E-1 [Brother Boze speaks—Ed.]…?… Thank you. You can be seated if you will, friends. That's… Very happy to be here this afternoon to see the faces of God's children looking at me here, and to have the privilege of speaking to you again this afternoon. This is my second afternoon service that I've ever had in all the days of—of my ministry. Usually the manager and some of them have the afternoon services.
And I didn't really know I was coming to this one till just awhile ago when Brother Joseph called me. The… Mr. Moore told me, said, "Say, you know you got to preach this afternoon?"
I said, "Why, I didn't know that—just who that they'd given out."
E-2 He said, "You're given out for this afternoon, so you better get over there." So away we had to come. So I'm—I'm very happy to be here at any time that I can do something for the Lord. And I've had a little rest, so a afternoon doesn't hurt me to come out and speak.
I'm not much of a speaker, so I feel kinda a little backward of trying to do it, or trying to take one of the speakers place. But I've always called myself the spare tire. You know, when you got a flat, then you use a spare. But we haven't got no flat now. See, we—we—we got's plenty of ministers here, but I'm—they just put the spare on today, maybe again to have it.
E-3 Is that about right, Brother Ryan? I just thought it was. And so we're all one happy big group of God's children, together working. I see they got the books here and the—the picture of the Angel of the Lord. I… Folks, I am not a book salesman or a picture salesman. I don't do that. These books, we try to get them out, just as…
Well, I have never knowed of ever making a penny on the books. knowingly. Because if poor fellow come up, and he hasn't got no money, he gets a book anyhow. And he gives so many of them away. And then there's so much… You have to sell them at a close margin, and you lose a whole lot of them.
E-4 And some of them gets those, what silver fish in them and when they're setting around. Our country down there is kind of… Not this time of year, not this time anyhow, damp, but it could stand a little of that. But it's usually… We lose so many of them, till in the average you don't make on books. You can't even break even on them.
But if it wasn't for the Message that was in them, I wouldn't even have them. And we didn't sell them Sunday because I refrain from that, of selling on the Lord's Day. And I've always done that. Not as I don't say it's all right. Brother Bosworth used to get at me all the time, said, "You're selling something that might bring Eternal Life to people."
E-5 Well, I—I, that… Brother Bosworth is perhaps right. See? But it's not a superstition, but I have got by so far without it; so I don't think I have to, so I just let it go. Now, this little picture, I guess they have told you the—the write-up on it. It's in this book here, a photostatic copy of it.
And then the picture of this same Angel is in this book also. But it wasn't so authentic. It's just a newspaper reporter shot the picture of it here. If you'll notice, there's a man just about with his head down like he was blinded, like that. I was standing speaking that night, Camden, Arkansas.
A congregation just about the size of this auditorium, maybe about three thousand, something. And it was a basketball floor, like. And I think they had two or three balconies or something, or… I forget; it's been several years ago, about seven years or eight years ago when this happened.
E-6 And I was just speaking, and seeming like I couldn't get the—it over to the people about what I was talking about, about the Angel of the Lord. It was new then, the… This great move of God had just—just starting then. And the people were setting listening, and I looked; I said, "I won't have to speak any longer of It, here It comes."
And It come moving up through the building, like that, over the heads of the people. And as I stood there, it settled down, and the newspaper reporter was there taking some reports. And this Mister, minister that run up to shake my hands, he just—just caught him in that condition there. And he just bowed his head, and it just settled down like that. And the anointing had just come for discernment.
E-7 And that's where it was; you can see it. That's… I know it's in here because I have seen it several times. But it's never—never been taken by—so it would be so authentic as it is here in the picture. And the picture is not mine. It's—it belongs to the Douglas Studios of Houston, Texas, which is a member of the American Photographer Association.
And one night in a debate with a Baptist minister who had challenged me to a debate and said I wasn't nothing but a impostor and should be run out of the city, and so forth… Several thousand people gathered for the hearing. Mr. Bosworth took him up on the challenge. And after they'd got through the debate, they asked me if I would come, dismiss in prayer, and I went.
E-8 I said, "I am sorry that they debate these things. Christianity is not a debate; it's something to be lived." And I said, "I never…" The man kept calling me a healer. And I said, "I have never said I was a healer. I've never said I could heal anyone. I've always said that God is the Healer, and I'm just His servant to pray for the sick."
And I said, "I do claim a—a Divine gift from God that can understand and know things and tell me things that was and things that is to come." And I said, "That's undisputable; it can be proven any time." See, I said, "That is undisputable. If that's what…" I said, "I only speak the truth. And anyone knows that God would never recognize an error. He will not have anything to do with an error."
And that was way back years and years ago. I said, "But if you speak the truth, God will take—will honour the truth. He said He would. And He would honour the truth." I said, "If I speak the truth, then God will speak for me."
E-9 And I no more that said that, till here He come, before many, many thousands of people. And they shot the picture of it, and there it is. And then the George J. Lacy of the fingerprint and document, one of the best in the world, taken the camera, the place and everything and day… two or three days he went through all, and seeing if it was a—a double exposure or was something… He put it through all kind of lights and treatment, so forth.
It's all in here what he done for it. And he said that the light struck the lens; the supernatural Being was there. And it's the first one in all the world that has ever been proven, absolutely scientifically proven that was a supernatural Being had—was photographed. Now, you could go to Washington, if you wish to.
E-10 Here some time ago, you all noticed they had the picture of, said was taken by someone, of Jesus holding His arms out and two planes coming over. You seen that in the paper. But the man admitted it: he painted the picture. It wasn't so. You see? And he admitted it; it was in the—the "Reader's Digest," that it wasn't so.
But this picture here, not because, dear Christian, that—that I had—I—I… It's not me. I just happened to be standing there; that was all, so… But that is the picture of a supernatural Being. And to my opinion, if you notice it's a Pillar of Fire. Go back in my books, for even years before this was testified, look back there at the time after time It appeared.
E-11 Look in the little book, the first one I written called "Jesus Christ the same yesterday, today, and forever," how the big newspapers of Louisville, Kentucky, and all, said, "A mystic light appears over a local Baptist minister while baptizing."
When He stood down there and told me right there before at least ten thousand people, that this thing that was coming to pass, said, "Your ministry will be as John the Baptist was, was sent forth as a forerunner of the first coming of Christ; your ministry will be the bringing forth of the second coming of Christ."
E-12 And—and there… And I didn't even know what it was talking about, knowed nothing about it. But look at the move that's on today. See. There it's done it. How could I, a seventh grade education, illiterate, I… when I've… In them times when I would try to read the Bible, I couldn't do it. The girl that I married, my boy's mother, would set at the platform and read the Bible, my text for me, 'cause I couldn't even read the Bible (That's right.), couldn't even read It.
E-13 And I'd… I remember my first sermon. I preached on, I believe the first sermon I tried by myself was in the little local Baptist church. I preached on, I believe it was, "Samson, the Mighty Man." And I tried one by myself, and I thought, "Well, I'll just try to preach it as I bring it off." And it was John 14. And I said, "Read, honey."
She said, "Let not your hearts be troubled."
I said, "You hear what It said."
And so, said, "You believe in God, believe also in Me."
I said, "Do you do it?" Just as she… That's the way I preached my first one. Brother Ryan, you can almost remember in those days, and when it taken place. But now, I've still got a long ways yet to go, friends, but I still love the Lord Jesus. And the same Lord Jesus that appeared there on the river that day, that's His picture there. [A man gives a testimony of the Light that appeared the night before—Ed.] Yes, that's… Thank you.
Now, someone might say, "Brother Branham, do you think Brother Boze's testimony's right?"
Absolutely.
"Well then how could… I was setting here too and I didn't see it." That is true. It could be all possible that you could set right there and maybe two… one setting on either side of you could see it and you couldn't.
E-14 Look at the star that led the wise men. It come over every observatory and everything else, and no one seen it but them. It was just given for them to see it. Look at Paul when he had the vision, was knocked off of his horse, that fell off his horse or whatever, when he was on the road to Damascus. See? See, it's just given for some to see and some cannot see. That's exactly right.
So when we all get to glory, when the days are over… I'm going to make this statement. I believe it with all my heart. We're re—read in the Bible that it was a Pillar of Fire that led the children of Israel from Egypt into the promised land. Is that right? And that Pillar of Fire was the Angel of the Covenant. Is that right, teachers? And who was the Angel of the Covenant? Jesus Christ.
E-15 And He's the same then, yesterday, today, and forever. Is that right? What does it mean? He's still leading the Church. He's the Angel of the Covenant. The Covenant was written with His own Blood, and He went into the Presence of the Father packing His own Blood. Is that right?
And—and now this is the same Holy Spirit. And they said… George J. Lacy said, "It looked like an emerald light, a burning with flapping flames like that, as it whirled around and around like that. Looked like it was going in a circle a whirling around."
Now that, It looks to be about that big and probably that thick. Practically every night when I… Frankly, right now, I can tell you now that we as—as I'm preaching today to dying men as a dying man, that I… That isn't standing five feet from where I am right now. That's right.
E-16 Now, the way that it happens at night, I just submit myself to It and have a way of doing it, of submitting myself that I am no more, It is. See? I go out, It comes in. And It couldn't stay on me long, 'cause I—it would just—I don't know what would take place. But then It'll move back. I can tell It's near me, standing somewhere.
Then I'll be talking to the patient, then maybe again I feel It coming like that; It'll just move down over me. And that's when the visions are seen. Then It'll go away again. Then I—I can hear myself talking, but I don't know what I'm going to say. And I… And then that's the way it happens.
E-17 And I'm very thankful. I don't expect everybody to believe that. They wouldn't even believe the Lord Jesus, so I—I—I can't expect everybody to believe it. But I can only testify what's truth. And if I go out of this world today, Christian friends, my testimony is true.
Thousands times thousands has literally seen it with their eyes. The Church throughout the world has recognized Its ministry, not mine, Its ministry, how It's done and what It's done, blessed of the thousands, and sent men out across the world today on fire for God. That's right. It has done it.
The scientific world can't say that but what it's so. There it is right there on a—a… George J. Lacy said, after submitting the picture, he said he had oft times said that—heard of my meetings and has heard people say that, and he said it was psychology. He said, "But," when he called me up, he said, "the mechanical eye of that camera will not take psychology." That's right. The mechanical eye of the camera won't take psychology.
E-18 So the scientific world has to say it's the truth. Now, we may be a illiterate bunch of people. That's right. I am, I am I know. But here's one thing that… I—I—I'd rather have favor with God and be called a holy-roller, or fanatic, or whatever they want to call me, and have favor with God to know that He's standing here this afternoon, than all the wealth Chicago's got or all the glory that the world has got.
I'd rather be standing right here now a holding this picture and telling you what that is and know that He's standing right here within five feet of where I'm standing right now. I'd rather have this feeling and consolation that I have right now, than to be king over all the earth for a million years. That's right.
E-19 Now, I am happy. I get tired. I get physically wore out. I have difficults, things that an ordinary person doesn't have. You can imagine how Satan fights at me day and night, all the time. Cast those demons out and they haunt at you. You see? But all those things there… I have a battle that no one knows about.
But I love people. I love them with all my heart. And therefore, people know that. And I have never let my ministry get to a big place, to where it would look like it would be big. It might—it might go to my head. My ministry's been kept little. And I deal with a few people and about time the crowd gets built up, I move off somewhere else, and just go somewhere else. Because my—my whole motive is this: to please my heavenly Father. That's only thing I have to do, is to please Him.
E-20 And I—I desire the prayer of all you. That always within my own sight, Lord keep me little. See. That… it's… where I can be to where He can use me. I want to a place to where He… when the angelic beings come out together He can say, "Well, I know My servant William Branham will mind Me." That—that's what I—I want Him to do.
And then that day… I've often wondered… I'd loved to have been standing there that day when He stretched out His arms and said, "Come unto Me, all ye that labor and heavy laden, I'll give you rest." I probably never will hear that, but there's one thing I am looking to hear, someday to hear Him say, "It was well done, My good and faithful servant."
E-21 That's—that's the Voice that I long to hear. If He will only let me move into His Kingdom, and then go up close enough that I can lay my hands on His sacred feet, or something like that, that'll be all right. If I can just see Him…
Here sometime ago I was speaking at the Business Men's meeting. I believe it was right here in Chicago. And an old darkie down south by… He got saved one night. And he was out the next morning saying, "I'm free; I'm free," telling all the other slaves.
And the slaves said, "Why…" wanted to know what happened.
He said, "The Lord Jesus made me free."
And the owner of the slaves come by and said, "All right, Sambo, at your work."
He said, "Yes, master, I—I didn't mean to take any of the time."
Said, "I hear that you said you was free."
He said, "Yes, sir, master." He said, "The Lord Jesus set me free last night from the—the slave of (I mean,) the burdens of sin."
And—and he said, "Well, I want you to come by my office after while." And after a bit he came by the office. He said, "I want you to say that again. Did you tell me at that meeting last night that Jesus Christ made you free, that you was no longer a slave to sin?"
E-22 He said, "Yes, yes, boss, He did. He made me free from sin and death last night."
He said, "Then, Sambo, if Jesus Christ made you free from sin and death last night, this day I set you free from slavery (That's right.) so you can preach to your brethren."
The old man preached for many, many years. When he got ready to die as an old man, he was called in all… a lot of his white brethren come in to see him. And the old fellow had went off in a coma. And they thought that he was dead. And after while he looked around; he seen them all standing there; he greeted them all again.
And he said, "Oh, I just got inside." Said, "Why did I come back?" And said—said, "I was standing inside the door." And said, "I was standing, looking, and an Angel come up to me and said, 'Sambo, are you ready now to receive your crown and your reward?'"
He said, "Crown? Reward? Don't talk to me about crown and reward. I don't need them. Just let me stand and look at Him for a thousand years; that's my crown and reward."
E-23 That's the way I think we all feel this afternoon. I don't care about rewards. I don't care if I have a shack or what I have. Just let me see Him Who is the unseen One here today, and all the rest of life will… Everything else seems so little when I think that someday I can see Him.
E-24 In the church we used to sing an old song:
Oh, I want to see Him, look upon His face,
There to sing forever of His saving grace;
On the streets of Glory let me lift my voice;
Cares all past, home at last, ever to rejoice.
That's our feeling this afternoon. That's my motive of being here in Chicago this afternoon, and in this meeting, is to try to get my brethren out here… after knowing His Presence being here, is to try to get them to believe Him.
E-25 Now, I wished I was a forceful speaker, like maybe, Brother Jaggers, or Brother Roberts, or Billy Graham, or some of those men, where they go preach their sermon and go home and that's over. I can't; I'm not a speaker. I… The only thing that I can do… God has give me something else to win His children to Him by, and that's praying for them.
E-26 And I honour my brethren. How I honour and think of Brother Roberts, and Billy Graham, and men like that who go out and win souls for Christ. I—I just admire them; they're God's servants and I love them. Brother Jaggers, and Brother Coe, and all of those brethren who has those great ministries, my heart… I pray for them constantly.
The other day when I heard that our Brother Billy Graham had a kidney block, and was laying in the hospital or something in Germany and…?… courage… Said, "I'll preach if they have to pack me down there on a stretcher."
I stopped my car. I was driving along the road, and I stopped my car and I said, "Dear God, move it off of the man, so he can go down there. He's Your servant, and he's there trying… We're all one big realm of Protestant believers. United we stand, and we must stand together in the power of the resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ.
E-27 We might different. Billy might say, "I don't… Brother Branham, I don't believe your Divine healing." He might. That wouldn't make me think a bit less of him. He's my brother just the same. That's right. Some of the other brothers might say, "Brother Branham, I don't agree with you." That don't make any difference. We're all trying to see His lovely face. And we're human; we might different.
If—if I was going to buy an automobile this afternoon, I might buy a different car from what Billy Graham would. He might argue his car, and I might argue mine, but we're both in cars; that's all necessary. So I think as long as we're in Christ. Amen. That's all…?…
E-28 Now… Just… I kept you so long yesterday afternoon and preached last night, and I guess you're kind of getting tired of it… so… of so much of mine. So we'll try tonight to make it just as short as possible. And I just kinda read over in the Scriptures here. All morning long we've been very, very busy. Brother Moore, the manager here knows that, that we just been very busy taking recordings and everything, and meeting, little conferences and so forth.
And now, just had a few moments time, maybe ten minutes to pick up the Bible, and look through the Bible, and say, "Lord, where would I talk to them people this afternoon?" And now, I don't know what to after I got up here. So I just opened up here, and I had this sticking here on a—a—a subject here in the Bible. It was either Jesus stilling the waters…
E-29 I got a little old Scofield Bible that was given me several years ago, and down here is the maniac of Gadara. Now, I can talk from either one of those the Lord wants me to. So we'll read something about the maniac from Gadara, just for a few moments and see what the Lord would have us to know in here. Mark the 11th, Mark the 5th chapter.
And they came over unto the other side of the sea, into the country of Gadara.
And when they were come out of the ship, immediately there met Him out of the tombs a man with an unclean spirit,
Who had his dwelling among the tombs; and no man could tame him, no, not with chains:
Because that he had been oft times bound with fetters and with chains, and chains had been plucked asunder by him, and the fetters broken in pieces: neither could any man tame him.
And always, night and day, he was in the mountain,… in the tombs, crying, and cutting himself with stones.
But when he saw Jesus far off, he ran and worshipped Him. (That was strange, wasn't it?) He ran and worshipped Him,
And cried with a loud voice, and said, What have I to do with Thee,… Thou Son of the most high God? I adjure Thee by God, that Thou torment me not.
For Jesus had said unto him, Come out of the man, thou unclean spirit.
And He asked him, What is thy name? And he answering, saying, My name is Legion: for we are many.
And he besought Him much that He would not send them away out of the country.
Now there was nigh unto the mountain a great herd of swine feeding.
And all the devils sought Him—besought Him, saying, Send us into the swine, that we may enter into them.
Now, may the Lord add His blessings to the reading of this Word. Shall we just bow our heads while we pray?
E-30 Now, our kind heavenly Father, we thank Thee this afternoon for mercy. We thank Thee, that Jesus, Thy Son, has redeemed us from sin and we are now Thy children. And we pray that Your blessings will be upon us. Forgive us of our sins. Many are setting here, Father, perhaps, just come in today. Some of them are in dying condition. Unless they can get to You, they will perish here on earth.
And, Father, we need them. They are believers. And I pray that something may be said in the reading of this Word, or something may be said by Thy servant, that will cause them to have faith in the vicarious suffering and death of our Lord Jesus Christ, Who redeemed them from this sickness. And may this be a great evening—or day of service.
E-31 And give us an outpouring, the exceedingly, abundantly tonight. May the power of God be here to make the blind to see again, the deaf to hear, the dumb to speak, the cripples to walk. Lord, we pray that You will manifest Yourself to us in a great way. And love us and care for us, Father. For we ask it in the Name of Thy dear Child, the Lord Jesus. Amen.
Now, I'd just like to think of the Lord Jesus. Always, I like to put all the emphasis I can on Jesus. Someone said not long ago; it was over here in Illinois, another city, said, "Brother Branham, you just say so much about Jesus. You brag so much on Him."
I said, "Well, He's worthy of all the bragging I could do, or anybody else could do."
Said, "Well, you just—you just don't… Why don't you talk about some of the other characters of the Bible?"
I said, "He's about the only One I know anything about, is-is Him."
E-32 And I just love to talk of Him, and I believe Him. And in this day when He's thought of among so many people as just a—a good Man… Some of them said, "Well now, He's just a Man." Well, I admit He was a Man. But He was more than a Man.
And some of them said, "Well, He was a—He was a prophet." Yeah, that's right, but He was more than a prophet. And He was God. Jesus Christ was God manifested in flesh. Jehovah God, His Father, overshadowed the virgin Mary and formed in her a blood cell which made the Son, Christ Jesus.
And at the baptism… He lived as a man until He was baptized by John, at Jordan. And immediately after His baptism, John bare record seeing the Holy Ghost coming from heaven and descending in him, and going upon Him.
And before that time, John heard a Voice in the wilderness that told him, "Upon whom thou shall see the Spirit descending, and remaining, that's the One that'll baptize with the Holy Ghost and fire."
And Jesus said, when He was here on earth, that, "I do nothing of Myself; it's not Me; it's My Father, and He dwelleth in Me." See? Now, the Bible said that, "God the Father was in Christ the Son, reconciling the world to Himself." See? So He was more than a Man. He was a God Man. He was not a God man, the God Man.
E-33 He was God made flesh to take away sin. That's the only way it could be. God had to suffer. And God couldn't suffer the penalty of His own judgment unless He was made flesh. Because God is immortal. He's a Spirit. Jesus said in Saint John the 4th chapter, "God is a Spirit, and they that worship Him must worship Him in Spirit, in Truth."
And a spirit could not suffer death that the spirit had pronounced. And the Spirit did not send a prophet to take Its place. The Spirit did not send a good man to take Its place. The Spirit came Itself, in flesh, to take the place of It. That's right. God taken the place of a sinner, and died in its stead.
E-34 And if I pronounced penalty upon everyone in here if they looked at that Light, and somebody looked, and I didn't want them to die and I wanted to redeem them, I could not ask my good friend Brother Moore to take the place. I could not ask Brother Joseph to take their place. And I would be unjust if I asked my boy setting there, Billy Paul, to take the place.
There's only one way I can justly do it: that's take the place myself. That's the only way I can do it and justify. And God is just. So God came down and formed a body, built it Himself, a tabernacle and… that they made Him. "But howbeit, the most high dwelleth not in tabernacles made by hands, but a body has Thou prepared Me." That's right.
E-35 God made the own body that He dwelt in. And that body was His own Son, Christ Jesus. "God dwelt in Christ, reconciling the world to Himself. No man has seen the Father at any time, but the only begotten of the Son has declared Him." Is that right? That's wonderful.
And today… Now, I know some of you dear Christian Science people would disagree with that, but He, and only that, through the offering of the Blood of Jesus Christ is man saved and healed, the only way it can be done, friends. And Jesus, when He was here on earth, He was an example of what God will be when He returns in His Son, Christ Jesus, when Jesus returns.
E-36 The Holy Spirit is here now on earth, but Jesus Christ is setting at the right hand of the Majesty on high, above all Angels and Archangels and all, and has received a Name that all the family of heaven and earth is named after Him. That's right. That's our Lord Jesus Christ. So I certainly believe Him.
A lady, a Christian Science lady said to me, the same lady was talking to me; she said, "Brother Branham," said, "you say about Jesus being so great and all like that." Said, "We… He wasn't no more than just a Man."
I said, "Yes, He was."
She said, "I'll prove it to you by the Bible that He was just a man."
I said, "Oh, sure."
She said, "If I can prove to you He was only a man, will you accept it?"
I said, "Yes, ma'am."
E-37 Well, she said, "In Saint John the 11th chapter when Jesus went down to the grave of Lazarus, the Bible said, 'He wept.' And a immortal cannot weep. He wasn't God 'cause God can't cry."
And I said, "Lady, your argument is thinner and weaker than the broth made out of the shadow of a chicken that… [Blank.spot.on.tape—Ed.] to death. You just absolutely haven't got nothing at all." I said, "That—that has nothing to do." I said, "He was a man, but He was the God Man." I said, "It is the truth when He went down to the grave of Lazarus He was weeping. He wept like a man going to the grave of Lazarus, but when He stood there and said, 'Lazarus, come forth,' that was more than a man." Yes, sir.
E-38 A man had been dead four days and the skin worms crawling through his body, laying there in the grave rottening… And a… the… Why, corruption knew its master; the soul knew its Maker. And a man that had been dead four days stood on at the Voice of Him. That was more than a man. Yes, sir.
He was a man when He was out on this little boat we're going to talk about in a few minutes, out there stormed about that night like a little old bottle stopper. Ten thousand devils of the sea swore they'd drowned Him that night. Why, He was just a man, tired, laying there in the boat and the waves bouncing Him around from place to place.
E-39 That was a man laying there asleep till even the waves wouldn't wake Him. He was tired, physically worn out. That was a man. But when He did wake up, walked over and put His foot on the brail of the boat, looked up and said, "Peace, be still."… And the mighty storms folded their wings and went to the bottom of the sea, hushed it and rocked it to sleep there. That was more than a man. Yes sir. That was more than a man.
He was a Man when He come off the mountain that morning, looking around on that tree for something to eat and like that. That was a man. He had a stomach like we have. He had an appetite like we had. That was a man that was hungry, wanting something to eat, and looking for something on a tree. That was a man. But when He took five biscuits and fed five thousand, that was more than a man. Isn't that right? That was God in His Son.
E-40 He was a man when He died on Calvary for a sacrifice, bleeding, the blood running out of Him like a mortal, spit hanging all over His beard. And He was a man disgraced, standing there hanging in shame, taking our place. He was a man when the pains got so great till He cried, "My God, My God, why hast Thou forsaken Me?"
That was a man there, but when He rose up on Easter morning He proved He was more than a man. Yes, sir. That was God that raised Him up on the Easter morning. Yes, sir. He was the God Man. He sure was. Went about doing good, taking on Himself the form of a peasant.
He never come as a king or a potentate. He was born, come by the way of a stable door and went out through capital punishment. That He was, humble, meekly, low. Come in the world with a black name hanging on His name as a illegitimate child. That's right. Bore all kinds. He was a fanatic. He was called Beelzebub, the prince of the devils and everything. Yet humble, meek, opened not His mouth.
E-41 He set His face to do the will of the Father, and that's what He did. That's right. And He accomplished the work. And then you and I are going to be called holy-roller, fanatic, insane, everything else. We're going to be called everything that could be thought of.
But we got one motive, that's set our face to do the will of the Father and stay with it. That's right. Let the world say what they want to, that's up to them. But we've got one thing to do; that's to obey God.
Some people said, "Why, Brother Branham, that's of the devil." I don't care how much they…?… said, Jesus was of the devil. They said He was Beelzebub. That don't bother me. They can just say anything they wish to. And say, "Well, what do you wait here, and you won't come here, and you won't come there?"
I'm waiting to find out where God wants me and then I go do it. That's right. That's the best way to do.
E-42 We find Him here now, never out somewhere gadding about on nonsense and everything. He was always about the Father's will, doing the Father's business. And I see Him here that night crossing the sea. And oh, my. The waves a roaring. And why did that man take that chance after setting teaching all day and healing the sick?
And we find Him now out in a little ship, coming across the sea. Because over in another land, in Gadara, one soul was calling for Him. Think! Across the sea in a mighty storm. All through those dangerous perils as He went that night, to save one soul and to heal one person. He come from one side of the lake through the storm, all night long to the next day, to storm that great tide that night, to heal one person.
E-43 And I'll say this, my brother, He'd come from glory this afternoon to set any one of you free. That's right. He will come down through every church and every critic and everything else, and every fanatic and everything else, to you, to heal you this afternoon, to make you right. Don't you believe that? Yes, sir.
Just let Him find one sincere heart that He can get into, that's… He will come any time, any hour of the night. I'm so thankful that we have a doctor that'll come any time. Oh, I'm so happy for that, to know that He's my Refuge and Strength, the very present help in the time of trouble."
I remember here some time ago, as you all know that I kind of a a person of nature. I love to go out into the hills and look and go hunting, and so forth. Not so much to hunt the game, but just to be out in the mountains. I remember being… And I thought I was a real woodsman. Nobody… My granddad was a half Indian and he lived in the woods, and I thought, "Well, I'm like my granddad, he… Why, you couldn't lose me nowhere. I've got instinct enough to know just where I am at all times."
E-44 God has to take you off your feet sometime to let you know that you don't know. We have to depend on Him. And one day way atop the Adirondack… I just taken… My little boy, Billy back there, was just a little bitty fellow then. We was in a little old lean-to. The ranger hadn't come up yet. We was going to go bear hunting. I said to the wife, I said, "There's a group of deer that goes down here in the giants." I said, "I want to walk down there today."
And I got out and there come up a storm. And you know in the New England states when the storms come, the fog comes and you can't see nothing. And I… I'd just shot a deer, and I was going back up. And I said, "Well, I'll go back up and get to her." 'Cause I told her I'd be in at two o'clock.
E-45 And I went up along, going up a little branch like this, going along. I kept walking, walking. I thought, "Well, say, I ought to be getting up towards the place to turn off in a few moments." And I happened to look up and I was right back to my deer again. Well, I thought, "How did I miss that?" I kept walking again and walked about thirty or forty minutes and I was right back at my dear again.
Now, the Indians call that the death walk. You're walking in a circle, but you don't know where you are. And the fog's so low you had no markers or nothing. And then I seen I was caught. And I said, "Well, I must take some course." I thought, "When I come, the wind was in my face, so I, perhaps, better keep the wind right in my face and go this way."
E-46 And I started that way, and I thought, "Oh…" I kept getting… I, why I couldn't see hardly as far as the wall. And those great tall trees swaying. And I thought, "What can I do?" And I was walking this way, and I thought, "You know, my wife she's young and in that lean-to, and it's almost zero weather. And that little baby boy of mine, they'll freeze to death tonight. She'd scare to death to be in these wilderness, about twenty-five mile from any road or any thing."
I said, "It'd scare her to death to be here alone, 'cause there's a mountain lion we seen over there this morning, and she'd be scared of that." And I said, "I don't know what to do." And I started moving on, and seen that I was all mixed up. I didn't know where to go. And I kept hearing Something in my ear saying, "I'm the Lord, and I'm a very present help in the time of trouble."
E-47 And I said, "Looky here, William Branham, why, you—you know more—more about the woods than to get nervous now." Why, I… Many of them die every year like that, get a fever and then you die when you get lost. And I said, "Why, you know more about the woods than that."
And something kept telling me, "That baby will perish; that wife will perish; and you'll perish here in this woods." Now, if it'd been ordinarily (my wife not there), I'd have found me a place and built me up a fire and wait till the storm was over, a day or two, and I'd have went on out.
So, but the wife in the woods and the—and the baby there, so I just didn't know what to do. So I kept walking, and I could hear a Voice saying, "I'm the Lord, and I'm a very present help in the time of trouble." So I just set my old rifle down against a tree; I pulled off my hat and laid it down. And I looked up, I said, "Heavenly Father, I'm not no woodsman." I said, "I was mistaken. And, Lord, I can't—I can't do nothing without You. And I'm lost, absolutely lost."
E-48 And you don't know what a feeling it is, till you are lost one time. And I said, "Oh, I'm lost, Father. I know I'm going wrong. I don't know which a way to turn. And there's only one way I know to turn, that's heavenly, and look to You, Lord, and ask You to help me get out of here. I'm not worthy that I should live; but my baby and my wife, I want them to live, Lord."
And I said, "I pray that You'll help me get out of here, will You, Father?" And I raised up and I was weeping a little and took my hat and shook it off. It was kind of damp on the grounds, some snow. And I put it on my head; I picked up my rifle. I said, "Now, the best of my knowledge, I shall go this way." And I started that way again; I felt a hand lay on my shoulder.
E-49 And I turned to look, and just as I looked, I seen Hurricane Mountain, this way. I was going exactly backwards right into Canada, right like that. And I stood there and just held my course like this. And I thought, "Oh, thank You, Lord." And for about the next three or four hours I climbed just in that direction, not moving at all, watching, going just as straight as I could to that place, and holding my course.
And then I knowed I was on top of Hurricane Mountain, the tower was up there. And the ranger went up there every fall, and I'd helped him take the lines down, but the lines wasn't down yet. And I knowed there was a line there somewhere. And I was thinking; I was holding my hands up in the dark, walking like this, knowing that the telephone line, two strings of wire, that I'd touch it somewhere. And I was holding my hands up, walking.
E-50 I thought, "If I'd only touch that line." And I stopped and looked way back, and it black and snowing and blow—the wind a blowing. And I thought, "Yes, that's right, I've held a straight course now." And I thought, "That's it. One day I was lost in sin. That's right. And when I looked up one time when I was going the wrong way, a hand pointed me to Calvary."
And I set my course like that. And I'm walking now with my hands up, "Lord Jesus," I thought, "there's only one thing I could do. If I don't touch that line, I'll still… My family will perish this night. And yet I'm trying to go." I thought, "Lord, that's right, let me touch the lifeline too, as I'm going."
E-51 And after while my hands hit something. I clasped them; it was the telephone wire. I could hold that telephone wire and go right down the mountain, and they was right at the end of that telephone wire, about five miles below the mountain. I thought, "Oh, my." When I held that telephone wire in my hands, I rejoiced; I shouted; I praised the Lord.
I thought, "Oh, how good it feels to know I got the line in my hand." I thought, "Right at the end of that line waits my loved ones." I thought, "Oh, glory, that's right. I got the lifeline in my heart here. At the end of this Line waits my Saviour and all that's dear to me, waiting yonder somewhere."
And today if you're feeling, friends, if you've never been born again, keep your hands up till you touch the Lifeline; then hold on to it until you get to glory. Yes, He's real.
E-52 And I see Him in His work as He was tossed there in this little old sea. And one soul was in need over there. We never have a—a record of anyone else being helped in the land of the Gadarenes, but this one maniac. Poor fellow, I think of him being out there in—in that condition, perhaps one time a good citizen, a good man.
Let's dramatize it a moment in his character. I can imagine seeing him as a fine fellow. But the first thing you now, some of the crowd come along and got him to get away from church, or go away from God. Next thing you know, the devil had him on the next step; he started drinking. One drink, one devil. Just kept on, backsliding, going away.
E-53 And after while the devil drove him insane. And there the man was out there. He must have been a terrible character. He lived out there in those rough places. And they'd bind him with fetters. He was twice his strength. He could break them little old fetters and—and move out just like there was nothing holding him. Even the—the army or—or the officers that would bind him up, he'd just break them apart and go on. He was a real rough…
It wasn't his human strength; it was the devil's strength that was doing that. And the devil is powerful, but God is more powerful. And I thought, "If a man completely surrendered to the devil would have two or three times his strength, what would a man do that's laying so weak he can't get up, or crippled so bad that he can't get up, what will he do when the strength and power of God comes into Him?" How much more strength God has than the devil has.
E-54 I think of our sister setting here with the hip trouble, on that crutch, how much power that God can give you to move up with strength and faith to lay the crutch down and walk away without it. You see? When the anointing of the Holy Spirit comes in there, strength…
I seen that little Georgie Carter when her little limbs wasn't much bigger than a broom stick. When she'd been laying there nine years and eight months, and couldn't… They had to put a draw sheet under her; couldn't even put her on a bedpan. And when the power of God struck the girl, she come out of there and run set down at the organ and played, "Jesus Keep Me Near The Cross." That's right.
E-55 And she's a living today after nine, yeah, ten years, eleven years it is now. Eleven years, and she's never been to bed, only just to go to bed at night and go to sleep. Been laying there nine years and a half, given up by all doctors and everything to ever live: TB through the throat and plumb through the female glands. And there she was.
Some of them said, "How did she walk, Brother Branham?"
I said, "The power of the living God held her up." She just come submitted to the power of God.
That's what's the trouble, friends. At nighttime when you see me, your brother under vision, that's nothing else in the world but submitting myself to the Holy Spirit. You that's sick can submit yourself to the Holy Spirit so completely that you'll forget your sickness.
E-56 You can completely submit yourself to the Holy Ghost, and no affliction can hold you. You walk by the power of the Holy Ghost. You are well; you give your testimony, everything else. You're healed by the power of the Holy Ghost.
You that's sinful, that maybe drink and smoke and gamble and do things like that, you'd say, "I can't give them up, Brother Branham."
Yes, you can. You just submit yourself to God one time, and just yield your whole self to God and watch what takes place. That's the whole thing. There's no secret in it. It's not a hocus-pocus. The only thing it is is submit yourself to God. Amen. There it is, and then it's—then it's not you any longer; it's the Lord. The Lord does it after that. Aren't you happy that we have that opportunity today for that?
E-57 Seeing this poor old fellow, Legion, out there, maybe once in a while he'd come to himself; he'd just look, say, "What am I doing here? What—what…" Look there's chains all around him and things like that and his body all cut up. Then the devil would throw him into a spell and here he would go. Maybe he'd come to again and think, "I got a wife and children somewhere."
And the first thing you know, the devil pull him into another spell, and here he go. And he was a murderer, if he could get to people. He didn't know he was doing it; the devil was doing it. That's right.
E-58 Then we notice that Jesus, knowing, perhaps, by vision that man was over there, He crossed the sea. Going over on the other side, pulled in, that little boat begin to push into them willows on the other side of the seashore there. Why they got out of the boat, the ship, and started up. Here was this man come down out of that graveyard. Tombs, look where the devil made him hang out, around the graveyard.
That's a… Oh, that's a good hang-out for the devil, around a dead place. That's about the way it is today, the same thing. He hangs out around an old dead place. Somebody that's dead in sin and trespasses, don't believe in the power of the resurrection of the Lord, that's a good hang-out for the devils. Amen. That's right.
E-59 If you want to know truthfully, some of these old cold, formal churches that has the form of godliness and denies the power thereof, are real hang-out for devils. That's right. A place where they say, "Oh, that's all work up. That's all mental. That's psychology."
Oh, my, and some of those devils don't make you cut yourself; some of them is just as shrewd and polished as they can be. Amen. They're scholars. Don't think they're not. Oh, you say, "Brother Branham, you're…"
Oh, no, I'm not, I'm Scripturally. Them high priest and all those Jews in that day that denied Jesus Christ, they were polished Bible scholars. Hallelujah. That same religious devil comes down into people today. Someone trying to make fun of the baptism of the Holy Ghost or speaking with tongues…
E-60 I—I'm not a debater, a fusser, but I sure called his hand on it the other day. He wrote a little book called, "Jibber-Jabbers, Tongue Talkers." And I said, "It's pure blasphemy." Absolutely, blaspheming the Holy Ghost… He tried to say that—that nobody… Said, "John the Baptist received the Holy Ghost and didn't speak in tongues. And a lot of these received the Holy Ghost," and so forth like that, and never said anything about tongues, Zacharias and them.
I said, "That was before the Holy Ghost was ever given." Yes, sir.
He said, "Well, they said they had the…"
I said, "Now, they did not say they had the baptism of the Holy Ghost."
E-61 Adam had the Holy Ghost potentially. That's right. All the prophets as they was moved by the Holy Ghost. But the… Saint John said that—that the Holy Ghost had not yet come, for Jesus had not yet been glorified. That's right.
And I said… Well said, "They never spoke with tongues."
I said, "There was only one of them that did speak with tongues."
Said, "Jesus received the Holy Ghost and never spoke with tongues."
E-62 I said, "Why? He was the Holy Ghost." Amen. I said, "He did speak with tongues." Amen. I said, "John didn't 'cause he never—he died before the dispensation, and Zacharias and the rest of them as far as we know. But Jesus spoke in tongues because He was the Holy Ghost." That's exactly right.
When He went to raise Jairus' daughter, look at Him standing there. All the people saying, "Well, here comes that holy-roller. Here's that fanatic."
He said, "The damsel is asleep; she's not dead."
They said, "Listen at that radic now."
E-63 And He put them all out. And there the outside was… What is the Holy Spirit to speak for? It's when you're in trouble. When the church is in trouble, that's when a message goes forth to correct the thing.
Notice, and then when Jesus there, when all on the outside was making fun of Him and everything, then He was possessed with the power. He spoke in another language and said out into the spirit world, and called the spirit of a dead girl back again by speaking in tongues.
And when He was on the cross, when His disciples had forsaken Him, when His Church had forsaken Him, when His people had forsaken Him… He was forsaken by God and man, hanging on the cross. He died speaking in tongues. That's right. Brother, don't you call that jibber-jabber.
E-64 He said of these Pentecostal people, said, "They never keep the Sabbath." Said, "The women cut their hair." 'Course he was a Pilgrim Holiness. And he said, "The women cut their hair and they wear jewels on their fingers." I know and that's a shame. Boy, that didn't go good. I felt that. But it's the truth. That's right.
Sure, you're getting just as formal and ungodly as the rest of them. That's exactly the truth. We've let down the bars. We just don't think about these things. But, brother, I'll tell you, it's a shame that it ever ceased to be preached from the pulpit. That's right.
Now, there they was, out there like that and he made… I said, "Yes, and I show just as many Pilgrim Holiness do the same thing."
He said, "They work on Sunday, do… cut their grass on Sunday and so forth."
E-65 I said, "So does Pilgrim Holiness, if you want to ask the different questions or debate about the different churches." But I said, "Looky here, brother, the first place, you don't even know what the Sabbath is."
Oh, he said, "It's Sunday."
I said, "It is?"
He said, "Then I guess you're Seventh Day Adventist."
E-66 I said, "No, sir. But you don't know what the Sabbath is. Let me show what the Sabbath is." I said, "Isaiah 28:18, he… the prophet said that all the tables of the Lord would become full of vomit, like today. Said, 'Who can I teach doctrine, who can I make understand.' He said, 'Precept must be upon precept, line upon line, here a little and there a little; hold fast to that what's good. For with stammering lips and with other tongues will I speak to this people. And this is the rest that I said they should hear.'"
I said, "And you're a criticizing the very thing that you think that we're not keeping." Hallelujah. That's right. I said, "Brother, don't worry; we got our sails set towards Calvary, and the Holy Ghost is blowing the wind right on them." I said, "It's right." I said, "That's the rest; that's the Sabbath keeping."
E-67 Jesus said, "Come unto Me all ye that labor and heavy laden and I'll give you rest to your souls." And Isaiah said that rest was stammering lips and other tongues would He speak to this people. And this is the keeping of the Sabbath.
Now, what about that? How's that? Where was it ever changed or anything else? Jesus verified the same statement. Paul in the Hebrews the 4th chapter verified the same statement. He said, "God did speak of the seventh day in this wise, again He limited another day saying to David after so long a time, 'When you hear My voice, harden not your heart.'"
E-68 That's right. The entering in of the Holy Ghost… Said, "For we," that's got the Holy Ghost, "have… when we have received Christ in our heart we've ceased from our works like God did from His and rested the seventh." That's right. There you are. There's the real Sabbath keeping. See what I mean? It's when the Holy Spirit comes in, God gives you the seal of your faith.
Now, all those things are… Probably this poor man had been criticized, everything. And Jesus walked in, and here he was out there, cutting himself and wringing himself and carrying on. Jesus, seeing that he was in that condition, as soon as Jesus started walking up to him, the man wanted to be very religious. That's the way the devil does.
E-69 The devil is religious as he can be, smart, scholarly, polished, but yet know no more about God than a rabbit would know about snowshoes. And here he comes up, walks up like that and falls down and worships Jesus, this maniac did. Well, you say, "Would that be the devil?" Why, Judas even come and kissed Him and betrayed Him by a kiss.
Religious spirits, certainly they are. Someone said, "Well…" This fellow goes ahead to write and said, "Why, religious spirits," said, "don't get around them Pentecostal people." Said, "If you do, that spirit will get on you." And said, "It's of the devil." Don't get on… That's right.
E-70 Listen. He said, "The Bible said," said, "there was… Believe not every spirit, but try them see if they're of—of God." That's exactly what the Bible did. And Jesus said, "These signs shall follow them that believe." See if that's right or not, try it by the Spirit. Sure.
And the religious spirit all down through every age has always been a denier. The devils spirit that's religious has denied the real genuine Spirit. And every time God's Spirit comes, signs and wonders follows the Spirit.
Look in the days back there when Cain worshipped. He had a form of godliness. He built an altar; he built a church; he built everything just as religious as Ad… Abel was. But look, here's a little something… I'm way off my subject; I don't aim to keep it anyhow.
E-71 So look, in the days of Cain and Abel, notice, Cain was just as religious as Abel was. And notice, when he worshipped, he built his altars; he made it pretty just like a fine big church. He—he wasn't an unbeliever; he bowed down and worshipped. And God absolutely refused him.
If God's just and only requires faith in Him, if God only requires faith, only requires sacrifice, only requires membership of the church, God would be unjust to condemn that boy. For he absolutely was a believer in God. He confessed the same publicly, he was a believer in God.
He built a church to the Lord, an altar; he brought his fruits in and made it beautiful, and made a sacrifice and done obligations, and worshipped the Lord. Brother, that's a pretty good church member today. Is that right? And God refused him.
E-72 But look, coming here, at Abel, not with working. Wrapped a little vine around this old sheep's neck, and here he come pulling him up there, throwed him upon the altar and begin to beat his throat, and killed him. Why? Abel had a revelation. We're letting that soak just a minute.
It was a revelation that Abel had that made him just. He had a revelation of the requirement of Almighty God, and he brought a lamb. And that's the only way that you'll ever be able to see Divine healing, the baptism of the Holy Ghost, it'll be by revelation.
When they come down off the mountain… Here it is, I'll prove it. They come down off the mountain and Jesus said, "Who does man say I am?"
Well, some of them said, "You're Elias."
Other ones said, "Why, You're of the prophets." Just like they try to tack now the coat of Elijah and so forth, all them things you know. They had the same spirits them day; they just living on today.
E-73 "Some said, You're Elias, and some say You're the prophet, and some say You're this or that or that or the other."
He said, "But who do you say I am."
Peter said, "Thou art the Christ the Son of the living God."
He said, "Blessed art thou Simon Barjona, for no seminary revealed this to you. No tholo—theologians ever revealed this to you. Not flesh and blood has not, but My Father which is in heaven. And upon this Rock I'll build My Church, and the gates of hell will not prevail against It."
What is it? The revelation of God. There you are. The… God reveals sinner truth in the Spirit. "Upon this Rock (the spiritual revelation of God) I'll build My Church and the gates of hell can't prevail against It." So you can fight the holy-rollers, as you call them, all you want to; God's Church will prevail right—go right on to end of time. Yes, sir.
E-74 They'll always had healings and signs and wonders; God worked with them through the age. And you look back there and see what the Pharisees did, they fought against it. You see where they went. Don't get on that same group, better get over here. You see where the rel… Oh, they had scholars; they had good pastors. They had smart man, educated, everything. They had everything that they had needed of in that day, scholarship far beyond what we got now. Even a man had to be so holy. He had to be borned in a certain tribe or he couldn't even be a minister. Had everything like that and yet when they come, Jesus said, "You got the devil." Said, "You're of your father the devil." Is that right? Yes, sir, polished scholars… So therefore religious spirits, instead of making—cutting a man and making him be a maniac, he can be a shrewd scholar too.
Look at the devil when he met Jesus. He said, "If Thou be the Son of God, command these stones to be turned to bread."
Jesus said, "It's written: man shall not live by bread alone."
E-75 Took Him up and said, "Oh, so He wants to play scholarship with me, huh. I'll show Him my degree too." So he took Him up on the pinnacle of the temple, said, "It is written, He will give his angels charge concerning, lest any time dash foot against a stone, they'd bear Thee up."
Jesus said, "And it's also written." Amen. Yes, sir.
All right, there you are. See how shrewd and scholarly the devil is? Religious spirit, but here's the only way that you'll know it. That's the only way… When Balaam come down to curse Israel, when he made a sacrifice, he built seven altars. That's exactly what they had down there with them holy-rollers, the Israelites. They was holy-rollers.
E-76 You say, "You mean to tell me the Israelites were holy-rollers?" The same as they have today. That's that same Spirit out of Abel coming up. There's the same spirit out of Cain, just the same. Look. When they come up here, called them holy-rollers.
Why, when they… the… God performed a miracle and opened up the Red Sea and let them by, Moses sang in the Spirit. And Miriam picked up a tambourine and run down the bank, dancing, and the daughters of Israel following her, dancing in the Spirit. If that ain't a bunch of holy-rollers, I never seen any. That's right.
And I want to give you a little encouragement: they were interdenominational too. Yes, they was. They were interdenominational. Amen. They were interdenominational, because they wasn't even a nation. Now, here stands their brother, just as fundamental as they are.
E-77 The son… The daughter of Lot brought forth the children which was the children of—of Moab, that had the Moabites there. That's were they sprang from. They had a preacher up there, a—a prophet, a scholar, Balak. And he come down and the Lord tried to show him speaking in tongues was right. He had to give it through a mule, but he got it there anyhow, to show him he was wrong in his doctrine.
But here he come on down anyhow. So he just walked on over that. And when he got down there, and they said, "Now, I'll tell you," said, "Jehovah requires seven altars." So he went and built seven altars. He said, "Now, let's see, He's got to have seven clean sacrifices, seven bullocks."
E-78 Now, he said, "I want seven rams because He's going to send His Son, Christ Jesus, someday; these rams has to speak of Him. So he put the seven rams on, just exactly the same sacrifice that them holy-rollers was offering. See? Down there… Said, "Well, they're not even a denomination. Look at them. Why we're a nation. They're not a nation; they're kent—tent dwellers. Well, look at them."
And said, "Look how dirty and ornery they been. Look how low-down they been." But he failed to see that Pillar of Fire hanging over them. It was blinded from him. He didn't see that. Oh, hallelujah. You're going to call me holy-roller anyhow; I am one.
Look, and he said… Look, he couldn't see that. But he thought, "Now, I'm fundamental. So I know I'm fundamental, so I'll offer these sacrifices; that's what Jehovah said. And I'll go put a curse on that people down there, that's all… doing all that there carrying on, having all that healing services and things."
E-79 Healing services? Sure they had. Moses lifted up a brass serpent; every one got sick, went and looked at it and got well. Is that right. Had all kinds of signs and wonders. And that's what made them what they were. That was the vindication of God being with them, signs and wonders a following them.
He said, "I'll go down there and curse them." So fundamentally speaking, he was just as fundamental as the rest of them. And so he made his great sacrifice, and he brought all the Doctors of Divinity around. And they stood around, the princes of the land, and around the smoldering sacrifices saying, "Great Jehovah, now come down. You know what kind of a people we are, and we're scholared, and we're a great nation, and we're great people. We have great churches; we have great things here. And there that bunch of trash coming up down there, just curse them, Lord. Don't let that doctrine get scattered around here in this city. We'll have nothing to do with it," like that. "Oh, stop it, great Jehovah." And said, "Now, prophet, go forth and prophesy."
Balaam said, "Just a minute, I'll do it." And away he went.
E-80 God met him out there, said, "Why don't you come over here and look at that little part. He just showed you the worst part of it. You go back and speak, but don't say nothing but what I put in your mouth."
He said, "Yes, Lord." He run back down there when he got through. He said, "Blessed art thou, O Israel. Blessed are the tents. How righteous they are." He said, "I beheld you from the hilltop, and I've seen no iniquity in you." Hallelujah. There it was, a bunch of maniacs, as you'd call them, a bunch of holy-rollers.
What was the difference. Fundamentally speaking, that group on the hillside was just as fundamental as them down there in the valley. But the difference of it was, God was vindicating them with signs and wonders following.
And Paul said, "In the last days they'd be heady, high-minded, lovers of pleasure, having a form of godliness, but deny the power thereof; from such turn away."
E-81 Jesus said, "These signs shall follow them that believe. In My Name they'll cast out devil; they'll speak with new tongues, take up serpents or drink deadly things; it shall not harm them. They lay their hands on the sick, they shall recover."
Oh, my brethren, sisters, be encouraged; straighten up. We're nearing something. You'll hear a sound of abundance of rain. For one of these days the curtains will be drawed back from the heavens, and God will pour out His Spirit without measure upon that group of people that's fought to win the prize and sailed through bloody seas. And what a meeting we'll have. Yes, sir.
E-82 Them religious demons, and then trying to say we're demons. God said, "These signs shall follow them that believe; they'll have D.D.'s." Could you imagine the Bible reading that? "They will be out of seminaries. They'll have very much religious manners, walking to their church with a pigeon-tailed coat on and saying, 'Amen,' so beautiful." Practicing all this, "They'll say two hail Marys or they'll do this or do that." There never was such a thing. "They'll build great shrines. They'll polish the altars. And they'll have doctors with degree who speak the very proper, highest of English, and the very highest of words. And they'll have beautiful this, and beautiful that." That's what the world says today.
But the Bible said… Jesus Himself said, "These signs (s-h-a-l-l) shall follow them that believe to the end of the world. In My Name they'll cast out devils." Hallelujah. That's the Gospel Church. And She'd be made fun of. She'd have her fingers pointed at Her, called scornful. But said, "Fear not, I'll be with you even in you to the end of the world: Jesus Christ the same yesterday, today, and forever."
E-83 And living in a day when atomic bombs is hanging around, and everything else. Hallelujah. I'm happy today to be sealed away in God's Kingdom by the Holy Ghost, with signs, wonders, and a vindication that we have a home in that Rock, don't you see. Amen.
Then your calls… They call it devils because they don't know what devils is. So did those Pharisees turn around and call Jesus devils because He was casting out evil spirits and healing the sick. Jesus said you was blaspheming, because you said, "He has a devil." When He was healing the sick, He said, "How can Satan cast out Satan? If Satan cast out Satan, his kingdom's divided."
E-84 Said, "If I cast out Satan, we're to know it's by the finger of God." The finger of God. How little the devil is to God then. Not no more than His finger. Just takes His finger and flips him away. That's all that cast out a devil is to God. That's right.
He said, "I cast out devils by the finger of God." Oh, my, just take His finger and say, "Get away, devil." That's all there is to it. That's all. Amen. Cast out by the finger of God. Oh, my, just a finger of God… But that's all it means to God, just to take His finger and knock a devil out. It's just so easy.
E-85 But notice when He went after the lost sheep. It wasn't His finger; He took the lost sheep and put it over His shoulders. Hallelujah. How He cares for a lost sheep, one that strayed out some of them formal ungodly places, in the desert and wilderness out there. He goes and gets him, puts him over His shoulder, fills him full of the Holy Ghost, and sends him back to the fold.
The devil's just no more to Jesus; He just kicks him out with His finger, goes on. But the lost sheep, He goes and hunts him up and lays him over His shoulder, holds his legs like this. And the most powerful part about a man is across his shoulders. You know that. Lays it around His neck and across His shoulders and here He comes packing him through the wilderness.
E-86 Brother, little old lamb laying there, looked around and said, "Ha-ha-ha-ha-ha." I can imagine hearing that little lamb sing,
Amazing grace! how sweet the sound,
That saved a wretch like me!
I once was lost but now I'm found,
I was blind but now I see.
Laying right across the Master's shoulders, going right on into the fold… Oh, he can sing, amazing grace, then, can't he? That's right. Yes, sir, the Master's packing him back on His shoulders.
E-87 Now, we notice here then, that our character, that in him, he was a religious devil, exactly. For he run down and fell down and worshipped Jesus. Now, you say, "If I worship Jesus, I'm all right." Wait just a minute. This devil worshipped Jesus, sure did, and confessed Him publicly, and said, "I know who You are. I'll give witness of You that You're the Son of God, the Son of the most high God."
And watch, he give Him a—a command. Said, "I adjure Thee," the devil did. Watch some of these guys that wants to talk about Divine healing. Said, "Oh, by the living God I know these things." See? "I adjure Thee by the living God, that Thou torment me not" There you are.
E-88 Jesus said to him, "Come out of him (That's right.), you unclean spirit." Now look, the devil had him a good home church, so he didn't want to leave that country. It was a good hang-out. He liked to hang-out around there. So he had him a good home place, settled down. So he just didn't want to leave the place.
And that's the way with devils: whenever they once get settled down amongst a bunch of people, they don't want to leave. That's right. Oh, they're stubborn, say, "Now, I don't believe in no such thing as Divine healing. I don't believe in that kind of stuff." Sure not, that's a devil making you do that.
E-89 No, he didn't want to leave. He said, "We'll…" Said, "he didn't want to leave," said…
And then Jesus said, "Come out of him."
E-90 Well, he said, "Now, if I must come out, let me go over there in that bunch of hogs." My, and so they went over and got in a bunch of hogs. And look, there was two thousand devils in one man. Think of it, two thousand devils in one man.
And the hogs run down the hill. They had better sense then a lot of the people. A man's gets full of the devil, he goes to church and said, "Why, I know what it's all about." But the hog had enough respect to go down and choke hisself in the sea, drowned hisself. The hog run down and run into the sea and choked himself (That's right.) to get out of the way of the Lord.
E-91 The hog didn't want to stand in the way. A lot of people wants to stand in the way of the Lord. And you know what? Them devils, when they did that, they wanted to stay in that land. And those people, when they come out… Look at the people. When they come out, when this was noised abroad, the man was in his right mind. My, the Bible said that the man was in his right mind.
I tell you; when you get the baptism of the Holy Ghost and Christ in you, you come in your right mind. He was in his right mind to worship. Look where he was at then. He was setting at the feet of Jesus. Hallelujah. What a wonderful place to set, clothed—clothed in his right mind, setting at the feet of Jesus, worshipping (Hallelujah.), 'cause He cast the devils out.
E-92 He said, "Now, what I done, you can too." What a pity the Church don't take Its position in Christ Jesus. Yes, sir. And then here come all the members of the church out over there. And they come out and said, "Where's our hogs?" Well, they all had respect enough to go drown themself.
And they said, "Get out of our land. If it's going to cost us anything like that, we don't need a revival like that, that's going to cost us all that money."
When I get to glory I want to see how much… what a bearing his testimony had on hog raising, when I get to glory. I imagine he tore them hog raisers up (Yes, sir.) when he got back there. And there he was in his right mind. And the people of that land felt more at home with the hogs and the devils than they did with the lovely Jesus. Made Him leave the land. They felt more at home, more at peace around with the devils and the hogs.
E-93 And you know that's the same as it is today. If a man thinks that he's going to have to get enough religion to shout, or something another, to have to give a little money in the church, or a little something like this, or maybe confess his faith, and stand up and give praise to God, or speak in tongues, he'd rather he never hear about religion.
They feel more at home with the devil and their money than they do with the lovely Jesus Christ, with the baptism of the Holy Ghost, with signs and wonders following. Amen. Whew. My, I feel religious. Yes, sir. Oh, hallelujah. I'm glad to get rid of the thing. Glory to God. Give me Christ. Amen.
Clothe me in the mind to worship Him. Worship Him how? In Spirit, in Truth. Amen. Lord, if I'm walking right down, standing talking to the President of the United States, He comes upon me, and I'll holler, "Hallelujah." I don't care, sure not.
E-94 I was standing here at Gary, Indiana, sometime ago. There was one of those great big mills there where they make all that steel. And they was showing me around. And one fellow said, "Now," he said, "Dr. Branham," said, "I'll show you how this is done." He taken me way up to a great big place up there. I seen some kind of a looking outfit. And I… A little whistle blowed and everybody quit working.
And they took a little broom and swept out, like that, out in the middle of the aisle. I said, "What are they doing that for?"
E-95 Said, "I'll show you something in a few minutes." So he swept all the shavings out in the aisle. And then another little whistle blowed, they all went. He pressed a little button, and here come a great big magnet coming, roar, roar, roar, roar, roar, coming down like that, swept down the track. And as it went down across that aisle like that, all those shavings, nearly, jumped right up against that magnet, went right on out and he demagnetized it, dropped off in the cupola to be molded over again.
He said, "How do you like that?"
I said, "Hallelujah. Hallelujah."
He says, "What's the matter?"
Oh, I said, "I was just thinking something."
He said, "You must've."
I said, "I got a thought."
He said, "What are you talking about?"
E-96 I said, "I'm thinking of a great Magnet setting yonder in Glory. Hallelujah. One of these days," I was thinking, "I almost hear Him coming now. And He's going to come down and this old frail body; He's going to pick it up and take it out yonder and mold it over." Hallelujah. Yes, sir.
And I said, "I want to ask you something, sir." I said, "Why didn't all those shaving go?"
He said, "Some of them are aluminum. They're not magnetized to the magnet."
I said, "Hallelujah." I said, "Why didn't that piece of iron go, laying there then?"
He said, "You see, it's bolted down."
I said, "Hallelujah." That's right.
E-97 Brother, I'm glad to cut loose every fetter, every prestige and everything you've got. Lose yourself in Christ Jesus; be borned again, filled with the Holy Ghost, magnetized by His power, hallelujah, that when He comes I'll go with Him.
I want to say as Paul said, "I know Him in the power of His resurrection, that when He calls from among the dead, I'll come out from among them. Leaving these things behind, I press to the mark of the high calling in Christ," leaving the world behind, leaving their theologies behind. I see Christ and Him only. Amen. I look straight towards Calvary and just keep tramping on.
Say, "Hey, you know Billy Branham's a holy-roller?" I don't even hear it. I just keep on tramping on. That's right. I'm pressing towards the mark of the high calling yonder. Say, "You know, I believe that guy's a medium." That don't bother me a bit. I just keep moving on.
"I know Who I have believed. I'm persuaded He's able to keep that I've committed to Him against the day." Hallelujah. Just keep moving on.
E-98 Yes, them old fellows out there, felt better at home with all them hogs, had their hogs and slop pens around, had the devils all around them and everything like that. They felt more comfortable than they did when Jesus was there.
Why, you go to a big formal church today, and let two or three people get in there and go to praising God and shouting and going on like that, and maybe somebody give a message in tongues or somebody get healed by the power of God, or God give a vision, why, they just freeze them to death. "My, I—I don't want around nothing like that." See? Better at home with the devils (That's right.) than to have the lovely Jesus around.
You preach to them like that, they just set like a wart on a pickle, just as sour and cold as they can be. Nobody would say, "Amen," or nothing, just set there and freeze down. Oh, my. "I wish He would quit, he's done been up there fifteen minutes now. Ah, when's he going to stop?"
E-99 Oh, my, your digestive orders are not right. That's right. Brother, I like to get them converted and have a great big gastronomical jubilee, don't you? Amen. Take the whole Word of God.
The Angel give John the Bible, said, "Eat it." John said when he eat it, it was bitter eating but it was sweet in his stomach after it got there. Hallelujah. Say, what time is it. I'm way past, am I? Hallelujah. All right.
I can see Legion after he got his right mind. He got healed. I can see after he keeps waving to Jesus, the devils, them people come down and said, "We don't want you around here; we want the hogs. We'd rather have our hogs. We don't want no such a revival as that, all this here nonsense, Divine healing. We know the days of miracles is past. That man's only worked up. Now, get out of our land. We don't want that holy-roller stuff started over here."
E-100 Jesus won't stay; don't worry. Where He's not welcome He won't stay. He just turned His head and walked right on down to the ship, never said a word to them. Got… Old Legion said, "Oh, hallelujah, praise the Lord. O Jesus, let me go with You. Oh, I want to go with You. I don't care what this bunch of nonsense said, I don't care. I've left every fetter behind; let me follow You. I've found something. Let me go with You."
Jesus turned around and said, "Go, tell your parents now what's happened to you." My. "Go, give a testimony."
I just wonder what he said to them hog raisers when he got back. He kept waving as long as he could see that little old ship, till it went out of sight. Said, "Someday, I'll see Him again."
E-101 I can see him go down the street. Some of them say, "Well, who's that old guy going there?"
Said, "Glory, hallelujah."
They said, "That guy's still crazy. There he goes."
Went down the street, "Oh, hallelujah, praise the Lord."
Well, they said, "There's one thing about it: he's got some clothes on. Something surely has happened to him."
E-102 I can see him go down, and here's the story. I can see him look around. "Well, the landlord had done put his wife out. There's was no… Poor little thing, she prayed all the time, maybe, for him to be healed. Come back, his little children, when they'd see him coming they'd run and hide and everything. His poor little wife would have to get out of the way, 'cause he's bad. He come in, he tore up the place.
That's the way a drunkard does, or demon possessed: run into one of these temper fits and kick everything around the house. You ought to be ashamed of yourself, that even belong to church and maybe on the deacon board. Brother, I wished I had a little bigger audience this afternoon of some of them. That's right. Yeah, belong to the deacon board and act like that.
Here he comes in the… Though he comes down, slips down, the house is closed. Where's wife? He goes out and asks someone on the street, said, "She had to move down there in the alley."
E-103 I can see him go down there to a bunch of old tin cans and things, piled up and look around there and a little old shack with some bushes laying up together, and there she is in the back yard, a rubbing on a washboard, maybe taking in the neighbors washing. The little children holler, "Mommy, mommy, there he comes, there he comes." And they start to run like that, hard as they can run.
I can hear him say, "Wait a minute, sweetheart."
His wife say, "Oh, oh, oh."
And say, "Wait a minute, sweetheart, don't run. Something's happened." Amen.
E-104 I can see him walk in and look at tattered sleeve of his little old wife's dress. Look at his poor little children standing there trembling, put his arm around them. And I can hear one little boy say to the next little—little girl, say, "What's happened to daddy?" Say, "Mother, mother, what's—what's happened to daddy?"
I can see the tears running down his cheeks. Put his arms around mother, and around the little kiddies, pick them up, said, "Now, wait a minute. I'm going to tell you what's happened to daddy. Daddy come in contact with Jesus. That's what's the matter. Daddy found Jesus."
And as it did for Legion that day, it'll do for daddy and mother both today. When you find Jesus, you'll never be the same. Legion could never be the same. No man could ever be the same, after once finding Jesus. Shall we pray.
E-105 Father, in Jesus Name, if there be one lost here this afternoon, or even one sick, that has never yet come in contact with Your great healing power, or Your saving grace, may this very hour that they come in contact with You, our heavenly Father Who we represent… And we pray that the Lord Jesus will spread forth His arms and bless each one here for Your glory.
And, Lord, I pray that tonight will be the great outpouring of the Spirit tonight, in here, that great signs and wonders will be done. Hear the prayer of Your servant as we ask in Jesus' Name. Amen.
Now, I turn the service to Brother Mattsson Boze. And may the good Lord bless each one of you and keep you healthy and happy. And I see you tonight.
Just be seated a minute, till Brother Boze… God bless you.