Thirsting for Life

You can find this sermon at ChurchAges.net

1 ......... only believe,
All things are possible, only believe;
Only believe, only believe,
All things are possible, only believe.
Let us pray just a moment. Our heavenly Father, we are grateful to Thee, that we have the privilege of calling You our Father. And we pray tonight that You will bless us as Your dear, hungering, thirsting children.
And if there should be by chance, someone here tonight who doesn't know You as their Saviour, may this be that time when they will say that forever one great, "Yes," to You. Grant it, Lord.
Heal the sick and the afflicted. Use us as Thy children to draw others unto Thee. For we ask it in the name of Thy dear Son, our Saviour. Amen. You may be seated.

2 Just becoming a little hoarse from very much speaking, and I have just been speaking this afternoon here in the auditorium. And many today, private interviews upon cases that could not maybe just reach out by faith and receive.
And then the Holy Spirit by many visions today in the room, to reveal, and to bring to pass, and bring to the hearts of the people, and bring them to the great knowledge of what they need to know about the Lord... We're so glad that God is so good to us to do that.

3 I would like to ask tonight, if the Lord willing, if I don't get to all that I can tonight... I just want to speak a few moments. And then tomorrow night, I'm going to try to finish up the group. But perchance that many doesn't get in, because there's about, maybe, fifteen hundred people yet to be prayed for, and to minister to them one by one, it would be very hard...
But if you will see my son tomorrow afternoon when he's giving out prayer cards, and if it's emergency case, something that you just feel that you can't leave, and you do not get a prayer card, I'm going to ask them if they'll have an emergency room, that I could come maybe a half hour early before the services, and minister to those who cannot be in the prayer line, and maybe cannot just accept it in the light that it's supposed to be.

4 I appreciate your sincerity in believing in my prayer for you. But it isn't my prayer that does the work. It's your faith in God that does the work. And it's... 'Course I realize that we're to pray one for the other. And that does mean much. But my prayer would be just like any other man's prayer for you.
But what God wants His people to do, is to believe Him just by His Word. His Word is sufficient, because it tells us that our healing and our salvation is a past tense, that God has already did that for us.

5 You and I, if someone wouldn't take our word, that would just settle it. But that isn't our Lord. He will not leave one stone uncovered, but what He will ... or, one stone, but what He will roll over to give an opening, or some way to get His blessed children to believe on Him.
He sends to us teachers, pastors, evangelists, prophets, gifts in the church, everything that's possible, that the mind of great Jehovah could do to get you to have faith in the finished works of His Son at Calvary.

6 It's hard, especially my type of ministry, in America. We're taught so many different things, so many different approaches. And it's been drilled into the people.
In Africa... There is a man here present now; he's on the platform, or in the audience. At Durban, South Africa, by the same things that you see done right here, the power of the resurrected Christ, performing what you see each night, and turning to the audience, and thirty thousand received Christ as personal Saviour at one time.
And I offered prayer for something... Well, there's no way. I'm not a good estimating on people. But many, many thousands were gathered and scattered for blocks, just every way. And making one prayer for that entire group...
Dr. F. F. Bosworth, which Cadle Tabernacle will never forget... How many knows Brother Bosworth? Wonderful character. He was with me as acting manager. And after I left from that place, they claim they took seven truckloads of crutches, and chairs, and sticks, and clubs, that the people had been on coming up. When Brother Bosworth estimated twenty-five thousand definite healings at one prayer. Think of it.

7 And India, it exceeded that by many times, because there were more people. But in America it's something different somehow. I just can't seem to make the people to understand. I don't mean you, but I mean in whole. They can't grasp it, because they got so many things contrary; one saying, "Oh, that's this, that." And the poor people don't know what to believe. That's what makes it hard.
I know I'm an unlearned person, and I'm not trying to use this crutch to support my ignorance. But I believe that education has been one of the most outstanding curses that the kingdom of God has had. That's right. If you just forget what you know, and look to Christ, He will do it. I have seen it.
Now, remember the emergency room tomorrow night. Now, I wish to read just a portion of His blessed Word. And to watch my timepiece here, that I will not go overtime. Last evening I went overtime, and didn't get ... had to take the regular prayer line. But tonight we're going to try not to have that line; just pray for the sick.

8 And I want you to give me your undivided attention while we're speaking on the Word. For if we give more time to the Word of God than we do to ... as we do to other things, the church would be better taught. In the Psalms 63, we read these words:
O GOD, thou art my God; early will I seek thee: my soul thirsteth for thee, my flesh longeth for thee in a dry and thirsty land, where no water is.
To see thy power and thy glory, so as I have seen thee in thy sanctuary.
Because thy love-kindness is better than life, my lips shall praise thee.
And may the Lord add His blessings to the reading of His Word.

9 As I read this Scripture some weeks ago, I could not interpret the psalmist, as he being a prophet would say, "Thy love-kindness is better than life." The most precious thing that there is in this whole world, is life.
And after reading it, I find after studying, that there is two kinds of life. And the psalmist was speaking of both of them kinds of life. And no matter what we could be offered, there's nothing no greater to us, or could be greater, than to offer life. And there is only one eternal life. And that life is in Christ, the life of God which is in Christ Jesus.

10 I can just think of about six thousand years ago when there was not a speck of any kind of life on the earth, just a mere bleak desert, not no life at all. And we're taught in the Bible that we are the dust of the earth. God made us from the dust. You say, "He made the original man, Adam, from the dust." But He made you from the dust.
You can only live because something dies. Every day something has to die so you can live physically. If you eat beef, the cow died. If you eat pork, the hog died. If you eat fish, the fish died. If you eat potato, the potato died. If you eat bread, the wheat died. You live by dead substance.
Therefore, if it takes dead substance to make us live physically, how much more did it take death so we could live spiritually forever? Something had to die. So therefore, we could think that those who think that water baptism saves, that's out. Those who think that good works saves, or law, that's out. It taken death that you might live. Christ died. And the Bible said, "To know Him is life," not to know of Him, but to know Him, the Person, is life.

11 Let us take now for a few moments a little mental picture, and just see how complete it is. I was speaking at a Kiwanis some time ago, and a doctor was a little skeptic. And he said, "The whole thing seems to be muddled in my mind, Reverend Branham. I'm a little skeptic of the virgin birth. I'm a little skeptic of Christ really being the Son of God."
So I asked him that question. I said, "Doctor, is it true that every time I eat, I renew my life?"
He said, "That's correct, makes blood cells."
I said, "Then I want to ask you something, being a scientist too. How is it that when I was sixteen years old, I eat the same food that I eat now, bread, potatoes, so forth. And every time I eat, I got stronger and larger. And after I passed about twenty-five years, I eat the same food now, and instead of getting stronger and bigger, I'm getting older and weaker."

12 Now, if you're pouring water into a glass out of a container, and that glass starts filling up, and then it gets to a certain place, then you pour faster and more, and it continually goes down without any place for it to leak out. It cannot be explained scientifically, but it can be by the Bible, for it's an appointment that God has made. And that's the only way it can be explained.
But we've got the blessed hope of knowing this: that God brings us to a certain age, makes a picture out of it, death sets in, but in the resurrection there will not be one sight of death. All the old age and things will be gone forever. Everything that the devil did and death did, will be taken away, and every memory of it. It'll be gone forever.

13 For instance, here about a year or two ago, I was combing what few hairs I have. And my wife said to me; she said, "Billy, you're getting bald headed."
I said, "But I haven't lost a one of them."
She said, "Where are they at?"
And I said, "You tell me where they were before I got them; I'll tell you where they are waiting for me to come to them." And that's right. They wasn't; then they were, and they were not again. They come from somewhere.
Now, in the beginning... If we came from the dust of the earth, our bodies laid on this earth at the beginning.

14 And let's take a little picture like this. God, the fountain of all life, and the Logos that went out of God, that brooded over the earth, and as He was brooding... Or the word means like "mothering," or "cooing."
The first thing as He broods, the little moistures begin to come together, and a little flower raised up. God said, "That's good. Just keep on brooding." And the next thing, the grass and vegetation comes up. "That's beautiful. Just keep on brooding." Then the trees came up. "That's beautiful," said God. "Just keep on brooding."
The birds flew from the dust. "Wonderful, just keep brooding." The animals come from the dust. "Keep on brooding." And then man came from the dust. God brought man up out of the dust of the earth. We're told we're made of sixteen elements of the earth: potash, calcium, petroleum, cosmic light, and so forth.

15 And if we had been brought to this place by the grace of God, and we're free moral agents to make a choice, and if the Holy Spirit that brooded us from the earth, and starts to brooding to our hearts, and we accept Him, and brood back to Him, how much more is He able to raise us up in the last days, when we got a chance to make a choice.
So it could only be through the brooding of the Holy Spirit. That's how life comes, is by the Holy Spirit. Therefore, you can only have life by the Holy Spirit. That's why Jesus said, "Except a man be born again, he can in no wise see the kingdom of God."

16 And the psalmist saying, "Thy love-kindness is better than life." Then I begin to think, "What kind of a life was he speaking of that the love-kindness of Father was better than life?" Then it come to my mind that there is a way that seemeth like it's life. It is a perverted life.
Now, the devil cannot create nothing. God is the only Creator there is. And what is unrighteousness? Is righteousness perverted. Then we notice that there is a perversion of righteousness makes unrighteousness. It's not original. And it's not right. The original is right.
Therefore, God had no beginning and He has no ending. And if we become a part of God, we can no more die than God can die, because we've got His life in us by the new birth. And we're just as eternal as God is eternal. We cannot perish. Jesus said, "He that heareth My words, believeth on Him that sent Me, hath eternal life, shall never come into the judgment; but is passed from death to life."

17 Now, notice. A few weeks ago I was in a great city, probably not the size of this. It was in Canada. And after coming from a glorious meeting where I'd seen our blessed Lord save the lost souls of sinful men and women, and delivered them from their infirmities by their faith in His finished work, I went up into a great hotel.
A bunch of American people were there. They were having some sort of a lodge meeting, a jubilee time, meeting, a conference like. And as I went way up on the elevator, got off, started down the hall, I was very much stricken by a real horrible sound. And I stepped back just a moment to see what it was.
And to my surprise, two young women, just about in their early twenties, came down the hall just in their underclothes, with a bottle in their hand, going from door to door, and men pulling at them. And I thought, "O God, maybe somewhere a husband and a little baby, but they were just thinking it as innocent fun." There is no such thing. That's what's the matter with our world today is too much sin called innocent fun.

18 And as I stood back in the shadow, they were most too drunk to recognize me standing there; they came by, lovely looking women, and men pulling them to the rooms, and the other men fussing about them. I noticed as one passed by, she stopped, and she taken a big drink from the bottle, handed it over to the other one, and they made some kind of a real dirty, smutty remark. And she said, "Whoopee. This is life."
I thought, "How mistaken you are, lady. That's death." The Bible said, "The woman that lives in pleasure, is dead while she is a living." How the devil has made people believe that that was life. Some people think that smoking, gambling, drinking, reveling is life. That's death, a perverted life. It is not life. It cannot be life. That kind of a life becomes so miserable, till, many times, people take a gun or something and rid themselves of that life. So that could not be the kind of life that the psalmist was speaking of. It is not life.

19 And I thought, "Then, what makes people do that? How come that men and women will do those things?" Then I thought this: "God created man to thirst for life." That thirst that's in you is a creation of God. And right and wrong is set before you as a tree of life and death in the garden of Eden. And God made you to thirst. And how dare you to take that blessed thirst that God has put in you to thirst after Him, and try to quench it on the things of the world.
The devil trying to make men and women run the nightclubs and cocktail parties, and live immorally, because they are thirsting, and that thirst that's in you is of God; and it'll never be satisfied until Christ, that fountain of everlasting life fills your soul. It is totally impossible. The devil will make you believe that you are living, but you are dead in sin and in trespasses. How could you take that blessed holy thirst...?

20 When I see young ladies on the street... Last night when I was going into the hotel, I noticed two nice, young ladies, as wife and I were coming, walking in: beautiful young girls, somebody's darling, some mother and father, maybe an old dad has sweat hard to feed them, dressed very nattily. Walking in, I was remarking what nice clean looking ladies as they walked ahead of us.
And as they went into the door, they entered to the right to a little bar, dingy, dark, with cigarette smoke and whiskey fumes coming from it. I thought, "Oh, you're walking into the jaws of hell, into the jaws of death." You may differ with me. You may say, "That's just an old fogy." But, my friend, in the end of this life, you'll find out that that's the truth. It's death.
You are trying to satisfy a hunger. You are trying to satisfy a thirst with the things of the world. And that thirst was not given you to be quenched by the things of the world, but by Christ, the inexhaustible fountain of life.

21 When you try to satisfy with that perverted way, tomorrow you wake up with a headache, with a heartache. And you live immorally: you've got to face the world with a scar on you the rest of your life. You only get death by doing so.
But let me invite you tonight to a fountain that's open in the house of God, that smitten rock, a geyser of water springing up, and an invitation that whosoever will, let him come and quench that thirst that God has put in him. Oh, it's so much easier. It's so much easier to do right than it is to do wrong. Certainly it is.
Then the devil has another way he makes you to quench that thirst, because, after all, it's a religious thirst. It's a thirst after God. Then the devil tells you, "Just go join the church. That's all you have to do." That's almost as much hypocrisy (or worse) than going into the barroom to quench the thirst. "Except a man be born again..."

22 Let me invite you tonight, as Jesus did the woman at the well; she came with a water pot to take water from the well of Jacob. Jesus said to her, "Bring Me a drink."
She said, "The well's deep, and Thou has nothing to draw with."
He said, "But if you knew who you were talking to, and who it is that has asked you, you would ask Me for a drink. And I'd give you waters that you don't come here to Jacob's well to draw."
"Where is this water?" she said.
He said, "It is a spring of water, springing up in the soul to everlasting life."
The first taste that she got of that, when she recognized Him, and confessed Him to be the Messiah... He told her she was living in adultery; she said, "Thou must be a prophet. And we know when Messiah cometh, He'll tell us these things."
He said, "I am He that speaks to you."
She dropped her old water pot; she'd tasted something so much better. She run into the city with a message on her heart, "Come, see a man who told me everything I did." It was different.

23 If you've never tasted nothing but the water from Jacob's cold, formal well, you come to the Messiah once, to that fountain of life. It'll be different from then on. It's life. It gives you the hope that nothing else can. It's the only way to life.
David must've been thinking of that. David is a woodsman, shepherd. He spoke so much of green pastures and still waters. Oh, if you could just only one time get out into the woods, watch the swaying of the great trees, hear the waters as they ripple, God will speak to you.

24 Up in the mountains where I hunt quite a bit, there's a certain old spring that I just love to pass by. It seems to be so happy---cold water, always fresh. One day while sitting down by that spring, I said, "Little spring, what makes you so happy? Are you happy because that the animals drink from you?"
If he could've spoke back, he'd said, "No, Brother Branham, that's not what makes me happy and bubble."
I said, "Then, little spring, is it because that I drink from you each year, what makes you happy and bubbling?"
If he could speak, he'd say, "No, Brother Branham, that's not what makes me happy and bubble."
I'd say, "Then what makes you so happy?"
He would say this: "You see, I am bubbling up because there's something behind me pushing me. There's something bubbling inside. I can't hold it. It has to bubble out."
And every man that's born of the Spirit of God has an inexhaustible fountain of Christ inside that's bubbling out, just something that you can't hold your peace.

25 David spoke of the waters. The Bible said, "There is a fountain open in the house of God for the cleansing of the soul."
And then again, David being a man who dealt into the woods, and he learned a lot about wildlife. And in one of the Psalms he cried, "As the hart (which is a deer), as the hart thirsts for the water brook, so my soul thirsts after Thee, O God."
I often wondered what David wrote that about, until I learned about deers. And back in that country, and in other countries, they had wolves and wild dogs. And they attack the deer, because he's easy prey for them.

26 And that's a very good type of the devil. You take a beautiful woman, or a handsome young man; that's the very prey for the sins of this world. Just to prey a little innocent boy of sixteen or seventeen, or a little girl, just a prey to the devil to feast on.
Those wild dogs lay in ambush. I've seen it in Africa. I've seen it in other countries. And they jump on these little deer. The first thing they do is try to break this string behind their legs. Then they can't run. We call it, in a hunter's voice, "hamstring" them.
And then, if he cannot grab them there, he grabs them by the throat, jerks the jugular vein loose. It bleeds to death just in a moment. Then there's a flank in the deer. And he will run and jerk his teeth into that. And if he's a big heavy dog, and a small deer, he can throw that deer on the ground from the flank. He's got him in mid-center, and it swings the deer off his feet. As the dog grabs it and throws himself over, he throws the deer to the ground. And they go right in and just tear that little fellow to pieces.

27 Many times the mouth of flesh pulls out, and the deer is so quick, and can maneuver his little body so fast, that sometimes he can get away then. When the dogs are rolling, before he can get up, the deer can get away.
But if there's any hunters here that ... knows that a wounded deer's got to find water right now. And I could imagine seeing the little deer with the blood running out of him; he's watching; he's panting; he's looking for the water brook. If that deer can get to that water, he'll live.
I've trailed them many times. When they cross the creek and drink, run down the creek a little piece, run up on the hill, cross back and get some more water; he'll just keep on running as long as he can get water. But if he doesn't get water, he'll perish.

28 That's what David said, "My soul's thirsting after You, like the hart. I must have You, God, or perish."
And tonight to this sinful world whose been bitten by the mad dogs of hell, with all of this modern jazz music, and dirty television programs cracking jokes and so forth like that, you're mad-dog bit. You're trying to quench that thirst with stagnated waters of the devil. May your heart become so thirsty that you must find Christ or die.
"The deer as he thirsts for the water brook, so my soul thirsts after Thee, O God." Just take a drink from there. You'll never have to hear another sermon on morals, how to dress, and how to act, and how to conduct yourself.

29 Sometime ago in the south, there was a slave buyer went by. They used to buy slaves like you would automobiles---human beings, sell them. And there was a man who'd go by, a broker. He'd buy so many slaves from this man and so many from this one, and he would take them and sell them, make profit.
One day he came to a great plantation, and the slaves coming from the homeland from Africa, they were weary. And they'd have to whip them to make them work. And this broker noticed on this plantation, there was one young man with his chin up, his shoulders back; you didn't have to whip him. He was just up and at it at all times.
The broker said to the owner, "Let me buy that slave."
The owner said, "He's not for sale."
Well, said, "What makes him so much different than the other slaves? Is he a boss?"
Said, "No, he's not a boss. He's just a slave."
Said, "Maybe you feed him just a little different than you do the other slaves."
Said, "No, he eats out in the galley with the rest of them."
And the broker said then, said, "What makes him so much different than the other slaves?"
And the owner said, "I wondered about that myself till I found out." He said, "I found out that over in the homeland in Africa, that boy is the son of the king. Though he's an alien, he conducts himself as a king's son. He helps the morale of the rest of the slaves, because knowing, though he's away from home, he's the son of a king, and he acts like a son of a king."

30 Oh, brother, my Father is rich with houses and lands. He holds the wealth of this world in His hands. Of rubies, and diamonds, and silver, and gold, His coffers are full; He has riches untold.
If that would make an African Negro slave, realizing his father is a king, that he could throw out his chest as a slave, what ought it to do to a born-again man and woman? It ought to make you act like a daughter of God and a son of God.
And if you've ever tasted and become a child of God, I'm sure you'll do it. You'll conduct yourself as sons and daughters of the King. Think of it while we pray. Let us bow our heads just a minute.

31 I'm a child of the King, a child of the King. With Jesus my Saviour, I'm a child of the King. Are you guilty tonight? You women that's acted like the world, supposingly to been Christians, dress like the world, talk like the world. You men out smoking, drinking a little friendly drink, carrying on the way you have. Do you realize that you are a son of the King of heaven? You must act like it.
If you're guilty, ask Him to forgive you. He will take you back, create in you a thirst, that you just can't go any farther without finding that water brook. Are you wounded tonight? Has the dogs of popularity, has the hounds of hell galloped on your heels until they have bitten you and corrupted you, and your soul really thirsts now to be saved? If you do, there's a fountain open here in the church tonight: the risen Son of God, who will give you eternal life by asking.

32 Now, blessed Lord, there is a little message Thou hast placed upon my heart, and I have given it to this little church. And I pray, God, that You'll let it sink deep down into the hearts. And may it cause such a thirst, that the people will realize that they must find Christ immediately or perish.
How do we know them's just crossing and dabbling around in sin, that some hour the enemy will overtake them and that'll be the last of them. Grant tonight, Lord, before they get caught away in this mad rush in this last days of formal, ungodly living, calling themselves Christians...
You said they'd be heady, high-minded, lovers of pleasure more than lovers of God, truce-breakers, false accusers, incontinent, and despisers of those that are good, having a form of godliness and denying the power thereof.
Before they are caught in such a trap, Lord, may they come to that fountain filled with blood, drawn from Immanuel's veins, where sinners plunged beneath the flood lose all their guilty stains. May it be a serious moment for every person in Divine Presence, in Jesus' name.

33 With our heads bowed, I'm going to ask you a very striking thing. Are you one of those who's blinded by the things of the world, and you've never accepted Christ? Are you one of those who are trying to quench that thirst that's in you by drinking, smoking, stealing, lying? Or have you went far enough to do this: to go down and put your name on a church book, Pentecostal, Presbyterian, Baptist, whatever it might be, trying to quench that thirst, and you've never tasted to see the Lord is good?
Oh, you say, "I thought I did." But if you're still doing the things you used to do, and still even craving for them, there's still something wrong. Don't you want to really surrender your life tonight, and to give Him your heart? If you would want to do that, would you just raise your hand, saying, "Brother Branham, pray for me."

34 God bless you, son. God bless you, my brother. Bless you, sister, you, you, you. Back to my left, back in this a way. God bless you, lady. God bless you. Someone else raise your hand, "I now believe." God bless you, sister, back there. God bless you.
To my right, someone say, "Brother Branham, pray for me." God bless you, lady. I see your hand. "There is a fountain (God bless you, brother. God bless you, brother) filled with blood, drawn from Immanuel's veins. When sinners plunge beneath this flood, lose all their guilty stains."

35 The very desire... The worshipper once purged has no more conscience of sin, for by one sacrifice He has perfected forever those that are sanctified. Have you ever come to that fountain to lose your guilt and your desire for sin? Have you ever tried to quench that thirst with reaching your hands to heaven and saying, "God fill my thirsty heart." If you haven't, will you just raise your hands? Do that much for Christ tonight.
If you're a church member, if you're a backslider, if you're a sinner, never come to Christ, raise up your hand, won't you? God bless you back there, sir. God bless you too. Someone else? God bless you, sonny boy there. God bless you, sir, there with the striped shirt. Another? God bless you, sister, back here.

36 Now, as our heads are bowed (wish we could spend a little longer for this altar call), like to ask you something. You say, "Brother Branham, I know I should put my hand up, but I don't know why I don't." Oh, brother dear, don't let the devil try to quench that again tonight. You know you long for God.
There's a lot of you Pentecostal people here. You're longing for God. You might've went through the emotions, and the dances, and the little evidences and things that you've had; that isn't what I'm talking about.
The Lutheran thought they had it when "The just shall live by faith." The Methodists said when they shouted they had it. They found out they didn't. The Pentecostals said when they spoke with tongues, they had it. They found out they didn't.
Brother, don't take a substitute. These things---shouting and speaking in tongues---that's all right. But that's an attribute. Have you got Christ? That's it. Got Christ in your heart, brother, something that makes you bear the fruits of Christ: love, joy, peace, long-suffering, gentleness, goodness, and meekness.

37 Oh, I've seen people shout, and dance in the Spirit, and speak with tongues, and enough temper to fight a buzz saw, and go out, and live every day ungodly, and half dress themselves, and do shady deals, and everything like that. Brother, that's not the fruits of the Spirit.
Come on back to the Bible. Come back to the fountain. Come back and receive Christ. These other little things will take care of theirself. As long as you receive Christ and the life is going with it, these other things will flow freely. But don't try to get the other thing before you get Christ. He is the fountain of life, the only resource. And He's the inexhaustible fountain of life. You cannot exhaust His goodness, His mercy.

38 Is there another before praying, one more that hasn't raised their hand? Would you raise your hand now? I know this being a conference; it's hard because most of them are Christians. God bless you, lady. That's a real thing to do. God bless you, little boy. God bless you, lady, over there again. That's right, just... God bless you, sir, back there. God bless you, just behind. God bless you, lady, behind there.
You say, "Brother Branham, does that mean anything when they raise their hands?" The difference between death and life. That's what it means. God bless you, lady. I seen you, sitting right here. You say, "To raise up my hand?" Yes, sir.
When you raise your hand, you break every law of gravitation. Why, it shows there's something supernatural in you. And that supernatural being is in you, has broke the laws of gravitation, and defied science, and raised that hand to Almighty God, your Creator, that you've made a decision that you'll serve Jesus Christ. Certainly it means the difference between death and life, if you mean it. If you don't mean it, it doesn't mean nothing. But if you mean it...

39 All right, once more, is there one that hasn't raised their hands, just before praying? "What difference will the prayer make?" God bless you there, sir. What difference will the prayer make? Prayer changes things. Prayer changed Hezekiah from death to life. Prayer changed William Branham from death to life. Prayer changed every sinner in here from death to life. Certainly it does. It's prayer that does it. Now, let us pray.
Blessed heavenly Father, on the results of representing You here tonight by Your Word and by the great prophet David, who wrote those inspired songs years ago, through hearing of the Word, some twenty or thirty or more hands has been raised tonight, that they would accept Thy beloved Son as their personal Saviour.
Maybe, little does that person know that that One that knocked at their heart is no one other but Jehovah God, because our blessed Lord said that, "No man can come to Me, except My Father draws him first." And then the Father gives the loved one to the Lord Jesus as a love gift.

40 And I pray, Lord Jesus, that You'll baptize them right now in the Holy Spirit of love and peace and joy. Place in them that something that takes the place and satisfies. Not wine that biteth like an adder, stingeth like a serpent, but that satisfying portion that the Lord Jesus has allotted for us: the baptism of the Holy Spirit. May it come to every one of them just now.
May from this night, henceforth, they live drinking from the fountain, living on the mountain with a jubilee experience in their heart, and win others, and invite them to the fountain. Grant it, immortal and eternal Father God. In the name of Thy Son, the Lord Jesus, we ask it. Amen.
Let's sing that just once, real softly,
There is a fountain filled with blood,
Drawn from Immanuel's veins,
When the sinners plunge beneath the flood,
Lose all their guilty stains.
There is a fountain filled with blood,
Drawn from Immanuel's veins,
And sinners plunged beneath that flood,
Lose all their guilty stains.
Lose all their guilty stains,
Lose all their guilty stains;
And sinners plunged beneath that flood,
Lose all their guilty stains.

41 Now, if you who are saved, let's raise our hands and sing this:
Ever since by faith I saw that stream
Thy flowing wounds supplied,
Redeeming love has been my theme,
And shall be till I die.
Do you feel real good? Say "Amen." Don't you feel just all scoured out? I do when I know the presence of the Holy Spirit is here. All right.
E'er since by faith I saw that stream
Thy flowing wounds supply,
Redeeming love has been my theme,
And shall be till I die.
And shall be till I die,
And shall be till I die;
Redeeming love has been my theme,
And shall be till I die.

42 Listen, I want to say this just on the side: That's the kind of songs I love. I'd rather have them, than all your little old chopped up boogie-woogie things that you try to put in church and take the place of the old-fashioned hymns. It'll never do it. No, sir. The Holy Spirit loves those old-fashioned songs.
I just love it. It just goes way down deep in me. Maybe it's... Oh, I believe you do too. Sure you do. You love those old-fashioned songs. I'm just one of them old-fashioned Christians. Got saved in the old-fashioned way, believe in an old-fashioned salvation, an old-time saving grace. I love it like that. Amen. Wouldn't trade it for all your modernistic jumping, and running, and carrying on. I love it the old-fashioned way.

43 Now, it's time for prayer for the sick. I wished our sisters would ... brothers, whoever's playing the music, if they would play just for a moment, "The great Physician now is near, that sympathizing Jesus. He speaks the drooping heart to cheer. No other name but Jesus."
And I want your undivided attention just for a few moments. Tonight, the Lord willing, I'm trying for my second meeting to do as I had a revelation to do, that worked so wonderfully in Canada a few weeks ago. The basic thought of the way I pray for the sick, which is secondarily, but it is to bring faith to the audience, that they would see the direct evidence of the resurrection of Christ.

44 We people here in America has been taught you got to lay your hands on them. Lay your hands on... Well you know, in... That's a Jewish idea. That's not a Gentile doctrine of the Bible. You remember Jairus said, "Come, lay Your hands on my daughter and she will live."
But the Roman centurion said, "I'm not worthy that You come under my house; just speak the word."
Jesus said, "That's the greatest faith. I never saw that in Israel. That's the way..." But we just don't seem to be able to comprehend it in America.

45 Now, as far as I know, every person in the presence here is absolutely total strangers to me. I seen a little... I believe it's Sister Rosella. Is that you sitting there, Rosella? Have you ever give your testimony around this meeting?
At Hammond (I believe it was), Indiana, one night in the balcony or somewhere (I don't remember where it was) Fred Astaire's dancer had just been exposed at the audience. And in there somewhere a little lady come, nervous, trembling, and the Holy Spirit spoke to her, and told her she was an alcoholic, and on her road to torment. And whatever He told her, I don't know.
But that girl had been give up by doctor after doctor, Alcoholics Anonymous, and everything. And Jesus Christ in His mercy took that alcohol crave from that girl, and she's one of God's chosen saints tonight; for the last three or four years has walked Chicago into all kinds of boweries, and everything else, and give testimony to the grace of God.

46 [Break in tape.] ... tonight, sitting here, saved by the grace of God, humble, loving Christian, beautiful young woman. Would you mind just standing up, Rosella? I don't want to make a pointing out block. That's what the grace of God can do. Certainly it is.
That's the only one that I know of just now in the audience, but my recording boys, and Brother Beeler sitting here. But the Holy Spirit knows each one of you. He knows who you are, what you have a desire for.
Jesus perceived the thoughts of the people. Is that right? They touched His garment and were made whole. The Bible claims He's the same yesterday, today, and forever (Is that right?), an high priest that can be touched by the feeling of our infirmities.
He was crucified, dead, buried, rose the third day, ascended on high, sitting at the right hand of the majesty on high, making intercessions upon our confession, a High Priest that can be touched by the feeling of our infirmities.

47 Now, if He can be touched by our infirmities, Jesus is here tonight in the form of the Holy Spirit. How many knows that Jesus is in the form of the Holy Spirit? He said, "I am the vine; ye are the branches." Is that right?
Now, the vine doesn't bear fruit. The branches bear fruit. And the Holy Spirit, which is the vine, is in here tonight purging the vine. Now what kind of a fruit would the vine bear? Bible fruit, certainly.
Now, if you touch Him, He's the same yesterday, today, and forever, He can be touched just like He was then. And now, if God in His grace, by a divine gift... If we have newcomers here... So I will quote a couple of scriptures that you might understand.
Jesus did not claim to be a healer. He said, "It's not Me that doeth the works; it's My Father that dwelleth in Me; He doeth the healing." Jesus said, "I do not do one thing until the Father shows Me first what to do. I see the Father doing it, then I go do it as He has showed Me." How many knows that's Saint John 5:19? Certainly it is. He done nothing until the Father showed Him what to do.

48 Well, what did the Father show Him? Let's just see, for the newcomers, just a few things the Father showed Him. One day Simon Peter came to Him, Jesus had never seen him. He said, "Your name is Simon, and you're the son of Jonas; so I'm going to give you a name of Peter." How many knows that? Knew his name.
He knew where a fish was that had a coin in his mouth, and had Peter go to catch it. How many knows that? He knowed where some mules was hooked where two ways met. How many knows that?
When Philip went and found Nathanael under a tree praying, brought him back to Jesus, Jesus said, "Behold, an Israelite in whom there's no guile."
Said, "Rabbi, when did You know me?"
Said, "Before Philip called you, when you were under the tree, I saw you."
He said, "You're the Son of God, the King of Israel."

49 The woman at the well (I quoted a few minutes ago), He asked her for a drink to get a conversation with her. And she told Him that the well was deep. After a while He found where her trouble was, said, "Go, get your husband."
She said, "I have none."
Said, "That's right. You got five, and the one that you now have is not yours. And thou saidst well."
Look at this Samaritan. She said, "Sir, I perceive that You're a prophet. But we know that when the Messiah cometh, He will tell us these things." But she couldn't understand who He was.
He said, "I'm He."
And she believed it. And she run, and told the men, and caused a revival to strike the city.
But the Jews said, "He's Beelzebub, the devil, the fortuneteller."
Jesus told them He'd forgive them for it, but said, "When the Holy Ghost come and did the same thing, to speak a word against it, it would never be forgiven, in this world or the world to come."

50 So then Christ promised (Saint John 14) for His church, "He that believeth on Me, the works that I do, shall he do also." Is that right? The same kind of works... "More than this shall he do; for I go to My Father." That Scripture must be fulfilled. He would call one now and then in the audience, but He said, "You'll do more than this; for I'm going to My Father." Purging the gifts and putting them into the church, He ascended on high, give gifts to men.
He said, "A little while..." Listen at this striking statement. "A little while, and the world will see Me no more." That world there means "the world order." Now, from His day until He comes, there'll be tens of thousands of people, no matter what would ever take place, they would never see it. That's right. Jesus said, "If I do not the works of My Father, then don't believe Me. But if I do the works of My Father, believe the works," see.

51 Now, if Christ is alive... Do you believe He's raised from the dead? Does the Bible say in Hebrews 13:8, He's the same yesterday, today, and forever? Then He's the same in power. He's in His church, doing the same works. Then that's the attributes of Christ, baptizing His church with the Holy Spirit.
Now, no matter what a gift would do here, if there isn't faith out there to receive it, it never would respond. How many knows that? So, the man, no matter how much gifted he might be, if the audience doesn't believe, it'll never work.
Jesus went into His own city, and they said, "Well, You done this in Capernaum, and You did this over here. Now, let me see You do something here." And Jesus could do no mighty works. And He marveled at their unbelief. Is that right? He's the same yesterday, today, and forever.

52 Now, let us settle for a few minutes. I want to ask you something. That from this pulpit, if Christ, the Son of God, will honor, and bless us, to come down here, and move among us, and will do the same works that He did here ... He will do here the same works He did before His crucifixion and resurrection, will you believe that He's here confirming His Word, to make His Word good? He promised He would. He don't have to do it, but He promised He'd do it. He healed in that day, that it might be fulfilled which was promised of Him.
How many says, "If God will do that, Brother Branham, without anyone coming there, I will throw my faith to God. And if God will speak back, and tell me, and will help me as He did them in that day, like the woman with a blood issue, I promise before God, I will believe Him." This has never been done, but just a time or two. Would you raise your hands to Him, just so He could... God bless you.

53 Now, heavenly Father, the rest is Yours. I commit myself and this church into Thy hands. Let Thy blessed Holy Spirit move now, that this people at the day of judgment could not say, "I didn't understand. I didn't know. Your Word was not fulfilled."
But this group ... may it not be able to say it after this night, for I pray that You'll fulfill Your Word, and manifest Yourself. In the name of Jesus Christ, as I Your humble servant, and these other servants, submit ourselves to You for Your great Holy Spirit to work through us. Amen.

54 Now, just be real reverent. Keep on with "The Great Physician," if you will, slowly, quiet. Now, I want every believer... How many sick people's in here? Raise up your hands, sick people or whatever you are. Well there'd be no way of just designating where. It's all over the building.
Now, you look this way and just believe with all your heart. Say this in your heart, "God, I believe in God Almighty, the Father. I believe in Jesus Christ, the Son. I believe that Jesus Christ, by the Holy Spirit, is in this church tonight. I believe that that's His promise. Speak to me, my Lord, and give me the desire of my heart, and confirm it by speaking back through Brother Branham. Just use him tonight, Lord, and speak back to me. And let me know in some way, and I'll pray, and I'll receive You, and believe You with all my heart." Just pray like that. Just keep looking this way and praying.

55 Now, I cannot... There's not one thing I can do about it. I want to have a few around over the audience like that, for a few moments, then I want to call a prayer line. Then I kind of get that away from me for a little bit. "What is it, Brother Branham?" It's yielding. If you only knew how to yield, what is in you will operate. But the secret of it is... It's not a secret. It's just plain truth of the Bible, to yielding to the Holy Spirit.
When you raised your hand awhile ago, the Holy Spirit's saying, "Raise your hand." Raise your hand and you said, [Brother Branham makes knocking sound.] " What's that? What's that. Well, Lord, here I am." That's yielding. God saves you on those basis. Now, that's the way any thing is. Gifts, you yield to them.

56 The preacher gets in the pulpit---that is, anointed minister. God sent some preachers, some evangelists, teachers, prophets. I'm not a preacher. I don't claim to be a preacher, because I can't... I'm just a... Oh, I've not got the education to be a preacher. But my gift is seeing visions, seer. And it ... I ... it's no ... it's not...
I wished I could speak like some of these ministers here who could stand there, and take a Gospel text, and tie it together, spread it out over the crowd like that, and souls just weeping, running to the altar. I'd give anything if I could do that.
I wish I had the love of God in my heart in such a way (That's what I want.) to present the Gospel to the people in such a way they'd just fall and receive Christ. I'd rather have that than all the gifts of healing and everything else there is in the Bible. Give me love, and take the rest of it. Let me love Him. That's what I want to do, is love Him. I'm thankful for the little portion.

57 But just yield to Him now, and let's see what He will say. I'm just yielding myself. You yield yourself. Let the Holy Spirit move. Just be quiet. As the Bible said, "Be still and know that I am God." That's what God's Bible said.
Now, you say, "What are you looking for, Brother Branham?" I'm watching and waiting for the Holy Spirit. How many ever seen the picture of it? Let's see your hands. Sure, I guess all of you have. It's here somewhere. A pillar of fire: the American Photographer Association took the picture of it. It's copyrighted in Washington, DC, the only supernatural being was ever scientifically photographed in all the history of the world. See at Washington if that isn't right. Examined by George J. Lacy, head of the FBI, Fingerprint and Document. It's true.

58 If I'd go home this night, the church knows I've told the truth. The scientific world knows I've told the truth, because it's scientifically proved. George J. Lacy said the mechanical eye of this camera will not take psychology. The light struck the lens. It was true. Now, just be praying.
Now, I see a little lady sitting right here in front of me with her head bowed, praying. She happens to be so close. Maybe if I could speak to her just a moment, it would start the Holy Spirit moving in the audience. My beloved sister, if God will let me know what you're praying for, will you receive it?

59 You have ulcers, don't you? Praying for ulcers... If that's right, just raise up your hand there to God, this little lady here, right here. You have ulcers. That's your husband sitting next by you there. You're praying too, sir, for something. That's your eyes. That's right.
Your name's Edna Way. You live here in Indianapolis. You live on a street called Kenwood Avenue. Your number is 36 ... 3726 Kenwood Avenue. Your husband's name's Frank, isn't it? I never seen you in my life. Is that right?
You touched Something. Is that truth? If it is, would you stand up on your feet just a minute? All right. You and your husband can go home. You've received what you asked for. You've touched the Lord Jesus, the High Priest of your confession. Amen.

60 Have faith in God. Don't doubt. Believe with all your heart. Now, be real reverent. Don't stir. Be real reverent, because every spirit in here is under control of the Holy Spirit. How wonderful.
I see that light standing right in this direction here. It's over a little woman sitting back there on the end. She's suffering with a kidney trouble. Also trouble with her eyes. She's not from this city. I couldn't point her out. But she's from Richmond, Indiana. Her name is Bessie Rush. Stand up, Mrs. Rush, and receive your healing. Christ makes you well. Amen.
Lady, would you stand up just a minute? Stand up again, the lady whoever it was. I don't know you, do I, lady? Never seen you in my life as far as I know of. Those things what He said, is it truth? Raise your hand if that's truth or not. All right. God bless you.

61 Are you believing? If thou canst believe... What about in this section?
Here's a lady, light over her. She's got her head bowed. She's sitting right down in here. She's praying for someone else, not herself. She's praying for her mother. Her mother has heart trouble. If you believe with all your heart, your mother will healed. Amen. Have faith in God.
What about over in this section? Do you believe? All your heart?
Here's a little lady sitting right back here looking at me. She has trouble with her chest. That's true. The lady next to her has something wrong with her legs, pains in her legs. Here's her husband sitting on the other side there, has trouble with his liver---the other side of the other woman. That's right.
Maybe you'd know this. You all are not from this country. Yes, you are. You're from north of here. You're from Newcastle, Indiana. That's right. Raise up your hands. All right. You can go home and receive your healing now, in the name of Jesus Christ, the Son of God.

62 Do you believe? Have faith in God. Don't doubt. Lady here has got arthritis, little lady... She's also praying for her sister, who has heart trouble. The lady's a minister. Her name is Mrs. Drake, Mrs. Madeline Drake. Stand up on your feet, and receive your healing in the name of Jesus Christ. Have faith in God. Do you believe?
What about you back there, sir, sitting back there by the post? You got heart trouble. You're from Columbus, Ohio. Your name is Mr. Fitch. Rise up, Mr. Fitch, and receive your healing in the name of Jesus Christ. Do you believe? Let us pray now for a moment.

63 Blessed heavenly Father, the Bible said, "In the mouth of two or three witnesses let every word be established." And this audience tonight, just becoming under anticipations, knowing that just a few hours, one more service and it'll close. And we pray, God, that somehow or another that You'll get a hold of every heart in here just now, and let them see that Jesus Christ still lives and reigns.
And I pray that every one that passes through this line, or passes in or out of these doors tonight, will be healed of whatsoever disease they have. I commit them unto Thee. And bless them now, Father. In Jesus Christ's name. Amen.

64 Billy, where's your prayer cards? H-1 to a 100? 50 to a 100. H-50 to a 100.. Who has H number 1, raise up ... or, H-50, raise up your hand. Is that right? 50 to a 100? H-50, would you raise up your hand? Prayer card with an H on it and a 50. Who has it? Raise your hand if you please.
Are you sure you got the right numbers, the right place? H-50, not here? H-51? All right, lady. 52, 53, 54, 55, 56, 57, 58, 59, 60. 60 to 70, stand up here to the right if you will. If you can't get up, some of the ushers will help you. We're starting to pray for the sick now.
You say, "Brother Branham, what do you do it this way for?" Now, I'm trying to get that down to where I can catch each person and pray for them without that spirit of discernment. Yes. The emergency room tomorrow night, boy asked about it.
Sixty to 70, 70 to 80, 80 to 90, 90 to 100, stand up over on this side here. Just take your positions. H to a 100. H... Every prayer card with a H on it, come over here and line up in your numerical order, and we will see if we can get through these. Then maybe we can get to some more ... some more. And while we're waiting, here's handkerchiefs to be prayed for. Would you Christian people bow your heads just a moment while we pray for these handkerchiefs?

65 Now, heavenly Father, we bring to You these handkerchiefs and little parcels. In the Bible we are taught that they taken from the body of Saint Paul, handkerchiefs and aprons; unclean spirits went out of people, and diseases left them. We realize that we're not Saint Paul, but You're still the same Jesus. And these people here are exercising their faith today, as those people did in that day.
And I ask, dear God, that You'll bless these handkerchiefs for their intended purpose. And whosoever receives these, may the disease depart from their body; that poor old mother waiting for the little baby, the one in the hospital room, the convalescent home, wherever it is, Lord, honor the prayer of Your church tonight, and heal the sick. For we commit them unto Thee, in the name of Thy beloved Son, the Lord Jesus. Amen.

66 You may come get them. If you forget to bring one up, just write me down at the office at Jeffersonville, Indiana, at Post Office Box 325, or just Jeffersonville, Indiana, and you'll be sent one free, a little piece of ribbon that I prayed over that you ... that's your faith. It's just a place of contact, just like anything else that we pray for the sick and afflicted.
Now, here's a large line of people, long string of people. Now, I want just to talk to you just a little bit. The way I tried to do it before: I've tried to pray for four or five, let the Holy Spirit talk to them. Then you come to find out, when you do that, I can't shake myself out of it. The next one it catches, the next one it catches.
I never thought about seeing if He would use it out like that, and then bring the people up and pray for them. That's different. Taking one by one, that prayer line there would take me from now until in the morning to get through them. But we can pray for them the next few minutes. I don't mean just rushing through here like cattle. I mean to pray for them. The Bible said, "The prayer of faith shall save the sick; God shall raise them up."

67 Not only am I going to pray for them, but they're expecting you to pray for them. You are just as much to do in this, and just as responsible before God, as I am myself. Your prayers... What if your mother was standing here? If my mother was standing there, I'd sure appreciate you praying for her. If my wife was in that line or my baby, I'd appreciate your prayers.
And it's not just one man's prayer. It's all of our prayers. Everyone that prays, will just mean that much more. And I'm just not going to pray for them; you must pray for them too. How many will do that? Say, "I'll do it myself. I'll pray, Brother Branham. I'll stay right here and hold on to God and pray." We don't know what God will do. It's hard telling what He will do.

68 Last week ... or, a couple weeks ago, Mr. Sothmann here (I don't see him just now) upon... At Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, I seen our blessed Lord by the faith of the people and that lovely Canadian group sitting there with one accord, Anglican, Baptist, Presbyterian, praying with one accord, and I seen our Lord Jesus just do everything in answer to their prayers. Sure.
Only thing I did was stand there and talk to them a little bit, lay hands on them, and the congregation would go to praying, God would just do great things right before us: miracles. Certainly, you got to believe it and pray.
And that's what we can do for these dear people. That's what God's got us here together for tonight, is to cleanse our hearts from sin first, and to pray for the sick, that they can go on with God. And we want to do that. And each one of you is guilty before God if you don't pray for the sick.

69 Now, I think they're trying to get the line lined up down there, each one in their order. And I'm taking just a little time, so that I can feel myself back normal again. And we're going to ask for prayer. How many in here believes in prayer for the sick? Oh my. That's wonderful. And we know He will do it, because God promised He would do it. And God is true to His promise.
And I believe tonight we'll see the hand of the living God move in our midst. Won't that be something to tell the people tomorrow, that God came down in our midst? Now, the initial way, the way the Lord told me, He said, "When these signs are done before the people, that'll cause them to believe, for they know that man couldn't do that."
I spoke (you've read my book), and I said, "I'm uneducated. I could not get the people to believe."
He said, "These signs are given to you for this purpose." Not to cause them to believe me, but believe Him. I have nothing to do with it. I get sick myself and have to pray for mercy. Now, I ask you to pray for me when I'm sick. Then I pray for you.

70 And we're no more ... we're not greater than one another. We're all the same. We're just... If a person isn't no more than a little housewife, she's just as much in the kingdom of God as the apostle or prophet or whatever he is. She's God's child. And there's no difference in us. God put some to do one thing, and some another. That don't make us above anyone. That... Just God chose us.
That's the reason I different with the Catholic belief in intercession of saints or the virgin Mary. Virgin Mary's a wonderful woman. Certainly. She brought the Lord Jesus to the earth by the command of God. But He could've used anybody else He wanted to. She's not a god or a goddess. She's just a woman. She's in glory. Certainly she is. But she's no way at all for her ... intercede. There's no Scripture in the Bible for that.
There's one intercessor between God and man, and that's the man Christ Jesus, none other. Anything different from that, anything that intercedes for you, any saint, any person outside of that, is purely high form of spiritualism. The dead are passed on. They're in the presence of God, but cannot intercede. That's exactly right. Spiritualists believe that. But not Bible teaching doesn't believe that.

71 Nothing against Catholic people. My people are Catholic. I'm an Irishman. My mother and father both are Catholic people, come from Catholic families. But me, I love the Lord Jesus, and been borned again. I'm a Nazarene, Pentecostal, Baptist, Catholic, born-again Christian. Amen. And I love you all.
Catholic don't mean... A Catholic man or woman is just as much in the sight of God as anybody else. Certainly. I just differ with them in their doctrine. I don't protest the Catholic people. I protest Catholic doctrine. I protest a lot of Protestant doctrine too. That's right. I believe what the Bible says is the truth. I believe God's in His Word, and that alone. That's the only sacred thing we got left on the earth that confirms the Holy Ghost, or the Holy Ghost confirms the Word. Stay with the Word. That's the reason I'm firmly a believer.

72 Did they get the wrong group? About 70 to 80 is missing. And there's several of them missing. You sure you looked at everybody's card? If you have, why, all right. Maybe they just didn't think we'd have a healing service, and they give the cards our early, they might've went home. All right. We'll pray for those that's here then. All right. The Lord bless now.
I wished if you would, lady, when you come---for the first two or three---come up, just tell me what you want, you see. So that I won't start into the discerning. Just tell me what you're here for.
All right. The sister wants healing in her own body, not knowing what is wrong; she has a cloth for her healing. Will we bow our heads while we pray for our sister? Now, sister dear, I wish there was something another I could do to help you. The only thing I can do is pray for you. Will you believe that God will make you well?

73 Our dear heavenly Father, as this group of saints tonight, the called-out, separated from the world, sitting here, these people are on their hearts. I pray that You'll heal this dear woman, and this cloth that she's holding here to go to someone else. Make it so, Lord, that this cloth will be blessed by the prayer of Your people. And may the woman leave here tonight happy, rejoicing, and healed. And may her loved ones be healed also. In Jesus' name we ask it. Amen.
Now, just a moment. There's nothing physically that you could see that has happened to the woman, but I truly believe that this woman's healed. Do you believe it? I believe it with all my heart. Now, go rejoicing, sister, and be happy.

74 All right, brother. Bad eyes, her eyes is going bad. All right. That's your child? All right. Little girl, do you believe Jesus will make you well? I do too. I think you're a awful pretty, little girl. I've got a little Rebekah at home about your size.
I want you to look out here, honey, at the people's going to be praying for you, that your little eyes will get well. Just look at the people. And then Jesus is up here to listen to every prayer. Don't you believe He's going to make you well? Sure.
Now, did you see awhile ago how Jesus was moving among the people and telling them what to do, and all about it? Now, that Jesus is right here now to make you well. You believe that? All right. You bow your little head, and all the rest of you, pray now.

75 Blessed Lord, we bring this little child with bad eyes before You. You are the healer of our diseases and our afflictions. We do not know just what You would do. We would not ask You for a miracle, for You have said a weak and adulterous generation seeks after such. But we would not be wanting to be classed as that, to have to see a miracle to believe. But we would ask You, Lord, for mercy. And as this lovely, beautiful, little girl leans over against my bosom tonight, and these hundreds of people praying, I ask that You'll heal her. Give her back her correct sight. I ask it in Jesus Christ's name. Amen.
Now, honey dear, I don't know just what's happened, but I believe that... Let's take off your glasses. It won't hurt you. I want you just look. Can you see me all right now? Could you tell me... Could you see... Can you see... I don't have to ask you, can you see better than you did before you was prayed for?

76 Look out there in the audience and see if you see all right. Can you see all right now? Let's just look this way. Can you see my hand? How many fingers do I have up? Five. How many now? One. Well, that's wonderful. Now, could you see ... could you see better now than you did before you was prayed for? Well, then God has healed you right here before us. Now, let us just raise our hands and say, "Thank You, Jesus."
Father God, we give Thee thanks for healing this little girl tonight. May she be raised in a Christian home, giving praise and glory to Thee. In Jesus' name we thank Thee. Amen.
God bless you, sweetheart. You're a mighty dear little girl. Let me hear from her, brother.
Now, just keep praying. See what prayer does?

77 What do you want Jesus to do? Fine. Do you believe that God will make you well? Ulcers, and gall bladder trouble, and anemia, and awfully nervous. You believe the Lord will heal you? I see you got palsy too, the shaking. But let me have your hands just a moment. Now, you people pray. This is somebody's mother no doubt.
Now, blessed Lord, we as Your church, as the church of the living God, at this service tonight, Your people here that's called by Your name, You said, "If they will gather together and pray, then I will hear from heaven." I pray for this dear woman. I ask You to heal her, and to make her well, and stop this palsy, and to take away the gall bladder trouble, and her other troubles. We as the church of God ask this blessing in Jesus' name. Amen.
Now, this, not asking for a miracle. But I'm going to drop your hands now. I want you to stand perfectly still. I want you to raise your hands up then. Well, let's say, "Praise the Lord." Her palsy has stopped. God bless you, sister. I believe you're healed completely, don't you? Amen. Go on your road rejoicing. Now, let's say, "Thank the Lord," you know, for healing the woman.

78 Your trouble, sister dear? Yes, uh-huh. You believe that the Lord Jesus will make you well? All right. Let us bow our heads now while we pray for sister.
Our heavenly Father, as this little thin woman stands here, I pray that You'll heal her. Lay Your healing mercies to her, that her faith will look to Thee and be made well. Realizing, Father, that only the prayer of faith can save the sick. And this great church of God prays tonight with one accord that You'll spare this little woman's life, and let her live. In the name of Jesus Christ. Amen.
Nothing physically, of course, that could be shown, but I believe that you're healed. Don't you believe that? You believe you are too. "As a man thinketh in his heart, so is he." Go, rejoicing and happy, and thank the Lord.

79 Now, what do you want Jesus... Oh, I see it. Yes. Oh, I see. Uh-huh. You believe that Jesus will heal you? Pus in the blood, and sugar. You believe the Lord Jesus will make you well? Mother, won't you look here just a minute. Just look at the saints of God will be praying for you.
Oh, how many's going to be praying for her? just raise your hands. Look at there. You know God is bound to hear that, isn't He? We love Him. Now, just believe now. And that little tumor or cancer will leave and go away right now, if you'll believe it, and God will make you well.
Now, blessed Father, as praying for this dear woman, and as I hold her little wrinkled hands, only You, Lord, know that the days works has passed over through these hands. But there hasn't been one thing but what You've seen it done.
And we as a church of the living God, ask for mercy for our dear sister tonight, that You'll heal her and take this growth out of her mouth, take the pus from her blood, and the sugar, whatever is wrong. For we bless her now. In the name of Jesus Christ, the resurrected Son of God. Amen.
God bless you. I believe you're healed right now. Do you believe that? Amen. Go on your road. Let's say, "Praise the Lord." The lump left her mouth. You see it.

80 What do you want God to do? In your what, sister? Oh, you're... All right. Now, she wants prayer for her home, and something bothers her head.
Now, blessed Lord, as these ministers, coworkers, laity, whatever is here tonight, with one accord we're praying for these people. Let Thy Spirit move at this moment, and heal this dear woman, and make her completely well. We ask this blessing in Jesus Christ's name. Amen.
Now, sister, did you ever read the little book that was wrote, my testimony about the Angel of the Lord coming? How many ever read that little book? What did the Angel of the Lord say? "You were sent to pray for sick people. If you'll be sincere when you pray, and get the people to believe it, nothing shall stand before the prayer." How many knows that? All right.
She believes it. Things has been done to let her know. God confirmed that that's the truth. I believe you're healed, sister. Your head's not bothering you at this time? The lady said her head trouble has left, standing right here on the platform. We'll give God praise. Go on your road, sister, and be happy and thankful.

81 How do you do, sister? Your trouble is... A very worthy thing. She has a boyfriend that's gone away from God. She wants him to come back. She wants her father to be healed. And who else was that? Your eyes. She wants her eyes to be healed. God bless you, young lady. Let us pray for this lady.
Our heavenly Father, we bring this, just a child, to You. And we know what her problem is today, a young lady, the future of this nation, if it shall stand. And she longs and loves that boy. And somehow, Lord, wherever he is, bring him back to God tonight. Speak to his heart. Heal her dear old daddy, who's worked so hard, perhaps, to raise her. And give her eyesight back correct again. We ask this as a church of the living God. In the name of Jesus Christ. Amen.
God bless you, sister. 'Course nothing physically to be shown, but I believe that He will do it. Do you accept it? God bless you. You will receive what you asked for.

82 All right, brother. What do you want God to do for you? For your eyes... Oh, yes. All right. He's got cataracts coming on his eyes, he says. He wants God to heal him.
Father, we pray that in Jesus Christ's name, that these cataracts will never cover the sight and blind this man. May the life that's in those cataracts die tonight, and go out of them growths, and may this man be made well. I ask it in Jesus' name, along with this group of praying people. Amen.
God bless you, brother. Nothing of course physically we could say, but go believing now and you'll receive ever what you asked for.

83 Prostate, sugar diabetes, and bad eyes. Now, you all pray now. Remember, you're obligated to pray.
Now, Father, not as we're obligated, but it's love that we feel for these poor sick people. And Thou has been kind to heal us. And we're introducing them to Thee. And I pray that You'll heal this man and make him completely whole in the name of Jesus Christ, Thy Son. Amen.
God bless you now. Go, and rejoice, and believe with all your heart.

84 Is it for your baby, sister? A growth. Yeah, oh, yes. A little baby with enlarged heart, growth on its leg, and it's very sick. Let us pray now for the little one.
O blessed Jesus, I pray that You'll stop this condition of the baby, and heal it. And we thank You for doing it, in Jesus' name. We praise Thee. Amen.
Let's say, "Praise the Lord." The baby stopped its making a noise. Hear? Let's say, "Praise the Lord," everybody. Give God praise. All right. I believe the growth will go from it too, mother. All right.

85 What's your trouble, brother? Arthritis, and your eyes. Let us pray.
Father God, we bring this great, husky, strong man to You tonight, and ask that in Jesus' name You'll take the arthritis away from him and heal his eyes. As this church prays with one accord, in the blessed name of Jesus Christ. Amen.
God bless you, brother. Go, believing now, and be healed. All right.
Sister, of course, I looked you in the eye, see. You realize you only have one hope. That's Christ. That cancer will kill you sure as the world, but God can heal you of that. You believe that, don't you?
O blessed Lord, while this woman, that deep shadow of death jumping out there, I couldn't help but to call him. I condemn this enemy upon the basis of the shed blood of Jesus Christ, and this sanctified church tonight, praying in one accord. May the devil and death depart from this woman, and she be made well. In Christ Jesus' name. Amen.
Look here, sister. You was going to die. But I believe you're going to live. Go rejoicing and be happy and thank God for your healing. Amen.

86 Multiple sclerosis... You believe that God will heal you and her too. Now, let us pray for our sister here.
O God, she's overweight, and her eyes are bad, and her niece has multiple sclerosis, many ailments, but Thou art the Lord that heals all of our diseases. And I pray sincerely that You'll heal this woman, and also the one she's asking for. We ask this blessing for her in the name of Jesus Christ, Thy Son. Amen.
Now, look, sister, of course there'd be nothing physical we could see. We don't ask for it. But do you believe that you are healed? You believe that the sclerosis of that... Is Brother Sothmann...

87 The other night in Canada a little baby was brought to the platform with multiple sclerosis. It taken two men to hold the child, like this. And I said, "All you church, pray." And we went to prayer, and laid hands on the little fellow. And while I was praying, he said, "Let me loose. I'm healed."
And the man looked at me, and I said, "Turn him loose." And when they turned him loose, he was... He couldn't even hold his legs up. And he started like this, and he went down clapping his little hands, and praising God, perfectly normal and well. Multiple sclerosis... God bless you. Believe.

88 How do you do, sister? You want the Lord Jesus to heal you? What do you want Him to heal you of? You believe that God will take the cancer and stuff tonight? Let us pray for our sister.
Dear heavenly Father, death is near the woman, and so is life. Jesus Christ, God's Son, stands here. For Thou hast said, "Wheresoever two or more are gathered in My name, I will be in their midst." And in these hundreds tonight that's gathered here in the auditorium, You're here, Lord.
And I lay hands upon her with the prayer of this church, asking that this cancer and conditions of her body leave, and may she be made well. We condemn the cancer and the sickness of her body upon the basis of the vicarious suffering of our Lord Jesus, who defeated Satan and all of his sickness at Calvary. We ask it to leave in the name of Jesus Christ. Amen.

89 Now, sister dear, 'course cancer is a killer, but Christ is a life-giver. But now, you just don't look towards that anymore, towards the cancer. Don't even think you're going to die. The doctors give you up; that's all they could do. They done all they could do.
But God hasn't given you up. I've seen just shadow of people made perfectly well. You go out of here just happy and rejoicing, and say, "Thank you, Lord. The promise is mine." Take it upon the basis of the Word and the resurrection of Christ. You'll live. Amen. You return back and tell them what the Lord's done for you then. Amen. God bless you. That's very fine.

90 What would the Lord... You want the Lord to do for you, sister? You want to be healed of anemia. All right. She's hard of hearing, and anemic. So, let us bow our heads to pray.
Now, blessed Lord, here is a woman who is anemic, and blood cells, the white eat up the red. She's hard of hearing. But Thou, Lord, can heal her, and make her well. I pray that You will grant it.
And as I, tonight with this church of God, lay hands upon her, and Lord, now we don't ask for miracles, but we would desire, Lord, of Thee, that it might encourage those who are looking on, that You would restore this woman's hearing to her perfectly, that she would be able to hear, and that would give her faith to believe more for her anemic condition.
And now, may it be so as we, the church of God, pray this prayer of faith to You, asking kindly in the way You said, "Ask the Father anything in My name, I'll do it." We ask God, in Jesus' name, to heal the woman. Amen.

91 Now, which ear were you hard hearing in? Yes. Do you hear me now? Do you hear me now? Do you hear me now? Now, she can hear perfectly. She said, here's her words; she could hear, but it'd all be messed together. She couldn't hear.
Now, watch her now. You hear me now? [Sister says, "Yes I do."] Just that you might see. You hear me now? ["Yes I do."] Praise the Lord. ["Praise the Lord."] Amen. That's a whisper. Now, I think we ought to thank our Lord for that. Don't you?
O Lord, we thank Thee for this goodness and mercy that You have showed. You're answering prayer for Your children tonight, and we're happy for these things. And we believe our sister's anemic condition will be well too. In Jesus' name we ask it. Amen.

92 All right, brother, what do you want Jesus to do? Your eyes. You believe... Are they weak or something you want them... Weak eyes. Oh, they don't focus. All right. That is: With your glasses off, they don't focus. All right.
Now, we're not asking our heavenly Father for miracles. How many understands that? We're just praying for the sick. That's all we can do. God is the only One who can do miracles. I can't perform miracles, or believe there's anyone else can. I believe it comes from God. And the only thing we can do is ask, humbly ask our Father.
But if He doesn't focus his eyes, we'll claim his healing just the same now. That's right. But he might be able to do it. I don't know. But you pray with me that God will do it for this young man. It might show here. I don't know. Let us pray and ask God.

93 Now, my dear brother, have faith now. Just with quiet, humble, reverence, with just as much faith to believe that God will do it, as you believe you can walk off the platform.
Blessed heavenly Father, I bring to Thee this my brother, young man, that has to wear eyes with the ... over ... or, glasses over his eyes, of strong, so that it'll pull the focus back to its right condition. We're happy that someone is able to grind a glass like that to help us, but, Father God, Thou art the healer of these bad eyes, crossing over his ... and making their focus incorrect.
But we would not ask a miracle, but would You be so kind, Lord, that if it seems good in Your sight tonight, that the people might know that You're present and believe on You, that other people here that's got bad eyes... We seen You give sight to that little girl a few moments ago. Now, bring this focus back normally, Father. I pray in Jesus Christ's name. Amen.

94 Now, I want you to take your glasses off and look out through that way, and see if your eyes are focused. Can you see? Now, he said they're not focused right yet. Maybe we could just once more ask it. Just keep your glasses off this time. Now, bow your heads everyone.
Now, I trust that we're not trying to tempt God to perform a miracle, see. Now, brother, now have faith. Remember, we're trying to have faith with you, see. But it'll be according to your faith, it'll be done. Now, believe with all your heart that God will do it.
Now, Lord, we see in the Bible that one time Jesus prayed for a man, and he looked up and he saw men like trees. He prayed again, and when He did, the man could see all right. Now, if there's something wrong, that You would desire him to be in this condition, if there's disobedience or something, we pray that You'll forgive us for asking this.
And we pray that You'll take away his sin or whatever it would be, if something of that type has caused it. And if it be pleasing with Thee tonight, Lord, to find our faith looking to Thee, would You this time uncross the eyes of this boy? In the name of Jesus Christ.

95 I'm going to ask every head to be bowed just a moment, and your eyes closed, and just keep praying. I want you to keep your eyes closed too, son. Now, I want you to turn towards me and look at my finger and believe. Do you see one finger? Is it focused on my finger? You can see now?
All right, raise your heads. Now, his eyes are corrected. He can... How many fingers I got up? [Boy says, "Just one.".] One finger. They are focused normally now. Let's say, "Praise the Lord," for that. Now, God bless you, brother. Go on your road rejoicing, be happy.

96 All right, would you come, son? What do you want God to do for you, sir? Nerves... He has thirty percent loss of hearing, and real nervous. Let us bow our heads, will you, and pray.
Blessed Lord, Thou can give him his hearing, and Thou can take the nervousness away from him. If You could stop a nervous sea one night, You said, "Peace, be still." The winds and the waves obeyed You. God, grant that the nervousness leave this man's body and his hearing is restored normal. I ask this blessing in Jesus Christ's name. Amen.
Now, thirty percent, that would be quite a bit, almost half of your hearing gone. Now, I want to whisper to you. Can you hear me? Can you hear me now? Hear me now, say "Amen." That's full hearing.
I will have to get him to the microphone, because you'd never hear me. Listen to this. You hear me now? [The man says, "Yes."] Say, "Amen." ["Amen."] I love Him. ["I love Him."] Just a whisper. God has healed him.
Now, look. I want to say something to you. While I was praying, and the church was praying, you felt yourself quieten too, didn't you? ["That's right."] Your nerves are gone. It's all right. You're healed now. God bless you. Let's say, "Thank the Lord."
[Brother Mattson-Boze' speaks to the audience.]

97 What do you want God to do for you? Infection, and your brother with the cancer in his ear. You believe that God will heal him? Now... Oh, I thought I was closer to the mike. She has an infection. Her brother has a ear trouble that could be cancer. Let us pray for them now.
Dear God, as this young woman stands here for her brother and for herself, years ago as little boys and girls running around the house, hanging onto mama's apron, but they've growed up now. God, I pray that You'll heal them. Grant it. Honor the prayers of the church as we pray, in Jesus Christ's name, I ask it. Amen.
And now, look, sister, course there's nothing I could see at the time, but this handkerchief, put it on your brother. God bless you. Don't doubt, but believe. All right.

98 What do you want Jesus to do for you? All right. You believe that God will remove it, heal you from the accident and make you well? The lady's had an accident; she's got a growth on her forehead here she wants Christ to heal. Let us pray now, all together.
Dear Jesus, I pray that You'll heal the woman and make her every bit whole. Oh, she stands here. She's waited along the line. It's her time for this great church to pray for her. I pray that You'll grant it in the name of Jesus Christ, Your Son. Amen.
You believe, mother? All right. I believe too, with all my heart for you. All right.

99 What do you want Jesus to do for you, sister? Your gall bladder. All right. All right. And you believe that He will do it for you? Now, bow your head. You heard her trouble, and we will pray.
Blessed Father, as this woman stands here, she may be getting along in the years, but so was Sarah, but You gave her a promise. And she believed it, and You manifested it to her. And I pray with this great church tonight, that You'll manifest Your blessings to this woman, and may she be healed, in Jesus Christ's name. Amen.
Prayer of faith shall save the sick. You accept it? Then go rejoicing and happy. All right. All right, sister.

100 All right. Yes. You believe that God will heal you? She says she has heart trouble, dropsy, and other ailments that she believes that God will heal her. Now, let's bow our heads and pray for this lady.
Blessed Lord, as this little lady stands here tonight to be prayed for, I lay my hands upon her and by faith, all this great ransomed church here, lays their hands on her by faith. And we believe that the prayer of faith shall save the sick. And O great Angel who come that night in the room, said, "Be sincere. Get the people to believe." As all sincerity that I can pray for these people, I ask that You'll heal her, in Jesus Christ's name. Amen.
God bless you, sister. No, ma'am, I don't. No. Go on your road rejoicing. God bless your heart. Amen. Oh, that's... I just love... Don't you like old people? I just love them. They're just second children. I love little children and old people. I love everybody, but it looks like they're just like little children, kind of helpless like.

101 What do you want Jesus to do for you, sister? Oh, you're standing for your husband. That's a very Christian thing. Christ stood for us all. You're standing for your husband, your sweetheart. I pray that God will heal him. We'll all pray for her husband.
Blessed Lord, as this little woman stands here for her husband, I pray, dear God, that the man who has married her, that when she goes to her home, or whatever the place is he's at, may she find him well. Grant it, Lord. We send her to find this. And Thou has said, "As thou has believed, so be it." And we pray that she'll find him well. In Jesus' name we pray. Amen.
God bless you, sister. Don't doubt now. Believe that he will get well, you can have it.

102 What does he... What do you want Jesus to do for you? Sure, brother. Now, let's bow our heads as we pray.
Heavenly Father, we pray for this man and his heart condition and his other troubles also. And we ask as a ransomed church of God, that You'll heal him. As I lay hands upon him, my hands represent this whole audience, and I pray that You'll heal him. May the heart trouble leave him, and may he live many years yet, and enjoy good health for the glory of God. We ask it in Jesus' name. Amen. God bless you, brother.
I say this, church, I don't believe there's a person... Well, you know that I catch them as they come by. I don't believe there's a person that's passed through this platform tonight, but what's been healed of God. That's right. I believe it.

103 All right, sir. What would you want Jesus to do for you? Well, bless your heart. Here's a worthy person. He's shell-shocked, seventy-five percent shell-shocked from the service. This boy in this condition means that the flag still waves over the land of the free and the home of the brave. God bless his gallant soul.
O eternal and blessed God, as he laid down there on the trench, for this to be America, so we could preach the Gospel, You hung on the cross to heal him. We bring him to You tonight, and ask that every nerve be quietened. May he go from here tonight, and be well. I ask it in Jesus Christ's name. Amen.
The reason I prayed shortly, brother: With all my heart, I believe that you're healed. Yes, sir. Amen. God bless you. Go on your road and rejoicing, son. God bless you.

104 Brother Kidd, I know you. How long you been preaching the Gospel? I want to pray... This is Sister Kidd. Come here. This old couple's only about eighty or five ... seventy-five ... seventy-six, and sev... Two preachers, been preaching for years and years and years. If you want to see a couple of little sweethearts, this is them.
They call me through the darkest of night, through the storms, whether they're hurt, whether they're in a wreck, or whatever it is, and I've got the first time for God to fail to answer prayer right then, and there when I pray for them on the phone. They're long distance calls.

105 What say? She just wants to testify for once. Bless her little old heart. This little woman's been in the Gospel field before I was born: fifty years. [Sister Kidd gives testimony of healing.] Amen. Let's say, "Praise the Lord." Partings leave behind us, footprints on the sands of time.
Think when I was... Before I was ever born---preaching the Gospel. God bless their little hearts. My, my. Young folks, this is an example what God can do if you'll serve Him. Let's pray.
Blessed Lord, as these two little sweethearts stand here, down through the years, hearing their testimony of how they went hungry, walked through the cold, run out of towns, and stood on the street corners, and preached the Gospel, and here they are tonight alive, standing here in this Cadle Tabernacle, this great shrine to the glory of God, giving testimony to His praise and His glory.
I pray that You'll bless them. Strengthen their little weak bodies, and give them many more happy years to serve You. I bless Brother and Sister Kidd in the name of Jesus Christ. Amen.
God bless you, Brother and Sister Kidd. May He ever be with you. Amen. Amen. God bless you, mother. Sweetheart, I hope if we live long enough, we're like that, don't you, ever where you're at? I sure do. All right.

106 What you want Jesus to do for you, sister? Here's a mother. She wants faith for her little baby to be healed. Let me have your handkerchief. Doctor says it can't live. She's praying for faith.
O blessed Lord, God, You gave Your only Son, that her child could live. Grant it, Lord, as this little mother stands here, her heart bleeding. The doctor's done all he can do, and yet death hangs over the child. We pray, Lord, as the church of God, that You'll strike back death and make the baby to be well. And we bless this handkerchief and send it to the child, in the name of Jesus Christ, by its mother. Amen.
Don't doubt, mother. I believe your baby will live. How many believes that, the act of faith in this woman? God bless you, sister. All right.

107 You hear me? Let's pray now. Dear Jesus, bring mercy to this man who is so desperately in need. Thou did make the ears of man, and You made the whole body of man. And I pray that You'll heal this man tonight, and make him well. May the blessed Lord Jesus strike His power of healing across him tonight, by his faith looking up, and may he be made completely whole, I pray in Jesus Christ's name. Amen.
Now, just with your heads bowed just a moment. How long have you been that way? Hear me now? Can you... Amen. Two years [unclear words]. You hear? Yes. Amen. He can hear now. Let's say, "Praise the Lord." God bless you now. Go on your road rejoicing and be happy. Amen.

108 [Lady says, "Brother Branham, Brother Branham."] Yes? ["He isn't deaf, he has hardening of the arteries; he can't talk."] Can't talk? Well, he's sure doing a good job of it now. He's...
Let me see him just a moment. I thought it was your hearing. Can you [unclear words]. It was his hearing and his speech. Say, "I" [I] " Love" [Live] " Love," [Love] " Jesus," [Jesus.] Sure you can say it. Say, "Thank You." [Thank you.] All right. It's over now. You can go on rejoicing. All right. Do you believe with all your heart?

109 What do you want Jesus to do for you? Oh, my. The doctor says it'll be a miracle if her baby lives. Let's pray for this little lady.
Blessed Lord, as only a mother's heart could go for her child, I pray, O God, You who create, that this little one shall live and be born normally. Grant it, Lord. And we bless this little woman. In this horrible, sinful day that we're living in, grant that God's blessings rest upon her, and she be made whole, and the baby will be born normally. We ask it in Jesus Christ's name. Amen.
God bless you, sister. Now, believe with all your heart.

110 Just a moment. Someone's instructing a woman here that's laying on a cot. I suppose you would have no way of coming in the prayer line, because you... Do you believe God can make you well? You do? God by His infinite mercy, lady... I see a dark shadow. You're dying.
If God by His infinite mercy will spare your life, will you serve Him with all your heart as long as you live? You promise to do that? If God in His infinite mercy will reveal to me what your trouble is, as by a gift given by the Holy Spirit, will you accept it, and believe it, and accept Christ?
You're laying like the lepers laid at the gate of Samaria. They said, "Why do we lay here? If we lay here we're going to die. If we go into the city, we're going to die. If we go down to the Syrians, they might save us." But they're sure going to die laying there.
You lay at the same place, because you're suffering with cancer. That is right. There's a dark shadow. I couldn't keep from seeing it. It's right over you, moving. But I will say another thing: The Holy Spirit's right by you too. Make your choice.
Do you believe? Can you believe that you're healed? You believe that you're well? Will you obey me as His prophet? Then in Jesus Christ's name, rise up from there. Take your cot and go home. There she is. Let's say, "Praise the Lord."
All the rest of you that wants to be healed, stand up on your feet.
O God, in the name of Jesus Christ, we pray that You'll heal this [unclear words].

Thirsting for Life

You can find this sermon at ChurchAges.net

1 ... Thou has permitted us to live in this day to see these great signs and wonders happening by Your hand. And there's no one here any more conscious that it isn't Your servant who knows these things, than I am. It is You, Lord. And by Your promise You promised You would do these things, and Thou always keeps Your promise. And to this we're thankful and give Thee praise. Bless us this afternoon in the Word, tonight in the great healing service. We will praise Thee. In Christ's name. Amen.
You may be seated.

2 I was just trying to think a few moments ago... [Someone adjusts the microphone.] If you'll set that just as high as you can. Anybody ever have the flu? Just petting my little boy Joseph, I think I must have caught his bad cold. And got a very bad throat. I've got a preacher's throat. I haven't knowed the time in twenty-five years that my throat wasn't constantly red, because I preach, pray for the sick day and night, day in and out, week in and out, month, year in and out, see. And it just keeps me constantly coughing. And so, I get a little ... little... It never gets sore. I don't believe I ever did have a sore throat. Never did have a throat sore, it's just overtaxed. And then I get cold in there, of course, and it swells up the larynx; and then it being raw, it gives the germ a chance to get in.

3 I was... Something here... Oh, yes, I was reading a letter. I wish I had brought that; I knew I should do something. Rosella, is she here this afternoon? Rosella Griffith? Yes. Billy wants to see you and make that arrangement for you. I was reading your letter just awhile ago. And so they...
This lady came in here somewhere, in this auditorium right here, this church. And the Holy Spirit told her, said, "Lady, you got cancer." And she had come in here from somewhere---the West. And she said when I walked off the platform, I said... She said to her husband, "Now, that just can't be." Said, "Now, I didn't say nothing when Brother Branham said that," said "but I just thought, 'Now, wait a minute. I know...'" And then said, I told her, said who she was, where she come from, what had been her symptoms, and everything, and said the doctor couldn't find her trouble. But said, "You have cancer." And she doubted that.
And now I've got the letters. I'll bring them tonight. That'd be a good time, tonight. And now she's in the hospital just at the point of death with cancer, see. It was there; the doctor couldn't find it, but the Holy Spirit knew it was there.
Now, now I don't say this, you see, but perhaps if she hadn't've doubted that, the story might have been different today (see, see), if she hadn't've doubted it. You must believe. Now to me, you don't have to believe me; I'm just a man. But when He says anything, it's the truth, see; it's the truth.

4 And so, one time in a meeting, it was in Canada. Way up here in... I can never think of that city, across from Detroit. Windsor, Ontario. And there was a man slipped into the meeting. And he thought it was a telepathy. And he put on his prayer card, on the back of it, "I have so many diseases", and things like that. There wasn't nothing wrong with him. And when he come up to the platform (He happened to be in the part of the line, probably just going through praying for the sick.), and he said, "Could you tell me what's wrong with me?" And Brother Baxter started passing him on.
I said, "Just a moment."
He said, "I want to know what's wrong with me."
Brother Baxter said, "We're not having that."
Now, he'd been better off if he'd listened to Brother Baxter, see, went on through. But no, he had to stop. And when he did ... then the Holy Spirit said to him, "There's nothing wrong with you; you have no disease at all."
He said, "Oh, yes, I do." He said, "Look on my card down there that they got."
I said, "I don't care what you got on your card, you haven't got nothing wrong with you."
And he said, "Oh, yes."
I said, "Well, you..."
He said, "I've got it." Said, "I got it stated on my card."
I said, "I don't know anything about your card, I never see that. You just get a card, you... Anything you want to put on it, you put on it. But I never see that, the ministers get them." And he said... But he said...

5 I said, "You might have had it and maybe you had a faith and was healed."
"Oh," he said, "That's what it is, is it?" Turned around.
And just then I looked and there was a vision. I said, "Why did the devil put in your heart to do that?" I said, "You are..." Now, if this is a person of that is in this building, I'm not speaking against your church. I said, "You're a Church of Christ minister." They love to fuss. I said, "You're a Church of Christ preacher. Last night you sat with a man with a gray suit and a red tie. And you sat at a table had a little green cloth hanging over it, there was a blond headed woman sitting next to you, and you said it was telepathy. And you come to this meeting today and wrote that on there thinking you could pass it through and make a telepathy out of it to up-trip God's Spirit." I said, "You're the one exposed."
And just then the man sitting up there, he said, "Mr. Branham, I'm the guy that was with him." Said, "That's my wife sitting right here, was with him."
And I said, "The things that you put on your card, you have. Both cancer and TB." And he fell down on the platform. But the last time I heard of him, I never heard no more, just a letter from some of the people, that he was in a serious condition. So, we're not playing church.

6 The infallibility of the Holy Spirit! Not the infallibility of the man: the man has no infallibility. But the Holy Spirit is absolutely infallible. Don't pretend nothing. You be what you are. When you say, "I now accept Christ as my healer," you mean that. Don't you just slip around the corner and say, "Well, I'll try Brother Roberts when he comes in, or somebody else." Don't you never do that. That's a dangerous thing, very dangerous. And you be just what you are. And if you're not a Christian, don't say you are.
If you're a sinner, admit it. God knows it. And now your sinful condition... Just because you belong to church, that won't help you one bit. You might have a confession, your name on the book and living a righteous life. And you're still a sinner. You got to be borned again---not by the mental mind, but by something that's happened in your heart, see. It's got to be, friends. Don't never let the devil blindfold you to that. It doesn't come by intellectual conception; it comes by birth. And your life copes right with that. You must have it.

7 I wish to read, and just take about twenty or thirty minutes of your time. I'm hoarse. But I want an evangelistic service, the Lord given it, tonight to pray for the sick.
Now, I have chosen for this afternoon, for a subject found over in Psalms 63 and the first 3 verses:
O God, thou art my God; early will I seek thee: my soul thirsts for thee, my flesh longeth for thee in a dry and thirsty land, where no water is;
To see thy power and thy glory, so as I have seen thee in thy sanctuary.
Because thy love-kindness is better than life, my lips shall praise thee.

8 We have the most unusual text this afternoon, the reading of God's holy Word. When I read this it just turned me around. And I thought to say within myself, "What was the prophet speaking of when he said, 'Thy love-kindness is better to me than life.'" There's nothing no better than life. And then, "Thy love-kindness is better than life, my lips shall praise thee." Well, I thought, "There must be different kinds of life."
Now, many people begin to think on the subject of life. And now, feeling free: and I have always tried to not hold things back. Never in my life knowingly have I ever called out a character's name, or some individual's name. I have rebuked sin, preached what I thought was right, but never disregarded any brother. He could be just as wrong, and I could be wrong too. But regardless him being wrong, don't disfellowship him from my ... from my fellowship with Christ with him. We are brothers.

9 But I heard a minister last night. It happens to be in our room, there was a television, and I'm not much on television, as you know. If it's the right thing, all right. But there's so little right on it, I just don't have one in my house.
And so, it was a famous evangelist that was preaching last night that said, "When a man is born, he receives a life, and that life he will be forever." Now, a man of that caliber. But I just wondered. If he'd ever sit down to think this: the Bible said, "The soul that sinneth it shall die."

10 Yes, sir, everything that has a beginning has an end. And it's things that had no beginning that has no end. And there's only one eternal life and that's in God. All other life has an end. But God has no end because He had no beginning. And we being parts of God have eternal life with God. But everything that has any other type of life had a beginning, it has an end. Only the eternal things last.
Now, the word forever comes in a conjunction, "Forever and forever." "Forever" is a space of time. But "eternity" is no begin or end. It's just a perfect circle. There's no end in it at all. It's eternity. Forever... Like, you see, forever and (conjunction) forever: two spaces of time. But "eternity" and "eternal life" means the same thing, see. It's in the same category, that it had no begin neither does it have an end; it's forever the same. Ever was and ever will be the same.

11 Now, in Brother Joseph's church, where I feel just as free as I was at my Tabernacle, and to give a little basis here before I bring my message to you, from the Lord, I want to just do a little Bible teaching for a moment. There is a Spirit in the world that is real, pure, unadulterated love. And that love come from the great Spirit; it's God. There is a Spirit in the world just pure, unadulterated righteousness. That Spirit come from God. And all of the Spirits of righteousness, of love, of purity: that is God. That is the eternal, everlasting, without beginning or ending: that's God.

12 The Logos went out of God as... No disregards to Catholic people now. But the Catholic church... My background, my family's Catholic. And I have the Catholic people here, the book called "Facts of Our Faith." And they use the word of "eternal sonship of God." The word don't even make sense to me. The word eternal means "eternity," which had no begin nor has no end. And son means "had a beginning." So how could it... It could be a eternal Godship, but never an eternal sonship. A son is one that's begotten of. So it had a beginning.
And the Logos, which was the Son of God, went out, created by these great fountains of purity, God, as those Spirits went out. And it created the Logos. And it was a body. It was in the form of what we are now, which is called (in the clergy way of speaking it) a theophany. It's a body that doesn't have a spirit in it. It's a body that's waiting for you Christians. As soon as the life leaves this, you go into that body. When this earthly tabernacle be dissolved, we have one already waiting: a theophany.

13 Now, when God was in theophany (which was Christ in the making), then that theophany become flesh and dwelt among us. Then that was to redeem. He came from there down through this to redeem this creature, give it life, and take it back up into the eternal one, see.
Now, there's only one eternal life, and that lays in God only. And God only has eternal life. And we have been privileged to become the sons of God. Then that word: "He that heareth my words and believeth on him that sent me, hath eternal life." The Greek word Zoe, there, used for God's own life. The creature that accepts Him becomes a part of God and is just as eternal as God is. Right. There's no reason for us to doubt that. It's God's everlasting, eternal Word. And everything that had a beginning, has an end.

14 So where did sin begin? Sin began at the Garden of Eden, and sin has an end. So, if David cried, "O Lord, my God, my soul is thirsty for thee in a dry land, where no water is; for thy love-kindness is better to me than life," there must be two different types of life. And there is two types of life. And when a man is born in this world, he's nothing but a product of sin when he's born, because he come sexual desire. He's just a product of sin. The Bible says he is. "He's born in sin, shaped in iniquity, come to the world speaking lies."
And yet he's got life. But that life is a perverted life. That life was...

15 Satan cannot create life. He can only pervert what God has created. Satan has no way to create. There's only one creator, that's God. Satan couldn't heal, medicine couldn't heal. There's nothing else can heal but God, because He's the only creator. And anybody that's intelligent would know enough to know that there is not a medicine, or a drug, or nothing in the world that could create life. God is the only solemn One stands in creation alone, for He said, "I am the Lord that healeth all of thy diseases."

16 Now, we see the different types of life. That's the reason that this man's born as a product of Adam, which was a product of sin from listening to his wife, and the wife was a product of sin come from Satan. And Adam followed his wife out, a perfect type of Christ, going with the Bride to take her sins, as Adam took the sins of Eve and left the Garden of Eden. Not deceived, but willingly walked out with her. So was Christ not deceived; Satan could not deceive Him. "If thou be the Son of God..." He knew who He was. But He deliberately walked out and took sin for the church. He's our sin bearer.

17 And now, everything that come out of that cycle of eternal life, when that goes back into its cycle again, into that ceaseless eternity, not one shape, form of sin in any way will ever enter it. Now, here's one Baptist preacher believes in holiness.
Notice, that's got to be cleansed, that person's got to be cleansed. And there's only one thing can cleanse him, that's the blood of Jesus Christ. Nothing else can do it.

18 So, I wondered then, when he cried, "O God, my God; thy love-kindness is better to me than life." There must be two different kinds of life then. And I begin to study it. How could it be, two different kinds of life? Well, I begin to think that many people think when they're out here on the street running around, and places, that they're living the life. That is the thing.
I've watched young mothers take their children and teach them tap dancing. "For I want her to have a little life." I've seen young ladies strip themselves down, till just enough clothes that the law would let her put on, and go out, and she says, "I'm really living the life." And the woman doesn't know that she's dead while she's alive.

19 Some time ago in another city, I was going into my room. And there was a Kiwanis Club, or some certain club, was having a meeting in this city; it was having a rally, a convention. And when I went in, went up on the elevator, there was two young ladies coming down just with their underneath garment on, with a whiskey bottle in their hand, hollering, "Whoopee," going, and men dragging them from one room to the other. And I sat back in the shadows to watch. And when they got close to me, oh, so vulgar. And they were both women, no doubt married women, with their husbands at home, maybe thinking they were having a little clean fun. There is no such a thing.
And then they was up there whooping it around. Kind of relaxing, they would call it. One of them stopped and said, "Whoopee, this is life."
I said, "Oh no, that's not life; that's death." The Bible said, "She that liveth in pleasure is dead while she is alive." The Bible said that.

20 And this... Many times that the devil tries to tell you that that's life. But that's death. And notice, also, that that life becomes so miserable till people take that life. Take a gun and blow their brains out. There'll be many of them in Chicago perhaps this summer. There'll be many of them jump from the towers and drown themselves. There'll be people in Chicago in the next few weeks, turn their gas chambers on, kill themselves. There'll be some deliberately drive in front of automobiles and kill themselves. There'll be some take poisons, and suicide on every hand. That kind of life becomes so treacherous till we know that the prophet wasn't talking about that kind of life. That's death. That's death in a form of life.
That's what Hollywood has done for the United States. It's perverted it. It's stripped our women. It's done all kinds of evil things. It's made our men... It's produced things here that's perverted the real stream of life into death. Even our nation is dying.

21 I was speaking a few moments ago with my wife, when we were sitting in a little place. And there was them women coming in there, each with a cigarette and some ... a little girl sitting there with her eyelashes pulled out and painted like the devil, way back and hooked over sideways. And she was standing there: poor little thing, not no older than about eighteen, smoking a cigarette and drawing her mouth way down, making the awfullest thing, just scooting the smoke from her nose. Not realizing she was dead in trespasses and sin. "You defile this temple, God will destroy it."

22 What's the trouble today, we got too many weak pulpits that's afraid to preach an eternal burning hell, and to warn the people of the things, and letting the church go just as slothfully and sloppy as it can be. And I said, "Honey, where could we start from?" Our nation is corrupted. Our politics is as rotten as it can be. Our factories and our economics is just as rotten as it can be. Even the car industry, it takes you six or eight months to get the bugs combed out of your car. It's on line ... assembly line: throw it together; what difference does it make.
Our womanhood is broke. Motherhood of America is crashed. The morals is as rotten as in any nation there is in the world. What's the matter? It's because they have loved the things of the world more than they've loved God and they got it perverted. Exactly right.
Not only that, but our churches is crushed. Little old pulpit, sissified preachers that stands up in... I ain't criticizing no certain ones. But they stand up and it's a meal ticket. It's an offering, or it's a popular name to get on television or on the air. I wouldn't sell my birthright to Jesus Christ for all the televisions and popularity there is in the world. No, sir. Life means more than these nasty, ungodly things. I'd rather have favor with Christ then to be the president of the world. What a condition the world's got into.

23 Here not long ago, I knowed of a church in our country, and many of them throughout the country, that they just care for ... just carefree. And I'm not scolding people. But, brother, I've got to answer at the day of judgment for the messages I give to the people. God, the only thing He could do... No, nothing could save this nation. It's gone. There can not be no worldwide revival in this time. There's nothing to build on. She's as rotten as it can be.
When it comes to a place that is vulgar and dirty a place as Paris, France, which has been the seat of Satan for hundreds of years: women, vulgarity, nastiness. And they... We used to go there twenty-five years ago and get their design to put on our women. We've got so low till they come over here and get our designs to put on their women. That's right. Newspapers and magazines picks it up. And the poor people are wading in it.

24 There's only one thing the Holy Spirit is doing, that's salvaging what He can, the elected of God to pull them out. So for me, as long as I got breath in my body, I'll call out and condemn the thing. I can't stop it. God said it would be there. I can't stop it but I'll give them points against it, that when God plays over His tape recording at the day of judgment, they'll know that they was told the truth anyhow, by the Word of the living God. And God confirmed it with signs and wonders. Then it'd be up to them. That's right.

25 Listen, friends. God created a man to thirst. God put thirst in a man. A man was made to thirst. And do you mean to tell me that you would try to quench that blessed, holy thirst with the world, and with the devil's programs. You try to quench that thirst with drinking whiskey, that God put in you to thirst after Him. There's something in man to thirst, God made that thirst for a man to thirst for Him. But you try to quench it with pleasure.
And this American people has quenched it with pleasure, mad. That's right. That blessed, holy thirst. You strip yourself on these beaches. You'll lay in these pool rooms, playing cards, social drinking, all this nonsense that you do, and stay home on Wednesday night watching the television instead of going to church. What are you doing? You're trying to quench that holy thirst. You got to quench it some way. And you'll reject Christ, and the devil pours his slop into you. Right. And you think that you're right, but the Bible said, "There is a way that seemeth right unto a man, but the end thereof is the ways of death." Death is total annihilation, separation. Don't you never try to quench that blessed thirst with something the devil put into you.

26 Now, not only... You say, "Well, I'm not a drunkard." "I'm not a gambler." "I'm not a pleasure seeker." But, brother, if the devil can't get you one way, he'll try another. And the devil has tried to quench with his type of life, the thirst that God give you for His life. He's let you join church. He's let you shout. He's let you speak with tongues. He's let you do all kinds of demonstrations. And still, you're drinking from the devil's slop cans. That's exactly right.
When a man thirsts after God, his whole being is surrendered to God. People goes around today and joins churches and lives like the devil. They think they quench that thirst. "I go to church, that settles it." Many times I've told them, when they come on Easter, (that's usually when everybody wants to show their new hat). They'll come on Easter, you might as well bid them a Merry Christmas, because you won't see them again till next Easter. And yet they're members of the church. They are members of that denomination. But a member of the church is borned again of the Spirit of God and the soul cannot live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God. That blessed holy thirst that God give you to thirst after Him. Then you pervert it. Give it something else. That hunger, that thing that you want to do. Test out and see what it's thirsting for. See what it's after.

27 Listen what David said here, "My soul thirsts after thee in a dry land, where no water is." Oh, could you imagine being in a dry land, where no water is. That's like taking a fish out of the water. It'd kill him pretty soon. And the real borned-again saint of God, not just once of a morning when you get up, but all through the day, that blessed thirst calls out for God. And you're smoking cigarettes to quieten your nerves, instead of praying. And a member of the church. You don't take a little sociable drink and call yourself a Christian, to quieten your nerves, instead of letting God quieten you.

28 Love Him. You don't go and throw your arms around some other man; have a little clean fun, have a little date on the side; a little afternoon kiss at the back gate to satisfy that thirst, that God put in you to thirst after Him. And you don't take another man's wife and run off with her, and live in a hotel with her, and carry on like that. I don't say you do it, you may be here. If you are, God burn that in your soul. That's right. Thinking you're having a little clean fun. There's an all-seeing eye watching you.
And the devil is trying to burn your passions after other women as they walk up and down the street half dressed. And you look and almost half wrecked at them little old dirty, vulgar, stinking women out there with them little old dirty clothes on.
And you men that'll let your wife do that, that shows what you're made out of. That shows what kind of a man you are. A man is the head of the family, he's the head of the house. But today the woman's head of the house, head of the factory, head of the church, and everything else, because it's become a conglomeration of sin. And Satan took Eve and he's still using her. And America is a woman's nation.

29 Not long ago in Germany ... or, Switzerland, some lady said to me, a Christian woman, she said, "Brother Branham, I'd like to go over to America. I hear that the ladies are really ... well, they have the big sway there." Not in Switzerland. No, sir. "Well, we have no..."
I said, "But here's what follows. It causes prostitution." Right here in Chicago, according to your paper, you have two thousand abortion cases every day---two thousand abortion cases. Two thousand innocent babies die every day because of filth. How can you have a revival under them kind of circumstances.
How many prostitutes hit the street last night, and men with other women, and women with other men. And little girls sell their morals, and up and down the street, till finally they end up on skid row down here. I walked through the city last night of Chicago, look what was going on. How can you expect the Holy Spirit to sweep a revival over something like that? It's got to have a place to anchor.

30 And they go to the churches out here of a morning, and hear a little old pettyfied sermon about something, go back home and think they're Christians, and close the church up early. If the pastor preaches more then twenty minutes on the roses, or who'll be the next president, or something like that, they'll fire him and put a new one in. That bunch of hypocrisy, hell-bound, vulgar, pleasure-seeking. The Bible said, "They'd be heady, high-minded, lovers of pleasure more than lovers of God, truce breakers, false accusers, incontinent, and despisers of those that are right."
God give us old-time Christianity, borned-again experiences. That thirst ... that thirst is in you, but it's for a purpose.

31 Woman was made woman for man. Man was not made for woman, woman was made for man. But a woman was made for a man. Not m-e-n; m-a-n. Not men (many of them), but singular. That's right. But when they sell their morals, when they scandalize themselves... And men, the same thing. You're perverting the very cause that God made you a woman or a man. Then you call that life. It's death. Then you go to church and join church and put your name on the church and become a church member, and live like the world. It's perverting the very thing that God intended you to be. That thirst that God put in you to be like Him and to love Him and thirst after Him. The pastors and the churches and yourself, you've robbed yourself from that wonderful, blessed thing that God ordained for you to use: that thirst. Thirsting, thirsting.

32 Oh, if the Pentecostal church would only satisfy thirst in God instead of trying to follow some evangelist, or some emotion, or some little ism, or little sensation, how much better off it would be. If you'd follow the Holy Spirit in divine love instead of sensations and little gifts, and things like that, how much better off you'd be. God don't want you to run after gifts, He wants you thirst after Him.

33 Notice, David said again, as being a psalmist. And he was a woodsman, he lived in the woods. He knowed what it meant to be in the woods. He always wrote of the still waters and green pastures and the shady places. He knowed what it was, because the shepherd has to find those things. He has to know where those beautiful places are.
Many times have I been into the desert, riding out there, just place where I'd have to lead my horse. Poor thing was so much out of water, we couldn't have any to drink, the horse or I. How we would thirst. Oh, if I could only find a track somewhere to get back.

34 And then when you get to that state, the devil begins to show you mirages. You know what a mirage is? Did you ever go down the road and look and see the sun shining on the road, it looked like a lot of water? Oh, it'll fool you.
Here not long ago I seen where a bunch of geese coming from Canada ... or, ducks. And they seen one of those on the road, and fell in the road and they all bursted open. They thought it was water.
Oh, the devil's got a many a pitfall for the people. It looks like it. And I've seen people thirsting, where they'd run to these places and fall into them, think they was in water. Looked just like a big running water. Go to throwing upon their head thinking it's water, and it's nothing but hot, burning sands.

35 And the devil's told you little lady, and you sister, that if you do all these things, and you, brother, if you'd do all these things, and have a little social, that old narrow-minded stuff. Why, you don't want to listen to that old crack preacher. You don't want that Bible, that was translated four, or five times: "There's nothing to it." You just join church and be a good citizen. That's nothing else in the world but a mirage the devil shows you. You're just heaping more sorrows all the time on you.
But there is a fountain filled with blood, drawn from Immanuel's veins, and sinners plunged beneath that flood, lose all their desire for the world. "For if you love the world or the things of the world, the love of God is not even you." It's satisfying portion of God He has for each of you. It's for whosoever will.

36 David ... He wrote one time in the Psalms, he said (I believe the 42nd Psalm), he said, "As the hart thirsts for the water brooks, so my soul thirsts after thee, O God." Oh, when I think of that... David being a woodsman... And out into that part of the country you find out a lot of times there's a lot of deers that runs. The hart is a deer. And if you watch nature, you'll see God. And they have wild dogs in that country. And they eat the deer. They'll come in packs. And they overtake the deer. And one of the things they do, is cut the little (what we call hamstring in the back) the leader, and just cut down the whole pack. Then they can't run. The dogs will eat as much as they can; then the others can't pull away very much. And then they're easier prey then; they run right back and get them.
That's the way the devil does. He'll cut you off from prayer meeting. He's done cut the hamstrings right then. You'll pull around from this church to that, and you'll run from here to there. Anytime the devil wants to gobble you up, he's got you under his control. When he cuts your prayer life, brother, you're gone! That's right. When he cuts that thirst off of you and perverts it into the things of the world, he's got you where he wants you. He'll let you gobble along here till you get to a certain place then crash your life out without God, right there. Sure he will.

37 Now, the dogs, the hounds of hell, hound after the church. Certainly it does. But look, now really, a... When some of the wild dogs eat Jezebel... Did you ever know a dog won't eat human flesh? They won't even lick the blood of a human being. You can't get them near it. No, sir. But this was a certain kind of dog. It was a wild dog. Not a domestic dog, but a wild dog. Wild dogs are wolves. Just like a wolf. And they will eat human beings. But if you notice, these wild dogs had come in and eat Jezebel. It was a certain type of dog.
And that's the way it is today. The devil's got a bunch of old wild dogs out. They call them the wolf whistle and everything else to you young folks. But remember, it's a hound of hell, right after you, and makes you think that you're popular. The boys whistle at you because you're dressed the way you are. You poor little simple thing, you don't know what you're doing. That's right, you don't know that you're a prey of the devil. That's the devil. Listen to his voice.

38 Oh, he might talk ever so well. He might even be a pastor of a church. But let me tell you, it takes a real sheepherder to tell the difference between a whine of a goat and a whine of a lamb. They both bleat just the same. You can watch it if you're a herder. If you know your sheep you can hear his call; but if you don't, hear one of them, you couldn't tell whether it was a goat or a lamb bleating. The devil can bleat just like a lamb. That's exactly right.

39 But David, he said, "As the hart thirsts for the water brooks, so my soul thirsts after thee, O God."
And you see these little deers out on the desert as they're jumping along having a good time. And the first thing you know, a pack of wild dogs will run among them and they'll grab them. Now, one of the favorite places for a wolf or a wild dog to grab a deer is just behind the burr of the ear; and the big artery runs up there, it runs down along the neck. If the wolf can jump, hang his fangs right in, then when the wolf throws his weight down, them two big blood veins in front cut the deer's neck. And the little fellow staggers a couple times and he's done, covered all over with wolves and he's eat up just in a little.
Another favorite place for the wild dogs ... or, wolves, to catch the deer is in the flank. He'll grab him in the flank, and when the wolf throws his weight, to drop in mid center like, of the little deer, it throws him off his feet. And then down he goes. And he's got him.

40 And sometimes when the wild dog grabs the little deer, and the little deer was quick enough to maneuver, he could jump fast to one side, the dog lost his hold 'cause he jerked a whole chuck out of the little deer's side. Then the blood will spring. If the wolf missed the blood vein here, cut just a little low, the little deer maybe, if he's quick and can maneuver, he can get away from the dog. Then here he comes after it, tracking him with his blood.
And that little deer... Any hunter here knows that if you wound a deer and he can get to water, you just might as well quit tracking him. He can live as long as he can find water. But when he can't find water, he's finished.
And could you imagine, as David standing there seeing that little deer. And he's cut by the wounds of a wild dog, and he's thirsting for the water brook. He must find the water or perish. If he doesn't get to that water brook, he's going to die. The hounds are right behind him. He's either got to find the water brook or perish.
David said, "As the hart thirsts for the water brook, so my soul thirsts after thee, O God." "I have to have You or I'll die. I can't go on. I'm at the end of my road. If I can't find You, Lord, I'll die." "Blessed are they that hunger and thirst for the water brook, for they shall find it."

41 Yes, there is a fountain filled with blood for every sinner, drawn from Immanuel's veins. You who thirst and long to be righteous, there is a fountain open today for you. The hounds of hell might have wounded you. They might have cut you this way or cut you that way. They might have thirsted and drunk your blood and sent you to these places, and pleasure crazy. If you really want to get over it, there's a water brook open today. That's the love of the Lord Jesus Christ. His Spirit flowing free as the Holy Spirit.
"Whosoever will let him come and drink from the fountains of the water of life freely." Whosoever will? Yes. Black, white, brown, yellow, whatever you may be. Methodist, Baptist, Presbyterian, Church of God, Church of Christ, Catholic, Pentecostal, whoever you are. Young, old, middle aged, there is a fountain open. And the waters of life is flowing freely, and the Holy Spirit is saying, "Come all ye that labor and are heavy laden, I will give you rest. Blessed are you when you hunger and thirst, for I will fill you." You shall be filled. And "As the hart thirsts for the water brook, my soul thirsts after thee, O God."

42 In conclusion I say this: The trouble with the Pentecostal church, the Methodist, the Baptist, the Presbyterian, and all the rest, it is their congregation. If that congregation really thirsted for God, it would send that little old preacher out of there and get them somebody in there will preach them the Gospel. That's right.
You can't go to town today you merchants and you businessmen, here in this convention; you shoe men, what if you put the old-fashioned button shoe, that the women used to wear? You got a shoe hook with it when you bought it. What if you tried to sell that shoe in Chicago today? You think you'd have any business? No, sir. And it's got five times the leather that these little old stilts that they build for women with the little peg like that, and their toes sticking down and their heels sticking up. Charge them twenty-five to thirty-five dollars for about forty cents worth of leather. And you're silly enough to buy it. But why is it? Why don't the merchant... If he tells them the truth, they don't want it. That's exactly right.

43 The skirts that your mother used to wear, that covered her all over, and she probably paid three dollars, or a dollar and a half for it. And you go downtown and pay thirty-five dollars for a little vulgar thing that the devil's poured you in, to get out here and make you answer to adultery at the day of judgment. Look out, preacher. You say, "I never did commit adultery." I don't know about that. The Bible said, "Whosoever looketh upon a woman to lust after her, hath committed adultery with her already in his heart." And it don't matter how moral you live, how clean you live, how honorable you live to your husband; if you dress yourself to make a man look at you like that, at the judgment bar the sinner that answers for adultery, you'll be the one that committed it. That's right. Now, take that with you, my dear friend. Think it over for a little while.
"Whosoever," said Jesus Christ, "Whosoever looketh upon a woman to lust after her, hath committed adultery with her already in his heart." And before he could commit adultery, the woman had to present herself in that way. As she poured herself, sexy looking, out on the street---no matter how clean she is morally---she's adulterous in God's book. There's your Hollywood, there's your devil.

44 You might hate me for this, but, brother, at the day of judgment you'll see I've told you the truth. That's exactly right. Now, clean up, straighten up. Teach others to do the same. Your soul will go to thirsting: "O God, I don't care about your fancies and your popularity, I want Christ or I'll die." When the Pentecostal church gets to that, God will move on the scene. And He'll never move on the scene until the people begin to thirst for Him instead of the things of the world. Let us pray while we think over it.
Are you guilty? Are you praying? Everybody, a little prayer in your heart. "Am I guilty of that?" Examine your soul with God's book today. "What kind of a life have I been catering to?"
"O Lord, O my God, thou art my God. Early in my youth will I seek thee. My soul thirsts for thee. My flesh..." Oh my! Don't want to be stripped off, you don't want to do this. You don't want to be filled with alcohol and stuff. "My flesh longeth for thee in a dry land, where there's no water; to see thy power." What? I want to see Thy power, Lord, Thy glory, Thy power to heal the sick, to magnify, Thy glory to shed over the people like a great fountain of old time religious meetings. "To see thee as I have seen thee in thy sanctuary. Because thy loving-kindness is better to me than life [little "l"], my lips shall praise thee."

45 Are you thirsty? Do you really want to be a real Christian? If you really want to be a old time Christian, there's something in there that makes you want it. Do you want to go to heaven? You remember the animal doesn't want to go to heaven. That animal hasn't got no soul. The animal don't know what life hereafter is. But you know what life hereafter is. You long for life hereafter; the animal can't, it has no soul. But you were made with a soul. And that soul was given you to make a decision. That heart that's in you, it makes a decision. And the animal can't make that decision cause it has not that in it to make.

46 But there's something in you that longs for God, and you're trying to quench it, maybe by staying home getting in the air condition room and looking at the television, and staying home from prayer meeting, and never reading the Bible, and going down to church on Sunday morning, and then maybe going back, paying the pastor, and waiting for an evangelist to come to the city. And you might sit back and say, "Well, that preacher's a pretty good fellow. I'm telling you, I kind of like him. I kind of like the way he smiles. I ... I like the little jokes he pulls." Brother that's not life, that's death. That's death.
But do you really long for a room that you can go into? Sit down under the old shade tree of the Bible, look up with tear stained eyes and say, "Blessed Saviour, Thou will guide me till I reach that healthful shore." Is there something in your heart that you long to love Him and to praise Him and to worship Him? All the things of the world become dead and you, "Just Christ or die. I must have Christ or I must perish."

47 Now, I want every head bowed and every eye closed and everyone praying. Be honest. Be sincere. If you really mean it, and you raise your hand to God and say, "Lord God, from this day on please... I know these things that I do is not right, but I want to love You. I want what that preacher said today about You in the Bible. My thirst is after Thee like the hart thirsting for the water brook. And the thirst, Lord, that I had, someday I expect to be a great person." Oh, I do too, but after I cross the border yonder. I expect to be God's child.
Do you really want to be that? If you do, would you just raise up your hand to Him, saying, "God, it's me, I now raise my hand saying my soul is thirsting for Thee, God." God bless you, lady. God bless you, young lady. And God bless you, and you. Someone else? God bless you. I don't... God bless you and you, lady. God bless you, sir, you lady.

48 You might be church members, that don't have nothing to do with it. You can be a church member and just as black as a harlot out here on the street. I know you say, "That's hard preaching, Brother Branham." If you come here at nighttime, or come any other time, and watch around the life, and see the things that the Lord Jesus does, exactly in the Word, surely, I should have some conception of what Christ means. I know this one thing, brother: The devil has perverted life, he has perverted the church actions; he's perverted it so much till he's perverted the people. And it's the hardest thing in the world to get the people to see the actual truth. That's right. Oh, they miss it by a thousand miles.

49 Do you really long for Him? If you do, would you raise your hand again? God bless you. Now, just keep praying. You that's longing for Him, I wonder if you could walk down here just a minute and let me pray with you just a minute. Would you just get up out of your seat quietly? I'm going... I ain't going to call. I'm going to let the Holy Spirit call. You just get out of your seat. God bless you, sir. God bless you, lady. Just get out of your seat and come down here, let me pray with you. Stand right along this side of the altar here, if you will.
While the organ is playing. I'm not going to say no more, I'm just going to wait a moment. Let the Holy Spirit call. Come right down here and stand. There's a fountain open. You want to be an old time Christian, do you? Is your soul really thirsty after God? Would you rather dress decent, be just a little hot, as you call it? Anybody knows when you take your clothes off you get hotter, certainly. Go to a desert somewhere where they really have heat. Certainly. You say, "Well, I'd like..."

50 That's right. That's good. People just coming up and coming down the aisles in this little group this afternoon. Many are gathering around the altar here. Come on up if you're really thirsting. Have you been bit by the devil? You really want to serve God. You want that thirst in you. You want it satisfied. If you do, come on, to the front. Or have you got to a place where you've been so seared and so hard and calloused till nothing can touch you no more? Then you cross between this: between life and death.
Now, remember, if I be a servant of God, God will speak that I tell the truth. There's people that actually believe that they are right, and they're wrong. "There is a way that seemeth right unto a man, but the end thereof is the ways of death." If you haven't been borned again of the Spirit of God, and your whole desire is to love every day, every hour, every minute of the day when you're awake, and you're on the bed, you're praising Him, and your love is for Him and the things of the world, all this modern stuff, is all dead to you, you better take your place at the altar.
While we wait just a moment longer. Now, "There Is A Fountain," please, real slowly, while everybody, softly now:
There is a fountain filled.........
(Softly now.)
Drawn from Immanuel's veins,
And sinners plunged beneath......
You say, "Brother Branham, I'm a Christian." If your soul condemns you, you come here and confess Him. It's better to do it here than it is to do that when you're being weighed in God's balance.
Lose all their guilty........
(God bless you, sailor boy.)
Lose all their guilty........

51 Just be praying, the Holy Spirit's speaking. That little heart in you, He's moving.
.......... beneath that flood.
Say, "Brother, preacher, I've longed for something, I don't know what it was." There's only one thing that longing was put in you for, that's right here. Here's where you long to be. The devil's trying to get you not to see it. But I'm praying in my heart as I'm sitting here, "God open the eyes of their understanding." I love you. As Brother Joseph Boze said to me many times, "Brother Branham, Chicago loves you." And I love Chicago.
But listen, a real daddy will be honest with his children. If he has to whip them sometime, if he's a real daddy, yes sir, a real dad will correct his children. And, friends, I want to tell you: Don't you never try to get to heaven outside of that deep longing and love of God in your heart. If you haven't come acquainted with that great fountain that I spoke of at the beginning, where God gushes forth... Now, he perverts that, you see. As it comes forth, Satan perverts it. Say, "Oh, well this, and this, and this." Be careful, it's got to be genuine.

52 Did you ever hear that little song like this? (Sister just continue on your song.) It's all right.
Brother apart from the Saviour today,
Risking your soul on the things that decay,
Oh, what if today God should call you away,
Then what would you give in exchange
for your soul?
Listen now close. Every one of you that's not around the altar, search now.
Then when you stand at the bar by and by,
And when you're weighed in God's balance
on high,
If you should be sentenced forever to die,
Then what would you give in exchange
for your soul?
Think of it. And that weighing may be in the next half hour for every person in here. How do you know this is not your last opportunity? And don't come unless you really mean it. But if there is the least bit of thirst in your heart ... [Gap in the audio.] ... got to have you or die.
You see what's gathering around the altar here this afternoon? Probably Methodist, Baptist, Presbyterian, Lutheran, Pentecostal, some no church at all. But there's a thirst there. They're longing. I'm going to wait just a moment longer. Got just a few minutes longer. Just been one hour. I promised to be an hour. Just a little minute longer.

53 I want to say something to you now. You want to come on, come right ahead. You've been in these meetings. Now, get all the skeptic feeling away from you. I want you here at the altar now not to depend on any emotion at all. No emotion. I want you to look at just exactly what God said.
Now, listen, I know the Lutheran said, "The just shall live by faith." All right. There's many of them started out, but they wasn't just. Methodist said, "Brother when you shout, you've got it." Many of them shouted and didn't have it. The Pentecost said, "When you speak with tongues, you've got it." Thousands speak with tongues and hasn't got it. Their life proves they haven't got it. Jesus said, "By their fruits you shall know them." What is the fruits of what? The church?

54 [Blank spot in tape.] It's a real sweet feeling in your heart. Knowing that you've passed from death unto life, that you're at peace with God. Real tender heart that feeds on the things of God, than to have all the... Now, remember, I believe in shouting, I believe in speaking with tongues, I believe in everything God said. I believe in every miracle, every sign. But I would rather have this than all the rest of it put together. Wouldn't you rather have it? I'd rather have that real sweet, mellow Holy Spirit moving into my life and making all the world pass away, than to have all the noise and... Now, I believe in shouting, sure. I shout and scream myself. That's right. I believe in every gift. I wouldn't be here preaching healing. I believe in all those things. But, brother, that isn't it yet. That's not it. These gifts and signs, that's not it. It's Christ in the heart. That's it. Then you'll stay. That's life.
God bless you now. Cards will be give out six o'clock. And now the Lord bless you. I'm going to turn the service to the pastor while I go to pray to make ready for the healing service tonight. God be with you till we meet.

Thirsting for Life

You can find this sermon at ChurchAges.net

1 Thank you. I certainly thank you for this wonderful welcome and appreciation. I want to say with all my heart, to Brother Rasmussen, to these cooperating ministers, Brother Sothmann, and everyone here, and everyone that's been at the meetings: It's been one of the best meetings I've been in in many a day, because of your full-hearted cooperation, your support in prayer. And I appreciate all the finances that you have given to support the meeting. And I understood they've taken a love offering for me. That's all appreciated. With the best of my ability, I'll spend it to the glory of God. I hope that God will repay you a thousand fold. God bless you. You may be seated.

2 [Gap in the audio.] Thank you, Brother Rasmussen. And a great heartedly thanks to everyone in the meeting, everyone that's had a part. I am very grateful for this meeting. And there's only one sad part about it, that is it could only be five days. I mean that from my heart. I wish we were here for a month, so we could just come in.

3 And now if there happens to be by some of the people here, the custodian, or some of the groups that lets us have this auditorium, I want to express my thanks to you, also. A wonderful place, fine acoustics, and, as Brother Rasmussen was telling us, we received it at a real reasonable price. And we do thank you, sirs, and pray that God will bless every move you make.

4 I come this time, after many times of trial, to come to Tacoma. But I felt like this time I could come in the name of the Lord. And that's the way I like to come. Many of my Christian brethren here tonight ask me many times, "Brother Branham, will you come to our place?" I ask them to just write me their name and address. I put it in a file, and then when the Lord is leading me anywhere, no matter where it is or how small, I go. And then I feel like I can come in the name of the Lord. And I think that's better.

5 My heart has been stirred too, by hearing testimonies that's held out ten years, of healing, since I was here the other time. I just met a gentleman at the door, that shook my hand, and told me, said, "Brother Branham, I was laying, dying with a cancer, eat up, when you had come to Bellingham the last time." And said, "I'm perfectly normal and well, and been ever since." The man is in this meeting somewhere now.

6 Then I met a man this afternoon who said ... up in Lima, Ohio, he drove all the way from here to Lima, Ohio, to a meeting. In the last stages of cancer. The Presbyterian, Baptist, and the ... I believe it was the Christian church, and the Salvation Army, sponsored that meeting. And he come there just in the last stages of cancer, and God healed him, and he's here living tonight as a testimony to the Lord, and to His grace.

7 And now, we're leaving early in the morning for Alberta. That's up in Edmonton, Alberta, where your pastor here, Brother Rasmussen, used to pastor. I was there in the big arena, which I suppose seats right on ten thousand, and was there about ten years ago. Then we was down to Calgary at the stampede grounds, but this time we're going to Alberta again ... up into Edmonton, rather.

8 I was going to bring my little boy, Joseph, up here. But I see he's probably got to shouting too loud in his way, so his mother had to take him out. The little boy the Lord gave to me by promise. Six years before he was born, we'd had one child, and the doctor said wife could have no more children. They have to be cesarean. And said she could not stand to have another child.
And one day I was taking the life of Joseph in the Bible, and I got to weeping. All of you, when you read the Word, you just get to living in it, why, you rejoice. And I went into a little closet where I had my clothes hanging, at Minneapolis, Minnesota, and I was weeping and praying. And a Voice came into the closet, and said, "You shall have a son. And you shall call his name Joseph."

9 I went to announcing it. About four years passed. No Joseph. Finally, we knew we were going to have a baby. Some of them said, "Is that Joseph?"
I said, "I don't know, but Joseph is coming."
And when it was born, it was a girl. Well, then, did everybody razz me. "I thought ever what the Lord said was right."
I said, "It is."
I said, "Joseph is coming."
Said, "You meant, Josephine."
I said, "No, this is Sarah." Sarah and Rebekah is sitting here now. So then, about four more years passed. Well, we knew we was going to have another baby. The doctor said it would be impossible. But I said, "She'll have another one."
He said, "Billy, I've never doubted your word." But said, "I'm sure doubting that."

10 Four more years passed, and the wife was going to have another baby. We were real tore up. She was very sick and nervous. And the nurse that was healed, one of Mayo's nurses, dying with cancer, on the dead list, Louisville, Kentucky, been on the dead list for about ten years, now. She's nursing at the Clark County Memorial Hospital, healthy, well woman. Only weighed about forty pounds when she was healed. But, the cancer society has got her dead. You call them and find out. But she's alive, and very much alive. She's been with each of my children when they were born.

11 And Sister Margie was away on a case, and couldn't be there at that time. And she and Meda, my wife, were just bosom friends. And there had been a lady (You know how it is.) prophesying, and said that the Lord sent her to lead me. And she got real provoked because I said, "No, the Lord leads me." So, she made a statement, and said, "Well...", the Lord was going to let me fall when I was going down south in an airplane. But it never happened; I went right on just the same.
She said again that... I was out on a hunting trip. She sent all through the country, and said that I'd fell off of a mountain, broke my right arm, and hunters was out looking for me, everywhere. Wasn't a word of it so. And, so then, she told the wife ... or, sent word up there, and told the people that the Lord was going to get even with me for not obeying her: Wife was going to die this time, in child birth. It got to her, the poor little fellow. If there's any credit to be given to the Branham family, give it to my darling wife. She stands between me and the public, thirty-eight years old, white-gray headed. She's really fought a real battle. God bless her soul.

12 And, so, I took off up to Green's Mill, my little secret place where I go to pray to settle the differences. I just going around the bend. I don't believe the FBI could ever find me back there, back in the cave. And I seen that light hanging there in a bush, moving around, and said, "Turn and go back to your car. Your Bible will be laying open." And when I come back to my Bible, and picked it up, it was Nathan talking to David, said, "Do all that's in your heart, for God is with you."
And then the Lord appeared to Nathan that night and said, "Go tell David, my servant, didn't I take him from the sheepcote, from following those few sheep? Give him a name like great men of the earth? Have not I cut off his enemy before him wherever he went? Have not I been with him?"

13 I just started weeping. I got in the car, drove home, and she was going out to empty the garbage; poor little fellow could just barely walk. She was weeping, all nervous. I put my arm around her. I said, "Honey, don't worry; it's all right now." That settled it.
The next morning, the baby was born. When I was sitting in the room with some more anxious, waiting fathers, the nurse came down, she said, "Reverend Branham?"
And I said, "Yes, ma'am?"
She said, "You've got a fine, seven pound and three ounce boy."
I looked at him and I said, "Joseph, you've been a long time getting here. Daddy is glad to see you here."
She said, "You've called his name Joseph?"
I said, "That is his name."

14 Somehow, when I was in our church. Many of you sprinkle them in baptism, infant baptism, that's all right. We try to follow the Bible. Jesus picked up little children and blessed them. We dedicate them. And in dedication of the little boy, at the altar, somehow, I was inspired to say, "Joseph, thou art God's prophet." And maybe when I leave, I pray that a double portion of the Spirit will come upon Joseph for the age to come, if there is one.

15 Till I see you, my dear friends, I have told you the Gospel truth. I've done all that I knowed how to do to present Jesus Christ in all the way that I know how. And you've listened, you've believed, you obeyed.
Now, to many of you people that's sitting here, was not in the prayer line, and perhaps will not be in the prayer line tonight: You will find out, that it will be weeks after I'm gone, that diseases that was in your body was already healed. Now, You just write that down and find out if that isn't true.

16 I never said this before, to kind of keep a little of the pressure down, but I'm fixing to leave tonight. It's been constantly all over the audience, that light appearing to people. Like that. And I don't ... sometimes I can't call them, but I know they will find out by and by that it's so, that God has did it. And the things when we was here the last time and told you that the Holy Spirit said that these things would be, you've found it to be the truth: that it would be so, it would know the very thoughts of the heart. That's nothing but Jesus Christ.

17 Now, to some of you newcomers, I wish to say this before I bring my message, just take a few moments, then the prayer line.
Maybe this might be your first time to be in one of these meetings. I just want to quote a scripture, because my message tonight is on salvation. And I do not make divine healing the main issue. Divine healing is something on the line. I do not say that divine healing and salvation is on the same basis. When you're saved, you're saved for eternity. But when you're healed, you'll get sick again. Lazarus was raised from the grave, but he died again. Healing is just one of the blessings that goes with salvation. It's the earnest. It's just a down payment and an assurance that you will be raised up in the last days.

18 Now, I do not claim to be able to heal anyone, because I know better than that, and you also. There's not a man in the world can heal the sick. There's not a doctor in the world can heal the sick. There's not a hospital in the world can heal the sick. There's not a drug in the world can heal the sick. If there is, Mayo brothers knows nothing about it. They say we only claim to assist nature. There's one healer. That's God.

19 What if I was breaking my arm out here, cranking on my car, and run in to the doctor and say, "Doc, heal my arm right quick; I want to crank my car." He would tell me I needed mental healing. That's true. He can set my arm, but God does the healing. The Lord does all healing. He can move a growth, pull out a tooth, what more, but God does the healing. Because healing is developing cells, multiplication of cells. And nothing can create, but God himself.

20 So, in the meetings, what these gifts are for, is only to bring the people to a recognition of the presence of the Lord. That's all it is. I have never had to touch you. Only thing you'd have to do is take God's Word and believe it. You could be healed if it was in a cornfield, in the woods, just the same as you could be in this church. Just the same. Healing is the finished work that Jesus Christ purchased for you at Calvary. Just the same as He purchased your salvation.

21 Someone said, "Well, I was saved ten years ago."
I beg your pardon, you wasn't.
"I was saved last night."
I beg your pardon, you wasn't. You were saved nineteen hundred years ago, when Jesus died at Calvary. You just accepted it ten years ago, or last night. It's already a finished work. It was all finished at Calvary. And every attribute of the atonement is just as real to each individual tonight, as it was the very afternoon it was made at Calvary. Will be until Jesus comes. Then we will have no need of it no more.

22 Now, in the meeting, the discernment is what kind of catches the people. Now, since I was a little bitty baby boy, them visions have come. And it might be questioned to people. Get around with someone who's been in the meetings, someone that's been called. Superstitions rising, doubts. Say, "Oh, well, Ernie Fandler..." A man, a scientist, he's invented a medicine now; they got a medicine that's a cure for arthritis ... or, to help in arthritis: take the acid, the deposit of the bone. It's in the medical association now, and going to be manufactured by the Full Gospel Businessmen. A million dollar plant in California just went up.

23 And coming down the road from Alaska, he seen a sign in Canada there at (What's the name of that---just below Dawson Creek?) Grand Prairie. And he went down and he noticed that discernment in the line. He said, "You know what? That's somebody in the meeting. He knows all them people, so I'll just fool them."
Goes over and gets an old Indian, and brings him over. Gets him a prayer card and sticks him in the line. When the old Indian got up in the line, it told him what his name was, where he come from, and what his trouble was. And said, "You've got a boy sitting out there, studying to be a minister."
He said, "That's right."
I said, "This little fellow sitting right over here, a white man, a Swiss: He's all full of superstition so he just went and got you to bring you here for this purpose. Ernie just fainted and passed out on the floor. Just after that, he received the blessed Holy Spirit. Friends, as my Bible before me, it's real and from God.

24 Now, when Jesus was here on earth, He did the same thing. And now one more word: The prophet said there would be a day that could not be called day or night. All Bible readers know that. But in the evening, it shall be light.
Now, when the sun rises, it's in the east, and travels westward. Civilization has traveled with the sun: from east going west. We're at the West coast. It's the last message. The sun's shone out on the eastern people. On the Day of Pentecost, God restored back to the church, and gave it gifts. He ascended on high and give gifts unto men. And after the apostles passed away, there's been a day that's not been night nor day. They've had enough light to walk in, have churches, organizations, people accepted Christ. They've had enough light to walk in to understand Christ.
But, brother, sister, on this Gentile world and the Western people, the sun is setting. And the same light that showed on the day of Pentecost is flashing its last flashes to the earth. The same Christ that was in that day, is today. It will be light in the evening time. I'm so happy to know this in my heart, that we're walking in the evening light. God bless you all.

25 Now, just before we open back the Bible... Any man that's able to move his hands is able to open the Bible. But no one is able to make it to an understanding but Christ, Himself, the Author. So, let us bow our heads just a moment and ask Him to open the Word for us.

26 Blessed Lord, may Your eternal blessings rest upon this people. Save the lost tonight. Bring back those who have once knowed you and have wandered away. Heal the sick and the afflicted. Long may this meeting be remembered in the hearts of these people. And may it be to them as those who came from Emmaus, after the resurrection, that first beautiful resurrection morning, when Jesus walked with men, talked with them. But when He got them alone and shut the door behind them, He made Himself known by a certain way that he did things before His crucifixion, and they knew that it was the resurrected Christ. By Your presence, may we go like those disciples---not only to Jerusalem, but to the utmost parts of the earth. Say, "Indeed, Jesus has risen from the dead nineteen hundred years ago, and is still alive. For did not our hearts burn within us as He ministered to us?"

27 May every minister be encouraged. Bless those who close their churches to cooperate in this meeting. God, may their churches grow. Bless every church in the city, throughout the country, and nation, and world. And may there finally come the day when a great coming together will be, and a great shaking just before the taking away of the body of Christ. Forgive us of our sins. Give us of Thy blessings tonight. Manifest Thyself to us. For we ask it in the name of Thy beloved Son, the Lord Jesus. Amen.

28 Just for a reading of the Word, we're going to turn to Psalms 63 and read just a verse or two.
O my God, thou art my God; early will I seek thee: my soul thirsts for thee, my flesh longs for thee in a dry and thirsty land, where no water is;
To see thy power and thy glory, so as I have seen thee in thy sanctuary.
Because thy lovingkindness is better to me than life, my lips shall praise thee.
We have here one of the most unusual scriptures. I shall never forget when I first read that scripture. I could not comprehend what the Psalmist must be speaking about when he said, "Thy love-kindness is better to me than life." And I can think of nothing else any greater than life. So, I wondered what the Psalmist must be thinking of ... or, speaking of, when he said, "Thy love-kindness is better than life."

29 So, there must be something that he had in mind. So, after studying a little while, I began to remember that "life" has many different meanings. Sometimes that life (what people would call life) is not really life. It's perverted life. Because there's really only one life, and that is eternal life. And there's one eternal life, and that life comes from God. Now, eternal has no end, neither does it have a beginning. And now, anything off of that is something perverted.

30 Now, sin is nothing else but righteousness perverted. If I might make that clear... It is lawful, and legal, and honorable for a man to take unto himself a wife, and them bear children. But, a woman who is not married to this man, could live with him as a wife as much as his own legal wife could do, but it would be a perversion. So, all unrighteousness is righteousness perverted. So, in life, the unrighteous life is nothing but the real life, eternal life, perverted.

31 Now, many think that drinking, gambling, is life. Many times people get in their head... Like a lovely young woman: she may be pretty, and she'll dress up real nice, go down the street. And the boys will whistle at her, and she'll twist her shoulders, and giggle, and smoke her cigarettes, and she thinks that's living. But the truth of it is: it's death! The Bible said, "The woman that liveth in pleasure is dead while she is alive." It's life to the flesh, but it's death to the spirit and the soul.
Many times, young men become very popular, and they go out with the crowd, and get too much to drink. And they get out on the floor and just become a clown or a mimic, and they throw up their hands and say, "This is life." Oh, my decrepit brother, that's death! "The wages of sin is death." But you call it life.

32 Here sometime ago, I was in a great city, and we were having a revival. And that night when I went up to my room, there had been a little club, or noted lodges in America, was having their jubilee there, or some kind of a convention. And I noticed the people drinking, carrying on. This great hotel with hundreds of rooms in it... As I was taken up to my floor, and was let out, I started walking down to my right, and I heard someone carrying on. I looked, coming down along the doors, and there were two young women, probably between twenty-five and thirty; perhaps mothers, had taken off their wedding rings. They were in their underneath garments and the men was pulling them from one room to another. I stepped back in the shade to watch and to pray for them as they passed by.

33 And as one of them come out... Both beautiful women, perhaps with a husband at home taking care of the children. And they called that innocent fun! It's sin to the utmost! God will make you answer for that. And He will not hold you guiltless.
And as they came out, passed by, they had a bottle of alcoholic beverage in their hand of some sort, they passed it one to another. Too drunk to talk to. And one of them turned the bottle up and taking a drink and handing it to the other one and said, "What if our old men knew we were having a lot of fun like this?" And the other one kicked her foot way up in the air and pulls her garment up to her head and hollered, "Whoopee! This is life!" I stepped out in the middle of the floor. I said, "Lady, it's death!" They grabbed that bottle of whiskey and down the room they went as hard as they could go. "But she that liveth in pleasure is dead while she is alive."
That's not life; it's death. That kind of a life gets so miserable until men take a gun and blow their brains out. You couldn't call that the kind of life that David was speaking of. No, it's a perverted life. It's a life that the devil is trying to have you to live.

34 Now notice, the perverted life, the devil inspiring it. That life becomes miserable. I've never seen it in all stages from the rich to the poor. I've had the privilege of being in king's palaces, from that to the lowest haunt on skid-row. And I've never seen a contented sinner in my life. That's right. There is no happiness or contentment outside of Jesus Christ. I've seen them so rich till they had bodyguards with them. And I've seen them so poor till they begged for a drink of whiskey. And from the one to the other there's no satisfaction in sin. Then what they may call that life? How could you call it life when you want to take it? It's not life.
Now, if the devil can't get you to do something like that, he's done something else. He will let you be a gentleman, and you'll pay your honest debts, you'll treat your neighbor right, you'll even join church, and think that you've got life, but that still is death. "For, except a man be borned again, he will in no wise enter the kingdom." If the devil can't get you to see a truth, he'll push you out the deep end.

35 So, joining church is not life. Singing hymns is not life. Preaching the Gospel is not life. Only one way you can have life: that's to know Him. You don't have life by knowing the catechism of your church. You don't have life by knowing the Bible. You will have life by knowing Christ in the pre-pardon of sin, is the only way that you can have life.

36 And notice, again. What makes you try to have a big time like that? It's because God has made you to crave life. God made you up, your makeup. There isn't a man or a woman on earth tonight, neither was there ever a man or woman on earth tonight ... or, on earth at any time but what had a craving for something, a thirsting for pleasure. And God made that thirst in you. And He made that thirst so you would thirst after Him. And how dare you to try to quench that blessed Holy thirst that God has put in your heart to thirst after Him, and try to satisfy it with sin. How dare you to try to quench that Holy thirst for something by some vulgarity program on television, instead of going to the church of the living God. How dare you to pour whiskey, cigarettes, and dope into your body, and use your eyes for lust to try to satisfy that blessed Holy thirst that God put in you to thirst after Him.
God will hold you responsible, my friend, at the day of judgment, if you don't satisfy that thirst with drinking at the fountain of the inexhaustible fountain of life. "Let him that's a-thirst, come. Whosoever will, let him come and drink from the waters of life, freely." That's what you're thirsting for.
You're running from church to church. Every time a little something happens, you run to it. A little ism can rise up and you take after it. Oh, it's so good: just come to the fountain filled with blood drawn from Emmanuel's veins, when sinners plunged beneath the flood lose all their guilty stains.

37 It was said one time that a great sea rover was passing by an island, and the women would sing so beautiful until the sailors would come in. Their men would lay in ambush, and as soon as they came in, the men would run out of ambush and murder them, and take their ships and use them for their own. This great sea rover wanted to hear that music, so he put plugs in his sailors ears, and had them to tie him to the mast pole, and sail along the side of this island. And when the natives saw the ship coming, the women got out with their enchantments and their lovely songs, and they sang. And he screamed for some of his sailors to untie him. He would have gave orders and sailed into the port immediately. But the sailors had plugs in their ears, and could not be removed (by his orders) until they reached a certain place.

38 And after screaming around the mast pole, to which he was tied, he finally went to his destination. The sailors untied him, removed the plugs from their ears. And while they were in the city, they were in a great building. And some famous singers was there. And they sang the Gospel songs with such a great power of the living Christ. And when they started to sail back by the sea, they said to him, "Oh, Rover, will you let us tie you to the post so that you will not be tempted to turn in?"
He said, "No, just let me alone. I've heard something so much better till that sounds dead to me now."
Brother, when a man ever comes to the fountain of Christ, and receives the baptism of the Holy Spirit, the things of the world are so dead, you don't have to worry about him participating in them anymore. He's found something so much better. How true that is.

39 Thirsting. "Oh, I thirst for thee," said David. "My soul thirsts like in a dry land where no water is." David was a woodsman. He knew what it was to deal with wild life. So, in (I believe) the 47th Psalm, he wrote this, "As the hart thirsts for the water brook, so my soul thirsts after thee, O God."
Now, in Africa and different places where I've ministered, a deer (a hart is a deer)... And sometimes the wild dogs get after these little fellows. And they have a shrewd way of downing their deer. They grab the deer. (They have fangs.) And they grab the deer just behind the burr of his ear, sinks his fangs into him and swing their weight. A wolf will do the same thing. It will cut the throat of the dear. The jugular vein lays on the side down there; and when those great fangs rake across there, the deer dies immediately.

40 Another way they have of doing it. If they can't grab behind the ear, the neck, they grab him in the flank. And when the dog, or wolf, grabs the deer in the flank, he throws his weight down, and in the middle of the deer it throws him off his feet. Then he's covered with dogs in a few moments. And they tear him from place to place, piece to piece.
Now, sometimes, with a fast maneuver, they can get away from that wild dog. The dog may grab him and if he doesn't get too much of a hold, if the deer will jump sideways it will ... the dog holding on to the flank will pull that chunk out. And the deer swiftly, if it isn't hurt too bad, can sometimes escape from the dog. But he can't go very far. He's bleeding, unless he finds water.

41 I've shot deer and watched them. If he can get to water, he can survive. But if he can't find water, he's gone. And David, giving that most beautiful expression, "As the hart thirsts for the water brook." The little deer is wounded, he's bleeding to death. It's either water or death---immediately. Could you imagine him: hot, bleeding, the hounds right behind him? And as he lifts his head, he smells, he looks, he's watching for water. He must find it or perish.
Woe, my decrepit friend, the hounds of hell's behind every one of you tonight. We must find Christ or perish. "As my soul thirsts after thee, like the hart for the water brook." He's got to get to Christ, or perish.
That's to the church. That's to the nation. That's to the world.

42 Look at the condition we are in tonight. Why, in Moscow, they can land a bomb on top of this building. Guided by radar, timed by the radar and stars, they can drop it anywhere they want to, and go a hundred and seventy-five feet deep in the ground for fifteen miles any way. They've got their finger on the trigger. And sitting in this nation with the same kind of a weapon to drop one on them. It's just who pulls first. Then something is going to happen. No wonder the world is a quivering all over tonight. There's a great drama set.

43 One time, down in South Africa, I was hunting for lions. And I went down behind a native crowd. And I heard something, and it was a little sheep. And he was grazing along all right. And after a while, the little fellow by some means become very nervous. And I thought, "What's the matter with the little animal?" I used my binoculars, I couldn't see a thing. But he was so restless, being quiet just a few minutes before that. And I happened to have my binoculars trained on the yellow grass, and I noticed two ears sticking up. The little sheep could not see that lion. But there was instinct in the little fellow letting him know that trouble was at hand. He was so nervous he couldn't eat. And I watched that drama as that lion crouched coming easy, like the big cat, through high weeds like that. He could smell the lamb, but the lamb could not smell him. But the lamb had an instinct that told him that death and trouble was at hand.

44 And if God so ... has made a sheep to know when trouble is at hand, how much more has he give it to a man to know that trouble is at hand? It's time to come to Christ. Don't try to quench that thirsting with the things of the world. It's perverted life which will send you to hell. But forsake your ways of sin, and seek Christ and His righteousness. For I say unto you, in the name of the Lord, Jesus Christ, God's Son, stands in this building tonight.

45 As John of old said, "There's one standing among you who you know not." And the resurrected Christ, for five straight nights now, has made Himself manifested here at the platform and out in the audience. That's what you're really wanting. That's what you need. So, my friend, tonight, as you're watching this meeting, as you're listening in now, I pray that God is opening to you a fountain, that you will drink from that fountain where you will never thirst again. Think of it, while we bow are heads just a moment for prayer.

46 Just think a minute. Death is right behind you, galloping on. Whether you're young or old, it will take you just the same. You want to come to the waters now of life freely? Sinner friend of mine, this may be our last time to lay eyes on each other in this world. Would you slip up your hand just a moment and say, "God be merciful to me a sinner; brother Branham, remember me in prayer, I put up my hand"? Anybody on the bottom floor here? Be honest with yourself now. God bless you, lady.

47 Someone else would say, "Remember me, Brother Branham in prayer. God, I want to accept You just now, accept Your Son as my personal Saviour." Would you put up your hand? Someone else on the bottom floor? God bless you back there, my brother. Somebody... God bless you over here, my brother. God bless you down here brother. God bless you back there, brother. That's good. Back over to my right. The Lord bless you. That's good. Somebody else now would raise your hand and say, "Brother Branham, remember me in prayer just now"? As we're just about to close the service. Say, "Remember me, I want to here accept Christ as my personal Saviour." Would you raise your hand? Saying, "Remember me, Brother Branham." That's right. God bless you, sister. God bless you, sister. I know there's plenty of them in here.
Would you just put up your hand? You can do that much. On the bottom floor now, will you do it before we go to the balconies? Been about fifteen. God bless you back there. I see your hand. God bless you. God bless you, my brother back there. That's good.

48 "Oh, Brother Branham, I know I go to church, but I ... I..." God bless you, sister here. God bless you here, lady. "I go to church, but I ... I know ... I know I'm not right. And I want to be right. God knows I want to be right." Will you put up your hand? The balconies to my right. Will someone up there say, "Brother Branham, remember me"? God bless you, young man. God bless you, lady. Someone else say...? God bless you, lady. That's good. "Remember me, Brother Branham, just now in prayer, as you go to prayer. I believe in you." God bless you, brother.
I now want to raise my hand and say, "I believe in Jesus Christ. And, Brother Branham, remember me in prayer." Just before you leave this building tonight, won't you do it? Put up your hand, and I will certainly do it, and God will see you. Won't you do it? Up here's the balcony to the right. Just one more time across. God bless you, sir, right here. I see your hand. God bless you, sonny boy sitting right down here. That's very fine. Another? God bless you over here, young fellow. I see your hand and surely God does.

49 "As the hart panteth for the water brook, my soul thirsts after thee, O God." Would you raise your hand, saying, "Remember me"? Over here in the balcony now, to the right. Now we cross over and go to the left, to my left. Would someone over there put up your hand and say, "Brother Branham, remember me in prayer. I'm in need. I realize that I love to drink from that fountain. I want to be right, above everything in the world. For I realize that there's nothing left no more." Would you put your hand up? Someone in the left balcony? Say, "Remember me"? God bless you, sir. God bless you down there, sonny boy. God bless you down there at the end of the balcony. That's right. God bless you up there at the top. That's good. God bless you up here, my brother. Certainly God sees your hand.

50 Now, be honest with yourself. I say to you in Christ's name: We're in His presence. Right now, this group of people is sitting with the eyes of the Lord Jesus looking upon you. If that isn't true, I'm a false prophet. God bless you, sister, right down here in the bottom rows. I see you. And God bless you here, lady. Somewhere else in the building? Anywhere? Standing around, whatever? God bless you, lady sitting here in the balcony to the right. That's good. God sees your hand. There's a recording angel putting that right down.
One of these days, when maybe the doctor visits your house---maybe before morning---takes the pulse, shakes the head and say, "There's nothing can be done, you're dying." When you're pressing a dying pillow, and the icy veins cooling off in your arms, you will be happy that you raised that hand to Christ. But if you should have done it and God told you to and you didn't, what an icy hand to hold. It's too late to hold then. Now's the time to make your decision. "If you be ashamed of me..."
God bless you back there, sir. God bless you, sir. God bless you back there, lady. God bless you, sir, back there. God bless you, my brother, back there. God bless you, little boy. "If you will confess me before men, I will confess you before the Father and the holy angels. If you're ashamed of me before men, I will be ashamed of you before my Father and the holy angels."

51 I love you. You say, "Brother Branham, why do you make that so straight?" God bless you, sir. "Why do you make that so straight?" Oh, brother, if God has given you the privilege to break in to see a past the curtain of time! This that you see happen here in the meetings. That Spirit that comes and packs out into dimensions that the world knows nothing about. I do know what I speak of. I don't say that boastfully. I say that reverently, and humbly. And I do know, without Christ you're lost, brother. There's nothing in the world can save you. And don't be deceived by being able to do good works, and join church. It's just another perverted life.
Anything that you do within yourself is not of God. God helps those who cannot help themselves. If you just quit drinking, say, "I know I ought to quit drinking. I want everybody to pray for me, that I'll quit drinking." And then you go out and say, "If I ever take another drink, one of you boys smack me in the face." And they do that four or five times and you quit drinking. That still hasn't done one thing. That has got nothing to do with God. It's a birth that comes into you and those things automatically are gone. Won't you accept Him now? Would there be another just before prayer? All right, shall we bow our heads now.

52 Lord God, Creator of heavens and earth. No doubt but what some of these people sitting here tonight that's raised their hand to this great host, thirty or forty people, that's been people who's been thinking of these things for a long time. They've been tossed about, but tonight, somehow, in this little broken message, God has spoke to their heart. For it is written in the Word, "No man can come to me except my Father draws him first." And it's written also, that "He that heareth My words and believeth on Him that's sent me has everlasting life, and shall never come to the judgment, but has passed from death to life."
They don't have to worry no more. If they mean that from their heart, all the old things are gone. They shall never come to the judgment or condemnation. They have accepted Christ as their Saviour, and have been made a member of His body, and that body has already been judged. God could not judge it again. "But I will pass over you, when I see the blood," saith the Scripture. Give unto them eternal life. Give health to them, happiness, and joy. May they find a church home somewhere close to where they are living. And there, be a faithful member of the body of Christ until You call them home.
Then may they hear it said in that last day, "It was well done, my good and faithful servant. Enter into the joys of the Lord that's been prepared for you since the foundation of the world." Grant it, Lord. For we ask it in Jesus' name, as I present them to You as the fruits of this message. Keep them, O God, through Thy Word and Thy strength. Amen.

53 I realize I had to chop my message just a little short tonight. And being just a little aware of that, you can't think just as you should. But I hope that somehow God settles it into the hearts of Christians, too. The Bible said, "Blessed are ye when you hunger and thirst for righteousness." [Gap in the audio.] Oh, my soul thirsts for Him.

54 And now, friends, each one of you that raised your hands, some ... at least thirty or forty here tonight, as sinners that accepted Christ... If I read my Bible right, the very minute you put up your hand, if you meant that from your heart, you become a member of Christ. Jesus said... I know we have different ways, and different people think you should be baptized first and you should do this and do that, but Jesus said, "He that heareth my words and believeth on him that's sent me has eternal life." That settles it as far as I'm concerned.

55 Now, you say, "What do you mean by putting up your hand, Brother Branham? Was that good enough?" Absolutely. I said this the other night (It stands repeating.): According to the laws of science, you broke every law and defied science when you raised your hand. You're a creature of this earth and the gravitation of the earth would hold your hands down, actually.
But there was a spirit in you, a supernatural something that science can't find. The Holy Spirit spake to it. And you defied science by raising your hands to your Creator, "By this, I will now accept You as my Saviour." It was a decision that your soul made that defied science and gravitation, say, "I accept Jesus as my Saviour." It's a witness that you're a Christian.

56 God bless your gallant souls, is my prayer. And as soon as this healing service is over, I'm going to ask you to come up here and stand around this altar, and just offer a word of thanks to God. It will strengthen you.
Promise me that, some of these good churches around here, you will go tomorrow and talk it over with the pastor. Say, "Pastor, down at the meeting the other night, I felt strangely. Something touched my heart. I raised my hand as the minister asked if anyone wanted to accept Christ. And I did. And something just happened to me. I feel like a different person." You're now beginning to live. Say, "I want to become a member of your church. I'm going to help to do everything that I can to honor Jesus Christ." He'll be glad to have you. I know he will. And he'll appreciate you. God will appreciate you. You fall right in with the rest of the Christians now and be a real worker.
How many Christians in here welcome them as brother and sister in the body of Christ, raise up your hands to God, that you welcome those who raised their hands awhile ago, in the body of Christ. God bless you.

57 Now, the next is our healing service. Just nine thirty according to the clock. It's nine thirty and we want to have a healing service. Not that we're going to heal anyone, but I do believe that God will respect His Word. And I believe that the presence of the Lord is here to heal the sick. Not only by my prayers, but by your prayer. Just pray.

58 Now, I want to say this in behalf of maybe some of them that hasn't been here before. When Jesus Christ... It said in the Bible, "To be the same yesterday, today, and forever." How many knows Hebrews 13:8 says that? Certainly it is. Then, I want to ask you: Is that the truth or is it an error? It's the truth. Well then, if He is the same, He has to be the same in principal, same in power, same in action, same in attitude, or He isn't the same. He'd be the Jesus, only different. But the Bible said He's the same. Now if He is the same...

59 Let's just ask something. If Jesus was here as He was on Galilee nineteen hundred years ago, would He stick out His chest and say, "Bring Me the sick, now, I'll heal them." Jesus said He never did heal anybody. Anybody know that? He said, "It's not me that doeth the works, it's my Father that dwelleth in me. He doeth the works." And when He passed by a great host of lame, blind, and crippled people, He found one laying on a pallet, for the Lord had told him ... God had told him where he was. He said, "Will thou be made whole?"
He said, "I have no one to put me in the water. While I'm coming, somebody else better off than I steps in it ahead of me," or outrun him, or something.
He said, "Take up your bed. Go into your house."
He never questioned, he obeyed. And he walked; took his bed and went away. He never questioned, "Do you think I could do it? I have not much strength. I've been this way thirty-eight years." He never thought of that. He just obeyed.

60 Then Jesus made this statement. "Verily, verily, I say unto you, the Son can do nothing in Himself, unless He sees the Father doing it." How many knows that's right in the Bible? Saint John 5:19. Jesus Christ said He never done one miracle or anything else in a way of supernatural works until God showed Him. Now, that's either the truth or it isn't the truth. Let's follow Him just a moment or two.
Watch Him when He started His ministry, how that when the people come to Him. He knowed who they were. He knowed what was wrong with them. And He told them that. The church that day said He was a fortuneteller, a Beelzebub, chief of the devils. And we all know that fortune-telling is of the devil. But they didn't take time to think it out.

61 I was speaking this morning with some Christians and ministers at a breakfast, this morning, early. How many of you ever read the article in the Readers Digest of the healing of Donnie Martin? The miracle of Donnie Martin. About three years ago, the Readers Digest packed it all over the world. My meeting out in California. Strange that Mrs. Pepper's article followed just before that. But, did you notice the pro and con? How that God makes Himself known.
Now, don't be suspicious. Drop away all your thoughts and remember, it's the Bible. If I preach something that's not in the Bible, then I'm wrong. If the spirit misbehaves itself some way that's not in the Bible, I'd be careful about it. But, if it's in the Bible, it's the same Spirit was on them there. For He's the same.

62 Now, I believe, outside of ... not criticizing Roman Catholic, or Presbyterian, or Pentecostal, or any. I believe that this is God's foundation: the Bible. In the Old Testament, there was three ways of knowing a message to be true. First was the law, of course. But then, by dreamer or a prophet. And they had what they called the Urim Thummim. Bible scholars knows what it was. It was Aaron's breastplate, had the twelve tribes and their stones in this breastplate. It was hanging in the temple. They brought the prophet before it and he prophesied, and told what was said. And if a supernatural light didn't flash over that Urim Thummim, no matter how real it seemed, they refused it. No matter how real the dream seemed, if the supernatural light didn't flash on the Urim Thummim, they refused it.

63 Now, when the Aaronic priesthood was done away with, that Urim Thummim was done away with. But God still has a Urim Thummim and that's this Bible. And if a dreamer tells his dream, or a prophet prophesies, preacher preaches, and it's not in God's Bible, it won't flash on here, it's wrong to my opinion. But if it flashes, it's God saying it's the truth. The Bible said that "Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever." If He is, He's got to act in every way He did then or He's not Jesus Christ.

64 I want to ask you something. If He will do it tonight, as He did in Galilee, how many in this building will say, by lifting up their hands, say this, "Dear God, it will increase my faith. I'll try to live a better life. And have more faith knowing that You're walking with us"? Would you raise your hands as a witness to God?

65 Now, Heavenly Father, as Your tired servant... Someday I'm going to preach my last sermon. I'm going to make that statement for the last time. I'm going to pray my last prayer. It will all be over then. Then I'll have to meet You at the judgment.
And I pray Thee, most Holy God and Father, that You will visit us tonight in a most unusual way. We are not those people who have to have miracles. We do not seek after miracles, or signs. But it's because that the Word must be fulfilled. It is written in the Bible that Jesus did those things that the Word might be fulfilled. The Gentile generation is receiving its last call. The world is receiving its last call. And we feel, God, that You're near, to move and to manifest Your love in this evening light. And we pray that You will do it.

66 Now I submit my soul, body, and spirit unto Thee. And I pray that every person in here will be charged with faith in such a way that the Holy Spirit will work miracles among us tonight, that might increase the faith. Some of these dear pastors, missionaries, and evangelists, driving many miles and sitting here, just to get a little boost.
O God! It's better than all the vitamins that the drug store could produce. It gives us eternal life. It gives us new hopes. And we long to see His blessed presence as David cried tonight in our Scripture lesson, "To see thy power as I have seen it in thy sanctuary, O Lord." My soul thirsts to see it. That's our prayer tonight that we offer to Thee. In Jesus Christ name, Thy Son. Amen.

67 [Brother prophesies in tongues. Another brother interprets]. Amen. We thank the Lord for that. [Another brother prophesies.] There's hardly but one thing left to do now. That's to call the prayer line, and see the glory of God. Did you give out your prayer cards? 1 to 100? What's the letter? Prayer card C, 1 to 100 he gave out. Let's start from number 1. Who has prayer card number one? C number 1. Would you hold your hand just a minute?

68 [Gap in the audio.]... He turned right back around and said, "Your faith has healed you." See? For she believed that her blood issue had stopped. And it was.
Now, He's the same yesterday, today, and forever. Now, that's not the Old Testament; that's the New Testament, in the book of Hebrews. Now, if you touch Him tonight with your faith, how will you know whether you touched Him or not? He'd have to speak to you in a human way. Some way that you would know that He touched you. Wouldn't you have to know that? Now, you just look to Jesus and believe. How many loves Him with all your heart and all your soul? How wonderful.

69 Now, you're all strangers to me as far as I know. I look over the audience and see if I can see anyone that I know. Let's see if there's anyone in the prayer line that I know. If you in the prayer line standing there... How many we got there? Ten? All you in the prayer line there, if you don't know me, raise up your hand. If you don't know me, you solemnly say that you don't know me. I know nothing about you. If that's right, raise up your hand, now, I don't know you. All right. How many in the audience, balcony, or anywhere, knows that I don't know you or one thing about you, raise your hand. All right, there you are. Now, if anybody thinks it's false, do you want to come take my place? You are welcome.

70 All right, brother. May the Lord grant it to her, brother; healing of her body is my prayer. Tell her to believe, have faith. You believe do you, brother? Keep your hand laying on her. We'll see what God says. Now, I have no way to control this. I don't control it, it controls me.

71 Prayer card 11, 14 and 15 is missing. Prayer card 11? No? 14? 14 is there? Good. All right. What was the other one? 15? It's prayer card, what? 11? You got it? Haven't got it. Prayer card 11. Have you got prayer card 11, lady? Here comes the lady now. All right. Now, how many more prayer cards is there out? Let's see your hand, people that's got prayer cards. There's thirty or forty, fifty yet in the building, that's got prayer cards.
All right. I don't know how we're going to get through this line. I don't know. It may not even... God could just walk away from us and that's all I ... that's all of it. I don't know. But look. The Bible said, "In the mouth of two or three witnesses, let every word be established." How many knows the Bible says that? That three witnesses is a confirmation.

72 Now, if the Holy Spirit would move in this building and confirm that Jesus Christ is raised from the dead, and has sent back this glorious thing to us. Now, remember, no matter how much God anoints me, if He doesn't anoint you, it won't work. You are the one who does it. It's your faith. Jesus never said, "Say, lady, come here and I'll heal you of that blood issue." She touched His garment and He said, "Thy faith healed thee." See, it's your faith. You're a doubter?

73 A man told me not long ago, he said, "Mr. Branham, I don't care what you would do or say, I don't believe it."
I said, "It wasn't given to unbelievers. It was only given to them that believe." It's not for unbelievers. They will perish. I don't know... Of course, all of you know this, that I'm strictly a Calvinist. I believe that men are ordained to eternal life, and some are ordained to condemnation, according to God's Word. The Bible said men of old was predestinated to this condemnation, turning the grace of God into lasciviousness. That's right. And if you... God's not willing that any should perish, now. But to be God, He knowed from the very beginning who would be saved and who wouldn't be saved. If He didn't, He wasn't God. He's an infinite, eternal God.

74 So, therefore, if you will read Romans 8 and 9, you will find out that He told... He said, "I hate Esau and love Jacob," before either boy was ever born from his mother's womb. Correctly, for He's God. He knows all things. So, how can you make a believer ... an unbeliever a believer when God knew in the beginning he was an unbeliever? It wasn't meant for him. He said, "Pharaoh, I've raised him up for this very same purpose. The work he worked. It's not him that willeth, him that runneth, it's God that showeth mercy." Is that right? Certainly.

75 Now, I'm going to ask you to do something for me. Please, do this for me just in these next few minutes. If you will just give us the next fifteen, twenty minutes of your time, and if mothers will keep their children, as the Holy Spirit begins to settle just now, as the songs are playing.
I know there's epilepsy in the crowd tonight. And that's... Was it here at Tacoma? It was at Tacoma where they had a child or somebody on the platform, I believe it was, was having an epileptic fit, and I tried to make the people be real quiet and behave, and keep their heads bowed while I was praying. And they would not do it. And I asked them to do it, and a critic was sitting up in the balcony down here at the ice arena and I told him not to do that. And he let me know he'd take care of his own business, this was a public meeting. I said, "Then, see to it." And when the spirit left this child, it went on him and he fell out with epilepsy. Anybody remember that from the meeting? There you are.

76 I was sitting at Jonesboro, Arkansas, where a minister and twenty-eight of his members wouldn't bow their heads when we was praying. And an epileptic spell left that man that was on the platform, and twenty-eight people fell in the floor, kicking over chairs and everything from aristocratical church with epilepsy. And as far as I know they remained with it the rest of their lives.
Phoenix, Arizona, when one of the officials of the city wanted to be arrogant, raised up and tried to say something. I said, "Sir, sit down. I'm trying to deal with a sick man."
He said, "Oh, I'm getting tired of this psychology."
I said, "Then, God judge you for it."
And up here in San Bernardino, California, his wife held to my trouser legs in the mud while they drug me over the top of her. Her husband insane sitting there going, "Wheee, heee," like that and beard all over his face. Crazy as he could be, an official from Phoenix, about four weeks later. We're not playing church, friends. You're dealing with spiritual beings.

77 How many remembers Acts 19 when a fellow thought he could cast out demons and went down and called over a man with epilepsy? Said, "I adjure ye by Jesus who Paul preaches. Come out." The devil said, "I know Paul and I know Jesus, but who are you?" You know what happened. They stripped their clothes off of him and had fits and run through the streets, and everything. So just be reverent. Be real reverent. Watch this way. Do just as you're told to do. Believe with all your hearts, sit still, and worship God. And say, "God, be merciful to me." And see what our Lord will do for you. My sincere prayer. All right. Is this the person that's to come? All right. Come.

78 Now I want... Now please don't move around, see. If you do, here's what it is. In Jesus' name I take every soul in here under my control for the glory of God. Now, sit still. You're spirit. When you move, it interrupts. You say, "Brother Branham, is that true?" Why did Jesus ask them to do it? Why'd He take everybody out of the house of Jairus' daughter to be healed? Now, be real reverent.

79 Now, lady, as far as I know I've never seen you in my life. You've never seen me in your life. Is that right? Raise up your hand. Never seen you in my life and you've never seen ... I've never seen you and you've never seen me. Therefore, we're perfect strangers. Both of us with our hands up to God that we've never met one another before in life. Know nothing of each other.
Now, there may be something wrong with the woman. She may be a critic. She may be sick. She may be for somebody else. It may be financial trouble. May be domestic troubles. I don't know. God knows I don't know.

80 But if this isn't the same kind of a picture of Saint John the 4th chapter, I've never seen it. Here's a man and a woman, like met then. Now, our Lord was sitting on the well, waiting. He sent His disciples away, and a woman come up to draw water. And He said, "Bring me a drink." Now, she was a Samaritan, not a Jew, a Samaritan. That's half Jew and Gentile.
So she said, "It's not customary for you Jews to ask Samaritans such."
Now watch Him. He's talking to her. He said, "But, if you knew who you were talking to, you'd ask Me for a drink. I can give you water you don't come here to draw." They carried a lengthy conversation. What was Jesus doing? He was contacting her spirit. You remember the Father had told Him He had need to go by Samaria; He was on His road down to Jericho. That's straight from Jerusalem, right down the mountain. But He went up around the mountain to Samaria, because God had sent Him up there.

81 Now, God sent me here to Tacoma. And here's a woman that's come before me in the prayer line. All I know God sent me here. I don't know her. She doesn't know me. So now, if Jesus is the same yesterday and forever and I be found truthful telling the truth. Now, maybe God will work that. I don't know He will. He may do it. If He does do it and you go away from here an unbeliever, God pity your sinful soul.

82 Now, I just want to talk to you. You just answer. For it's the same thing that Jesus done to the woman. After He talked to her awhile, He said, "Go get your husband."
That was her trouble wasn't it? She said, "I don't have any husband."
Said, "You've got five."
Now, she didn't say, "He's reading my mind. It's telepathy." She said, "Sir, I perceive that you're a prophet." See how she entered that gift? That's the reason she got something.
That's the reason Mary got something ... or, Martha, when she said, "If You would have been here, my brother would not have died. But even now, if you ask God, God will give it to you."
He said, "I'm the resurrection and life. He that heareth My words has... He that heareth My words has everlasting life." He said, "I'm the resurrection and life."---the way He said it. "He that was dead yet shall he live. And whosoever liveth and believeth on me shall never die." Said, "Believeth thou this?"
She said, "Yes, Lord. I believe that You're the Son of God that's come into the world." See her reverence to approach that gift of God?
He said, "Thy brother shall rise again." There you are. It's your approach.

83 Now, that man would put a rag around His face, hit Him on the head with a stick, that Roman soldier, and said, "Now if you're a prophesier, tell us who hit You and we'll believe You." He never said a word. God don't clown for people. He certainly doesn't. He uses His power to magnify Himself and to glorify Himself. He's God in silence.

84 I'm talking to you. If God will reveal to me, knowing that we're a man and woman here in this great audience of people of several thousand tonight, watching this drama. And both of us under oath before God that we know not each other.
Now, if God will reveal to me what you're here for (I don't know what it is), but what you're here for, will you receive it? Now, if I'd say, "Oh, you're sick and going to get well." You'd have a right to doubt that. But if He will reveal it... Now, if you was crippled and I said, "Well, you're crippled." If I said, "It's your eyes," it may be your eyes. But that wouldn't be no miracle. Anybody can see you're wearing glasses, your eyes are bad. But, may be something that I know nothing about. Then it's sure to be God. I trust that He will do it.

85 Now, if the audience can still hear my voice... The woman seems to be getting smaller. There's like a shadow between her and I stands; a light. The woman's suffering. Yes sir, she's very sick. She has many things wrong with her. The woman has something wrong in her bowels. It's colitis. I believe the doctor diagnosis that as colitis. Kind of a thin fellow, the doctor. He said it's colitis. And then I see something about looking at the bottom of the feet. You've got fallen arches, too, that bothers you. That's true. Then, you've got some sort of a bleeding: hemorrhaging of blood. That's the truth. And I see you drop a dish going from the room. You're real nervous, upset. And you have real gloomy spells kind of late in the evening when the sun's a going down, getting kind of a melancholy feeling, kind of a strange feeling. I see you sitting in a chair looking out, watching the sun through the window. You had a real funny feeling. That's true. I'm not reading your mind.

86 And here is another thing. I hear you in a room praying. It's beside of a bed. And you're asking God to give you the Baptism of the Holy Ghost. You're seeking for God. That's "Thus saith the Lord." Is that true or false? Is every bit of it true? [Sister says, "Yes."] You believe God now? Would you say that to the audience? ["Even to the description of the doctor: tall, bald-headed.] You see that? And God in heaven knows I know nothing about the woman. What is it? It's Jesus Christ the same yesterday, today, and forever.
And I want to say this to you, my sister: The dark shadow that hung over you when you come here has gone from you. You're healed. Go on your road rejoicing and thank God. Amen. Go this way.

87 I believe you are the second person to be here tonight. Are we strangers to each other? We do not know each other? Never saw me or met me or I met you in life, is that right? I don't say that He will tell me then. I don't know. But if He does, will you accept it as being... You know it has to come from a supernatural resource. Will you accept it to be God? If you believe it to be God, you will benefit by it. If you do not, well, then, to my opinion, it's sin. The Bible said, "Go ye and sin no more. (And sin is unbelief.) Go ye and disbelieve no more or a worse thing come upon you."

88 A strong thing struck the platform, now. Stop that. Now, we're not in this dimension of... If you scientists here, this is not the three dimensions we live in. It's another dimension which is closer to God, see. Just go around. You believe that God will give you the desire of your heart? [Sister says, "I seen Him heal my boy."] You seen Him heal your boy. [I seen Him heal other people.] You seen Him heal other... You believe that He will heal? All right. Now you look this way then, just to contact your spirit, and believing that God will do it. Humbly I ask Him to do it.

89 If the audience can still hear me... I see the lady is in a serious condition. The first thing, she's extremely nervous. That's caused by the time of her life, her age. She has nervous spells. And again, she's suffering with a ladies' trouble, a female trouble. And that female trouble is diagnosed as a tumor. "It's a tumor," says the doctor. And you're up for an operation. Should be operated on. That's "Thus saith the Lord." Is that true? [Sister says, "That's true."] Do you believe it? Everyone? Now let us pray, sister. All of you together while we bow are heads.
Blessed Lord, I pray that You will help our sister, and will heal her body, and let her know this: That the Christ of God who spoke to the woman at the well has a poor, humble, unworthy people here, anointed tonight, that it can manifest His power and His glory. May every doubt fade from her, and may she be healed by the grace of God. In the name of Jesus, I ask it. Amen. God bless you, my sister.

90 How do you do? Lady, you sitting up there in the balcony with the blue dress on, got high blood pressure, haven't you? Sitting right up there. You believe God... Well, lady, now, you're heavyset, with gray hair, suffering with high blood pressure ... was just praying for her healing. The lady right here in front of me, the second row, that's right. God has healed you and rewarded you of your faith. Go home and get well now. Amen. What did the woman touch? Who did she touch? She's thirty or here forty yards from me.
Lady, up there in the balcony that was just healed, I do not know you. Is that right? You don't know me. That's right? But you were just praying for God to touch you. And He did it. He rewarded you of your faith.
You without prayer cards, now, just like her. You go to praying and believing that God will heal you. That's the same Jesus. He's forever the same Lord Jesus. He said, "If thou canst believe, all things are possible."

91 Now, young lady, standing here before me, now you're aware that you're in the presence of something, because I'm looking at the girl and that light that's on the picture is settled around this girl right now. If you're aware that something real sweet, loving, kind feeling on you, raise up your hand to the audience. You know that your brother standing here could not produce that. The reason I said brother, because that you are a believer, a Christian.
You look like a healthy woman. I do not know you. I've never seen you in my life. If that's right, raise your hand towards the audience. But if God of heaven will reveal to me... Just keep your eyes closed so the people can see it's not mental telepathy. If God will reveal to me what your trouble is, will you accept Christ and believe that it's Him here speaking? Will you do that? Wave your hand like that.

92 Now, the lady is not standing here for herself. She's standing here for someone else. And that woman is a relative to her. It's her aunt. And she doesn't live in this country. She's more of a plains country. It's North Dakota where she's from. And she suffers with a real extreme nervous condition, and she's having spiritual problems, and she's got ulcers. That's the truth. And not only that, but there's a pressure pulling from this meeting, which is another woman. And the woman is with you and it's your sister. And you're praying for her right now, for her back trouble to be healed. That's "thus saith the Lord." That's the truth, isn't it? If it is, raise both your hands up. Go and receive it and send that handkerchief with the tear on it to your loved one. And be healed in Christ's name.

93 "If thou canst believe..." Now, don't move around. I'm just expecting something to happen. I just believe it will. I prayed all day for a great break forth tonight.
You suffer with a nervous trouble, don't you, lady sitting right there? God just healed you of it.
The man, second seat behind you back there, has high blood pressure. Sitting right back up here, straight in front of me. You believe Jesus Christ make you well, sir? If you will believe it, yes, sir, you are healed. Jesus Christ makes you well. Amen.

94 You're suffering with a growth in your body, lady. That's right. And if God will reveal to me where that growth is, though it's hid from my eyes, will you believe me to be God's prophet? Now, more you talk to the lady... We are both anointed right now. You're aware of that, lady. The growth is on your breast. It's on your right breast. And I see you coming from some other city. You're not from this city. You're from a city north of here. And it's a city that's got lots of hills---Seattle. That's right. Return to Seattle, believe God, and the growth will leave you. "Thus saith the Lord." Amen. Have faith in God. Don't doubt. Believe.

95 I do not know you, lady. We are strangers to each other. But if God will reveal to me what your trouble is, will you believe me as His servant? Thank you, ma'am. I'm so happy for that. Now, that gall bladder trouble, and you have an infection. And you're up for an operation. You believe that it will leave you now? [Sister says, "Yes, I do."] Let us pray.
Heavenly Father, in the name of Thy Son, the Lord Jesus, I pray that You heal this woman. Take away her affliction. This great church of God asked it in Jesus' name. Amen. Go believing now. Go from you.

96 Do you believe God will heal you of that sinus? Make you well? If you believe, you can have it.
What about sitting next to you, has a gallbladder trouble, heart trouble, too. You believe God will heal you of the gall bladder and heart trouble? "If thou canst believe, all things are possible."

97 What do you think about it, brother? You believe with all your heart? Are we strangers to each other? [The brother speaks to Bro. Branham.] You was healed in my meeting once before. Was that down in Tacoma? That's been about ten years ago. Nine or ten years ago. Therefore I wouldn't know, that night standing ... I wouldn't know you if I met you tomorrow, as you're standing here. [The brother speaks again.] He was healed outside the line without any prayer. Just healed in the meeting. 'Course, I'd know nothing about you then or nothing of you.
Now, if God will reveal what this little man is here for, how many in the audience will say, "I will take Christ as my healer right now"? I and this man will raise our hands that we know not each other. Never met, as far as I know, before in this life. Then you believe. Now, let the man be the judge. If God will grant it. I don't know. We'll ask Him and see. May God grant it, my brother. And reveal what your trouble is, so that the audience... I believe they raised their hands sincerely.
You are suffering with some sort of a palsy. Kind of like a kidney poison, like. That's right. And that's because you only have one kidney. And you've got a prostate trouble, which causes you to get up at night. And I see you as a young man on ... being operated. It's as least forty of fifty years ago, that kidney was removed. [Brother says, "Forty-four."] Forty-four years ago. That's correct, is it? Christ heals you. Go on your road rejoicing and be happy in Jesus' name. God bless you.

98 I'm getting tremendous weak now. What is it? It's the audience. I'm trying to catch the audience. I just can't do it. Everybody's just believing. It's just pulling from place to place. Just keep on. That's all right. Just keep believing. More you talk to the people, more you know. More it reveals. But the reason I keep passing one to another is so that there be more than two or three witnesses to confirm it.

99 The little lady standing here. We are strangers to each other? We do not know each other at all? First time we've ever met in life? All right. There's something in your mind or heart that you're here for. I don't know. But if God will reveal to me what you're here for, will you accept it as being Christ trying to get to you to heal you? You will? Will the audience promise they'll do the same, every suffering woman in this audience, will you promise the same? May the God of heaven grant it, lady. While we're both with our hands before God, we know not each other.
You are suffering with kind of a gallbladder trouble. A ladies' trouble. That's true. And I seen something move. I heard something speak in the Spirit. Just a moment. Yes, you know I don't know you, but if God will tell me what your name is, will you believe me? You're Mrs. Charles White. If that's right, raise your hand. Go on your road rejoicing. You're healed, sister. God makes you well.

100 Now, that you might think telepathy... I know it's coming from the audience from somewhere, but I can't find it. If I would, I'd call you out. That's right.
Lady, lay your hand on mine. Patient. If God will reveal to me, looking this way what's wrong with you, will you accept it? Raise your hand. Then you can leave the platform. Your heart trouble is finished. You go on rejoicing.
Now, lady, you just touched my hand back this way. If God will reveal to me this way, what's wrong with you, will you accept your healing? If you will, take your hand off of mine. All right. I see you trying to get out ... no, you're on a side of a street stepping sideways. Arthritis. That's right. Go on your road rejoicing, believing God.

101 You was healed of heart trouble while you were sitting in the chair. Just go on your road rejoicing and thanking God.
Now, just touch my hand, so I can keep from the contact of the people. Just a way of contact. If God will reveal to me looking this way, or up this way, what's wrong with you, will you accept it? And you will know whether it's the truth or not. If you will, take your hand off of mine. Will the audience believe it? If you will, raise your hand to God. Now, Father, it's up to You.
I see the woman belching. It's a stomach trouble. Acids from the stomach. That's exactly right. Now, if you believe it with all your heart, you can go off the platform and be made well. Go rejoicing and happy. All right, come.

102 Brother, as you come, 'course you can see the shadow. Do you realize what's wrong with you? Do you believe that Christ can change that death to life and make you live? Do you? Cancer's no more to Him than a toothache. But if you will believe, the thing will leave you. Will you believe it? [Brother says, "Absolutely."] Come here. Let us pray. I want to ask you something. There's something here that knows you. Now, I don't. But whatever it is, do you believe it's Christ? Then if it is, it's got me anointed.

103 Jesus said, "These signs shall follow them that believe." Do you believe I'm a believer? ["Absolutely."] " If they lay their hands on the sick, they shall recover." Did Christ say that? The same Christ that said it has been living since two thousand years ago. He said it, and is here tonight, and vindicating it's the truth. Then you have to get well, don't you?
O, God, have mercy upon the man. And in the name of Thy beloved Son, Jesus, we challenge this devil to a duel. We believe that Jesus Christ, the Son of God, is in our midst tonight doing these things. And people, many have crossed the world, are failing to see it because they only have an intellectual conception of Him. But those who are borned of the Spirit, knows that our spirit bears record with His Spirit, that they're sons and daughters of God. And in the light of Calvary, I challenge the enemy of this man's life. And in the face of his faith, I say for this demon to leave his body. In Jesus Christ's name. Amen. Go rejoicing, brother, and be happy.

104 Do you think that back trouble left you while you were sitting there? If you do, go on. Amen. Yes, just believe it with all your heart.
What if I told you the Lord Jesus saved you while you was sitting there? Would you take my word for it? Go on your road and be happy then. Amen.
Are you an Indian? I thought so. Now, between you and I, there's something dropping. It's blood, which means you're a diabetic. Insulin is a mighty good thing. Insulin is a remedy, but Christ is a cure. Will you believe Him tonight? Let's you and I go to Calvary for a blood transfusion, then.

105 Jehovah God, be merciful to this dear woman. And may the sugar in this blood be taken out by the mighty healing power of Jesus Christ, who created the blood cell. And we pray that You will grant it. And when the physician examines that urine test again, may he be surprised and say, "Lady, something's happened. You're healed." Then she will turn and give praise and glory to Thee. I lay my unworthy hands upon her in the name of Jesus Christ for her healing. Amen.
God bless you, sister. Yes, and I was going to say, "Don't fear about that boy; he'll come out."

106 Are you believing? Is Jesus Christ the same yesterday, today, and forever? Then if you believe me as His servant, I'm going to ask you to do something. Brother Sothmann or Billy, or some of them is patting me on the side. Something's happened, that is: I've gotten so weak that they're going to take me from the platform. That's the time that I know I'm supposed to go.
I want to say to you this, that if I never see you again in this world, I've told the truth about Jesus Christ. He's vindicated the same. And I say this in His name, that every sick person in here, if you're a sinner, if you will confess your sins, if you'll---that is, an unbeliever---confess your unbelief, and believe God right now, there will not be a feeble person in our midst. Surely, if everything else I've done has been perfectly vindicated by God, surely my word's vindicated by God. I've told you what He said. He turned right back around and testified that what I said is the truth.

107 Now, I want you to lay your hands on one another. There's sick people all over the building. That's right. I believe you're fixing to see something that you've never seen before. I believe that you're going to see one of the greatest bursts of healings that you've ever seen. I feel that in the light of God's Word, and the witness of the Holy Ghost, we have the victory here tonight over the devil. I believe that His precious blood is dripping to every soul. His Holy Spirit is moving up and down these isles, anointing the people.
Satan, you've lost the battle. Come out of this audience, out of this people. I adjure thee by Jesus Christ, the Son of God. Come out and leave this audience. And may the people, every one, be healed. In Jesus Christ's name.

108 All that believe that you're healed by the power of God... I trust that you won't believe me to be a hypocrite. This entire audience just looks like one great big milky ball to me, out there now. It's your faith. Act on it. If you believe it, stand to your feet and accept Jesus as your Healer right now, regardless of what's wrong with you. Blessed be the Lord. Let's raise our hands and give Him praise. Everyone of us.
O God! We thank Thee, Lord. Satan has lost the battle. Jesus Christ is the winner, and we have won the victory through Jesus...

Thirsting for Life

You can find this sermon at ChurchAges.net

1 Thank you friends. It's a privilege to be back again tonight at the tent to speak in the name of our Lord again tonight.
And now, before we open His Word, let's have just a word to Him first, as we bow our heads.
Lord God, it's indeed a privilege that we have of coming to You. We've been bid to do so by Thy dear Son, the Lord Jesus. And we're sure that You will hear us, as we come in His name, for He has made it clear, that if we ask the Father anything in His name, it shall be granted. And God, we are here for no other purpose tonight, but to the glory and honor of Thee, and of Thy kingdom, and for the furthering of Thy kingdom, that we would all catch a new glimpse tonight of the blessed Saviour, that He might come into our midst, and would take away all of our iniquity, and take the sorrows from our hearts. Take sickness from our bodies and give us joy, and good health, and strength, and strengthen our inner man, for we're looking for His soon, visible appearing to take away His church that's called His bride.

2 Grant, Lord, that every sin and sin of trespass or omission, whatever it might be, will be taken from us tonight, that this will be the beginning of a great unending revival until Jesus returns. Grant it, Father.
Now, as we pull back the pages, there's no one can interpret the Word but You. And we would ask that the writer of this book would interpret the message for us tonight. Sow the seed down deep into the heart, get glory, for we ask it in Jesus' name. Amen.

3 I was just coming in with the wife and family, out there a few moments ago. I received a little message here, wrote, and it's from Ed Vibbord. Wanted to know if I was any relation to the Branhams in Burkesville, Kentucky. Ed, you are my cousin. Brother Vibbord, at Indianapolis, your brother, and the one at Evansville, Indiana, at the big Assembly of God church there, is ... we are own blood cousins. Wherever you are, I'd like to meet you and shake your hand after the service, sometime. The Lord bless you.

4 Then, I also want to announce that tonight, at the book table, wherever it is here, there will be the tapes of the meetings and records.
Mr. Mercer and Mr. Goad, my associates, who takes the records ... or, takes the messages and puts them on tape from tape to record, and record and tape both is at the bookstand now, can be purchased at about one third the price that you'd pay for a record in a ten cent store, if you got a... And if you haven't got a adapter, they got that.
We're not here to sell. That isn't our purpose. Anyone that knows me, knows that. I've never been guilty of ever commercializing Jesus Christ. And I don't believe in that, and the only thing that I want to do this for, is because I think it would help somebody. And the boys, when they taken the tapes, and were selling the tapes... I sent off to another evangelist and got a tape, and I think it was about three times the price that these boys sell them, because they buy thousands times thousands of them in groups, and they have them. That's just for the furthering of the Gospel.

5 Then the books that we have, of course, we don't them here, because they're printed here. Brother Gordon Lindsay, our associating brother here, he wrote the book, "Man Sent From God," and it's on print, and Brother Lindsay prints it here, and I buy them from Brother Lindsay (when I take them out in the meetings) on a discount of, I believe, about forty percent less than what the original cost of them is. And then I take them out, and hire somebody to sell them, and so forth. And anyone ever sold books, knows that you can't hardly sell them in any way, and make on them, because if anybody comes by and hasn't got the money, and wants the book, they get it anyhow. Picture, anything: it doesn't make a bit of difference.

6 And we have to print this picture that was taken of the Angel of the Lord under a copyright. And Brother Lindsay and all of them knows all about that, which we have to get permission for so many, and just out at the price that we get it for. So you see...
And we're not soliciting or so forth, but I just made this mention, whether if you wanted them, it would be all right to pick them up at the end of the service at the concession ... or, the book stand, wherever it is.

7 And now, we sure enjoying our stay here and just getting a very warm conception ... or, reception, down here, rather. I went over to a little store today, and my... I said, "Lady, does it get any hotter here in Texas?"
She said, "You ought to be here in August."
I said, "It's about to smother me." So you know, I born in Kentucky, and just half between the north and the south. But you know, being that you all are a bunch of southerners, tonight, I am a southerner, by being born in Kentucky.

8 Just come out of the New England states, and I told them all up there, "We won the war." You all know that, don't you? Sure, we did. How we did it, we outlived the rest of them. It was just... There's one southerner left and no northerners. And when the last northern drummer boy died, did you notice in the paper, just before his death, the southerner sent him a message, and he said, "God bless you, Yankee. I hope to see you again soon."
Why couldn't they have thought that in the beginning? It'd all been over then. That's right. Well, we will have them till Jesus comes, and then we won't have any more troubles and wars. Won't that be a wonderful time? We love Him, and with all of our hearts.

9 And now... I was talking this morning in a little restaurant. I've been visiting around, and I met a man that come up, and shook my hand, said, "You might not know me, Brother Branham," but said, "You prayed for my little girl that was having (I believe he said) epileptic spells." And said, "From that very hour, she's never had another one." And then he said, "I had..." Somebody in his neighborhood, when they heard it, had two valves in his heart had closed up. And he called, and I sent him down a little handkerchief. He said, "The man was up, going, well again."
The man's here in the meeting tonight. He's a minister; I got his card in my pocket, but he might not want me to even... If you want to, brother, you can raise up your hand, whoever I talked in the... Way back there in the back, there he is, back there at the back.

10 So then, getting around and hearing testimonies and so forth, it's been good. And today, I paid tribute to go down to see the school that my boy was at, at Waxahatchee, down here. Seen their fine school. Makes me happy to know that the full gospel people has a school that they can bring up the children in the way of the Lord. I'm so thankful for Waxahatchee's, I believe, Southwestern, it's called, Bible School.

11 Then to my good friend Jack Coe, I passed by and seen his place. Something just... I'm temperamental anyhow, and something... When I seen Jack's name on the orphanage out there, and that bunch of little kids out there playing around a little tent... Oh, God, rest his gallant soul.
And I talked to his brother-in-law awhile ago. I was at a little grocery to get some stuff for the kiddies. And I met his brother-in-law and the minister that's helping over there, the sister that's carrying on the church. And he was gracious to invite me to his church and to have a meeting for him sometime. And I said, "If the Lord permits, I'd like to do that, under one thing, that you'd make me a contract, before coming: everything would go to that little orphanage down there. See those little tots playing around down there with no papa, and no mama, and not a ... and a leader that's gone on to glory, who seen that great vision. God rest the soul of my Brother Jack, a great soul indeed.

12 I remember the first time I saw him. I never forget it. He was the most curious little fellow, real skinny. And he come up to me, and he said, "Tell me what's wrong with this woman in the car and I will believe you."
I said, "Sir, I can't do that." I said, "That takes God to do that."
He said, "Well, I'm curious. I want to know."
And I said, "I shall go over and ask." And when I got over there, the Holy Spirit told who she was and all about her.
He said, "That settles it for me."
And I said, "You're just a little curious preacher. And someday, you'll be doing this very same thing: praying for the sick."
The next time I saw him was in Chicago, about ten years later. He'd sure growed up. I said, "Brother Jack, what's happened?"
He said, "Two T-bone steaks after each meeting and some two or three malted milks."
I said, "They surely didn't take the calories out," I said... Just a fine fellow, and God rest his soul is my prayer. To be here on these grounds around close to where Jack Coe once ministered...

13 Now, someday I will be gone too. Someday we will all be gone. "Partings leave behind us, footprints on the sands of time." May God ever let his work continue on. May we walk faithfully in the cause that he died by, is my prayer.
I wish to read just some now from the Bible. I just love the reading of the Word. You know, the Holy Spirit feeds on the Word. Jesus said, "It is written, man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God." And if you just take it each day, not as just a routine, but just to, oh, I'd say, to just make it that your heart craves for it, to just sit down each day and read so much out of the Bible. You'd be surprised what it'll do to your spiritual growth. It certainly will. "Man shall not live by bread alone but by every word that proceedeth from the mouth of God."

14 So let us turn tonight, that I've chosen for a subject ... or, reading, Scripture reading, out of the Psalms, 63rd Psalm. And I wish to read just a portion of it here, the 1st, and 2nd, and perhaps, 3rd verse.
... O God, thou art my God; early will I seek Thee: my soul thirsteth for thee, my flesh longeth for thee in a dry and thirsty land, where no water is.
To see thy power and thy glory, ... as I have seen it in thy sanctuary.
Because thy loving-kindness is better than life, my lips shall praise thee.

15 Did ever you read such words? "My soul longeth for Thee in a thirsty land, where no water is." This is rather an unusual text, but God is unusual; God does unusual things, and He works in mysterious ways, His wonders to perform.
And we're living in an unusual day and an unusual time, but we're serving the God that's been in all times. And when I thought of this... You know, my soul thirsts for Thee... If your soul is what directs you, it's what makes you what you are. A conversion... A soul is the nature of the spirit. And when a man is converted, he doesn't get another spirit; he gets a spirit change. A conversion means to change his thinking, change his way of living and so forth. So my soul thirsts for Thee.

16 And I thought, because of Thy love-kindness is better than life. What is greater than life? Just tell me one thing, tonight. What's greater than life? Nothing is greater than life.
And there's only one type of eternal life, and that life comes from God. Anything that had a beginning has an end. It's those things which have not a beginning, has no end. And in the beginning, God, eternal life... And then out of eternal life, which in the Greek is called zoe, or "God's life."
Agape love, and phileo love, and so forth, as we drop down like from agape love is the love that's God's love. Phileo love is the love you have for your wife or your friend.

17 Now, many times, the church gets that mixed up, and they try to apply phileo love, which means "friendship," to be like agape love. But here's the difference. If you love your wife, as you should, and some man would insult your wife, you'd kill him, because you'd be jealous of her. That's what phileo love would lead to. But agape love would make you pray for his lost soul. That's the difference, see. It's the difference.
Everything that is now, is something that has been right. And all unrighteousness is righteousness perverted. There is nothing that what has never been. For instance, all sin is righteousness made sin.
Now, you've heard people say that the devil can heal. There's only one thing wrong with that statement. The man who made that statement doesn't know his Bible to begin with, neither does he know the God who wrote it. The devil has no power to heal, and cannot heal, and never did heal, and never will heal.

18 I've got a Lutheran college in Minneapolis, Minnesota, tonight with signs and wonders among their people, because the minister wrote me the letter and said, a man that speaks to the people as many as you do, and say that the devil cannot heal... And he tried to base upon a witch, or woman, that people comes, and feels around, and she tells them that... Well, she'd pluck a little hair our of their head, and rub it in some blood out or their veins, and goes down, and throws it in the river, and starts walking back, if she's constrained to look around, the disease comes back. But if she goes on, then the people gets well. He said, "We've watched, and twenty or thirty percent of those people are healed, and then you say the devil can't heal."
I said, "The strange thing is, to you, Dr. Aegery, is this. I'm surprised that you, being a Lutheran dean, would base your doctrine upon an experience instead of the Word of God." That's right. Jesus said, "Satan cannot cast out Satan." That settles it.

19 I said, "'Course, there's a lot of people saying that divine healers going through the land." There is no such a thing. I've never seen one in my life and never will see one. God's the healer. But the people sometime approaching people that makes such statements, get healed. That's true. I've seen witch doctors have their people healed, but what is it?
I've seen them go to idols. There at Alsace-Lorraine, France, they go up to an idol of a dead woman and get healed, but that isn't because that the dead woman done it. It's the people thinking they're approaching God through the woman.
Like it is with the divine healers, like it is also with the witch. They thought they were approaching God through the witch, and God has to honor faith, regardless of where it is. That's right. So there is no healing...

20 What is healing? Healing is the developing of cells, a multiplication of cells, making cells, mending.
You might break your arm. Doctor can't heal your arm; he can set it. God has to heal it. But He's the only Creator there is. Satan cannot create. He perverts what God has created.
I've got a mixed audience, of course, and I am your brother. And you listen at your doctor. To you married men, you have your wife; you live with your wife. The act of being wife and husband is just as legitimate as it can be. But the same act with another woman, you're gone. What is it? Righteousness perverted. That's right. All sin is righteousness perverted.
Now, I'm not a Bible teacher, so I will get off of that, onto my subject.

21 Life, what is life? Well, life is what controls you. Life is what makes you what you are. And the life that is within you, makes you the written epistle, read of all men. So while we speak of life...
I was thinking sometime ago, way down in the southern states, when they had slavery, and when they would drive the slaves like animals. And they would put them up and auction them off like you would at a used car lot, and would make... And they'd come around, brokers, and would buy these certain slaves. And they'd come by and buy some big, heavy colored man and take him out and sell him to some one else, and make profit on them, just like you do on your cars and so forth today.
And there was a certain broker came by an old plantation and he said, "How many slaves have you got on this plantation?"
And the owner said, "About hundred and fifty."
"Is there any for sale?"
He said, "Oh, I don't know; maybe we could trade or do something." And when he went to look them over...

22 Now, the slaves were sold to the states here by the Boers, which were Afrikaans. And they brought them over here from Africa and sold them. And they were away from father, mother, babies, husband, wife, never would see them no more as long as time rolled on. And they were sad. And they would have to be whipped many times to make, work. They'd carry whips and stripe them with it to make them work, because they were sad and downtrodden.
And they noticed, this certain buyer, that there was one slave among them, that they didn't have to whip him, a young fellow, right up and at it, chin up, chest out, just ready to act at any time. And the buyer said to the owner, "I would like to buy that slave."
"Oh," he said, "but he's not for sale."
He said, "What makes him so much different from the rest of them? Do you ever have to whip him?"
He said, "Never."
He said, "What makes him so much different? Is he the boss over all the rest of them?"
He said, "No, he's just a slave."
He said, "Maybe you feed him a little better than you feed the rest?"
Said, "No. He eats out in the galley with all the rest of them."
He said, "Well, what makes him so much different from the rest of them?"
And the owner said, "Sir, I questioned that myself for a long time, until I found the truth. And this is the truth." He said, "I found out that over in the homeland he is the son of the king of the tribe. And though he's an alien, and amongst strangers, yet he conducts himself as a king's son."

23 Oh, if it would make a Negro, who knowed that his father was a king and he was an alien, hold hisself up to conduct hisself as a king's son, what ought it do to the children of God, the sons and daughters of God? We should conduct ourselves as real children of the king. We should be fearless when it comes to making the decision on God's Word.
If God says so, stand by it. God said it. It can't fail. If God promised us eternal life, we have eternal life. He can no more lie than He can cease to be God.

24 And the one thing that I've found about ministering in the churches, I find two types of people: that's the fundamentalists and the Pentecostals. And I find fundamentalists, position, know where they stand, but they haven't got any faith. And Pentecost has got plenty of faith, but don't know how they stand.
It's just like a man's got money in the bank and can't write a check. The other one can write a check and hasn't got no money in the bank. If you could ever get them together!
If the Pentecostal people would ever recognize who they are... They are sons and daughters of God. All prejudice, and denominationalisms, and difference would be broke down, and they'd be hugging one another, and shaking hands, and the glory of God falling universally, if they would only characterize themselves and realize that they are sons and daughters of God.

25 No matter if we are in an alienated world. If we are amongst aliens, we are pilgrims and strangers, but we're seeking a city to come, whose Builder and Maker is God. What do we care about this world then, and about all of its fantastics and all of its glory. Every bit of it will perish someday. This nation's on the verge of going into ashes at any minute, right now, and it could happen before morning.
I've stood where the Pharaohs stood and have to dig twenty feet to find their throne, and where the emperors of Rome has stood, and you'd dig way beneath the ground to find where their kingdoms was. But brother, we receive a kingdom inside of us, as sons and daughters of God, that all through eternal ages it'll remain.

26 We've got nothing to be sad about. We've got all to be happy about. No wonder the people get noisy. It's enough to make them noisy. I kind of like a little noise; it's a sign of life. You know anything... I can prove that scientifically if it hasn't got a little noise about it, it's dead. So if your religion don't get a little noisy, you'd better bury it, and get one that's got something.
When Aaron, the high priest, was anointed to go into the holiest of holies, he had a bell and a pomegranate---bell and a pomegranate---on the ends of his garments, and that was for a purpose, that when he went into this holy place, if there wasn't any noise, he'd been slain. But as long as there was noise, there was still life.
So as long as you can still see people that's got enough God in their heart to say, "Amen," in the presence of their boss, or their neighbor, whoever it might be, it shows that God still lives. Life: What is better than life?

27 Now, when I've thought of these things as this lovely Psalmist was speaking of it, David... I always liked to read after him, because we had a few things in common, that is, that we love the Lord together and we also like outdoors. David, with the shady pastures ... or, the green pastures and the still waters, get alone with God...
I was talking to a man, a minister, today, about Colorado. How oft have I went for a little trip (Wished I could after this.), just up in the mountains to be alone, watch God for a little while.

28 One day, I remember... I know I'm a little off my subject, but we're not formal. So I was up there elk hunting. And it was late, and the snow hadn't come yet, and I had to go high into the mountains. And the rancher where I used to ranch, well, he took another route. I was to meet him in two or three days later.
And I tied up my pack horse and went way up in the mountain. And there was no snow yet to drive the elk down, so I was walking along. In the fall of the year, late, there come a rain, and then a snow, and then the sun will shine and so forth. And it come a great gusher come down, as we call it up there northerner, twister. And I got in behind a tree and was standing there.

29 And I was thinking as the storm blowing by, "Oh, God, Elisha pulled back in a cave one day, and the storms come by, but he didn't hear You in the storm." So I was thinking on this. The storm ceased, and the sun came out shining in the west, its great majestic eye looking through the crevasses of the rock.
And I noticed as the rain had fell and froze the evergreen, there come a rainbow. And the rainbow made a circle across. And I was standing looking at it; I said, "O God, how great You are. There You are in that rainbow. You promised that with a promise," and I said, "to Noah, that You would destroy the world no more with water."

30 And then John saw Jesus sitting in Revelations 1, with a rainbow over Him, and He was to look upon as jasper and sardis stone, which was Benjamin and Reuben. And as I thought of those things, I got to feeling the Spirit of God moving on me. You know how you get to feeling...
My mother's a half Indian, and my conversion never took that out of me. And I heard the old gray wolf howl up in the mountain and the mate answering down in the valley.
David said, "When the deep calleth to the deep..." It really begin to call then. Then I heard the old elk bugle that got lost in the herd. I got so happy; I got so religious, till you might think I was crazy, but I set my gun down against the tree and around and around and around the tree I went, just as hard as I could go, screaming to the top on my voice. Oh, alone with God!
I guess if someone would've come into the woods and seen me, they'd thought they had someone out of the insane institution out there, but I didn't care. I was worshipping God, and it didn't make any difference what anybody said. I was just enjoying myself.

31 And, "Oh," I said, "God, there You are in the sunset. There You are in the rainbow. There You are in the call of the wolf. There You are in the bugle of the elk. Oh, You're everywhere." That's true.
And just then, a little old pine squirrel (kind of the blue coat policeman of the woods, just all fuss, and that's about all there is to him) jumped up on a little old stump there by the blow-down. And he act like he was going to tear me to pieces. And I said, "Now, look, little fellow; there's no need of you getting so rough. You can't whip nobody, and nobody's afraid of you. So why are you carrying on? First place, I wouldn't hurt you." And oh, he was just a cutting up. And I thought, "Well, what'd you stopped me from worshipping the Lord for? Did I excite you? I'm a-worshipping the same God that made you."

32 And as I thought there, a little bit, I noticed him cocking his little head over and looking down where the old blow-down was. And he wasn't watching me; it was something down beneath there he was watching.
And the winds had blowed a big eagle (We had brown eagle in Colorado.) forced him down under this blow-down. And he was all excited about that eagle. And the big fellow jumped up on the limb, graceful looking. And I thought, "Lord God, here You are; You're in nature everywhere, as David saw You; You still remain in nature. You remain in people. You're just the same God. So why would You stop me from worshipping You?"

33 You see, God does everything for the good. You say, "What about that sick child?" For the good: God give a testimony, glory, maybe salvation of soul, for healing it. Everything works together for good. And then as they begin to worship Him...
And I thought, "Why was I stopped?" I noticed there's something about that eagle, that he wasn't afraid. You know, God can't use cowards. If you're afraid, just stay away anyhow. If you don't want to take His Word for what He said, just stay out of the army; that's all. He just can't use you, see.

34 So I noticed that he wasn't afraid. And I said, "Big fellow, do you know I could shoot you?" And my rifle was sitting against the tree and those great big gray eyes looked at me, and he knew that he could be in that timberline before I ever got my hand on that gun. And there was something about him that he knew where he was at.
I like to see Christians like that, who's just not wishy-washy: that you're Methodist today, and a Baptist tomorrow, and something else the next day. Know where you're standing. Know who your Redeemer is, where your life come from.

35 And I noticed the reason he was doing that: he had a lot of confidence in his wings. He kept feeling those feathers to see if they was all in running order.
I thought, "That's it. That's what You want me to know, Lord. That You gave that eagle two wings, and he knows what he can do with those two wings. And he knows the distance I'd have to go for that gun. And the jump that he'd have to make; he could be out of my sight nearly, before I got the gun.
And I thought, "If a eagle knowed where he stood with two wings, what ought the church to do with the Holy Ghost to know when time comes. Two wings. But the thing, as long as you can feel that He's around you, that's the main thing.

36 He listened... I wasn't bothering him; I was admiring him. But that little pine squirrel was acting like he was going to cut him to pieces. He got enough of it, so he just made a great big jump and about two flops.
Then I seen what God changed my opinion about. I seen the big fellow. He never just kept flopping. He just knowed how to set his wings. And every time the wind come, he just rode up on it, kept on going, higher, higher, higher, till he become just a little spot. And I wept like a baby. I said, "That's it, Lord. It's not join Methodist, Baptist, Presbyterian; it's not flock to this healing service and to that one. It's just knowing how to set your wings in the power of God, and when the Holy Ghost comes in, ride up above it, ride above it.

37 He got sick and tired of hearing that chatter, chatter, chatter, chatter. And so does a man of God, that knows how to set his wings in the faith of God. And right away, when the Holy Ghost comes in like a wave... Get away from this chatter chatter, here, "Days of miracles is past; there's no such a thing as divine healing; there's no such a thing as heartfelt religion." Just set your wings in the faith and power of God and ride away from it, get away. Certainly. Receive life, God's life.

38 And David, noticing these things... And he said, "In a dry and a thirsty land, my soul thirsts after Thee, O God. I long to see Thy power as I have seen it in Thy sanctuary, because Thy loving-kindness is better than life."
When I thought, "Better than life? What could be better than life?" So life has two meanings. One of it people call life today, is not life, but it's death. Many people think that sin, drinking, gambling, reveling, they call that life.

39 You go down here to one of the honky-tonks, tonight, and you can see them dancing and the young ladies and the young men of this beautiful city, you can hear them screaming, and dancing, and drinking, and they say, "Oh, we are living." You're mistaken. You're dying.
That kind of a life couldn't be what David was talking of, because that life gets so miserable till men take a pistol and put it to their head and blow their brains out with that kind of life. Men climb to the highest story in the hotel rooms, up there with living with women, and drinking and hold their hands, and jump to their death, with what that kind of life leads to.
So David could not have been meaning that kind of life. So it's got perverted, you see. It's a perverted life. Then if that kind of a life isn't right, then what is the right kind of a life? Thy loving-kindness is better to me than life. Now, and, "My soul thirsts after Thee, oh God. I long to see Thee." Now, what makes a man want to do anything like that?

40 Some time ago, in a great city... And it's been about a year ago; it was last summer in a great Canadian city. When I seen the Americans come in, I was ashamed of them: drunk and carrying on. There was some kind of a lodge meeting there. And that night when I come from the arena, and went into the great hotel, and I started up, and the bottles of whiskey, empty bottles was all over the elevator. And I said to the boy, I said, "They must be... Somebody must have been awful thirsty."
And he said, "Oh, it's a drunken mess, preacher." And he let me off at my floor. And when I did, I stepped outside the elevator, and I looked, coming down the hall, and here come two American women, young, beautiful looking women, about twenty-five, thirty years old, both of them with wedding bands on, and nothing on but just their underneath garments, bottle of whiskey in their hand, walking down the floor, men dragging them from room to room, and maybe their husband at home, baby-sitting. But what is it? They're out for a little innocent fun. That's the wages of sin is death.

41 And there was men, just six to one and half dozen of the other... There was men dragging at these women, with probably their wife home baby-sitting, not knowing where they were at. It goes to show, either male or female, God hates sin. He loves the sinner but He hates sin.
There, and that condition ... maybe going to Sunday School and belonging to some church somewhere. Oh, I've went into the rooms and found out there were Sunday school teachers acting like that.
No wonder we can't have revival. We might have ten thousand Billy Grahams and never have a revival as long as the church isn't cleaned up and living like Christians ought to live. Because they've been taken in by letter, and by handshake, and by some little ism. You've got to be born with eternal life in you before you can come to be a Christian. Oh, it's so terrible to think of it.

42 And as I watched those beautiful young mothers (I suppose they were), and one man grabbed her, and she fell on the floor, and the little garment she had on was up over her back. And he was trying to strip that off of her, and I just stepped back in the little dark place. I thought, "Oh, God, how can You look at such? Surely it won't be long."
And as soon as she got up on her feet, and the man was too drunk when he'd fell to get back up. So she got her friend around the neck and down the room they come. And she pulled up that little gown of a thing she had on, and threw her leg up in the air, hollered, "Whoopee! This is life!"

43 It was too much for me, that bottle of whiskey in her hand, the slobbers running out of her mouth. I stepped out with my Bible in my hand. I said, "Just a minute. I want to talk to you."
And she said, "Hello there, honey..."
I said, "Just a minute. I'm a Gospel preacher." And I caught them both by the hand. I said, "Aren't you ashamed of yourselves? I want to correct you on a word. You throwed your foot up in the air, just now, and drank that whiskey, and said, 'This is life.'" I said, "It's death. The Bible said, 'She that liveth in pleasure is dead while she is alive.'" And they jerked loose and down the hall they went, hard as they could go. No time to spend.

44 But brother, that kind of a life ends up in suicide. It ends up in divorce courts. But what makes a person want to do it? Now, here's where my text lays, and here's where I want to get to you. The reason that you do that, and people does that, and thirst for life, is because God made them to thirst for life. But He made a man up in his mechanism to thirst for God's life. And the devil perverts it over and tries to satisfy that blessed thirst with sin.
That's what makes women smoke cigarettes. That's what makes men smoke cigarettes. That's what makes you get out and strip yourself on the streets and wear shorts. That's what makes these people do the way they do. That's what makes the men and women live dishonorable to one another. That's the reason you stay home on Wednesday night to watch "We Love Suzy" or something like that, instead of staying to prayer meeting, is because the devil has give you a lemon. He's perverted that godly thirst in you and trying to satisfy you with his own slop out of hell. Right. God made you to thirst.

45 What makes men gamble? What makes men carry on? What makes these little girls and boys out here in these old boogie-woogie, rock-and-roll, ungodly things, is because the Sunday school has let down, and the home has let down, and the parents has let down, and the nation's let down.
Men sings the songs that inspires him. The reason they sing Elvis Presley's "All Shook Up" is because they didn't teach them the "Rock of Ages, Cleft For Me". That's the reason.
The reason that people don't believe in shouting tonight, but'll scream at a ball game, is because they've been taught such things and kept away from the glorious presence of the Lord Jesus that gives them that satisfying portion.

46 Oh, how people do. It's because that the devil has taken that blessed holy thing that God has give you, and dare you to try to satisfy that holy thirst in you, that God gave you to thirst after Him, and satisfy it with the things of the world. You'll never be able to do it. It cannot be done. And if you think you're living, because you're living a little better than somebody else, a little higher in the world, you've never started living, till you let that thirst be satisfied by that "Fountain filled with blood, drawn from Emmanuel's veins, where sinners plunged beneath the flood, lose all their guilty stains."
There's no satisfaction until that thirst is quenched by God's presence. But the devil tells you, "You want to be modern."
"Oh, if I can just be like Suzy," or ever who that woman is that they all stay home on Wednesday night to see---"We Love Suzy" or something like that. "Lucy," that's right. Yeah. You're getting pretty "loosey," all right. I'll admit that.

47 And when our nation gets to a place... The other day I stood, and I was shocked, when my hotel room, just across from the YMCA... And they were teaching the young children in the YMCA rock-and-roll. Not only that, but they teach it in the churches. How can you expect anything else, but a teen-age rioting hoodlums like we're having today.
Because the parents... What is the modern parent, the modern church member? I don't want to hurt you, but I'd rather scare you a little bit now than you to be lost in hell someday, and me responsible for it.
Where do you find mama? At some card party. What about dad? Down at the pool room. What about Junior? Out running his hot rod, up-and-down the road, racing. That's Sunday. Where's sister? At a rock-and-roll party. And you talk to them about God, they say, "I belong to certain, certain church. I'm as good as you are." They know no more about God than a Hottentot would know about an Egyptian knight. That's right. Only thing they know is some catechism or church creed, their name on some book, and never been born again of the Spirit of God. What we need is an old-fashioned God-sent Pentecostal revival. Not only do they need it in the Methodist and Baptist church, we need it in the Pentecostal church. Exactly right.

48 Getting something wrong. Things has begin to move up because the world, the church that once didn't care, their whole life was sacrificed to God, they went on. It's true.
And then here's another way the devil tries to satisfy that thirst. He tries to make you think you're all right, just because you join church. Brother, that's the trick of the devil. Jesus said, "Except a man be born again, he can in no wise enter into the kingdom." He lets you put your name on a book. He will let you be baptized this way, that way, up-side-down, up... What do you do? Just as the old saying, "Go down a dry sinner and come up a wet one." That won't do you any good. No matter how you're sprinkled, poured, baptized, immersed, or whatever more. It won't do no good. The church don't need that tonight. It don't need to argue over whether we should be sprinkled, or whether we should be poured, or baptized three times face forward, or three times backwards, or how... That's just fussing. What if we were sons and daughters of God, we'd conduct ourself thus. That's true. What we need is an old fashion revival.

49 One time me and my little brother that's gone on... We were out walking around in the woods, and we found an old terrapin. I don't know whether you Texans know what a terrapin is or not---kind of walks funny. And we thought that was the funniest looking thing that we ever seen. So when we got up to him... He puts me just in the mind of a lot of people that goes to a gospel meeting: As soon as something's said they don't like, get up and go out, just while the preaching's going on. Just like that old turtle pulled himself back in his own shell. Well, I said, "You know ... wonder how we could make him run again?" So I said, "Way mama makes me run is by a switch." So I went and got a switch, and I just poured it on him. It didn't do no good. You can't do it that way. Certainly, you can't.
So I thought around a little while, and I said, "Well, there's a little creek running right down there. He will walk or I will drown him." And I took him down there and stuck him down in the water. Just a few bubbles come up and that was all there was to it.

50 You mayn't make any difference, you can baptize them this way or that way. Don't do no good. You can't get them to run for the Lord like that. But you know what I did? I built up a little fire and sat the old boy on that; he really went going then. What we need tonight is not a arguing on little creeds, but what we need tonight is the Holy Ghost and fire back into the church with the old-fashioned powers of God to burn sin and selfishness, disrespect for each other, burn it out of us with the love of God. Right.

51 "My soul thirsts for Thee in a dry and a thirsty land; I long to see Thy power like I have seen it." If that ain't a picture of the Pentecostal church. "I long to see it, like I once saw it in Thy sanctuary, long ago, when the old saints used to walk up-and-down the aisle and shout and... Oh, I remember that in my old Baptist church.
Now, I come out of a bunch of Baptists. Dr. Davis may be right here tonight; he lives here in Fort Wayne ... or, Fort Worth ---who baptized me into the Baptist church. And we used to see them walk up-and-down the aisles and women shout ... had those great big old long hair pins, and they would fly all over the building. You can't find enough hair on half the women in the building to put a hair pin in. There's something wrong. But they used to do it in the Baptist church. And we profess a little higher than that. They've cut it all off.

52 You know the Bible said their hair is their glory. No wonder the glory's all gone. But I'm not saying that jokingly. This is the pulpit. This is the place where judgment must come. I'm preaching the Bible. I'm telling you what God says in His Word. And because the world has seeped in and took pride and put in the people's heart, both men and women, that's the reason that we're longing to see those days again. "My soul thirsts after Thee." Oh, my!
David also said, "As the hart thirsts for the water brook, so my soul thirsts after Thee, oh, God." I think of that Psalm, how David, being a hunter in the woods. He hunted the lions, and the bears, and so forth with his slingshot. How he watched nature... And he knowed about deer hunting, perhaps was raised on it. And how the deer, what a cunning animal he is. And how that a deer... They have a wolf, or a wild dog. In Africa it's a wild dog. In America it's called a wolf.

53 You see a little deer that's feeding, and the wolf will slip up real easy. And if he can catch that deer off of guard, just like the devil catches the church off of guard... The thing the church has been wanting is a great big fine building and a minister right out of the cemetery ... or the seminary, that can say... (Excuse me, I didn't mean to say that.), that stands up, you know, and can say, "Ahhh-men," so beautiful. Brother, and dressing...
What's the matter with the world today? We got too many little kinky-haired, Hollywood evangelists, instead of the old-fashioned God-sent, hell-fire and brimstone preaching. That's right. Running up-and-down the floor, and women on the platform with big earrings sticking in their ears and everything, dresses that's poured into them, and no wonder the sinner... Look, we need the old-fashioned kind. I believe in the old-fashioned, back-woods, sky-blue, sin-killing religion. That's right, brother. It won't whitewash you, but it will wash you white. That's right. It makes you from the inside out, throughly clean. And Jesus Christ is the author of that salvation: fountain open for all.

54 And as you see those little deer, as that sneaking hound dog coming up on them... Lot of times down in the south here in Louisiana, they run the deer with the dog. I always thought it was cruel. The dog's going hunting, let him go. You go to hunt yourself, then leave the dog at home. So when the... Watch him when he's running these little deer.
And David saw such. And then when the dog slips up real easy, and he sees the little deer, he's got a trick of cutting their throat. The wolf, he has two blood fangs, sticks out like that. And he watches the deer, and when he's right at it, he will run real quick, dash quickly, so fast the deer don't even see him, and he grabs the deer and he sinks those fangs just like a serpent, right in the back of its ear in a jugular vein, runs right along behind its ear. Then the wolf swings his weight, like them two knives sticking in there and cuts the little deer's throat and down he goes, because he was not on his guard.

55 That's what's been the matter with the church: not on the guard. Something's wrong. Old Brother Caddie used to sing a song: "We let down the bars. We compromised with sin. We let down the bars. The sheep got out, but how did the goats get in?" Let down the bars, that was all, begin to compromise.
The congregation, voting for their pastor, would take some little slicker, instead of some man that was really an old-fashioned, hell-fire and brimstone preacher, that'd handled the gospel with his bare hands instead of Hollywood gloves on.
The world's full of Hollywood evangelism. We don't need that in Pentecost. Let that go on out where it belongs. We want the old-fashioned kind, the kind that tells the truth, lays the ax to the root of the tree and let the chips fall where they want to. That's right. Back to the Gospel, brother. I'd rather be in a crowd that'd go to meet Jesus, with five of those, than a hundred thousand otherwise. What difference...? The honesty and purity of the soul and the heart in the presence of God...

56 Now, if that little deer is real quick, and it stands there, like many a little girl tonight, that some little snicklefritz come down the road... And she will go out, don't know any better, and put lot of lip stuff on her face, and paint herself all up, and make her eyebrows like that. If God wanted you like that, He'd've made you that way in the first place, you see.
And you know, in Pentecost you're teaching somewhere around in here, I got it several times, liberation of women. What in the... What's the matter with you people? Liberation? Christ gives liberation from the world. That's the only liberation we have. I think you men that's teaching that need some liberation from the bonds of prison. No liberation... When you're in Christ... If you love the world or the things that pertain to the world, the love of God's not even in you. That's what the Bible says.

57 That's a big thing for a Calvinist to say, but I'm a Calvinist as long as Calvin stays in the Bible. When he gets out of the Bible, I'm an Arminian then. I believe in the real truth of God's Word. They both had something, but they went out on limbs and died out there. But the Bible still lives in the trunk of the tree. Exactly right. That's in the Holy Spirit. If you love God, you don't even desire to do those things. That's right. If you desire to do them, then the love of God's not in you anymore. That's what the Scripture says.
But now, brother, if you notice how the churches got in this conglomeration of gaiety, what's happened? Used to be, you wouldn't let your children go to the picture shows. The devil beat you on that. He set the television in the house. That's right. He did that. Now, I'm not saying good things don't come through the television, but you just watch what you turn on and turn off. You got Oral Roberts or somebody on there, or some good thing like that, look at it. If it isn't, keep it off. That's right. And if your kids won't do that, keep the thing out of your house. That's exactly right. You'd be better off. That's right.
And your ... everything, it just looks like that the whole thing's ... the whole thing's sick from the head to the feet, just a sinful, conglomeration of filth, it looks like. No wonder the Bible said, "All tables is full of vomit." That's right.

58 "Who will I teach doctrine? Who can... Them that's been weaned from the breast." Just go along, and say, "Well, bless God, I got the Holy Ghost. I did this, that, or the other." If you don't live it, brother, there's something wrong. It's true.
Thirsting for God... Oh, how it could be... Even one prophet said, "He even blushed when he come in the presence of God." What does the Holy Ghost think tonight, which is our Tutor that comes up before the Father to bring the conditions of the church, how that we, of the church people tonight, are permitting such things to go on in our pulpits. How we're letting down the bars, us people, us people who claim to know God and letting those things get by. God be merciful to us. He will make us answer at the day of judgment for those things. It's true.

59 Now, let's notice just a minute. That little deer, if he's real quick, if he sees the... If the wolf makes a move some sort, and he sees the wolf coming, he could jump. And sometimes he can maneuver himself. Now, the second best place for the wolf that can't cut the throat... If he cuts the throat the deer only makes a couple of jumps and it's dead, it's gone. In just a few minutes it's all picked over by dogs, just pick the bones bleached.
And listen, sister dear, that first little rock-and-roll party that you slipped out and didn't tell mom about (See), and you taken the... Your mama taught you not to wear that stuff and do the things that you're doing, but you thought it was cute. Look, sis, dear, and you, buddy... You that smokes that little cigarette, think it's because the boys called you a sissy. I'd be called anything as long as I'm serving Christ. What difference does it make? That's right. And what?

60 You go out there... And why do you do those things? If your mother lets you wear those shorts and things out on the street, a little young thing like you are, she ought to be ashamed of herself. That's exactly right; she ought to be. But what do you do it for, honey? I want to ask you. I got two girls sitting right here, too. I want to ask you something. Why do you do it? You don't do it to appear before God. You don't put manicure on your face... (I make a mistake on that, it's not that, ever what it is you put on, is paint...) Whatever you... You don't put that on your face to meet your husband. If you got a husband wants to see you like that, you get in to safety. That's right. You do that to appear before men. You don't realize it. You put on those little old dresses, as I told you the other night, sexy looking, and these boys whistle at you, call it the wolf whistle. [Brother Branham demonstrates.] It is, a hound of hell (Exactly right, exactly right.), and he's after you. And he will get you if you don't watch. Get away from him quickly. And if he can dodge quick enough, you'll move it.

61 If the dog can't get the deer by the throat, he catches him next, right in the flank. There's a place, right in the flank, 'cause it's the middle balance of the deer. The hindquarters are heavier than the front. We know that. And with the neck, and so forth, balances it up.
And then, if the wolf could grab and miss the neck, and if he can grab again, quickly, and catch the deer by the flank, he goes to swinging it, right and left like that, until the middle of the deer, he's got it swinging. The poor little thing can't get on it's feet no more. And it throws it on the ground. Just in a few minutes, she's picked over.
That's the way the devil does it, sis. It's the way he does it, buddy. That's right. And the first thing you know, you have the date with that first little boy, started out that first rock-and-roll. Whoever heard...? And you all trying to say...

62 And these people telling you that Elvis Presley (nothing against the man, only he's a sinner, but I want to say something.), saying, "He's religious, because he sings songs on the..." Brother, that... Here's my conception. There's one difference between Judas Iscariot and Elvis Presley. He was a Pentecostal boy. Judas Iscariot got thirty pieces of silver; Elvis Presley got a fleet of Cadillacs and a million dollars. They both sold out. That's exactly right. The biggest deceiver I know of... Pat Boone and all the rest of them. Exactly right. Arthur Godfrey and Pea Picker Ernie, anybody, if you listen to such stuff as that, it shows that the devil's satisfying you with the slop of Hollywood. All that loyalty that you're spending on rascals like that, you ought to be giving that praise to Almighty God, for He's a jealous God.
Them guys can stand, and sing songs, and make tears come in their eyes like crocodiles.

63 Listen, I happen to raise sheep. It takes a real sheep man to know the difference between the bleat of a wolf ... or, a bleat of a lamb and a goat. They both bleat alike. That has nothing to do with it. If your life don't tally up to God's Bible, you're still in darkness. Right.
And the most deceitful thing there is in the world is a religious thing, putting on religion.
We got a guy there in Louisville committed suicide the other day. He'd go down there, and old rock-and-rolls all night long, and out to big shindigs, and come on Sunday morning, and preach the gospel on the radio. It's a disgrace. No wonder sinners don't know what to do. No wonder they don't know what to think. Yes. And they say, "Why, they get results." God will honor His Word, if it was preached by a prostitute. He'd honor His Word, but God help that sinful soul that impersonates and tries to do something like that. Oh, brother. You people, if you've missed the wolf, God bless your soul.

64 And if he can't, he will throw it down. And just in a few minutes it's picked down. Your morals will be ruined, sis and brother; you'll never live it down as long as you live on this earth. No matter how much you forgive...
Here not long ago, a beautiful young woman at the altar, she was weeping and weeping. And we couldn't get her to accept Christ. And I went back in a little room and asked her, I said, "What's the matter, sis?"
I seen she was to be mother. And she told me; she said, "Brother Branham, I was raised in a Christian home. My father and mother are Nazarenes. And we've been raised a strict life, holiness." And she said, "I went out with a little boy, one time, that had a flask in his pocket. He was very popular. He could dance and... I didn't want to do such as that. I was raised different." And she said, "Now, Brother Branham," said, "then the first thing you know, I got a drink of Coke one night, and it was spiked with some kind of a knock-out pill," and said, "I woke up in a motel room, the next morning. My morals was ruined. And here I am to be a mother."
I said, "God will forgive you, girl."
She said, "Yes, Brother Branham; that's right. He will forgive me, but this mark I will carry till the longest day I live." That's right. It'll haunt you. You'll never look your husband in the face and be right again. And you'll never look your wife in the face and be right again. God will forgive you, but that scar is there.

65 Listen, when that animal is grabbed, that little deer, and the wolf would shake it... Now, if the deer's real smart, if you've ever watched him, the deer could twist real quick and jump, way sideways, and if the wolf hasn't got too deep a hold, it'll jerk a big handful out ... or, big mouthful, rather, out of the little deer's flank.
Then what must the little deer do, while the wolf's a tumbling and rolling with this mouthful of flesh? The blood begins to spurt. And when it does, the deer's got to run for what's in it, everything.
And oh, God, if there ever was a time that women and men ought to run tonight, run for your life. Run for your life, dear friend. Run for your life.

66 And notice, here's where David got it. Now, my hunter brother in here, whoever you are, you know this: that little deer bleeding like that has got to get to water. I've wounded them myself, shot them, and shot them high or low, one, and watch them... If he ever gets to water, you'll never get him. He will just keep crossing back and forth. He will never leave that water. He will just keep going back and forth, and you couldn't get him if you had to, as long as he could stop and get a good drink, take off across the hill, and come right back and double itself back. You can track him all day long; as long as he can find water, he will stay alive. But keep him away from water, he will die.

67 And oh, brother, David said, "As the hart thirsts for the water brook, my soul thirsts after Thee, oh, God." I must find Him or I will perish. I've been wounded, and I must find the waters of life or I will perish. "God, I've joined churches. I've jerked from this and from that, from this snare to the other." But if you don't find the waters of life, you'll perish. But once get into that water, He's there. He will stay, where there is a fountain of life, flowing freely tonight in the house of David, in the city of God. Oh, people, rush, hunger, thirst. "Blessed are they that do hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be filled."
See, they got to. If you're wounded tonight, if the devil has took a chunk out of you, and you're thirsting, "What can I do, Brother Branham?" If Jesus would come tonight...

68 Listen, there's not a thing to keep us from being ashes in the morning. That's right. Just an extra drink of Vodka, everything's trained. And one of those bombs, where will it blow? A hundred and seventy-five feet deep, hundred and fifty miles square. What kind of a shelter you going to get into? "There's none." I beg your pardon. There's one. It's made out of feathers; under His wings we will abide. Before that happens, the church will be going home.

69 If you've been wounded tonight, sis or brother, let's come to the fountain now, while we bow our heads just a moment. Don't try to substitute something for that thirst. Listen, child of mine, brother and sister of mine. I appreciate you being a Baptist, Methodist, or Pentecostal, or a Nazarene. That's fine. I appreciate that. But oh, child, listen to an old-fashioned preacher that believes God lives and reigns. You'll never be satisfied till you once drink the water of life. Then you'll never leave that fountain again. Come, taste.
While we're waiting, just a moment. "There is a fountain, filled with blood." Won't you just come to it, right where you're at, in your seat, now. I want you to be honest. I got to talk to you just in a minute about something, I feel on my heart. Just now, I'm going to ask you something. Do you really feel your need? Is your love still for the world, you really enjoy hearing the things of the world or doing the things of the world? If you do, will you just raise up your hand? Now, every eye be closed, please.

70 Will you just raise your hands to Christ, and say, "Christ, I'm thirsting for You. My heart longs for You like a wounded deer longs for the water brook. I want to be a character, here as an alien, I want to conduct myself like a real believer. God, let me know that You're my Father, and I want to know that You're with me tonight. I want to feel Your presence, just like the eagle did to his wings, that we talked of. I want to act like the Negro did, that was a stranger in a strange land, but knowed he was a king's son. I want to run from the enemy, Lord. I'm just tearing loose, tonight. I must find You, God. I'm thirsting; I got to have You or die." Do you really feel that way about it? If you do, will you just raise your hand to Him and say, "God, be merciful to me." Just put up your hand, wherever you are. Say, "Be merciful to me, oh, God. I want You."
Outside? God bless you. Raise your hand, say, "God, be merciful to me. I now want Jesus." You mean there's just one person here tonight in this, nearly a thousand people? Two? Thank you, and God grant the blessings. Three, back there. This nearly, I guess, six hundred, seven hundred people here, maybe, and you mean... God bless you, young fellow. That's right.

71 If you really mean it in the depths of your soul. If your soul is thirsty for God, raise up your hand, saying, "God, really..." "Oh, I'm Pentecostal, Brother Branham. I've received the Holy Ghost. I spoke in tongues. I danced in the Spirit. I sang in the Spirit." All those things are all right. Brother, I have nothing against that. That's all right. That's God. But wait a minute. If you haven't got that real keeping something...

72 A guy come to me, not long ago, and said he'd been to everywhere. He'd went to Billy Graham, and Billy said, "Raise up your hand, you receive Christ." Said, "Billy said, 'It's finished now.'" Said, "I went to the Free Methodist; they said, 'You're not happy enough to shout, you haven't received it.' So then I prayed, till I was happy enough to shout." Said, "I didn't receive it." Said, "I went to another evangelist (which I won't call his name, that you know here real well); he told me I didn't have it 'less I spoke in tongues." Said, "I stayed there, and they stayed with me faithfully until I spoke in tongues." And said, "Brother Branham, I still don't have it."

73 "I want to tell you something," I said, "Fellow (see), what did you tell me awhile ago, that you was once a great businessman. You told your wife that went down to the Pentecostal church and got saved." Said, "She got the Spirit on her. She lived a different life." And said, "She went up in Tennessee." He was from Minneapolis. Said, he went up in Tennessee---she did---to a meeting, to a camp meeting. And he had been selling a car, and come back, reached down in his pocket to get the keys to give to a lady, and he found a little ticket, said, "Where will you spend eternity?"

74 Said, "After all, I'm past forty years old. That'll have to be settled." He told his wife he never cared for God. Said he was only in church once in his life. He threw it in the trash can. He couldn't get away from it. He picked it up again. He threw it again, and he picked it up again. He sold his cars and give it to preachers, trying to find grace with God.
I said, "Sir, you didn't have to sell your cars to give to ministers. You didn't have to do that." I said, "You've already received Christ."
He said, "Brother Branham, did I receive Him when I spoke with tongues, or when I shouted, or when I raised up my hands?"
I said, "Neither one. You received Him when He knocked at your door. What changed you? What made the difference? You were going down a road one way, not caring for God." I said, "Shouting is all right. Raising up your hands is all right. Speaking in tongues is all right. They're all, all right, but it's not all the truth. To receive Christ is to receive the Person of Christ, to receive Christ. Then the shouting and speaking in tongues takes place, after that.

75 Receive Christ. You could shout and speak in tongues and not have Him. So if you haven't got that feeling that makes you feel for your brother, the one that belongs to the Church of God, and you belong to the Assembly of God, or vice versa, or to the Oneness, Twoness, Threeness, whatever it might be, to all the rest of them... If the denominational barriers isn't broke in your heart, there's something wrong. If you can't give room for your brother, love him regardless of how he has done or what you think he is, if you love him, you'll go to him in a loving, kind spirit. Just love him anyhow. Stay right with him. Just be real salty, and then he'll be thirsty to be like you.
That's what I'm talking about, Pentecostal church. That's what we need. That's the reason we can't have healing services like we ought to. We've got to have a foundation to lay this on. God can't do it until the church gets back to the place where it should be. We can't do it, friends. We got to get life working again. Until you get life, you can't do nothing.

76 The blacksmith can't beat his material until it gets real red hot. Then he puts it under the trip hammer. That's where the church needs tonight, is a calling back to God. A sinner can start to the altar... And I've been in a many of our Pentecostal meetings, and saints will sit and watch him, saying, "Well, that's very good." Mercy, goodness.
Why, I remember in the old Kentucky Baptist church, an old sinner boy'd come from the outside or somewhere, he'd never get to the altar; fifteen or twenty old mammies'd be right on him like that: "Oh God, how thankful we are; we've been praying for years for this boy." Sure. They got him down there in the altar and beat him in the back till he come through. That's right. We need that again tonight.

77 It's what we need tonight: an interest. You know, the Holy Ghost only marked those who sighed and cried for the abominations did in the city. That's what the Bible said.
What if He come to Dallas, tonight? Can you go lay your hand on any Pentecostal, Baptist, Presbyterian, Lutheran, that cries, and prays, and fasts, day and night for the sins that's did in Dallas? Think in your mind now: Is that your house? Or is it your neighbors house? Where is that fellow? Leave it with you. Think of it now.
Will you raise your hand, saying, "God, give in me, such a hunger for souls that I can't rest; I'll have to do something about it. God, let me thirst for You."
"Maybe the devil has bit me and poisoned me, and I don't know it, but my soul isn't comparing with that." God bless you, lady. God bless you. That's good. God bless you, here, lady. That's right. Put up your hands. Don't be ashamed, certainly not. If you're ashamed of Him... God bless you, young man. If you're ashamed... God bless you over there, lady. God bless you back there, sir. That's good.
"If you're ashamed of Me..." What? Who is He? The Holy Spirit, moving right here in the building. It's Him. All right. Are you finished? I want to pray. God bless you, young fellow. Pray that God will bless your little soul, honey, make a great man out of you. God bless you over there, sister dear, just at the turning point of life, may God save you.

78 With your heads bowed I want to say this. I had the privilege of going into India a few ... about two years ago. There was a piece in the paper said, "The earthquakes must be over." India don't have fences and things like you do here in Texas and around. Their fences are made out of rock. And the day before the earthquake come, all the little birds that lived in those fences and rocks run out into the woods, flew out. All the sheep and cattle that stayed around the walls in the shade, went out and stood in the sun. Why? God was speaking to them. Them walls are going to fall. And they stayed out there until the second day, and then they all come in again. And they knowed that was a sign that the earthquakes was over.
If God can speak to an animal, to a little bird to fly to safety, and to an animal to get out into the middle of the field and get away from the walls, how much can the Holy Ghost speak to you tonight, "Get away from this modern Babylon. Get away from all this confusion and so-called religion today. Fly right out into the middle of God's grace. Fly right out into the cross, and hold onto it and say, "Oh, Jesus save me."

79 If God can warn animals like He did in the days of Noah, and He's doing it yet today, He could certainly warn people that's got the Holy Spirit. And knowing that some hour, shortly, this America has to receive judgment... If God doesn't judge America, He will be duty bound to raise up Sodom and Gomorrah and apologize for burning them up. America is just as low down as Sodom ever was. And a just God cannot stand that. This is my nation, yes, but it's rotten to the core.
It isn't Communism that's whipping us. No, no, it's our own rottenness that's whipping us. It isn't a robin that pecks on the apple that hurts it; it's the worm at the core. Yes.
Fear that. Raise your hand now, say, "God be merciful to me. I now want to come." God bless you, sir. Once more, we're going around from right to left. Raise your hand. Say, "Remember me, Brother Branham, as you pray." God bless you, little fellow, here. God bless you. God bless you back there, you, yeah, there's a dozen or two hands back. God bless you. Round over here to the left. Now, way back there. Yeah, there the colored folks there back at the back, on behind there. God bless you, way on back there. God be with you. My Mexican friends, God bless you. All right, let us pray.

80 Now, just in a humble and sweet way, I want you to just keep bowed. And in your heart say, "Now, Lord, here I am. I'm wounded, and I've got to come to the water. I must find You, Lord. My soul's thirsting."
Lord, take the gatherings; around, maybe a hundred hands, or maybe not that many, but quite a few hands was raised up. They're little tokens of this message tonight. And they've come and raised their hands, and I believe with the integrity of their heart. You know it, Lord, that they love You. And they're ashamed of the life and the things that they've neglected, and they want to come to You. God, let the Holy Spirit come right down to their soul just now. Speak sweetly and peacefully to them, say, "Child, though your sins be like scarlet, they shall be white like snow; red like crimson, white like wool. Grant it, Lord.

81 Now, You've said this, "He that comes to Me, I will in no wise cast out. And again, it's written, "No man can come, except My Father draws him." What does this mean? That God is here in this building, speaking to individuals, and they're raising their hands to accept Christ. Now, God, You'll give them to Christ, Your Son, and they're love gifts. "No man can pluck them from the hand." Grant it, Lord. If I never shake their hand in this world, may I be able to do it when we cross over. Someday when life is all over, the great wedding supper comes, and the great tables are set, and we look across the table, I hope to hear someone say, "Brother Branham, I was in Dallas that night," the tears running down our cheeks. The King will come out and wipe all tears from our eyes, say, "Don't cry any more, children. It's all over now. Enter into the joys of the Lord." God, we long for that day. Keep them, Lord, in Thy perfect grace, until we see them, in Christ's name, Amen.

82 I'm so sorry to keep you late; it's ten o'clock. I'm sorry to be this late. How many loves the Gospel? I never claimed to be a preacher. I'm just kind of a spare tire, and you use a spare tire when you got a flat. But we haven't got a flat. You see that. But we've got plenty of good tires, but I've come to just speak. It's the first time I've had this kind of a meeting for some time.
But I was struck today when one of my associates, Mr. Mercer, was telling me that people were sleeping in these bushes around here, waiting for prayer service. Is that true? How many come for healing service, let's see your hands? And come, wanted me to pray for you? Raise up your hands.

83 I want to tell you something. The reason I taken this meeting, as you seen it advertised, just preaching only, I just come from a thirty day meeting. I'm so weak and tired: those visions almost kill me.
There's great men, right on this platform tonight, that's broke down. Look at Tommy Hicks now, see. One breakdown right after another. Look at the men that go off the field. And I don't know of any of them seen visions. It's what kills you. That's the reason I did it. I did it like that, friend. That was my purpose of the next three meetings: just to preach. That's what I come to do.

84 But when I heard today... I was over in... My little Indian friends lives right in the same motel down here with me, when they was sitting here and sick, I knew it. I couldn't let them go back like that. They come all the way from way over in the country there. They just heard I was going to be here. And they said, "We thought you'd pray for the sick." Just enough money to stay two nights. I didn't have enough to give them at the time. I'm a poor man, and I don't...
You know yourself, I never took an offering in my life and don't intend to. God's grace, see. People give me a little something now and then, if it's... I don't come for that. God's knows I'm clear and clean of that. That's right. And if there's ever anything I had left over, I send it just as straight to the missions as I could. God knows the truth, see. I don't have much money. But when Mr. Mercer told me, he said, "There's people that's right sleeping in these bushes around here at night time in cars. Brother Branham, they want you to pray for them.

85 I didn't know that. If that's right and you desire me to, we start tomorrow night in healing services. We will start having healing services. I'd be glad to do it. Just perfectly all right. I'm willing to minister, do anything that I can to make life happier and better for you, see.
And I appreciate all my ministering brethren and so forth here; we will help. And if the Lord is willing, tomorrow night, how many would like to have a healing service like the old-fashioned healing services we used to have? Raise your hands. I don't care who you are, just... All right. That gives a witness to me in my heart that God wants me to do it then. All right.

86 And tomorrow afternoon I will send Billy over, give out some prayer cards, and tomorrow night after the message is over, we will pray for the sick. And if I get tired and fall out, I got plenty of backing up here that'll help me.
You love Him? God bless you. Now, this requires an absolutely, to myself. Visions... How many was ever in one of my meetings? Let's see your hands. How many's never been in one? Let's see your hand. Twice as many has never been. All right. May the Lord grant...
Now tomorrow, I'll tell you what you do: get on the phone, go to bringing your sick and afflicted in. You'll see the Glory of God. See if He isn't as much healer as He is Saviour. See if He is just as mighty in battle as He is when He's out of battle. He's the same Lord God. Do you love Him? Say, "Amen." I like to hear you say that. Now, God bless you.

87 Let us bow our heads just a moment. I'm going to ask, "How many wants to be remembered in prayer for other things maybe a closer walk and whatever more." Raise your hands, will you?
What time is your afternoon services tomorrow? One-thirty. Well, I will see if Billy's got some cards. If they haven't, we will get some or give you something or other. Well, you're already got some? Well, that's fine. All right. Just so we can keep the people lined up.
All that has a need of God now, of any way at all, raise your hands to Him and say, "God, I love You." as you do. "God I love You." With our head... I ask Brother Vineyard, here now if he will...

Thirsting for Life

You can find this sermon at ChurchAges.net

1 ...a few moments for prayer. Let us bow our heads. And while we have our heads bowed, I want each of you to pray especially for a sister that's been brought here from the hospital, near death. And ask God to be merciful at this time. Maybe we can find favor with Him now for her.
Lord, Thou art God. You were God before there was a world. And when there is no world, You will still remain God. And we come to Thee to confess all of our faults and our sins and our errors, asking that You forgive us, and to cleanse our heart and minds from any shadow of unbelief.

2 And let Thy Spirit come so near at this time, that You would heal this dear sick woman that we are praying so sincerely for. Only You alone, Lord, can do this. And let it be so, Lord. We love You, and we are... We say as the boy's father, "Help Thou our unbelief, Lord," that we might be strengthened in this hour for this prayer, that it might go to Thee, in so much that it would touch the hem of Thy garment. May, turning, You speak to her, and let her live for the kingdom of God's sake.
And we pray for others who are in Divine Presence, and those who are in the Presence in radio-land. Let Thy healing Spirit be upon them. And forgive us of our sins and all of our trespasses, and give us of Thy Word tonight that we might feast upon it. For we ask it in Jesus' name. Amen. You may be seated.

3 We are starting in a new week here at the Angelus Temple, and trusting that we have favor with Almighty God to continue on.
Billy was telling me that there has been many people in the building who has prayer cards. I, probably some nights, didn't take them up. And there was several of you having prayer cards, and some from other meetings that's still carrying prayer cards from former meetings.
I thought tomorrow night, if the Lord willing, you who know who is holding prayer cards, we will take up all the prayer cards tomorrow night in a prayer line, starting prayer service tomorrow night for the sick. And we appreciate if you'll tell the peoples who hasn't been in the prayer line yet, and have a prayer card, that they will be here tomorrow night for prayer service for the sick.

4 Usually, I don't run every night in the prayer line, because of the discernment, like, it has such an effect upon me of weakening. And I have several meetings. If it was just this one, it would be different. But I go from this to another, to another, and overseas, and...
And when I left home, I think there was around four hundred major cities in the United States calling now for meetings, just here in the United States, beside practically every nation under the heavens: Africa, India, Australia, New Zealand, Siam, the Islands, Europe, Asia, everywhere, just calling, begging, signing petitions, and the officials of the cities signing for meetings.

5 And my greatest ministry is overseas. But I don't want to go over there asking the peoples to pay my way and things. I go along here, and just as the people give to me, I save it, as much as I can, till I accumulate enough to go over, so I can pay my own way with the American money, to those poor people who doesn't have enough to eat. I know missionaries tonight that's preaching the Gospel in the jungles on two meals a week with no shoes on their feet. Now, how could you expect me to live in luxury and such as that going on. Why, they'll stand in the day of judgment and condemn us for the things that we have, and yet, we should divide.
I keep my meetings little, as you see. I don't have no broadcast, or no television programs, and nothing big. I keep it small, so I can work every penny of money I can over to the fields, and do all that I can. My expenses are pretty heavy.

6 At my office there, we take in thousands of letters, and got four phones in there going. I've seen the time that as many as sixty-four long distant calls an hour, twenty-four hours around. And so, you can see, sick and afflicted calling. And that's national and international. I just got through calling Germany, listening to Germany this afternoon. And from different parts of the world, they call. And my expenses runs me at home about a hundred and fifty dollars a day, just for my offices and things at home. And then, I have about ten different offices across the country where I have to have my mail translated and sent back into the fields again. You see, where Germany, and Switzerland, and Finnish, and all different languages, that we have to have somebody to translate it to send it back. So pray for me. And I come some rough miles, and I'm sure I got some rough ahead of me. So just keep praying, and looking up, believing.

7 Now, tomorrow night we're going to start a series of subject. I'm going to start tomorrow night on Genesis the twelfth chapter, and run Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday on building and teaching faith---just to follow our dear Brother duPlessis' morning service---building faith on the life of Abraham. And try to run three night's series of subjects on Abraham's faith.
Tomorrow afternoon at two-thirty, I'm at the Pisgah Home Church. I believe it's on 60th street, or somewhere. I'm mistaken probably on that. I don't know the city too well; they have to come get me. That's tomorrow afternoon at two-thirty. Then tomorrow night back here to begin this series of subject.

8 Now, tonight I thought maybe we would have a little short subject, and see what the Lord would have us do. I wish you to turn tonight to Psalms 63, if you would like to read behind me as I read.
I think the reading of the Word is grand, because no service is complete without first reading God's Word. Now, He never promised to bless my word, but He did promise to bless His own Word. So my word will fail. His Word will never fail. So therefore, I think each night, if we can read just a little verse or two out of His Word, it makes me feel that maybe that... If the Holy Spirit doesn't get a hold of what I'm trying to say, He's already said it anyhow in what I read. So it would be worthwhile.
O Lord, thou art my God; early will I seek thee: my soul thirsts for thee, my flesh longeth for thee in a dry and thirsty land, where no water is;
To see thy power and thy glory ... as I have seen thee in thy sanctuary.
Because thy loving-kindness is better to me than life, my ... shall praise thee.
When I first read this piece of Scripture, I begin to wonder what must David be talking about. It kind of... That's what got me to thinking, when the greatest thing, I believe, that anyone could have, would be life. I cannot think of anything any greater than life. That's why we preach and try so hard to express: you must be born again. This life must be changed.

9 I got a letter today, and perhaps the person is present, from a young colored lady, very, seemingly by her letter, very highly educated woman that came to the meeting. And she asked me not to express ... or to say this doctor's name, because... I understand. Certainly, it would cause other doctors to call this fellow and criticize, and so forth.
But the young woman has been examined, and there were two great big places in her side. And, she being a Presbyterian by faith, she just never thought too much about divine healing. But those two large growths, way larger than grapefruits, had turned to be malignant. And it was so advanced, the doctor said there was no way for an operation, that it couldn't be saved. Somehow, from the X-rays, or whatever they had done, it showed the advancement of the two places. And her sides were so sore, she couldn't even stand her clothes on them hardly.

10 And so, she came to the church, and she'd heard. You know, faith cometh by hearing. And she knew she was dying. So she came to the church, and said, "I read the Scripture." I will try to quote it just as close as I can. And maybe tomorrow night, if you'd think, I will bring the letter and not read the woman's name, but show you.
And she said that she... When I was reading the Scriptures, she said, "O Lord, let him turn to me and speak to me." And said, no more than she had said it, I laid the Bible down and looked at her. But then, I didn't speak. In a few moments, said, she called again, "O Lord, let him look at me, for if You don't heal me, I must die. My life is ended." And said that I turned again and looked. And then said that toward the end of the service, I said, "'You there with the tumor, stand up, for Jesus Christ has made you well.'" And she said she looked around to see if there was anyone else around her. And said I said, "'You, with a certain dress, [or something like that] on, stand up, for Jesus Christ has healed you. '"

11 And she goes to her doctor after that. Those two big places went down, and she went to the doctor. And the doctor said, "It must have been a perfect operation, for there was no sign of it, none whatever."
And there's no doubt that the woman is in the building tonight. I got the letter.
And 'course, I don't play upon things like that. I just say that to God's glory. I don't have magazines to publish such, and so forth. But I know one thing: the people are being healed. I've got great piles of letters that has come in, and phone calls of people that's left this place and this meeting, and been healed of serious diseases, that their lives has been spared by the grace of almighty God.

12 So life is a great thing. We all want to live. And when I hear David speaking here in the Psalms, and saying, "Because Thy love kindness is better to me than life. My lips shall praise Thee, and I long to see Thy power like I have seen it in Thy Sanctuary. My soul thirsts after Thee in a dry and thirsty land, where no water is."
Now, when I begin to think that, I thought, "There must be more than one meaning to life, because, what could be greater than life?"

13 Your life controls you. Your life makes you what you are. It operates your motive. And it's just you. And it controls you. If you got a good heart, good spirit, you have good life. You have a evil heart, evil thoughts, evil life.
Like some years ago down in the South in the days of slavery, they used to take the human beings and sell them---the colored people---as slaves. And they would go to the big plantations, and they had brokers that would come by, and buy up these slaves for a certain amount of money, and take them and sell them, make profit off of them, just like they do used cars or something today.
Think of how evil that was, to take human life to which Christ died for, and to sell it, make it a slave. God made man; man made slaves.

14 And there was a certain broker came by an old plantation that had many slaves on it. And so, the slaves were away from home. They were stole out of Africa and was brought over here and sold. And they knowed they'd never go back to the homeland no more. They were sad. They didn't want to work. They had no ambition. And so they would sometimes take whips and whip those people to make them work, just like you would a horse or an animal.
And this slave buyer came by and he looked over his slaves to see how many he could buy. And he found there was one young fellow there; they didn't have to whip him. He had his chest out, his chin up. He was right up-and-at-it all the time.
And so, the broker said to the owner, "Say, I would like to buy that slave."
But the owner said, "He's not for sale."
"Well," said, "what makes him so much different from the rest of the slaves?" Said, "Perhaps, maybe he's a boss; you've made him boss over the rest of them."
And the owner said, "No, I never made him boss. He's just a slave."
"Well, said, "maybe you feed him better than you feed the rest of the slaves."
He said, "No. They all eat over there in the galley, all of them together."
Then the broker said, "What makes this young fellow so much different from the rest of them?"
And the owner said, "I wondered about that for some time." But said, "You know, one day, I found out. Over in the homeland where they came from, this young fellow's father is a king of the tribe. And though he's an alien and away from home, still he knows he's a king's son, and he conducts himself as a king's son."

15 And I thought, if a slave being away from home, knowing that he was a son of a tribal king, how much more ought the children of God to conduct themselves like sons and daughters of God while we're in this alienated world. How we ought to embrace these promises of God. How we ought to cherish those things and hold them dear. It doesn't become a Christian to operate hisself around unbelief. A Christian should have his chin up. He should be ready to believe anything that God says, no matter what it is. It'll keep the morale of the rest of them up. We are sons and daughters of God. And we ought to conduct ourselves like that.
Some people think that life only lays in how much money you can get while you're here on earth. That's not life. And some of them has 'lotted it to pleasure, how much big time they can see, what's company they ... society they can join, or what lodge, or something they can do. They figure that that's life. If you could join the Four Hundred, or get in the book of Who's Who. So many people try to get into that book of Who's Who.

16 My name will never be there. But I've got it on a better book, the book of life in glory where God ... in God's Who's Who. I was borned again one day, then my name was put on God's Who's Who.
Now, I know that sitting before us is a great dark chamber. And every time our heart beats, we get one beat closer to that chamber. And it's called death. And someday it'll take it's last beat, and I got to go in there. But there's one glorious hope that I have, that this: I know Him in the power of His resurrection, that when He calls, I will come out from among the dead, that great day.
I don't want to go like a coward. I want to wrap myself in the robes of His righteousness, entering in there, knowing that I know Him as a personal experience and been borned again of eternal life. If I never have a friend on earth, I want to know Him. If I don't know His Word too well, I want to know Him.

17 Some time ago, there was a fellow at Ft. Wayne, Indiana, said to me, he said, "Brother Branham..." We was behind the stage at the Ft. Wayne Gospel Tabernacle. He said, "It's a shame, your grammar."
I said, "I know it's awful." I said, "I didn't get an education. There's ten of us children, and dad died, and I had to take care of the other nine."
And he said, "That's no excuse. You're a man now."
I said, "But I'm so busy praying for the sick people. I don't have the time."
He said, "A man that would speak to the audience as you do and use the grammar you do..." And he said, "Last night you said on the pulpit out there," said, "you said, 'All you people, come up here to the pole-pit.'" He said, "Those people will appreciate you more if you'd say, 'pul-pit.'"
I said, "Brother, I don't believe that. Them people don't care whether I say 'pul-pit' or 'pole-pit,' so I live the life, and preach the Gospel, and produce what God talks about in the power of His resurrection." That's what people are looking for---honest hearted people. Just... Life.

18 Some time ago, I was in a large city in another nation. And we'd had a great meeting at a big ice arena. And that night when I was going into the hotel, there was a certain lodge in America here, was having their big convention up there at this hotel. And that afternoon, I never seen so many drunk people in my life, hardly, at one time. And so then when, that night, when I come home, there was just whiskey bottles all over everything, and they were just having themselves what they called "a big time."
It's too bad that America has sold out to such stuff as that. And it's the worst in the world.

19 Now, I've just about traveled the world over, been in many nations several times. But where I believe they need missionaries worse than anywhere else in the world, is the U.S.A. That's exactly right. An educated heathen is harder to deal with than one that has no education, because he thinks he knows everything when he knows nothing. I don't mean to be rude, but I want to be honest. It's the truth.

20 In Puerto Rico a few days ago, we were staying at---I was---at about a fourth class hotel, because I don't believe that a Christian should have everything swanky. Jesus didn't even have a place to lay His head. And yet, we have to drive Cadillacs to be spiritual. Why, there's something wrong.
And there was an old man there that kind of hangs around with the Christian Businessman. I don't know just what his name was. And we were over to another great hotel. Oh, it was a mammoth and a beautiful place; hundreds of dollars to stay in that thing a week. And the old fellow's about eighty years old, a retired railroader. And there was the Puerto Rican people, normally looking people, dressed. Here come the Americans in, half dressed, naked, half drunk, staggering. The old man looked around at me, said, "Prices are higher over here, but life is lower." And that's just about the answer.

21 It's a disgrace sometime the way ... get into another country and see the way these people act, that come from this country. As much as you've had the Gospel preached to them, and then act like that, why, you'll receive double damnation at the day of judgment. Why, it's a shame.
I got on the elevator that night, and the whiskey bottles all on there. And I said to the little fellow, I said, "Looks like the glass company had a ... sure a big day."
He said, "I never seen such in my life." Said, "I don't want to say nothing about it, because you're an American."
I said, "Yes, but sometime action like that makes me ashamed of it."
So he stopped up on a certain floor and let me out. And when I got out of the elevator and started towards my room, I heard somebody whooping and hollering. And I looked, coming down through the room ... the hall, and here come two young women, perhaps mothers, both had wedding rings on. They looked to be in their late twenties. And they just had on one little underneath garment, with a bottle of whiskey in their hand. And men so drunk trying to get out and grab these women, them pulling and falling.

22 And I got back into a little place and kind of stopped for a few minutes. It made me so ashamed. And I seen them coming through there, and they stopped right out in front of me, and one of them took the bottle, and took a great big drink, and handed it to the other one, pulled up that little underneath skirt, and threw her foot out, hollered, "Whoopee, this is life."
I walked out in the middle of the floor and caught them both by their hand. That's why I know they both had wedding rings on. Perhaps a husband home somewhere baby-sitting. And it's just as bad with the men. Sin is sin on either side. And it's all corruption. "Oh, just having a little clean fun," they said. Clean fun? That's sin.
God will make you pay for it. God will make the nation pay for it. It'll make the individuals pay for it. We sell people whiskey and stuff, and cigarettes, and giving them cancer, and telling them this, that, and the other, and then we wonder what's the matter.

23 And here they come, and I held their hands like that, and I said, "I beg your pardon. You said, 'This is life.'" I said, "This is death. It's only death dressed up." It's true.
And this girl looked around, said, "But we don't mean no harm."
I was trying to hold her up. I said, "Looky here. I am..."
Said, "Won't you take a drink?"
I said, "I am a preacher, a gospel preacher." Then they started jerking back. I said, "Kneel with me here in the floor just a minute. You'll sober up and go home to your children." They jerked away, and down through the hall they went, falling over one another. Not fit to be in their own home with the shades pulled down, the way they were dressed. And then they called that "life." That's death. Certainly is.

24 And the world is so crowded down today, calling big times, and... You've got so much of it out here on this West Coast, so much glamour. And I noticed it's creeped into the churches, trying to glamour the church. The church is not glamour; it's a place to preach righteousness, holiness, and purity, and the sanctifying power of the Holy Spirit in the human life. Oh, it's a disgrace. What makes a person do that? Why? Is this...?
And then if Satan can't blindfold you to do that, he will do something else for you. He will let you feel that you're want to be religious. Then he will let you go over and shake hands with the minister somewhere, and put your name on a book, and think that you're religious.

25 I said to a young girl one time, coming on the platform, I said, "Are you a Christian?"
Why, she felt stepped on. She said, "I will give you to understand I belong to Such-and-such a church."
I said, "That doesn't have anything to do with it, not a thing."
One said ... asked them one time... Brother Bosworth asked a young girl, I heard him on the platform, said, "Are you a Christian?"
She said, "I will give you to understand I burn a candle every night," like that's got anything to do with it.
To be a Christian means to be Christ-like, borned of His Spirit, cleansed by the Holy Ghost and fire, a new creature, created in the likeness and the power of the resurrection of the Lord Jesus.

26 What makes people want to do that, is because it's their make-up; they can't help it. God made them to thirst. He made a man... When He made up the man, He made him to thirst. But He made him ... put that thirst in him to thirst after God. And how dare any man or woman to try to satisfy that holy thirst in them with the things of the world. You got no right to do it. God made you to thirst for Him. And you'll never be satisfied until you drink from that fountain that's filled with blood drawn from Immanuel's veins, where sinners plunged beneath the flood, and lose all their guilty stain. You just can't satisfy yourself.
You go out and get drunk, and you come back, and you have a headache. The next morning you get up and you start; and the next day, throw it in again. So nervous you can't hold yourself together, smoke one cigarette after the other, and knowing not that you're heaping coals of fire into it. Why, every one you smoke will make you that much more nervous.

27 And what does a... What does that? It's the devil. God's the One can quieten your nerves. God's the One who can give you that satisfying portion; that's His Spirit. The reason that you do those things, is because you're substituting those things for the real thirst that God put in you for the Holy Ghost. "Oh, come unto me all ye that are weary and heavy laden, I will give you rest." He's the fountain of life. My expression of Jesus Christ, He is the inexhaustible fountain of life, that a man may drink and be satisfied. That's what you're made like that for. That's why you got that thirst in you.
And then, if he can't make you drink, and the doctors can scare you to death of cancer in the throat from cigarettes, then he will let you join a church and just go ahead living for the world. He's still got you. You're still not satisfied.

28 There cannot be a satisfaction outside of the new birth. A man was made for that. God made you up that way. And you'll never be satisfied until you quench that thirsting with the Holy Spirit. When you take one drink from that fountain, you become a new creature. Old desires pass away; all things become new to you. Then that satisfying portion of the baby, like laying on its mama's breast, it's drawing from her its life. That's the way Jesus is. That portion is Him.
The Christian has no right to brag on what denominational church you belong to, and try to call it satisfying. My mother was a certain-certain, and I'm that too. That doesn't have nothing to do with it. And no one has any right to try to satisfy that holy thirst and hunger in their soul with the things of the world. You're only perverting the very gracious thing that God put in you. God made you to thirst so you would thirst after Him. And you pervert that and listen to the devil, and thirst, and try to satisfy that thirst with the things of the world. Jesus said ... or the Bible said, "If ye love the world or the things of the world, the love of God's not even in you."

29 See how short we are today? See why people tonight can be a church member, and stay home in the time of a revival to watch a television program? They'll stay home to watch a carnival, or to hear a political speech or something. It's because they are thirsting, but they're trying to satisfy that thirst with the things of the world.
If you just open up that heart one time to God... David said in another Psalm, he said, "As the hart thirsts after the waterbrook, so my soul thirsts after Thee, O God."

30 No wonder we can come to a meeting, see the manifestations of the power of God, and then go away, and say, "Oh, well, there was nothing to it."
Mama used to tell me, "You can't get blood out of a turnip." If God's Spirit's in you and you see God's Word fulfilled, it'll make you rejoice. Something has to move.
When Jesus came into the city, He said, "If they hold their peace, the rocks will immediately cry out." Something has to move when the Spirit of God comes riding in.

31 David was a woodsman. He knowed what the woods was. He knowed how the animals... Oh, I hear him write of the shady green pastures and the still waters. He could appreciate it, because there he found God.
Who could look at a flower and say there's no God? Did you ever notice how its little seed comes up in the spring, a pretty little blossom comes on it? And after a while, frost hits it. It dies, bows it's little head. And then, God has a funeral procession for His flowers. I don't know whether you know that or not. But He does. The fall rains come and cry tears down out of the sky, and it buries that little seed. The cold winter comes in my country, and freezes that ground for maybe a foot deep. That little seed freezes, the pulp runs out of the little seed, the petal's gone, the flower's gone, the bulb's gone, the seed's gone, the pulp's gone. But just let that sun start rising in the spring time again. That little flower'll live again. Certainly. And if God made a way for a flower to live again, how much more has He made a way for a man in His own image to live again?
David studied nature, and his heart longed. And one day, so crying out for God, he said, "As the hart panteth for the waterbrook, my soul thirsts after Thee, O God."

32 I'm a hunter, and I suppose I'm talking to many of them. And anyone knows, if you ever shoot a deer and wound him, if that deer can get to water, you'll never catch that deer. He will drink water, go up over the hill, come back, drink water, go up over the hill. That cold water will stop his bleeding, and you'll never catch him.
And David had been noticing in the country that he lived in... Like in Africa, they have wild dogs. And these wild dogs are something like our wolf. And they have two blood fangs that hangs down over the sides of their mouth. And they're very cunning in their catching of deer, just like the devil. And usually they see the deer. And if one little deer will wander off to himself, that's a real place to get one.

33 That's what I think about sometime, God's little deers sometimes wander off from the fold. There might be some here tonight that's wandered away from the protection of the church, and the protection of the loved ones who'd pray for you and help you to come back to God, keep you straight, come to the church and listen at the Gospel. There may be some in radio-land that's wandered away.
And then, you watch these killer dogs---hounds. They start slipping up real easy, like a cat. And they go a little piece.
And there's something about it, that those deer can almost sense that there's something wrong. They raise their little head; they get nervous.
There's not a person in my hearing tonight... There's not a backslider but what knows that since you left the fold of God, that you've been nervous and upset. There's something wrong.

34 A many a little girl, listening in tonight, that's had a good mama, and a daddy that's tried to teach her right. She's out in some dive somewhere or away from God. And as she's trying to satisfy that thirst in her heart with some of this modern teen-age rock-and-roll, which is of the devil...
And that's for some of you preachers that lets it be preached in your churches too. Any church that gets low enough to have to entertain their young folks by rock-and-roll, change the sign on the front of your door ... not a house of God.
Just recently, I was in a place, and I was in a hotel, and the YM... or YWCA was across from me. Why, I had to close the window blinds, and pull them down to study the Gospel, for the teachers teaching rock-and-roll, and this old booglie-wooglie, or ever-what you call the stuff. It's a shame. What does that "C" stand for? It's supposed to stand for "Christ." Trying to satisfy yourself with that kind of a stuff when it's of the devil and will damn your soul. Certainly. A real borned again Christian won't do them kind of things. It's true.

35 And so, these wolves get up close to where these sheep are. And many of you little ladies out here tonight listen to that ... what they call the "wolf call," you know, they have a whistle. And you think you're smart. Little lady, you don't realize what danger you're in. And they get real close. And they watch the deer till they get a chance. And that's all...
A boy that would squeal like that, and whistle, and holler at girls on the street is not fit for a decent girl to go with. Now, that's a great big mouthful. But I'd rather be honest here than be condemned at the judgment. I'm going to tell the truth. That's all I know, is to tell the truth.

36 What the church needs tonight is back to the Gospel, back to the old-fashioned Gospel, back to the saving knowledge, and that thirst. If you love God with all your heart, soul, and mind, you wouldn't be out there in those kind of places.
So sweet to trust Him and believe Him. He's the satisfying portion. He's your Life.

37 And those big old wolves, or dogs, when they see the deer... Now, they got a technique in doing it. They get just as close as they can. And then they run, and take those fangs and throw them in the deer's neck, right behind the burr of the ear, and then just swing their weight. And those great big fangs, like lances, when the wolf's weight comes down, just cuts the little fellow's throat; he makes a few jumps and he's finished. Then that's all of it. And a few minutes, it's covered over with dogs just tearing it to pieces, just chunk after chunk, tearing it out.

38 Listen, sister and brother, I didn't mean, you young folks, to hurt your feelings when I talk about what you call your pleasures. I don't want to hurt you; I love you. But little sis, you're a little virgin and never been out in these parties, just let it get started one time, and the hounds of hell will cover you over. They'll pick every moral thing there is about you away from you. You'll be nothing but a... No matter how much you repent, and how bad you try to get right back, that mark will follow you to your grave. Stay away from them. Get out of it. God's got something for you to thirst after; that's Him. He will give a satisfaction. And those things'll be so dead, you won't even hear them.

39 Now sometimes, the dog misses the deer's throat. Then he's got another place to catch the little deer, and that is in the flank. Now, the flank is the middle---or balance part---of the deer. The hindquarters are heavier than the front-quarters, and with the loin throwed in, neck and so forth, it makes it about balanced up. Then if the dog or wolf can catch it in the flank, and starts swinging it, he will soon throw the deer down. And the same thing happens: It's covered over with dogs in a few minutes, just picking it to pieces.
But when this lead dog, the one that's the leader of the pack, that most popular rock-and-roller... You know what I'm talking about. If he can only get the hold, now if he ever grabs... If that deer's real smart and knows how to get out of there, she will give a little quick jerk to one side, and her little tender body will let that dog's mouth pull this whole chunk of flesh out, if it's quick and can maneuver quick.

40 Oh, my advice is to you, sister, brother, if he grabs you, maneuver quick; jump towards heaven as hard as you can. Get away from it. Pull out. Don't have nothing else to do with it. Get away from it quickly.
If you're fixing to put your first cigarette in your mouth tonight, or take the first drink, or go to the first rock-and-roll party, or tell mama the first lie, get away from it. It's the devil.

41 And then, when he jerks out, the blood flies. And if the little deer's real fast on foot, which they are faster than the dog, it can run for what life it's got until it gets away from the pack, over the hills and jumping through the places where the dog has to travel through the bushes; it just leaps right over the top of the bushes, running just as hard as it can run. And then, after it's got away from the dog...
Maybe there's some listening to me tonight that's done that, just got away from it. What're you going to do? What's the trouble?

42 You see that little deer? I've watched them a many time. They put their little head up in the air, and they're just panting. [Brother Branham imitates panting.] They just got to find water. They just got to find it. They're bleeding. They're dying. Every time their heart beats, the blood pushes right out of them; that chunk's out of their side. And if they don't find water, they'll die right away.
And you can imagine the sincerity and the honesty of that deer. He will run to the top of the hill; he will look, panting. [Brother Branham imitates panting.] He will look somewhere else, just panting as hard as he can. He's got his nose up; he's smelling for water. He's got to find water or he will perish.
And brother, if this Angelus Temple... If these people are here tonight would thirst after God like that, there'd be a revival break through here in a few minutes that would sweep the country over.

43 "As the hart panteth for the waterbrook, my soul thirsts after Thee, O God." When you get to a place you got to have Him or die... You can't go on without Him. He's your life. You must have Him. You're just about finished, and you're looking, trying.
Jesus said, "Blessed are they that do hunger and thirst after righteousness, for they shall be filled." Filled with what? Not creeds, not denominations, not amusements of the world, but filled with the Holy Ghost which is our satisfying portion, that gives us that life that satisfies.
The God of heaven's in this building tonight. The God that created the heavens and earth is here tonight. That's what makes Him God to me. He had the highest place in heaven and took the lowest place on earth. He come from the highest heaven and went to the lowest hell. He become you that you, who, through His grace, might become Him, sons and daughters of God. And He's in the building tonight. Night after night He represents Himself.

44 The church has been preached to death. People come usually to the church, they say, "Well, we will go to..." Just go because it's a duty sometimes. Sometimes they go because there's certain ministers, great men in the land today that can really bring out a sermon. They go to hear that.
But what we really ought to go to church for is to find Christ. Let's go to church to worship till you can expel all your guilt and shame, and throw all the world and its gloom out of your heart, and let Christ come in, God's satisfying portion. Then you'll have eternal life.

45 His Spirit is here. His Spirit wants to move in this church. Let us bow our heads. [A sister speaks in tongues, another sister interprets.] Scripture says, if one speaks with tongues, and there be an interpreter, see... If there's no interpreter, then it's just with nothing. But if there be an interpreter, then that's God speaking, a voice to the church. How thankful we are for the kingdom of God. Now, the Lord Jesus is here.
I want our sister to get ready for the organ here, for just a few words: "There Is A Fountain Filled With Blood Drawn From Immanuel's Veins."
While she's chording it, and you in radio-land, I wish you could be here in this Angelus Temple to feel that settling down, that awe, the Spirit of God. Think of it, out there.

46 Then the Bible said, "If one comes in unlearned and someone speaks with tongues and there's no interpreter, he will think you're barbarians or so forth. But if one prophesies and reveals the secret of the heart, then all of them will fall down and say, 'Truly God is with you.'"
God is in our building. God is in our midst tonight. God is in His holy temple. He's trying to urge you to come to Him. Don't be satisfied with being a Baptist, a Methodist, or a Pentecostal, or whatever you might be. That's all right. Them denominations are fine, see. I respect every one of them, every denomination. I send people back to their home church. It isn't the denomination I'm kicking against; it's how worldly we've gotten in here, see. Come, be a Christian, then go to any church of your choice. That's the thing. It's be a Christian is what we're talking about. If you like the Baptist church, go to the Baptist church. Be borned again in the Baptist church. If you're Catholic, be borned again, and be in the Catholic church. Presbyterian, do the same thing. But first, before you go back, get the Holy Ghost. Be borned again, and you'll be an enlightenment. You'll help others to come, if you just believe it.

47 [A sister speaks with tongues. Blank spot on tape.] Scripture's right. That would be the Holy Spirit speaking. Just the same as this is here. The little lady sitting here wiping her face right there, has got heart trouble. Yes. You believe the Lord will heal you now, sister? sitting there on the end of the row right down here with heart trouble, you believe that God will heal you? If you can believe it with all of your heart, God will do it for you.
The lady sitting back there praying for her loved one, that's real nervous, sitting right back there, you believe God would heal that loved one? The Bible said, "If thou canst believe, all things are possible." Do you believe it?
Complications---sitting to the left of that post there. If you believe it with all your heart, God will grant it to you. God is God. Do you believe that?

48 Right down here with the glasses on, a lady sitting with a trouble with her head. You believe that God will heal you, sister? All right. No, sitting right here. She's got a [Gap in the audio.] had on glasses, gray and in the front, looking right here. You believe God will heal you, sister? Yes, you. Raise your hand up there. That's you. No, the lady right back there. You don't have it now. It's left you. It's gone from you. Amen.
If thou canst believe. All things are possible to them that believe. Do you believe it? The Bible said, "If you can believe." Oh, He's so real.

49 This minister sitting right down here, wondering; he's scared about cancer. If you'll just have faith and believe, you won't have that cancer. If thou canst believe, that is, if you can believe it.
Sitting way back here, there's another minister sitting there. He's got his wife and child. The child's got asthma; his wife's up for an operation. That's right. That's you raising your hand, you're right. Put your hand over on the child. The child... Mother and father, put your hands together, on one another. O Lord God, Creator of heavens and earth, let it be known this night that You're God. I pray that You'll heal them. Grant it, Lord. There is Your Spirit making itself known to us. Grant this healing of all the people. Now, may they be physically healed and spiritually healed in the name of Jesus Christ. Amen.

50 [Gap in the audio.] " There Is A Fountain Filled With Blood."
There is a fountain filled with blood,
Drawn from Immanuel's veins,
And sinners plunged beneath that flood,
Lose all their guilty stain.
Lose all their guilty stain,
Lose all their guilty stain;
%#And sinners plunged beneath that flood,
Lose all...
Bow your heads now, reverently, quietly. Think it over. Sinner friend, while you have your head bowed, and you out in radio-land also, would you just stop and pause a minute in this hustle and bustle of life? Do you realize that you may not be among the living in the morning? And if you don't possess this eternal life, you're lost. Jesus said, "Except a man be borned again, he cannot even see the kingdom of God."

51 Come, sinner friend out in radio-land, and receive Him just now as your personal Saviour, won't you do it? Bow right in the room where you are, or... Don't make any difference who's around you, don't be ashamed of Him. He won't be ashamed of you on that day. Just kneel right down wherever you are.
Dad, you and mother there that maybe hasn't raised your children the way you should---maybe that's the reason they're out in the world tonight---why don't you just go over where mother is now, and put your arm around her, and say, "Dear, it's true. We've been as a prodigal, wasting our substance with riotous living. We can never be satisfied like this. Let's come to Christ tonight." Do that, won't you, friend, out in radio-land?
And to you here in this visible audience, how many of you'd say, "Brother Branham, remember me in prayer. I want to consecrate myself to God." Raise up your hand, all over the building everywhere. My, my.

52 Is there a sinner or a backslider here that has felt the snarl of the wolf, the bite of his fangs, would like to come right down here and stand here while we offer prayer? It just seems like a little thing, but it's a great thing. I'd like for you to come down here. I'd like come down to shake your hand. You sinner friends, come right down here. Let me walk down and pray with you, here will you? God bless you, lady. Walk right over here. That's good. One soul worth ten thousand worlds.
While we sing now, every sinner come.
There is a fountain.......
Come on down. Come down, sir. God bless you, son. God bless you, sir. That's the way.
........Immanuel's veins,
And sinners plunged......
That's right, ladies, come right on. Are you thirsting? You're trying to find something to satisfy? That's good. Come right on down. That's good.
Lose all their guilty stain,
Lose all............
Come on, sinner friend, right out of the balconies. Come right down along the sides like this. Like to shake your hand as you pass this platform here.
Sinners plunged beneath the flood,
Lose all their guilty stain.
The dying thief rejoiced to...
Come, sinner and backslider. Won't you come down now and kneel at the altar? Come right... Here. Great group of them has knelt around the altar here since we made the call to you in radio-land: Men, women, young and old.
..........vile as he,
Wash all my sin away.

53 Now, while she's chording that song again, I wonder tonight... I really feel that there should be more than this. We're very grateful for these sinners that's knelt here at the altar. They're tired of trying to satisfy themselves with just a little old something another of the world. They're sick of it. They're just all washed up, as the worldly expression, but they're just finished with it. They want something real. They're going to receive it. The very God that knows your heart, knows that that's true. God bless you, lady. That's right. Come right on down there. Won't you come?
Now, there may be church members in here that belongs to some churches here in Los Angeles, other places. You've been here this week and last week, and watched the Holy Spirit move. Now, that's the very thing that's telling me in my heart now that you need to come down here. Won't you come? God bless you, lady. God bless you. That's right. Come right on out. Move right out of the audience and come down here.
I'm waiting, holding off just a little while longer. Who would raise up their hands, say, "Brother Branham, I know I'm wrong. Pray for me to have courage enough for me to come." We don't believe in going back and getting people now. I don't do that; if the Holy Spirit can't convince you enough that you're wrong, to come down here and be right...

54 Now, what if just now, you'd feel something moving, this Temple would go to falling in, or an earthquake had struck this city, or a bomb had struck somewhere, it's just turning to powder, you're going to be gone. What would you do? Are you all ready to go? God bless you, lady. God bless you, sir. That's right. God bless you. A whole family coming. That's good. Come. That's right. God bless you, lady. Come right on down now to the altar. This is the most gallant thing that you ever done, was to come to Christ.
If you're not sure you're right with God, don't wait too long. There's going to be a resurrection one of these days, and Jesus is coming. You say, "I've heard that for a long time, Brother Branham." But this may be the last time you ever hear it. Remember, this may be the end of the time for you tonight. You may never have an opportunity. Before morning, you may be pressing a dying pillow, and the veins cooling off in your arms. Come. That's right. That's right. Come right out. That's good.

55 You say, "Brother Branham, you're scaring the people." No, I'm not. I'm telling you the truth. You've got to meet God. You're going to either meet Him here or meet Him at the judgment in His anger. You're meeting Him here while He's pleading to you. You meet Him then, He's your Judge; now He's your Saviour. Won't you come while we sing one more verse?
And you of church members, we're not asking you to join the Angelus Temple. We'd love to have you here; that's true enough. We got wonderful church people here, and fine pastors, and so forth, a nice building, and it's a just a wonderful church. We love to have you here. But if you don't want... If you want to go back to your own church... We don't want you to leave your church; we just want you to come and be sure that you're right with God, see. That's the thing we're trying to do, is you to be right.

56 The hour is coming, and now is, that when we can't play church no more. It's God working in the church. We must have it. If your soul is thirsting for something, and you've been trying to satisfy it on a creed, try to satisfy it on something else, leave that tonight and come down here, won't you? Come down now while we sing again. All right. All together.
In a nobler, sweeter song,
I will sing Thy.......
Won't you come out? Come right on now. I invite you. Remember, the next time you hear my voice may be at the judgment. Remember, I've offered you Jesus.
If you wonder how these things are done, the interpretation of the Spirit, how it discern spirits, come on. Come into God now. Fill your heart with it.
How many in here ... how many in here wants to make a consecration to God, raise your hand, say, "I'd just love to come up a little closer to God." Now, you come down. Come right down, all you that wants to re-consecrate yourself, to feel God's Spirit in your life, more, greater.

57 Maybe you're seeking the Holy Spirit. You've already come and confessed your faith, but you want to receive the Holy Spirit, want to re-dedicate yourself. We're wanting a revival to continue on. Come right on down now, will you? Come right down around the front here. That's fine. Oh, that's fine. Coming from everywhere, young and old alike, moving right down.
Radio land, now, you should be here to look at this. Just people coming down every aisle. Watching the sincerity, some crying... Oh, this is what I love: to see people coming to worship my Lord, see people, men and women who are thirsting for righteousness. "Blessed are ye, when you do hunger and thirst for righteousness, for you shall be filled."

58 There is... That Fountain's filled with blood right now. If you're not just where you ought to be, you Pentecostal, Baptist, Presbyterian, Methodist, whatever you are, come right now, won't you? That's right. Come with the rest of them. You won't be by yourself. They're just packed all up and down here now, around... The altars are full, and the seats around is full, and they're still coming down. Just keep coming. Keep coming right on down.
Don't let the hounds of hell sap your precious life. If you'd jerk far enough to get away from him, he will catch up with you again. Don't you let him do that, them old poison things in you. Find the water. Find the water, the water of life. Jesus is that water of life. Come right on down. That's it.

59 Now, let all the personal workers gather right around these people. Each one in here that's a personal worker, gather right around these people now. We're going to have prayer. That's good. That's fine. Come right on.
Now, my friend, I want to tell you something---you here in the visible audience and you in radio-land---this is one of the greatest times of my life. The rest of you may be seated for a moment, if you will.
When I was just a young preacher, there was a young lady asked me if I would go to a dance with her. She was a preacher's sister. I told her, "No."
She said, "You don't drink, you don't smoke, you don't go to dances. Where do you have any pleasure?"

60 I was holding a tent meeting. The next night there was an altar call about like this, people gathering around. I motioned to her. She come up where I was. I said, "Sister, this is more pleasure to me than all the things of the world, is to see sinners coming, kneeling, bowing, consecrating their life unto God." Deep consecration, that's what I like to see. Surrendering your lives.
Now, each one of you here at the altar, you are ... and out in radio-land, you bow now for prayer too. There might not be a personal worker out there in radio-land, but there's a Holy Spirit there. He's the One to direct you.
Now, each one, pray in your own way, confess your wrong, and ask God to be merciful to you, and He will certainly do it. Now, with your heads bowed, everywhere, I'm going to ask Brother Duffield to walk up here and ask the prayer for you in radio-land, and for you here at the altar. God bless you now. While all bow your head, and let's all pray for these people that's at the altar---while we have our heads bowed everywhere. Now, be ready in radio land to accept Christ while our Brother leads us in prayer.

Thirsting for Life

You can find this sermon at ChurchAges.net

1 Good evening, friends. This is certainly a privilege for me to be out here tonight to have this time of fellowship in this church. I did not know I was going to have this privilege till just a few days ago. And then, all the sudden, it come along that I was to come over to this Beulah Tabernacle to speak. And looking at this tabernacle, I really like it, in the way it's built up. We're fixing to build a tabernacle at Jeffersonville, and I may send some of them up here to kind of look this over. I like this for our own place down there, brother.
And then to see the nice building, and the... Met your pastor the first time, knowingly, just in his study a few moments ago there, the room's aside. Friendly, nice, hospitality, and come in and hear these old songs of Zion being sang... And found out they were Canadians. And of course, we just ... like glove on a hand. I certainly do appreciate being over here tonight. And no wonder it's a nice little church. A church is what's on the inside of it, really. That's what makes it up.

2 We've passed down the streets many times, and we see a house. And sometimes we say, "Isn't that a lovely home." Now, it might look like a lovely house, but the home is a order of the house. You see the order that's in it, order of the family.
And that's the way I think the house of God is. It isn't so much the beautiful temple, which we do appreciate, but it's the order that's on the inside of it. What kind of an order do they have? Are they really Christians, really worshipping the Lord, really love Him? Is it a house of correction, the gospel being preached, and accompanied by the signs that Jesus gave us that would follow us? And I'm sure it's that way here at this Beulah Temple.

3 When I think of the name of Beulah, it just reminds me of when I was just a boy. I was with a girl friend, and she taken me up to the Zion Baptist Church near Salem, Indiana. And the song they sang was "O Beulah Land, Sweet Beulah Land. As on the highest mount I..." "Well, looks like finally I got to Beulah land, doesn't it." That was before I was saved. And I never will forgot that fine Spirit in that church. And I remember later on, that Zion was near Salem also, in the Bible.
So to be here tonight with our lovely pastor, and Brother Grant, Canadian singers, Brother Boze, and many others, we just feel like we want a little time of fellowship around His Word.

4 I was trying to get Brother Grant to speak for me. When I come in, I was a little hoarse, and been speaking sometimes twice a day. And my meetings are just continually from place to place. And I just get tired. You know how it is, I'm sure. I was telling... The other night, I was saying to Brother Grant, "Many times, we want to go like a rocket, then we fall like a rock." That's about the way we do it. So we have to slow up once in awhile.
Now, at this time, I was supposed to be, this week, in the Fiji Isles. And then the 15th I was to begin ... or, the middle of this month, in Sydney, Australia, and New Zealand. But I had to set it back for a few days, and that gave me the opportunity to just come to Chicago to visit. The first time over on this... I suppose it's called the west side, isn't it. [A brother says, "South."] South side. I'm all turned around---the south side.

5 And the ministry that Brother Joseph was speaking of, I'm sure is no mystery to you people, because you've been in the meetings many times. And what our Lord does that's gracious, we do appreciate it with all of our heart.
On the road over tonight, I was talking to Brother Grant. And we were exchanging thoughts of him and Brother Boze about overseas, in Africa, and India, and different places where we have been.
And I was relating a case of India that happened, and that was on the platform. After that afternoon, I'd been interviewed by (I want to say) seventeen... It might've been seven, because it was through an interpreter, that different religions was represented there that evening ... or, afternoon. And all seventeen of them was against Christian religion. Now, you can imagine how you felt. I was in the temple of the Jains. Then there was the Sikhs, the Jains, to Mohammedans, the Buddhists, and so forth. And everyone was against Christianity.
And most all of them believes in reincarnation. Therefore they make little mops, and sweep the walk as they go, so they won't step on any little ant or anything, because it might be a relative that's died. Now, how would you ever preach a blood atonement for an antidote for sin to a person that doesn't ... that thinks it's wrong to step on an ant. See, you could never do it. So I spoke my piece. I felt that I would've been a traitor to Christ if I had not have said something.

6 So then that night at the gathering, we could not go outside the city, because it had a law that to have police protection, we had to remain in the city. And the mayor of the city had come out; he was with me that afternoon, and many of the great leaders, the bishop of the Methodist church, and many other Christian leaders, where we met at the Taj Hotel.
And so they said I had to have it in the city. And they were hundreds of thousands at the meeting to attend. There's no way of estimating how many would be there, because just as far as you could see was one mass of people. And there's two hours and something, with guards on the side of the car to get to from where the meeting started, pulled through with the car to get up to the place to speak. You can imagine how long that would take. They were just jamming, and pushing, and climbing on the cars. Move a few feet, and then the guards and things to make them move...

7 But when we got into the pulpit, to start speaking, I spoke on the subject of Jesus Christ, the same yesterday, today, and forever. And what He was yesterday, and that what we could expect the same today if He is the same, that He's not dead, but He has risen from the dead...
And so, when we could have no prayer cards give out, you just had to let them jamb up the best they could. And the guards would bring up people. Well, after a few had passed, and they had begun to see how the Holy Spirit would make known the conditions and what they had did, then...
'Course, under the anointing, you could tell that the people were thinking it was a telepathy or something, because they have a lot of witchcraft and everything in India.

8 You just get ready to believe anything, things that you didn't think you would believe, when you get there, 'cause everything is a religion of its own. They'll walk through fire; they'll take a lance and run it through their mouth, take a sword and place it right through their heart and pour water right through it, and run out their back side, and pull it out and don't even bleed. Oh, you can... Run up a tree and take a little boy had a sack, father run up there and cut him to pieces limb by limb, and dropped it off, and put it in a sack, and he's kicking and hollering, "Let me out of here, daddy." Get ready be believe anything when you hit India.
Devil workers, and don't you think they won't challenge you; they will. And you had better know what you're talking about. There's where you... You can't do as you can in the United States, just get by with anything. You've got to be sure that it's right, or don't say nothing at all.

9 So tonight on the platform, you could begin to feel that the Rajis and those sitting out there believed that that was a telepathy. And after awhile, there was a leper came by. And I didn't know too much about dealing with lepers. See, only in Africa I had had some experience.
This little leper with just stubs of arms, and face all eat off of him, just come threw his arms around me. I prayed with him. And as he left the platform... Then the next come up was a blind man. And the Holy Spirit told him who he was. I couldn't speak his name, just had to spell out the letters for his name. Told him how he had been in this condition for twenty years, and was a worshipper of the sun; and he'd went blind worshipping the sun---looking at it; and then that he was a beggar, had two children. All that was true. And then, I said, "You see, I cannot heal him, because I cannot do what God has already done, for He was wounded for our transgressions, and with His stripes we were healed."

10 Divine healing is not something of a hocus pocus, or some little move, or some little blessing that people pack in their hands, but it is a undoubting faith that you have in the resurrection of Jesus Christ. It's a finished work that was done by Christ at Calvary.
I might ask tonight, how many got saved during this revival you've had here? Some of you raise your hand. I'd say, how many's been saved ten years ago, you'd raise your hands. But that in one way is right and another way it isn't right. You wasn't saved a week ago or ten years ago; you were saved nineteen hundred years ago. When Jesus died at Calvary, He expelled the sin of the world. But it'll never do you no good until you accept it. You just accepted it last night or ten years ago.
And that's the same time that "He was wounded for our transgressions, with His stripes we are healed." It's your faith in a work that's finished, that God did through Christ for you at Calvary. It's completely. There's not a sinner here tonight but what's been saved. And you're still under the mercies of God, as long as you're living and God's dealing with you. But when you die, and you go beyond that, then you're in judgment. You've done judged yourself.

11 And healing... There's not a person here... If there's anyone here sick... Every one of you is healed now, just as much as you'll ever could be healed. But it's your faith to believe and accept your healing that Jesus was wounded for your transgressions, with His stripes you were healed.
So no one can heal. I never healed anyone in my life, and never will. But I've had some direct answers to prayer a lot of times when I prayed for people. It's a prayer that... The prayer of faith shall save the sick.
So there's no way for me to heal the man. And he was ... been blind twenty years. A Methodist doctor was present which examined him. His eyes were white from being blind. And then as I offered the prayer for the brother and started him off the platform, it was the sovereign grace of God... There come a little shadow right over him. And I watched it, and it was a vision. There stood the man with his normal sight just like anyone else. Now, see it was... It was the grace of God that did it.
Then it was the opportunity. There was my opportunity to speak to the people then. And I said, "I was entertained today at the temple of the Jains, and seventeen different religions there downing our Christianity." And I said, "Now, tonight, here is a man who's a worshipper of the sun, that's blind. And you say that the Mohammedan religion is three times the size of Christianity..." which is true.
The Buddhists are far beyond Christianity, and Christianity ranks third or fourth place in the religions of the world. "That's numberly.) That's including Catholic and Protestant together.

12 But I said, "Surely, somebody's right and somebody's wrong. It's got to be. There is a true and living God. He's got a salvation for His people. And here is a man who has worshipped the creation instead of the Creator; we believe that. But he's blind, and he wants to come to the real true God.
I said, "Now, I ask the Mohammedan priest to come here and to restore the sight of this blind man. And if he can do it, then this blind man will become a Mohammedan, and I will also---if he can restore the sight to this blind man." And I said, "I also challenge the priest of Buddha, all of Jains, or any of the rest of the religions here, any of you leaders, come here, you holy men, and restore the sight to this man. For if there is a God who created him, and he wants to come back with a true heart to worship that God, surely that God will restore his sight and put him back in conditions to worship Him."
Now, I would no means have said that if there hadn't been a vision and I knowed what I was speaking of.

13 That's the way our Lord did. He said, "I do nothing until the Father shows me first what to do,"---Saint John 5:19. No prophet, or neither the Lord Jesus, ever went about doing things just at random. Jesus could not lie, because He was God. And He said, "Verily, verily, I say unto you, the Son can do nothing in Himself, but what He sees the Father doing (not hears the Father doing), but sees the Father doing."
Elijah on Mount Carmel, when he'd laid the bullock and everything, he come out before the people, and said, "Lord God, I did this all at Your command." Always God! Flesh can't glory nowhere. And it was a vision. And that's the reason he could speak boldly, 'cause God had said so. That settles it.
So then when... All of them was real quiet. I said, "This is an awful quiet group of people." And I said, "Now today, you Mohammedans was trying to tell me how much greater the Mohammedan religion was than Christianity. Now, let the priests come forth and do it, or any of the rest." I said, "The reason they can't do it, the reason they're not coming is because they can't do it." And I said, "Neither can I do it. But the God of heaven that raised up His Son, Christ Jesus, who is alive today, and who I'm representing, has showed me a vision that the man's going to receive his sight. Now, if He doesn't do it, then I'm a false leader and should be run out of India." But I said, "If He does do it, and all of you people seen how that your priests and your holy men are sitting quiet." I said, "I want to see the man receive his sight. I don't want to argue your textbooks and your religion. I just want the man to be given his sight. And let the God that be God of creation, who made the human race, restore back his sight, because it won't take a hoax. It'll have to be real, because it'll have to be creative, because he has no eyes."

14 Don't be afraid. Our God is God. If He ever was God, He's God yet. And if He's God at all, He's God of the whole creation. And so when saying that, then I said, "They won't say nothing. And I can't, but God has showed that this would be. Now, we will see if it happens." And they bowed their heads. And when we prayed, the man's eyes come open, could see as good as any person in here.
Oh, I said, "How many of you will receive Jesus Christ as your personal Saviour if this man's eyes come open." And just as far as you could see, tens of thousands of hands up in the air.
And then with no cooperation amongst the churches... Perhaps, tonight, ninety-nine out of every thousand is back in the temples of the Buddha and so forth, because of the lack of cooperation of men to get there and lead those people on into the churches. It's a pity that there's no cooperation among Christian people today when God tries to do something. That's the hardest thing I have found, and the most misunderstanding thing, that people will not cooperate because you're not of their denomination. It's a disgrace to the world.

15 Now, tonight, I never come over to talk on divine healing for you. I just come to speak to you a few minutes, get acquainted with you, that we would know one another, for we're just passing through this world one time, and we're to spend an eternity together hereafter.
And now, let us bow our heads just a moment for the word of prayer.
O Lord God, Creator of heavens and earth, we come to Thee just as humbly as we know how to come with bowed heads to the dust where we were taken from, and some day, if Jesus tarries, we shall return. But knowing this, like Job of old, "I know my Redeemer liveth, and at the last days He will stand on the earth. Though if the skin worms destroys this body, yet in my flesh shall I see God." We are so happy for that hope that lies within our bosoms tonight, that we, someday, shall see Him who we love and believe, who is the unseen guest in this building tonight.

16 Now, Thy Word lays open before us, Lord, and we would ask You to bless Your Word. Circumcise the lips that would speak, and the ears that would hear.
And grant, Lord, if there be any here who is not a Christian, may they humbly surrender to Thee. There be those here who have fallen away; may they come, like the prodigal son, back to the house tonight---to the Father's house. And we pray, Lord, for those that are sick. If there be any of those here, or afflicted, that while the Word be going forth that they will receive Jesus and be made whole of their diseases.
Bless this little Beulah Temple. Bless its lovely pastor, and all of the deacons, and the board, and all the laity. May it long stand as a memorial to Jesus Christ and to His cause. May from here go missionaries and ministers that'll help evangelize the world. Bless every effort that they put forth. And these brethren here, and the sisters from Canada, the song leaders, and the musicians, we pray, Lord, that You'll bless their ministry. Make it rich, Father. Give them souls for their hire, because we believe that's the desire of their heart.
Forgive us all of our shortcomings. Let the Holy Spirit visit us tonight, for we wait on Him further in the name of Jesus. Amen.

17 Just to speak to you for a few moments, which I don't know just what time your services let out. It's already almost nine. And tomorrow's a big day for us again, and I know it will be for you. And I want to give all of you an invitation. If you're ever around any of the meetings, why, come in, make yourself at home. If you're down around Jeffersonville, why, see us while you're there. These singers that sing so pretty and the music awhile ago, drop in at the Tabernacle and let us hear some of that down that way. Pastor, you know, you're welcome, all.

18 We want to turn to the 63rd Psalm just for a little reading on a little familiar text.
O God, thou art my God; early will I seek thee: my soul thirsteth for thee, my flesh longeth for thee in a dry and thirsty land, where no water is;
To see thy power and thy glory, so as I have seen ... in thy sanctuary.
Because thy loving-kindness is better to me than life, my lips shall praise thee.
I often wondered what David was talking about. And I remember the first time that I read that Scripture, that I just couldn't understand what David meant when he said, "Because thy loving-kindness is better to me than life." What could be any greater than life? If the Lord God tonight should come to me and say, "I will turn you back from an old man to a young man of about eighteen years old; I will let you live a thousand years on the earth, and give all of the wealth of the world in your hands, and promise you to never have a day of weary, but all joy for a thousand years. Or, I will let you live fifty years more, and make it till you'll beg your bread on the street, dragging along in sickness; but yet at the end, I will give you eternal life."
I'd say, "Lord, let me beg. Let me drag, or let me suffer, or anything just as long as I've got eternal life."
Life is what conducts you. It's what makes your conduct. You just can't hide real life. There's no way to do it.

19 Did you ever lay a sidewalk? Some of you men, no doubt, have done it. And just scoop up all the dirt, and lay the sidewalk out, pour it with concrete. But then in the summer time when you go to cut your grass, do you know where the grass is the thickest at? Right by the side of that walk. It's twice as thick there as it is anywhere else. Why is it? Down beneath that concrete, you covered over some seeds. But just as sure as that sunshine begins to bathe the earth, and the season's right, that seed's got life in it. And you can't hide life. It'll work its way right over those grains of concrete till it comes out, so it can lift up its little head and praise God. You just can't hide life.
That's the reason if you've got eternal life, they may bury you in the sea, or cremate your body, but you'll live again when Jesus comes. There's no way to keep you down. You can't hide real life.

20 I had a chaplain friend from the First World War. He was telling me, said, "Billy, one day they'd thrown that there mustard and chlorine gas in the first World War over in France." And he said, "We was out near La Salle Lorraine." And said, "It was been an awful day for me. It was Easter, and oh, the gas had just burnt down the trees, and the grass, and there was nothing alive." And he said, "It was a rainy morning, and a nurse came through the room. And she had a big bunch of calla lilies in her hand. And she was passing by the beds of these wounded soldiers, and giving each one a lily." Said, "Those crippled boys, with some of them burnt, some of them blind would grab that lily and scream and cry, because it was a token from home." Said, "I couldn't stand it. I walked outside, and the Major said, 'Chaplain, I'm going out to the front to check some tanks that was ... or, some vehicles that was toring up, and to see if any of them that can be brought in,' out into the no-man land where they'd moved the Germans back from that."

21 Said, "I went out then. He took me out in the side-car of a little motorcycle." And said, "When we stopped out there on the field," he said, "I looked around, and I thought, 'Oh, if this isn't a desolate place.'" Said, "There's not a leaf on a tree. There's not a sprig of grass to be found anywhere. And yet, it's Easter." And said, "I walked along and I kind of attracted to a little rock." And said, "I turned it over with my foot." And said, "What do you think that was under that rock?" Said, "There was a little Easter Lily that had been hid under the rock all the time during the gas and the war." Said, "I started to pull it, and I said, 'It's too sacred.'" Said, "I knelt there and said, 'Lord, hide me in the Rock of Ages. Preserve my life, O Lord, as You have preserved the lily.'" Life, it's a great thing. Life molds your character.

22 Sometime ago down in the southlands where I'm from, they used to have slavery down there years ago. The Afrikaans people brought over ... the Boers, rather. And they brought over the colored man from Africa. And they would sell them in the South for slaves. Oh, it was such a sin and such a wrong thing to do. But they become so common, till they would just sell them like they do used cars on a lot, just go out and buy them. And brokers would come and buy them, and take them, sell them to make money, human beings to which Christ died for.
And it was told a story, that one day a broker came by a great plantation. And there was many slaves on the plantation. So he said to the owner, he said, "I would like to look over your slaves; maybe I could give you some nice prices."
The owner said, "Help yourself."
And he goes out to look over the plantation. And the slaves was away from home. They had been captured, taken away from mother, away from babies sometimes, mothers away from husbands, and just brought over here and used them like brutes of labor. And they were sad. They knowed they'd never see papa again, never see mama, never see the baby again. They were slaves and aliens in a strange country. They had no spirit in them to work. And they would take whips and whip them to make them work.

23 And they noticed one young slave, a young man. They never had to whip him. He had his chest out, and his chin up. He was right on the job. So quickly, the broker said, "I'd like to buy that slave."
But the owner said, "But he's not for sale."
Well, said, "He's so much different from the other slaves." Said, "Is he a boss over the rest of them?"
And the owner said, "No, he's not no boss. He's just a slave."
He said, "Well, maybe you feed him just a little better that you do the rest of the slaves."
And he said, "No, he eats out in the galley with the rest of the slaves. He's just a slave."
"Well," the owner said, "what makes him so much different than the other slaves?"
And the owner said, "I wondered that for a long time. But one day I found out the reason." Said, "You know, over in the homeland, his father is the king of the tribe. And yet he's an alien, but he knows he's the son of the king, and he conducts himself like one."

24 What are Christians to do? We're aliens. But our Father is the King, and we are sons and daughters of God. We ought to conduct ourselves like sons and daughters of God.
When I see the church becoming so loose, and the women in their immoral dressing, and the men doing, it just grieves me, because we are sons and daughters of God, and we ought to act, and walk, and talk, and conduct ourselves like that. When we get away from that, I'm afraid there's something wrong in us. We've lost the vision, who we are. Because the life that's in us is what guides us and directs us.
So thinking of David saying that "Thy loving-kindness is better to me than life," there must be two different kinds of life, or I would say like this: more than one kind of life.
And some people think that this life is just consists of carousing, drinking, or running around, or going to dances; they call that life.

25 I was conducting a meeting... I hate to go through this, because some of my friends are sitting here from Canada. But I was in Canada, and the manager of the meeting is present now also, Brother Sothmann there, where I was holding a meeting at the ice arena. And they'd put me up in the hotel. And that afternoon when I come... I'd been in Canada for quite a little while, and I didn't see the sin, and the carrying on, as we seen it here at home.
And when I went down that night from where I'd been in the country, came down to the hotel, I noticed the Americans coming over, whiskey bottles flying everywhere. And when I come in that night from church, from the service, I got on the elevator. And I'd been there for around a week; I'd never seen nothing like that.
And the elevator was sitting---all around it, whiskey bottles and beer cans. And when the boy closed the door to take me up on the elevator, I looked around. And he knew who I was, and he said, "It's rough."
And I said, "Sometimes such characters as that makes me ashamed I am an American, with such conduct as that." And he let me off on the floor, way up almost to the top.

26 And it was a certain lodge here in America was having their convention there in Canada. And when I got off the elevator, oh, the awfullest carrying on everywhere. And way up at the end of the hall there was two young women, I suppose in their late twenties or early thirties. And they just had on their underneath garment with a bottle of whiskey in their hand, so drunk, and both of them with wedding bands on. Oh, of course, they was just having a little clean fun. That's sin!
And they were trying to come down barefooted, no stockings; and just the underneath garment with this whiskey bottle in their hand there, blurry eyed; and men trying to get out of the rooms, falling over them trying to catch them like that, so drunk they could hardly get up.
And I thought, "Isn't that a shame!" But we call that in the States here, just a little time of recreation. Maybe a daddy at home taking care of the baby. It don't only to the women, the men does the same. Sin is sin; I don't care where it is; it's sin, and it's wrong, and we a Christian nation, visiting our neighbors like that, with our lodges and so forth, and carrying on in such a disgrace as that.

27 And I stopped. And one young fellow staggered across and hit his head against the other side and fell back on the floor, got over, and saying all kinds of bad things. And these young women come on down and stopped. I pulled back in a little place to watch. And these young women stopped right out in front of me. And they take each a drink out of the bottle, reached down and pulled up that little underneath skirt, and throwed their foot up, and hollered, "Whoopee, this is life."
I stepped out in the floor and caught both of them by the hand. I said, "I beg your pardon, this is not life; this is death!" The Bible said, "She that liveth in pleasure is dead while she's alive."
And there's too much of that kind of carrying on through our churches in the nations today, and yet calling themselves Christians.
That's the biggest stumbling block Christianity ever had---not the bootlegger on the corner; we know he's branded---but the hypocrite that calls themselves the Christian and live in the church with such life as that with them. It shows that they've never been acquainted with the Lord Jesus, or they wouldn't do that. That kind of life is horrible. That can't be the kind of life that David was talking of.

28 Some people think to make money: "That's life; make money, plenty of it." And after while you'll lose it, and you'll take a pistol and blow your brains out. That can't be life. That's death.
Some people think that their young gaiety, and running out, and dances and things, cutting-up, carrying-on, immoral, next morning with a headache, heartache, broke up homes. That's not life. That's death disguised. That's the wolf in the sheep's clothes. That cannot be life. That's death.
And the world's deceived by those things. But the question is, my brother, sister, tonight, what makes men and women do that if they're mentally right? What makes them do that? What makes them crave to drink whiskey? What makes the American people smoke cigarettes, when the Readers' Digest says that a hundred and thirty-three thousand is doomed this year for smoking cigarettes. But they go do it anyhow. Cancer on the rampage... Articles: "Cancer by the carload." And they sell cigarettes more everyday: "Buy a carton of cancer, a bottle of tubercular." And they seek and suck on those things for pleasure. Something's wrong. What is it? They can't help it, they say.

29 If the devil can't get you all twisted up with some of that, then he will take you and try to let you join a church somewhere to get away from it, and you're just as bad off, trying to hide yourself under some church or some creed, or some denomination. That's wrong.
But what makes a man do it in the first place? Is because when God made a man, He created him thus. He made a man to thirst.
There's a little place in the heart that nothing will fill it but God. And men are thirsting for something, and that real thirst is for God. And nobody's got a right to try to quench that holy thirst with giving it to the devil for the things of the world. You've got no right trying to hide that thirst by joining a church. God's the only thing that'll fill that up. God, the Holy Spirit, is the only thing that can satisfy that thirst. Jesus said, "Blessed are they that do hunger and thirst for righteousness." And it's God trying to get to the human heart. And the devil tries to quench that by letting them drink theirself to death, or run themselves to death, or do something else. But God created a man to have that holy thirst. And if you won't take God, then you'll have to take something else to kind of appease that calling. That's what makes a man that way.

30 God made him to be a king. God wants to set on your heart's throne. You've got no right to let the devil put the things of his makings in you. You've got no right to try to satis... And let me say this, there's nothing that will satisfy it but God. You can do what you want to, drink yourself crazy, but you'll never be satisfied until Christ takes His place in the human heart. That settles it. Then faith comes in.
A lot of people see great churches, great denominations, the intellectual world. They look around what they can see with their eye.

31 I was in a breakfast with Billy Graham, some time ago in Louisville. And he said... Took the Bible and said, "This is God's standard." He said, "I'll go to the city, and I will hold a revival. I'll have twenty thousand converts in six weeks." Said, "I go back in another year, I haven't got twenty out of the twenty thousand." And then he said, "Paul went into a city and had one convert, and come back the next year and had twenty out of that one." He said... Now here's what Billy said, with a bunch of preachers, about three hundred of them, he said, "It's you lazy bunch of preachers, that sit in with your feet up on a desk, and don't go out and visit the people." Said, "That's the reason they don't stay."
And I thought, "Mr. Graham, my gracious brother, a man who I take off my hat to as a gallant soldier of God. Yes. But Paul had something different. Paul didn't go out and visit them after his converts, because he left the city and come back to that one convert. But what he done to that convert, he led him into something that set his soul afire." Not the lazy preacher, if he had the same thing, he wouldn't be lazy like that. He'd be on the march for Christ, a burning something in his heart that wouldn't let him sit still. We just take them to their intellectuals.

32 In the garden of Eden, the devil chose a man's head. God took his heart. The devil tries to show him what he can see with his eyes. God, in his heart, makes him believe things by faith that he cannot see. "For faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen."
See, man wants to see a big place, a great something with a psychological effect to it. God isn't in psychology. He doesn't work with the mental powers. You'll never be able to reason out God. You believe God by faith.

33 Speaking at a breakfast this morning. I said the reason men go and joins churches and put their names on them, is because they're trying to bypass the new birth. They don't want the new birth. Oh, some of the theologians today figure out what they call the new birth, shake hands, and put your name on a paper, and believe a declaration of creeds. But the new birth is to be ... die, and to borned again, anew, a new creature in Christ.
Anybody knows that when a baby's born---I don't care if it's on a barn floor or on a straw-tick, or in a decorated hospital room ---it's a mess; I don't care where it's born. But what is it? It's a mess, but it brings life. And that's what we need today, is a birth ---a spiritual birth. It's a mess, but it brings life---Christian life, new life, life, that sacrificial life.

34 Some people say, "I wouldn't belong to one of those full Gospel churches. They cry and shout, and jerk their hands around, and things like that." That's all right. They may act funny, but they've been born. They may look like a mess, but they got life. That's the thing, as long as you got life. Ask one of them if he's satisfied. Watch the way he acts, the places he goes.
You know the bird by it's habits. A crow and a dove could have no fellowship; their diet's different. And a Christian can't mix with the world. A crow's a hypocrite. A hypocrite is a deceiver. A crow can sit on an old dead carcass and eat all day long, and fly out in a wheat field and eat wheat with the doves. But the dove can eat wheat, but he can't eat the dead carcass. Why? He hasn't got any gall. He couldn't digest it.
And that's the way with a Christian; the bitterness is taken from him. He couldn't digest the world. But a hypocrite can live in sin all day long, and come into church at night, and shout like the rest of them. That's a hypocrite.

35 Now, when you're borned again, you don't have to be a hypocrite; you are a new creature. The gall of bitterness, the desire of the world, is taken from you.
"Oh, Thy love-kindness is better than life, because I long to see Thy power like I have seen in Thy sanctuary. My soul thirsts after Thee like a dry land where no water is." David was a shepherd. He was a woodsman. He knew the action of wildlife.
Now, we may have some hunter brothers in here. I am a hunter. And now, down in Africa, they have the deer, roebuck. Now, when they have wild dogs... We have them here called wolves. The deer feeds usually in a herd, and there's always a watchman on guard all the time, watching. You see, usually, they'll go out and keep on the alert. And usually, it's a doe; she's watching her young.

36 If some of our American mothers just kept on their guard with their daughters like the mother doe does her little fawn, we wouldn't have so much juvenile delinquency.
Then they notice, the wild dogs come after this deer, and they slip up real easy. The leader of the pack will slip up real easy, watching where the deers are. And if they can get a deer singled out, till he's so interested in what he's doing, he will never notice the dog coming up, because the dog's smart, he will get the wind in his face ... or, the wolf. He will slip real easy. How many times have I watched them do it. And they'll slip up real easy, and they're watching. And after while, that little deer, senses in her begins to say that there's trouble near. Yet she can't smell the dog, neither can she see it. But she knows that something wrong. Because she's a deer, and she knows where danger is.

37 And there's nobody ever deliberately walked into sin without God warning them first. Something will tell you. And tonight there's a many a young girl out listening, and the wolf slipping up on her. You know, they got what they call the wolf whistle. A wolf whistle. And they'll whistling at these young girls. And they'll go out on the street and put on clothes that isn't becoming to a young lady. And shame on you mothers that'll let them do it.
Talk about the illiteracy of Kentucky where I come from: some of those old mammies up there... You let her girl go out and do that, she'd blister her from one side to the other with a barrel slap. That's right. But, oh, you think she's popular. You learn how to tap dance, and do all these little things, and put the clothes on her like that and then she comes up in disgrace, you are to blame. That's exactly right.

38 What we need tonight is old fashioned mammies like we used to have in America. We need godly praying fathers and mothers, that'll take their children before God instead of some Elvis Presley show or something.
Whistle at the girls to make them turn around. They think they're cute. Honey, if you only realized that's a hound of hell! That's right.

39 Some of you young men, a little painted-up Jezebel out there, you think she's cute. She might look like that on the outside; you ought to catch her when her face is washed; you might not think so much about her. Maybe a heart in her that's as black as the smutty walls of hell. You can't tell... Now, don't look at that. That's old and will pass away.
Look for something that's real and genuine. See if that girl's borned again. If she isn't saved, then have nothing to do with her. And you the same thing by a young man.
The trouble our ranks of Christians today is breaking down, and marrying, and intermarrying, and it's such a mess till there's nothing can straighten them out. We're ripening for judgment. God will clean the whole thing off one of these nights with an atomic bomb. And your names is written on it in Russia now. And the whole world's trembling and wondering what's the matter. The wolf's slipping up. We've flirted too much with the rest of the world, with the things of the world.

40 Now, the next thing we know, this little deer oughtn't to have wandered out from the flock where she had protection, away from the church where she could ... the Holy Spirit, through the preaching of the Word. We're washed through the water of the Word. And then if they get away, and start staying home from church and watching television on Wednesday night when you got a prayer meeting going on, right then you're on your road out. When your desires become more to see some television program than it does to hear the gospel, there's something wrong in your soul. That's right. It's true.
[One speaks with tongues; another interprets.] Amen. Now, if I understand the Scriptures right, one man speaking with an unknown language to himself, and another one interpreting it back... One man not knowing what he's speaking, the other not knowing what he's saying, but the voice is interpreted to us a call from God. That's right. "Look unto Me," He said, "all the ends... I am the healer, the One that gives life, the vision of life." He is life. Oh, how we thank Him that we have the opportunity to come to the fountain that's filled with blood drawn from Immanuel's veins.

41 This little deer, just to finish that. If that wolf makes a jump to that little deer... He's got two blood fangs. And he will grab that little deer right behind the ear. And he will sink those fangs in, and then swing his weight. And those big fangs will cut that little deer's neck. And he will make a leap and then fall, and covered over with dogs in a few minutes, wolves, to pick the bones of the little fellow.
And that's the way Satan does at it. If he can ever get close enough to you to once wrap you into there, the hounds of hell will jump right on, and pick everything there is about you off---all your morals, and all, everything you've got. You'll lay bleached and defiled before God.

42 Now, sometimes if the little deer's on the job, very smart, see the dog coming, she will jump. And when she does, the dog will see he's going to miss the ear, the jugular vein here, he will grab her in the side.
Well, that's about the middle balance of the deer. The hindquarters is heavier than the front, but the front has a neck and head. So that's about the middle of the deer. He will grab it. He will shake back and forth like that, and the deer can't run. It's out of balance and it'll fall. And then, she's covered again by the dogs.
Now, if the little deer is on to its job, and as soon as the dog grabs it in the flank, if she will jerk sideways real quick, or raise up just make a hind slide jump and not to try to run, just jump up, or jump sideways, the piece of meat will pull out of the dog's ... with the dog's mouth. Then she's got to run for life.
That's what David is speaking of. Did you ever see a wounded deer?
Down in the south, they hunt them with dogs. I think that's a bad thing. But they hunt them with dogs. And when a deer is wounded, if that deer can ever get to water, it'll live. You'll never catch it. Because he'll keep drinking water, and it'll curdle the blood, and he won't bleed no more.

43 David said, "As a hart thirsts for the water brook, my soul thirsts after thee, O God."
Could you imagine the little deer with the blood streaming out of it, and it's running, and the hounds is right behind it. And it's got its little nose up [Brother Branham imitates panting.] sniffing everywhere. "If I could just smell water. I've got to get to water, or I will die." Once to water it's safe. It's got to find water or die. David said, "As the hart panteth for the water brook, my soul thirsts after thee, O God."
When men and women get to a place that they've got to have God or die, you'll get to the water brook. That's right. If you're sick and you need healing, if you're in a desperate condition, I can say there is a fountain filled with blood drawn from Immanuel's veins, Where sinners plunge beneath the flood, Lose all their guilt and stain. It's life everlasting to know Him, not to know His Book, not to know His church, not to know His creed, but to know Him, know Him your personal Saviour, the One that fills you with the Holy Spirit. It puts life in you to walk forward. That's the life that David was talking about.
My lips shall praise Thee, because Thy loving-kindness is better to me than life. My lips shall praise Thee.

44 Let us bow our heads just a moment. I feel that message just a moment ago was something cutting me off, and saying this is the time. We're going to go to prayer.
I wonder how many in here would like to be remembered in prayer just now, if you'd raise up your hands, and say, "Remember me, Brother Branham, to God." God bless you; that's good. God bless you.
How many in here that's not a Christian, would like to have a fellowship with Christ? Maybe you've joined church somewhere. Maybe you've been even immersed in water. But yet you know that that thirsting and hungering for God isn't in your heart, but you'd like to have it there, would you just raise up your hands and say, "Remember me, Brother Branham; pray for me tonight." God bless you, lady. God bless you, sir. God bless you, lady; that's good. God bless you; that's fine.

45 Is there a backslider here... Yes, back in there, sister, God bless you. Is there a backslider here, that'd say, "Brother Branham, I've wandered away. I don't want to think I was a hypocrite, Brother Branham, but I'm really not living where I should live. If I would leave this building tonight and go home, and I'd feel my heart acting a little funny, I'd call the doctor, and he'd come up, say, 'It's a heart attack. She's dying. He's dying.' It might be that way. Brother Branham, I don't want it to happen like that. I'm not ready yet to go. I'm not prayed up with God. I want a little closer walk." Would you raise your hands, say, "God, remember me." God bless you; that's good. Hands everywhere.

46 I'm going to ask the pianist or the organist, whichever it is, to come to the organ just a moment, or the piano, one. And I'm going to pray. Is there some here would really just ... that's living with God, but would like to have a little closer walk with God, just say, "Lord, remember me. My soul is thirsting, O Lord. I'm just so thirsty, I don't know what I will do, Lord. Help me. I'm in desperate need." I want you to come.
There is a fountain filled with blood, drawn from Immanuel's veins. No other fountain, where sinners plunge beneath the flood, lose all their guilty stains. A dying thief he rejoiced to see that fountain in his day. There may I, though vile as he, wash all my sins away.

47 Let's keep our heads bowed just a moment now while the music's sweetly playing.
An old boy lay dying on the field one day, a soldier. Another Christian moved up beside of him, and said, "You're dying, buddy."
Said, "I know it."
Said, "Are you a Christian?"
Said, "I once was."
He said, "What happened?"
Said, "I don't know."
Said, "I got away from John 3:16, but it never did get away from me."
That's it, brother, if you've ever tasted the Lord is good, it'll never leave you. You may wander out, but it'll never leave you.

48 Lord, be merciful unto us, Lord. This, no doubt, will be the last time that some of us, Lord, will ever see each other on this earth. There are those here tonight that I will never look at them again until this sermon is played on God's great recording machine at the day of the judgment, and the great film will be shown, and there will be the hands up. Lord, they'll be a witness that they believed You and they want You. Now, You have said, "He that will come to me, I will in no wise cast out. He that heareth my words, and believeth on Him that sent me, has eternal life; and shall never come to the judgment, but has passed from death unto life." I know, Lord, that no one could've raised their hand without You seeing it. And they broke every scientific rule when they raised their hands. Because according to science, their hands are supposed to hang down, but there was a Spirit by the side of them, the Holy Spirit said, "Raise up your hand." And they raised their hand, breaking the scientific rule, because why? There is a life within them that's made a decision for the Creator and they've raised their hands. Receive them, Father God. And it is also written...

Thirsting for Life

You can find this sermon at ChurchAges.net

1 Let us bow our heads now for a word of prayer. Our heavenly Father, we are grateful tonight to assemble ourselves together again, and have an opportunity to speak to You, and to sing our hymns, and express to You the very adoration of our hearts; for we love You and worship Thee, and Thou art the only true God ... Jesus Christ, Your Son, who died that we might be reconciled unto God through the washing of His blood by the Word. And we pray that You'll give us a great meeting tonight. May sinners find salvation through Christ. May sick find healing through Christ. May the saints find joy and strength through Christ. We ask it in His name. Amen.
You may be seated.

2 It's so good to be back here in the building tonight to serve the Lord with you. I would like to ask now... We've give out tomorrow night as a healing service, or to pray for the sick. We don't know what the Lord's going to do. That's the reason we never announce healing service. How do we know the Lord is going to heal? It's just up to Him. And I don't think it's really up to Him; I think it's up to you that wants Him to. He's paid the price, and we have the assurance that He does it, and we know that He's willing. It's just up to the individual.
Each night, or have been, just let the Holy Spirit... I want to get something off of your mind. Each night I've been having, like, let the Holy Spirit, when He comes in and moves out over the audience and you people, you people, your own faith moves that Spirit of God to come right back and prove to you that He's here in the building. Knows the very secrets of your heart, knows your condition. Not one time has it ever failed. And never has since I've been a little boy.

3 First thing I ever saw, nearly, was a vision, to remember. I was about ... couldn't have been over two years old, and I remember it as well as if it was yesterday. And thousands and thousands of them, and not one of them but what's perfectly on the dot every time. So it has to be God. And that just shows that He's here, and here's all of His promises, and He promised He would do that just before the end time. Then we know the message is right. My message is the end time, and get the church to get right.
And divine healing, we've seen it advertised: "The blind will see, the deaf will hear, the dumb will speak." I don't know whether they will or not. I'd rather not have advertisement like that. I've always told the people, just say something good about Jesus: "We love the Lord Jesus in this community, so we're having a great revival, and we're going to expect God to do great things," and so forth. Then down at the corner, a little place, say, "Brother Branham will be a speaker." See, because it's whether He does it then. If God does a miracle, the public will know about it, see. But if I say He's going to do it, I don't ... unless He's told me He's going to do it. Then I know He's going to do it then. But if He hasn't told me, I'm kind of a little reluctant about saying that. But each night we're expecting God to do something that will just shake the people back to the place where they should be. That's what we're expecting.

4 Now, we haven't prayed for the sick, and I... If right now, if we would stand each person (if I could stand long enough to do it) and take each person down along these lines like this, and go each one, of course I'd pass out before I got one tenth of them in here done. But you can't do that. Anyone knows the Scripture knows the Scripture proves that you can't. Why, one woman touched the border of the Son of God, and He said, "Who touched me?"
And He looked around and everybody was afraid, so ... he said, Peter rebuked Him, said, "Say, 'Who touched me?' " Said, "Why, all of them's touching You."
Said, "But I perceive that virtue has gone from me." Now, anyone knows that virtue is your strength. And if one touch from a woman brought ... enough to bring a vision to the Son of God, to let Him know who it was that did it, took strength out of Him, what would it do to me, a sinner saved by grace?
Now, the only reason it's done more, because Jesus said, "These things that I do shall you also. More than this shall you do for I go to my Father." I know the King James says "greater," but it really isn't the original, see. It's "more." No one could do anything greater. He raised the dead, healed the sick, stopped nature, done everything there was to be done. It couldn't be greater in quality, but it could be greater in quantity.
So the Holy Spirit then was in one man, that was the Son of God. He had the Spirit without measure. God dwelt in Christ reconciling the world to Himself. God was in Christ. Now God is in you if you have the Holy Spirit. God is in you in a portion, but it was in Him without measurement. He had the fullness of God in Him, but now it's measured out to each one of us.

5 I was reading and teaching in my church some time ago upon Pentecost, in a little revival I had. And I've got an old Emphatic Diaglott of the original Greek translation, and it's one of the most outstanding things. I'd advise it to any of the clergymen. It's out of print, but I think you can get it in England. I'm not sure. But I have one, it's very old. And it brings it down just at the original Greek word, then it comes over on the other side and just puts it ... because in the Greek the verb is before the adverb, see, and it just turns it around so you can read it out. But you can read it right off, just one word right down, just as He said it.
And when the Holy Spirit came in the upper room, it said, "There came a sound as a rushing mighty wind. [Now, nothing was blowing, it was just like a sound like it was.] And it filled all the house where they were sitting." And then cloven tongues sat upon them like fire."

6 And how did this great pillar of fire, the angel of God, the logos that went out of God, that led the children of Israel through the wilderness... When it come among the people it separated itself, and great licks of fire begin to come upon each one as the pillar of fire began to break up, and God dividing Himself among His people.
Oh, that ought to tear the heart out of anybody! God tearing Himself apart that He might divide Himself a little bit with each one of us, that all together... You see what it means? Can you see now why I'm standing for unity of every church, every Full Gospel church, every believer? We ought to be one heart, one mind, and one accord. No matter how much we differ in the Scriptures, that might be ... one might see this that way or ... that has nothing to do with it. But in principle we ought to stand one great mighty army of God marching on, because each one of you, in your peculiarity, God has proved that He's ignoring your doctrine; because He give you the Holy Ghost, and the Bible said He gave them the Holy Ghost that obeyed Him. Now, if I obeyed Him in my peculiar way, and you obeyed Him in your peculiar way, He give us both the Holy Ghost, so we ought to be Christian brother and sister enough to arm up together and march on for one great purpose---the Gospel.

7 Oh, how I think of God separating Himself that He might dip down into His big soul and pour out a little spoonful in me, and reach over and pour out a spoonful in you, and in you, and you, and you, dividing Himself. The fire, the cleansing power of God. Then if you have a spoonful and I have a spoonful, and we both get together, we got two spoonfuls. And if fifty of us are together, we got fifty spoonfuls. Where there is unity, where there is gathering, there's safety and whatmore.
It's just twice as hard, as in the prophet's hand, the sticks to break. Two sticks are harder to break than one. And when we can come to that place, brother, if I can see that happen, I'd walk out here on top of Camelback Mountain, raise up my hands and say, "Even so, come, Lord Jesus. Take me now, it's all over." See, I'd be ready to go right then. When I can see all the different Full Gospel people with one heart and one accord standing together as one big army, it'll bring Jesus Christ to the earth just as certain as I'm standing here.
I've tried every principle that I know how. It'll take God to do it, that's all, see.

8 I have come among them, among the brethren, out of the Baptist church, and I have seen this great thing. And I have never taken sides with any different ones. Just whatever their belief is and everything, I try to stand right in the breach and say, "We're brothers. We are brothers, regardless." If we can discern the spirit of one another and realize...
If a man comes in, I don't care what church he belongs to, if he's got the Spirit of God on him, he's my brother. I don't care how great he is, and how intellectual he is, and how powerful he can speak, if he's trying to achieve the wrong thing I don't believe it's my brother yet. But it's what he's trying to do. If he's trying to save souls or do something for God, that's a brother. If he's a Jehovah Witness, he's still my brother. If he's a Pentecostal Holiness, Assembly of God, Church of God, Oneness, Twoness, Threeness, or whatever it might be, it's all my brother and sister, if we got our hearts right with God, trying to achieve something for the kingdom of God. If we're trying to build a kingdom of our own, then that's ... then God won't honor that.

9 I was just looking... The boys have probably been selling these books up here. I was just turning through it nervously a few moments ago and struck this picture of Mrs. Nightingale. I certainly remember that, when that was taken! But this book doesn't give the full detail of it. Mr. Stadsklev printed this book. Very good, very fine book. Everything is accurate because it's went through the fire and trials.
Mrs. Nightingale, now she was a relative of the late Florence Nightingale. This woman's name is Florence Nightingale, and she's a nurse, but she wasn't, of course, Florence Nightingale, the regular, original founder of the Red Cross. But she's from England, and she was a nurse, and she was a distant relative of Miss Florence Nightingale, the founder of the Red Cross. I'd first heard from her ... I was in Africa. This picture that you see in here of her is a skeleton that we had to... Brother Gordon Lindsay, when we fixed that picture, we had to put something across it there, because they just had a little rag tied around the woman, and it was very, very bad. So we put a piece of something over it, and took a photostatic copy of the picture that we might put it in a book. That's her. And she was starved. Yet over a month after that picture was taken... And here she is six months later, nursing again.

10 I'd just like to say, before I start tonight, that story. I'd like to tell you about it.
She was in South Africa, and how that woman ever knowed that I was coming to London, I don't know yet. And when the plane landed, Brother Lindsay and I and Brother Jack Moore, we got off of the plane, and Brother Baxter, and we started down. I heard them paging me there at the International Airport at London, and said for me to come, and I sent Brother Baxter. Brother Baxter come back to me with a minister, and he said, "Did you ever hear of a woman named Florence Nightingale?"
I said, "The name sounds familiar." I said, "I don't know."
And he said, "Well, they've flown her in from South Africa, and she's dying over here in an ambulance." Well, there was a great lot of people out there, and I couldn't get to her.
I said, "You tell her..."
He said, "Here's the minister, you talk to him."
And I said, "Sir."
He said, "Well..."
I said, "Is she any relation to the Florence Nightingale, the nurse?"
And he said, "She is Florence Nightingale, a nurse." And said, "But she's not the founder of the Red Cross [because she's been dead for, I guess, fifty years or more, maybe a hundred. No, I think she died about 1908 or 9 or somewhere along there.]. So this is some of her relations."
And I said, "How long do you think she'll last?"
He said, "Huh, she'd probably be dead if we went to the ambulance right now." Said, "She's dying." Said, "She's come in from South Africa." And said, "Sir, she ain't nothing but just a pile of bones."
"Well," I said, "we're going to stay, I believe they said, at the Piccadilly Hotel."

11 And King George had written, or sent me a telegram (which I have yet) from his staff, for prayer, because he had multiple sclerosis. You remember that. And I prayed for him, and after the prayer, why, he was ... he got all right and was able to go around. And so I went over there, I thought I'd get to see him there. And so when we went on to Piccadilly Hotel... The minister came and got me that next morning, and we went to his parish right behind his church, where they had Mrs. Nightingale with two nurses attending her.
And friends, I've seen lots of sights. I've seen people when their face would be eat with cancer till it'd be down here in their neck. They'd have to put a little trough here to pour their liquid in their throat here, with just the teeth and the bones, the meat eaten from it. And sights in India! I've seen lepers lay till there was not even enough for them to raise their hands, and stubs of ears, and no nose, and just turned out white, like a white wart turned inside out. Little children and everything eat up with leprosy, laying piled on top of each other. Seen little children laying starving, by the hundreds of them, through the streets, and their little bellies swelled out from starvation, a poor mother laying by them begging for one penny to help that person. That's the reason I can't... If I could beg, I could beg for them. I don't want nothing when I know of human beings that Christ died for is suffering like that. And there's hundreds and hundreds of them tonight everywhere around the world, and there they are in that condition.

12 But when I seen Florence Nightingale, she was laying there with a sheet over her, and she could hardly move her lips. Her flesh had all left from her cheeks, her jaws were sunken in, and her forehead here---it just looked like a dead skeleton laying there. The skin had dried up. That cancer had eaten her in that condition. Just taken the blood from her.
And she kept trying to say something I couldn't understand. And the nurse got down, and she said, "I want to shake his hand." And so the nurse had to raise up them bones and put them in my hand. Why, it was just like taking ahold of a skeleton. Her arms were probably a couple inches around in here. And her ... she wanted me to see her body. And they raised up that sheet, it would break the heart of anyone. Even the ring in the hip was sticking like that, just about that much from being together through here. And her legs was all blue, and I asked what that was. Her legs was probably up here near her hip about that big around. And I said... Well, here it is in the picture, where it was taken, see. And you can see what she was then after about six weeks later. And so I looked, and he said they fed her glucose until her veins collapsed.
And so then ... "Oh," I said, "my! You are a Christian?" And she let me know "Yes." And she got down again, the nurse, to see what she was going to say. And she said, "Have Brother Branham to ask the Lord to let me die." See, she just hung on till there was nothing to hang on for anymore, nothing to build to. Said, "Ask Brother Branham to ask the Lord to let me die."
I couldn't do that. She looked like she was a fairly young woman. So I said, "Let us pray."
And if anybody's ever been in London, you know it's one of the most foggy places in the world. When it gets foggy, you have to feel your way around almost. It was real foggy that morning. And that's why William Cowper could not commit suicide. He couldn't find the ocean. When he wrote that famous song, "There is a fountain filled with blood," he couldn't find the place to jump in. The cab couldn't get to the ocean for him to commit suicide, drown himself.

13 And as I knelt down to pray, the first thing, I started off prayer like this, I said, "Almighty God, creator of heavens and earth, author of everlasting life, giver of all good gifts." And when I got through with that there was a little dove flew from somewhere and sat on the sill of that window, and he was just about that far from my head. And the little fellow was restlessly walking back and forth, going, "Coo, coo." You know how they go. Well, I thought it was a pet at the house. I just thought it was a little pet dove. I'd just been in England about twenty-four hours, or hardly that long, and I thought it was a little pet dove. So I just kept on praying.
I said, "Heavenly Father, this poor woman laying here a-dying, and she's asked me to pray that You would take her life because she's beyond herself, like, and she's nothing to build to. But, God, You are still creator. You are still God." And this little dove seemed to be so restlessly. And the rest of the ministers who was praying with me seemed to stop. And then as I kept on praying, when I said, "Father, I pray that You'll be merciful to her. And if You are going to take her life, and not let her live, then let her go in ease. Let her go to be with You now. But if it be Your will that You're going to let her get well, then, Father, let her get well," and when I got through praying, I said, "Amen."
And the little dove took off through the fog again. Well, as soon as I stopped praying, the minister by me, he looked over at another minister, and said, "Did you notice that dove?"
I said, "What was that dove? Was that a pet?"
Said, "No, it wasn't a pet." The minister said, "It was just a dove that acted funny."
And I started to turn and say to Mrs. Nightingale, I started to say, "Well, I thought it was your pet." And when I did, like that, something said, "Thus saith the Lord." Oh, my, there, over almost her casket where she was laying, there was a vision of her walking along down the street. This is the picture of it right here, how she was a little later. That's what I saw in the vision. Then it come, "Thus saith the Lord, you're going to live and not die." And when I said that I thought, "Them things are so supernatural." I don't understand them. I don't know what they mean.
And I walked out. I believe it was Brother Baxter said to me, "How could she live?" Said, "God will have to create a new woman."
I said, "Well, He's able to do exceedingly abundantly above all." And six months from then, after two letters before that, here come the picture, perfectly normally healthy. Can't find a trace of cancer, and she's back nursing, and been nursing for a long time.

14 Here some time ago it come up a dispute between a writer of a magazine in England. Said, "It was a very unscrupulous thing that this woman ... that was a false testimony." I happened to have in my files her own testimony. I sent it back to Mr. Stadsklev. He photostatted it and sent it over, and she got ahold of it. And then she went to this man writing the magazine, said, "Who said this testimony wasn't right?"
See, that's where you have it. When you've got their own testimony in writing, you have it there, see.
And then the man wrote me back a letter of an apology, that he said, "I taken somebody else's word for it."
I said, "Don't never print nothing, sir, upon the basis of somebody else's word, because you see what you've done here now, see." I said, "Don't never do that."
But the testimony is absolutely the truth. We would not print it unless it was the truth. See, it has to be that way, stated that it's true.

15 So you see, the same God was with Florence Nightingale there is the same God that's right here. He's the same One, and the only thing... You don't have to wait to be prayed for. The only thing you have to do is just believe that the work is done.
If you're a sinner, you don't have to wait for an altar call. Right where you're sitting... "While Peter yet spake these words, the Holy Ghost fell on them that heard the word." They were ready. It's a condition of the heart. It's a condition of the people. Now, right now, if there is a sick person in here, you don't have to remain sick till I even read the Scripture. You can be healed right now because you are healed. The only thing the Scripture would do would be a witness to say that Jesus said it. And if the Holy Spirit would come tonight and give a great calling here, and call out different people, that wouldn't mean they were healed. It would only just lift up the faith of the people that they can accept their healing that's already been purchased for them. You understand it now? So that's what healing is for.

16 Now, tomorrow night, the Lord willing, I've wanted to have an old-fashioned night in Phoenix once again. And I've chosen tomorrow night, the Lord willing. How many remembers when I first come to Phoenix years ago? Why, there was a prayer line all the way down the street. Pulling the people around out there on the street, keeping the prayer line for a city block. I preached last night, "Don't turn your alarm off, you know. Just keep that alarm a-going, because it's fixing to break day." Now tomorrow night, for the sick people of Phoenix, we're going to have a prayer service for the sick. And we're just going to bring the people right down, lay hands on them, pray for them, and see what the Lord will do; and you come prepared tomorrow night.
How many in here would like to be prayed for, would like to come into the prayer line and be prayed for? Let's see your hand. Raise them up, everywhere you are. Going to almost have to give out cards. See, if you don't, if I get halfway down that line, and visions would start breaking, it would set some of it off... Well, far as we know the boys will be down sometime tomorrow afternoon about six, seven o'clock, whenever it is. They'll give out the prayer cards. Now we'll see then what the Holy Spirit will do when we get into it.

17 Now... Then, Sunday is the (we have Sunday night service here, don't we?) Sunday night service. Then I believe Tuesday is the ministerial service. Ten-thirty in the morning is the ministers and their wives at the Assembly of God at Garfield, 11th and Garfield is the ministers. I like to get with you brethren, you minister brethren. I like to talk with you. You're my brother, see. I love you.
You say, "But, Brother Branham, I differ with you." That don't make many difference. I love you anyhow, so let's ... I want you...
A fellow said to me some time ago, said, "Brother Branham, can't you go with this?"
I said, "I can go with you, but I don't know whether I can go with what you're saying there or not. But I can go with you anyhow because you're my brother."

18 Now, I've chosen for a text tonight, shortly, so we cannot take too much time, and be here tomorrow night for, maybe, a little late tomorrow night, all that prayer line. Let's turn back in the Psalms tonight, to the sixty-third Psalm, you that is keeping a record of the text, and so forth. And I'd like to read a familiar text that maybe you have read it before. I hope I haven't preached on the same subject at Phoenix. Maybe the Holy Spirit will take me another way on it if we do. And then we shall read beginning at the first verse of the sixty-third Psalm.
O God, thou art my God; early will I seek thee: my soul thirsteth for thee, my flesh longeth for thee in a dry and thirsty land, where no water is;
To see thy power and thy glory, so as I have seen thee in the sanctuary.
Because thy loving kindness is better than life, my lips shall praise thee.

19 Let us bow our heads again just a moment.
Father God, in this nervous hustle and bustle of life, down through the streets the cars rush, the carriages without a horse jostling one against another with lights like torches, and we see the end time approaching, and I would ask, Lord, that You would be merciful to every person in Divine presence tonight. Search our hearts, Lord, as we speak, and not only to my congregation, but my own heart also, Lord. As David said in another Psalm, "Search me and try me." And if there be any unclean thing about me, Lord, I pray that You'll take it away, that my heart might be pure before thee, that the thoughts of my heart and the meditation of my mind might be acceptable in Thy sight.
Bless everyone here, Lord. And if there be some here who doesn't know You, may this be the night when they'll find that blessed Lord Jesus, the fairest of ten thousand to our souls, the lily of the valley, the rose of Sharon, the bright, morning star, the Alpha, Omega. May He come shining in upon their life and light up the way to Calvary, that they might find Him tonight as their precious Saviour.
I pray tonight for those who are weary in the way, just about to fall out. God, let them know that this is no time to fall out, but fall in line, for the battle is on. The evening lights are falling, and soon it'll be dark, and no one can work then. We pray, heavenly Father, that You'll give us a great meeting tonight. What we mean in great, Lord, is that souls might accept Thee, and that Thy Son might be honored, that sick might be healed, backsliders brought back to the kingdom of God, and the churches strengthened by members, ministers' hearts bound together with a cord of love, that all together might get glory unto Thy great self, for we ask it in the name of the Lord Jesus. Amen.

20 In this third verse: "Because thy loving kindness is better than life, my lips shall praise thee." When I first read that, I thought it was an unusual text to take. And God is unusual, and God does things unusual, unusual things. And when I read it, I wondered what David must have been speaking about when he said, "Thy loving kindness is better to me than life." I weighed that out, wondering just what could be better than life. If we should take a trip tonight and go up into the heavens, and I'd meet Father Abraham, and I'd say, "Abraham, what is the most glorious thing that you have ever known? What is the most essential thing that you have ever known?" Abraham would say to me, "Life eternal."
Then I'll take a little trip and we'll go again. And we'll go up to the great archangel, Gabriel, who is the messenger of the covenant to the Jewish people, who stands at the right hand of God, one of the highest order of angels in the heavens, and I would say to him, "Gabriel, thou art a mighty angel. You are loved of God, and you've been here for eons of time, and you perhaps know everything in the heavens and where everything is placed, because you're one of God's right-hand angels. And you know the great secrets of the heavens. You sounded the trumpet at the coming of the Lord Jesus. You announced His first coming, and you shall announce His second coming, so you must be a mighty man ... or, a mighty angel. I want to ask you: In all of God's treasury, what is the greatest thing that you have found among His treasures?"
I can see Gabriel bring himself to attention, and say, "The greatest thing that I have found in God's treasures since He created me, is life."
God made me to live for eternal, for eternity. Life is the greatest thing that there is.

21 No matter how rich you might be, no matter how popular you might be, no matter who you might be, the greatest thing there is that any man can achieve in this earth is to achieve eternal life. Though you be king and potentate, though you rule the world for a million years as king and young man, and you fail to find eternal life, you've lost the greatest thing that anyone could lose.

22 I've often said, if I could be a young man of twenty-five years old... If God would appear on the platform tonight and say, "I will turn you to twenty-five years of age. There you'll remain for a million years, and I'll make you the king over all the universe. Everything will be at your command. Or I'll give you a hundred years of misery and woe and trouble and sorrow, but at the end of that hundred years I'll give you eternal life. But the end of the million years, you are lost."
Oh, I'd say, "Lord God, I don't have to wait any longer to make my choice. Let me have the hundred years of misery and woe, any kind of a death that You choose for me to die, only, Lord, give me eternal life." For though I own the whole world, and was king for a million years, at the end of that million years I'd become a hell-bound creature for eternity. But no matter how bad my lot is here, at the end of my life, if I've got eternal life, I'll live on in the blessed presence of God forever and forever.

23 So it bothered me when I began to think what was this prophet speaking of. Now, we know David was a prophet. So I wondered what was he speaking of when he said, "Thy loving kindness is better than life." Then I found out that life has more than one meaning.
Life has many meanings. It depends on which way you look at it. And your life is what controls you. You have your living, your moving, your being, is life. And it depends on what kind of life is within you, the way it will control you. No wonder that people cannot believe, yet they claim to be religious. Cannot believe divine healing, cannot believe miracles, cannot believe the Holy Spirit makes people to be filled with the power of the resurrection of Christ. The reason they cannot believe it, they have nothing inside of them to believe with, because your life is ... your emotions is controlled by the life that's in you.

24 Some time ago an outstanding thing come to my memory. In the years gone by, in the Southlands, they used to sell slaves, the colored race of people, the Negro that came from Africa that the Hollanders brought over and sold for slaves. It was a pitiful thing. I'm certainly with Abraham Lincoln that God never intended any man to be a slave. "God made man; man made slaves."
They're trying to make it tonight. Not only over the colored race, but the races of the world. Every man and every nation trying to take the rest of them in slavery. God made man free, a free creature under God, to worship Him.
Now, they used to take those poor people and auction them off, and have markets. Some time ago, down in Louisiana, I saw one of the original old bull pens they used to have, where they'd take those men and put them in there, and stand them on an auction block and auction them off, and listen to their heart and look at their teeth. And take a buggy whip and run them down the street, whipping behind their heels, get them running real fast, then come back and examine their heart.

25 And an old man standing there said to me, "Preacher, I was at your meeting the other night."
I said, "Thank you. I was just looking this over."
He said, "I remember when they used to do it." And he told me, said, "You know what the highest-selling slave was?"
I said, "What?"
He said, "A nice-looking girl." Said, "A man slave would start a bid of five hundred dollars or three hundred dollars." But said, "A young colored girl, beautiful girl, put up there, they'd start the bid at two thousand dollars." And he looked at me and he said, "If there is a hell, their soul is there today!"
I said, "Speaking of theirs, what about yours then? Where would yours go?" And a few days after that a minister friend of mine baptized him in Christian baptism.

26 Then when ... they used to take those slaves, and buyers would come by and buy them. And they would go out and look around, and find the big and healthy, and swap a lesser one to him or something another, just like you would a used car or something on the lot, get a bill of sales by it. Oh, it was terrible.
One day such a broker came by an old plantation where they had many slaves. And the slaves were brought over here, they were sad. They had been away from their home and never would see Papa no more, or Mama no more, babies no more, drug away and sold over here to die in this strange land. And they were sad. And many times to get them to work they'd take whips and whip them with them to make them work, always scolding them. And a certain broker came by this plantation, and he said to the owner, "Have you any slaves?"
He said, "I have a hundred and something here. Look them over." And they noticed one young slave, he seemed to be different from the rest of them. They never had to whip him. Right up, chin up, shoulders up, ready to do anything.
And he was just always encouraging the rest of them, "Straighten up. Let's work." And they wondered why.
So this broker said to the owner, he said, "I would like to buy that slave."
He said, "No, but he's not for sale."
He said, "Why isn't he for sale?" Said, "He's a slave, isn't he?"
He said, "He's a slave."
He said, "Well, why wouldn't you sell him?"
He said, "Because I don't want to sell him."
Said, "Well, I want to ask you something. What makes him so much different from the rest of them? Is he the boss over the rest?"
He said, "No, he's a slave."
And the broker said to the owner, "Perhaps maybe you feed him just a little bit better."
Said, "No, he eats out in the galley with the rest of the slaves. He's just a slave."
"Well," said, "then I want to ask you something." Said, "Why is it that he conducts himself different? Why is it that he is so different from the rest of them?"
The owner said, "I wondered for a long time, myself, but one day I found out. Over in the old country where he came from, his father is the king of the tribe." And said, "Though he's an alien and he's over here away from his people, yet in his heart he knows he's the son of a king, and he conducts himself like one."

27 Oh, I thought, no matter what we may have to go through with, if it's trials, if it's heartaches, if it's persecution, if it's to be laughed at and made fun of, what kind of a people ought we to be? We are sons and daughters of the King.
Though we be in a unwelcome world, though we be to a place where we're hated, maybe called scandalous names like "holy-roller," "Pentecostal tongues," what difference does it make? We ought to have our chin up, our shoulders out, believing God's Word, because across the land yonder our father is the King. And I think it's a ridiculous shame when I see King's daughters wearing the kind of clothes that they're wearing these days. When I see King's sons smoking cigarettes and drinking whiskey and a little drink of beer, how that's not becoming as a son of the King of heaven. "Our Father is rich with houses and lands, He holdeth the wealth of the world in His hands, of rubies and diamonds and silver and gold, His coffers are full, He has riches untold." We're the child of a King.

28 No matter how poor we are, how we have to be run over, how the world talks about you and says everything about you, it ought to make you keep your head up for the morales of the rest of them. We should never have words against one another. We should always say the highest thing about a brother or sister. If one is down in the gutter, don't never shove him any farther down. Pick him up, get him out of there as quick as you can, because it helps. We should be an example. We should live an example, like we are sons and daughters of God, the eternal King. We ought to conduct ourselves in that manner as sons and daughters of the King. We should never do nothing that would bring disgrace.

29 I was saying this the other day, and my wife sitting back here listening at me. We were going to a store to get some groceries a few weeks ago, and right in that winter time we seen a lady with them little bitty clothes on, short clothes with a little sweater around her. My wife said, "You know she cannot be comfortable like that." Well, we got to talking about it.
I said, "Honey, when I go to Germany, I find..." I said, "She's just an American, that's all." And I said, "When I go to Germany, they have the German spirit, national spirit. When I go to Finland, they have the Finnish spirit. When I go to Sweden, they have the Swedish spirit. When we go to Africa, they have the African spirit. When we come to America, they have the American spirit."
"Why," she said, "aren't we Americans?"
I said, "No, not me. I just live here."
She said, "Well, don't..."
I said, "That's the reason. They just got the American spirit. We're called religious."

30 I said to a girl one time, I said, "Lady, are you a Christian?"
"Why," she said, "I give you to understand I was christened when I was a baby."
I said, "What's that got to do with it?"
Old Brother Bosworth asked one, one time, said, "Are you a Christian?"
She was so put out she snorted, she said, "I'll give you to understand I burn a candle every night!" Like that had anything to do with it.
One of them said to me up in Mishawaka one time, said, "I'll give you to understand I'm an American."
I said, "That don't have nothing to do with it, not one thing to do with it."

31 And I said, "Honey, the reason that Christians," I said, "the Christians doesn't have any desire to act like that, because they are not really Americans. As citizenship they are, here, but they are pilgrims and strangers. Their citizenship is in heaven, and they are born from above, where holiness and godliness rules." Real Christians that are born of the Spirit of God doesn't act like that. No, sir. Oh, you can be a Pentecostal. You can belong to the Presbyterian, Methodist, Baptist Church, smoke cigarettes, drink, have card parties, bunco, dance; but if you're a Christian you won't do that. Exactly!
In my country we have oak trees. It's coming spring pretty soon now. All the leaves that was on them trees last year is still there. Now, I don't have to go out and pick every one of them leaves off to let new leaves comes on. Just let the new life come up, and the old leaf drops off. That's the same thing it is about the Spirit of God, whether you're a Christian or not. Let the new life of Christ come in and the old life dies! and you become a new creature in Christ Jesus. Oh, that's what it is.

32 Then I found out that there was two different kinds of life. Some people try to think life is drinking, having a big time. That's the spirit of this nation. "Big time," somebody ... a TV program, a lot of jokes to be cracked. Why, that makes a real Christian sick at his stomach to hear such things. A man or woman can look at that kind of stuff that we have on TV today, some of them programs, and enjoy it, it shows that it's "Ichabod" wrote over the top of your heart. The glory of the Lord has departed. And when the church loses its attraction, when it comes to a time that you have to sign cards and things to come to church, I think it's time for a prayer meeting or something to take place in the church.

33 Some time ago I was coming down a pole, and a certain minister in my city was there. And I'd been down ... just before I come into the work, and I was taking an electric light bill to a lady. And I knocked on the door, and she came to the door, a little-bitty half-dressed woman, and she said... And there was some kind of a fellow on, these wild-cat players (you know, with them fiddles and things), and was going on and playing some kind of a little song, them little rock 'n' roll jigs, or what it was. And that poor little thing went to get me the light bill, and she got so lost with that song until she forgot that I was at the door. She was dancing all over the floor, and doing all kinds of carrying-on. I just stood back and looked at her for awhile. And then when she got through, she said, "Oh, pardon me."
I said, "Yes, Ma'am?"
And she come and said, "My mother forgot to bring the bill, so here it is." She said, "I just love to dance so well that I just forgot you was standing there."
I said, "Yes, Ma'am, I seen it."

34 So a little while after that a minister met me and he said, "You know, Brother Branham," said, "I've had some of the awfullest trouble with my church membership lately." Said, "I can't get the people to come to church." Said, "You know what? I sent out for members of this church a thousand cards, and asked the people to pledge that they would attend Sunday School at least six months out of the year." Said, "You know how many responded to that thousand calls of the members of this church?"
I said, "Doctor Brown, I have no idea."
He said, "Two!" Two out of a thousand would sign that they would come for six months out of the year. At least six months out of the year they'd attend Sunday School.
I said ... I told him the story about that little ol' girl just below the hill where the church was. She might've been a member there for all I know. And he said... I said, "Do you think... ?"
When that player went off the air, she throwed him a kiss through the television or radio, and said, "Bye-bye, Honey. I'll see you out to the old [some kind of a hoe-down place] ... tonight," where they were going to have the meeting. Said, "I'll see you out there."
I said, "Do you think that man would have to make her sign a card that she'd be there? Certainly not. She'll be there if she has to pawn her shoes. She'll be there! Why? Why? Because the spirit of that world is in her, and she's a loyal member, and she'll be there."

35 And if men and women love God as much as the world loves their pleasures ... the pleasure of a Christian is serving the Lord at the house of God. You don't have to sign no cards; you can't open the door quick enough. And if the members of the church love one another enough, instead of following cliques, and pulling away from the church, brother, if you love one another so much that it just hurts your heart till you got together again, that's the way it should be. "Blest be the tie that binds our hearts in Christian love. The fellowship of kindred minds is like to that above. When we asunder part, It gives us inward pain. But we shall still be joined in heart, and hope to meet again."

36 O God, if we have to take every miracle out of the church, if we have to take all the pipe organs out, and the plush pews, give us back to that godly love, brotherly love among the people, and fellowship. If we have to do all that, take it back to that again. Life.
Oh, life! Sometimes people think that life is having a party, going to the party and having a big time. That's not life. Some people has brought it to a place to getting drunk. They get out on the street and get drunk, and they're having a big time. They say, "This is life!"

37 A writer once wrote here not long ago in a magazine (I believe I referred to it sometime here, I'm not sure), but said, "Life begins at night. Night was made for life." Night was made to rest. When the sun goes down, you lay down. Take your rest. Not prowl all night and come in at daylight and... You're not supposed to do that. Evil things prowl at night. Evil works at night. All serpents and lizards and bugs and everything travel at nighttime. That's the demon powers that prowl in the nighttime. And man has become lower than beasts.
A man is, we're told, that he is animal life. But let that man be away from God, he's the lowest of all the animals. There's not an animal in the world as low as a man that's away from God. You watch. Take the old mother hound dog, or the old mother hog and so forth, whatever it is you want to call her, whatever you wish to, but you look at her morals. She's a million miles beyond a lot of movie stars when it comes to morals. That's right. Just so degraded. Men so degraded he'd jerk a baby out of the arm of a mother and ravish that mother for beastly lust. But put the Spirit of God in him, he's a different creature because he's a new creature in Christ Jesus. He'd shed his blood to protect her. That's the difference. One's death and the other one's life.

38 Some time ago I was in Canada holding a meeting up at Saskatoon. And we'd been having a great meeting out there at the ice arena, seven or eight thousand people attending. I was with some friends one night up there in this certain meeting. I'd just left Phoenix. That's the next meeting after I left Phoenix, about three, or four, or five years ago, one of the meetings. And I went down that night to the service at the ice arena, and on my road coming home, I noticed that evening the people were crowding into this big hotel. I thought them all looked like American licenses and so forth on those cars, coming from down in the United States.
Then that night when I come in, I realized America was there in Canada that night. When I got onto the elevator it was so full of whiskey bottles and gin till you could hardly find a place to stand. And I looked in that, I said... Looked around like that, and the little operator of the elevator knew me, and he said, "They're here!"
I said, "It sure looks like it."
He said, "This place is a drunken sot, Brother Branham."
I said, "Isn't that awful?" It was some club. I could call it right now, but there's probably members of the same sitting here, so... They're all rotten anyhow to begin with. There's only one society, that's the society of Jesus Christ. You only get in that by being born. Your other societies may be all right, but the real one is Christ. That's the one that molds character and makes people what they ought to be, the society of Jesus Christ. And you only get in that by birth.

39 And then when we stopped upstairs, where my room ... I got off, my, you could hear up and down through there, all the cigarette smoke a-boiling, and dirty jokes everywhere. And I started to walk up through the hall, and I heard somebody around the corner. And it was two young American women, both of them wearing wedding bands, with just their underneath garment on. Here they come with a bottle of whiskey, staggering over one another, having a little "clean fun." Hubby home baby-sitting. There's where you get it. Just a little "clean fun" (that's what we call it). That's what all this here popular television screens and all this advertisement out here of whiskey and beer and smoking and stuff---it's the gate of hell!
I may sound old-fashioned but, my young sister, my young brother, remember that is the gate of hell. He that loves that thing shall die eternally. That's true. "The soul that sinneth shall die." "The woman that lives in pleasure is dead while she's alive," says the Bible. It's the truth.
How the womanhood, that sweet ... the greatest thing God give a man outside of salvation was a wife. She was to comfort him, to help him, to bless him, and console him, and be a real companion to him. And today it's so degraded and demoralized, why, the Hottentots of Africa could come here and teach our women how to live moral. That's right.

40 In Africa there's a tribe of them back there that if a woman isn't married by a certain time she has to get out of the tribe, and if she is married... And before she's married she has to be tested for her virginity. If she be found guilty, she has to tell the man that's done it and they kill them both together. Be a lot of killing around the United States if that took place, wouldn't there. Think of it! Heathens. It's a disgrace! It's a stain on that flag that our forefathers fought for! It's a disgrace to our nation.
And when the womanhood is broke, motherhood in any nation, the backbone's broke. God give us old-fashioned mothers again.

41 I got a piece of paper that was in our paper there, our local paper, that showed that three out of every four soldiers that went overseas during the other war was divorced six months after they were there, by their wives. Went to work in powder plants, so forth like that. Now, if a man is sick and his wife can't work, I mean he can't work, I don't blame his wife, has got to make a living. That's right. But if she's just out working to have a little extra money, you better keep her away from that scalawag bunch that she's working with out there. Her place is home. That's her ... she's supposed to be at home.
And mister, you might call yourself ever so good, but if you've got lodges and other things that calls you away from her at night, you ought to be ashamed of yourself. God gave you a home to ... for cherish and comfort and things like that. And it's a shame to see the way men does their wives and wives do men. The womanhood and fatherhood of the nation is tore to pieces. Divorce courts filed full.
Jesus said it would be that way: "As it was in the days of Noah, they were marrying and giving in marriage until the day that Noah entered into the ark." It's a sin and a disgrace. Don't call me that kind...

42 As Jacob said in his death, when he called to his two sons that had killed that man, he said, "Far be my soul from your wrath, for in your wrath you slew a man." Even his own sons. Said, "Let not my soul come near your wrath."
And I say that in my death, "If this spirit that's in America, if that's what I'm to be judged by God, keep me as far away from it as can be. Let me have the Spirit of Jesus Christ, the Son of God. Let something happen in me, no matter what has to take place!"

43 People are afraid of the new birth. They're afraid of it. Now, any birth, I don't care what level it's on, it's a mess. You take if it's out here in a pig pen, any birth, makes a mess. If it's in a pig pen, if it's in the cow stable, if it's in a pink decorated hospital room, I don't care where a birth takes place, it's a mess. And the new birth is the same. It'll make you do things that you didn't think you'd do. You might cry, boo-hoo, and rub around on the altar. No matter what you do...
I've never asked God... It wouldn't do no good to try to bring the new birth to my level. I want to meet God's level of the new birth, and receive it, I don't care what I have to do! Someone said not long ago, "I'm afraid to receive the Holy Ghost. I'm afraid it would make me speak in tongues like them others." I don't care if I spoke in tongues, talked in tongues, crowed in tongues, or anything else, I want the Holy Ghost. That's the main principle. I don't care what level it is. I'll meet God on His level. What He wants to say is right. There's where I want to stand.
That new birth that changes a man, changes a woman, changes their desires, changes their appetites. Wrestle with God until you can hold on until the blessing comes. Then God will change you like He did Jacob (supplanter), to Israel (prince). The new birth.

44 These women walked down through there and they had a man drawed up, a couple of old men run out and tried to grab them. They missed them and struck their hands down behind them like that, one grabbed by the heel, and she sprawled out in the floor and spilled some of her whiskey. This other one took and poured some more in the glass, and this old man was so drunk he couldn't get up off the floor. Oh, having a nice clean time. Just a little fun.
That's what breaks up homes, that's what spoils children, that's what makes neurotics, that's what makes teenage delinquency, is when motherhood and fatherhood is broke! That woman raised up this bottle, she pulled up that little underskirt, as much as she had on, kicked her little leg up in the air like that, and hollered "Whoopee!" She said, "This is life!"
I couldn't stand no more. I walked out there, and I said, "I beg your pardon, that's death!" I said, "The devil has deceived you. That's death."
She said, "You want a drink? Come on, Honey, take a drink."
I raised out this same Bible here, laid it out before her. I said, "I'm a Gospel preacher." And they started to drop the bottle. That makeup stuff all over their face and eyes and everywhere. Their lips supposed to be down here, and painted plumb up around their nose, and all that kind of stuff, and that blue stuff running down their eyes. I looked at their hands, and wedding bands on. I said, "Aren't you ashamed of yourself? I'm an American citizen too, but," I said, "you disgrace the nation."
"Oh," said, "we didn't mean nothing by it."
I said, "You don't mean nothing by it? And you're both wearing wedding rings." They started down the place like that. I grabbed them by the hand---they was too drunk to get away from me---I grabbed them by the hand. I said, "Look, women, let's kneel down here and pray to God that He'll have mercy on your sinful souls. Go get you some black coffee and sober up, and go home to your children and babies."
Life. Life? It's death.

45 That's the kind of life David said that "Thy loving kindness is better to me than life." Oh, my heart thirsts after Thee, O Lord. I long to see You in this dry thirsty land like I have seen you in your sanctuary [Gap in the audio].
... climb a high tower or jump off into a river or flatten yourself on the street or take carbolic acid to end that kind of life. That's not what David was speaking of. That kind of life has an end, and the end is disastrous, but ... that kind of life has no good end to it. But then I just want to ask the audience this question for a moment. Then what makes a person do that?
Now, you take ... I went to a party one time where ... it wasn't a party. It was whether we'd sold lamps, campaigned (and they give a little speech), and we went over there to find out, at Louisville, Kentucky. And the service company that I worked for, I'd sold more lamps than the whole company had, any of the rest of them. So they give a little time over there, we had a little dinner. And then after it was all over, they moved back and they had some dancing, some girls come out to dance. When they did that, my boss said to me, said, "Billy, go stand back there at the door. We're going to have a little clean fun."
I said, "What kind of clean fun?"
He said, "Would you mind standing at the door?" Said, "I know you don't believe in dancing, but these people are going to dance."
"Well," I said, "can't I wait outside?"
Said, "Suit yourself."
I said, "All right." And when I started back a little ol' girl run out like that, and run out on the floor begin doing this kind of crazy-looking acts and going on, her little ol' skirt flying around. And I thought, "That's some mother's girl." And I stood there at the door just a minute and looked out. I thought, "O God, really a pretty little girl, isn't it a shame? Make some man a idol. Some good preacher maybe a consolation, or some good workman that come in at nighttime to a little castle, where they'd have the little babies they could pick up and play, and really have life right." That's ... maybe her mother might've been a Christian.

46 And she started running around grabbing each man, and she run back to me, and said, "You want to dance?"
I said, "Yes, Ma'am, I sure do."
And she said, "Come on," started out on the floor.
I said, "Just a minute." And I held her, and she was too little to get away from me. I held her by the hand, I said, "There's one thing that I always make a practice of." I said, "Before I always do anything, I always pray. Will you pray with me? Bow down." I held her hand, she couldn't help it. We broke that thing up there in a few minutes! Sure.
The old jazz band stopped, and they picked up their instruments and left. I said, "Mr. Hanson, you could fire me if you want to."
He said, "No, Billy, you done the right thing."
That's it. That ain't life. It's two different conceptions of what life is. One has suicide; the other one has rapture. Oh, rapture divine. Let that life fall on me.
But what makes a person do that? There's some reason. Why?

47 Now listen close. The reason people do that is because God made them to thirst. "My soul thirsts after Thee like in a dry land." Thirsting. Well, God made a man to thirst. But you see God made a man to thirst, to thirst after Him. He wants to thirst after God. Now, the devil tries to satisfy that thirst by the things of the world; and he'll never do it. Now, if he could take and make you thirst after dancing, make you thirst after the televisions, and rock-and-roll and all these other sinful things...
Now, I don't mean to condemn all television programs, nor all radio programs. If you want to look at television, watch Oral Roberts. He's got a good program. Watch that, that's okay. I'll endorse that 100%. Billy Graham, Oral Roberts, or some of that, that's fine, or anything that's decent and moral. But all this nonsense of this drinking.

48 And here the other day... I'm in a tax dispute myself of the money that I've spent in these meetings. The government said it ought to be mine alone, I ought to pay taxes on all that. I said, "How do you think that?" I said, "It went through my church and paid for these meetings."
Said, "Oh, it was yours before it was the church's." And they were going to arrest me for it.
And I said, "I want to ask you something in the name of all decency." I said, "You put on these programs at night. I've spent thirty-two years of my life across the nation, around the world, trying to make it a better place to live in, trying to break up crooks and make them honest men, try to take children from the cradle-size and put them in the church, and the things for right. I've spent my life on earth to try to do that, and the money that I've used out there, you're trying to tell me that I owe it." And I said, "Then you'll let all this old nasty vulgar programs come on of television, and whiskey company and tobacco companies, which is killing the nation and making rape, murder, and everything else, juvenile delinquency, that's tearing the nation to pieces, and they write it off as advertisement." I said, "What have we got left?"

49 There's one thing we've got, and that's Christ. Sure. The beer companies and everything you see advertising that, that's government taxes, they're writing it off. But let me try to write it off, say, "Well, I had a meeting at Madison Square Garden, they took up so much." I have to show every penny of it. "And then we paid this out for the auditorium."
"Yeah, but the people give it to you. It was yours, you have to pay income tax on it." There you are, see. Then you call it justice up over the courthouse doors. Not in my books it isn't. Not in this Book it isn't. That's right.
We've give Caesar what's Caesar's and God what's God's, that's true. But this world is so crooked till they're even examining the examiners. Why, it's pitiful. The neurotics are examining the neurotics, and the psychiatrists taking care of the psychiatrist. Why, the thing's corrupted, it's gone to eternity; but the kingdom of God shall stand forever.

50 Listen, you'll never satisfy that longing. You go out and get drunk tonight and paint the town red, tomorrow morning you got a headache and a dread. You'll break up your home, you'll ruin your life, you'll throw it to the dogs, as it was, but there's only one way to ever satisfy that. And I'll tell you now, you listen to this, you the people, young or old, how dare you to try to take the things of the devil to hush that blessed holy thirst that's in you? How can you ever take pleasure of the world, or whiskey, or drinking, or big times and luxury, to ever satisfy that blessed holy thirst that God give you to thirst after Him?
Some people, even the devil's got so bad till he lets them join the church to satisfy it. Oh, yes. People go and join the church, say, "Well, I'll put my name on the church book and I'll..." The church is all right, but let me tell you, friend: joining the church will never satisfy that holy hungry thirst. That's the place that God comes in. And nothing else can fill it until you're filled with the Holy Ghost. Then the Holy Ghost comes into your heart, He is the everlasting fountain of God, He's the inexhaustible fountain of life. You just receive Him and drink from Him the rest of your life and all ages. God made that place in here for Himself. You're thirsting. What for? For Him. He wants you to thirst---thirst after Him.

51 David was a woodsman, a shepherd. He talked in the terms of shepherds and woods and so forth. In another Psalm he wrote, "As the hart panteth for the waterbrook, my soul thirsts after Thee, O God." Now, I'm a hunter, and I hunt the world over, about. Now did you ever see a deer wounded?
"As the hart thirsts for the waterbrook, so my soul thirsts after thee, O God."
Now, in Africa, Brother duPlessis, his country, they have wild dogs there that catch the deer. And if you get a deer wounded, if he can get to water you've lost your deer. As long as he can get to water, he'll find water, he'll go back this way, walk down, walk up the branch, and fool the dogs. Come back around, come over the hill, come back behind them again, walk into the branch, drink some more until enough of that cold water clots the blood, and he can live. But if he can't find that water, he'll die.

52 So is it.
I've watched many times, the wolf after the deer. And if he can catch a little deer out to itself, that's the one they work on. There's a lesson. If he can catch a deer away from the herd, then that's what the devil wants to do. To you young ladies, he wants you to go out with a boy that's not a Christian. To you young men, he wants you to go out with some little painted Jezebel that's not a Christian. That's where he wants to break you up. That's where he wants to sock his teeth into you. And this little deer get out to itself, away from the herd, that's the one the wolf works on.
And to you old men or women, when you separate yourself from believers... People say, "I can stay at home and be just as good a Christian as I can at church." You can't. The Bible said not to forsake to assemble ourselves together, and that much more as we see the time coming. If you're a Christian, you long to go where other Christians are, and fellowship with other Christians. So you cannot stay away from church and live the same life.
You can't do it because... It's like, "I'm hungry, but I'll never go to a table. I'll just ... I'll never eat, I just ain't going to do it." See, you've got to go and feed on the Word of God, and fellowship one with another. We need one another more now than we ever did need each other ... is now. When you get yourself singled out from the rest of them, making yourself just a little different, you don't want to associate with them because they believe this, and don't want to associate with that, you're getting on dangerous ground right then, keeping away from church. Find the one of your choice and remain there and be a Christian brother to all of them. That's the way to be a real Christian. Then we got fellowship, protection, people love you and pray for you.
That's the success of my meetings is because real godly people pray for me. That's it. That's the reason success in my meetings. When I come in and introduced these things about the visions and things, there's a many old mother and dad, sister and brother, sitting out there that believe that with all their heart. The Holy Spirit drops right down on them then. If they didn't do that, I'd have no way of doing it. No matter how great it would be for myself, it has to be for you the same. We have to be a unit, two of us together, to make the contact with God---you as a believer and myself as a believer.

53 Now, then when this little fellow got himself out, then the wolf comes up. He watches ... the dog watches the deer, and he keeps getting closer and closer. The little deer begins to feel kind of excited. A many a person has sat under a meeting, sat in preaching, felt, "You know, that might be me. Maybe I ought to do this, maybe I ought to come to God." That shows that the wolf is right on you.
Now, when the wolf makes his great dive towards the deer, now the first thing a wolf has two fangs. It's called "blood fangs." If they can catch the deer right behind the ear, there's a blood vein there. And it's an artery, right behind the ear. They throw their teeth right into them, just like a snake, and they swing their weight right down. And when it does, it cuts the deer's throat, he's finished. That blood vein will start spurting blood, and he won't run fifty yards until he's done. He just bleeds hisself to death, the blood spurting right out, his life is gone. How many precious boys and girls, men and women, has the devil caught off of guard and done that to? Such a pity.
"As the hart thirsts for the waterbrook."

54 Then we notice if the little deer is quick, jerks his head up, spies the wolf coming, he can turn. And when he does, the wolf has got one more place to grab. That's right in the flank. Now, that's the middle balance of the deer. The hind quarters is heavier than the front quarters and it takes the middle here to make up the weight. Now, if the wolf will grab, if he tries to hit these ribs, he'll miss it. If he hits in the flesh here, it will do no good. But right in the flank there, if he can grab his mouth right in there and take a good hold, and that deer half balanced like that, he can throw the deer to the ground. And if he doesn't, he jerks a whole mouthful of flesh out of the deer, if he misses his throat.
If he hits the throat, the deer is done. But if he grabs it like this, and if the deer is quick and jumps, twists itself sideways, he jumps, he throws ... before the wolf can swing himself to throw the deer down, the little deer catches that swing, and jerks a whole mouthful out. And when he does, a big place comes in there then, and the wolf fell to the ground, and the little deer is a jump ahead, he can outrun the wolf.
Now, that deer just runs as hard as he can go. And as hard as he can go, still, he begins to bleed, bleed. His blood is a-losing.

55 Oh, how many tonight in Phoenix is bitten by the hounds of hell? Their precious life is fading out because they've... They're looking. Hole in their side, something happened to them, let somebody come in their life, something happen. A man went out with another woman, or a woman with another man, or they taken a little sociable drink, they wanted to be like the Jones' next door, or something. That's when he grabs you. A little twist, then he's got to find water. That's what David said, "As the hart thirsts for the waterbrook, so my soul thirsts after thee, O God."
And that little deer out there, bleeding, trembling, and thirsting, he'll throw his little nose up. I've watched them many times. He'll smell [Brother Branham pants like a deer], he's smelling for water [panting]. He looks, the hounds is behind him [panting]. If he can find water, he'll live. If he don't find water, he'll die, because he's getting weaker and weaker. Now when that deer ... he's got to get to the water or die.

56 And when you get to that place, my brother, where sin has cankered your life into such a place that you've got to find the waters of God, till you've got to get to "that fountain filled with blood drawn from Emmanuel's veins, where sinners plunged beneath the flood lose all their guilty stains"; if you're so thirsty that you're breathing for the water, "O God, where is it at? I must find Jesus or perish," something ... you're going to find Him. God will place the water at Beersheba that Hannah found for the baby, God can create a fountain right by the side of you.
Maybe a cancer has got you eaten, maybe you're bound in a wheelchair, maybe that heart's about ready to quit beating, the doctor looked at it, said, "It can't be long," maybe tubercular has about got you, that demon has grabbed you and chewing you up, until you've found that fountain. If you're thirsting for it, "Blessed are they that do hunger and thirst, for they shall be filled." My precious friend, tonight, let me say to you as your brother and one that loves you, if you have a need tonight, if there's ... if you've been bitten physically or spiritually by the devil's hounds, get to the water just as quick as you can. There's a fountain open tonight in the house of God, the city of David. It's for the unclean. You may dive beneath that fountain, lose all your guilty stains. I recommend to you the blood of Jesus Christ, while we bow our heads.

57 Thy loving kindness is better to me than life. And because Thy loving-kindness is better than life, my lips shall praise thee. O Lord, that I might see You, as I have seen You in Your sanctuary. May I see You in this dry, thirsty land. My soul thirsts after Thee, O God.
Thirsting, thirsting, trying to find some place to drink. Are you here tonight, person, man or woman, boy or girl, that has never drank from this fountain? You've been bit by sin and you're thirsting tonight to be healed? If you are, would you raise up your hand, say, "Brother Branham, remember me in your prayer. I now..."
God bless you, sir. God bless you. God bless you, lady. God bless you. There is a fountain filled with blood drawn from Emmanuel's veins. Back over here to my right. God bless you, young lady. God bless you, young man. That's good. God bless you. That's wonderful. Just think, friends. See that thirsting in you, have you given that over to the enemy, to the things of this world? Have you just tried to satisfy that with, say, "Well, I'll go downtown and buy new clothes." That isn't it. You need... Maybe you need new clothes. That's legitimate. But when you just make that your idol, of how you must be so spic-and-span all the time... Maybe it's your home, maybe it's something else that's taken that place and that thirst and calling that ought to be God. God is that satisfying portion.

58 I'm going to ask you to do something. If you believe that God hears my prayer, if you've got confidence in me as your brother, and if you have need of that, I wonder if you'd come down here and believe that...
I was just talking to a lady. She met me today in the restaurant. She was telling me about Brother Outlaw, I believe it was, bringing me to her bedside when she was dying with TB. She was healed. The doctors had give her up, and she was healed. Later was healed in another meeting of cancer. Her little girl laying dying with leukemia. If the lady hasn't testified, I had Brother David to tell me about her ... get her to testify. And the little girl with leukemia, the last stages, done fell down to twenty-something pounds, and today there's not a trace of the leukemia. Oh, my!
About a man here last night said he couldn't get into the meeting, and I believe he found out where I laid my hat back there, and he said, "I can't get in, but, Lord, I'll just touch his hat." He had TB and was healed.

59 If you believe that God... Be simple. The Holy Spirit is so simple, just follow it the way it goes. And if you believe that God hears my prayers, and you've really been bitten tonight, somewhere along the line... You got a temper that just makes you fly loose, that's the devil. He bites you. He'll poison your experience, just like sulfuric acid. It'll kill you and you'll be lost. If you want me to pray for you, would you come stand here so I can put my hands on you, while we stand. If the organist will go while you're praying, and with your heads bowed: "There is a fountain filled with blood drawn from Emmanuel's veins. Sinners plunged beneath the flood lose all their guilty stains."

60 God bless you, sir. Come right up here. That's good. Would someone else come now, while we're waiting? Come up here and stand. God bless you, lady. That's good. Stand right there, my brother. Want to come down and lay hands on you just in a minute. Now, all right, brother, if you'll give us a chord on that: There is a Fountain Filled With Blood.
There is a fountain filled with blood (God
bless you, my brother. Be right with you.)
Drawn from Emmanuel's veins,
And sinners plunged beneath the flood
Lose all their guilty stains.
Lose all their guilty stains.
Lose all their guilty stains.
Won't you come right ahead now? Raise up, you that's bitten. Are you thirsting for something real? Are you thirsting for an experience with God? Come now, right here, let us pray and lay hands on you right now.
The dying thief ... God bless you, sister. Come right out, and walk down here around the altar, now. Stand right around here just a moment for prayer. God bless you, sir. Come right on. Takes a real man to do it. Come right down here.
Wash all my guilt away.
Wash all my sins away,
Wash all my sins away.
And there may I, though vile as he,
Wash all my sins away.
E'er since by faith I saw...
Won't you come now, the rest of you come right down, stand around here a moment now? You that's been bitten, wants to be healed of that bite of the devil, come right down now. Now is the time to receive Him.
Redeeming love has been my theme
And shall be till I die.
And shall be till I die.
And shall be till I die.
Redeeming love has been my theme
And shall be till I die.

61 Now, as we are gathering, come right down, won't you? I wonder how many ministers are in here tonight, how many ministers. Would you raise your hands? Look at the ministers. Bless your hearts. I'm going to ask you, come down here just a minute and stand with me. I'm coming down to lay hands on these people. Now they'll want a church home after this, they'll want to be baptized by Christian baptism, and you'll want to invite them to your churches. And we want you to come down and stand with us here, as we pray, in just a moment. And then we're going to have prayer for the sick, too, just in a moment. Just remain, the sick people, in your seats.
Now, I'm going to ask the pastor here, Brother Shores, if he'll stand here and lead us in a song real quietly while the rest of you bow your heads. I want to lay hands upon our brothers here and sisters that's come to consecrate their lives. They've been bit by the enemy and we're going to lay hands upon them that they... And I want you ministers to do likewise. And then we're going to pray the prayer of faith for these people.

62 Now, you that's standing here, no matter what you have ever done... Now, surely you people know here that I'm telling you the truth. God vindicates that. I'm telling you the truth because it's the Word. The Holy Spirit comes and moves. A few minutes ago, instead of making a line of discernment like I was planning on doing, something at the end moved and said, "There are those that are bitten." How do I know that one of these standing here isn't a gospel minister after awhile, how do I know that some of these young women, so forth, down here might be missionaries heading for the field? How do I know who they are? Might be another Billy Graham, it might be another Sankey, Moody, Finney, Knox, Calvin. How do I know? Only thing we do is cast the net in, and then draw it. The Holy Spirit draws.
Jesus said, "If I be lifted up, I'll draw all men unto me." My friends, standing here at this altar, the real, the real Christ who heals the body, heals the soul. Now, while we're praying, everyone with your head bowed, you lead us in a song. [Brother sings "Jesus is Passing This Way."]

63 While we're in the spirit of prayer now, I want the ministers now to come up close to these people. Each one is standing around the altar here now, just confess all your wrongs: "Lord, the enemy has broken me down, but tonight I'm standing here for one purpose, know that I'm a person that's dying, know that my life is burning out, and I have used it, and the thirst that I really should have given to You, I've turned it to different things. Forgive me, O Lord. Clean my heart, and clean my thirst, and may I turn it to You, O God, and from this hour on drink from the fountain of life freely, because God has invited me to this fountain."

64 And now to you out there in the audience that's sick and needy, would you just raise up your hands? I'm going to ask you to do something, as I did last evening. Lay your hands over on each other now. Just put your hands on one another. I heard such good reports since last night, from the meeting. Now while I'm praying, I want you each one to receive your healing, believe it with all your heart, believe that it's going to happen tonight. God didn't just promise to hear my prayer, He promised to hear your prayer. "The prayer of faith shall save the sick, God shall raise them up." Physically sick, spiritually sick, no matter what your sickness is, the blood of Jesus Christ cleanses from all.
"And these signs shall follow them that believe. If they lay their hands upon the sick..."

65 Now we're in a unity, we're in an agreement now, we're Christians, the Holy Spirit's here, that great angel of God, that pillar of fire that you've got the picture of right here, that same angel of God is right here now in this building, right here. If you are believers, and will wipe all the must of unbelief away from you, all the doubts away from you, and will believe right now... Now don't pray for yourself, pray for the person you got your hands on, see. You pray for the next man. He's praying for you, and you be praying for one another, and while I pray for you, that'll make the chain here, and God will heal every person here. There will not be one sick person left in our midst if you'll just believe.
Every one of these people here that's up here around the altar. I look here and see this Indian woman, I believe, moving up here. Remember last year, the year I was here, the little blind Indian girl receiving her sight up on the reservation. How I remember those precious Indians up there, how that God healed among them then. And you're here now. God will fill you with the Holy Spirit and give you exceedingly abundantly. Now you ministers bow your heads and pray with me. Everywhere, now, everybody, with one accord. "When they had assembled together they prayed with one accord, and the place was shaken where they were assembled together, and the Word of God went forth with boldness."

66 Heavenly Father, as a servant of God I bring this audience into Your presence, praying now that You'll break every power of Satan, every unbelief. These precious people standing here has been bit by the devil's mad dogs, and they are needy of Your healing power. May they hold onto the mad stone, the stone Christ Jesus, until all the poison of sin has been pulled from their souls and all the sickness has been pulled away from their bodies. May they stick to the stone of God until they're perfectly free.
Let the Holy Ghost fall in this building now upon every heart and every believer. May the power that raised Jesus from the dead now come into force in every one. Let them know that You're God, the great healer that never can lose a case. Thou art God forevermore. I commit them to You, Lord.