rock, Christ Jesus. Get to It. Stick to It. Hold on to It. Hallelujah! It'll bring you through. Just stick right to the Rock of Ages, cleft for me; let me hide myself in Thee. Hold on for dear life if you're sick. Watch and see if you don't get well. Just stick to the Rock; It'll bring you through. That's right. Yes, sir.

63 Friends, let's look at the honey just a little bit longer. "The wafer, it tastes like honey," He said, "in the rock." Now, that was a type of the Holy Spirit.
God told Moses, had Aaron, go get a omer full of it and take it in the place where it would be kept, in the holiest of holies. Let every generation passing down through from then on, when their sons' sons would ask them, "What was it for?," and every priest that was in lineage of the priesthood, knowed as soon as he stepped in behind, into the priesthood, he had a right to taste a bite of the original manna that fell in the beginning. Yes, sir. He could have a bite. As soon as he was ordained in the priesthood, he could taste of the original manna.

64 How beautiful that is of the Holy Spirit, our sustaining strength to carry the Church on. If they failed to eat manna, they died. And if we fail to eat on the Holy Ghost, we die. If we fail to pray through daily, all the time, keep under the Blood, you'll wither up and die in your Christian experience.
And now, friends, as it was on the day of Pentecost when our Manna was poured out... While they were all gathered in one place in one accord, and they wasn't arguing whether they was Methodist, Baptist, or Lutheran. They were in one place in one accord, expecting God to keep His Word. For in Luke 24:49, He said, "Tarry ye in the city of Jerusalem until you're endued with power from on high." Acts 1 says, "When the Holy Ghost is come upon you, then you'll be witnesses of Me in Jerusalem, Judaea, Samaria, and to uttermost parts of the world.

65 And a hundred and twenty people had gathered together in the upper room, waiting for their sustaining strength to take down among the people. And all of a sudden, there came a sound from heaven like a rushing mighty wind, and It filled all the house where they were setting, cloven tongues appeared upon... Out into the streets...
And let me tell you something right now. Virgin Mary and them was right among them. That's right. And if God wouldn't respect the holy virgin Mary to get to heaven any other way besides receive the Holy Ghost, woman, what about you? That's right. You'll have to pay the same price, get the same experience, have the same thing that they had back there at the beginning.

66 For I tell you, when the power of God begin to fall, they lost all dignity and everything else. Out into the streets, staggering like drunk men, filled with the Holy Ghost... Peter said, "The promise is unto you, and to your children, and to them that's far off," even Minneapolis, Minnesota, or "as many as the Lord our God shall call."
Brother, I'm telling you, every man that'll pay the price, will step out for Christ has the right to receive the baptism, not something you make-up, but original, like fell in the beginning, like they had on the day of Pentecost. Hallelujah! Going to call me a holy-roller anyhow, so you might as well get used to it. That's right. Amen.

67 Let me tell you something more. The Holy Ghost is a real product. You don't have to receive some duplicate or something, wait till you get a taste of the original Manna that fell on the day of Pentecost. Hallelujah! Yes, sir. There they was, received the Holy Ghost. That's...
You know what's the matter with the church today? It needs a good, old time, Saint Paul revival and the Bible Holy Ghost taught in It again. That's right. Takes fire coming down from heaven...

68 Remember when I was a little boy, I was just walking along the creek one time; I seen an old turtle. That was the funniest looking thing I ever seen, an old terrapin. He throwed his legs like that. My little brother and I looked how he was walking. We got up to him, and he got up in his shell. Just some of these cold formal Christians, like when you go to talk to them about Divine healing, "Oh, Doctor So-and-so said that's wrong." Oh, my. Draw up in your shell. That's all right. All right.
I said, "Let's make him walk again." I got me a switch and like to beat him to death. He wouldn't walk. You can't beat it out of him. That's all. He will just draw up and puff and blow.
So I said, "I will tell you what I will do. I will make him go. I will take him down here at the water and I will fix him up." I took him down to the creek and I put him down. Just a few bubbles come up and that was all. Brother, you can baptize them this way, that way, sprinkle them, pour them face forward, backwards. He's goes down a--a dry sinner and comes up wet one. He's still a sinner. It ain't your baptism in water that saves you.

69 I will tell you what I did. I went and got me a piece of paper and made a little fire, and set the old boy on it. He walked then, I--I mean say. That's right.
And what the Church needs today is an old fashion Gospel of fire--fire of the Holy Ghost fall along the altar, and in every heart. It'll make a church, sure as the world. That's right. Yes, sir. Get the power of God back. Get the Holy Spirit back in the people's hearts again where you can have a living faith in God, when you say Divine healing, "Yes, I accept It." Hallelujah. That's right. Back to the Bible and back to the Holy Spirit. Sure, how wonderful...

70 Now, Jesus, in His ministry, going forth hearing His precious Word. It come to a place where He had to leave the home. And when He went out, sorrow and troubles came in. And when He goes out of your home, sorrow and troubles come in. When He goes out of your church, confusion and backslidings is coming in. When you... trouble's on its road, keep Him with you all the time.
Now, in this case, of course, He wasn't drove away, but His work pulled Him away. And as soon as He went away, Lazarus, a bosom friend, took sick to die. They sent for Jesus to come pray for him. And instead of Jesus coming, He just went on. And they sent again. And He just went on, seemingly to ignore it. Jesus knowed all things that the Father had showed Him.

71 That's the reason... (Friends, I'm out of time.) And now, if you'd send to your pastor, and he didn't come and pray for you when you were sick, well, you'd say, "The old hypocrite, I will go over and join Jones' church, or somebody." That's the reason your pastor can't do nothing for you. You've got to have faith in him, and confidence in him as a man of God, and know that all things work together for good to them that love God. That's right. Now, your pastor didn't tell me to say that either.
But I know this: you've got to have confidence in the man you're dealing with, or it won't do you any good to do any dealing. That's true. You've got to believe your pastor. He's a good God saved man, preaching the Gospel, stand behind him with everything you got. If He isn't, go somewhere where they do do it. That's right. Now, that clears it up for both sides. Now, remember this. If he preaches the Gospel, stay with him, help him, 'cause he's man sent from God, ordained of God to feed your soul.

72 And now, when they sent for Jesus, He went on. I believe that Jesus then knew what was going to happen, Why, if you'll take... When He passed by the pool of Bethesda... Looky there. There laid a great multitude of people.
When the Bible speaks a great multitude, probably mean ten thousand at the least, of lame, halt, blind, withered--withered, blind, halt, dumb, waiting for the moving of the waters, for God sent an Angel down certain seasons. Is that right?
Then healing came with the Angel, didn't it? Wasn't the water, but the Angel. What if the water said, "Look what a great water I am." No, it wasn't the water; it was the Angel. 'Cause when the Angel was gone, it was just water (Is that right?) just the water.

73 And Jesus passed by this pool and seen all that great multitude, and He healed one man. He wasn't crippled; he had an infirmity for thirty-eight years. And He healed him, and walked away, and left every one of those cripples laying there. Is that true? Saint John, the 5th chapter. Left them every one... Looked like that His compassionate heart would've went out and healed them all. He probably would.
But watch the 19th chapter--the 19th verse of the same chapter when the Jews was questioning. He said, "Verily, verily, I say unto you, the Son can do nothing in Himself, but what He sees the Father doing, that doeth the Son." Is that right? God had to show Him first. So He didn't say He was a Divine healer. He waited for God to show Him a vision of what was going to happen, then he went and done it.

74 Isn't that just the same way He's working today? What God says, then it's going to be that way. But you can't say nothing till God says it first. So if somebody thinks...
Somebody said the other day... I heard someone say, "Oh, it's hocus-pocus." If you think it's hocus-pocus, then what do you think about Jesus Christ? That's right. He said, "The Son can do nothing in Himself, but what He sees the Father doing, that doeth the Son likewise." He had to wait for God to show Him, and then He went and done it. Well, He done nothing unless God showed Him first.

75 I believe He seen the resurrection of Lazarus. That's right. And when He went... then He went out. After while, said, "Our friend Lazarus sleepeth."
Disciples said, "He doeth well."
Then He told them in plain words, the way they'd understand it. "He's dead." He said, "But..." Listen, I love this. He said, "And I'm glad I wasn't there. But I go wake him." He knew what the Father had told Him to do, for He said, "I go wake him." And away He went, started back.
Now, when Lazarus got sicker and sicker, and then sent Him. Oh, how discouraging. Sent for the pastor to come pray for him. They'd left their church. They'd left everything to follow this Man, this Divine Healer, and no--no hopes of Him coming. He just went on, ignored their message. What a dark hour. Then the first thing you know, death struck, killed Lazarus. Took him out and buried him.

76 The first day passed, oh, my, how dark. Second day passed, dark. Third day, fourth day, all hopes was gone. He's already a rottening in the grave, and the skinworms was going through him. All hopes was gone everywhere. Discouraged, their Pastor had let them down, their loved One. The miracle Worker had let them down, didn't come to the rescue. And there was Mary and Martha left alone--mother and father gone, now just them two girls left alone in the world.
Someone come along to--to encourage them. They set in sackcloth, black veils, and weeping and mourning over their brother. And now, in the very darkest of hours, then Jesus came along. That's just the way He does it. Amen.
Brother, it may be your darkest of hour right now. But Jesus comes along just at the darkest of hour. When I think of it, it's the darkest hour the woman with the blood issue had ever seen; she spent all of her money. Then Jesus come along. It was the darkest of hour that Jairus had ever seen; his little daughter laid dead. Then Jesus came along. It was the darkest of hour that Peter and the apostles had ever seen on the sea; looked like they was going to drown. Then Jesus came along.

77 Oh brother, it was the darkest hour I ever seen two years ago at Mayo's clinic, when the best of the doctors walked in, said, "Reverend Branham, you're a hopeless. You'll never never get over it. You're finished for life." The darkest hour I ever seen, then Jesus came along. Oh, my. Oh, how I love Him. Yes, sir. How I think of Him, how He's done for me. I think of:
Amazing grace! how sweet the sound,
That saved a wretch like me!
I once was lost, but now I'm found,
Was blind, but now I see.
So blind they had to lead me around by my arms, I knowed not where I was going. Now, my eyesight's 20/20. Laying there a miserable wretched thing, dying, then Jesus came along. What a wonderful... How He comes just in the darkest of hours.

78 Then somebody said... I can hear them say, "Say, that there Divine Healer that wouldn't come when Lazarus was alive, He's sneaking back in town now. He's out there."
Now, look. Mary--or Martha, excuse me, read the story of how the Shunammite woman had a baby. And she, by... And when she--the baby died, she didn't know why it died. But she knowed if she could get to Elijah, the prophet, that God was in the prophet. And whatever... She could find out what God meant by it, when she could get to the prophet...
So she told them to saddle a horse and go forward, and stop not. So she commanded it. And she went to the prophet, and the prophet said, "Here, I'm going to send you an anointed cloth, in other words. I'm going to give you my staff. Go lay it on the baby."
She said, "As the Lord lives and your soul lives, I will not leave you." She knowed God was in the prophet. She stayed right with the prophet till she found out.

79 Elijah went with her to the death chamber, and there walked up-and-down the room, not praying for the baby. Walked up-and-down the room, then took and stretched his body out over the baby. Lord God worked in Elijah. Hallelujah!
Oh, Christians. You don't realize what I'm talking about I don't believe. See, looky here. God was in Elijah. And... And Elijah knew it. The woman knew it. And he laid... He knowed. That's the reason he sent that staff. He knowed that everything he touched was blessed, for God was in him. Oh, my. You see what I mean? God was in him. And if he touched anything, it was blessed. He didn't pray for the baby; he stretched his body over the baby. And the God that was in Elijah... The breath come into the baby, and he sneezed seven times, and rose up well.

80 And Mary knew surely--or Martha, rather, if God was in Elijah, surely He was in His Son. Oh, my. She knowed if she could get to Him, she could find why her brother died.
Right out of the city. I can hear some of them saying, "Now, look, where you going now." She pushed on by them old critics, went right on out. Jesus hadn't got in town yet, and she got to where He was.
Now, watch. Looked like she had a right to upbraid Him. Looked like she had a right to scold Him, and say, "Why didn't You come? Oh, I thought You could heal." If she would, the miracle would have never taken place.
It's your approach to a Divine gift what brings the results. It's the way you come to it. Isn't that right? The way you approach anything...

81 She come in the right approach. She came out; she fell down on her knees, and she said, "Lord..." Didn't disregard His title. "Lord, if Thou would've been here, my brother had not died." Oh, my. That touched Him. She knew if she could get right into His heart, she'd get what she wanted. Said, "Lord, if Thou would've been here, my brother would not have died. But even now, Lord, whatever You ask God, God will do it." I like that. "Even now, Lord. He's dead, been buried four days. Undertakers taken him out there and embalmed his body, and put him away. He's been dead four days, and he--he's just mortifying in the earth there. "But even now, whatever You ask God, God will do it."
Oh, brother, sister, you might've tried everything there is in the world. You might've tried to get well. You men setting here with cancer, you might've done everything; no doubt you have. "But even now, Lord, right now." When?
"I will wait until tonight's service."
No. "Even now, Lord, whatever You ask God, He will do it." When? Now. He's setting at the right hand of the Father, looking down right now, ready to make intercessions.
"But, Brother Branham, I've--I've been sick."
"But even now, Lord, whatever You ask God, God will do it." He's waiting for you to say, "Lord, I believe You. Lord, I believe You. Even now, whatever You ask God, God will do it."
"But Brother Branham, I--I'm deaf in one ear."
"But even now, Lord."
"Well, I've been prayed for before."
"But even now, Lord. Oh, my. Whatever You ask God."
"Brother Branham, I've been trying to get the Holy Ghost for a long time."
"But even now, Lord, whatever You ask God, God will do it." There you are. That's what it takes. That's what faith is.

82 Notice. He said, "Thy brother shall rise again." Now, let's straighten Him up. "My, thy brother shall rise again." Watch the old prophetic powers now coming right together, the right place, the right person, the right time. "My brother's dead and in the grave. But You, if You'd have been here, he wouldn't have died. But even now, whatever You ask God, God will do it."
That struck Him. That touched Him. Faith... Never been done before, faith. "Thy brother shall rise again."
She said, "Yea, Lord. He will rise in the last days." Them Jews believed in the general resurrection. "Oh, he will rise again. He's a good boy. He will raise in the last days; I know."
Look at Him. Oh, my. There wasn't... There's no beauty you should desire Him. Oh, He was probably a little frail looking Fellow. He said... Man of sorrow, acquainted with grief. But He straightened His little body up, said, "I am the Resurrection and Life."

83 Oh, my. That's it. "I am the Resurrection and Life. He that believeth in Me, though he were dead, yet shall he live. Whosoever liveth and believeth in Me shall never die. Believest thou this?"
She said, "Yea, Lord. I believe..." Look here. "I believe that You are the Son of God, that You've been said to be that was to come into the world. I believe what You said You was. What God has done for You, that's the truth. I believe every Word of it."
"Where have you buried Him?" Oh, my.
Here's where a woman told me not long ago, when I was... She said, "Jesus wasn't the... divine." Said, "He was a good man, a good teacher, so forth, be good for people to live by that. Just like with Santa Claus, stories for the children. But," said, "he wasn't divine."
I said, "Oh, yes He was Divine."
Said, "No, he wasn't."
I said, "He was."
She said, "Look, I can prove it. When He went down to the grave of Lazarus, He cried like a man."
I said, "Yes. I believe He was more than a man. I believe He was a God-man. I believe that God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself. I believe God lived in His son, dwelled in His Son, and reconciled the world to Himself by His Son." Do you believe that? I do with all my heart. And He was more than a man. He was God the... God the Son here on earth. Everything the Father had was in Him then. And I believe that He was more than a man, He was a God-man. And when He went down to the--to the grave, He cried like a man. That's true. But when He stood there, held Himself and said, told them to take away the stone, said, 'Lazarus, come forth.' When He raised the dead, He was more than a man. He was God. He was a man when He was crying, but He was God when He raised the dead. That's right. Yes, sir, He was Divine.

84 And I tell you, when He come down off the mount that night, He was hungry like a man, when He was looking on the fig tree for something to eat, when He was hungry like a man. But when He took five biscuits and fed five thousand, He was God that was in His Son. He was a God-man. I know that He was.
He was a man that night when He was laying in that boat out there, all the waves dancing around. Ten thousand devils of the sea swore they would drown Him. He was a man when He was laying there on the back of that boat, tired and weary. But when He raised and put His foot on the brail, and looked up, said, "Peace, be still." It was God speaking through His Son. Hallelujah!
I believe He was a God-man. He was more than a man. He was the Divine One that God sent from out of heaven. Yes, sir. I know He cried like a man when He was dying at the cross, mid rendering rocks and darkening skies, my Saviour bowed His head and died. That's right. He was a man when He was dying. But when He rose on the third day, He proved He was God. That's right. God was in His Son. He raised Him up. He was Divine. I believe every word of It.

85 I can see Him walking down through that place there then, to the grave. Said, "Take ye away the stone." Look like if He'd have been a gentleman, He'd have took it away Himself. But He asked them women to. Why? You've got your part to do. Yes, sir. You've got to do your part. Said, "Take ye away the stone."
And they took away the stone and the stink was so bad. And they was about to have suffocated there on account of that, a dead human body.
Then I can see Him straighten His little self up again; said, "Father, I thank Thee that Thou hearest Me always. But for these that stand by is why I said..." He'd already seen the vision. He knew what was going to happen. Then He cried with a loud voice and screamed, said, "Lazarus, come forth."
I believe, brother, if He hadn't have called him specifically by the name of Lazarus, I believe the general resurrection would've took place then. That's what I think about Him. That's right. I believe the resurrection of every dead thing that had ever died would've come out of the grave if He had just said, "Come forth." Yes, sir. But He called, "Lazarus, come forth."
I'm glad today that my name's on His Book. "One day He will call too, and I will answer," said Job.

86 But there, He called on Lazarus, a man that had been dead four days, his body rotten, his soul four day's journey somewhere out in... I don't know where it was, neither do you, so we won't argue about that. But that man's soul had been gone four days, returned back. And a dead man stood on his feet and lived again. Believest thou this?
Yes, sir. I believe it. I believe He's the same yesterday, today, and forever. Believest thou this?
I believe He was the One that spoke to the seas, and they stopped. Believest thou this?
I believe that He said in His Word, "These things that I do, greater shall you do." Believest thou this?
I believe that He said, "If you abide in Me, My Word abides in you, you can ask what you may, and it will be given to you." Believest thou this?
I believe that in the last days there'd come a falling away; men would be heady, high-minded, lovers of pleasure more than lovers of God. I believe we're living in that day. Believest thou this? He said, "In that day the branch of the Lord would be beautiful." He prophesied He'd have a Church that these signs would follow them that believe. In Mark 16, He said, "In My Name, they shall cast out devils; they'll speak with new tongues; take up serpents or drink deadly things; lay hands on the sick, they shall recover. I believe that we're living in that day right now. Believest thou this?

87 I believe His Spirit's right here this afternoon. I believe He said that whosoever will call upon the Name of the Lord will be saved. Believest thou this?"
I believe that every man or woman standing here right now under the unction of the Holy Ghost could accept Jesus right now and receive the Holy Ghost. Believest thou this?
I believe He'd heal every person in this building right now if you'd just only touch Him. You... Believest thou this?

88 Three years ago an Angel met me in the realms that are... in the room and said, "If you get the people to believe you and be sincere when you pray, nothing shall stand before your prayer." Believest thou this? I believe He's here now. Believest thou this?
I believe He wants to heal right now. Believest thou this? I believe He wants to heal these men of cancer. Believest thou this? I believe He wants to heal that little crippled boy. Believest thou this?
I believe He wants to so fill this place with the Holy Ghost right now. Believest thou this?

89 Let us stand and give Him praise then. My, here He is... You want the Holy Ghost? You want Christ in your life? You want to be healed? Now, while He's here, accept Him right now upon the basis of the Word. Say, "Lord, at Thy Word. Here I am, Lord. I believe now that You're going to heal me. I believe that You're going to save me. Believe You're going to give me the Holy Ghost." Let every hand go up now. Let every heart look to God while we pray. Do you love Him? I'm going to ask Him... I asked Him this afternoon 'fore I come down here, to fill you with the Holy Ghost and heal you. I believe He's going to do it. Do you believe it? Believest thou this? Just ask Him now. Do you love Him?

90 Our Father, we've gathered here this afternoon for no other purpose but to glorify Your Son Jesus, and now, while He's moving through this building, O God, out there, we will never see this day again. It'll become in the days after while that we will have to meet You in judgment with what we've did with it. O God, I pray now, as the Holy Spirit has spoke to us through this afternoon that You, God, will fill their hearts just now, Lord. Send down the Holy Ghost. Heal every sick person in this building right now. May they receive the Word with gladness, and be filled with the Holy Ghost just now in the Name of Jesus Christ.
How many believes? How many believes they're... Say, "Praise the Lord." How many accept it, say, "Praise the Lord." Hallelujah!

91 Let every person that's standing in here, every person in here, lay your hands on somebody standing by you. Put your hand over on somebody standing by you. Lay hands on one another. Now, God's going to do this. I know He is. Oh, my. Look at there now, friends. Hands on one another. Old mother, laying her hand on a little baby. Old dad's laying hands on mother. Oh, there it is. That's what I'm talking about. Now, receive it, friends. There it is.
O God, precious Angel of the Lord, fill just now with the Holy Spirit, go with each and every one of them. I pray... Grant it, Lord. Believe Him...

Believest thou this?

You can find this sermon at ChurchAges.net

1 [Unclear words]. Thank you. My, he shouldn't have said that. Now, to you dear strangers, he was just making--trying to make me feel a little more encouraged to stand up here; that was all. I don't even claim to be a preacher. I just like to get around where there is preachers and I... Mine is praying for the sick.
And I'm happy to be here this afternoon to see this audience, and to feel the Spirit of the Lord here, and to enjoying those blessings since last evening. I was noticing in the last evening service, those cripples and setting in those wheelchairs, how that they got up, walked out of those wheelchairs. And I... Now, they're not here; I don't see a one of them this afternoon, not a one that was there as I see, knowingly. But I notice one thing: just the ones that was dealt with the longest was the first one had got up (Did you notice that?), the very first ones that got up. And there's something about it that I don't understand. And since last night I been praying to wonder what that... Why? Why would that? So you pray with me that God will make it known.

2 Now, I thank you all so much for the missionary offering for this afternoon. If our Lord tarries and permits me, I want to go over to Africa, and then we come back to India, and from there to Jerusalem to--in this next missionary tour. And my heart is bleeding for all those countries. Sister Hall was saying; she said, "None of that for me, over way in there," said, "I don't think I..."
I said, "Fleshly speaking, I don't desire it, but there's something back there that's making me go (See?), just making me go." And with the love for those who need Christ, I want to go.

3 I got a book from Africa not long ago and it's the colored man, old, he said, "White man, white man, where was your father?" He said, "Here, I'm old, and dull at mind, and I've just now learned of Jesus. If I would've knowed Him earlier, I could took Him to my tribes."
And I thought, "Well, I won't have to answer for my father's generation, but I will have to answer for mine, for what I do." And under the difficults that I have to labor under, and so forth, I want to do all that I can for our Lord, all that I can.

4 As far as I know of in human life, I only have... Thanking God as far as health and everything, knowing that I was once a blind man and ... or so blind they had to lead me around... And my eyes sight's 20/20 now.
And so I was once real sick: I couldn't eat nothing and stomach trouble so bad. And I'm healthy and happy, can eat anything. There's only one thing that bothers me, as I know of. And there's none of us perfect; we know that. And that is, the meetings, when they carry a little long, it puts such a mental, nervous strain on me, because you're just on the point at any moment. See, in my meetings there's setting hundreds, sometimes in big meetings where is many thousands gather, of critics that would--just trying their best to find one thing to talk about. And I'm conscious of that when that's coming against me. Then the Holy Spirit moving down to be able to know what's wrong with the people... And I know that He knows all things. And that... Under a few minutes under that (Oh, my.), it'll take more off of you than you could hit with a sledge hammer and rock pile for two days straight without even laying down, resting.

5 You know, according to modern science that speaking, ministers, who just speaking to an audience of people, takes more strength for them in twenty minutes of speaking than eight hours in physical labor. That's what a tear down. Now, multiply that by about one hundred and you get some conception of what it is. And so that's the thing that I desire all you dear Christian people to pray for me that God will somehow... I don't know. I once wondered how He could--how He got tired, and being the Son of God, but I know now what it is. It's a... It isn't a physical stain. It's a more or less, I'd say, a mental strain: nerve and mental. See, it moves over you and you're just at the age, coming in the meeting... Not this afternoon, but at nighttime...

6 There's sets one out there, maybe out... Maybe here sits a poor person with a cancer, setting there. Just one word will do the work.
Here come a minister up, a few moments ago, setting over here; an aged man had had a growth on his lips. He told me he'd been preaching, I believe, nearly forty years, and--a Pentecostal preacher for forty years. And said I told him all about his conditions in a line somewhere, and God taken that thing off his mouth. And there he sets. You see? And a... and I thought, "That man was preaching the Gospel before I was borned."

7 And here, come up here... Now just one word here, the Congressman, Mr. Upshaw from the Congress of the United States, setting here. Invalid for sixty-six years and me standing here under inspiration and seen a vision when the man had just been brought in: of where he was, and what he done, and what happened. And here he is today, walking around like the rest of us. See? That set under things for years...
And last evening, I watched that woman laying there that was bound with arthritis. I was told when they brought her in, taken three men to bring her in there, she was--how she was, and how that... There she's... After dealing with her a little while, going down there and laying hands on her, she got up.

8 Here set a woman in a wheelchair: her feet hanging down and such a condition there. And I talked to her. And while speaking to her, the Holy Spirit begin to reveal to her. And I said, "Now, in a few moments when I go to the platform, now if I look down at you, I want you to obey what I tell you. And when I got to the platform, up she got out of the wheelchair. There she was [unclear words].
Oh, well, now, those things is what makes a... Did you know that most all poets and prophets, and so forth, are considered neurotics? Did you know that? You don't believe that, but I'm going to... I'll prove it to you.

9 There's a land somewhere that the human person... And one out of every ten thousand Christians knows no more about but just by faith to believe about it. But there's a place that a human being, while yet in here, can be lifted up into that spot. Now, it is not a rejoicing time like you just lifted up in joy. I seen much joy, not enough real solid faith to cure a toothache. You see? That's the joy of the Lord, not the power of the Lord, see. I want more joy of the Lord. That's what I desire. And that's what you have need of.
But, not long ago, Stephen Foster... My little son's setting in the back of the building, it's--was his favorite poet. Many of you know Stephen Foster, know of him: He was--gave America some of its best folk songs it ever had. Now he was considered a neurotic. And he'd... When he wrote, "The Old Kentucky Home..." "My Old Kentucky Home..." That's just a little ways from where I live now, and just about seventy miles from where I was born. And two--about two summers ago I visited "The Old Kentucky Home" for my first time.
And I was setting at the bench or the desk where he wrote that song. (And it's world famous.) And I was looking at his picture and where the seraphim, the angel was supposed to have touched him to give him inspiration to write it. The guide and so forth had done left out of the room. I was setting there, and I thought, "Mr. Foster, you look like a very intelligent looking man." I thought, "Why? What made you do what you did?"
Now, he would write a song and he had it in his mind. But after he'd get through writing a song, coming down out of that inspiration, he'd get drunk: go out on a drunk. And finally, he got to such a place till he called a servant, ordered a razor, and committed suicide, cut his throat: Stephen Foster.

10 Not long ago, I stood by the side of William Cowper's grave. He wrote,
There is a fountain filled with blood,
Drawn from Emmanuel's veins.
And sinners plunge beneath the flood
Lose all their guilty stains.
In London, England... And I stood there by his grave, and I laid my hand over on the tombstone, and I thought, "God rest your gallant soul." I thought, "Mr. Cowper, why were you considered a neurotic?" You know, after he wrote that song, "There is a fountain filled with blood, Drawn from Emmanuel's vein," he came out of that inspiration and got--went down to the--to a cab--tried to find the river to commit suicide, to drown himself in the river. William Cowper; that's his history right there by his grave.
Then I remembered the prophet Jonah, how that he was going down to Nineveh, take him a ship to Tarshish. And the inspiration of God fell upon him, and he went down and gave his prophecy before Nineveh where God sent him. And they even put sackcloth on the cattle on the hills. And God spared that great city. And such inspiration... Then went up and set down under a gourd, or a tree, and prayed for God to take his life. Is that right?

11 And I thought of Elijah, who went out there and set by the brook Cherith, and was fed by the ravens. And he closed the heavens that it wouldn't rain. Then he opened up the heavens and brought down water, brought fire out of heaven the same day, and then when the inspiration left him (by the threat of a woman), run out into the wilderness and prayed for God to let him die. Is that right? Now, I could go on and on, but what is it, friends? Men who are brought under such tremendous inspiration of another land... You go out of this world, somewhere else, way up. And then when you're up there it's all right. Or when you're down, it's all right. But when you come in between there... Now, as long as the inspiration was on them, they were all right. But when the inspiration leaves, that what hurts.

12 Now here, not long ago, standing in meetings and finding so many people desiring... And I just stayed for discernment, so much, and one meeting right after the other, not having no interv--just constantly... And for eight months I couldn't get up or down. I stayed right in between there. You know the time it was, when they rushed me everywhere. Even to the Mayo's clinic said, "There's not a earthly chance for him." That's right. See? Now, when it's...You're up or down. When you get down, why you're seem to be all right, when you're up... But in between there, that's what hurts.
And now, what does this all say? It all says this, friend: that there's a land beyond the river somewhere, way yonder, somewhere, that we're going to. It's heavenly there. So we do not understand those things, but misunderstood, but we try to do the best that we can for the embetterment of human beings by Jesus Christ, while we have time to work.

13 And I desire your prayers for me that I will maintain the strength. Since the time of that, I have been healthier than I ever was in all my life, more healthier. I never weighed over a hundred and thirty-five pounds in my life. And I weigh a hundred and fifty-five now, see. And because that I took Christ. I promised Him that I'd never abuse myself any more like that, that I would... I'd... When I got tired and so forth, I'd leave. I didn't care what the meeting was doing, I'd come apart into the wilderness and rest awhile (See?) and then go out again somewhere.
But under management and so forth, where they've got these itineraries made up, and you have they get the auditoriums, it just certainly keeps you pushing like that to go, to keep it up. So God bless you.

14 One word I want to say about... Someone asked us about if I would speak the time that our baby was born. Mrs. Kopp just told me she'd just received a letter from my dear little wife at home. If there's anybody at the Branham family that deserves credit it's the--my wife, Mrs. Branham; she's a lovely little character. I wished I could've brought her with me, but I can't because the baby was too young. I went for her to bring her here. I want you to meet her. Sometime on my return I hope to be able to bring her. She's only... (Thank you. Thank you. I appreciate that.) And she's thirty years old and almost white-gray. And five years ago, her hair was as black as it could be. But you set at the phone where sometimes sixty long distant calls an hour, day and night, and at the door where this, that, and (Oh, my.), it won't take it long till things will change.
But, friend, I say this with her: we're only sorry that we haven't got a thousand lives to give for Him Who gave His life for us. That's right. The public, sometime... You have your individual case to deal with, but when this case, in the spirit line, you've got the--literally millions pulling to you. See there? And there... It's more than what people think it is.

15 I had prayed so earnestly, reading in my Bible one day, after I come back from overseas. My first wife died many years ago. We lived together three years. Two little children was born in our family. One of them remains: is at the back of the building now, our little boy. The little girl died with the mother.
I was single for several years: her begging me at her death, "never to live single, but to get some good Christian girl who would take care of the children," not knowing that the baby'd be buried in her arms; but it died immediately after her--few hours. Which was perfectly healthy at the time of her going... I lived single for several years. Then my little boy entered school, I got married again.

16 And we lived together four years and God gave back another little lump of sugar... My little girl, little Sharon that was taken from me, He gave me a little Rebekah. And I love her with all my heart and I feel that God sent her. She's a very living image of the other little girl. And then, seemed like she was going to have no more children. Four more years have passed. And when I come back from overseas, I was reading in Cleveland, Ohio, or not Cleveland, but I believe it was Minneapolis, taking the Old Testament, a subject to read. And I was reading of Joseph. And he just outstands to me, Joseph does, of all the patriarchs. And I got down on my knees, and I asked our Lord if He would give us another child: possible, give us a little boy. And I would name him Joseph, if He would give me another little boy.
Immediately, after that, about a month or so, I knew my wife was to be mother. I looked forward for the coming of a little boy: Joseph. And when he was born, or to be born, I said, here at the tabernacle...You all sent so many nice presents and things which will always be remembered in our hearts. And I'm sure the heavenly Father has a record of everything up there. And I pray that He'll bless you.

17 And I wanted to go home to go to meet the child, to see what would happen. I wanted him to take my place. I wanted someone to take my place, that I would know that the mantle would be on my children, if it could. And it's always been a little place out there, if I could just press over... I see things in part, but I... It just seems like I'm just living a little tributary to a great lake just beyond. And I always thought if I could just get past that one place, oh, my... And maybe I... My background's being so sinful, as I explained, that my people were all sinners before me, and I was raised in a sinful home. And then, trying to keep myself from sin at that time, as much as I knew how, I thought maybe God would let my children come into the blessing, the full blessing. And maybe my little boy would fully be a prophet sent from God; I pray to that.
When I went to meet the little baby, as a nurse from Mayo's had been healed of a cancer a few years ago, given up to die, she was our nurse. When the baby was brought and--or come to meet it, instead of the Spirit falling to the baby, it fell back this a way again. And I believe it's just ahead of me. I--what I've ask for is, I believe that God has it just ahead. I believe I'll live to see it. And that's what I pray for.

18 My little boy which is with us now, soon be sixteen years old, he was... He seemed to be a good boy. He minded me, and was very lovely little fellow. But I talked to him about being baptized and making his public confession of Christ. He lived good and everything, the little fellow. But about a week after that, I walked into the house, and he come without me asking him anything, said, "Daddy, I want to be a Christian; I want to serve the Lord." My Joseph was right with me when--and I didn't know it. The little baby that I thought would be Joseph is a little girl and I called her "Sarah." I'm thankful for her. I love her with all my heart.
I had a boy and a girl; either which way it went would be all right. But I so wanted a boy. As far as so I--he could be a minister of the Gospel. And I believe that God is calling my little boy back there, going be minister of the Gospel. I... Thank you. Thank you. Seeing the wisdom of God, now, I more understand. If you ask God, God will give you the desire of your heart. I don't believe if the little baby would've been born to have come up to the age to be a minister, Jesus will be here before that time, I believe. And God just throwed it over on my little boy back there and that--and we thank you for your kindness and God bless you.

19 Last time... Now, I've taken about fifteen minutes, or twenty, there, in explaining those things, so I'll try to get out real quick now, in the next hour. As I've told you before, and many of you people now... As a preacher, I am not. I just... Oh, I don't know... I used to think that... When I was first ordained in the Baptist Church, oh, I'd carry the Bible down the street, and they call me, "Reverend." My, I was a big fellow. When I got to meet some real right down preachers, I kind of decided I wasn't.
You know I told you about riding the horse, you remember the last time? I believe I was here about... I thought I was a cowboy at one time, when I'd put cockleburs under our old tired horse and get up on him and he would--on the saddle, you know, and he'd just bawl a few times. And I thought I was a real rider. My father was, but I was--wasn't my--wasn't he.
So then, I went to Arizona one time and I seen them really ride in one of those rodeos. And I went out to be a rider too like my dad, but when I seen them riding them outlaws, I knew I wasn't no cowboy by a long ways. So... I thought I was a preacher when I first ordained, but when I got around where some preachers could really preach, I quit saying I was anything about a preacher, because it was another case of maybe "the cockleburs under the saddle." So... But what I do know of it, I like to tell it to someone else. That's right.

20 Sometimes, in the meeting this way, just to have [unclear words] relax myself and speak to then, oh, I take a little old text somewhere in the Bible and speak on it a little bit. And I was going, ask Brother Kopp awhile ago, what was that I spoke on the last time I was here. And I think he said it was a--it was, "Four Ways of Seeing God: God in His creation, and in His Son, and so forth like that."
And so now, this afternoon, I want to read some Scripture. And probably some of you has been here; I've read this before. I was going to speak on, "Come and See a Man." The woman at the well, she said, "Come, see a Man that told me all things." Kind of lengthy, so I'm going over to the resurrection of Lazarus here, if the Lord willing, at the eleventh chapter of St. John, in the Gospel. If you'll listen closely now while we read, and go right straight into the service. And you pray for me, will you? all of you? And tonight, come out believing there's going to be a great outpouring tonight. I want to see the time in this meeting that there will not be one wheelchair, or blind person, or anything left that isn't healed, that... [Gap in the audio.]

21 Meetings that's going on around the city: Brother Freeman, and the other brethren and sisters who's holding... And I pray, out of this meeting... Some colored Brother came, said, "Brother Branham, pray that God will send me into the harvest." Another minister come, "Pray that God will send me..." Go, brethren, God bless you. Just go right on out. They're just everywhere. Dash out. There's a many, many peoples in need.
And now last night, there's been three or four wheelchairs been made empty now. And we pray that God will heal every one of them and make them well.

22 Eleventh chapter of St. John, listen closely now, beginning about the eighteenth verse of the eleventh chapter of St. John. Faith cometh by hearing, and hearing of the Word. Is that right? Read the Word. Now, you can mark it if you'd like to refer back to this Scripture. And I'll try my best, watching the clock, to be out within forty minutes or forty-five, fifty minutes, somewhere along there if possible. Now, the eighteenth verse, we begin reading.
Now Bethany was nigh unto Jerusalem, about fifteen furlongs off:
And many of the Jews came to Martha and Mary, to comfort them concerning their brother.
When Martha, as soon as she had heard that Jesus was coming, went and met him: but Mary sat still in the house.
Then said Martha unto Jesus, Lord, if thou hadst been here, my brother had not died.
But I know, that even now, whatsoever thou wilt ask ... God, God will give it thee. (I like that, don't you? "Even now, whatever You ask God, God will do it. No matter what's happened, what You ask God now, God will do it.")
Jesus said unto her, Thy brother shall rise again. (When that kind of faith comes, something has to happen.)
Martha saith unto him, I know that he shall rise again in the resurrection at the last day.
Jesus said unto her, I am the resurrection, and the life: he that believeth in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live:
And whosoever liveth and believeth in me shall never die. Believest thou this?
She said unto him, Yea, Lord: I believe that thou art the Christ, the Son of God, which ... come into the world.

23 Let's bow our heads just a moment. Our heavenly Father, many years has passed since these words were first written, since this scene took place down there in a lonely little graveyard, where two brokenhearted sisters and loved ones weeping. But way down beyond the tears, there was an expression in their heart to believe that God's Prophet stood on the earth, the Son of God, and was able to deliver to them the desire of their heart.
And we, this afternoon, after many years, and these things are written that we might understand, we too believe that God will withhold no good thing from them that walk upright before Him. He'll give us the desire of our heart. And You know my desire this afternoon. You know the desire on every heart in this building this afternoon.
And Father, while we're here in this healing campaign, if it should be called such, we pray, God, that in this hour while I'm to speak on faith, I pray that faith will move over this audience and there'll be such a great response to it, that the cripples will just get right up out of their chairs and walk out; the blinds will throw down their canes and raise up and receive their sight; cancers will vanish; and sin will fly from the sinners; backsliders will rush to the altar. Grant it, Lord. And may there be such a great hour now, like we've never seen before. Grant it, Father, because we ask this for Your glory, in the Name of Your beloved Child Jesus Christ. Amen.

24 Our setting of the scene for this little text, if I would say it'd would be, "Believe This... Believest Thou This?" for this afternoon.
Now, I just... Will you give me your undivided attention just for a few moments, and pray for me?
Now, during the time of our Master's life, this had come to the place to where He had become very popular. When He was first here, in His first claims, He was not very popular. But when they begin to see the physical results of His ministry, then they were willing to admit that there was something about Him, especially the common people, they heard Him gladly. They still hear Him gladly.

25 I've never desired to be rich. I've... I believe Solomon, I believe, had the most level prayer to God that I ever heard. He prayed that God wouldn't make him so rich that he would forget God, and yet, not to make him so poor that he would have to steal. So just the comforts of life is what we desire. Is that right? And that's about where the most of us stand, I guess, and very fortunate and thankful to have that.
Jesus dwelt amongst the poor and the humble. If you'll notice Him in calling His ministry, He never called the rich; He called the poor. When He was born, why, they never--the angels never went down and sang in the temple, about--to Caiphasis and the high priest and those, and told them about, "There's born tonight, in the city of David, Christ the Saviour." But there, the angels came down and give this salutation, or the visitation, rather, to the shepherds and peasants, the poor people.

26 When He called His disciples, He never went and got the educated priest out of the seminaries. He went down on the river and got fishermen, peasants, poor people that they would have nothing. That the world could say, "Why, yes, they become great men because they had a great background. They had this..." They had no backgrounds at all, and He just picked them up like jewels out of the dirt and made their names immortal among men today: Peter, James, John, and so forth, fishermen of lowly peasant-type people.
And I'm so glad that God still deals with poor people and common people, for we don't have much of this world's goods. We don't desire this world's goods. If there's anything that we ought to--not to desire is too much of these things: just enough to live by, that's all.

27 If I'd probably taken the money that had been offered me, I'd be an independent rich man. But today, as far as I know, I own this old backslidden Chevrolet truck, out here, about six years old, and a Pontiac about three years old, that I take my wife along in when I take her. And the clothes that we have on and what we have at home, that's all we own (That's right.), everything that we have. But I'd rather live like that and have favor with God, than have the best movie star home there is setting on Hollywood hill over here. That's right. That's right. I'd rather feel in my heart the Presence of Christ that I feel now, than to have the riches of this world. That's right. I love Him and He's Wonderful.

28 And He came to this world as my example. And He came as your example to be--to just be content with such as we have.
And when He was borned in the world, He had a hard start. When He was born, He was borned in a manger in a barn. Could you imagine a birth of that type? No lower birth could be, I don't expect, than to be born in a manger. And before He even got here, it was tacked onto Him of being a illegitimate child, that He was absolutely a--an illegitimate child; that Joseph was his father and he was going to be born out of holy wedlock, and that was not nothing but just Joseph's boy.
Now, that... And you know, that old curse hasn't left today. Many people actually believe that.

29 Why, here not long ago, I was up in the mountains where I go for a little retreat to rest and hunt. And I was up there, and there's a man, a cowboy riding along with me, the rancher. And I'd met him, and he said... I was hunting, and he said, "Well, get on my horse here, ride along."
He said, "Where you from?"
And I said, "Indiana." That's been a few years ago.
And he said, "What do you do for a living?"
I said, "I'm a game warden."
He said, "Well, they're not welcome in this country."
I said, "Well, I'm here ... I..." And he said... I said, "That's what I do as--to make a living," but I said, "otherwise, I'm a preacher."
He looked and said, "A what?"
And I said, "A preacher."
Said, "You look too intelligent for that."
And I said... I said, "Well,..." I said, "I tell you..." I said, "I think that's a mark of intelligence."
And so he said..." Oh," he said, "you don't believe that story, do you?"
I said, "Yes, sir. I believe it with all of my heart."
He said, "Do you really believe that He was--the virgin birth, as it was said?"
I said, "Yes, sir, I really believe it."

30 Well, we went arguing along about it for a long time, and he said, "Why, that couldn't be so, preacher." He said, "That's against all scientific... It's against... All science." says, "it can't be so." Said, "Trees has to be--have pollen, one to another." Said, "They have to actual be a literally a father and mother before a baby could be born."
And I said, "Do you believe that there's a God?"
He said, "Certainly not."
And I said, "Oh..."
He said, "That's a Santa Claus story."
And I said, "Oh, you think so, do you?"
And he said, "Yes, sir."
And I said, "Well, every man..." I said, "Good thing this is America: we all have our own ideas," but I said, "for me He's more than life."
And he just got right back at me, fiery, you know. He said, "You know now, right down to the bottom of your heart, that's just because you read it in the Bible."
I said, "No, sir. That's one reason. But the next reason, the reason I know He is: He lives in my heart." I said, "I know that He is."
He said, "Could you prove that He lives?"
I said, "Yes, sir." I said, "Go back over my life and see what I was, and what I am now," and I said, "There proves that something has happened."
He said, "Well, it's against..."
Said... I said, "You will admit that that woman, that He had an earthly mother, as the Bible said?"
Said, "Oh, yes. He had a earthly mother."
"But it's impossible now, for a child to be born with a heavenly father, a Spirit, without being a natural man."
Said, "Yes, that's right."
I said, "Well, I want to ask you something. If that's... If He... If you'll admit He had a mother, and He couldn't have a supernatural being for a father, then how did the first man get here without father or mother? How'd he ever get... Let him be monkey, tadpole, whatever you want to call him, how did he get here? He had to have a pappy and mammy from somewhere. Isn't that right? He had to have..."

31 He walked on--went on a little farther, riding along. And after while, I said, "Can you answer me where the first man come from?"
He walked--rode on a little piece, and after while he pulled his big hat down over his eyes. I didn't know what he was doing. I looked. He looked sideways and was looking towards them snow peaked mountains. We were up there hunting; the tears was dropping off his cheeks. He looked right at me, and said, "I lift up my head unto the hills, from whence cometh my help? My help cometh from the Lord." He rode back there with his horse and put his arms around me, said, "Preacher, I got respects for you." Amen. He said, "There's been a lot of preachers up here that come and tell me..." Said, "I wanted to find one man that really believed it was so."
I said, "I believe it with all my heart."
We go up there hunting and we sleep out on the snow. And at nighttime, after the day is over, we've been different places, coming in... And he... I usually go up in June, sometime (I won't this year.) and salting the cattle. When the rounds--they're putting out the salt and things, I ride right with them. Then when we all round through the daytime, then at night he pulls his camp bag right up next to me. And everybody gets asleep, and he reached over and got my hand; he said, "Parson," said, "Isn't He wonderful?" Amen. Oh, hallelujah. Yes, sir, brother. He's still the Lord Jesus...

32 You know, springtime here in California now. I'm amazed of a morning to hear those birds and doves out there, how they're mating and fixing their nests. And I just think that bird could lay a whole nest full of eggs. And no matter how much she would hover them eggs and try to keep them warm, if she hasn't been with the male bird, they'll never hatch; they'll lay right there and rot in the nest. Isn't that right? And friends, that's... We know that the germ of life comes from the male sex. You're your mother's flesh, but your father's blood: life comes from the male sex. A hen can lay an egg, or a bird, and it won't hatch.
I think that's just about what that I said, a lot of times, the matter with our churches today: like an old nest full of rotten eggs that ain't never been with Jesus Christ. And that's the reason they just got it reading, writing, and 'rithmetic, don't know nothing about Jesus Christ. Might as well dump the nest out and start over again. Don't you think so? Time to get an old-fashioned Holy-Ghost church: somebody that's been in contact with God; got a borned again experience, till they can stand for what they know that's right. That's right.

33 Said, awhile ago, some of them said something about Peter on the day of Pentecost. Well, listen. I've been along these Holy Ghost meetings now for some five years. And Peter said on the day of Pentecost, "This is that." And if this ain't that, I'm going to keep this till that comes. I'll tell you that. You can criticize it, say what you want to, but I believe it's the real old fashion baptism of the Holy Ghost just exactly like it was on the day of Pentecost. Amen.

34 Oh my, I can see our Master when He come with that blackness behind Him and saying: that He was an illegitimate child. But God sent a warning always before the coming. He sent a man by the name of John the Baptist. He was a great forerunner of Jesus. God always sends a forerunning before some great event. Whenever you see angels will come to the earth... For instance, maybe the Angel that deals with God's humble servant here. That's a minor, no doubt, Angel of healing, or something. Or the Spirit of some great something that's here, one of God's attributes. I do not know who He is.
But when you hear of Gabriel coming to the earth, something's going to happen then. Gabriel announced the first coming of Jesus, and He will announce the second coming of Jesus. Gabriel, the great Archangel who stands in the presence of His Majesty... How marvelous.

35 Now, I could think of when Zacharias... God setting Himself in order, getting His church ready... Zacharias, the great high priest--or great priest, rather, he was to burn incense. He had a home that was consecrated to God.
God give us some more homes like that. Yes, sir. They believe God and waited on God. And Elisabeth, his wife, was barren. She was way past the age now, and she was barren. And down--had pray for years for God to give them children, but seemingly, He had not done it.
Sometimes God holds off to the very last moment, just to see what you will do about it. Oh, my. I feel kindly religious right now. I really do, when I think of His goodness, how that many times that He holds it right off to the last moment to see what you'll do about it.

36 Down in Babylon, if I can you jump back for a minute...Thinking down there, that how that the Hebrew children, He let them get right up to step off into the fiery furnace before He ever showed a hand. Is that right? Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, there they was. They had purposed in their heart that they wouldn't bow down to the king's image. And He let them come right up to the last moment.
Let's just look at that just for a moment. It's a little off the lesson, but let's look: God waiting to the last moment. No doubt, brother, you've been in that chair a long time, but God may be waiting till the last moment, see what you're going to do about it. Maybe you setting there too, sister, it may be just waiting till the last moment. Maybe this is it.

37 I can see Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego say, "You can burn us. You can do what you want to, but we're going to hold fast to that what's right."
And you today, you can make fun of me, call me holy roller, whatever you want to, but I'll hold to God's unchanging hand. If He could bring one from a wheelchair, if He can bring the Congressman of the United States, from a cripple from sixty-six years, to a perfect, well man, He can do me the same way. Though it linger, yet will it speak. The vision will speak; it has to. "He that readeth, let him run."

38 Notice, then when it come down to that great hour, I can see king Nebuchadnezzar (representing the world) saying, "Well, all right, we'll just burn some of that religion out of them." You know, that he may not be called Nebuchadnezzar today, but he's still in the earth, his influence, the laugh, "Burn it out." Mockery... And said, "We'll just take some of that religion out of them. We'll heat the furnace seven times hotter than it ever was het."
And I can see Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego in a prayer meeting, knowing God was able. There they go on the death march. The next day the king sets up and says, "Now we'll see what takes place. When we put the heat on them, they'll deny it then, like the rest of them." And don't you think the devil ain't here to put the heat on you when you claim your healing, or salvation, or the baptism of the Holy Ghost? He'll throw the heat to you. Yes, he will.

39 Then when they got at that great hour, walking up the gangplank, as it was, to drop off into this furnace, seven times hotter than it ever was het... Notice, I hear Shadrach say, "Meshach, you're sure you prayed through?" Oh, my. You better know it.
He say, "Yes, I prayed through." Take a hold of hands then. Here they go walking on up, up to the very next to the last step.
Men begin to get fainty from that hot heat coming out of there, the intense heat of the foundry. Or push them on up into there, or this furnace, rather, with these spears... Looks like God has just forsaken and turned His back upon His people, no answer to prayer, no nothing. Fainty, sickly, staggering right on up, going into the furnace standing firm on their conviction: "God is able to deliver us from this fiery furnace, but nevertheless..." Going right on, and the heat's on. Amen.

40 That's the way it was, Congressman. You said, "Don't give up." All right, stay right there. "God is able to deliver us from this fiery furnace." Just a few more steps, I can see Shadrach look at Abednego, to see the last time before they step into the furnace. Looks like pretty dark, doesn't it, the picture I'm painting?
Let's turn our camera now. Amen. All the time there's something going on down here, there's something going on up there at the same time. Amen. We only look to the earthly side. But let's look up there. My, I can see Him setting there in His majesty (Oh, my.), His kingly, priestly garments hanging around Him, setting there. I can see a great Angel coming up. You believe God's got angels in heaven? They're at His command. Is that right?

41 I can see one of them come up; he's called Wormwood. He's the angel over all the waters. I can see him rustle up, quick up beside of the throne and say, "Master, have You looked down, down there? Why, they're fixing to burn up three faithful believers."
I can hear the Master say, "Yes, Wormwood, I've watched them all night long." Brother, His eye is on the sparrow, and I know He watches me. I know He sees everything that's going on right here now. He knows. Not even a sparrow could fall in the streets.
I hear Wormwood say, "Back in the antediluvian destruction, You give me the authority and I broke up all the fountains." You know Wormwood in--up there has control of the waters. He said, "I've washed the whole thing off. Let me go down this morning and I'll wash Babylon off the face of the earth." I believe he could've done it.
You say, "Well, I tell you... You can..."
"I can't let you go."

42 Here comes another angel. Who's he? Let's see, maybe He's Michael. Let's think He's Michael, the great Angel that stands in the presence of God. I can see him draw His sword and say, "Master, look down there. One more step and death's right before them! Have You considered them?"
"Yes."
"Let me go down there; we'll see who's boss when we get down there." I believe He could've done it, don't you?
I can hear Him say, "Michael, you have obeyed Me since the day that I created you, but I can't let you go because I'm going Myself. This is a Man-sized job." My, my. I can see Him rise up from His seat; His robes drop 'round Him; walk out there and say... Way back over there in the north, I can see a great big white thunderhead; I can hear Him say, "Come here." Amen. Everything in the heaven obeys Him, but man thinks he knows more than He does (You see?), so he can't obey Him.

43 I can see Him say, "Come here, East wind, North, South, and West. Get under this thunderhead; I'm going to drive you like horses this morning." He'd takes that big thunderhead, step out on it like a chariot, reach up and get a hold of a zigzag lightnings out of the skies and crack it across the sky. King Nebuchadnezzar could hear it down on the earth down there. And about that time He passed by the sea of life and picked off a palm. When they made their last step into the fiery furnace there was One like the Son of God, standing there fanning away the--all the breezes like that; talking over the future for them. I tell you; He's God today. He knows all things.

44 He has angels in charge. When He knew His Son was coming to the earth, He said, "Now look, there's a good man down there by the name of Zacharias. I want you to go down and stand by him, and I want you to speak to him." And I can see Zacharias go in now. He's down at the temple, and he's making his wave here before the altar, burning incense. The people in the congregation was praying. And as he turned, there stood Gabriel (Oh, my.) standing by his side, said, "Zacharias, fear not!" Hallelujah. That's the Word: "Fear not."
You got faith in God, stand pat, God will do it. Now, I'm not excited, I just feel a little good. See? Notice, I get a little noisy, but I don't mean nothing by it. If you felt like I did, you'd be noisy too maybe.
Look. All right. I can prove anything without emotion is dead. So your religion hasn't got any emotion about it, bury it somewhere and get one that's got some life in it. Amen. That's right.

45 Now, notice. I can hear him say now, " [Unclear words] when you go home after the days, your--this administration here, you're going home, and your wife is going to bring a child, and you will call his name John. Now notice, that man who had read the Bible over and over, prayed and so forth for God to give him children... "How could these things be?"
And he said, "Because you have doubted my word... I'm Gabriel. My words will be fulfilled in their season." Hallelujah. Oh, when He speaks it...When He sends an ordained angel out of heaven, it has to come to pass. Amen. Said, "I'm Gabriel. And because you've doubted my word, you will be dumb till the day the baby's born. My word will be fulfilled anyhow." Amen.All right. And when he come out and beckoned to the people, he went home after the days of the ministration, and his wife conceived. Now look, he ought to have believed it: there was Sarah and Hannah and many examples in the Bible that showed it had been before, but he doubted it in his individual case.

46 Now, to you people here in a wheelchair, if those people here last night walked from a wheelchair; if this man from a crippled bed, and so forth for all those years, it's so in your case. Amen.
All right. Notice, there he was. He went home. And after the days his wife conceived. And at the point she was about six months, along something like that, then God sent Gabriel back again. Amen. Here he come. I see a little old girl living down there in Nazareth, just the--out of a poor humble family (And her name was Mary.), about eighteen years old, engaged to a man that had been married before, had some children.
And here they come along. She's walking. Maybe it's wash day. She's got the water on her head. Maybe it's Oriental type packing water from the well. And all at once a big bright light flashed before her. And there in the bright light stood Gabriel, the Angel of God. Said, "Hail, Mary. Blessed art thou among women. You've found favor with God. And you're going to have a child, knowing no man. And He'll be called the Son of God."

47 Look, the priest doubted Gabriel's word. But Mary... And he had something to believe that'd happened before that time; but Mary didn't have nothing: never a baby had been born without being, well, like man and wife. But she was going to have a baby by the Holy Spirit. And instead of doubting him, she said, "Behold, the handsmaid of the Lord. Be it unto me according to Thy Word." Hallelujah. Oh, that's what we need is some more Marys. Take God at His Word.
She didn't wait till she felt life; she started right then testifying she was going to have a baby. Hallelujah. As soon as God's Word sinks in your heart, get up and give a testimony, and... "Hallelujah." That's it. When God takes the Holy Spirit and brings that Word to you and makes It alive to you, a reality that your faith, stand up and claim it. You don't have to feel nothing, see nothing, or nothing; you have to believe something. Amen. I'm not amening myself, but it means "so be it."

48 All right. Watch this. There He is. She said, "Behold, the handsmaid of the Lord. Be it unto me according to Thy word." She took Him at his Word and begin to rejoice. She had to testify about it. And as soon as real genuine Christian faith anchors in a person's heart, let them be bound in a wheelchair, blind, whatever it is, they'll tell it. That's right: "I'm healed."
"How do you know you are?"
"Jesus said so and I believe it." There you are. Yes.
Oh, I like to throw that in the devil's face. When he stood there at Mayo's... The Mayo's, them group of doctors around me said, "Reverend Branham, you're finished."
Jesus said, "I'll heal you." Hallelujah. I took Him at His Word. Yes. He hates me; I know he does. But Christ loves me, because He redeemed me. All right. Yes, I like to push it back at him every time I get a chance. He said, "You don't feel any better than you ever felt. When I come out come out of there, I said, "Old boy, if you want to hear me praise God, stick around. You'll hear me." Yes, sir. I mean to praise Him till death shall set me free. Yes, sir. Let it be little, big, wherever it is, He's worthy of all praise and glory.

49 Oh, my. There He was. Took Him at His Word. She started telling people about it. She heard... The angel told her about her cousin. Mary and Elisabeth were cousins. And so she went up out of--to Judean to her cousin Elisabeth, to tell her the great news and to appreciate the angel's visit to Zacharias. She said, "Now, it's six months with one who was called barren."
So I can see Mary going along the road, just full of happiness (No sign of life nowhere, nothing at all.). She had the promise. That's all she needed. Glory. Said, "Oh..." I wish you could see it. The promise is all you need.

50 When I spoke to a Baptist bishop, overseer, general overseer of the conference, he said, "Reverend Branham, aren't you ashamed to make such statements as that?"
I said, "No, sir."
"You think that you..."
I said, "I can, for Christ promised it." Hallelujah. It's mine, I believe in it. Christ died that I could have that privilege. And today I stand still on it. Hallelujah. Yes, sir. Mine because He gave it to me. He died and He sent the Holy Ghost to persuade me to take it. And it's mine and it's yours. Every redemptive blessing of the Bible belongs to you. Hallelujah.

51 All right. I see her go up there now, and Elizabeth, her cousin sees her coming. She's so happy along. And here comes Elisabeth out to meet her. Oh, my. She puts her arms around her, and hugs her, and says, "Oh, I'm so happy..." and so forth, like that.
They had love for one another in them days. We lost that now. That's right. There's no more love among people hardly, unless it's the saints of God. Why, used to be down on the farm, down there, if we run out of money, we could go over to the neighbor and borrow fifty dollars, maybe, till we harvest... [Gap in the audio.] Hallelujah.

52 The Bible said, "Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever. He was a man. When He come down off the mountain that night, hungry, and He was looking for some to eat around a fig tree. He was a man when He was hungry. But when He took five biscuits and fed five thousand, He was God. Hallelujah. That's right.
He was a man when He was laying there on the back of that boat that night, so tired from healing the sick and the virtue going out of Him, till He was so sleepy till the waves didn't wake Him up. The sea, angry, ten thousands devils swore they would drown Him that night. He was a man when that little old boat, like a bottle stopper jumped about on the sea. He was a man when He was laying there asleep. But when He rose, put His foot on the brail of the boat, said, "Peace, be still." He was more than a man when He stopped the roaring seas and parted the waves. God was in Christ, reconciling the world to Himself. He was the divine Son of God. Hallelujah. He was a man when He cried for mercy at the cross. That's right. He died like a man, crying for mercy, the cross, but when He rose on Easter morning, He proved He was God. [Gap in the audio.]

53 Every poet that's ever amounted to anything, any man that ever amounted to a hill of beans, believed in Him, had faith in Him as being divine. One said,
Living He loved me, Dying He saved me;
Buried, He carried my sins far away;
Rising, He justified, freely, forever;
Someday He's coming, O glorious day.
What do you think about Him, Eddie Perronet? When he was there in prison they were making fun of him, he wrote with a pen when the Holy Ghost touched him. He said,
All hail the power of Jesus' name!
Let angels prostrate fall;
Bring forth the royal diadem,
And crown Him Lord of all.
Blind Fanny Crosby, what do you think about Him? She said,
Pass me not, O gentle Saviour,
Hear my humble cry;
While on others, Thou art calling,
Do not pass me by.
Thou, the stream of all my comfort,
More than life to me,
Whom have I on earth beside Thee?
Or Whom in heaven but Thee?"
[Gap in the audio.]

54 Hallelujah. The Bible said, Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever. [Gap in the audio.] Believest thou this? He's divine. Believest thou this? He's the Son of God. Believest thou this? He's here now. Believest thou this? He's the One that's made Lazarus come from the grave. He's the same great Jehovah God. Let's stand and accept Him.
O, Almighty God, send Your mercies, Lord. We believe You with all of our heart. O Master of life, pour upon this congregation now forgiveness us of sin. Heal all the sick and the afflicted. Get glory out of this service, Father. Grant it, Lord.
He's here now to save. Believest thou this? This is Him now that's moving on your heart. Believest thou this? He sent me here to pray for you. Believest thou this? An Angel met me not long ago, said if I'd be sincere when I prayed, nothing should stand before the prayer. Believest thou this? Do you believe it? Accept Him right now as your Healer. Stand up on your feet and be made well.
Every person that's in Your divine presence... Hallelujah! [Unclear words].

Believest thou this?

You can find this sermon at ChurchAges.net

1 Thank you. Good evening, friends. I didn't think I'd be speaking to you again so quick. Well, we're taught, all things work together for good to them that love the Lord. I know I love Him, and I trust that this is for good.
I was quite disappointed when they told me I had to come back and have some yellow fever germs put in me. I was trying to get them out. But let alone [unclear words] if there were any in there. But the nations has some peculiar rulings. So I guess we have to give Caesar what's Caesar's and God what's God's. Don't we. So they took me down and poked a needle in my arm, and now, I guess they're going to try it again in the morning. So we'll try to go again in the morning, the Lord willing, to Africa.
Talk about a surprised person was my wife awhile ago when I called her. She thought I was in Southern Rhodesia. And I teased her a little. I said "Well, I'm just calling from Africa."
She said, "Now, the word come from New York."
I said, "Well, its coming through New York."
And she said, "Come on now." So it's a...

2 I certainly have enjoyed the last three days here, to stay with you people in New York, here, staying with our sister in a home down there. No wonder you have a wonderful church. That's right. I don't say that because she's setting here. Your pastor here, my, out to his home, such a lovely place. Lovely, what I mean by that, the characteristic of it. The... A home isn't the house you live in; it's the order of the house then. See? That's what makes a home. You know as they say, "A tent or a cottage, why should I care? They're building a palace for me over there." I seen people lived in palaces and didn't have much of a home.

3 I remember one time I married a couple. I was just been ordained a short time in the Baptist church. So there was a boy said--worked with my brother on the--on that, I believe they call it NYA or CC camp. That's what it was, the CC camp. And way back in during the time of the depression, 'course many of you can't go back that far with me, because you're not even that old, maybe. But I... Lot of you here remember the depression. So I remember my... And he was working with the boy up there. I believe the boy was... I don't know whether he was a Syrian or what he was, but the kid was a fine fellow. And he loved some little girl. And he said, "You know what," he said, "I'm going to get married as soon as I..." Said, "I got the money enough to buy the license." And said, "I--I just haven't got the money enough to pay the preacher."
And so my brother said, "Why, my brother marries people," said, "he never charged anybody for anything." Said, "Come on down." So...
And he said, "I..." Said, "Well you fix up with him if you can." Said, "I'll get married Saturday."

4 So they brought the fellow down, in a... I never felt so sorry for anyone in my life. The poor kid standing there... Now, I'm just as well off as anybody, but he had just as much as I had, but... See? I looked at him, and he had a jacket on; it'd been washed through the washer, not very good at that, and trousers about a dollar a pair. And his little old wife standing there, little blond, had hitchhiked all the way from Indianapolis, hundred and twenty miles to meet him, get married. Poor kid didn't have any shoes on her feet, hardly. I nearly broke my heart. I thought, "My girl might be that way someday." I wanted to buy the little thing a pair of shoes. I was afraid it'd hurt her feelings. And she was real backward. She was standing there: beautiful little old girl.
And I asked them if they loved each other. They said, "Sure."
So I said, "Well now, remember, happiness does not consist of how much of the world's good you own, but how contented you are with the portion that's allotted to you." So that's what it be. I said, "Now, there'll be times that you all won't see things alike. But always remember you're still in love. When you see one set in the way and the other one don't..." I said, "Give in. If they're wrong, it'll show. After while it'll be all right." I said, "There's a little bowl in a human heart that is full of golden oil called love. If it is ever broke it can be healed up, but there'll be a scar there as long as you live." I said, "Don't never have..." I said, "Always give to each other and remember that what your vows are."

5 I married them. They didn't have no place to go. They had an old '28 Chevrolet, and the headlights was wired on with baling wire. So he went out on the river at New Albany, where there used to be an old rolling mill, an old switch yard. During the time of the depression, it went under, and boxcars and tracks tore up. He got one of those cars, and got him a saw and sawed him a window in it, and he work--went to work for Mingles Box company up there, and he--they lived in this boxcar. And they had newspapers for paper on the wall with tacky button. You know?
I'd don't know whether you know... How many knows what a tacky button is. Oh, I got you that time. Ha, ha. So somebody up there does [unclear words] Well, it's a tack with a piece of cardboard; you just tack it on. You see? It make it hold better (You see?), like that. Tacky button they call it. We use them much there down in the south.

6 So they had their house papered like that. And then about two months after that, a friend of mine married a real rich girl. And they... He liked me so well, he wanted me to have the wedding. So we had to rehearse it over many, many days before. Then when I married them, had to go way back in a booth of flowers and kneel on a pillow and so forth to marry them. And they built her a lovely home up on the Silver Heights, which is one of the most, well, the classiest place that we have in the city, up over facing the river, which is very beautiful up there. And just only very restricted to maybe twenty-five, thirty thousand dollar homes the cheapest thing to put up there. I guess theirs cost around a hundred thousand.

7 And so one day I was down... I was working for the public utilities on a line work and I had my tools on (You know?), a lineman; I was going down. I thought, "Wonder how they're getting along down there in the little cabin." So I... It was on Saturday; and I was dirty (You know?), and I was going on like I was watching the lines down through there. I slipped up close (You know?), listening in the house. After while, I went in close to the door. And there he was setting there, had him a table built out of boxes, had a couple of chairs in one room a boxcar. She was setting on his lap and had her arms around him. And he had his hat out there, and he was counting their money out to pay their bills and see if they could cut out enough to get her one of those calico dresses, or put some away for one. Just as much in love as they ever was.

8 About two days before that I had visit up to the E. V. Knight home on a hill. And when I come up, one was setting in one corner and one the other one, arguing--jealous over some dance they'd been at all night. When I jumped up, they run and grabbed one another by the hand, come to the door and said, "Come in, Brother Branham."
That puts in mind of some of this Gospel they talk about (You know?) from way, long time ago: How the Holy Ghost fell on the day of Pentecost. That's fine. But that's painted fire. You can't get warm by that; you have to have fire now to get warm by, see. That's right. What He did back there is wonderful, but what He does today, that's different, see. That's history; this is present tense. And that painted fire...

9 Reminds me of Paul Rader. How many of you ever heard of Paul Rader? Well, I guess you all have. He's probably preached here many years ago. He said, "One day he--him and his wife..." He was setting at a table, and oh, you know how families are. Something come up; she wanted to go somewhere, and he wouldn't let her go. So he said, "No, I just can't do it. I got something else to do." And so he hurt her feelings. He looked over and she was crying. So he just thought, "Well, cry." And he said he got his hat and started out. And she'd always meet him at the door and kiss him goodbye when he left. Said, "Brother Branham, when I come to the door," said, "she was standing there with her head down." Said, "She kissed me goodbye, all right." Said, "I went out the gate, and pulled the gate together, and looked back; she'd always stand at the gate and wave." And said, "She was standing..." or stand at the door and waved as he went out the gate. Said, "She was at the door; she waved." Said, "I went on down the street." And said, "I begin to think about it." Said, "My, my heart begin to get bigger and bigger (You know?), think about what'd happened. What if something were to happen to me today? She's my wife. I love her. I remember the vows."
Said, "After a while he got--or his heart so big he couldn't stand it, and he turned around and back up that way he went up the street, opened the gate, ran in the door real quick and shoved the door open, looking around for her." And said, "She was standing behind the door, crying." Said, "He just grabbed her, never said a word, turned her around, kissed her, turned around and walked out the door." Said, "He walked on down to the gate and started out the gate." Said, "He turned around and she was standing at the gate." Said, "He waved goodbye. And said, "She waved goodbye again."
I said, "What was the matter? What was wrong?"
Said, "The last time it had a feeling in it." So that's the way about religion. I like a religion that's got a feeling in it. You see? So...
I not much of a speaker, friends. I thought we'd come down tonight and kind of talk about the Lord for a little bit together. But I'm not much of a speaker. But I pray that God will take the words that we will use and have a feeling in it (You see?) that...

10 Over in the Scriptures in Saint John the 11th chapter, I wish to read just a few verses. And usually in the healing services I'm always fasting and praying, but I been feasting and talking the last few days. We certainly had a wonderful time, and I seen this little village of New York. I invite you all to come down Jeffersonville someday, if you can find it after being in here. You'd wonder if you was really in a city when you pass by that: population about twenty-five thousand. So one good wide street goes through it. So you... But I tell you, you'll be welcome. And we would sure be glad to have you, anytime you can come by. The latch hangs on the outside of the door down at the Branham place, down there. And the only thing you have to do is just pull it and come on in.

11 Now, in speaking I am a long ways from being a preacher. I don't like to tell people that I'm... One time when I was first ordained in the Baptist church, oooh, my, did I like to tell people I was a preacher, because I used to think that a preacher was a sissy. I'd go and somebody told me when I was a kid, said, "Say, you look like a preacher."
I'd say, "Take your coat off. You have to laugh when you say that." I didn't want to be no preacher. And so I remember when I first got converted though, and they give me my license in the Baptist church as local exhorter license and to do a little evangelistic work. I'd put my Bible under my arm and I'd go down the street, my, when they call me reverend, oh, I was a full fledged preacher. Well, I thought I was all right till I really hit some preachers one day, and then I seen...

12 Puts it in mind of when I was a kid. My dad, he's from Kentucky. My mother was born in Kentucky, and they went west and lived in Oklahoma. I seen somebody laugh when I said Kentucky. There's forgiveness for being born in Kentucky. I said to my little boy; I said, "You know, Kentucky's produced some great men."
Said, "For who--instance, who, daddy?" Billy.
And I "Well..." I said, "Abraham Lincoln."
He said, "Yeah."
And I said, "Daniel Boone."
He said, "Yeah."
I said, "Your dad."
He said, "Oh, daddy." [unclear words] So when I was... I said, "Well..." I said, "I..."

13 Remember one time my mother, they went west and she lived in Texas, Oklahoma. So my dad was fancy rider; he really could ride, and a very good shot with a revolver. And so he used to go to rodeos and things, and he would ride. And he used to try to teach me to shoot a revolver. He'd take those big clay marbles and roll one out like that, and had two revolvers; and he'd take one, shoot under the marble and knock it up in the air and burst it with the other one 'fore it hit the ground." I couldn't hit a lard can setting still, so I knowed I could never do that. But he could ride good.
And so I always wanted to be like my dad. So we as kiddies on a farm (You know?) and we had an old plow horse. And so of a evening after he'd get though plowing, I'd go down along behind the barn. They had an old watering trough hewed out of a log. How many ever seen a watering trough hewed out of a log? Say, now we're coming home, getting right down towards home now.
And so I'd get all my little brothers and set them along out there on the side of the bank, and I'd get the old horse, where dad wouldn't notice it. You see? And I'd go down there and pick me a big handful of cockleburs, and get the saddle, and throw the saddle on the old horse, and put these cockleburs up under there, and pull down the hinches (You know?), and climb up on him. Why, the poor old horse, so old (You know?), and stiff and tired, he couldn't even get his feet off the ground. He just bawl with them cockleburs under there. You know? I'd set there and take off my hat and say, "I'm a cowboy." Ride on this poor horse, and he's just bawl (You know?), and just jump like that.

14 When I got to be about nineteen, I run away from home, going out west. I was going to be a cowboy. So I landed in Phoenix, Arizona, just in time of a rodeo. I went down to get me a pair of chaps, and when I buckled them on me, there was about eighteen inches of leather laying out on the floor. I looked like one of these little bantam roosters (You know?) with them feathers back... I said "Um-um, too long legged out here for me."
So I got me a pair of Levis and went out to the stalls, and they let me in with a pair of Levis on. I... So I was watching around. So after a while they said this Kansas outlaw was going to be rode by a certain famous rider. I seen when they pull--got that horse in that chute, I knew that that wasn't our old plow horse by a long ways. They got him up in the chute like this, and you have to catch-as-catch-can when he come through. They opened the bull chute there to let him out. And when he did, this famous rider jumped onto the horse, and as they jump--he jumped onto the horse, that horse made about one buck, put all four feet looked like in a wash pan, and he could've thrown the saddle over the corral fence. And when that guy fell, when that horse threw him, the blood was running from his nose and his ears. The pickups got the horse, and the ambulance got the rider. Well, this fellow come by, said, "I will give anybody a hundred dollars who will ride him a minute: one minute. Anybody." And there was a whole big bunch of cowpokes setting along on the fence. You know? I was setting up there with them. You know? Boy, I thought I was a cowboy. And I seen that. He looked, come right up to me, the caller did, and said, "Are you a rider?"
I said, "No, sir." No, sir. I wasn't a rider then when I got around where there is a rider at. And that's the way it was by a preacher. I was a preacher as long as I was in the Baptist church down there in...

15 But one day I went to St. Louis. I heard a Pentecostal preacher preaching. That man would preach till he'd turn red in the face; he would buckle his knees together, and sink plumb to the floor, catch his breath; you'd hear him about two squares, come up preaching. Somebody said, "Are you a preacher?"
I said, "No, sir." My old slow Baptist ways don't think of it that fast. That's all. So I don't... Never be careful about calling myself a preacher from then on. So I just... I... But what I do know about the Word, I like to talk to somebody else about It, especially a time like this when you're...
My ministry is praying for the sick. And in order to do that, I must come into another world that the people know nothing about. There's just no need of trying to explain it; you can't do it. And I go to fasting about three days before my service, and it lifts me up into a sphere there, that I... Well, I just... That's just it. It goes into another dimension that sees things and so forth. Then when the--between the services some I just let down and go out. And I like to fish and hunt and like anyone else. So (You see?) it's man here, but then man uses--or, God uses man to glorify Him.

16 And what a privilege it is tonight to come here, open up the Bible, and speak to you on a Gospel subject. And I pray that the Holy Spirit will just take the message and bring it out to the people. How many believers are here tonight, Christian believers? Wonderful. Now, I tell you what let's do. Let's just like take off your collar (You know?) and let's just be home folks tonight. Will you like to do that? Just old home folks, that's the way, that's the way I like to see it. Now, after all, that's about all we are isn't it? That's all.
Now, in the 11th chapter let's open the Word now and get down to the sincere part. I want to read just a little bit of the Word, for God will bless His Word. He might not mine, but He'll bless His Word.

17 Now, and I want to know when I'm speaking this way, preaching, if I happen to hit something that might not seem just like it should be or something, why, remember, this is not under anointing, under that prophetic gift. This is just me preaching. See? All right, or me standing up here and that Holy Spirit I trust will do it. All right in the 18th--19th verse, let's begin, or the 18th verse begin in the 11th chapter of Saint John.
Now Bethany was nigh unto Jerusalem, about fifteen furlongs off:
And many of the Jews came to Martha and Mary, to comfort them concerning their brother.
And Mary, as soon as she heard that Jesus was coming, went and met him: but ... (Or, I beg your pardon.) ... Martha, as soon as she heard ... Jesus was coming, went and met him: but Mary sat still at the house.
Then said Martha unto Jesus, Lord, if thou had been here, my brother had not died.
But I know, that even now, whatsoever thou will ask ... God, God will give it thee.
Jesus said unto her, Thy brother shall rise again.
Martha saith unto him, I know that he shall rise again in the resurrection at the last day.
Jesus said unto her, I am the resurrection, and ... life: he that believeth in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live:
And whosoever liveth and believeth in me shall never die. Believest thou this?
She said unto him, Yea, Lord: I believe that thou art the Christ, the Son of God, which should come into the world.

18 Let's bow our heads just a moment.
Our heavenly Father, we thank Thee from the depths of our heart, Thy--tonight for the privilege to be gathered together in this lovely church: a memorial of Christ and of lives that's been dedicated to his service. Today learning that many great renowned people, ones, not so renowned of the world, but in the kingdom, has worshipped here in this building. Oh, how I feel tonight standing here on the platform, where great men has stood; where great men stand yet, and women. How I thank Thee for having the privilege to be associated with them. Some glorious day in the regions beyond, I trust that we'll all meet there, and to think--sit down with Abraham and Isaac and Jacob and Daniel. What a marvelous time it will be, and the great Saint Paul, Peter, James, John, Matthew, Mark, Luke. What a time. Then we come on down to Calvin, Knox, Sankey, Moody, Wesley, Finney, and even to our Brother Brown and them, that minister here, Sophia the washwoman; others down through the age. Then the King Jesus, He'll be there. And we shall lay all the trophies that we have at His feet, say, "All worthy art Thou Lamb that was slain from the foundation of the world." All that we are is by His grace. And all that we shall ever be is by His grace.
to thank Him for His goodness. And now, as we as Christian believers have gathered here, and I do not know why, Father, as yet, just why You would have me to stay over; but feeling that maybe tonight we could come together to be blessed.

19 This lovely family that I've just been staying with, asking them if there were any blessings that I should render to them, thinking of Elijah of old, none that they could think of, so, Father, may Your Spirit come tonight. I know that we all like blessings. We like to feel Your Spirit come near us. As Gehazi said, "The woman has no children; she's barren." And You gave her the blessing through Elisha.
And now, Father, may You come tonight in the Word, the preaching of the Word and give us a blessing. Bless my heart, Lord, along with these others. Give me spiritual strength for this great journey that's just ahead. Give those all of we pilgrims, Lord... We profess that we're pilgrims and strangers. We're not of this world, because we've been called out and separated by the Holy Ghost. And now we walk in a new life.
There's some in here tonight, maybe sick and needy. May, while we're preaching, may the Holy Spirit move right into the seat. Now, here's what you do. You just receive it. Grant it, Lord. Service is over, may we go home with joyful happy hearts to meet the tasks of tomorrow. For we ask it in Jesus' name. Amen.

20 Now, there's no one that can open the Word. We might be able to open the pages that the Word is written on, but it takes the Holy Spirit to reveal the Word, see. Now, we might take it from a theological standpoint, and be able to place our words, and our theology, and so forth, and maybe cause some effect to be upon the people by our own brilliances, but that's not what we're seeking right now. We want the Holy Spirit to come down in the church and move in the people, get around in here just now, and bless us with His everlasting blessings.
And while we're gathered together and the doors shut tonight, just like it was at the day of Pentecost, wouldn't it be marvelous to hear a rushing mighty wind coming from above, filling all the house where they were sitting? Wouldn't that be marvelous? Now, He's here and I believe He wants to do it. I trust that He will.

21 Now, you in here born again believers, you have the Holy Spirit. Now, the Holy Spirit thrives on one thing: that's the Word. That's what it lives on. It eats and lives... Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every Word that proceedeth out the mouth of God. [Gap in the audio.] So it's the Word.
Now, in our little Scripture lesson tonight, if we'd take a text, we'd take--say "Believest Thou This?" And we have these Scriptures under consideration just for a few moments.

22 And now, let's think of the day of our Master. The reading of the text brings it to a spot in His life that where He had become very popular. He was born with a illegitimate accusation against Him, and He came in the way of a stable. Could you imagine it? And enveiled He was Emmanuel. God was in Him. God was in Christ, reconciling the world to Himself. He was a King of glory came down and tabernacled among men, making Himself subject to death, that He might taste death for all the human race; in Spirit He could not. So God created a blood cell in the womb of Mary that brought forth the Son Christ Jesus. And God dwelt in that body. Jehovah tabernacled in the body of the Son, which was the Son of God.
And here He came through a mang--by a barn door. He lived a humble life, no place to lay His head. And He went out of the world through capital punishment, in shame and disgrace for us. And now, He was the ensign that was to be lifted up. And I am so thankful tonight that He did that for me and for you.
And now that after all these years we have His favor and fellowship with us by... Skeptics has arose up and many Bob Ingersolls and so forth has tried to condemn the Word, and tried to say, "Well, it was this a way, and that way, and it was days past." But we as Christian Holy Ghost filled people have the Holy Ghost as a witness of the Word. See? The Holy Spirit is a witness.

23 Now not only the Word, whatever they want to say about it, that's one thing or another. But we know we have the Scriptures right for we have the Holy Ghost as a witness. That's the witness. So God looking down through the optical eye, as it was, and looked down through the magnifying glass and seeing the end from the beginning, why, He knew these skeptics would rise and try to twist the Word in and out and like that. So He said, "I'll not leave you comfortless, but I'll pray the Father, and He'll send you another Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost. And he will abide with you (until 1950...?) forever, (Amen. That's right. Forever. All right), and He would declare and testify of Jesus Christ, the same yesterday, today and forever." So we have a wonderful witness of that tonight don't we? That's right.
So what kind of a people should we be then? Why, we should be free and happy, and my, no condemnation, living above sin and disgrace, not by our own [unclear words] but by Him, see. Not what we are but what He is. God don't accept me for what I am. He accepts me for what Christ has done for me. It isn't my holiness, my righteousness; it's His. I have none to offer, but I just accepted His. Amen. So I know He's pleased with that, for He said, "This is My beloved Son in who I'm well pleased." And He raised him up from the dead. And just as He raised Him from the dead, so shall we be raised, for we are his bride, flesh of His flesh, bone of His bone, and we shall be with Him.

24 Now and when He came in, what a name He had to suffer under. And along about this time, His ministry... Almighty God, vindicating His Son, proving that He was just what He claimed to be. While His ministry He become very popular at this time, because of His miracles and His knowledge of things and His prophetic gifts that He knew things before they happened. And many people thought He was just a holy roller, or some type of a something (You know?), nothing to. But those who loved Him and had a touch of Him knowed what He was. Now, what a child He was.

25 Let's drop back just a few pages back and pick up His birth. You know, God, before He does any major thing on this earth, He always sends a forerunner of it. He always does.
Now, the... God has angels and they're all at His command. Do you believe that? They're all at His command. Now, He sends angels minor. So He sends angels, major Angels. Now, when you see Gabriel, for instance, coming to the earth, or a visitation of His, it's something major fixing to happen. Now, Gabriel announced the first coming of Jesus. And we're taught in the Scripture that he will announce the second coming of Jesus. For he shall sound the trumpet and time shall be no more.

26 And let's see back in the beginning when God was fixing to bring forth His Son, why, the first thing he appeared to was--to vindicate of His coming was Zacharias an old priest, fine character, him and his wife. And they'd been married for many years, growing old in age. They'd prayed earnestly for children. God seemed to not answer their prayer, but they're--they were serving the Lord, a devout life.
Now, there's where many people make an error. They pray for things, and because God don't give it to them in a few minutes, they think they're not going to get it, see. If you ask for anything, don't waver. Believe you receive it; you shall have it. Live right; do right; and believe you're going to get it; and God's faithful who has promised. Amen. There you are.

27 Now, they were living, keeping all the statutes, laws, and so forth. And they went down to worship. And during the time... And Zacharias was a priest at the temple, and his job was to wave the incense while the prayers of the saints were going up out in the congregation. While they was at prayer, Zacharias was waving the incense, like this; and when he was waving, he looked standing to his side...
Say, I believe the Bible said it was at his right side too. I never thought of that before. I believe it was at his right side. That's where the Angel of the Lord always comes: to the right. I never thought... Look that up and see if that's right. All right. I believe it is. He stood at his right side.
And then when he saw the angel, he was frightened. And he told him that he was Gabriel, that stood in the presence of God, and that he came to tell him that his prayers had been answered; he was going home to live with his wife after the days of the ministration at the temple, and she was going to conceive and bring a son; and they was going to call his name John.

28 Well, now I want you to notice something. Looky here. A minister of the Gospel, a clergyman, well learned, but he failed to believe the angel. He said, "How can these things be? I'm old and my wife's old. Well, how could these things be?"
"Why," he said, "I'm Gabriel that's sent from God." He said, "And because you've doubted my word, you'll be dumb till the day the baby's born, for my words are going to take effect." When God speaks anything it's just got to be so.
And then when he said that, why, of course he was smitten. Now, looky. Seems like that that priest, he could look back in the Bible here; he had plenty of examples of Sarah and Hannah, a few of those back there who after the, past the age of bearing received children. But just so routined in his work that he couldn't vary a bit from just what he was taught... And that's about the condition the church is today. Isn't that right? Just your regular routine (You know?), and usually God comes around and interrupts that all the time (You know? Yes, sir.) with His program.
Now. Then he failed to believe it and he was smitten dumb, and was going to be, and he come out and beckoned to the people. But he went home, and he was with his wife and she conceived and hid herself for several months.

29 About six months later I can see a little virgin by the name of Mary. She lived in the meanest city there was in the world: Nazareth, worse than New York. So then here... I was thinking of the Bowery when I said that.
Just a moment. I was down there today. All right. Oh, how my heart went out for those people. I wished I lived here. Now, I believe I'd just like to go down there and just... Them poor human beings in that condition, my heart bleeds for them. And I think anybody's got any heart would see a human being laying, soaked in like that of what a condition. Oh, my. Then give them legal license to sell the stuff. There you are. That's a shame, isn't it?
But some glorious day, the kingdoms of this world would become the kingdoms of our Lord and of His Christ. You'll never see nothing like that then.

30 Now, notice. And let's take a drama here for a moment and think it's Monday, the wash day. That is at our home, when I have to pack the water yet even. Then I can see Mary going down to the pump or the well to draw some water. In the oriental type they set it on their head, and packing it back up. You know? And she's thinking of she and of Joseph is to be married, and so forth going along, a holding the pitcher of water on her head. And all once a light shows before her. And it startled the little virgin. And she stopped. And standing in this light stood the mighty Gabriel, see. Something's fixing to take place. God sends His angels down.
There she startled. He said, "Hail, Mary, blessed art thou among women." And he told her she was going to bring a Child, knowing no man. And he told her about Elisabeth, her cousin, how that she'd been barren, and how now that it was so many months with her as mother, all about the story. And said, "Now, Mary, you're going to bring a Child, knowing no man."
And instead of Mary questioning and arguing like that preacher did... That's a child-like simplicity. She said, "Behold the handmaid of the Lord." She never questioned; she just took God at His Word.
God, give us some more Marys, that'll take God at His Word. If God said He'd heal you, believe it. That's all. Take Him at His Word. He said He'd give you the Holy Ghost, get down there; stay till it comes. Believe it. Amen.
Brother, I'm beginning to feel a little religious right now. I guess that's all right. I'm at home, am I? All right. Oh, my. Notice, that... Just take Him at His Word.

31 And she started praising God before she even had any sign that it was going to be done. She didn't know; she never waited till she felt life. She didn't wait till she--something was showing. She just believed it. There it is.
Say, "Why, Brother Richie prayed for me last night, but I don't seem to be any better." You'll never be like that. Take God at His Word; start thanking Him for it. Amen. Praise Him until it comes.
Oh, that's the way. God give us more Marys. Just accept it. Remember, the Word of God will defeat Satan anywhere. Jesus said with all of His fine qualities the Father had give Him, and He said, "It is written." When He met Satan, He defeated him right there on the Word of God, brought it down to a... Say, I'm too loud. Brought it down to a place that anybody, the weakest of Christian can defeat Satan on the Word of God. When you got the promise, hold on to it. God will bring it to pass. All right. She believed it. No matter what anybody else thought about it, she had the Word of the Lord. All right.

32 And then she wanted to tell somebody. You know, usually when you get something from God, you want to tell somebody else about it. Here she going around testifying that she's going to have a baby, not knowing any man, before there is any life or anything. If Mary could do that by something that had never happened before, how much more ought you to do it, when you're sick, and take Him at His Word. Thousands are healed every year. You ought to take Him at His Word. Why, Mary had nothing for an example. The only thing she had was the Word. You've got the Word, plus millions of examples every day. Hallelujah. The word hallelujah means "so be it." ... or, I mean hallelujah means "Praise our God." And He's worthy of all praises.

33 Now, I see her, my, just happy and rejoicing, and she heard about Elisabeth, and she wanted to share the blessing. That's usually the way Christians do. Right up into Judea she went to share the blessing with Mary, or with Elisabeth. And I see her getting up there in Judea (You know?) to share the blessing. I can see Elisabeth sitting, maybe doing her knitting. And when she seen Mary coming, my she threw aside the crocheting or knitting, ever what it was, and run out there and grabbed her in her arms, and begin to hug her and kiss her. Well, they had feelings.
You know what's the matter with the people today? We're getting away from that: don't feel for one another. Why, it used to be when I was a kid, if the neighbor got sick, why, we went over there and cut wood for them and helped them fill the silo, cut their corn. And mama would go down and wash up the kids and get their breakfast for them when somebody was sick. But now you don't even know your neighbor's dead unless you'd read it in the paper. There's no feeling. The Bible said because iniquity abound, the love of many shall wax cold. There it is.

34 Why, when my daddy would need fifty dollars, he'd go over and borrow it from the farmer friend. He'd pay him back when he sold the crop. Why, you couldn't borrow five dollars now without a fifty dollar security. That's right. No feeling, no trust. God have mercy on a people, falling away. That's true. All right.
Affection, love for one another. That's right. They go around... Here not long ago, you go downtown, you see somebody (You know?), and instead of saying, "Howdy do" or something there like that, they just pass a little silly grin (You know?), look over there like a opossum that'd been in a blackberry patch somewhere. Looking over like that (You know?), just a little old silly grin, "Hello." Maybe like that. Oh, you know what I like? I like an old-fashioned pump handle handshake.

35 When I was down in Miami with Doctor Bosworth, there was a place down there we was having some duke's wife or some great big name for some... A duchess, I believe they called her. And she'd donated the ground, and she thought she was just about as big as they had to come. You know. And so they taken me back after the anointing. I had been preaching or praying for the sick. It was back in a tent on the outside, trying to get around to myself.
Brother Bosworth said, "Now, Brother Branham," said, "we don't want to burden you, but the duchess wants to see you."
I said, "Is she sick?"
Said, "No, she just wants to see you."
I said, "Well, she no more than anybody else. How about them poor people out there can't get in?"
Said, "Well, she's standing here at the door, would you just...?"
I said, "Well, bring her in." And here she come walking in. I'm not making fun of anybody. But here she comes in with about enough clothes on to put in an aspirin box. That's right. Oh, my. And she had a pair of glasses in her hand on a stick like this, hold it out look. You know that woman couldn't see through glasses like that, out like that, just putting on the dog. What are you anyhow? Come out there with them glasses held before her like that.
She said, "Are you Dr. Branham?"
I said, "No, ma'am." I said, "I'm Brother Branham."
She said, "Dr. Branham, I'm charmed." She had her hand.
I said, "Get it down here so I'll see you when I know you again." That's what it is.

36 What are you? Six foot of dirt (Amen.), no better than nobody else. That's right. Because you got a little money, that don't do any good. When you die, there's no pockets in a shroud.
Let me tell you, brother, I was standing by a museum not long ago, and there's two boys looking at the analysis of a human body: A man weighs a hundred and fifty pounds is worth eighty-four cents. Now, who are you? Got about enough calcium in there that would, well, I don't know what. And there's about enough whitewash, would make enough whitewash to sprinkle a hen's nest, I guess, to free it from mites. And the mechanical makeup of you and all the ingredients, you're worth eighty-four cents. Put a five dollar hat on eighty-four cents, stick your nose up, it'd rain, you'd drown. Wrap a five hundred dollar fur coat around that eighty-four cents and go down the street thinking you're somebody. That's right. It's true.
Brother, I believe in a old-fashioned, backwoods, sky blue, sin killing religion. I believe when a man gets right from God [unclear words] by God it straightens him up, makes a new creature in Christ Jesus. Amen.

37 Say, "That's pretty strong for a Baptist." Well, brother, let me tell you. We didn't get it down in there old fashion Kentucky Baptists the way you do today. We didn't walk up and shake one another's hands and put our name on a book. We beat on another on the back at the altar till we come through. That's the kind of Baptists we need. Hallelujah.
Not long ago I was preaching in a little city, and a Nazarene brother had been healed, and he had his crutches running around over town. Told me, said, "Brother Branham," said, "I don't get it."
I said, "What's the matter?"
Said, "Why," he said, "when you come in here," said, "I thought sure you was a Nazarene." He said, "And then I seen you with all them Pentecost folks, and I said, 'Well, he's Pentecost.' And here I heard you say you was Baptist. I don't get it."
I said, "That's easy." I said, "I'm a Pentecostal Nazarene Baptist." That's the way it... Amen. That's you're in Christ Jesus by the Holy Ghost. Now, what a time.

38 What we need today, brother, is an old-fashioned shelling out, an old-fashioned revival, bringing us back like they had back in the early day. God lead His church like He did in the early day. I can think of back there a long time ago when God told Moses, He said, "Now, take these children out of the--this land, over into the other land." When they passed through the Red Sea, the separation... The taskmasters that come behind them, trying to impersonate them, drowned. And Moses...
Look at it. After the taskmasters had drowned, Moses got in the Spirit. Miriam got in the Spirit. Miriam grabbed a tambourine and down the banks she went a beating this tambourine a dancing. Did you ever hear of such? And down the banks she went a beating a tambourine, dancing; and here come the daughters of Israel following her, dancing. And Moses got in the Spirit and begin to sing a song in the Spirit. Brother, if that's not an old-fashioned Holy Ghost meeting, I've never seen one in my life. Right.

39 After they passed over, they promised--God promised to supply everything they had need of. And God promised to supply everything we have need of. When they wanted water, they went to the rock. When they wanted food, they went to the rock. When they wanted some meat, God blowed the quails in for them. He promised to supply. Then when he crossed over the sea, they didn't have any bread left, so that night God rained manna down out of the heaven. Went out and picked it up... He said, "Now, don't keep too much of it, just enough for today. You pick up some new tomorrow." See, if they kept it over it got wiggletails in it. That's what's the matter with a whole lot of the Pentecostal churches today, brother. You're trying to live on an experience you had a long time ago, and it's got wiggletails in it. That's right. Stale, dump it out. Let's have something now. What about now? Yeah. Brother, don't get angry with me, see.
I feel pretty good right now. I didn't know I was going to feel this way. All right.

40 Notice. Yes, on with this manna a minute. That manna was a type of the Holy Spirit. That's right. God told Aaron, now, said, "You go out and pick up several omerfuls of it. Take it into the holiest of holies, and there keep it there. And every generation that comes down after this generation, one after the other one, when they come into the priesthood, they had a right to go in there and taste a mouthful of the original manna that fell in the beginning.
What a perfect type it is of the Holy Spirit. When we come out of the world, crossed through the red blood of Jesus Christ, killing all the smoking habits, chewing habits, drinking habits, lying habits, stealing habits, laying behind us, we begin to sing and praise God. What are we going to do--live on, all the picture shows, dances, and big time club cocktail parties and everything, you don't believe in that? Hallelujah. I believe that when you come through the blood of Christ, it sanctifies you or separates you from the things of the world. Jesus said, "If you love the world or things of the world, the love of God's not even in you." You can't mix oil and water. No, sir. You can't mix Christianity with the world. It separates you.The people today are looking for mixers. God said, "Separate Me Paul and Barnabas." The Holy Ghost separates us from the things of the world.

41 Notice. Then here's a very beautiful type of the Holy Spirit, our Manna that came from God out of heaven. And now, look. When we would sep... The church back in the beginning when the Holy Spirit first begin to fall, they'd [unclear words] come out of their churches and everything, to serve God. And then when the--come a sound like mighty rushing wind come from heaven, filled all the house where they were sitting, Manna coming down from God out of heaven begin to fill the church. And they run out into the streets a screaming and talking in other languages, and having such a wonderful time, till people said, "These men are drunk. Look at that.""Oh," you say, "Brother Branham, I know, but that was for that church back there." Is it? Oh, no. Peter told them every one to repent and be baptized, and they should receive the gift of the Holy Ghost "for the promise is unto you, and to your children, and to them that's far off, even as many as the Lord our God shall call." So the, not a mouthful--not a mouthful, but a real heart full of the original baptism of the Holy Ghost that fell on the day of Pentecost is real for the church tonight. For every believer that'll break behind the curtain yonder and enter into this priesthood has a right to eat of the original manna that fell on the day of Pentecost, a real old fashion Holy Ghost blessing. Hallelujah. All right.

42 Notice, when they went to eating this manna, they said it tastes like honey. Now, did you ever taste any of it? I've been in some meetings till the saints would lick their lips it was so good: just lick their lips.
It reminds me of David of old. David used to... He was a shepherd boy, and he used to carry a little sling that he hunted and he kept the bears and lions and things away from his sheep. He had a little scrip bag here on his side he used to carry little stuff in it. And he carried honey in that bag. When his sheep would get sick, why, they would--he would go out and put some of this honey on the limestone rock, and the sheep would come up, he'd go to licking on this honey (You know?); and when he did, he licked the limestone with it, and the limestone healed the sick sheep.
Now, brother, let me tell you. I got a whole scrip bag full of honey here. And I'm going to put it on the Rock Christ Jesus, and you sick sheep start licking now. You're sure to get something just as certain of the world. Lick. Hallelujah. Taste and see the Lord is good. David said, "It tastes like honey in the rock." Amen. There's something about a rock, stone.
You know back in the old days, when you get mad dog bit, they'd take you to the madstone. If you stuck, you lived. If you didn't, you died. The worst mad dog I know of is the devil. And I tell you there's a Rock of Ages, Christ Jesus. Go hang onto the Rock of Ages. Take the promise and stick to it. Hold to it. If you stick, you live; if you turn loose, you die. And when you've got God's promise, stand right with it until the healing virtue of the saving power of Christ takes you, and heals you, and makes you well. Hold on to God's unchanging hand. Build your hopes on things eternal. There, how wonderful, how marvelous.

43 Back to our story quickly. Let's get back, and I won't to keep you too long. And now, notice up there, when Martha went up to, or Mary went up to meet her cousin Elisabeth. And then when she went up there, she said, "Oh, Mary, I'm so glad to see you. My, how wonderful it is." And was rejoicing. Could you just imagine seeing them, how much love they had one for another? And then you, look what taken place then.
Then as soon as she began to rejoice, she said, "You know," said, "I was told," Mary said, "that you was going to have a child." And said, "Oh, how happy I am."
She said, "Yes, I'm going to have a child. "But said, "I'm just a little worried." Said, "It's six months with me." You know Jesus was, or John was six months older than Jesus. Said, "I'm just a little worried," because she'd had no life yet. You know the baby, as far as she knew, was dead. Why, two or three months in normal motherhood is life, but this is all subnormal. The little John must've been dead in his mother's womb. And she'd felt no life as yet. And she was kind of worried. And Mary said, "But the Holy Ghost appeared to me too, and told me I was to bring forth a Son and I was to call His name Jesus." And just as she said Jesus, little John received the Holy Ghost, begin to leap in his mother's womb for joy. Hallelujah. The first time that the name of Jesus come through mortal lips, a dead baby got the Holy Ghost, and begin to leap. If this brought a dead baby to life, what ought it do to a church that claims to be born again. Hallelujah.

44 Don't think I'm crazy. I know where I'm at. That's right. I may be a little beside myself, but I know my bearing. All right. Makes me feel good to think when that wonderful name of Jesus was first spoken, fell into a human's lips, that's real Jesus of Nazareth... When it was spoken to, a dead baby received the Holy Ghost and come to life.
And Elisabeth said, "Whence cometh the mother of my Lord. For as soon as thy salutation came into my ears, my baby leaped in my womb for joy." It made little old John leap for joy. And what it ought it to do to a born again church, claims already to have life. Wonderful. All right. What kind of a baby must this be? My.

45 After days Mary, or John was born. And as soon as he did, he went off to the theological cemetery or seminary, ever what you want to call it. It's all about the same. Why, a dead place... That's right. You know, I always thought of a seminary preacher like a incubator chicken. You know a incubator chicken, it'd just chirp, chirp, chirp, and he ain't got no mammy at all. That's just about the way with an incubator preacher too, comes out of these seminaries reading, writing and arithmetic, and know no more about God than a rabbit would know about snowshoes. That's right. That's true. Reading, write... I hope I'm scorching somebody. I believe I am, but all right.
Brother, let me tell you something, if it don't make you sick, it don't do you no good. My mama used to tell me that about medicine. When I lived in the--out there we was so poor we'd have to boil meat skins, or put them in the--an old place--an old--of a pan, set them back there, and boil them (You know?), or get them hot, and render out the meat skins, get the grease to put on the corn cakes. And every Saturday night, I know what was coming. Had a big old cedar tub, big old iron kettle, she'd pour the water in there. Every one of us kiddies had to take a bath in the cedar tub, and she could scrub harder with them old meal sack towels than I ever seen. And she'd scrub us (You know?), and then the next thing a dose the castor oil every Saturday night. You know? I got so sick of the stuff, I can't even talk about it now hardly. Every time I'd get into the room, I'd gag; and I'd hold my nose. And she'd pour it on. I said, "Mama, it makes me so sick I can't stand it."
She said, "If it don't make you sick, it don't do you any good." So, brother, hold on. That's right. If it don't upset you a little bit, gets your Christian digestive organs working just right, it might help you a little bit. That's right. Amen.

46 What the church needs today is a good old fashion Saint Paul's revival, and the Bible Holy Ghost back again with men and women who live what they profess to be. Anything I hate's a hypocrite. That's right. Go along today and see people the way they do, and acting, carrying on.
I was out in California a few days ago, and I went down there to a place where they was going to have me; said, "Come down and speak." And I went down there.
Now, all right, get your shock proof jackets on. I was going down there and the... He said--this minister said, "Now, my wife is a saint, Brother Branham."
I said, "I'm sure glad to know that."
Said, "She plays the piano."
And I walked up there, and she had on enough of this here manicure on her face, ever what you call it. And her hair was all fringed out like that. And she had fingernails on the top of hers, like that, and a great big long earrings hanging down, look like a devil been riding on her neck and going to using them for a stirrups. I looked out like that, and her eyebrows way up like this. And she turned around and she said, "Are you Brother Branham?"
I said, "Brother, did you say that was a saint?"
Said, "Yes, Brother Branham."
I said, "She looks like a haint to me instead of a saint." 'Course she could've. I said... Oh, what we need today is a cleaning up in the church. Hallelujah. Old-fashioned baptism of the Holy Ghost back in the church, instead of so much of this creed and carrying on we have. Amen.

47 Walked down on the beach there and there laid them women professed to have the Holy Ghost, laying out there, stretched out before men in bathing suits. Hmm. Brother, this might make you vomit, but let me tell you something. I've got a girl coming on myself. I said, "What are you doing, lady." I said, "Isn't that--your father a minister?"
Said, "Yes, sir."
I said, "Well..."
Said, "I'm getting a suntan."
I said, "If my girl ever stretches herself out like that, she's going to get a sun tanning, but it is going to be Charlie Branham's son, give her a tan with a barrel slat and bring her home." That's right. I'd tan her. She'd... Well, she'd remember it a long time too. Amen. Going down like that... Oh, it's just how they got. You let down the bars. An old Methodist preacher was preaching not long ago, he sang this song. He said:
We let down the bars;
We let down the bars;
We compromise with sin;
We let down the bars;
The sheep got out,
But how did the goats get in?
You let down the bars, that's what was the matter. Amen.

48 Don't hear here very many amens tonight, but that's the truth. Amen. Right. Come back to the hewing line. Hallelujah. If you want God to return to you with blessings and things, get back in the harness again. Preach the Gospel; stand on it. It's either right or wrong. If it ain't right, forget about it. God's Word says it is right then stay with it. Amen. It'll wring you, and twist you, and search you, and scratch you, and--but it'll fix you up just right. Don't you worry. He's got some healing balm to pour in. All right.

49 I can see then this little John, instead of going out to the seminary to begin to learn his--all of his... [Gap in the audio.] such stuff is that. What we need today is a revival. Right. Back to the Gospel, power, separation. It's true.
Then I can see back there, little old John out there praying to the Lord, after six months. Well, 'course, after his birth come Jesus. We know the Christmas story, how Jesus came on earth. Then at the age of thirty, John the Baptist came out of the wilderness of Judea, preaching, saying, "The kingdom of heaven is at hand. Repent." Yes, sir. And when he did he didn't have his collar turned around in the back and some tuxedo coat on. He had an old sheepskin wrapped around him, and some kind of a lamb skin belt around him like that. But he preached this sermon that stirred all the regions around about Jerusalem and Judea. That's right.
God give us some more Baptists like John. He stirred the regions. What was it, his eloquency? No, sir. Because he had such a great speech? No. Psychology? No. He preached Christ. And the preaching of Christ will stir the people. It's true.
No matter if it is simplicity, it's just the greatest drawing card the world's ever knowed is the power of the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

50 Not long ago I seen a picture in a paper advertising Sinclair gasoline, said that one gallon of Sinclair gasoline in a big enough motor could lift the Sphinx so high off the ground. I said, "Looky there, they're advertising that around the world." I said, "And one drop of the blood of Jesus Christ will raise every sinner to a saint, every sick person to health again." That's right. And they'll make fun of you for teaching it. But I believe in the old-fashioned bloody Gospel of Jesus Christ. I believe there's nothing else saved in the world. None of our psychology, and all of our church joining, and shaking hands, and forms of baptism has nothing to do with it. Without the shedding of blood there's no remission of sin. The blood of Christ that cleanses us. The life is in the blood. It's not in the church; it's in the blood. Amen. All right.

51 Notice. Then at the age of about thirty John come out preaching. Then one day... We get to our story here. I can see Lazarus come up and say, "Oh, there's a great prophet down yonder." He's his own... They're telling Jesus that it's, come down and see him. Jesus went with him down to Jordan. I can see him come walking down about the eleven o'clock in the day. And I can hear the little old John across the pond over there. The crowds got so big they had to set him on the other side, the priests on the other side, saying, "Rabbi, do you mean to tell me that there'll come a time when the daily sacrifice will be taken away?"
He said, "There'll come a time when a man will die for the sins of the world."
I can hear the priests say, "Oh, you're wrong, Rabbi."
He said, "There'll come a... Said, "Behold, there comes the Lamb of God that takes away the sin of the world." He said he knew Him because there's a sign following Him. He seen Him coming with His blue robe on, walking down through there, and His hair blowing. John fainted, or Lazarus, I mean, and fell to his feet.
Jesus walked straight out into the water, was baptized in obedience to the Father; walked back out to the bank, and the heavens was opened, and God said, "This is My beloved Son in whom, I'm well pleased. Come hear Him."

52 He started out in the ministry, and the powers and signs begin to follow Him. Devils begin to scream. The preachers called Him a devil, and the devil called him the Son of God. Just about as bad today. Say, I'm scorching preachers with some means. I don't mean that to be you, my brother. I'm glad He ... you... All right. But it is.
You can go talk to a preacher about the signs and wonders, say, "Ah, that's the devil."
And the devils turned back and say, "It's the power of God." There's the difference.
Like Paul and Silas up there one night, and all them people were saying, "These are impostors. These men turn the world upside down; they're impostors." The preachers.
And a little old fortuneteller stood on the street and said, "They're the men of God that tell us the way of life." Yes, sir. Devils recognized it before people that profess to be Christians and believers. That's right. They recognize the power of God. They have some conscience of what a spirit means. And all we know is just a little reading, writing, and arithmetic, and a little self-made knowledge.
I tell you what we need today is an old-fashioned revival, till men get down and pay the price and lose sight of the world and what's around him. He can move into a sphere with God and tarry there with the Holy Ghost until power comes. Amen.
Pentecostal people, you had that not long ago. You did run well; what hindered you? Is that right? It's true. You let down the bars, and every church that ever let down the bars is put on the shelf. And that's right. And God started something different. All right.

53 Warm up to God. Come back to Him. Throw your heart out to Him. I was reading a sermon the other night about our Sister Brown here at the conference down there, and how she preached the Calvary road, a road of sacrifice. What a masterpiece of a sermon that was. What people need today is get back on that self sacrifice. Lay your all on the altar, and forget who you are, but the son of God or the daughter of God. Walk forward; claim every promise God's got for you. There'll be a revival that'll shake New York like it never shook before. Amen.
Men come back... And men and women come back to God, come back to the place. I don't mean come back to church; I mean come back to God. Let every home start a revival. That's right. Turn out the beer cans; throw out the card party. Hallelujah. Excuse me.
What we need today is an old-fashioned God sent revival. Clean up the home. Clean up the heart. Get things ready. Start a revival in your home and it'll begin at the church. Preacher don't bring it in his briefcase; God sends it from heaven to the individuals. That's true.

54 Then I can see back there in them days, when Jesus went forth and demons screaming, signs a following, it got just about the time where our text begins now, and I want you to notice Him. There He was, and He went away from the home of Lazarus. And as soon as He left the home, sorrows and troubles come in. And when He leaves your home, sorrows and troubles are coming in. They're headed your way when He leaves your home.
In this case He wasn't driven away. He went away because His work called Him, and Satan seen the advantage of it, so he strikes Lazarus down. I believe Jesus knowed all the time that Lazarus was going to die. For I can prove it by the Scriptures. When He got at the grave of him when He was back over there, said "Our friend Lazarus sleepeth." But said, "For your sake I'm glad I wasn't there, but I go wake him." When at the grave He said, "Father I thank Thee, Thou hast already heard Me. But I said it just because these was standing by." He said, "I can do nothing but what the father has showed Me." He's done showed Him the resurrection of Lazarus, and that's the reason He left.

55 Now, I can see Him after the dark hour struck. The doctor come, said, "Boy's dying." We're taught by... I don't know whether this could be proven or not, but he had hemorrhages of the lungs, and they bled him a few times, and he died. When he died, they packed him out and embalmed his body, and laid him in the grave. First day passed, oh, how sad. Second day passed, oh, how sad. Third day passed, my. Fourth day, Lazarus down there, and the skin worms was crawling in and out of his body. Corruption had set in. The saddest hour that little home had ever seen. You know how it is, you had death in your home.
And there their saddest hour, the Man they'd put confidence in, had come out of their church. Those who confessed Jesus had to leave the Sanhedrin. So there they was put out as fanatics, could not come back. They give up their church and everything for Jesus, expecting Him to be fine. They sent for Him to come pray for Lazarus. Instead of coming, praying for Lazarus, He went on and ignored the prayer.
Well, if some of you here would ask your pastor to come pray for you, and he didn't come right away, well, you'd say, "The old hypocrite, I'll go over and join the other one. Ha." That's right. Now, He never told me to say that, but that's true. The reason that a pastor can't do nothing for you today, the man of God, you've got to have some faith in him. You ain't got no faith, it don't do you a bit of good. Isn't that right?
Now. Like the Shunammite woman, and so forth, you have to have faith to believe. Now, the man of God could not help if you didn't believe.

56 Now, here comes Mary and Martha and their dark hours had come. Jesus had failed them seemingly. All hopes was gone, that ever... Everything was in the black. And the first thing you know, the darkest hour they had, then Jesus come along. He usually comes just at that dark hour, doesn't He? How wonderful.
I remember the darkest hour I ever seen. When I was laying yonder in Mayo Brother's Hospital, the doctors looked at me and said, "There's not a earthly chance for you to ever be well, Reverend Branham." Two years ago... Said, "You broke yourself and your whole nervous system's regurgitating; you can't keep nothing on your stomach; you never will." Said, "You're finished for life." And there was hot tears rolling down my cheeks, knowing that my life was ending like that. And I looked up; I said, "Father." And about that time Jesus come along. Hallelujah. Well, my, He comes right at the darkest of hours.

57 It was the darkest of hours the woman with the blood issue had ever seen. She had spent all of her money, then Jesus come along. It was the darkest hours that Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego had ever seen, then Jesus come along. It was the darkest hour that Jairus had ever seen when he said his little daughter twelve years old had done died, then Jesus come along. It was the darkest hour that old blind Bartimaeus had ever seen down there, then Jesus come along. That's right. He's always there at the darkest of hours.
The darkest of hours and somebody said, "The Master's come." I can see Martha. She'd been dilatory about a lot of things of the Gospel. But this time faith took up and here she went. I hear some of them say, "Now, there she goes. Where'd that holy roller preacher go that was preaching divine healing around here, called Jesus of Nazareth? When His buddy got sick (See?), the job was too big, so He skipped town. See where it's at?
But she didn't care what they said. I hear her say, "Oh, look at her now. Wonder where the holy roller preacher's at now?" And here she goes down the street, pushing right past them old believers. That's what you got to do too: go right... Them old unbelievers, just got right on and a past them. Went right out into the country, and when she seen Jesus... Now, look like she could upbraided Him: look like she had a right to. What if she'd went up and said, "Now, looky here." At... This is the 1950 version of it, or '51. "Why didn't you come when I called you? I'll join the Methodists. I had more... I had... They treated me better over there than they do over here." That's the reason you can't get nothing done. If she'd took that attitude, the miracle would've never happened. It's your attitude towards the divine gift of God which determines what's going to happen, always, always.

58 Watch them on a platform sometime in a healing service. Watch the attitude they come in. Here the other night I was... Remember, the lady come up there with just about enough...? Why, didn't have enough faith hardly to get to the platform. She'd been in prayer line after prayer line. I knowed the woman wasn't going to get well. Seen her coming up there, I knew it wasn't. She didn't have the right attitude when she come up to get well. She can't do it. I said, "The Lord Jesus bless you, sister; go; may He heal you." It's all I could say. See? But it's just not there. She'd... Why, she'd been here and there and everywhere. You see them like that. You can't do that. You got to take God at His Word.

59 Here a few weeks ago a man come up to me and he said, "Brother Branham," said, "I went out and I tried Freeman; he couldn't do me any good. I went to Osborn; he couldn't do me any good. And I went to Ogilvie, and he couldn't do me any good. I went to Roberts." Said, "Now I've come to you."
I said, "You're going away the same way." That's right. I said, "You're going to the wrong person. Go to God, not to some man." What can we do? Nothing. It's Him that's already done it. Just believe His Word and accept it. It'll be--it'll take place. But until then it won't do you a bit of good, no matter where you go. You're going away from here just as disappointed as you went away from the other places, because your heart isn't right with God. I don't say it was any immoral acts now, but if your heart isn't right with God, you can't believe." That's true. So he went away the same way.

60 Now. Look. When Jesus came along, Martha went out to him, and she said... Now look, instead up upbraiding Him and scolding Him, she went out in the right kind of an attitude. She came to Him, and she fell down at His feet, and said, "Lord, if Thou would've been here, my brother would not have died." Oh, now you're getting somewhere. Now. Look how she regarded that gift of God. She said, "Lord..." That's what He claimed to be. Do you believe it? Said, "Lord, if Thou would have been here... No matter whether You come or whether You didn't, that's all in the past now. Whether You come or didn't, that doesn't matter. But if Thou would've been here, my brother would not have died."

61 Now, I believe what Martha saw in there. She'd been reading in the Scriptures, and she seen where that Shunammite woman back there, when she, Elijah come out, blessed her, she brought forth a son. When he was about ten or eleven years old, he had a sunstroke out in the field. He must've, because it was about eleven o'clock in the day, he cried, "My head, my head," died on his mother's lap. And the mother said, "Now, you saddle an ass and go forward for me, and don't you check 'less I tell you." said, "Go to the man of God, to mount Carmel."
Her husband said, "It's neither Sabbath or new moon; he won't be there."
She said, "All will be well." I like that. I like that. "It'll be all right; don't worry about that. I'll go." All right. And then... And she said, "Well now wait, the boy is dead." But look, she didn't know whether Elijah was going to raise the boy or not, but she knew this, that God in that age was operating through His prophet. God was in the prophet. And if she could get to the prophet, she might not get the resurrection of the child, but she would know why the child died. And if she could only get to the prophet, because that was God's representative in heaven then.

62 So she went forward; she went to Elisha, and when she come, she... And Elisha didn't know what was the matter. And look. When she knowed... Though God being in Elisha... I want you to listen closely now. Here's the close. He said, "Now, look." She fell down, Gehazi had jerked her up. My there's awful around his master. He said...
She said, "Why did you deceive me, or don't deceive me?"
And he recognized then once she explained that the baby was dead, he said, "Gehazi, you take my staff, and you go lay it on the baby."
Now, I think that's where Paul must've got the doctrine of laying handkerchiefs on the people that took off his body. Elisha knew that God was in him, though he was a man; but God was in Elisha. Do you believe that? God was in His prophet.

63 Now, listen to this on divine healing here just a minute. And now Elisha knew himself that what he touched was blessed. But if he could get the people to believe that... Paul, the people recognized the Holy Ghost in Paul, because they seen the way--the operation of the Holy Ghost, God vindicating that he had it. He was God's prophet. And they seen that he was God's mighty one, the apostle, and they recognized that. And so he took the handkerchiefs off of his body and aprons, and sent to the people, and unclean spirits went out of them, and they were healed. See? He knew what he touched was blessed, and so did Elisha. So he said, "Take my staff." And told Gehazi, said, "Now, don't you look right or left or speak to nobody; go lay it on the child."
But that woman, she didn't know whether the power laid in the staff or not, but she knowed God was in Elisha. That's where the God was at: in His prophet. She said, "As the Lord liveth and your soul liveth, I'll not leave you." I like that. "I'm going to [Gap in the audio.] right with you. I'm going to find out about this." All right. He tried to make her go on. No, she said, "I'm going to stay right here."
So Elisha girded his loins up and took, away he went. When he got to the place, Gehazi done got there and laid the staff on the child: no breath, no life. Come back, and oh, how mournful it was around the home. I can see the old prophet walk in. You know? She took him and laid him on the bed where the prophet had laid: very good place to put him. That's right. Put the dead baby there...

64 The prophet walked in. It wasn't his prayer that done it. Now, watch. The prophet walked up and down in the floor: back and forth, waiting; and he went over, and he laid his body on the baby; then he got up, walked back and... Where was God at? In His prophet. Walked back and forth, back and forth. He went stretched himself out upon the body of the baby again, put his nose against its nose, his eyes against its eyes, his lips against its lips, and laid there, and the baby sneezed seven times and come to where--said--come to life. Said, "Go get that Shunammite. Bring her here, here's the baby."
And if Mary--Martha here, could read in the Bible and see that the Shunammite woman got the desire of her heart because she recognized that God at that age lived in His prophet, how much more was He in His Son? Amen. There He was. Amen. God was in His Son, reconciling the world to Himself. She knew that. She run up to Him; in the right attitude, she said, "Lord, if Thou wouldest been here, my brother would not have died. But even now, whatever You ask God, God will do it." Amen. Something has to happen now. She's at the right place, before the right divine person, with the right mental attitude, speaking the right words, believing the right things; them old cogs is working right together; something has to happen. When you take that kind of faith, something's got to happen. She said, "Lord, if Thou would've been here, my brother had not died. But even now, whatever You ask God, God will do it."

65 You might've been crippled a long time, sister, but even now He's setting at the right hand of God to make intercessions. The little girl may always have to wear those braces from that polio, sister, see. You might have to, "but even now, Lord Jesus."
You might be setting here with a cancer, saying, "The doctor told me I had to die." "But even now, Lord, whatever..." You might've been to every doctor there was in the city; he told you there was no hope for you, but, "Even now, Lord, whatever You ask God, God will do it. And He's setting at the right hand of the Father to make intercessions upon His death, burial, and resurrection. Hallelujah. There He is. "Even now, Lord, whatever You ask God, God will do it." And there He sits in His majesty, sitting by the side of the Father, at the right hand of Him up there to make intercessions upon anything that you'll ask Him and confess that He's done it, He'll confess it before the Father. What more do you want? Say, "Lord, I accept You as my Healer. I'll never say nothing else but what I'm healed from now on." Amen. That settles it. He can't do nothing for You till you first confess it. He's the High Priest of your confession. In that case not even to your faith. And even couldn't be faith until you confess it. You got to accept faith, believe it, and confess that it already is done. For faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.

66 How many says that shirt's white? If you believe you're going to be healed tonight... The same as your faith says you're going to be healed as sure as your sight says that's white, it's over. I don't care what you look like, what you feel like, it's over. Faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.
What is that? That a piano? [Brother Branham plays a few notes on a piano.] Is that right? [Congregation replies, "Yes."] Somebody said, "Seeing was believing." Did you see it? Did you taste it? Smell it? How'd you know it was playing? You heard it.
Stand up here a minute, brother. There stands a man before me with a brown suit on and a red tie. How many believes it? How do you know it? You got five senses the human body.
"Stay there." [Brother Branham speaks to the brother.]
You've got five senses in the human body, haven't you? See, taste, feel, smell, and hear. Is that right? Now, I know he's standing there, because I see him.
You said, "I'm from Missouri; you have show me." All right. Seeing is believing, it is; The man's standing there yet. I don't see him, and I can't see him; it's impossible to me to see him in this position. You want to argue with me he's not there? You try to. That's that same man standing there. How do I know? Because I see him? No, sir. I have another sense separate from seeing, which is feeling. And I know he's there. And my sense of sight cannot see him, but the sense of faith, which is a separate sense declares that he is there. I know it. Because I know my feeling is right. Now, I can't touch him with that sense at all. See? But I know he's there by another sense. Which is sight. Is that right? Thank you.

67 Faith is a individual sense besides any there. It's the sixth sense. That's the outside man, that God put in human flesh here, give him five senses to contact his earthly home. And the inside man, the spirit has two senses, and that is unbelief and faith. And when your faith says that you're going to be healed as same as your sight says that man had on a red tie and a brown suit, it's over. For faith is substance of things hoped for, the evidence of thing you do not see, taste, feel, smell, or hear. Amen. There you are; you believe it. And you can't accept it now until you do believe it. And you've got to believe it before it'll act. You see what I mean, friends?
People stand on the platform, say, "Well, why don't something happen? Why don't..." It can't happen until you first believe it, accept it, and confess that it's right.

68 Take a woman come to the altar here, or a man, let them be ever so vile, they could scream and cry, and walk up and down the altar, saying, "God, forgive me, forgive me, forgive me," day in and out, day in and out, and they just keep pacing. "Lord, I've repented. I've done everything I can do." They'll keep pacing until the hour, when in their hearts they believe it and then confess it. And when they confess it, He goes to work on it. And He cannot intercede for you until first you confess that it's already done by faith; for He is the High priest of your confession. Amen. Whew. I feel pretty good. It's getting late; I got to let you go home.

69 But let me tell you, brother. When a man or a woman will step out virginally on the promise of God and say, "I believe it," walk out in the street, saying, "I believe it. I believe it. I believe it." Then it's going to happen. Telling that it is, till [unclear words]
Abraham, twenty-five years before the baby was ever born, he confessed that it was going to be so; bought up the pins and the Birdseye and everything, got ready. That's right. Brother, I'm telling you, then after twenty-five years after he received the promise, the baby was born. But he believed God, and knowed that He was able to keep that which He had said He would do, and keep His Word. So faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things you do not see, taste, feel, smell, or hear.
The old hypocrite set in the church, say, "Oh, I never seen nothing done." You are a... I better let you go.
Let me tell you, brother; let me say what you need tonight. What you need tonight is an old-fashioned stirring in the soul, until...

70 I went into a place not long ago, and they were having a healing service. In back of the room, the psychopathic cell, I went back there, and there was lunatics setting there in their strait jackets and things. There set a beautiful young lady, setting there. I said, "Howdy do, you got your patient?"
She said, "I'm the patient."
I looked down at her; I said, "What's the matter?"
Said, "I don't know, sir." She said, "When I was a little girl," said, "I took the road that's wrong." She said, "I was raised a Catholic." She said, "Then I... They picked me up for a prostitute, sent me to the Good Shepherd's home. I served a time." Said, "I come back from there," and said, "went right back into it again." Said, "Then they picked me up and sent me away to a woman's prison. I served two years there." Said, "I come right back a drunkard, a cigarette fiend, and come right..." Beautiful woman. "Come right back," and she said, "I did it again. They told me I ought to change my religion. I went over and joined a certain church, and I went down and I prayed the way they prayed; and I've tried everything. And I still just as much a prostitute as I ever was."
I said, "You've never touched God yet, sis." She said... I said, "Let's pray."
She got down and she prayed and she prayed. And I tried to speak to her. She said. "Well, Brother Branham," she said, "I believe I'm going..."
I said, "No, you're not." I said, "You're going out to do the same thing." I said, "Look, lady, it's the devil." I said, "You don't want to do that. A woman as pretty as you are, and made the way you are, would be an idol for any man's heart. Don't you like to be a little mother and have some children like other ladies?"
She said, "I've always wanted it, Brother Branham." And said, "I can never have it like this."
I said, "You don't want to do that."
She said, "No."
I said, "Something drives you to it."
She said, "That's right."
I said, "It's the devil."
She said, "I always thought it was."
I said, "But Jesus Christ the Son of God said, 'In My name they shall cast out devils.' Believe this?"
And she said, "Yes, sir." We went to prayer there for a little bit. After a while the power of the Holy Ghost come; I never said a word, just prayed. She raised up, and them big black eyes, with tears dropping down, she said, "Brother Branham, something's happened to me."
I said, "It's over now, sis." Amen. Hallelujah. "It's over now." Why? She'd waded into the blood of Jesus Christ and it cleansed her. The demon powers... She got married last year, and she's going to have a child now. What's the matter? The blood of Jesus Christ cleansed her.

71 No matter how much this, that, and the other, you've got to have something strike you, brother, vital; that settles it forever. That's faith.
Jesus is the High Priest of your confession. Whatever you confess that He's doing He'll do. You...
A lot of people look at symptoms. You say, "Well, Brother Branham, my hand's no straighter." It'll never be as long as you look at it. We don't look to that; we look to God's promise.
Talk about symptoms, look at Jonah, down in the belly of the whale. If anybody could've had symptoms, he had them: backslidden; hands tied behind him; out on the sea, a storm come up; pitched him out; whale swallowed him, went to the bottom of the sea. Any fish, when he feeds, he goes and rests his fins on the bottom of the sea. And there he was down there with a bellyful of backslidden preacher, laying down there on the banks, the--down there under the sea, a storm on the sea. Backslid, what a condition he was. He looked this a way, it was whale's belly; he looked that way, it was whale's belly; everywhere he looked, it was whale's belly. You know what he said? He said, "I'm not looking at that whale's belly." He said, "They're lying vanities." He said, "Lord, once more I look to Your holy temple." Hallelujah. Didn't see whale's belly, he seen God's temple. For he knowed this.
Why, when that temple was dedicated, Solomon prayed and said, "Lord..." When the Holy Ghost come in and that fire settled down behind the holy place, Solomon said, "If Thy people be in trouble anywhere and pray, then You hear from heaven." And Jonah believed that God heared Solomon's prayer. And he said, "I look to Your temple." And it made that old whale kind of feel funny, and God put an oxygen tank down there, kept him alive three days, and took him right on over to Nineveh.

72 And if God could do that and would hear Jonah's prayer in the belly of the whale, there's none of you that bad off tonight: no symptoms like that. Certainly not. You're... At least you're on the ground yet. And if God would hear Jonah's prayer, and Jonah praying like that; and God respected his prayer to an earthly temple, where an earthy man dedicated it, and a prayer of an earthly man had've went up over the temple; and Jonah could believe that, and make the whale throw him out; how much more ought you and I, setting here with a little sickness or something another, look to Thy holy temple where the Son of God sits at the right hand of the Father, making intercessions upon our confession? Whew.
Brother, I wished I was twice my size. Maybe I could feel twice that good. I feel pretty good right now. That's right. Amen. Got my hand in the honey jar, licking as hard as I can. You may call me a holy roller; so go ahead, you're going to brand me that way anyhow. I might as well have a good time while I'm standing here. I got to go to Africa in a healing service now. I'm just having a good time. All right. I got to hurry, close. Where was we at in the message? All right.
I preach from Genesis to Revelations anyhow; It's all the book, so...

73 Then the first thing you know, I can see Martha fall down, and said, "Lord, if You had been here, my brother would not have died. But even now, whatsoever You ask God, God will do it. God will give it to You."
Why, Jesus, I can see Him straightening His little Self up. The Bible said there's no beauty of Him we should desire, not a great big seven-foot square-shouldered man; a little frail looking fellow. In them days, 'course Solomon (You know?) or Saul was a seven-footer and so forth. He was a big handsome looking man. But Jesus a little frail fellow. He straighten Himself up. Mary said... Martha said to Him, said, "Huh, if You'd been here, my brother would not have died. But even now, whatever You ask God, God will do."
Jesus said, "Thy brother shall rise again." Uh-huh. Not much to look at, but, brother, what was wrapped up behind that robe. Yes, sir. Said, "Thy brother shall rise again."
She said, "Yea, Lord. I know; he was a good boy. He'll raise in the last day at the general resurrection."
Look at Him then. I see Him straighten Himself up; them eyes turned sideways, said, "I am the resurrection and life." [Unclear words] He's still the resurrection and life. He was the resurrection and life for that little boy in Finland, for that lady down yonder that had got killed in that automobile accident. He's the resurrection and life for that boy was drowned. Sure. He's the resurrection and life. "I am the resurrection and life; he that believeth in Me, though he were dead, yet shall he live. Whomsoever liveth and believeth in Me, shall never die. Believeth thou this?"
She said, "Yea, Lord, I believe every word of it. I believe that You are the Son of God like You said You were, that were to come into the world."
Said, "Where you laid him?" Oh, my. Something has got to happen now. [Gap in the audio.]

74 Said, "Peace be still. He was more than a man then. The waves and the winds obeyed Him. He was the God man. He was divine." That's right.
And when He died up there at Calvary, screaming and crying for help, "My God, My God, why hast Thou forsaken Me?" He was a man in His death, but in His resurrection He proved He was the divine Son of God (Hallelujah.): Jesus Christ, the same yesterday, today, and forever. Believest thou this? I believe He's the One that sent the Holy Ghost on the day of Pentecost. Believest thou this? I believe He's here right now and would heal every sick person in the building. Believest thou this? I believe He'd fill everybody with the Holy Ghost right now. Believest thou this? I believe in His blessing. He [unclear words] Believest thou this? I believe He's here to pour out His Spirit and send down an old-fashioned Holy Ghost Pentecostal blessing on us now. Believest thou this? Hallelujah.

75 I believe that He'd heal this woman with these braces right now. Believest thou this, sister? I believe He'd heal your baby with the polio there. You all believest thou this? How many sick people's in the building, raise your hand? I believe He'd heal you right now. Believest thou this? Believest thou this?
Let us stand to our feet. Do you mean business? Do you mean the truth? Do you do it? All right, lady, get ready to get your braces off your child. All right. Every one of you believe it? Put your hands over on one another now. Are you ready to make a confession? Are you ready to believe God? [Gap in the audio.] [ unclear words] are you? You believe it now?
The Holy Ghost is in the building. Believest thou this? He's ready to take you right now at your word. Are you ready to confess it? Are you ready to say, "I'll never no more say I'm sick. I'll testify of the healing right now. I'm willing right now to receive it, Lord. Come into my life; come into my heart right now. Take away this [Gap in the audio.] make me a new creature." Believest thou this? I believe He's healing the people right now. Believest thou this?

76 Almighty God, Author of life, giver of every good gift, send Thy blessings upon this people. Heal. O God, stretch forth Your hands upon this people and may their hearts be quickened; may the Holy Ghost fall in this building just now like a rushing mighty wind. Pour over these people. Heal every one of them, Lord God, with Your great divine power. May it sweep over this audience; in the name of Jesus.
Satan, come out; in the name of Jesus Christ. We adjure the devil to leave every person in here. Almighty God, receive them into Your kingdom.
Raise up your hands; praise God. Thank Him for your healing. Thank Him for your healing. Hallelujah. Praise God. Praise God. Hallelujah. Hallelujah. Hallelujah. Praise be to our Lord Jesus Christ. Hallelujah. Hallelujah. Receive your healing right now; in the name of Jesus. Testify. Tell your neighbor, "I'm healed. I'm healed. I believe. With all of my heart I believe that I'm healed." [unclear words] you go now?

Believest thou this?

You can find this sermon at ChurchAges.net

1 Well, that would be good enough at my funeral. It would be all right.
I certainly like to think of the deity of our Lord Jesus Christ, don't you? Today, when the people are trying to say that He was just a philosopher of some type, I believe He was God Emmanuel. Yes, sir. And I think all praises belongs to Him. Thanks be to His Holy and reverent name. I live in His name, work in His name, sing in His name, preach in His name, heal in His name. I want to die in His name and raise in His name. That's right.
Last evening, Brother Baxter ... I asked him, I said, "Brother Baxter, will you do me a favor? I want to get over a little early." I said, "If we're going to have a fast line," I said, "I want you to preach something for me." I love to hear him preach it.
He said, "What's that?"
I said, "Shamgar." He slays all the Philistines. I just like to get rid of them, don't you? The Bible said they'd be thorns in your flesh if you let them stay in the land. So let's get rid of them. So I sat back last night and enjoyed it very much ... preaching on Shamgar.

2 Today he said, "What about preaching on the resurrection of Lazarus?"
So I said, "I've perhaps preached it before."
So I trust that God will give us a great evening of it, and God's blessing be upon you all.
I am happy to be here in this memorial tabernacle today where great men have stood on the platform---men that's gone on to heaven.
I don't know how true this is. It was told to me by good authorities that the late Paul Rader, I believe the founder of this tabernacle if I'm not sure. The founder of the tabernacle. I got to hear him once in my life at Fort Wayne, and they said last night he was saw in a vision here at the platform. He is not dead, but he lives. His name will be immortal in people's hearts for years and years to come.

3 They said when he was dying, out in California, that they were singing songs, (and as I understand Brother Rader right... or, the people right about Brother Rader, he had quite a sense of humor) and said they were singing sad songs, and he said, "Say, who's dying, me or you?" He said, "Raise those curtains ... shades, rather, and sing me some real good snappy, Gospel songs."
They started singing something: Down At The Cross, or something. He said, "That sounds better." Said, "Where's Luke?" And Luke, of course, not wanting to see his brother die came into the room, and said he grabbed Luke by the hand and said, "Luke, we've come a long ways together, but think of it, in five minutes from now I'll be standing in the presence of Jesus Christ, clothed in His righteousness."
I think lives of great men all remind us; we can make our lives sublime, with partings leave behind us, footprints on the sands of time. That's right.
The great notable Billy Sunday that's preached in this tabernacle, week after week in revivals. Some of you people here has probably come to hear him.

4 I remember as a little boy when he died. Said, "Billy Sunday hit the sawdust trail." He has called them down these aisles perhaps a-many time. He was found dead in the bed ... not dead, but gone to be with Jesus.
There's not a Scripture in the Bible says a Christian dies. Christians do not die. You can't die. You have everlasting life, and how can it have an end to it? It can't have.
So when we go to thinking of that, it makes our hearts rejoice, doesn't it?

5 I happen to come in to hear Brother Baxter when he was taking my love offering. I'm sorry we even have to do that. I get a love offering each week. Brother Baxter does the same. Then the expense of the meeting is taken care of, and then after we get that, if everything's paid off, then we each get a love offering.
I can assure you, friends, that my gratitude from the depths of my soul, I appreciate it. I'll do all that I can to be as reverent to spend it to the glory of God the best that I know how.
If I should get my initial debts paid up now with my two love offerings of this meeting... I go to a conference, the people are taking up missionary offerings and things in the conference, and it doesn't... They can't ... just maybe they pay my expenses or something. I go to Kansas City next, then to Los Angeles.

6 And we're just afraid to make a move anywhere, because I know that overseas is coming up and I must go. So I'm just afraid to make any too much of a itinerary because He might call me at any time, just go at any time. I've got my shots and everything I have to have and ready to go when the Lord will call for me to go.
That's the way I want to be ready to go to Heaven too. Everything all ready just when He calls.
And I appreciate this very much. God bless you and everything, if it's enough and more to pay my initial expenses, then I'll put it into foreign missions.

7 And if you would only know of missionaries are in this meeting this afternoon... And lots of times when I went over there, many of you know the story, how God told me to go a place and I let a bunch of preachers talk me out of it. And I went somewhere else because they wanted me to go, and I certainly paid for it. He told me I would.
And so, but I got sick, parasites. Even the doctor said there's not even a chance for me to live.
I had ten hours to live, and the Lord Jesus came to me in a vision and said, "It's over."
I went right back to the same doctor, about eight hours later. And I said, "Doctor, give me an examination for parasites."
Said, "Well, Reverend, you got parasites." Said, "Why, I give you everything," and here's the remark. He said, "I give you everything and throwed the box at you," and said, "and still you got parasites."
I said, "But I haven't got them now."
He said, "Oh, you got them."
I said, "Would you examine me?"
He said, "There's no need.

8 I said, "Would you do it just upon... I'll pay you for it. Just want to show you what our Lord can do."
He said, "You got parasites, Reverend."
I said, "Take the examination." When he did: perfectly negative.
He said, "Well, what happened?"
I said, "The Lord Jesus Christ in whom I trust, He is the One who did it. He taken them from me."
He said, "Reverend, where are you going now?"
I said, "I'm going back overseas."
He said, "Back in that same place again?"
I said, "Yes, sir."

9 He said, "Do you mean to tell me, when you come pretty near leaving your wife and babies and what all the things, the planes wrecked and so forth, and coming over and fifty-two was killed ahead of you?" and like that.
I said, "It doesn't make any difference. There's Something down in here calling that tells me I must go back, regardless if it's live or death, I must mind God."
And, friends, that's right. When I think today, when I look around on the streets of Chicago and other cities and see the children and things and look in the restaurants and seeing the big fine meals being set and things like that...
I appreciate a land like this, but down yonder in Africa somewhere is a little black boy never even knowed what a piece of candy was, never knowed what a stitch of clothes was, never knowed what a bath was, never knowed what a decent drink of water was.

10 The poor, little, hungry fellow wiping the dirt out of his eyes and crying like that, wanting to hear about Jesus Christ one time. He has got just as much right to hear as my little girl sitting there who hears it every day. Is that right? Somebody's got to take it. That's right. Somebody's got to take it, and it's on my heart to do it.
And I pray that God will bless each one that give in that offering and everything that I can do outside of my own ... what I just... And we live like common people, friends. If it'd been money, I'd have been a millionaire. I had give to me in one offering one million-five-hundred-thousand dollars. FBI agents brought it to me, and I refused even to look at it.

11 He said, "Reverend Brother Branham, you don't know what this is."
I said, "It don't make any difference, sir. I don't take people's money." I come into this world poor. I'll go out poor. How could I be rich and the people sitting here... Not long ago they were going to give me a big Cadillac. My little old Chevrolet truck out there was just about backslid, so I... That's a big word for a Baptist, isn't it? Backsliding, but you can do it.
So, he said, "Is that what you're riding?"
I said, "Yes, sir. It's a dandy."
And he said, "Well," he said, "I tell you, Brother Branham," said, "We give AVAC a Cadillac." Said, "We'll just give you a new one ride home in."
I said, "I appreciate it, brother." I said, "I appreciate it with all my heart," but I said, "I couldn't ride in a Cadillac." I said, "I appreciate anybody can ride in one, but," I said, "I couldn't do it."

12 What if I'd be going down through Arkansas now, see, where all them poor little cotton pickers out there and them little mammies out there in the field with a cotton sack on her back about fifty or a hundred pounds of cotton dragging of a morning. Her poor, little old hand stuck up with cotton burrs like that, eating fat bacon and some cornbread for breakfast. "There's Brother Branham going down through there with a big Cadillac?"
Not me. No, sir. No, sir. That don't run in my blood. If I got what I deserved, I'd be walking, or riding a bicycle or something. Yes, sir. I mean that from my heart. And I'd rather have favor with God than to have the best beautiful home you got in Chicago and be out of commission with God. My main thing is to be in favor with God.

13 Now, I do appreciate every man that God... I like to see poor people when they haven't got nothing and see them come up and get a nice little home and an automobile. And oh, you don't know how good that makes me feel just to see poor people... I know what it means to be poor. I'm poor yet. Will die poor. What it means to me to see people when they've come up, God has blessed them. It just shakes my heart.
Some brother sitting here now that I was in their home, stayed in their home last time I was here and a lovely home, and, oh, they told me they come here to Chicago without a scratch hardly, and then they got a lovely home, and lovely children, lovely wives, and sweet brothers who's right in the ministry and the work of the Lord. Oh, my! That just makes me kneel on me knees and thank our Heavenly Father for people like that. It does.

14 So, many things I could say, but I'd say, "God bless you all." I think that's the greatest word can be... If God will bless me, that's all I want. Is that right? If God will bless me, that's enough. That's all I care for.
Now, I don't want my time to get away. I'm to preach this afternoon a little bit ... or, talk. I'm not a preacher. I'm just... As I told you the other day, I'm a spare tire. That's when you have a flat, you know, you use it. Now, we haven't got a flat now, but I'm just one they put on the spare this afternoon.
I remember as a little thing I usually tell to the people about being a preacher reminds me. My mother's here, she can put her finger in her ears now. My daddy was a rider. He was a good one too and he used to ride. He was a good shot. He'd take guns and throw them big clay marbles out and take one gun and hit under the marble and raise it up and burst the marble with the other. Why, I couldn't hit washtubs like that, but he was good, and I always wanted to be like my daddy.

15 So, I remember when we was kids and used to plow, and I could hear Mama when she called me. The only thing I hear was a "yum," you know. "Will-yum." I'd get that way back in the back of the place, you know. I'd take my old, straw hat and wave and take them old rope lines. How many ever plow with old rope lines? Let's see. Well, there is a few country boys sitting around here. Yes, sir. The old rope lines, take it off my neck, you know and go on in for dinner.
I remember after we'd plowed all day long, you know, and, oh, it would be tired. That night time when we come in, well, dad would still be in the field. I had to come in early, because to milk the old cow. So, we'd get around. I'd go down to the watering trough. Anybody ever know what a watering trough is, where there horses will water? Oh, now I'm getting down home, ain't I? All right.

16 I'd go down there, you know, and my brothers and all of them would get there and watch me, you know, and I'd come in and get around behind the hill from the house. I'd go in and get pop's saddle, you know, and I'd get me a handful of cockleburs and throw it up under the saddle and pull the saddle down on the old horse, you know, and climb upon him.
Poor old thing so tired and old too, you know, and stiff---he couldn't even get his feet off the ground. He'd just bawl, you know. I'd take off this hat, you know, and I was a real cowboy, riding, you know, and all my brothers would sit up there and cheer me, you know. I was a real cowboy.
About nineteen years old, I run off from home. Mama hasn't whipped me enough for that yet. So, I run off from home and went out West. I was going to be a rider. I was going to have the silver saddle, Brother Osborn. You know what I'm talking about.

17 So then I went out west. Went to Arizona, and they was having a rodeo. I said, "I need some money." And I went down to get me a pair of Levi's and got out there, and I thought, I'll ride. These fellows out here don't know no more about riding than I do.
So I get up on the fence around where they was having the rodeo. And the first thing you know they let the horses out---the bucking horses---and they had one there, this famous horse. They said, "Now, any guy can ride this horse..."

18 And they got some famous rider to come in. I seen he was going to get about, oh, I guess, two hundred dollars or more for riding the horse. And all of his big nice dude outfit on and he jumped in the saddle. When he come out, his catch-as-catch-can as he come out of the chute, and when he come out of there, that horse made just about one buck, the sunfish: the saddle went one way, the man went another way. The pick-ups got the horse, and the ambulance got the rider, and the blood was running out of his ears and eyes.
And the man come along side of the fence said, "Any of you cowboys around here, any of you can ride that horse and stay on him for a minute, I will give a hundred dollars a minute." So, nobody said a word. He rode on down and looked right straight at me, and me sitting up there, you know, with this pair of Levis on, looking high, matched up with the rest of the cowboys, you know. That's a kid. Looked like that, you know, and he walked right up to me and said, "Are you a rider?"
I said, "No, sir. No, sir." I knowed that wasn't pop's old, stiff plow horse, see. I knowed there was something different in that.
So then when I first got ordained as a minister, I used to pack my Bible under the arm. Some of them say, "You a preacher?"
"Yes, sir. Yes, sir. I'm a preacher."

19 One day I heard a full-Gospel preacher preach in a tent meeting. He preached till he got out of breath, his face had turned red, he'd go plumb to the floor, buckle his knees and come back up catching his breath. You could hear him about two city blocks, still preaching.
Some of them said, "Are you a preacher?"
I said, "No, sir." I was no more preacher then, after I heard a man that could preach. So I always be careful about saying being a preacher, you see. But I do like to get to a place where we can have a ... you know, enjoy the blessings of the Lord, don't you?

20 Little Mr. Osborn, sitting out there, reminds me. We was talking this morning, he and I, (the little boy), and it reminds me of one time... See a good, old-fashioned Holy Ghost meeting. Who likes them kind? Do you like it? Say, "Amen." Why, sure we do.
What we used to call a popcorn meeting. You know what a popcorn meeting is? You take a little yellow grain of corn and put it on a hot stove. It gets twice the size and twice as light, and it turns from yellow to white. That's a popcorn meeting. That's what it takes.
A little fellow scared to testify and bumps up all at once, ready for the rapture and changes his garment from a little yellow to a white.

21 Reminds me one time I was a fishing one morning. I guess I got plenty of fellow friends here---fishermen. This lake this close, and I was way up in Northwoods, fishing; and I just love pancakes. How many likes pancakes? Oh, my! I just love pancakes, and I used to take me a bucket of molasses, you know, a whole, big bucket because I'm a Baptist. I baptize them, I don't sprinkle them. I pour it on heavy when I get it on there, the molasses, you know. Get them real thick all over it.
So then I thought, Oh, my! Now if I can just get this... Took me a big bucket molasses, you know, and I was up there and I had a little, old tent. There was a lot of black bear in that woods. Your boy had some experience the other day with one. So, oh, they're nothing to them. I don't know wherever they got that bad name he's got, but he is just what he tears up. Oh, my! He is awful.

22 And so, I had a little old tent setting up and I was catching some big rainbow trout, and I'd been down the stream. And I had a little old chopping ax here in my hand, a little scout ax, and I come up and my tent was down. And I looked and here sat an old mother bear and some little cubbies sitting there---two of them. And she kind of run off when she seen me coming out of the willows, and she kind of run off and up on the side of the hill, and she cooed to them cubs and one little cub come.
The next little fellow, he had his back turned to me, just like this, you know. He just wasn't moving at all. Well, I thought, Looky what they've done. My, they've tore up everything. Well, a bear with cubs will scratch you. So, I didn't want to get too close to her, and of course I had a gun there, but I didn't want to leave them orphans in the woods. So I just ... I said, "Get away from here," like that. And the old mother run off a piece and she kept cooing to that other cub, and he wouldn't come.

23 And I thought, What's the little fellow so interested about? I looked around. I kept getting around this way trying to throw a rock at him, and he wouldn't even turn his head. He just down like this, doing something. I thought, Well, what's that little fellow so interested about?
Always, you haven't got your camera when something like that going on, you know. So I got around this way looked. I said, "Get up from there," like that, and he turned around, looked at me.

24 That little fellow had got my bucket of molasses. He had them all hugged up in his arm like this. He had the lid off of it. He'd just sock his little paw down in it like that, and he was molasses all over his face. His little belly was just as full of molasses. His eyes, you know, he couldn't even open them. He was batting his eyes back and forth looking at me like that. Licking like that and he'd sock his little paw down and then just lick molasses.
I said, "Have a good time, fellow." It just reminded me of a good, old-fashioned Holy Ghost meeting, when we opened up the jar of honey you know and stick our fingers right down in and just get it all over your eyebrows and all, you know. Just get a real old time, where you just forget where you're at.
But the funny thing was, when he got enough molasses, (he had them all over him, the old mother kept cooing to him), he set the bucket down and run off. And when I got over there, the mother and the other cub started licking him. So. Amen! That's what we need is an old-fashioned meeting where you can almost lick it. Isn't that right? Yes, just a real old-fashioned meeting.

25 All right. Saint John the 11th chapter. I want to read a little portion of the Word now and then we'll have prayer.
Now, in the 18th verse, we read this:
Now Bethany was nigh unto Jerusalem, about fifteen furlongs off:
And many of the Jews came to Martha and Mary, to comfort them concerning their brother.
And Martha, as soon as she heard that Jesus was coming, went and met him: but Mary sat still in the house.
Then Martha unto Jesus, Lord, if thou would have been here, my brother would not have died.
But I know, that even now, whatsoever thou will ask God, God will give it to thee.
Jesus said unto her, Thy brother shall rise again.
Martha said unto him, I know that he shall rise again in the resurrection at the last days.
Jesus said unto her, I am the resurrection, and ... life: he that believeth in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live:
... whosoever liveth and believeth in me shall never die. Believest thou this?
She said unto him, Yea, Lord: I believe that thou art the Christ, the Son of God, which should come into the world.

26 Shall we bow our heads. Now, Lord, as children playing in the market place, as we stand, know that You want us to be happy and rejoice. You said that Your joys might be full, but now, Father, we have read the Word of God, and now we pray that You will settle us down.
May the Holy Spirit catch a hold a every heart. Grant it, Lord, and may every sinner today be saved. May every backslider be brought back to the kingdom of God, and may every sick person in the building go out of here well. Grant it, Father, and may the Holy Spirit now come and take the things that are God's and deliver them to every heart as each heart has need, for we ask it in Jesus' name and for His glory. Amen.

27 This chapter that we're now reading from... We'll get just a little background. I believe I can see the clock there so I won't take too much time if I can just have your undivided attention now. Don't think about the meeting tonight or what's going to take place tomorrow. Let's think about the Lord Jesus being here right now, and each one of them saying, "Now, I'm a sinner (if you are) but, Lord, if You've got something for me, speak to my heart."
And every person without the baptism of the Holy Spirit saying, "Lord, I haven't got the Holy Spirit, and I know anything short of that, well, I'm afraid of it. So, I want to be born again for You said, "except a man be born again, he will not enter the kingdom.' So I want to be born again."

28 Now, I don't mean to say you're not a Christian till you get the Holy Ghost; get that. I mean that the Holy Ghost is the seal of your faith, you see. Abraham believed God by faith, and then He give him the seal of a promise, you see. And you believe God by faith and you're justified by faith, but you're sealed into the body of Christ by the baptism of the Holy Spirit.
You hear these bishops and archbishops and everything else come and testifying about it. If you've never received it, just come and try it. It's fine. I don't know how... Someone said to me one time after I'd come out of my spell of sickness, he said, "Brother Branham, did you keep your religion during the time of your sick spell?"
I said, "No, sir. I never. It kept me during the time of the sick spell." So, the Holy Ghost keeps me, not me keeping It. That isn't the question. It keeps me. I just received it, and it takes care of me. That's the way it is with every believer.

29 Now, this was right in the beginning---our text this afternoon---to the very bloom of Jesus' ministry. He came out, and He was beginning to heal the sick and great throngs began to come to Him.
Now, we find out that was the first year of His ministry. The second year of the ministry, they begin to find fault against Him. And the third year... In the middle of the next year, they crucified Him.
That's just the way it goes. There's a revival comes on. Oh, the great tinsels on. The revival then settles down. Then the first thing you know, just what's really genuine stays. The rest of them goes away. That ends it.

30 Now, but in this case, Jesus was staying at the home of Martha and Mary. Now, we're taught I don't know how true this is, but we're taught---that Martha and Mary, living at Bethany there, that they had left the Orthodox church, the Jewish church, and had come to believe on Jesus, and Jesus was staying in their home.
They had a brother named Lazarus, and they tell me that he was a scribe, that his work was to make the laws ... the letters, and so forth of the law on parchments. And we're told that Mary and Martha made tapestries, the little stuff for the temples and so forth like that. That's how they made their living---in needlework.
And about this time, Jesus' life was becoming wonderful. People was seeing Him, and they was loving Him, and then it come to a place where He had to be called away from this home. That's strange how them things happen but sometimes... All things work together for good to them that love God.

31 Now, Jesus in His birth, He was marvelous. But when He came to the world, He came here with a illegitimate background hanging over Him, because they said that His father was Joseph and the child was ... the mother was to be with the child before they were really legally married.
So, that begin with Him, and then He went out through capital punishment. He come in by the way of a stable door, and went out through capital punishment. That's the way the world received the Lord Jesus Christ.
But just before His birth... God always makes a preparation for things. Don't you believe that? I want you to listen close. I believe today with all my heart... Now, this is just Brother Branham speaking, you see. I believe that the things that you see are taking place now, is a preparation. God is preparing something just before a climax. God always warns the world, and then if they will not receive warning, then there's only one thing left: That's judgment.
Noah warned the world, and they would not receive it. And all through the age, God's always warned. He sends mercy; and if they spurn mercy, there's nothing else left but judgment. But the merciful Father will send mercy first.

32 Now, this time, just before the coming of the Lord Jesus, they had men... The church had got down to a place till it was very few that was looking for it. Just unconcerned, about like they are today. But God always has had a remnant of people who believed him.
And one of them was a man named Zacharias and his wife named Elisabeth. They were righteous people, walking in all the laws and keeping all the statutes and commandments of God. And then down at the temple, Zacharias' part there was to burn incense. While the people were making prayer outside, Zacharias burned incense.
Wish we had time to back that up good now and lay a foundation what incense mean, and all speaking of Christ, everything. The incense now is His blood, the Rose of Sharon, the Lily of the Valley and how the high priest, before he went in to the Holy of holies, He had to be anointed with this oil from the top of his head, run down over his beard, plumb to the hems of his skirt. And when he went in... If somebody happens to tell you that these Full Gospel people are just a little noisy, here's something for them.

33 Aaron, when he went into the Holy of holies once a year, he had to wear a certain kind of a garment, and he had to be anointed and he had to take blood with him. Is that right? And on the hem of his garment he had a pomegranate and a bell---a pomegranate and a bell ---and as he walked he had to make that play "Holy, holy, holy unto the Lord."
And only way that they knowed that that man was still alive that God hadn't slayed him back there in behind the curtain is because that noise. They could hear the bell ringing. I tell you the only way I know there is any life in the church when a little noise gets started somewhere, you know. Just a little "amen" once in a while or a little something, you know. Make a little noise.
Some of them said, "Well, Brother Branham, it's emotional." Well, I can scientifically prove you: Anything without emotion is dead. So, if your religion hasn't got any emotion in it, bury the thing (That's right) because it's no good. It's dead.
So, I can see now this Zacharias. Let's get a little drama here. He is down... Him and his wife, they'd wanted a child for years and years, prayed, lived upright. Looked like the thing was just going to pass by. He wasn't going to get the baby, but it's just in the darkest of hour when Jesus comes ... when God always answers.

34 We get in a hurry. "Well, I was prayed for last night. I don't feel any better this morning." You're too much of a hurry. Accept God's promise and stay right with it. Stay right there.
They had been praying and praying for years. Now, Elisabeth had gotten old. She was past the age of bearing. Looked like all hopes was gone that she was ever going to have a child.
Well, Zacharias one day... I can imagine the temple, he had the censor burning like this. And he got back over the place and was standing there waving it back and forth, and back and forth as it went back and forth and the ointments a-going as it was making the incense burning. And all at once he happened to look standing on his right hand side, and there stood an Angel.
God has always had Angels---ministering spirits. Do you believe it? Angels doesn't die. What was happening? God was just fixing to do something on the earth; so before He always does something, He sends an announcement.

35 Now, there is angels comes. Perhaps the Angel visits me and to visit you and so forth. There might be minor angels, but when you hear this Angel, Gabriel, coming, you take heed---something's taking place.
Gabriel announced the first coming of Jesus Christ, and Gabriel will announce the second coming of Jesus Christ. Is that right? Amen. I begin to feel religious already. Look.
When I think about Him coming... There stood Zacharias. He looked and he was startled; and he told him, he said, "Zacharias," what was going to happen and after the days of this administration here, he was going home, be with his wife and she was going to conceive and bear a son.
Now, I want you to notice that preacher. Just about like some of them today. "Why," he said, "How could this thing be? Well, my wife's too old," something like that.
He said, "I am Gabriel that stands in the presence of God; and because you've doubted my word, you'll be dumb till the day the baby's born." That's right.

36 God will speak, and there's nothing can take God's Word away. God's Word holds forever. When God speaks it, it's confirmed in Heaven forever. It's right there ready. Just the same as done, when God speaks it.
Oh, that we mortals might be able to say, "Thus saith the Lord, it's settled." Taking God at His Word, and stand there no matter what comes---how many ways, push sideways. We stay right with God's Word. God said so, I believe it. That settles it. Amen.
Now, he said, "You'll be dumb until the day the baby's born, but my words will be fulfilled in their season." God's determined. No matter how much you say that bunch of holy-rollers will burn up and go away some of these days (There'll be nothing left), God's Word will remain forever. That's right. It'll stay just exactly the way God said it would be.

37 Well, when he came back out, of course, we know the people, they ... he was dumb. He couldn't speak, and he motioned to them. And then he went home. In the days after he had accomplished his work there, he went home and his wife conceived and she hid herself six months.
And now, at the end of six months, here comes that Angel back again. Amen. And there was a little old girl living down in Nazareth, the meanest city in the country. Pretty near as bad as Chica... (Excuse me.) Anyhow, bad as Jeffersonville where I live. Oh, very bad, wicked city, but no matter how bad the city is, you can still live right in the presence of God. God's searching out true hearts like He did then.
And He found this little old peasant girl. Let's think it was on Monday morning; that's the wash day. A pitcher of water sitting on her head and one on each hip, and here she comes walking. And she's coming back from the well, and she's fixing to get married to a man. She's just a young lady. And the first thing you know, a light shines in front of her and standing in this light stands Gabriel, the great Archangel, and he said, "Hail, Mary!"

38 And it startled her. He said that she was going to bring a child in the world, knowing no man. Told them about Elisabeth, her cousin, how that she'd conceived and was going to bring a child. And said they'd call His name Jesus, for He would save His people from the sin.
Why, it startled the little virgin, such a salutation as that. And it would startle you. What would you do to meet an Angel standing in your path like that with His arms stretched out and said, "I'm Gabriel, who stands in the presence of God." Certainly would frighten you.
And then I see the little maid as she said... Now, I want you to notice. Here it is. I hope it soaks real deep, goes down under the fifth rib on the left side, and anchors. There was a priest, preacher, knowed the word, had plenty of examples. Hagar had received children, so had Sarah, and many of the rest of them had received children. He had plenty of examples, but doubted the Angel. But this little girl, she never doubted a word of it.
She said, "Behold the handmaid of the Lord. Be it unto me according to Thy Word." Amen. That's the way to do it. Take God at His Word.
Look at Mary. Before she was positive, before she had any signs of life, (I'm in a mixed audience, but listen), before any physical sign, she started out giving God praise and glory that she was going to have a baby---before there was any sign.
God give us some of them Marys this afternoon in Chicago (Amen.) that'll take God at His Word. Amen. Don't think I'm excited. I'm not "amening" myself, but amen means "so be it," and I believe it. All right.

39 Here she goes, goes down through the city everywhere telling people she's going to have a baby knowing no man. Why, sure. She just took God at His Word. Right up into the hills of Judea she went. She'd heard about Elisabeth. Heard she had a blessing too.
Now, that's the way real born-again people do. When they hear somebody gets the Holy Ghost, away they go to find out all about it. Amen. When God does something to heal somebody, the next neighbor comes over and just joins in, and happy and rejoicing with it.
So right down through the city of Bethlehem, right on up into Judea she went. And when she come up to where Sarah ... or, Elisabeth, rather... Now, Mary and Elisabeth were first cousins. John and Jesus was second cousins, and when they come right up to where the home was, I can see Elisabeth way back in the room. She had hid herself. She raised up the curtain. She seen a young lady coming.
Why, she said, "It's Mary, my cousin." And out she went. My, I can see her so happy, and she threw her arms around her and begin to hug her and kiss her.

40 That's the way women used to meet one another, but, brother, you know what, them days is changed now. They don't have that kind of love one for another. They got so now they don't even speak to you. Isn't that right?
Why, it used to be back on the farm, when some man would get sick, we'd go out and cut the wood for him, or shock the hay, or whatever it was. Think nothing about it, go over and sit up at night time.
Now, you don't even know your neighbors dead, unless you see it in the paper. It's a shame how brotherly love has ceased. That's right. We just don't have it like we used to.
Why, pop, if he would run out of money, he'd go over and borrow fifty dollars to run him through till the crops come in. That was all right. You didn't have to have any security.
Why, you couldn't borrow five dollars today without security. Brotherly love is ceasing. God said it would. Yes. Oh, how we need it!

41 The other day (My wife's present; she'll probably tell me about this afterwards.), we went downtown, and there was a girl going down the street, a young woman that we knew. And I said, "Say, did you see her?"
She said, "I spoke to her."
I said, "I didn't see you."
And she said, "I smiled at her." That's not speaking. You know what I like. I like a great big old pump-handle handshake, an old country type. Say, "Hello, brother. How are you?" Yes, sir. Nowadays instead, they just turn a little silly grin and say, "Hello." I don't like that. That freezes me to death.
One day down at ... Brother Bosworth and I we were down in Miami, Florida, and we had a tent pitched out there. Some little boy was having a meeting and got up against it, and I come down to have a couple of days for him, and there was some Duchess or something like that. My! I don't know very much about dignity and parade. So, she was some great woman. She let this tent be set on her lot, or out there---a place where she had her park.

42 And I went down there, you know, and I was preaching and Brother Bosworth said, "Would you stand right back here, Brother Branham?" Said, "The Duchess wants to see you."
And I said, "The who?"
He said, "The Duchess."
I said, "Well, who's she?"
And he said, "Well, it's the lady that let us have this lot."
I said, "Well, what's she any more than anybody else?" See.
So, he said, "Well, you stand right here. She's coming around."
In a few minutes, here come a great, big woman around like that. She had a pair of specks in her hand on a stick, holding them out that far from her. You know people can't see that far out from you like that through glasses.
And she come around there with about enough clothes on to go in a wad of musket shotgun, and she was standing along like that, walked around like that. She said, "Are you Doctor Branham?"
I said, "No, ma'am. No, ma'am." I said, "I'm Brother Branham."
She said, "Well, Doctor Branham," she said, "I'm charmed to meet you." Holding that big, fat hand up like that.

43 I got a hold of her. I said, "Looky here, sister, bring it down here so I'll know you when I see you again." That's it. There's too many of us today trying to put on what we call ... the expression "put on the dog." What are you anyhow? That's right. You're not nothing but just people.
I was passing by a coliseum ... or, museum, rather, here not long ago, and they had a picture of a man's body in there that weighed a hundred and fifty pounds, said he was worth eighty-four cents in chemicals.
Put a hundred-dollar suit on eighty-four cents, walk around with your nose up in the air, like the rain would drown you, thinking you're somebody. You're not worth but eighty-four cents if you weigh a hundred and fifty pounds. Wrap a five-hundred-dollar mink coat around eighty-four cents and won't even speak to your neighbor. That's right.

44 That's what's the matter with the world today. Amen. People stuck-up and starchy. God will have to pour out the Holy Spirit and wilt that thing down in you. Everyone of us, we're just exactly on the same level.
God made us all out of one pattern. No matter if you live in a better neighborhood, go to a better church, you're nothing but what God's made you. Who are you to glory? Glory comes to God. Yes, sir.
Them couple boys standing there, and one looked and said, "Well, John, we're not worth very much, are we?"

45 I said, "Look, fellow. That's your body, but you got a soul that's worth ten thousand worlds." That's right. I said, "That body will go back to the dust some of these days, but you got a soul that will live forever. Take care of that."
Look at the value that Jesus Christ put on it to come from glory to die to redeem you. That's the trouble. We look at the outside and take care of the outside, but the inside we let it go. Yes, sir.
I can see Martha, as she ... Mary, rather, she run and hugged Elisabeth and she kissed her and begin to pat her, you know, and having a rejoicing, happy. Said, "Oh..."
Let's listen in on their conversation.
I can hear Martha saying... (Now, this is drama.) I can hear Martha ... or, Mary say, "Oh, Elisabeth, I am so happy. Oh, I have been told," not how, "but I have been told that you are to be mother."

46 "Yes," Elisabeth said, "that's right," but she said, "I'm just a little bit worried."
"Why?"
"Why, it's six months as me as a mother and as far as we know, there was no life yet." That's subnormal, see. Life about three months, two months. So they said, "It's subnormal. I have no life yet and I'm worried, and it's six months with me."
She said, "But the Angel, Gabriel, has met me and told me that I was going to be mother too, knowing no man," and said, "I would bring forth this Child and I would call His name, Jesus."

47 And the first time that that name Jesus was spoke through mortal lips, little dead John laying in his mother's womb got the Holy Ghost, and begin to leap and jump for joy. That's right, and if the name of Jesus Christ will bring life to a dead baby, what ought it do to a born-again church? Hallelujah! Amen. Yes, sir.
She said, "Whence cometh the mother of my Lord? For as soon as your salutation come into my ears, my baby leaped in my womb for joy." Hallelujah! Yes, sir! Oh, brother, we're not in a fog. We know where we're at. Sure.
Said, "As soon as your salutation come to my ears, my baby leaped in my womb for joy," and John received the Holy Ghost. Amen.

48 What will the name of Jesus Christ do? I've seen It bind witch doctors. I've seen It bind demons to where they ... shamefully, I've seen them drop on the platform, fall in their seats, paralyzed sitting there over the name of Jesus Christ. Oh, my!
Faith in the Father, faith in the Son,
Faith in the Holy Ghost, three in the One.
Demons will tremble, and sinners awake;
Faith in Jehovah will anything shake.

49 That's right. That's exactly right. Hold your faith in God. That's right. Oh, God has always had a people who would believe Him. Back yonder when He come out of the wilderness ... brought the children of Israel, rather, into the wilderness. What a time!
After they crossed the Red Sea, got over there, they had an old-fashioned camp meeting. They looked back and seen all the old taskmasters dead in the sea. Miriam begin to dance in the Spirit and beat a tambourine---a very typical picture of an old-fashioned camp meeting. Is that right?
Moses got in the Spirit and raised up his hands and sang a song in the Spirit. Amen. If that ain't an old-fashioned meeting, I never seen one.

50 Now, look. God promised to supply all their needs, and just when they crossed over, why, they didn't have nothing but a little box of bread sitting on top of their head. It give out.
So God promised He would supply their need. The next morning when they got up, the ground was laying full of manna. Looked like hoar frost.
Now, they said to taste it, they'd lick their tongue on it, taste it. It tasted like wafers and honey. My, that was a real Baptist dish, wasn't it? Wafers and honey. All right.
So they begin to eat it. It tasted good. You know, David ... I believe the psalmist said one time, "Taste and see the Lord is good. It tastes like honey in the rock." Is that right? Yes, sir. Honey in the rock.
There's something about a rock in the Bible. It's always the rock. He was the Rock. He was a Rock that was in the wilderness and the Rock...

51 Like used to in old times when they'd have ... someone would get bit by a mad dog. They'd take him to a mad stone and they'd stick him to this mad stone. If he stuck, why, he got well. If he didn't stick, he died.
The worst mad dog I know today is the devil. That's right, and if you're bit by him go to the Stone, the Rock, Christ Jesus, hold on to Calvary's Rock of Ages, cleft for me, let me hide myself in Thee. Hold on to it no matter what the world says, what your church says, what the doctor says, hold on to the Rock of Ages. Stick there. Hold to it, and God will see that you get well. Don't you believe it? Amen. Yes, sir. Oh, my!
Then another thing: that manna tastes like honey in the rock. Did you ever get it? Did you ever taste it? We got some spiritual manna today. Do you believe that? God was furnishing them with that manna as long as they were in the journey.
That was a type of the Holy Ghost. Do you believe that? They furnished the natural manna for the natural man. Now, the spiritual man receives the manna from Heaven, which is the Holy Ghost.

52 When the church was inaugurated on the day of Pentecost---very beautiful type of the first manna falling---they was all up there in the upper room in one accord and suddenly there came from Heaven a sound like a rushing mighty wind. Filled all the house where they were sitting. Cloven tongues appeared on them, it was like fire.
They were all filled with the Holy Ghost and out into the streets they went, screaming and shouting and going on. And all the religious world standing out there, said, "Well, these guys are drunk. They're full of new wine. Well, listen at them. I never heard such a noise in my life."
Let me tell you something, my dear Catholic friend here this afternoon, the blessed virgin Mary was with them. That's right. And if God... Listen here now; you think you're starchy, look. If God wouldn't have respect no more the mother of Jesus Christ, and she couldn't get into Heaven until she went up there and received the baptism of the Holy Ghost and act like a drunk woman, how much more you got to have it before you get in there? That's right.

53 And she staggered like she was drunk. Hallelujah! Staggering like a drunk person. Oh, you ever hear a drunkard saying, "Oh, everything's just fine."
Now, "be not drunk upon strong drinks but be drunk on the Spirit." Hallelujah! That's what we need today is an old-fashioned drunken baptism of the Holy Ghost that burns out sin, double cure---an old-time backwoods, sky-blue, sin-killing religion. Hallelujah.
What the world needs today is an old-fashioned Saint Paul's revival and the Bible Holy Ghost back in the church. Amen. That's what's the matter with the church today: reason is formal and indifferent. Yes, sir.
Now, when they all received this, they begin to wonder. Said, "Men and brethren, what can we do?" They were eating the manna. Oh, my! Having a good time just glorifying God.
And Peter said, "Repent every one of you and be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of your sins, and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost." What?

54 Now, Aaron as soon as the first manna fell, God told Aaron and Moses, "Go out there and pick up several omers full of it and put it back in the Holy of holies, that when your children's children, all that come into the priesthood, will get a taste of the original manna." Oh, what a privilege when a man become a priest!
Now, remember, outside of the Holy of holies, that was the only one that kept. It wouldn't keep twenty-four hours. It got worms in it. That's what's the matter with the Pentecostal church today. Amen. What's the matter? The experience you had a year ago has got wiggletails in it today. Get rid of the thing; let's have one now.
You know what them little termites or whatever it is wiggles around in them broken cisterns, stagnated water. I know what I had yesterday. I know what I got today. Hallelujah! I'm looking for more of it. Lord, fill my soul every day. Yes, sir.

55 Then every priest that come in could have a bite of the original manna. And now, look. Peter said to repent and be baptized, and you would receive the gift of the Holy Ghost for this manna (in other words) is for your children and to your children's children, and to them that's far off even as many as the Lord our God shall call.
Now, today, now, the middle wall of partition is torn down and every man (every man, no matter who he is) that wants to be born again can come into the temple of God, get down to the altar, raise up his hands and get a mouthful, not something like it, but the original manna that fell on the day of Pentecost: the same works, the same manifestations, the same power, the same evidence. Everything that they got on Pentecost we can have today. Not something like it, but the same thing. Amen. Hallelujah.
These fellows back yonder in this old omer, they didn't get something looked like it. They got the original. Hallelujah. I'm glad today that you can get the original baptism of the Holy Ghost: power, signs, same wonders, the same miracles, the same resurrected Lord Jesus. Whew! Brother!

56 Oh, "The promise is unto your children and your children's children, to them that's far off, even as many as the Lord our God shall call." He said, "It tastes like honey in the rock," David did. Honey in the rock.
You know, the Israelites when they was in the journey, where they had a cleft in the rock, they went in the rock and found honey. Everything they had need of was right there in the rock. Everything you got need of today is right in the Rock, Christ Jesus. Is that right? Yes, sir.

57 Now, David, being a shepherd, he used to... Shepherds used to carry a scrip bag on their side, and every time they'd get a sick sheep, they'd take some of this honey out of the scrip bag and rub it on a rock, on a limestone rock, and the sheep would go licking this honey, and he'd get that limestone out of the rock and it would heal the sick sheep.
Now, brother, I got a whole scrip bag full of it. I'm going to put it on, not the Pentecostal church, not the Baptist church, but on Christ Jesus, and you sick sheep start licking. And I'm telling you when you go to licking on the honey, you're going to lick off divine healing as sure as I'm standing in this pulpit today. So just lick, lick, lick, lick until you're well. Amen.

58 Oh, what you need. Just pour the honey over Christ Jesus. How wonderful, how glorious, how powerful, how everything. You just start licking on it, and see what happens. You'll find that cancer gone. You'll find those blinded eyes open, them crippled legs will walk, and that dumb tongue a-speaking, that deaf ear hearing. Hallelujah! Amen.
Oh, how good. Notice, what we need today is that back in the church again. You believe that?
Not long ago my brother... Oh, it's been years ago. My brother and I one day, we got down. We were looking at an old terrapin. You know what they are. You people here ... turtle. They walk kind of funny, you know, and I seen one walking. I said, "Look at that funny thing."

59 And we got down to him and you know what he done? Soon as we got to him, he went, "Shhh." Drawed up in his shell. Puts me in the mind of some church members. That's right. Get around close to them with the real Gospel, they draw up in their shell, you know.
Say, "I don't believe it that stuff. Days of miracles is past." Oh, my. Yes, sir.
I said, "Get out of there!" He wouldn't do it. You can't scold them out of it. So I went down, I said, "I will make him get out." I got me a switch and I really poured it on him. It didn't do him a bit of good. He just stayed right in it. You can't beat them into it. That's right. Your programs, whatever it is. You'll never do it.

60 So I said, "I'll fix him!" And I took him down to the creek and stuck him down in the water. I said, "I will drown him or he'll walk." I stuck him down and just two or three bubbles come up. He just stuck right in his shell. You can baptize them face forward, backward three times, four times, up-side-down, sprinkle them, whatever you want to. They're still a sinner, but, brother, I got me a piece of paper and kindled a little fire and set it on him. Boy, he really went then. That's right.
What we need today is a old-time pouring out of the baptism of the Holy Ghost and fire. That'll move the church when nothing else will touch it. Do you believe it? Get some Fire in the church.
The trouble of it is we put it all in the furnace and took it off the altar. Amen. Yes, sir.

61 I could see John back there now when ... or, Zacharias as soon as the baby was born, here come forth, and he spoke and prophesied and said what would take place. We know what kind of a child must this be. All the regions was wondering what kind of a child this must be.
And Zacharias prophesied. So did his mother prophesy at his birth. About nine years old, he never went over to some cemetery... or, seminary. (You know, I always make a mistake there, because they're so much alike I can't hardly tell them apart. A cemetery and a seminary is both dead places.) All right.

62 Brother, we don't need to know theology today. We want kneeology today is what we need to be born again. That's right. The simplicity of the Gospel.
Always felt so sorry for an incubator chicken. A little old incubator chicken is hatched out. He just chirp, chirp, chirp and ain't got no mammy to go to.
Puts me in the mind of seminary preacher that knows no more about God than a Hottentot knows about Egyptian night. A lot of theology and read a whole lot off a piece of paper. I'd rather have a man that didn't know his ABC's and could preach the Bible under the power of the Holy Ghost than all the theology you could poke down his throat in ten years. Hallelujah.
Shhew! What am I feeling this way about? Look. Amen. Yes, sir. What we need today is what? Is a new cleaning up in the church. Don't you believe that?

63 It's almost... When mating seasons come, the first thing you know birds go out and build their nests. They make a nest up in the tree. They take all their eggs and lay them and the old mother bird sets over them; and she warms them, hatches them, goes away. But now if that mother bird hasn't been in contact with the male bird... The germ of life comes from the male sex. We know that.
A hen can lay an egg, but if she hasn't been with the male bird, it'll never hatch. That's right. Germ comes from the male, and just like birds. You can take an old mother bird, if she hasn't been with the male bird and she can make a nest, lay a nice nest-full of big, round eggs, and she can sit there and hover them and warm them and get so poor she can't even fly off the nest, and them eggs will lay right in there and rot. That's right. They'll never hatch because they're not fertile.

64 And that's what I think about the churches today, brethren, we've got a great big bunch of deacons and so forth that don't know nothing about God, till we got to pat them on the back, and because they're this and that, we put them in the church and heads and everything like that. We got our nest full of rotten eggs.
What we need is somebody in contact with Jesus Christ. It's time to dump the nest out and get started again. That's right. Turn the nest up-side-down and get somebody in there that's been in contact with the Maker, Jesus Christ, who believes that God lives. Hallelujah!
You're going to call me holy-roller anyhow so you might as well get started right now, see. Yes, sir. What I mean today that we need life in the church, eternal Life.
Men and women ... if you get men and women born again, why, you talk about a healing campaign in your church... They say, "Hum, don't believe in that old kind of stuff." Sure, he can't. He is an old rotten egg. Yes, sir.

65 First thing you know these people set around there and most of the members... I'm preaching... Listen, brother, I got to answer before God some day. That's right.
Not long ago, you holiness people, how you used to do ... take your women out here, how they would dress.
Here not long ago a fellow... I had a man driving a truck; he smoked cigarettes. And a man said to me, said, "You can't have that around us holiness people."
I said, "The man's a good man. He don't claim to be a Christian, and I'm just letting him drive one of them trucks out there."
Said, "Well, brother, you can't do that." Said, "That man smokes cigarettes."
And the very same day in California, in my meeting, they brought ... He says, "I want you to meet our District Presbyter."
I said, "How do you do, sir. I'm glad to meet you, brother."
He said, "Here's my wife. I want you to meet..."

66 And, brother... Now, women, don't let this hurt you, see, but she was painted like I don't know what. Two big earrings hanging way down like the devil was using her neck for a saddle and them for stirrups and setting up there with clothes on that looked like everything.
And I said, "Do you mean that's that preacher's wife?"
He said, "Yes."
And I said, "Is she a saint?"
Said, "Yes."
I said, "She looks like a "hain't" to me, instead of a saint." Sitting there like that.

67 It's a shame. You've let down the bars, brother, sister. That's exactly what you got. You got starch in the church. You want to come back to the old-fashioned Gospel again that cleans men up. Amen.
Here's a little one for you. Let me tell you, sisters, and I've always had my opinion of women. Today I see where that ninety-eight percent medical claims of cancer of the throat and lungs comes from cigarette smokers, and women smoke cigarettes. There's more men has lung cancer and throat cancer, but the women's beginning to get it now because it takes about twenty years for it to develop.

68 They taken seven rats and put them in a cage in St. Louis, Missouri, give them seven cigarette smokes a day and at the end of the year all seven of them had cancer. Why, it's a disgrace, and ninety percent of the church members today smoke cigarettes. That's right. It's a disgrace. Yes, sir.
And if the women, if you only realize how many hundreds of billions of dollars each year that women spend in America for manicure (ever what you put on your lips; I don't know what the stuff is.) Anyhow, how many millions of dollars that these people make of that stuff they put on their face and make-up like that.
And when poor little kids over yonder and missionaries sitting here dormant because they can't go. They ain't got money enough to go on. God will make you answer for it at the day of Judgment. That's right. It's the truth.

69 Yet, Christians, calling yourself Christians, coming around all fixed up and made-up. There was only one woman in the Bible ever painted her face, and that was Jezebel. You know what God did to her? He fed her to the dogs. That's right.
And when you see a woman acting like that and calling herself a Christian say, "How do you do, Miss Dogmeat?" That's what she is: dog meat. God gave her to the dogs. Yes, sir.
Oh, what we need today is a good old-fashioned Holy Ghost stirring among the people that get men and women back to the living God again. What's the matter? The world's dead. There we go.
I can see when this man John was born, when he come out of the wilderness of Judea, he didn't have a tuxedo on, his collar turned around in the back, eating fried chicken and ice cream three times a day, but he had locusts and wild honey, and he had a big old piece of sheepskin draped around him with a camel skin belt lapped on him.

70 Oh, what a preacher! Hair all bushed out around his face like that, but, brother, he didn't know any theology and he didn't know any of these seminary experience. He stayed in the wilderness under the power of God until God sent him out. Hallelujah.
God give us some more men that's God-sent men. When he walked out of there, brother, he wasn't so eloquent to look at ... his speech wasn't so eloquent, rather, but I tell you what he did. He preached the sermons that stirred all the regions around Judea and Jerusalem. Everything come out to hear him. Why? He preached Christ, (Hallelujah!) not theology, but Christ.
What's the matter with the world today, we've substituted our creeds and things to take the place of the Holy Ghost. Creeds will never shove the church on. The Holy Ghost leads the church. Amen.
Brother, that's the old-fashioned sassafras Gospel, but it saved me and it'll do the same thing for you. It's truth. It's hard. I know it's hard, but, brother, sometimes you have to get broke up before you can get made up again. It's the truth.

71 I can see John standing out there preaching, but he stirred all the regions around about Jordan. Here come down Jesus. Was baptized of him. When He went straightway out of the water and the heavens opened and said, "This is my beloved Son in whom I am pleased to dwell in."
Jesus went forth... Now, it comes to our text, our place quickly. Listen close. Then His ministry started. He went over to live with Martha and Mary and them at Bethany. Now, He was called away.

72 When Jesus went away from that home, sickness and sorrow come in; and when Jesus goes away from your home, sickness and sorrow'll come in. Yes, sir. Watch. If you turn Jesus down at your home, quit having family prayer, quit having Bible readings, and so forth in your home, look for trouble to come in. That's right. It's on its road right then.
Jesus went away. Not this case, He wasn't driven away. Their immorals wasn't driving Him away, but He went away because the Father had showed Him a vision. He went away.
They sent for Him to come pray when Lazarus got sick. He went on. Oh, my. What would happen today if your pastor do that?

73 Well, He went away. First thing, they sent again. Lazarus at the point of death. He just ignored them, went on. If that would have happened to your pastor, why, you'd say, "That hypocrite. I'll go over to the Assemblies of God. I won't fool with him." The Assemblies of God did you that way, "I'll take down to the Methodists, or the Baptists."
That's what it is, you pack your paper from one church to another one, and one church to another one, till you've wore the thing out and it's turned yellow. Get your name written on the Lamb's Book of Life and stay put. Amen.

74 Nothing to your church letters anyhow. Don't do you one bit of good. God wouldn't never recognize one at all. Only those who's got their name written on His Book up there by the blood of His own Son is the only one God'll recognize.
And here they went. Now remember, and Lazarus died. The darkest hour that home ever seen. Now, they'd left their church, put out of the synagogue to follow Jesus. He had disappointed them.
Now, doesn't life get that way sometime? Look like everything in the world happened, but remember the Bible said, "All things work together for good to them love God." It's got to be for the good.
Then first thing you know after all this happened, then Jesus ... He heard ... He said, "Lazarus is dead. Lazarus sleepeth, He said first.
The disciples said, "Oh, well, if he sleepeth, he doeth well."

75 He said, He told them in their own words, you see. "Lazarus is dead and for your sake I am glad I wasn't there, but I go wake him." Here He goes down. I see the Father had already showed Him what to do. That's the reason He stayed those three days. That's the reason when this time was up, what was going to happen.
Here He goes in. Now, look. It seems like that Martha and Mary had a right to upbraid Him. And would say, "Now, here," scold Him. "Why didn't You come?" But Martha, as she had been dilatory in many things, but when she heard that Jesus was coming, she went to meet Him.
I can hear the old Pharisees standing on the corner, saying, "Ha ha! Now, where did that holy-roller go? That divine healer. There's His buddy laying sick; he's dead now. Why didn't He come? Uh-huh. Told you it was all mental telepathy anyhow. Told you there was nothing to it."
There they are standing on the corner. Here comes little Martha. Say, "There's one of them now. We stuck her out of the synagogue. You think you're coming back."

76 "Go on with your old synagogue." She was making her way to meet Jesus. She had something to see to Him. I believe Martha had read that story in the Bible, that where that Shunammite woman come in distress, and she had to go get the prophet; and the Shunammite woman believed for that dead baby, that God was in His prophet. She said, "If God is in His prophet, then surely God is in His Son." That's right.
So she said, "Now," the Shunammite women said, "All is well. Just let me get to the prophet, and he'll understand." I like that about that Shunammite woman. She said, "Go forward and don't you even check your going unless I bid you."
I like that. "Go forward." Yes, sir. And when she got to the prophet, the prophet said, "Here comes that Shunammite," and said, "she's grieved, but God has kept it from me." He said, "Is all well with thee? All well with thy husband? Is all well with thy child?" Oh, I love this.

77 She said, "All is well." Amen! Oh, I feel good. Run through a troop, leap over a wall. Look. Said, "All is well." Why? Her baby laying there a corpse. Her husband screaming, and frantically walking up and down in front of the house. The neighbors all... "All is well." Amen. I like that. What had it?
She had come to God's representative, that prophet, Elisha. She come up to him. She said, "All is well."
"All's well with you?"
"Yes."
"All well with your husband?"
"Yes."
"All well with the baby?"
"All is well." Then she run up and fell down at his feet begin to reveal what...
He said, "Now, I don't know what to do." Told Elisha take the ... or Gehazi take his staff and go on, but Elisha went over there and woke the baby up and give it back.

78 Now, Martha had probably read that story. So all was well as long as this woman could get to God's representative of the earth. Now, she thought, If the Shunammite woman could do that with a prophet, how much more would she have if she come to the Son of God?
Now, watch when she comes. Now, instead of scolding Him, saying, "Why didn't You come? We're going to leave Your church." No. No. She run right up to Him where she's at ... where He was at and she fell down at His feet and she said, "Lord." That's what He was. She give Him His right title what He was. She said, "Lord, if Thou would've been here, my brother would not have died." What a compliment. "Lord! If Thou would've been here, my brother would not have died."
Now, watch. "But even now, Lord." He's been dead four days. "But even now, Lord. Whatever You ask God, God will give it to You." I like that, don't you? He's dead four days, "But even now, Lord, whatever You ask God."

79 You've been paralyzed like that a long time, son; but even now, Lord. Many of you sitting out here with a cancer, with heart trouble, "But even now, Lord." The doctor said, "You can't get well."
"But even now, Lord, whatever You ask God."
He is sitting on the right hand of the Father. You believe that? To make intercession. Even now, Lord. Whatever you ask, God, I'll do it. Whatever you ask God, God will do, even now.
You say, "Brother Branham, I've tried to get in the prayer line. I've tried to get prayer cards. I've tried to be prayed for. I've been lame. I couldn't walk for so long." But even now, Lord. Whatever you ask God, God will give it to you. Amen. Hallelujah!

80 Even now, Lord. The little lady sitting there in a wheelchair, been paralyzed like that for years, but even now, Lord. Whatever you ask God, God'll give it to You and He's sitting at the right hand of the Father, making intercessions for you. Whatever you ask God, God will give it thee. Oh, I love that.
Now, watch. The old prophetic wheels are moving together now. What? There's the woman in distress. Her brother's dead. She's coming to the only resource that can give him life. Now, she's meeting the conditions. She said, "Lord." That's what He is. "I know that whatever You ask God, God'll give it to You." I tell you something's beginning to come together now. Something's going to happen.
He said, "Thy brother shall rise again."
She said, "Yes, Lord. I know he'll raise." The Jews believed in the general resurrection. Said, "I know, Lord. He'll raise in the last days at the general resurrection. He was a good boy, and I know he'll raise in the last days at the resurrection."

81 Watch Him. The Bible said, "There was no beauty we should desire Him." Little old skinny Guy, Jesus was. He wasn't a great, big priestly looking fellow, but a little skinny Fellow and He straightened His little frame up. He said, "I AM the resurrection and life." Hallelujah. "He that believeth in Me, though he were dead, yet shall he live. Believest thou this?"
Watch. Everything's moving up just right. Right. She said, "Yea, Lord, I believe what You said You was. I believe that You are the Son of God that was to come into the world."

82 Something's got to happen. Something's got to happen. There she was recognizing Him, recognizing His deity, recognizing His authority, recognizing what relationship He was to Almighty God, recognizing His power before God. She said, "Whatever You ask God, God'll give it to You, and I believe You're just exactly what You said You was."
Oh, my! Something's got to happen now. The strings are coming together, winding around. He said, "Where you buried him?"
She said, "Come see." And away they went.

83 Here not long ago ... I ain't saying nothing about your religion, Christian Science, but a Christian Science woman said to me, she said, "Reverend Branham, you put too much emphasis on the deity of Jesus Christ."
I said, "How do you..."
She said, "You brag too much about Him." Said, "Your God ... your God... Everybody's a god in theirself."
I said, "Oh, no. No. No." I said, "He was..."
She said, "He was no more than a man."
I said, "He was God."

84 She said, "Why, He couldn't have been." Said, "If I prove to you by the Scripture that He wasn't no more than a mere man, will you accept it?"
I said, "Yes, ma'am, if the Scripture said He was mere man, I'll believe what the Scripture says, but first I want to know where you're going."
She said, "Well, now I will prove it to you." She used this same Scripture. She said, "When Jesus was going down to the grave of Lazarus, the Bible said, 'He wept.'" Said, "That showed that He was mortal that He wept like a man."

85 I said, "That's true, lady. He was a Man when He was weeping. When He went to the grave He sorrowed with the rest of them that was sorrowful. He joyed with the rest of them when they was joyful," but I said, "He was more than a Man." I said, "When He went to the grave of Lazarus, He was weeping like a Man, but when He stood there and pulled His little self together and said, 'Lazarus, come forth.'"
"And a man that had been dead for four days, his soul four-days' journey somewhere, corruption knew its Master. His soul that had been gone four days. I don't know where, neither do you, so we wouldn't argue about that, but that soul returned back to the body and a man been dead for four days stood on his feet and lived again. Brother, that was more than a Man then speaking. That was God speaking in His Man." Do you believe that? Yes, sir.

86 He was a Man when He come down off the mountain that night so hungry. He was trying to find something to eat, looking all around the tree trying to find something to eat. He was a Man when He was hungered. That's right, but when He took five biscuits, and two little fishes, and broke them, and fed five thousand, that was more than a Man. That was God speaking out of that man. He was a God Man. That's right.
He was a Man when He was laying back of that little boat that night. It flopped around on the ocean, them waves like a bottle stopper, and ten thousand devils of the sea swore they would drown Him that night. The storms come down as gale. The boat was filling up. The sails was gone. The disciples' hearts was failing them.

87 He was a Man when all that wreckage and things wouldn't wake Him up. He was a Man laying there, had been praying for the sick all day. Virtue had gone out of Him and He was weary and resting. He was a Man when He was asleep, but when He put His foot on the brail of that boat and said, "Peace be still." That was more than a Man when the seas and the waves obey Him. That was God speaking out of His Son. God was in His Son reconciling the world to Himself.
Believest thou this?
He was a Man when He screamed for mercy yonder at Calvary hanging between the heavens and the earth bleeding out His blood. The blood of Jehovah Himself dropping down upon the sinful world, bathing it with His blood.

88 When He screamed, "My, God. My, God. Why hast Thou forsaken Me?" That was a Man when He died, but on Easter morning, when the tombs broke and the seals of death and chords was unloosed and He arose from the dead triumphant, He proved He was God. Hallelujah.
Living, He loved me; dying, He saved me;
Buried, He carried my sins far away;
Rising, He justified freely forever:
Some day He is coming, oh, glorious day!

89 Believest thou this? I believe that same Jesus is here today. Do you believe this? I believe that same Jesus is risen among us tonight ... or, today showing signs and wonders in His resurrection. Believest thou this? I believe it is the same One the woman touched the hem of His garment. Believest thou this?
I believe He is the One that raised Lazarus from the dead. Believest thou this? I believe it is the One took the Hebrew children out of the fiery furnace. Believest thou this?
I believe He is here right now. Believest thou this? I believe that's what we feel in our soul right now. Believest thou this? I believe that's what the audience is anointed with now. Believest thou this?

90 I believe He is here to heal ever sick person right now. Believest thou this?
I believe He is here to fill everybody with the Holy Ghost right now. Believest thou this? Hallelujah! I believe He is going to do it right now. Believest thou this?
I believe the cripples will walk, the blind will see, the deaf will hear. Believest thou this?
Let's stand to our feet and give Him praise. I believe God will do it. Believest thou this? Let's raise our voices to God. Hallelujah.

91 Father, we believe that You're the Son of God. We believe that You're here with us today. We believe that Your power is everlasting. We believe that You cannot fail. We believe that You poured out Your Spirit from on high. We believe that Pentecost is here.
We believe the power of God is here. We believe that signs and wonders are here. We believe the Holy Ghost is here. We believe all these things, Lord. Now, send the Holy Ghost again like a rushing mighty wind. Fill the room, Lord, where they're sitting.
May the power of God sweep through this building and pour out again, Lord, of all your signs and wonders, and signs of the believers of this day and give peace, joy, satisfaction, heal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse the lepers. God, grant it, in the name of Jesus Christ we pray.
Let's give God praise. Hallelujah! Hallelujah! Hallelujah! Praise be to the living God! Hallelujah! Hallelujah!
I believe every person here can get the Holy Ghost. How many wants it? Wave your hand. How many wants the Holy Ghost. Just keep waving and look up. Look up, keep waving. Lord, I believe. Lord, I believe. Saviour, raise my faith in Thee till I can move a mountain. Lord, I believe. All my doubts are buried in the fountain. Hallelujah. Praise be to God.

92 What a wonderful time! How many of you sinners wants to come up here and say, "I want to be saved right now, Brother Branham. I want to accept Jesus Christ as my Saviour." Raise up your hand. Raise up your hand, all sinners, raise up your hands. Everywhere. That's right.
Would you come here? If God will hear my prayers to open the ears of the deaf, make the blind to see, won't He hear me for your salvation? Come up here, every sinner's invited right now while we sing: Pass Me Not, O Gentle Saviour, hear my humble cry; while on other Thou art calling, do not pass me by.
Listen, friends, what if Paul Rader could look down and hear your pastor this afternoon? This is the same kind of services Paul Rader had. What if old Billy Sunday sitting yonder in the eternal realms of Glory sitting down by God at the evergreen trees yonder, that preached over this same pulpit here, come in here this afternoon he would holler, "Hit the sawdust trail!" That's right.

93 Oh, men and women. How many here without Jesus Christ wants the baptism of the Holy Ghost. Raise your hands. Will you come forward now while we sing? Pass Me Not, O Gentle Saviour. All right. [Congregation sings: Pass Me not.]
Will you come out here, [unclear words]? [ Could be: and meet (or seek) God?]
Oh, do not pass me by.
Come on, now. Let's come on. Stand around the altar.
Saviour........
Hear my humble cry;
While on others Thou art calling,
Do not pass me by.
Saviour........
Hear my humble cry;
While on others Thou art calling,
Do not pass me by.

94 Listen, friends. This may be the last day this side of eternity that you'll ever have an opportunity to come to God. Won't you come now? Won't you come now and receive Jesus Christ into your heart and the baptism of the Holy Spirit?
If you're without the Holy Ghost today, this might be the very time where God will repeat Pentecost again. In another few minutes from now, this building may be illuminated with the power of God, people going out of here with the baptism of the Holy Spirit.

95 Look. Here stands a couple hundred people, I guess, standing around the altar. Won't you come take your place now while we sing once more, will you? Come. You're invited. God is waiting for you to come now. All right. Turn right around and shake hands with somebody and say, "Are you a Christian?" All right.
Pass me not, O gentle Saviour,
Hear my humble cry;
While on others Thou are calling,
Do not pass me by.
Saviour, Saviour,
O hear my humble cry;
While on other Thou are calling,
Do not pass me by.

96 Won't you listen to the Spirit of God now? You're sitting in these meetings watching the supernatural rise. You're seeing things taking place. Signs that you never seen, hasn't been repeated since the Bible days when Jesus was here.
What's happening? Judgment is going to strike this world pretty soon. If you're outside the kingdom of God, don't be caught like that. Come right now. God bless you, young man. Just give your heart to Christ recently. I see a Light still hanging above you. God bless you. You get the Holy Ghost now. Stand right there and believe it with all your heart. The Holy Spirit was speaking to you just a few minutes ago when I first made the altar call. You know you should've come. That's right, and I was waiting to see you come.

97 I know there's others in here ought to be standing around this group right now. Won't you come once more while we sing: Oh, Why Not Tonight? You know it, my brother? All right. Oh, Why Not Tonight? Will you come right now? Will thou be saved? Oh, Why not tonight? Old-fashioned Wesleyan altar call. All right, if you will, brethren.
Oh, why not tonight?
Oh, why not tonight?
Will thou be saved?
And why not tonight?
Tomorrow the sun may never rise
To bless thy long deluded sight,
This is the time, oh, then be wise,
Be saved all tonight.
Oh, why not tonight?
Oh,

98 won't you come now? Move out of the aisles where you are. If you'll move right now and come up here, God'll save you right now. Will you come?
Be saved and why not tonight?
Let's bow our heads a minute.
Lord Jesus, You know the heart of every man in here. You know the heart of every woman, boy, or girl, or child. This may be the last altar call that'll ever be made before Jesus comes. Maybe there's men and women in here that won't be here one week from today. They may not be here one more day.

99 God, I pray that You'll speak to their hearts right now, knowing that the Gospel of Jesus Christ has saving grace in it for every whosoever will let him come. To die without Christ is to go to a devil's hell and a ceaseless punishing eternity but to accept Jesus Christ and to be born again of His Spirit is life eternal to everyone who will believe it.
Won't you grant it today, Lord? Speak to Your people again, I pray in Jesus' name.
Now, while you have your heads bowed, is there someone back out there in the audience saying, "Brother Branham, I haven't got conviction enough to stand up there with those people to accept Christ, but will you remember me in prayer?" Will you raise up your hand and say, "It's me, Brother Branham." I don't know your hearts. God does.
Well, God bless you, lady, I see your hand. God bless you. I see your hand. Someone else over in here raise up your hand and say, "I haven't conviction to come, but I wish you would pray for me, Brother Branham." God bless you, sir. I trust now the altar's empty or ready now to receive you. Jesus Christ is standing with outstretched arms.

100 Every man and woman here who has a need of God can receive it right now. Do you believe that? How many believes with all your heart now? Now you sinners and people seeking the Holy Ghost, here's what the Holy Ghost is, friends, you that's seeking it. You don't have to seek and beg and tarry. It's right with you now, see.
You say, "Well, we need a tarrying meeting." Tarry means "wait," not "pray." While Peter spake these words, the Holy Ghost... They had to wait till the end of the forty days... or, fifty days for Pentecost. There's no more waiting after that. Right now you can receive it. No more tarrying. Just now. Just have a willing heart. Reach right up to God.
The other day when that archbishop standing here... Fought my... He said... Four months ago he criticized me and made fun of me and everything else, and he come into the room, he said, "I want to receive the Holy Spirit." Just laid hands on him and the Holy Ghost come on him.

101 Dr. Lee, one of the great fundamentals of the south, come up there to [unclear words] and called me a witch. And the other day sat in my house with tears running down his cheeks had received the Holy Ghost and couldn't hardly talk in English. That's right. He said, "Brother Branham, I am your brother now." Oh, what a difference.
What he done for Dr. Lee, Dr. Reedhead, the bishop and all those others, He's right here ready to do for the least and lowest ... the peasant person, the drunkard that'll come off the street and repent of his sins, God'll will give you this blessed Holy Ghost.
Last night when I was riding through the bowery ... or, skid row down here, see that picture of life the other side. Them poor drunks laying piled on the street, and Brother Boze and I going down through there. To see it was a pitiful looking sight. That would be you if it wasn't for the grace of God. That would be me if it wasn't the grace of God.

102 Oh, mothers, boys and fine men it once was, laying there on that place now, my heart just bled. I couldn't sleep hardly last night for hours after I got home, of a thinking of it. What can I do, Lord?
And God has give you the privilege to stand here sane and in your right mind today, looking straight yonder at Calvary. Well, God will bless you and give you the baptism of the Holy Ghost right now. Do you believe it?
Now, I want you to do something. If you'll do this, if you'll forget who's standing next to you, if you'll forget who's in the room, forget even where you're at, just say, "Lord Jesus, I'm coming to You. You promised me the Holy Ghost, and by Your help I will never leave this altar until You give me the baptism of the Holy Ghost."

103 If you'll be that determined with God and that sincere, you'll go out of here with the baptism of the Holy Ghost, sealed into the kingdom of God. How long? Until the end of your destination here on earth. Ephesians 4:30 says, "Grieve not the Holy Spirit of God, whereby you're sealed until the day of your redemption."
Then you're secured off yonder in Christ when you've received the baptism of the Holy Ghost. Do you want It? How many in the building wants it right now, the baptism of the Holy Ghost? All right. Is God a liar? God forbid that God would ever tell anything that was wrong.
Now, God has promised that whosoever will, let him come and drink from the fountains of the water of life. Is that right? I tell you what I want you to do. You stand around the altar, lay yours hands over on one another here, each one of you; and out yonder somewhere I want you out there that wants the Holy Ghost lay your hands on one another.

104 And I want you to repeat this in your heart. "God, I'm not going to leave here till You give me the Holy Ghost right now," and God will grant it to you. You believe it? Now, let's raise up our hands. Let's raise up our heads, and thank God and give Him praise for the baptism of the Holy Ghost.
Lord Jesus, send down the Holy Ghost just now. Fill every heart here, Lord. May the Holy Ghost power go to falling upon these people. May signs and wonders follow, Lord. May this be the greatest day of the revival. May the Holy Ghost fall, may sick people be healed. May deaf hear, blind see, and may the Spirit of God fill every heart of the believer in here. Grant it, Lord.
Now, we've asked. You said when the people prayed with one accord the building was shook where they were assembled together. Send an old-fashioned shaking to every soul, Lord, that these people may receive the baptism of the Holy Ghost.

105 Keep praising. Just keep giving Him praise. Forget about where you're standing. Raise up your hands. Give Him praise. Raise up your hands. Just keep praising Him. Don't look up here. Look up yonder to Heaven. Give Him praise. Say, "Thank You, Lord. Thank You, Lord Jesus. I praise You, Lord. Thank You, Lord."
Just give Him praise, and God'll fill you with the Holy Ghost right now. Amen. Amen. God bless you, sonny boy. Amen. Keep praising Him. Keep praising Him. Look up to Him, say, "Thank You, Lord Jesus." That's right. That's it, mother. There's one woman received the Holy Ghost standing right here now. Another one. Come on now. That's right. Keep praising God. Hallelujah. All out through the audience, give Him praise. Praise Him and give Him glory. Hallelujah. Glory to God. Glory to God. Amen. Hallelujah.
Clap your hands. Give Him praise. Say, "Thank You, Lord. Thank You, Lord. Thank You, Lord."

Believest thou this?

You can find this sermon at ChurchAges.net

1 Before we pray I would like to say this, that---last evening I believe it was---I said to a lady, "If you'll just do as we're instructed to do," that the baby with the water head, it would shrink. And the baby's head shrunk last night one half an inch, by measure of a string. The lady brought it here now. Now the reason I did that, sister, is for a purpose. See, if you can see something tangible happen, that'll make your faith increase to keep believing it. Sometimes I do that, just ... maybe like ask a person to get up, make a step or two, move your hand, wiggle your finger, just something that they can do that's different, just to let them see that it's all all right. They just get nervous and think it isn't going to happen, but it's happening all the time, see. It has to.

2 How many wants to be remembered in prayer now? Would you just raise your hands, and say, "Lord, grant it." Let us bow our heads. Lord, as we hear this grand old hymn of the church, wrote by my precious friend Paul Rader, "Only Believe," we are thinking now of a boy was brought by his father to the disciples. No more than ten days after Jesus had given them power to cast out devils and heal the sick, and here they was completely defeated on an epileptic case. And they seen our Lord coming, and the father ran and said, "Lord, have mercy on us. My son is seriously vexed with a devil, and I brought him to your disciples and they could not cure him."
Jesus said, "I can, if ye believe. Only believe."
O God, You haven't changed a bit since then. You're just the same loving, sweet, and compassionate God. As You were then, so are You today. Lord, like that father we all cry, "Lord, help Thou our unbelief." It's so simple, we just stumble over it, Father.

3 We want to offer You thanks and praise for touching that little baby last night. To see that that skull that's been swollen---that is, that the bone has pushed out---it went down half an inch last night, we are grateful for that, Father. When ... we know that our doctors has nothing in the research for it, there is nothing that they can do for it, but Thou art still God, the master of all situations. We thank Thee, Father. We thank Thee for this mother's loyalty and sweetness and obedience, to bring back the string and paste it on this piece of paper here, to show to the public her testimony for the glory of God. May her little one live and be a normal child, for Your glory.
Look at all those hands that went up, Father. Each of them had a need. Mine up too, Father, I have needs. And here's many here in the form of letter, or in this box, that's needy, people who are really needy. Let it come to pass, Lord, that each will receive their request this night. May they take this mother's testimony and ... just as an example to show that when You say anything, it's finished. All we have to do is to receive it and act upon it. It's a finished work. Grant, Lord, that each one of these letters and these handkerchiefs, the people that they are laid upon, may they be healed. Everyone that raised their hands, Father, they may receive their heart's desire. We ask it in Jesus' name. Amen. You may be seated.

4 I just wanted to show you the string here that the lady ... (there you are) that the little baby's head did shrink, as the Lord promised us through the Holy Spirit last night. Isn't He wonderful? Gives us so much courage to have faith and believe.
Now, when Jesus said to that tree in Mark 11:23, "No man eateth from thee from henceforth," He might not have yelled out. Why, frankly, He was so easy about it till his disciples ... just, I think, one of them heard Him. When that epileptic, when it come up before the Lord Jesus, the boy had the hardest fit he ever had---perhaps fell on the ground like he was dead. But he realized that he met someone who had faith far above those apostles.

5 Now, I'd like for someone that didn't believe in divine healing to watch this. Jesus had given them power to cast the spirits out, and they had failed. Not the power had failed, but they had failed. Jesus told them.
"Why could we not cast him out?"
He said, "Because of your unbelief."
The church still has the power. God has never taken His power from the church, but the church don't have faith enough to act upon it. That's all. It's just that simple. We try to make it so complicated sometimes, but the more simple you make the gospel, the more reality you'll have---when you just get real simple with it. "God said so. That settles it, that's all." And just believe it, go ahead.

6 When Jesus said, "No man eateth from thee," why, the leaves were just as pretty and bright as they ever was, the bark looked the same. But way down beneath the ground in those roots the life began to dwindle away. So is it upon a cancer, upon any kind of disease that you might want to think. When you can accept God's Word, way down deep in the roots... The cancer may be there, your hand may be just as stiff---that don't have anything to do with divine healing. It's "If thou canst believe..." Way down somewhere it has already gone to work.

7 Jesus said, "If you say to this mountain be moved, and don't doubt in your heart, but believe," that what you said will come to pass. You can have what you've said. Isn't that lovely? Who did that come from? The Son of God whose words... Heavens and earth will pass away but, now, but His words won't.
Now, the only way that you can do that, you've got to have the right objective and the right motive. Now, if I went out here and said, "I'll show you I can move this mountain. Be moved, mountain," it would never move. Certainly not, no matter what I had. It's got to be ... first you've got to find the will of God.
That's the reason usually in the prayer lines I get the very hardest, is because it's something that's went through lines and so forth, and that's where you get it back. But, see, if you've got unconfessed sin... Did you ever notice? On a case, before I ask the evil spirit to leave, I watch that case real sure, to be certain that there's nothing in that life that would hinder anything. Because, remember, on these gifts you can get in trouble with them.

8 God (do you remember one time?) gave a prophet ... made a prophet out of a man, Moses, and told him to go down and speak to the rock. And the prophet was all excited, and went down and smote the rock---speaking of the weakness of Christ, that he would have to die the second time ... or, be smitten the second time. He had power to bring it, but it wasn't the will of God.
I never could believe that it was God's will for Elijah to go around ... because them children was teasing him about being bald-headed. I don't think he should've did that. But he was a prophet and was angered, and he put a curse on those children, and two she-bears killed forty-two little innocent children. But I don't believe he should've done that. And it's just ... God, I believe, today before He puts His church in power, He tries His church to see what it will do. Next time, maybe, if the Lord willing, when I come back we'll have time to dwell on something like that, on something that's fixing to happen. Then we'll know more about it then.

9 But if you'll just speak the word, say, "Lord, I believe it," don't doubt, mean it in your heart... Now, say, for instance I was in a valley, and I don't ... I'm preaching to millions of people, but just across the mountain there is a group of people of one hundred, and they are dying without knowing Christ. Well, I've got a million here to preach to, but yet something in my heart is telling me, "Get across to those people. Get to them, they're perishing." I don't want to go myself, but yet there is something in me. See, that's God then, moving.
See what the objective is, see what the motive is of going---not for self. Now if I say ... well, if my objective is right, to get over there, but then I get up there, and here's a big mountain, I'd say, "You know, if I get over that mountain and save all those hundred people, someday they'll have a statue there: Brother Branham, the great missionary," now my motive is not right. The mountain won't fall. No, sir.

10 But when my motive and objective is right, and God in my heart is leading me, and I can't get over the mountain, around the mountain, under the mountain, I'd say, "Mountain, move." Maybe when I say that, no more than I say it ---with that kind of a right spirit, led of the Holy Spirit in the will of God---there might not be but one little spoonful of that mountain drop down; but it's on it's road. The next day there may be two pounds fall, the next day a quarter of a ton, and maybe in a month five ton drops in. What of it? May not even see it yet, but she's moving, on its road. I'll stay right there and watch the thing be done, because God said so and that just settles it.
Can you think that about your mother there tonight? All right, if you'll think it, she'll get well. All right. That's if you just believe it. Just speak the Word and stay with it, see. Just believe it, hang on to it. It's eternal life.

11 Now, tomorrow afternoon... I told Billy tonight just omit the prayer cards. I wanted to speak. I'm confessing, in truth, I've been going since January---overseas, and back in Phoenix, right home and back---and all completely that discernment, till I am so weak I hardly know where I'm standing at times. It's just about got me whipped out. Now I have to leave, and you brethren invited me to stay over for some more days. How I appreciate that! I certainly think that this is a wonderful bunch of ministers here. Wish we could've had a little more time for fellowship. If the Lord willing, I'll be back some time---if nothing else just go from one church to the other, and wind around through the city and visit you all. I'll be glad to do that---anything that I could do to help the kingdom of God, that is, if you'd want me to do it---and come back sometime, and join up with us and have a nice, good meeting somewhere. And, remember, brethren, I'll be praying for you, that's one thing sure, and I want you all to pray for me, all of you.

12 And, now, tomorrow morning is the church services in all these different fine churches around the city. Now, some of the groups from Jeffersonville is here, some of my friends. One of my trustees of the church is here, Brother Fred Sothmann. I've never been able to see him in the meeting, and Brother ... oh, many other of my friends from up there at Jeffersonville. My secretary there, and all, is here somewhere in the meeting. I haven't seen them yet.
And, brethren, there's some fine churches here in this city, and all the rest of you visitors find one of them and go to these churches tomorrow. They'll do you good, I'm sure. They are brethren who believe in this kind of a ministry. That's the reason they're here sitting on the platform and down in the places here, because they believe in it. And I appreciate those men.

13 Lord bless this Full Gospel Businessmen's chapter here who sponsored this meeting. I believe that was right, they sponsored the meeting. I go a lot of their sponsors because in there... We oughtn't to be this way, but many times brethren lets little bitty differences... Like a man believe a little something, another little something, it kind of makes a little friction. And old sores from way back, it ought to be healed up by this time. But in a few ... like at the Full Gospel Businessmen, then that kind of helps bind it up. And we get together and we have real fellowship together, just real good times, and we appreciate that. God bless that chapter. I believe the Lord raised it up for a purpose.

14 Now, and then I had the grand privilege of seeing Brother Oral Robert's place the other day. And, my, such a mammoth place, such a beautiful thing! It's a memorial to Pentecost. Then I went over to Brother Tommy Osborn's, another wonderful place. Wonderful man of God, who... Brother Tommy and I are just close, and Brother Oral, too---just real close brothers, and we love one another, and trying our best to work everything that we can for the good of the people and the kingdom of God. So, I certainly appreciate those men being here in this city among the rest of these fine men you've got. You sheep have got wonderful shepherds. I'll say it like that. May the Lord continue to be with you all, is my prayer.
Now, tomorrow afternoon, what time does the service start, brethren? Two-thirty. Let's say one or one-thirty you ought to be here, so they won't interrupt with the rest of the services.

15 Now, if the boys hasn't already told you, tonight they have some books, pictures, and so forth, and tapes and records of the meetings. And they sell them, but we will not let them sell them on the sabbath, tomorrow. No books nor nothing to be sold tomorrow, so we won't... We never permitted that, although many said, "You're awful wrong," and old Daddy Bosworth used to tell me, "Oh, Brother Branham, you're wrong there." But that's the way I feel, see, and I ... feel. If you want one, to give you one; but we can't sell on the sabbath, no. And so, I believe that. I got to live it. I've got to live with myself, you see. I've got to live with my convictions. Or you could send home, up to the house, up to the place, and get it.

16 Now, tonight, oh, let's just all just forget that there's any work to be done, or anything else, or the toils of the day. Let's just lay aside everything, and look into the Word for a few minutes and see what God would speak to us through His Word. And may I pray that God will just give us an extremely great blessing tonight.
Gene, could you kidnap her for me? Could you kidnap that little girl for me? Isn't she a pretty little thing? Would you like to go home with me and play with my little Sarah, about this high? Oh, you would? I'd like for you to. She's just about your size and she's Daddy's little girl. And I bet you love your daddy, too, don't you? Mommy? Oh, sure you do. The prettiest little girl I'm sitting here looking at---little eyes look like two burnt holes in a blanket, and little brown hair.

17 I just love little children. I got two little girls at home. One of them is Rebekah, and the other one is Sarah.
Here some time ago I was away. They're both Daddy's little girls, you know, and I love them. And as soon as I get in I've got to give them a piggyback, only Becky is getting too big for it. She's big as I am. She'd break my back now. But she's still Daddy's little girl anyhow. And now, about another year we want to get her in Bible school somewhere and away from the public school. And then they was waiting up for Daddy, you know, to come home. I had been out in the meeting. And tomorrow night they'll be waiting until midnight for me, to try to get in. And so I got in real early in the morning, around three or four o'clock. Mother come to the door and let me in. I was so tired and weary.
Here on the platform when I'm anointed it feels fine, but when that once leaves you, that's where you get in trouble. How many ever knew that? Why, sure it is.

18 Look. Elijah went up on the mountain and called fire out of heaven, called rain out of heaven; and then when the Spirit left him, he wandered in the wilderness forty days, and God found him pulled back in a cave somewhere. Jonah, he went down and stayed live in the belly of a whale for three days and nights, was spit out upon the bank, and went around preaching. The whole city repented and come to God. And when the anointing left him, he went up on top of the hill and asked God to take his life. See?
I stood by the side of William Cowper's grave not long ago, that wrote that famous hymn that we use at our communion service:
There is a fountain filled with blood
Drawn from Emmanuel's veins,
Where sinners plunge beneath the flood
Did you ever hear what happened to him after the inspiration left him from that? He tried to find a river to commit suicide.

19 I live right across from the Old Kentucky Home, and Stephen Foster gave America its most famous folk songs. And when he'd write ... get inspiration up, that inspiration, write a song, then when he'd come out of it, he'd go get on a drunk. Finally he called a servant, and took a razor and committed suicide. People don't know what those people that live in that spiritual realm go through.
Now, here you feel like you could move a mountain; but just let the anointing drop from you and start through that door, and somebody ain't there to catch you, see. And then maybe for a few hours you hardly ... wonder where you are at. Then night after night that takes the best of you.

20 And little ... want to tell you about little Sarah and Rebekah. So, the next morning I couldn't sleep, and I got up, was sitting in a chair. And after awhile Becky---being the oldest, she had longer legs than Sarah---and so Becky come running... Woke up, jumped out of bed, not waking her little sister up, and here she come through the house, running as hard as she could. She was saying "Daddy, Daddy!" I stuck out one of my legs and she jumped across there, pretty well balanced. (Kind of like the modern church, you know, that's been in the game for a long time, you know---for several hundred years.) She could balance herself right well. And she put her arms around me, and said, "Oh, my daddy, my daddy!"
Little Sarah, in the commotion, had woke up. Well, I don't know whether your children does or not, mine does---the younger ones get the hand-me-downs. And so Sarah had on Becky's pajamas---feet about that much too long, you know. And here she come, little bitty short fellow, falling, stumbling, and she got there a little late. So, Becky turned around and said, "Sarah, my sister, I want to tell you something." She said, "I was here first and I have the monopoly, so I've got all of Daddy and there is none left for you." (That's the way some people try to think about religion, isn't it? That's right.)

21 And poor little Sarah, she dropped her little lip, and her little black eyes looked up at me, and she started to cry. And Becky had her cheek against mine, hugging me (I love her).
And Sarah started to walk away, because Becky had all of Daddy. I scooted the other knee out like this, and motioned to her, like that. Oh, she perked up right quick, and run jumped up on my knee. So, she hadn't been around very long and her legs wouldn't even reach the floor. She was kind of a little tottery perhaps, like I am. Just a little tottery, you know, and she couldn't reach the floor (she wasn't a big denomination, you know). And so, she couldn't get down on the solid floor---she hadn't been around long enough. And so she was kind of tottering, and I throwed both arms around her, like this, and hugged her up close to me. And she sparkled those little black eyes, and looked back to Rebekah. She said, "Rebekah, my sister," she said, "it may be true that you've got all of Daddy, but I want you to know one thing: Daddy's got all of me."
That's ... just so He's got all of me. I might not have the education to put the big things over, but just as long as I know He's got all of me. In my tottering, just let Him have both arms around---it'll just make me feel fine.

22 Well, let's offer another little word of prayer to Him before we open up the Word.
Now, heavenly Father, we realize that we are just like children also, and You love to be with us, and worship with us as we worship You. And You love us, and hold us in Your arms, and send down Your Holy Spirit and make us to know that You are living and You're our Father. We thank You so much. Now let the Holy Spirit come to us tonight. Love each heart, Lord. Give us a fresh blessing. Pour out the dewdrops of mercy upon us, Father. Do not look at our sins---they're too many. Lord, just forgive them. Omit them, Father, and just take us into Thy arms. And heal our sickness, and cleanse our souls, and set our spirits free, Lord, that we can worship and praise Thee, be like little children running around the house, just know that Daddy is watching over us. Grant it, Lord.
Now, no man is able to interpret the Word. We realize that. John saw the book in the right hand of him that sat upon the throne, and there was no man in heaven, or in earth, or beneath the earth, that was worthy to take the book to open it or to loose the seals. And there come a Lamb up that had been slain since the foundation of the world. And He was worthy, and He took the book and loosed the seals and opened the book. O Lamb, come tonight. Open the book to us, Father, as we wait upon Thee, for we ask it in Jesus' name, the Lamb of God. Amen.

23 I have chosen tonight a little scripture verse here of three words, but first I want to read a verse or two out of St. John, the eleventh chapter, beginning with the twenty-third verse:
Jesus said unto her, Thy brother shall rise again.
Martha said unto him, I know ... he shall rise again in the resurrection at the last day.
Jesus said unto her, I am the resurrection, and ... life: he that believeth in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live:
And whosoever liveth and believeth in me shall never die. Believest thou this?
She said unto him, Yea, Lord: I believe that thou art the Christ, the Son of God, that should come into the world.
And for a text I wish to use these three words: "Believest Thou This?"

24 I read a story some time ago. I think it was a fiction story. And most all ministers, I guess, have read Dr. Ingraham's book of the "Prince of the House of David." It's a great book. I think it's absolutely out of print. I'd like to have it in print so I could put it among the people. And in there I was reading a little article on this Lazarus, and upon Jesus, and Mary and Martha, the sisters of Lazarus. And I was reading in there that ... where Jesus lived, I believe, with Martha and Mary. They were both lovely Hebrew girls. And Lazarus was learning, or training, to be a scribe at the temple, making letters of the law for the priests. And Jesus had great fellowship, especially with Lazarus. And we read in the book that ... where He did come to their home. And Martha was a little dilatory about listening to His words, but she had to get the dinner ready and set the table. But Mary sat at His feet, and Jesus said that "Mary has chosen the better things."

25 And then we were told that Lazarus was the one that brought Jesus to John in the story of Dr. Ingraham's book on "The Prince of the House of David." However, that might not have been true. I do not know. But just for the background of it ... but He was supposed to have been living with them. Now, we've been learning this coming ... this last week, rather, that Jesus said in St. John 5:19, "The Son can do nothing in himself, but what he sees the Father doing, that doeth the Son likewise. The Father worketh, and the son worketh hitherto what He sees the Father doing."
So to make this really the right story, the Father, God, must have spoke to his Son, Jesus, and said, "Your friend Lazarus is going to die, but it's going to be for the good. So You leave the home. Go away, because they'll be asking You to pray for him, or make him well, and I don't want You to do that." If you'll watch the story as we go along, you'll see it heaps up to that very truth of that. So Jesus, just without any warning or anything, walked away from the house and went somewhere else, didn't return that night. And He went to some other city. And as soon as Jesus left the home, then trouble set in.

26 And when Jesus leaves your home, trouble is on its road. Just remember, when He leaves your home, trouble is on the way. When you get social societies and everything operating in your church so perfectly, like some great big sixteen cylinder Rickenbacker, and you leave Jesus out of it... When Jesus goes from your church, trouble's on the road. Yes, sir. When Jesus leaves a denomination, that they lay Him aside and say, "Well, now, we just don't believe that these things could be just exactly right," and you adopt something else, trouble's on its road. Just remember that.
Reminds me of a story of the Lord Jesus that's found in the book of Luke. You know, when He was just a boy of about twelve years old, His people taken Him, as the custom was each year, up to the feast of Pentecost. And while they were in the city of Jerusalem at the feast, and having a good time, we find in the Bible that they went three days without Him. And they thought, maybe just took it for granted, that Jesus must have been among some of their kinfolks. Now, we cannot do that. When they come to go through their kinfolks to find out, He wasn't there.

27 And we can't take it for granted. Just because we are Methodist, Baptist, Presbyterian, Pentecost, and our background and our forefathers were great believers, we just take it, well, for granted Jesus is with us. We can't do that. We've got to be in contact with Him every day and every minute. Oh, I love that.
I want what God is now. What my parents had, what my forefathers had, is wonderful. But---what they had is good---I think we are farther up the road. Let's see what He is today. I don't want to look back and see what Mr. Moody did, because we are farther up the road than Mr. Moody. The trouble of our churches, we look back and say, "Well, let's see what Mr. John Wesley said, what some of the others said."
That's the reason science is so farther in their field than religion is in its.

28 Here, three hundred years ago, a French scientist proved that if you'd go the terrific speed of thirty-five miles an hour, gravitation would take you off the earth. Do you think science would refer back to that today? They are going nineteen hundred miles a hour, and still going on. They're pressing forward, looking forward; but we want to look back and see what Moody said, Sankey said, Finney said, Knox, Calvin some of those. What they said was all right. That was for their age, but we're going on. My grandfather rode an ox cart, I'm driving a Ford V-8, my son will fly a jet plane. That's where we're moving on. That's what religion ought to be.
The coming of the Lord is at hand. The church ought to be moving on into their powers. Science can only climb so far and then it has to drop off; but we got untapped sources that's never been touched of the power unlimited of God that we ought to be moving into. We are living a million miles under our privilege tonight, a privilege as Christians to be enjoying. I feel ashamed of myself when I look out here and see the institutions, and the sickness, and the troubles that's going on right now. Our church ought to be walking the street healing the sick, raising the dead, casting out devils, doing signs and wonders, making the whole world realize that Jesus Christ lives. That's what we need to be doing.

29 Well, you say, "Mr. Moody never." Mr. Moody wasn't living in this day. That's right. We're living on the coming of the Lord.
And we've just took it for granted that He was with our kinfolks. But the other day when a challenger challenged Mr. Graham, we found out that He wasn't among our kinfolks. Where did they find Him? Where did they find Jesus? Right where they left Him. Where did they leave Him? At the feast of Pentecost. Where do we leave Jesus? Where did the church? At the feast of Pentecost. When we get away from that old time Pentecostal power and the feast of Pentecost, we walk away from Jesus. That's exactly right, friends.
We are living under our privileges. Yes, sir. They left Him at the feast of Pentecost, and there is the only place that Methodist, Baptist, Presbyterian, and Pentecostals will ever find Him---is go back where you left Him at. Where is the joy of the Lord? Where is the power of the Lord? The church asks today, "What happened to the God of history?" He's waiting for His people to call Him on the scene.

30 But we can't do it through denominations. We can't do it under psychology. We can't do it under arithmetic, or we can't do it with education. We separate ourselves, divide ourselves. We are not divided! We are one person indeed in Christ Jesus. We are all one in Christ, and our denominations will never do it. As good as they are, they won't do it. Our education is the greatest hindrance the gospel ever had---is education. What we need is not education. We need the power and demonstration of the Holy Ghost back in the church to demonstrate the power.
Jesus never said, "Go into all the world and teach." He never said, "Go into all the world and..." He said, "Go into all the world and preach the gospel." And the gospel is to demonstrate the power of the Holy Ghost, the resurrection. We are still a million miles short where we should be. Let us move forward. Let's go back where we left Him---at the feast of Pentecost.

31 Jesus said in John, I believe the fifteenth chapter, He said, "I am the vine, ye are the branches." Well, now, if that vine put forth the first branch and out of that branch wrote a book of Acts, the second branch will make another book of Acts. The third branch will make another book of Acts. And every branch that comes out of that vine will be the same as the first branch was.
Now, you can graft. We know that. I've seen a citrus tree with about eight different kinds of fruit on it. I've seen an orange tree putting grapefruits, and lemons, and everything else on it, but they were grafted in. That's what's the matter today. We've grafted in our ideas, grafted in our denominations. But if that tree ever puts forth another fruit vine itself, it'll be like the original was that went into it. Hallelujah! Oh, church will blend together, but we need the power of the original! We need the Holy Ghost, the power of the resurrection of Jesus Christ. That's what He told us to do.

32 "I am the vine, ye are the branches." If a grape vine puts forth a shoot that comes out with pretty blue grapes, the next vine it brings out will have pretty blue grapes on it. If the first vine come out and they fell under the impact of the Holy Spirit, and they did great miracles and signs, and sealed their testimony to a world... Even many of them with their own testimony, with their blood they sealed their testimony. They went through all kinds of perils and everything to bring the gospel. They suffered, they were beaten, they were punished. "Must we be carried home to heaven on a flowery bed of ease, while others fought to win the prize and sailed through bloody seas?" What do we expect to do? "I must fight if I must reign. Increase my courage, Lord." Certainly.
We don't need a new denomination. We don't need a new church building. What we need today is an old time, backwoods, sky-blue, sin-killing, Pentecostal revival (that was born at Pentecost) back into the church again, with the power of the Holy Ghost again to bring Jesus on the scene.

33 The God of history always rises on the scene in a crucial moment. We need it.
That's what's the matter with the church today. We are getting too far back. We're falling into the fashions of the world. Gradually, year by year, it begins to die a little and wither away. It's pruning time pretty soon. God will cut it back, as sure as I'm standing in this pulpit. God will cut her back to make her bear fruit! He'll cut the works of the world out of it one of these days. Such a disgrace, the way the church is carried on, under the name of religion. And we find out when Jesus left, death set in. When Jesus leaves our church, the power of the Holy Spirit leaves our church, it begins to dwindle and die, and after awhile there is nothing no more to it.
Now, when Jesus left, death set in. Oh, what a sad time it was!

34 And notice, they wandered around, and they sent for Jesus but He didn't come. They sent for Him again, and He didn't come. But He knowed what He was going to do. He knows tonight what He is going to do. It's not lost with Him. He knows exactly what He's fixing to do. He's going to raise a people up, just as certain as I'm standing in this pulpit. He'll raise a people for His name's sake out of the Gentile generation. He'll do it. The Jew's time is right at hand now.
And the Gentiles are ending out because they just went on out. They're rejecting Christ, they're rejecting their signs, they're rejecting everything that's called godly, and branded it some kind of telepathy or devil power; and they're blaspheming the Holy Ghost and sealing themselves away from God. And God will take that minority after awhile and raise it up into a powerful church, and then turn the Spirit to the Jews and take the Gentile church home. Exactly right. It's in the making now. We're at the end time nearly.

35 Jesus, He knew, and after awhile He said, "Our friend Lazarus sleepeth."
Why, the disciples thought He was taking a little rest. He said, "Well, if he is sleeping, he's doing very well."
Well, He said (in their words so that they would understand), said, "He's dead, and for your sake I'm glad I wasn't there." See, "... for your sake I'm glad I wasn't there," because they'd been asking Him to heal him, but He knowed He couldn't do it because the vision was yet... After those four days He knowed that was the time the Father told Him. How beautifully He said at the grave, "Father, I thank Thee Thou hast already heard, but I just say it for these that stand by." He already knowed what He was going to do. He said, "I'll go wake him."

36 Now, I can imagine that little home was really broken up---the breadwinner gone, sadness. Oh, it's wonderful when you got a sad home or a sad heart, and then Jesus appears all at once, isn't it? I can imagine seeing Martha, a beautiful little woman with a black veil over her face, and little Mary, and them holding one another and saying, "What will we do? Papa and Mama is gone, and our precious brother. Now we have left the church, we're excommunicated from them; and come out to follow Jesus of Nazareth, and He's pulled away and left us somewhere."
I can hear a critic come by and say, "Hey, where is that divine healer, that prophet of Galilee? Where is he at now? See, when it really comes a time for him to do something, he's gone."
There it is. God just loves to do that, just to let people show what they are, just trying them to see what they really are. He gives them a blessing, He appears, shows Himself, introduces Himself to the people, just to see what kind of a reaction they will take, just to see what they'll do about it.

37 Now, we find then after a few days, four days, poor Lazarus was dead. They'd buried him. Second day, third day, fourth day. Now, anyone knows corruption sets in after three days. The nose falls in on the face first, and then corruption sets in. The skin worms begin to eat the body. They'd laid him in the ground, put a big rock over the top of the cave where they had him. And every once in awhile the young girls would go out, and kneel down at the grave and cry. And after awhile the news got around, "Jesus has come. We've seen him moving into the city."
Oh, that little Martha that had been so ... seemingly so dilatory about it, she proved then what she was made out of. Here she comes. She's coming on the road, then run out to seek Him. I can hear some of them along the road say, "Well, I guess you're satisfied now that your religion was false." She just ignored them and went on, passed right on by all the critics. She went down till she seen Him, maybe sitting down at the street corner.

38 Now, it's ... seemingly she might have had a right to upbraid Him, and speak evil to Him. Why, she didn't run up and say, "Looky here! Looky here, you, you are supposed to be a prophet, a man of God. Why didn't you come when we called you? Why, we are the laughing stock of the town now. We come out of our church to follow you."
Seemed like she had a right, but (you know, just like I preached on the lamb and dove) if we are lambs, a lamb forfeits every right he's got. That's exactly right. He ain't got nothing but wool, so he has to forfeit that. And you forfeit every right that you've got, to serve God. That's exactly right. I was getting after the women about the way they was wearing these little old clothes, you know, and they said, "Well, we are Americans. We can do what we want to."
I said, "That's exactly right, but if you are a lamb, you'll forfeit your rights." Smoking cigarettes and carrying on like that, that's the worst thing a woman ever done. That's exactly right.

39 A lady said to me not long ago, talking to me, said, "Brother Branham, they don't make no other kind of clothes."
I said, "But they still make sewing machines and sell goods. There is no excuse for it at all." That's exactly right. Remember, some day ... you may be pure here to your husband, but you'll answer for adultery for it just as certain. "Whosoever looketh upon a woman to lust after her has committed adultery with her already in his heart."

40 What is the matter with the Pentecostal women today, is what I'm wondering. How you have got away from the old hewing line, how your mothers used to wear long hair; and today the Pentecostal women paint up like a bunch of Mardi Gras, and cut their hair, and wear little old short clothes like that, just like the rest of the world, get out and mow the yard in the afternoon, when men is coming by. Do you realize, woman, that you're going to have to answer for committing adultery with them men? You present yourself to them for that purpose. It's an evil spirit on the church and the people, and they don't know it. Blind and don't know it! It's the truth.
Maybe you might say I haven't got a right to say that as an evangelist. Well, I have to follow the leading of the Holy Spirit, that's all I can say. If I meet you at judgment then I won't have to have your blood on my hands. Get away from every bit of the ground that looks like Satan! Get away from it! I don't care how many television stars... You're not here a television star; you're a daughter of God.

41 Preached in a pastor's church the other morning about an old slave, time they was selling slaves, long ago. And they used to come by and buy them on the auction. And the people were weeping, crying, because---their homeland---they'd never go back no more, and they had to whip them. And they'd buy them just like you'd buy an automobile, just for anything the prices ... selling them human beings. And one day a buyer come by, a broker, to a big foundation ... a big plantation, rather; and he said, "How many slaves you got for sale?"
Said, "Well, I got some to swap." They'd try to get them big, take them mothers, fathers... If the woman he had married was a little weakly woman, take these big healthy men and breed them like horses and animals. Never was right! God made man; man made slaves. It's not right to begin with. Never! God don't intend any man to be a slave. No, sir. And watch what taken place.
Then in the midst of all that, this fellow said, "Well, I'd like to buy some of them." He noticed one young fellow there, they didn't have to whip him. His chin was up, head up, just like a real gentleman walking around. And that broker said, "I'd like to buy him."
He said, "But he's not for sale."
He said, "Well, why?" Said, "Is he the boss?"
He said, "No, he's a slave."
"Well," said, "why? Do you feed him better than you do the rest of them?"
Said, "No, he eats out there in the galley with the rest of them. He is a slave."
Said, "What makes him so much different than the rest of them?"
And the boss said, "I wondered that myself for a long time, but one day I found out. Over in the homeland his father is the king of the tribe; and though he is an alien, away from home, he still knows he's a king's son, and he conducts himself like one."
If an African native could realize that his father is a king, and over here, an alien in a strange land, can still know that across the sea he's a king's son, how ought women and men conduct themselves when you are sons and daughters of God! Act like it! Certainly. Conduct yourselves, clean up yourselves and act like sons and daughters of God. No wonder what a condition

42 here we are.
Oh, little Martha come running out. She looked like she had a way to have said something against Him. "Why didn't you come to my brother? Look what we've done for you, and you let us down." Why, if she'd've said that, the story never would have finished the way it did. No, sir. It's the way you approach a divine gift of God. If God sends a gift, you've got to approach it right if you ever expect to get anything from it. You've got to approach it right, and Martha knew that. She'd probably read about the Shunammite woman and her baby. If that Shunammite woman knew that God was in Elijah, how much more was He in Jesus? Sure. So she went up with the right approach.
She run up and fell down at His feet. I like that! Fell down at His feet and said, "Lord." That's His right title. That's what He was. He was her Lord. "Lord, if Thou would have been here, my brother would not have died." Oh, my! Oh, I can just imagine seeing His great heart as He looked at that beautiful woman, the tears running down her cheeks. Said, "Lord, if You'd have been here my brother would not have died." Watch what she said: "But even now, Lord [Though he's dead, though the skin worms is crawling though his body.], even now, Lord, whatever you ask God, God will give it to you."

43 Oh, that's the secret! You might say, "I've seined through every hospital. The doctor says I'm going to die. But even now, Lord..."
"I'm all crippled up with arthritis. I can't move. But even now, Lord..."
That little baby had a waterhead that big around last night. There's nothing you can do. It'd spread on out and burst its little head, and die. "But even now, Lord..." He is still the same God. He's still the same Lord. "Even now, Lord..." And He's sitting at the right hand of God Almighty, making intercessions upon the things that we claim, that He's done for us. Now I really feel religious. Sure do. You're going to call me a holy roller anyhow, so you might as well get started and get it over with.

44 So, yes, sir, "Even now, Lord, whatever you ask God, God will do it." "Ask the Father anything in my name, I'll do it!" Jesus said.
"Even now, Lord, whatever you ask, God will give it to you." Oh, that must have turned in His great heart. He said, "Thy brother shall live again."
She said, "Yea, Lord, he'll live. He was a good boy. He'll come forth in the general resurrection at the last day." Them Jews believed in the general resurrection. "He'll come forth in the resurrection in the last days." Looked at Him.
He pulled His little self together. He said, "I am the resurrection and life." Oh, my! There never was a man could say that before! There never will be one afterwards can say it. He is the only one that can say it. "I am the resurrection and life," saith the Lord. "He that believeth in me, though he were dead yet shall he live, and whosoever liveth and believeth in me shall never die. Believest thou this?"
She said, "Yea, Lord." Oh, she knowed something was fixing to happen. Has to be.

45 When faith from an honest heart meets God, them cogs just comes together like that, something has to take place! I challenge this audience tonight in the name of Jesus Christ. Let your faith connect with God like that, in a few minutes we'll have another Pentecost. There'll be such a revival break in this town there wouldn't be enough cops in the country to keep them down. That's right. There'll be a real revival. "Even now, Lord..."
"Well, Lord, we've done gone off from this, we've did this, and did that." I don't care what you've done, "Even now, Lord..." He's waiting for you to call on Him. "Believest thou this?" Sure. Yes, sir. Even now, whatever you ask Him.
"Where have you laid him?" Now He goes down to the grave. He was man enough to cry; He was God enough to raise the dead.

46 Here some time ago a woman that belongs to a certain group of people... I never make it a habit to make it ... about denominations, but this woman... They do not believe that Jesus was divine. They said He was just a prophet. Now if He was just a prophet, we are all in sin. He was either God, nothing less than God, or the biggest deceiver the world ever had. That's right. He was more than a man.
She said, "He wasn't divine." There is so much of that in this social gospel today, trying to make Jesus Christ a prophet. Why, He was the God of the prophets. Sure He was. She said, "I'll prove it to you by your Bible he was just a man."
I said, "You do it."
And she said, "When he went to the grave of Lazarus, the Bible said he wept. He had to be mortal or he couldn't weep."
I said, "Lady, is that your scripture?" I don't mean to be sacrilegious here to say this, but I'll tell you what I told her.
She said, "That's it."
I said, "That statement is weaker than the broth made out of the shadow of a chicken that starved to death." I said, "You haven't got one thing to stand on."
She said, "Why, he wept. That showed he was mortal."
I said, "He was both mortal and immortal. He was God in flesh."
She said, "Oh, nonsense."
I said, "He went to the grave weeping, that's true enough, but when He straightened His little self up [the Bible said there wasn't much to look upon Him, no beauty we should desire Him], but when He throwed them little shoulders back and said, 'Lazarus, come forth!' [and a man had been dead four days and rotten in the grave], he came forth. That was more than a man! Show me the man can do it. What was it? Corruption knew its master, life knew its creator. Something had to happen! He spoke, and a man that was dead and in the grave for four days raised again, and stood on his feet and lived! Hallelujah! That was God in His Son. Yes, sir. That was God making Himself known through His Son. That was God speaking, not a man.

47 He was a man when He looked around on that tree that day for something to eat. That was a man; but when He took five biscuits and two fish and fed five thousand, that was more than a man! That was God feeding them there. He was more than a prophet, more than a man---He was a God-man. Sure.
He laid on the back of that little boat that night, and the seas roared and it bouncing like a bottle stopper out there in that mighty sea, when ten thousand devils of the sea swore they would drown Him that night. He was a man, weak and tired from praying for the sick, laying back there and the wind didn't even disturb Him. He was a man when He was asleep; but when He woke up, put His foot upon the brail of the boat, looked up and said, "Peace, be still," and the winds and the waves obeyed Him, that was more than a man. That was God in man, making Himself known. That's right.
He was a man at the cross when He cried for mercy. When He cried and said, "I thirst," that was a man. When He died, He was a man; but on Easter morning when He broke the seals of death, hell, and the grave, and rose again, He was more than a man! It was God made manifest! No wonder the poet said:
Living, He loved me; dying, He saved me;
Buried, He carried my sins far away;
Rising, He justified freely forever;
Some day He's coming---oh, glorious day!

48 He said, "Because I live, you live also. Believest thou this?" He's the same yesterday, today, and forever. Believest thou this? I believe the Holy Ghost is right here now. Believest thou this? I believe He'll fill us with His presence. Believest thou this? I believe the Holy Ghost wants to pour His presence out, heal all the sick, make all the people who hasn't got the Holy Ghost be filled. Believest thou this? Do you believe with all your heart? Let's stand to our feet and give Him praise. I believe He'll fall right now upon us.
O Lord God, creator of the heavens and earth, author of eternal life, giver of every good gift, we believest thou this, Lord. We believe that that's You here in the meeting. We believe that that's You blessing our souls. We believe that's You pouring out Your Spirit upon us. We believe that You're the same yesterday, today, and forever. We believe You are ours forevermore, that our names are written in the Lamb's book of life. All heavens and earth will pass away, but we'll live forever because You live forever. Lord, you promised this to us. We believe it with all of our hearts. Everything that's in us, we believe it, Lord.
I love Him, I love Him.

49 Do you believe Him? I believe that's the Holy Ghost. There's something falling on us. Believest thou this? I believe He wants to heal every person right now. Believest thou this? Raise your hands to Him. Stand up to your feet. Believest thou this? The Holy spirit is here. This is that. Peter said, "This is that." This is it, the Holy Ghost.
O Lord, creator of heavens and earth, send Thy power and Thy blessings and Thy goodness upon this people and bless their hearts, and let them see that the Son of man is alive forevermore. Grant it, O Lord. We present them to Thee in the name of Jesus Christ, the Son of God.

50 Anybody that doesn't have the Holy Ghost, raise up your hands and praise God. I believe He'll fall on you. Somebody put your hands on them. This is the hour. Why do we wait any longer? This is the time. This is the time for a Pentecost, coming back to God. Get right with God, Pentecost! Get your hearts stirred for the power of the living God. Let His Spirit move into you, saturating your souls. He's here night after night. He's here to heal the sick, give sight to the blind. He's a great and mighty tower. He proves Hisself to be evermore the same. Hallelujah! Praise Him! Raise your hands. Forget where you're at---just know that you're around Him, in his goodness, and His glory, and His power, and His mercy. Blessed be the name of the Lord! Hallelujah! Oh, praise His holy name.

51 Oh, how wonderful, how mighty is He!
How many would like to consecrate your lives to God right now afresh? Raise up your hands. How many would like to consecrate your lives to God? That's it. Raise up your hands. Let's see Pentecost, let's see the people of God. I'll raise my hands. Lord, here am I, send me. Take an angel with a coal from the altar and send your fire upon us, Lord. God, grant it unto us with Thy Spirit, Father. Hear our prayer, Lord, hear our prayer, as believing children we stand. Praise be to His name.
Oh, it's like waves of glory falling---oh, the dewdrops of mercy. Oh, praise be to God! May our souls wait. Believest thou this? Believest thou this? This is the Holy Spirit that comes. This is that Unseen Force that rises us into the kingdom of God, that blesses us. Pentecost, come back home! You are expected back home. You're precious people. God wants you to consecrate yourselves. Women, clean up yourselves! Men, clean up yourselves! Let's get started back to God, and serve God with a real true heart.

52 Praise God! The Holy Spirit's out in the meeting. Just do what you feel led to do. Just let the Holy Ghost move on you. There's nothing I can say. I just don't know what to say now. The Holy Spirit is just all over the building. Blessed be the name of the Lord. Praise be to the Lord. Oh, hallelujah, hallelujah! Praise be to the Lord, praise the Lord. How wonderful! How glorious! How beautiful, how wonderful, the praise of the saints of God, upon your faces, upon the presence of the Holy Spirit here moving, showing us His glory, how this great multitude in one accord praising His name!
Turn right around and shake hands with somebody, and say, "Praise the Lord, brother. Praise the Lord, sister." Let's get right in there as God cleans us up. Praise the Lord. That's right. All you Methodists, and Baptists, and Presbyterians, Pentecostals, and Seventh Day Adventists, and whatever you are, shake hands with one another in the presence of the Lord God. That's it. O hallelujah, hallelujah, hallelujah! Oh, "I'm so glad I'm one of them." I'm so glad! Oh, tearing down the walls, clearing out the dross, oh, freedom of the Lord, praising His name! Blessed be the name of the Lord. Oh, hallelujah! Praise God.

53 Oh, I just love to see that---people shaking one another's hands, and lightening up their faces, the power of God saying, "That's it, that's it." We're children of God. We are all one great big church, one great big person in Christ Jesus, in His bride, the glorious One. The coming of the Lord is drawing nigh, the people getting together and welding themselves with love and with power of His presence. Oh, this is like heaven. Oh, this is good. Amen. Oh, how glorious, how wonderful, just worshipping the Lord in Spirit and in power. Such a time!
There's just no ... brethren, there's no place to stop, there's no place for it. We never begin it, so we don't stop. Just wonderful. How many feels real good? Just the presence of the Lord. Oh, my, wonderful presence of the Lord here.

54 Now, the presence of the Lord is here to heal the sick, make the people well. Just believe Him. Do you believe Him? If we can believe Him, all things are possible. Do you believe that? Do you believe that that's the presence of the Lord? Now right here, give me just a moment, just a moment. Now listen just for a moment. Let me prove to you it's the Holy Spirit here. Let me show you it's the Holy Spirit, the very one that does the talking, the one that does the things, knows that... How many is here now that come in here sick? Let's see your hands, ones that have a sickness.
There's a man standing there. Do you believe, mister? There's no prayer cards out, but do you believe that God can heal you? Do you believe He can tell me your trouble? It's in your side. You're up for an operation. That's right. Your name is Mr. Cartwright. That's right. Is that right? Wave your hand. All right. Go home and be well, you won't need it. Do you believe it?

55 That man holding that baby in his arms. Do you believe me to be God's servant? Do you believe this to be the Holy Ghost? I do not know you, is that right? Never seen you in my life. We are strangers. Do you believe the Holy Ghost can tell me what's the matter with that baby? Got a rash. That's right. Isn't that right? Certainly. You're not from here. No. You got a stomach trouble you are suffering with yourself. That's right, isn't it? You're from Kansas City. All right, return back, Jesus Christ makes you well.
Hallelujah! Do you believe? Do you believe it with all your heart? Here ... a little bitty woman, kind of elderly, sitting right in here, suffering with a hernia. Do you believe God will heal you of that hernia, sister? You, with the little red flower on your hat, raise up your hand. All right. Go home and be well. Amen! Oh, it's God, it's Christ, the Son of God! He's raised from the dead, He's here. Now, put your hands over on one another and just offer a good season of prayer, every one of you, while I ask somebody to come here. Come here, brother. While you got your hands on one another to show that God heals too, I have the brother here to offer prayer too. Go ahead.