One time mowing my yard, and there was... I'd went around to the back. People coming and going, I couldn't even get my yard mowed. And the weeds was growing up in the front, when I was in the back. And I took off my shirt; it was summertime. And I--I took off my shirt. And I was mowing with a power mower. I forget about a big nest of hornets. I don't know whether you know what they are up here or not, hanging in the corner. And with my shirt off I hit that fence; in a second's time I was covered all over with hornets. Don't never hate. Love, love is what conquers. And instead of trying to hate those hornets, and them humming all over me, two of them would kill you. One of them would knock you to your knees. Sure. Three or four of them on you, you'd die. And there I was covered over with not even a shirt on. Instead of--of hating those hornets, I loved the little fellows. That sounds juvenile, but's true.
And I said, "Little creatures of God, I'm sorry I disturbed you, this is your home. But I'm a servant of God, and I'm praying for His sick children, and many are waiting. I haven't time to play with you, run on up in your nest right quick in Jesus' Name, and leave me alone. I won't bother you no more."
And God, my eternal Judge knows that they formed a circle and went right straight back into their nest: love.
I've had it in Africa, they was standing there, witch doctors standing and challenge. Don't you never make a statement there, unless you know what you're talking about. Drink blood out of a human skull, and cut themselves, and things. And stand there and challenge, and speak the Name of the Lord Jesus and see them fall prostrate on the ground. That's right. See them go in, standing, trying to hypnotize me. And went over there, he was going to make me bark like a dog, and standing out there trying to do something like that. I felt that strange spirit, while the anointing was on; I looked around. I said, "You child of the devil. Why do you do that?" I said, "Cursed be you; you'll not move from your seat in the Name of Jesus Christ for the glory of God." And he paralyzed, setting there in the seat and they packed him out. See?
You have to watch what you're doing. You're not playing church no more. That's right.
And setting on a porch, talking, I happened to notice at ten o'clock in the day, coming up the road come an old opossum. I don't know what you... I guess you have them here. You do have here in this state. Now, anyone knows that knows conservation, a opossum is blind in the daytime. They prowl at night. And here it was ten o'clock, come up dragging his leg, like that. And I said, "That opossum," he passed about four or five houses, coming from the woods over from me, right up the lane. And I was the only one had a fence, but he come to my gate, turned in, started walking up. I said, "That opossum's got rabies. See? It's... That's what's the matter. It's gone mad. And now, there's old yard rake laying there, Mr. Wood setting there, Mrs. Wood was there present, the milkman was standing there talking to me, Mr. Gilmore, a friend of mine, the two boys, all of them setting there, talking. And I'd been teaching to them.
A young colored girl, the day before had had a baby, and took it, and wrapped it up, and smothered it to death, and dropped it in the river, like that. And we was talking about what a heart that was in that girl.
And so I went out there and took a rake and threw it over the opossum, and usually they do what you call, 'play opossum,' they just lay down and grin. Instead of this, she kept squirming. I looked at here. And this is a... I don't mean to turn your stomach, but the flies had blowed her all over, and maggots was all over her, and her leg was drawed back, just to swell way up that. Either a car had hit her, or the dogs had got a hold of her and mashed her up.
I said, "Oh, she's hurt." And I happened to notice she was trying to get up. And when I noticed, she had nine little naked babies about like that, little baby opossums. And I said, "This is more of a mother than that girl was, though she's a dumb brute." I said, "She hasn't got maybe a half hour to live, but she'll spend that half hour, fighting to protect those babies." I said, "There's more morals to that opossum than there is to that girl." That's right. And I was teaching the boys from that.
And just that, just as soon as I let the rake up, she took right off as hard as she could, and went right up to my step, right by my step where you go up, and laid down and exhausted.
I went up and punched her. And she wouldn't move. And so, she... The little babies were trying to nurse that milk from her. They said, "Why, she's dead."
And I said, "I don't know. I don't think she's dead." And I punched her again, you can just see a little grin-like come on her lip, you know, like that. And I punched her again.
Mrs. Wood setting there, she's kind of a veterinary, Mrs. Wood is. She said, "Brother Branham, the only humane thing to do with this now," said, "them little babies will die." Said, "There's only one thing to do, is take and finish killing the opossum, and then kill the babies." Said, "Because they're too little to put on... Little bitty things about that long," said, "you... Said, "They're--they're going to die." And said, "Then and they'll just starve their little theirselves to death." And I said, "Mrs. Wood, that's right, but I can't kill the opossum."
"Why," she said, "Brother Branham, you're a hunter." Said, "Go get one of your guns and shoot them."
And I said, "I'm a hunter, but not a killer." I said, "I--I can't kill those little baby opossums." To see that poor mother struggling till she come here and laid down. I said, "I haven't got the heart to kill that mother and them babies laying there like that."
She said, "That's right." But said, "The humane thing to do, Brother Branham, think of the little things, that old milk coming from that dead mother there, why, they--they it's just going to kill them anyhow." She said, "Let Mr. Wood take them and kill them."
I said, "I just can't do it, Sister Wood." And I wouldn't let them do it.
She laid in that hot boiling sun all afternoon. There she laid there. That night we went out, and we was riding on the road. Mr. Wood said, "Well, now you've ministered enough today, Brother Branham, we better get you out to rest your mind a little." And we was riding around on the road.
And I seen a little old dog, laying there. My wife saw it first. [Blank.spot.on.tape--Ed.]
The dew was on the ground and there she was laying there. I said, "Well, I guess she's gone." I punched her a few times, and shook her foot like that. And that old leg laying back like that, and green flies all over it, and everything. I said, "My, my."
My little girl, Rebekah, the one that's just begin to see visions, just about that high. She come out. And she said, "Daddy, what are you going to do with that opossum?"
And I said, "Honey, I don't know."
And she said, "Oh, that poor old mother, trying to live for those babies. Why..."
I said, "Yes, honey, that's--that's pitiful."
Said, "Is she dead?"
And I said, "No, she isn't dead? I--I still believe she's got life in your, 'cause you watch real close, you can see her side quivering once and while, where she catches her breath, kind of like that: never moving but just in her side. And so, I said, "I believe she's still alive." I said, "Honey, you better go back to bed. It's too early for you to get up."
And I went in and set down in the room. And I was setting there, like this, rubbing my head. And I said, "Well, I don't know what to do."
And a Voice, spoke to me. I don't know; it's up to you to believe it, if you want to. It's up to you. But a Voice, audible Voice spoke and said, "She's laid at your gate for twenty-four hours like a lady, waiting for her turn to be prayed for."
I said, "I didn't know that."
And said, "Well, she come up there, and she has laid, and you haven't prayed for her yet. And she's waited and waited."
I said, "Well, I didn't know." I thought, "Where am I... Am I talking to myself?" I thought, "Where's that Voice?"
And I went out to where the opossum was. I said, "Dear Jesus, if You with Your omnipotent power, I know that You're concerned about even a sparrow that couldn't fall to the street without You know it. And this opossum don't even a soul; it's an animal. And if You directed that old mother opossum up here..."
And He said in there, also, "You used her yesterday for a sermon and told what a real mother she was. And here she wants to live for her babies. And you haven't prayed for her."
And I said, "God, if--if that's You speaking, I'm sorry, the ignorance of Your servant. I didn't know the--the opossum laying there for that." I said, "Lord, if it's... for You--for me to do this, I pray then in Jesus' Name, Father, that You'll give the opossum back her life." And I no more than said that, and here's truth. That opossum raised up and looked at me, gathered up her babies, back in her little... The opossum and the kangaroo is the only two animals that has a--a pocket they pack their young. Gathered up her opossums, walked out there just as good as any--any opossum could walk, turned around to me, as if to say, "Thank you, sir." Right down the road she went, right over to the woods, happily to live with her babies.

William Branham, Sermon "The Inter-Veil"
http://www.en.branham.ru/read_prop.php?date=56-0121