E-1 Thank you, Brother Neville. I believe it was said by David, “I was happy when they said unto me, let us go into the house of the Lord.” There’s just something about Sunday school that the other parts of the service doesn’t have, any other time through the day. We have just awakened up from a good night’s rest, and—and we just feel different, and you’re refreshed and ready for the day.
E-2 Now we understand that…Last night, we asked the—the peoples if they had a church of their…that they was attending, while visiting or—or…I mean, regular members of churches, that they should attend their own church this morning. Cause, we being an interdenominational, we just don’t like to take people from their own congregation.
E-3 And I been accused a lot of times of—of condemning other churches. That’s wrong. I do not condemn other churches. I condemn, many times, things that—that they condone, but I certainly don’t condemn the church. But, many times, when they teach things that’s contrary to the Scriptures, then I—I condemn that. And then when they do things that’s sinful, and—and permit it to be done in their churches, I condemn that. But never…Just like it’s said…I have many Catholic friends setting here, and I never condemn the Catholic people. I condemn the doctrine of the Catholic church, ’cause I don’t believe it’s Scriptural. And no more than I condemn them than I do many of the Protestant denominations, ’cause I do not think it’s Scriptural. And I am duty bound to stand for what’s Truth. See? You know, God will appreciate you if you’ll be honest, just sincere.
E-4 You know, a lot of times, man seeking wife, a real man that’s got man behind him, he does not altogether look for the girl that’s so—so pretty in the face, or so forth. He knows that will be lost, one of these days. See? He looks for the woman that’s woman in personality, a real woman. And if she’s loyal, and a real woman, that man will appreciate her. I don’t care how much of a—a bad fellow he is, and how much he runs around with—with bad women; there isn’t a bad man in the world but what will appreciate a woman that’ll stand for what woman really should be. That’s right. Because, he appreciates that.
E-5 And that’s the way it is by—by preaching the Word, if a man will stand by just what he believes. Now not…You remember, God knows your heart. And if you’ll stand by what you really believe to be the Truth, then you can have faith in what you’re talking about.
E-6 I got couple of good friends here. Brother Charlie Cox, I see sitting out there. And the last few weeks, I been down in Kentucky with him, squirrel hunting, where I got some rest. Brother Banks Wood. And, now, we, training in our rifles, they…I just got to have mine so perfect that it’ll drive a tack at fifty yards, or I—I just can’t hunt. See? That’s all.
E-7 Well, what good does it do to drive a tack? See? Because, if you’re shooting at the squirrel, and a head shot, and his head is probably that big around, anywhere within an inch group will be all right, see, anywhere in there. Either one of those boys say, “That’s all right. I hit the squirrel.” They go on and get the squirrel. But, to me, it’s got to be just perfect. It’s got to hit the tack. It can’t miss it a quarter of an inch. It’s got to hit the tack soffit, or I just get all nervous and upset.
E-8 And I was sitting down, the other day, in the woods, and I was saying, “Lord, why—why am I such a crank? Why did You make me to be such a crank?” I said, “Now there…
E-9 Brother Banks went hunting with his rifle, and he pulled it up to shoot it in, with the telescope sights. And you just… Every once in a while, you’d…one will go off, ’cause if it… Factory loaded ammunition will do that, anyhow, ’cause you got a little more powder, and a little less powder. But it would just hit a little bit off, or inch or two, Brother Banks say, “Oh, that’s all right, I hit the squirrel. That’s all right.” It don’t—it don’t bother him. Charlie, the same way. But I…
E-10 Mine has got to hit the tack, right in the center, or it upsets me. I said, “I’ve become a regular crank.” And then I begin to look back, and I find that my life is like that. That’s my make-up. And I thought, “Well, why did You make me like that?” It even makes me nervous if—if it goes off just a little bit that way or that way. And that’s the way then the Lord revealed to me, sitting down there, up on Glutton Hollow, ever where we was at, hunting. That, I believe it’s called Dutton; but, the squirrels eat so fast, I call it, “Glutton.” So they…
E-11 Up on this place, I thought, “That’s it.” I would not even teach that there was a hell until I was positive of it. See? And therefore if the Scripture predicts Divine healing, and here, looks like this and like that; if a Scripture says, “Father, Son, and Holy Spirit,” like there is three Gods, and There I see there’s only One; and now how am I going to just haphazardly, about some other man’s, what they say about It, take it like that? If the Bible speaks of predestination and grace, and here it’s got works, and here it’s got grace. And I—I just can’t preach it like that.
E-12 I got to solve that, and through, and through, and through the Bible, till it’s perfectly driving a tack, see, till it really comes out perfectly through the Scriptures. Then when I stand, I can really have faith in what I’m doing, see, know that what you’re preaching is the Truth. See? And then if anybody gets contrary about It, you’ve already studied enough till you know just exactly what He says, where to stop him at, see, right Here. See? And that’s the way it is. God makes us different ways, that we can just simply…That makes the world that way. But, that’s what makes me that nervous, upset type of a person. It’s got to be just right.
E-13 And I’m so glad, tonight, today, this—this morning, to say that I know that the Lord Jesus is not dead. He is a living, and He’s just as much right here now as He was any time in the world at Galilee or anywhere else. He’s the living, resurrected, omnipresent Son of the living God. That’s…And if I couldn’t…
E-14 If I taught a Scripture of some historical God, and I wasn’t sure that He was right here, I—I’d be all confused. It’d make me so nervous, I wouldn’t know what I was doing. See? And I wouldn’t know where to tell people. “Well, now, He’ll do this, or He’ll do that.” I—I couldn’t tell you. I don’t know. But when you know what He promised He would do, and have seen Him do it, then you know where you’re standing. See? And see how God, in His great plans, just knowed how to make every person just exactly to be a certain thing, ’cause He’s going to use them for that purpose.
E-15 You hear that little lady up here, a while ago? Mrs. Stricker, singing without any music. She had some kind of a little thing she was blowing through, to get her tune, her—her key or whatever you call it. And could stand and sing with that real low voice, and raise it up, that, Ship Ahoy! Now, you ought to hear me try that sometime. [Brother Branham and congregation laugh—Ed.] It would be terrible. But, you see, God knowed just how to make that woman up so she would do that.
E-16 And that’s the way. We all have different make-up’s. If we would just find our position in Christ, and there abide and serve Him.
E-17 See a little girl sitting here, this morning, in a wheel chair. Bless your little heart. What’s crippled you up, honey? Muscle dys-…dys-…Oh, I can’t say that word, when I get started; dystrophy, or ever what. Is that what it is, sweetheart, that’s made you a cripple, or is it polio? Polio. You know, Jesus heals little girls. Doesn’t He? You’re a mighty pretty little girl. And I believe Jesus will let you get well.
E-18 Last night, those two little girls that was sitting here with that disease that not even a person in the world knows what it is. Their little fingers drop off, and their little feet dropped off. Two pretty little girls. And I happen to know their mother and their grandmother. And just felt led to condemn that devil that would torment them little things sitting there; right out. And they been in wheel chairs for I don’t know how long. And last night, the news come sweeping in, over the line, “The little girls are up, walking around.” You see that, that the—that the Lord God was so graciously to them. Oh, He is so good to us! We should appreciate Him more.
E-19 Then I was thinking, just last night, after I had went home and laying down for a few minutes, I was thinking of, “When the soul has gone out of a man, what is it?” It’s his inner being that has moved out. He is not dead. He’s—he’s still alive. See? He—he lives forever. And our loved ones who have passed on beyond this veil, is in a—a body that we don’t know what it is. It isn’t revealed.
E-20 There’s three stages of everything. There’s a stage of the mortal body, an immortal body, and then the glorified body. See? Just like other things, like…Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, goes in one channel, and the three makes the One. Justification, sanctification, baptism of the Holy Ghost, in a channel, makes the one. Then, and soul, body, and spirit, makes the one. And it travels in three’s, and three’s are one’s. And take a—a three-point piece of glass and lay it in the sun, it’ll reflect the colors, yet, seven colors will come down to one.
E-21 And you take red, and look through red at red. How many knows what color it will be? [Congregation says, “White.”—Ed.] White. Uh-huh. Isn’t that strange? That, red through red, looks white. Red is the sign of redemption. And when you…God looks at our red sins, through the red Blood of His precious Son, they’re white. So, but, He has to look through the Blood. If it doesn’t, they are sinful. So we have to be under the Blood.
E-22 And when the soul leaves the body, it takes its journey into a place of rest, in a body that’s in the form and shape of this body, but it isn’t this type of body. You’ll meet your loved ones. You couldn’t shake their hands. You could talk to them, you could look at them. They look just like they do here. Cause, when Peter, and John, and James, saw Moses and Elijah, they recognized them, on Mount Transfiguration. But, it’s a body.
E-23 But then when that body, kind of a celestial body, when it returns back to the earth, it picks up the—the substance that it once lived in, and then it becomes a glorified body. And that body is the one that we’ll see the Lord Jesus, in His resurrected body. “It does not yet appear what we shall be,” said Paul, “but we know we shall have a body like His Own glorious body, for we shall see Him as He is.”
E-24 And all these old wrinkled hands and broken down tissues will all fade away into the splendor of youth. You old men and women, remember, you…This is…That, that’s a mark of the fall, your old age. But in the resurrection, they’ll not be one mark of anything of sin. But why did God make you like He did? He brought you to a certain age, when you was about twenty-two, twenty-three years old, you were your best. You were eating food and getting stronger, and healthy, and what a powerful-looking person you was. Then, after that, you become wrinkling away, see, death set in. But, in the resurrection, all old age will be wiped away.
E-25 I’m looking here at a little old preacher and his wife. They’re in their eighties, I guess. Brother and Sister Kidd, preaching the Gospel perhaps before I was born; and I’m an old man. And I see them sitting here, peaceful-looking, little old couple. And I just think, that, in the resurrection, what they’ll look like. Them old wrinkles, and shaking hands of trembling and palsy, and gray hairs will fade away into the splendor of youth. It really pays to serve the Lord. It really does. We’ll see Him, someday.
E-26 Wonder if Rosella Griffin is present. I’d like to get her to say a word. A little alcoholic that was just healed at…here, a few years ago. And that might help some alcoholic that’s here. [A sister in the congregation says, “Brother Branham, she went home this morning.”—Ed.] Had to go home this morning. All right. Wonderful case! I thought last night I should have had her to say something. I would, if I’d a knew it, that she was going this morning. So many things I just like the folks of the tabernacle to hear.
E-27 Now, is there any here to be baptized, this morning, in water? Let’s see. One, two, three, four, five, six, about six or seven here to be baptized. And the baptismal service will follow this Sunday school lesson.
E-28 Now, the Sunday school room for our Sister Arnold, for her little tots, has been cut out. And we’ll just, if you will, Sister Arnold, we’ll just almost have to postpone that until the following day, because we don’t have the room for the school. And I’ll read some Scripture here in a few minutes, for the little children, and that’ll give them something to think of, too. And then next Sunday you’ll continue on with your regular services and the Sunday school. Now, we want to say…
E-29 Here’s another thing I want to say this morning. I—I—I told them not to do this, but they did it, anyhow. See? That was, an offering last night that come to me, see, an offering. I told them not to do that, see. And they…But they did it, anyhow. And when…I didn’t know it until Billy told me that my brother Doc had brought it to him, over to his house. And I never counted it yet, but I believe that it was reported that there was about three hundred, or a little over three hundred. Is that…You remember, Doc, what it was? [Brother Edgar Branham says, “…twenty-four, twelve.”—Ed.] What was that, brother? [“Three, twenty-four, twelve.”] Three hundred and twenty-four, twelve. I thank you, very much.
E-30 Now, I been off from work a long time. You know that. And my secretary being present, or some of them here this morning, knows that my expenses, no matter where I am, right here at home, runs me over a hundred dollars a day, of my offices and things to take up for handkerchiefs and things around the world, in expenses.
E-31 And I—I want to say this, an encouragement to you people here, though. For the amount of people, that’s the biggest offering that I ever received in my life. Do you realize that would amount to around a dollar a piece, average? And most any of the offerings out in the work will average about, around about twenty-two or twenty-five cents per person. But this was on the average of a dollar a person. Cause, I know you can’t get in here…They don’t take the offerings on the outside. And you can’t jam in this little place over, about three hundred people, I—I doubt. Do you know what the tabernacle seats, Brother Neville? [Brother Neville says, “It ought to be somewhere around three hundred, the way it is now.”—Ed.] About three hundred people. So, see, that’s around a—a dollar a piece. God knows how I appreciate that. I thank you very much. And it goes right straight into the work of the Lord. I—I thank you for it. And for the…If some of them would happen to be leaving before night, ’cause…and I…
E-32 When I went home last night, setting on the porch was a little box, like this, and it was a—a bunch of jelly, I believe, that come from someone. You know, I just love jelly. And I—I appreciate that. And a—a sister here, who I better not call her name. She is a bosom friend to our family, and she left a love gift down at my mother’s, for me and for Billy. You don’t know, sister, how I appreciate that, and what a time it comes in.
E-33 And, oh, so many things! You understand. And I’m sure that He understands. And so I just trust that He’ll bless each one of you, exceedingly abundantly. I wish it was so that I could go home with each one of you, and—and stay with you a little while, and talk with you. I love to do that.
E-34 But, it’s, you know how it is, it’s just constantly on the move. We just got to go swiftly. Frankly, right after the service tonight, the Lord willing, I’ll leave the state, just as soon as the service closes. I’ve got to get out of here before twelve o’clock. I got an appointment at twelve o’clock. And I got full, this afternoon. And I…You know how it is. It’s just constantly on the go, all the time; people sick, dying.
E-35 And many times I go into a place, and just be standing there, and somebody come in, say, “You know me, Brother Branham?”
“No, I don’t.”
E-36 “Why, I was laying in the hospital, dying, when you come prayed for me. The Lord healed me.” “I was blind when you met me on the street, that day the vision come.” See? And I—I never know what it is.
E-37 But I’m thinking this one blessful thought, Brother Egan, that, some day when I have preached my last sermon, I’ve prayed for the last person that the Lord wants me to pray for, and I go Home! And on that resurrection morning, oh, what a day that will be, the joy! When I can stand There, when the queen of the South shall come up, I can see what influence she had! I’ll see coming up There, Billy Graham, the influence he had. Oral Roberts, and all the rest, the Sankey, Finney, Moody, Calvin, Knox, and so forth. Then I’ll see my group come up. Oh, that’s going to be the joy, that’s going to be my crowning. That’s right. And, by the grace of God, I hope to have several million There.
E-38 And now I’ve got to go overseas pretty soon. And now, as far as I know, right in our own meetings, just think of it, I’m in my second million souls, winning to Christ. And I—I hope that I see many, many millions won.
E-39 Now, the baptismal service, and now the—the appointments and things. And, now, this is continually after the meeting.
E-40 If any time you’re coming back for private interview, or so forth, just call the agent, Brother Mercier here. We have to have some sort of a setup, that we have to. We know that. And Brother Mercier, he gets them down, he puts them down just as they come, and as soon as I run out of appointments, all of them run out, I…When I come in, I call him up and tell him, “I’m finished on that group.” He gives me a new group, and away I go again, you see. Then, all works out of that office. And he knows just how to set them up so he can get each one in, that can get in, you see. So, we’re very happy to have this little office operating the way it is. So that’s just BUtler 2-1519. [Telephone number has been changed.—Ed.] And that’s…Or, if you call Jeffersonville, just call for me, and they’ll answer there at that office. And thank you, very kindly.
E-41 Now let us, just before we open up His blessed Word… And remember, immediately after this service is over, and the baptismal service, Billy will be here to give out prayer cards for tonight.
E-42 Now, tonight being a church night, Sunday night, the most of the city people will be out in their own churches, and around Louisville and around. They’ll be in their own churches. But it’ll just be mostly the outsiders. Therefore, I think maybe we can line up a great prayer line tonight and pray for every one of them. I’m trusting that we will. We’ve got quite a few prayer cards out.
E-43 I—I think, last night, after last night, oh, I just felt like I was going to take one of those, oh, solo flights, you know, we talk of. Just to see, in this little old tabernacle, again, hands raised up.
E-44 I got a little boy here, he’s just all boy, little Joseph. He’s just about three years old. And when all of them was shouting, if he didn’t jump right out there in the middle of the aisle and throw them hands up, and begin shouting and praising the Lord, right out in the middle of the aisle out there! And I think, this morning, he got into it with his little sister, and bit her on the arm, so I told him that his shouting wouldn’t do much good as long as he acted like that. [Brother Branham and congregation laugh—Ed.] Oh, my! Those little fellows, they can really get right next to you, can’t they? Well, of course, what it was, he just saw the rest of them doing it and thought that’s just what he should do, too, and probably following after us, the way we were doing.
E-45 Now we got His Word laying open here. Now let’s just speak to Him about It. Now just a…
E-46 Dear God, as we come to Thee just now, reverently, quietly, soberly, and in faith, believing that You hear and will answer prayer. Because, we come in that all-sufficient Name of Thy Son, the Lord Jesus, Who is the infallible One, and gave the promise, that, “If you ask the Father anything in My Name, I’ll do it.” Then we know that we will receive just what we ask for, for we come in His Name. For we have no other Name that we could approach You in, the great, mighty Jehovah God. And we come in His grace, not confessing that we deserve anything, but because that He has made a propitiation for us, in that He died for us. And He atoned for our sins, and we feel that we can stand justified in Your sight, by His death. That is our faith. And asking for nothing that would be evil, but that which would be good for each of us.
E-47 Therefore, Lord God, speak to us through Thy Word. And speak to us in that Voice, that we would understand and would know just how to be better men and women, boys and girls. Knowing that the great gate yonder at death, that, every time our heart makes a beat, we just get one beat closer to that gate to which we all shall go in at. And then knowing, that, after we are in there, there is not one opportunity again to ever make reconciliations. There is never again that we can have this opportunity that we have just now. And not knowing just when we shall cross that line, O God, come to us quickly and bring us to the senses that we should have, and know how to approach Thee, and to plead our case before Thee and ask for mercy. Grant it, Lord.
E-48 We are a needy people. We are sheep, calling on the Shepherd that will lead us through life, and down through the valley of the shadow of death. As David, of old, said, “I’ll not fear when I come to that place,” because the Shepherd will lead me right on through that place, until our feet rests solidly upon that glorious Shore, where old age and sickness and sorrow and death shall flee away from us, and we shall be free, There, forever.
E-49 Speak, Lord. This little bright-eyed darling of someone, setting here before me, in this wheel chair; just can’t keep my eyes off of her today; all crippled up with this polio, what the evil one has did to her. O God, bring deliverance to that little darling. Grant it, Lord. Not only to her, but to others here who are waiting. Let Thy Holy Spirit lift them so high, this morning, that they’ll pass every vibration of doubt and every sin barrier, that Your Holy Spirit might move upon them and heal them. Grant these things, Lord. For we ask these blessings for Thy glory, in the Name of the Son, Jesus Christ. Amen.
E-50 Now, I have chosen for a text this morning…And you little fellows forgive me, for taking the time all with the adults, and your class is not here, to be this morning. But I want you to hear, also, what I want to read. And I want to read, this morning, out of First Samuel, the 3rd chapter.
E-51 And I want to take for a text: Hear His Voice. That will do for little girls and big girls, and little boys and big boys, all. Remember the text: Hear His Voice.
E-52 Now, you that’s turning in the Scriptures, to First Samuel, the 3rd chapter, this is how it reads for the first ten verses.
And the child Samuel ministered unto the Lord before Eli. And the word of the Lord was precious in those days; there was no open vision.
E-53 Oh, how I would like to dwell there for a minute, maybe some other time. It just strikes me. Let me just read it once again, that verse.
And the child Samuel ministered unto the Lord before Eli. And the word of the Lord was precious in those days; for there was no open vision.
E-54 See what a vision is, then? It’s the direct Word of the Lord. See? And the Lord’s Word was precious.
And it came to pass at that time, when Eli was laid down in his place, and his eyes begin to wax dim, that he could not see;
And ere the lamp of God went out in the temple of the Lord, where the ark of God was, and Samuel was laid down to sleep;
That the Lord called Samuel: and he answered, Here am I.
And he ran to Eli, and said, Here am I; for thou calledst me. And he said, I called not; lie down again. And he went and lay down.
And the Lor-…And the Lord called yet again, Samuel. And Samuel arose and went to Eli, and said, Here I…Here am I; for thou didst call me. And he answered, I called not, my son; lie down again.
Now Samuel did not yet know the Lord, neither was the word of the Lord yet revealed unto him.
And the Lord called Samuel again the third time. And he arose and went to Eli, and said, Here am I; for thou didst call me. And Eli perceived that the Lord had called the child.
Therefore Eli said unto Samuel, Go, lie down: and it shall be, if he call thee, that thou shall say, Speak, Lord; for thy servant heareth. So Samuel went and lay down in his place.
And the Lord came, and stood, and called as at other times, Samuel, Samuel. And Samuel answered, Speak; for thy servant heareth.
E-55 The Voice of God! Hearing His Voice in that day was a rare thing. See, there was no open vision. And it was a rare thing, the real Voice of God, because the people had gotten away. They had a church, in that day, that just didn’t follow the commandments of the Lord. They had a—a minister by the name of Eli. And he had got away from God, by just teaching the precepts of what the people wanted to believe. If that isn’t parallel till this day! He just taught the people, and he—he took his choice ones, and he had his sons to take the best of the flesh from there, the hooks, out of the—the offering. And it just become a place where the offering was the main thing. And Samuel, just careless about the way that he handled the commandments of the Lord. And the real Word of God was a rare thing.
E-56 That’s the way it is today. We go to church and we find the people going in and having some great drive on, “We want to make our denomination, this year, so many more. Bring your letter from your other church, and unite with us.” And slogans like, “A million more in ’44.” And all such as that, cry, trying to outgrow the next denomination. And in doing so, we’ve let the bars down, of the Bible. We’ve got away, and begin to teach different things.
E-57 The prophets spoke of these days, that when, “They, for teaching, will teach the man’s doctrine and not God’s Doctrine.”
E-58 And we seen so much of that, and it’s gone on so long, until, today, the Word of the Lord is a rare thing, that someone can come and say, “THUS SAITH THE LORD.” Now, we’ve had a lot of impersonations of that. Satan is really on the job. And many years gone by, people were afraid to say that unless it was the Lord. But, today, they just don’t care. But it’s a rare thing to hear the Voice of the Lord, and to find a person that can say, “The Lord spoke to me.” You notice that amongst the people, anymore, that they hardly hear a time that when they say, “The Lord spoke to me.”
E-59 When, men and women used to pray all night, and their homes were set in order, by the Book of the Lord, and God was first in their home.
E-60 See, we got too many things ahead of the Lord. You can’t have the prayer meeting, because Mr. Godfrey is on tonight. You can’t have the prayer meeting, because We Love Sucy is on tonight. Or, some kind of a foolish nonsense like that, that takes up the time, and we don’t have time to hear the Voice of the Lord. And those who do claim to be Christians, just kneel down, of the little prayer like this, kind of homemade, “Lord, bless me and my family, and take care of us. Good night.” And the next morning, rise and say, “Just guide us through the day. Good day.”
E-61 We should wait on the Lord. You see, we do all the talking. We don’t give Him a chance to talk back to us. That, if we would pray, and pray until our soul comes into the Presence of God, and then just relax and listen to His Voice.
E-62 But there’s so many voices, today, that takes the Voice of the Lord away from us. There’s the voice of pleasure. So many people are listening to that, where they can go and have a good time. And many of them are professing to be Christians. Some kind of an old rock-and-roll coming up, they just can’t listen to what godly. They say, “Well, I’m a Christian, I ought to read a verse in the Bible today. Yeah, ‘Jesus wept.’” That’s it. Go ahead. But then to really get down and pray, they got too many other things to do. There’s so many voices in the world, so many things to attract our attention from God.
E-63 And yesterday, when the wife and I had run over to the supermarket, to get some groceries. And I was hurrying because I was late with appointments and things, and rushing real quick. And there was a little boy standing there, half asleep, and a little old girl come along there with some little trousers on, that belonged to some man. They had to, ’cause they were made for man.
E-64 And the Bible says, “It’s an abomination in the sight of God, for a woman to wear it.”
E-65 And with a lot of this here lipstick on, and her eyes about half asleep, she said, “Where is the so-and-so?” to that little boy.
He said, “How do you expect me to know?”
E-66 She said, “You remember, I never got in until six o’clock this morning.” And she wasn’t over twelve years old.
E-67 Now, Jesus, at twelve, which was our example, said, “Don’t you know I should be about My Father’s business?”
E-68 No wonder the Voice of God is a rare thing today. It’s smothered out, by so many different voices, so many things that dim and take away. It’s got to a place until it dulls our senses, until we can’t hear the Voice of God. Our senses, of where we ought to shake ourself, and realize that you are men and women, and you are the creation of God, and you were put here to serve Him. But Satan’s voice and false prophets, “Oh, be modern!”
E-69 As I was speaking a few days ago, I was coming to church, and I turned my radio on. And I heard a program out of Louisville, that said that they were teaching their children, in churches, to just drink moderately. Making them modern, so that they won’t go to the excess.
E-70 Oh, they need to teach them Christ, not drinking. And that will wreck and ruin and damn any home. How could the Voice of God speak among a family that’s half soused with whiskey, and their minds paralyzed with smoking and drinking, and all-night-long carousing?
E-71 Men that waits upon God, comes into His Presence. And to come into the Presence of God is just like going out early of a morning, when the dew and the honeysuckles are all sweet. When you come in the presence of a person like that, you know they have been with God.
E-72 My wife said to me, coming down, this morning. She said, “Billy, I don’t mean to say this to flower at anybody. But,” she said, “last night,” I believe, or one of the nights, she said, “I set by one of the little Amish women, and a little lady with a little cap on her head.” She said, “And you could tell that woman had been with Jesus, for she was sweet. Her soul was mellow. Her eyes were clear.” There’s not no sin or nothing to hide behind, or anything. She had been in the Presence of God. Her senses wasn’t dull, by whiskey and tobacco, and all kinds of things of the world. She was refreshed from the Presence of God, reading her Bible, studying God’s Word.
E-73 But, we modern Americans, what we do! And the false prophets behind the pulpit say that’s all right. I’m kind of in the notion of saying this. If I’m wrong, God forgive me. I’m persuaded that a lot of them don’t know God. And the congregation will never live any higher than its pastor. No wonder the Scripture says, “These shepherds, how they have scattered the flock! Woe unto them. They are the branches that bears not fruit, which will be plucked off and burned.”
E-74 So many things to dull the senses of the people today! Oh! But in the midst of all that, in spite of every dulling and every voice that’s in the world today! Some of them, pleasure voices. Some of them are—are sinful voices, to lure the people. But in the spite of every bit of that, the Truth of God still remains, “He that will hear My Voice and come after Me!” Men and women who will hear the Voice of God, God still waits to speak to every individual that will open their ears to hear God’s Voice.
E-75 If a man, who he is, and pastor…Many times, people say, “Couldn’t you do this? Couldn’t you run over here? Couldn’t you do this?” Oh, I love to do it. But I’ve got to stay in the Presence of God if I’m going to do the thing right. Then people say, “Oh, Brother Branham is one of these isolationist.” That’s not it. I love people, but there’s just thousands of them. But I must stay with Him, to find out what He’d have me tell them. Somewhere, just listen, He’ll have something for you, that He wants you to know about.
E-76 Pastor, don’t you never get too busy but what you can stay in the Presence and listen for His Voice. God always keeps His Word. And no matter how bad the times may be, how much your church may teach against it, Jesus Christ is still willing to speak that still small Voice to anybody that will listen for Him. He is still ready to do it, if we just quieten ourself.
E-77 But we run in, flustrated, and say, “Say, pastor, could I join this church?”
“What church do you come from?”
“So-and-so.”
“Well, bring us your letter.” Oh, my!
“Could I join this church?”
E-78 “Oh, yes. Come forth, and we’ll sprinkle you a little bit, with water, and put your name on the book. And you get the right hand of fellowship.”
E-79 Well, the Masonic Lodge has got a better order than that. It’s true. The Masonic Lodge and all other lodges are all right, but it still isn’t the house of God. There’s where God speaks. Those lodges try to make you moral, but God makes you righteous through Jesus Christ, His Son. Now, there’s a code of ethics to it; God has a new Birth for you.
E-80 But listen to His still small Voice. Every one of you people who profess to be Christians, get yourself quiet before Him. Don’t let the washing hinder. Don’t let the work hinder. Don’t let nothing hinder. Don’t let nobody know what you’re doing. Just go before Him. Get up in the woods somewhere. Get out on the side of the road. Go into the secret closet and close the door. When the kids gets at school, there get down on your knees. You’ve heard all kinds of voices everywhere, but just get down and stay there until those voices are silenced and you begin to lift up. It’ll change you. It’ll make you different, like It did this little Samuel. It’ll do something to you if you’ll just do it. Now, It’ll make you what you should be. It’ll make you the kind of Christian that you ought to be.
E-81 Now let’s us go back off of this modern day, until a day that’s past. Let’s go back to the days of the early times. And this Voice of God has come to men in all walks of life, in all ages. No matter if you’re a farmer, if you’re a shoe cobbler, whatever you may be, God still speaks. If you’re a sinner, if you’re a prostitute, harlot, if you’re a drunkard, if you are (what?) a local church member, nominal—nominal, whatever you might be, the Voice of God still waits to speak to you.
E-82 I’m thinking now of Moses, when he was already eighty years old, and had eighty years of theological training. And he knew the Scriptures; he knew them well. And he had a promise to him, that he was going to be the deliverer of his people. But, yet, just knowing the Scriptures and being a—a formal church member of that modern church in that day, he took the thing over in his own hands and tried to do it. He slew an Egyptian. You see what you do without listening to God? You just mess it up.
E-83 And when the devil, this morning, would say, “Don’t you be baptized.” Another would say, “Oh, do it later.” One would say, “You better be sure you know what you’re doing.” And the other one say, “You’re going to lose a good time.” The only way to settle that, is go to God’s Word with it. But people, today, don’t seem to want to do that.
E-84 And, Moses, he had been to the best of the rabbis, but they had got formal and cold. He had heard the story his mother told him, how that he was hid in the bulrushes, and how that the big alligators couldn’t get a hold of him. How that, floating down that stream, was that little baby. Where the…
E-85 The old alligators were just fat. (This is for the little children.) They were fat, from eating them little babies. They had old hook-nose women, police women, never did have a baby, didn’t know how the love of a baby was. Why, they just go out there and take and kill them little babies, and throw them out in the river. Them old alligators was just fat, on them little babies.
E-86 And, yet, God put upon the mother’s heart to place her baby right in death. Don’t you see it was a type of Christ? He went right into death. And every one of them old alligators would come up to that little bitty basket going down the river. You know why they couldn’t do it, why they couldn’t eat that little baby? There was an Angel setting there. “Get away from here.”
E-87 Why? God gives His Angels charge to watch over His people. Don’t you get scared, honey. God is watching you. The devil may try to do something to you, but God is greater. See?
So, alligators have to run away from that little basket.
E-88 And, yet, Moses knew all these things. And, yet, after forty years of training, and then in the wilderness, he still tried to take the thing over, in his hands.
E-89 We know the Bible, what God says to do, and yet we say, “Well, now, we’ll make This be this way. It’s, just, the days of miracles are not so anymore. We know we don’t believe we see them anymore, and we believe the days of miracles is past. And the sprinkling is just as good as immersing. And ‘Father, Son, and Holy Spirit’ is just as good as the Name of the Lord Jesus. And so we’ll just…The rest of them is going that way, so we’ll just do that, too.”
E-90 Moses had been a military man. And he thought that the way that he was trained, as being a military man, that he could just kill them Egyptians off with his hand. “Be just as good as doing what God did.” Did you ever think of it? Everybody condemns Moses for killing one man. And he come back down there with anointing of the Holy Ghost and killed the whole thing, nobody said nothing about it. He slew all of Pharaoh’s army, but God was in it. God wasn’t in the first one.
E-91 And then Moses, just chucked full of church theology, he was to be the next pharaoh. And we find him, still not knowing God.
E-92 But one morning, on the back side of the desert, an old man of eighty years old, his whiskers hanging way down low, he seen a burning bush. And he turned aside to see what was going on. And when he got near the bush, he heard a Voice. God had to quieten him for forty years, before He could ever speak to him. And we won’t stay quiet ten minutes, so God can speak to us, with all the rumble and bumble we have of this day.
E-93 And yet, Moses, after forty years, stood there, and in the Presence of that bush. And that one Voice that called him, he knew more about God in five minutes, after that, than all the eighty years of training had taught him. It made a different man out of him.
E-94 It’ll make a different man and woman out of you, if you’ll just stand still long enough to hear His Voice, like Samuel did. Stand still. Don’t be excited. If you want something of God, ask Him; then stand still and listen, see what He’s going to say about it. Just open up your heart, say, “What about it, Lord Jesus?” Just stay there. If He doesn’t answer the first five hours, then wait another. If He doesn’t answer today, then He’ll answer tomorrow. If He doesn’t answer this week, He will next week. Stay there till He answers.
E-95 Hear His Voice speak back, in your heart, and say, “Yes, I’m the Lord that healeth thee.” Then it’s all over. You can settle then. See? “I’m the Lord Who forgives all thy sins. Now go and sin no more. I don’t condemn you.” Then you can go free. You’re all right. But you want to be sure that you heard that Voice speak. Moses heard It. He was a changed man.
E-96 Look at Isaiah, the prophet. As a young man, he had it made. The great favored King Uzziah, in them days, a righteous man, a good man. He loved Isaiah, for he knew he was a prophet. And so he just leaned upon the king’s arm. Everything he wanted, why, Uzziah give it to him. And every time he wanted anything, why, the good king would give it to him. But there come a time that the king died.
E-97 Prosperity always ruins people. That’s a hard thing to say. But prosperity takes a man away from God. God spoke one place, in the Bible, something on this line, and He said, “When I blessed you, and gave you much. When you were poor and you didn’t have nothing, I come to you, and you heard Me and you served Me. But when I blessed you and give you plenty, then you turned your head from Me.” That’s what America has done, turned their heads.
E-98 That’s what the churches done. You can sit out on the corners, and have the great fine buildings, and the millions of dollars per…placed into it, and everything just as easy as it could be. No wonder you haven’t got time to hear God’s Voice. But wait till the hour comes when that’s took away, then you’ll long to hear It. Everything is fine now, but the hour is coming when it won’t be that way.
E-99 So, Isaiah, he could lean upon the king’s arm. And he was a young man of favor, and fine spirit in this young man, so the king loved him. And one day, the props was knocked out from under him. The king died. And when the king died, then Isaiah had to go alone. And then he begin to look around, and he found out that everybody wasn’t like the king.
E-100 You’ll be kicked out, some of these days, from these interdenominationals like this. It’ll come a time when you’ll have to belong to an organization, or you can’t worship. As you know, the Scripture says it will be. They just make fun of you now. But there be a time where there be a boycott, for the mark of the beast must come. You’ll either belong to the confederation of the churches, the beast like it is in Rome, or you won’t worship at all. That’s what the Scripture says. That’s when you’ll have to cry out like Isaiah did.
E-101 And he got down in the temple, and he realized then. He raised his hands and he said, “O Lord, I am a man of unclean lips.” You think you’re good, but wait till that time comes. “I dwell among peoples of unclean lips.” What did he? Got desperate.
E-102 And when you get desperate about this thing, something will take place. You’re not desperate enough. “Oh, well, I joined church. That settles it.” But you have to be desperate about it. You have to really need God.
E-103 Jesus said, “Blessed are they that do hunger and thirst after righteousness, for they shall be filled.”
E-104 But as long as you’re satisfied with the things of the world, how can God ever speak to you? You say, “God never spoke to me.” Why? He wants to. But you’re too filled up with the things of the world. That’s what’s the matter with us today. We put all of our time on things of the world, and the pleasures of the world, and give no time to God. It’s true.
E-105 Now, we find out that Isaiah got desperate. And he screamed out, and confessed his sins, and confessed the sins of the people. When he got through confessing, he heard a noise up above him. And when he looked up, there was the Cherubims, flying back and forth through the building. Wings over Their faces, and wings over Their feet, and flying with wings, crying, “Holy, holy, holy, Lord God Almighty.”
E-106 Something was taking place. Isaiah got desperate. God come on the job. And Isaiah screamed, “I have unclean lips,” for a Voice had just spoke. It changed him.
E-107 “Who will go for Us?” said the Voice. “Who will go? Who is willing to stand in the breach, amongst this bunch of theologians? Who will go in this day, and claim that I’m still God? [Brother Branham knocks on the pulpit two times—Ed.] Who will go and condemn their uncleanness? Who will tear down their denominations and build the powers of the living God again? Who will go?”
E-108 Isaiah said, “Lord, before I can go, I’ve got to be alternated.” Some of these little fears and flusterations had to leave him.
E-109 So will it be with every individual God calls! You got to be born-again, changed and made new. Not imagination; but from your heart, something that really takes place. And one of the Angels… “If you ask, you shall receive.”
E-110 One of the Angels went over to the brazen altar, and took the tongs and reached over and got a coal of living Fire, and ran over to Isaiah and placed it in his mouth. Said, “Now you’re clean. Go, speak the Word.” Isaiah was changed after he heard that Voice.
E-111 Then in his late years, he wrote a complete Bible. He started at Genesis and ended up in Revelations. There’s sixty-six Books of the Bible; there’s sixty-six chapters of Isaiah. Why? Because he got desperate, in a time where he seen It needed most.
E-112 Daniel, down in Babylon, as we spoke of him last night. He had purposed in his heart that he would not defile himself with the Babylonian doctrines. But one day, down there, Daniel got in need. And he knowed he wanted to hear the Voice of God, yet he had the Scriptures. But he needed to hear the Voice of God. And he went down to the such river. And he just didn’t go down there and park his chariot and kneel down in the bulrushes, and say, “Lord God, I want to hear You. Where You at?” No. You don’t do it that way. Isaiah had took his chariot, and the drivers, and had went down to the river and sent them back. He was going to stay till he heard. That’s the way. He got desperate about it.
E-113 He had to get plumb away from all of the soldiers, and all the astronomers, and the wise men, all the doctors of theology, and so forth, that was trying to tell him, “This! You do this, Daniel. You do this, Daniel.” But he got away from all of it. That’s the way you got to do. And he got down on the river, and he stayed there for twenty-one days, wrestling with the Angel of the Lord.
E-114 But we’re told that he looked out upon the waters. There he saw an Angel standing, with His foot on the land and the sea. And raised up His hands and swore by Him that lives forever and ever, “When the things that Daniel saw come to pass, time should be no more.” He had been delayed twenty-one days because of the evil of the land.
E-115 And if He was delayed twenty-one days because of the evil of that land, in the days of Persia, what would He be in this day? How long could He be delayed? But that undying faith, that hunger and desire in the human heart, that won’t say no to God, but will hold on till God speaks from Heaven. You can’t play with This, with This Gospel. It’s not to be played with. It must hit the tack, ten times out of ten. It’s got to be perfect, or it isn’t right and it won’t work. It’s got to be perfect. Daniel prayed.
E-116 We find in the Bible, in about the 8th chapter, 7th or 8th chapter of the Book of Acts, that, a little, self-made Pharisee by the name of Saul. Oh, he was a theologian, alright. He had sit under the teaching of Gamaliel and he had all the Scriptures, right down in the way it should be, according to the theologians of that day, oh, self-styled and self-made. And he seen people doing something that was spiritual, and his man-made theology didn’t cope with It.
E-117 What a parallel of today! Honest and sincere in his heart, as many people are, they think that people who has been born-again is crazy. They think that Divine healing and powers of the Holy Ghost is something that they talk about, but it’s true.
E-118 So when he was on his road down to Damascus, one day, with some orders in his pocket, from the—from the church bishop, to go down and destroy all that bunch of holy-rollers that were screaming and shouting, and—and jumping up-and-down, and speaking with foreign languages, and—and healing the sick. “And, why, it’s a bunch of devils,” said the theologians. “Go down and arrest them, and bring them back up here in chains!”
E-119 “Sure. At your service, bishop!” Oh, my! Oh, he was a great man. He had a D.D., Ph. D., you know. So he had jumped on his horse, and away he went, with a company with him.
E-120 But on his road, about high noon, Something floored him. And he wallowed in the dust, like a madman, frothing. And he heard a Voice saying, “Saul, Saul, why persecutest thou Me?” What was it? Not some theolo-…theo-…theologian speaking to him. But a Voice from Heaven, “Why persecutest thou Me?”
E-121 And he turned over in the dust, and his frowns all full of dust, and tears rolling down his checks, perhaps. He said, “Lord, Who are You?” And when he flashed his eyes, he become as blind as a bat.
E-122 There stood the big Pillar of Fire before him. And a Voice coming from It, said, “I’m Jesus, Who you are persecuting. Your man-made teaching has been wrong.” What was it? There was an open vision. The Word of God was made real.
E-123 Oh, brethren, that’s what we need today, is some more like that.
E-124 I just want to thank the Lord. These little girls, in wheel chairs last night, coming, walking up today, and without the wheel chairs, so they’re going. Uh-huh. The Lord bless you, girls, sitting there. [Congregation rejoices—Ed.] What did it? The same Jesus that spoke in the supernatural Voice back there, speaks yet today.
E-125 “Saul, Saul, why persecutest thou Me?” Saul was a changed man.
E-126 And people ought to be changed today when they can see and hear the Voice of the living God speak like He did when He walked in Galilee. Oh, sure!
E-127 “Saul, Saul, why persecutest thou Me?” What did it? Did He take him down to a seminary and teach him some new theology? No, He did not. What did He do? He spoke to him, and there was a literal Voice speaking through a Cloud. What was it? The same God that thundered off of Mount Sinai.
E-128 In the meetings, in the places where the Holy Spirit does come, you hear a human voice changed. And not knowing hardly, ABC’s, but Christ can take that voice and speak out the mysteries of the Almighty God. It ought to change every man and woman that sits in the Presence of His…?… “I heard a Voice,” he said. Oh, we so slumber. I hope it not, will have to be made any plainer than that. But we so slumber in our churches, in our theology, in our thinking, and in our ways of life, until we fail to hear that Voice when It speaks.
E-129 “Oh,” they say, “it might telepathy. It might, you know, might be this, that, or the other.”
E-130 What if Moses would have said, “Say, wonder if that was a demon in that bush?” Huh! No question to Moses, he heard the Voice.
E-131 If you say, “Oh, it might be just my conscience telling me that.”
E-132 If you’re a child of God, you’ll know it’s His Voice. “My sheep hear My Voice. My sheep hear My Voice.” They’ll know.
E-133 There was another, by the name of Peter, who had become saved, and had also be filled with the Spirit. And he still wanted to hang onto the traditions of the elders. All he would know, would been here in the Word. And one day, on a housetop, when he wanted to keep the traditions of, “Don’t meat…eat any meat, and the sabbaths, and so forth.” There’s a many a good person still tries to hang onto stuff like that.
E-134 And one day when he was up on the housetop, he heard a Voice that said, “Don’t you call that what I made clean, ‘unclean.’”
E-135 God, I wish He would take a bunch of preachers in this valley here, and let them know that we’re not crazy, we’re not holy-rollers, a bunch of trash. It’s the Spirit of the living God. And men and women are drunk on His goodness. It’s not witchcraft or mental telepathy. It’s the Spirit of the living God. Turn loose of your traditions, elders, and listen to the Voice of the living God. It’ll change you. You won’t become one of the persecutors. You’ll want to be one of them. If you can pass the barriers of all your doctrines, until you can float into His Presence yonder, something will take place. You won’t believe the days of miracles is past. You’ll believe that they’re right here, because one will be performed on you, sure, to change a man. That’s what the Voice of God always does. It changes men and women and makes them what they should be; not what the schools and teachers has made, but what God has patterned them for.
The Voice, speaking! “I heard a Voice.”
E-136 Oh, how I would like to go into personal experiences. And how that you would love to go to personal testimonies, many of you men and women who has heard His Voice.
E-137 And I can remember of hearing It when I was just a little boy, way down in the mountains of Kentucky. And I thought It was a bird sitting in a tree, but the bird flew away. He said, “Don’t fear, ’cause you’re going to leave from here some day, and live near a city called New Albany.” I heard His Voice when He said, “Don’t smoke, or drink, or defile your body with women and so forth. There’s a work for you to do when you get older.”
E-138 Oh, He is still the same Lord God. And you hear Him, hour after hour, speaking to you in your teeny little closet, in your prayer room. Come out before the audiences, then speak visible to the people. The Voice of God, It was precious in the days of Samuel. It’s more precious today. For, there was no open vision.
E-139 Peter heard the Voice, and It changed all of his theology. He went right straight to the Gentiles, who he thought to be a bunch of illiterate off-cast. But, the Voice of God, not his teaching, the Voice of the living God changed him.
E-140 And now just one more. There was a good man, one time, in the Bible. A personal acquaintant with Jesus, who loved Him, and believed in Him, and worshiped Him, and played with Him, and went into the hills with Him, and down to the river, fishing with Him. He was a good man. One day, while Jesus was gone, death come stealing into his room.
E-141 And he had left the old orthodox church, him and his lovely sisters, Martha and Mary. And they had come out because they loved Him, and believed Him to be the Messiah. And by doing so, the church had quickly excommunicated them.
E-142 And this young man got so sick until he died, and had been buried, four days. What good would theological teachings do then? What good to his church do then? But there was the Voice of God, on earth, and He spoke to Lazarus. And Lazarus, a man who was dead and corrupted in the grave, heard His Voice, and come out and lived again.
E-143 I was dead once, in sin and trespasses. You were dead in sin and trespasses. But it was the Voice of God that said, “Come unto Me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, I’ll give you rest.”
E-144 I’ve seen the Voice speak to the cripple, straighten him up. I seen the Voice of God speak to the blind, and his eyes come open. To the dying, cancer ridden, to the leper, see them return back in flesh, in the perfect health again. I’ve seen Him speak to the alcoholics, and neurotics, and the off-cast, and the skidrow bunch, and they become ladies and gentlemen, and saints of the living God, because the Voice of God spoke. That’s what we listen for, today.
E-145 Let me close by saying this. There will come a time, that when your wondering soul has been taken from your body, and it’s in its destination somewhere, wandering yonder in darkness, or either into the bosoms of God. That Voice will speak again. And the Bible said, that, “All those that are in the grave shall hear His Voice, and shall come out. Some shall come to everlasting shame and contemptments. And others shall come forth to everlasting peace and joy.”
E-146 This morning might be the time that you make up your mind, whether you’re going to listen to what the television says, or what the paper says, or what the theologians say, or what God says. Let me tell you, as a people. Don’t you listen to what anything says, but what God says. Wait on that still, small Voice, and He will change you.
E-147 You say, “I like to believe, Brother Branham. I wish I could believe. I wish I could do certain things.” But you can’t. Why? You don’t get quiet long enough. You don’t get into a place to where the—the doubts are all gone.
E-148 When you enter into the place where the doubts have passed away, then you’ll be free, and you can hear the Voice of God speaking. “Child of Mine, I am your Saviour. Child of Mine, I am your healer. You don’t have to do these things. I died that you might be free. But as long as you’re down here in this vibration, mixed up with all kinds of voices, just whirl away from all of them.”
E-149 Reminds me of a time that I was up in the mountains once. And I shall never forget them experiences. And here about ten years ago, or hardly so long, I was helping Mr. Jefferies on the round-up, and when they was having salt on the horses. And I was taking them to certain licks where I could lay them out, where the cattle would know to come. Way back, seventy miles, almost, from civilization. Or, I mean, about thirty miles, thirty-five, maybe forty miles, to Kremmling, Colorado, to where you hit into a little city of a population of about seven or eight hundred people. And I had my horse, and I had the saddlebags out, unloaded. And we look at the…hunt the cattle though the binoculars. And I had hooked my horse to a limb, and the trailers was behind him, which is, the horse…the bell horse is in front. And I went up on the hills. And it was so pretty. It was springtime. And I was looking across the valleys, watching the little ripples of water, way in the distance. And as I watched, it was in the mid afternoon, and I seen something that stirred me.
E-150 I seen an old mother taking her babies from her nest, an old eagle bird. And she fluttered around over them till she got them on her wings. And they had been out of the nest before. But she took them down into the valley. They had never been down there before. They just learning to fly. So, she let them off. And they went along, picking on the grass, and tumbling over one another, just as carefree as they could be. And while sitting there, I thought, “Now, isn’t that just like a group of real, believing Christians! They’re carefree.” Why was they carefree? They didn’t have to fear anything, because mama had went right on back up and sit down on a rock, to watch them. Oh! That just changes it so.
E-151 When you get to thinking, “What will Pastor So-and-so think if I happen to get the Holy Spirit? What will Bishop So-and-so say?” I don’t care what they say.
E-152 Jesus died, and He’s climbed the ramparts of Glory, and He sets in the heavens of heavens. There ain’t nothing going to bother you. His eye is on the sparrow, and I know He watches me, and He watches you.
E-153 Then when there come, if there should come a coyote, or something to disturb one of these little ones, why, she…They had better not. She could pick up a coyote in her hand, in her paws, carry him up about several thousand feet and just turn him loose. He would disintegrate in the air. Nothing is going to bother them little ones. She is going to see to it.
E-154 Nothing is going to bother you. Don’t be scared to take God at His Word. Just relax, and have faith, and believe. He’s watching over you. He’ll disintegrate anything that tries to bother you. Oh, it might attack at you, but it can’t harm you. “For all things,” He permits it. It couldn’t be nothing else, “For it’s working together for good, to them that love the Lord.” No harm can come to you.
E-155 And so, after while, there come a storm up. And when the storm started, it comes quick, those northerns, a little flash of lightning and that wind coming, sixty or seventy miles an hour. And that old mother eagle let out a great big scream, and down through the valley she went. And that scream, what did it do? Them little eagles knew their mama’s voice.
“My sheep know My Voice,” He said.
E-156 Danger was at hand. Now, they didn’t try to get under chunks. They didn’t try to run out into some kind of a trash pile. They just waited on mama.
E-157 That’s what the Christian should do; see what God is going to do about it.
E-158 And when the—the old mother hit the ground, them great big feet about like that, she just sailed down like a great mammoth plane setting down. And she threw her head in the air and screamed, and she threw those big wings out, about fourteen feet, from tip to tip, wide as from this pole to that one. All those little eagles just run as hard as they could, and jumped right on their mammy’s wings. Reached right down and got a hold with their little paws, took their little beaks, and got a hold of one of them tight feathers in there. Mama just took them, without a vibration of those wings, and lifted up into that wind. Right straight into the rocks she went, to hide them from the storm that was coming.
E-159 Oh, brother, the storm is close at hand. Hear His Voice. It calls to you, “Come out of Babylon. Be separated. Don’t be partakers of his, their sins. I’ll receive you. You’ll be sons and daughters to Me. I’ll be God unto you.”
Let us bow our heads just a moment, in the closing.
E-160 [Someone gives a prophecy—Ed.] Amen. You heard that. That’s what we call prophecy in the church.
E-161 Would there be some here this morning, which I know there is, that would say, “Lord God, be merciful to me. Although I have joined church, I’ve made a confession, but I—I don’t know what it is to get quiet before You, and hear Your Voice leading me and teaching me. I wouldn’t know what to do if You should speak to me in an audible Voice. I would love to know You, so that You could speak to me and direct my paths”? Would you raise your hands just now and say, “God, be merciful”? The Lord bless you, everywhere, hands everywhere. Just continue putting them up. That’s right. “Lord, be merciful unto me. I need You so much.” Would there be some more just before closing? God sees your hands back there, lady, and all you way in the back, and standing in the rows and so forth. God sees you, even to the platform, up around here.
And Samuel said, “Eli, did you call me?”
Eli said, “No, my son, I never called you.”
E-162 That wasn’t me that spoke to your heart, friend. That was God. Just speak back and say, “Thy servant heareth. And take me into Your care, today, God. Let me, from this day, be wholly Thine.”
E-163 Eternal God, lover of the soul, Creator of all things, while that still small Voice of God that spoke to Samuel, that spoke to Saul, that spoke to Peter, that spoke to Daniel, and Isaiah the prophet, and all down through the ages, has spoke again this morning in the tabernacle. Perhaps maybe thirty, or forty, or maybe fifty hands, of sinners and church members, and people with flusterations, raised their hands. Many of them were here last night, and they heard Your Voice come audible. And now, this morning, that same Voice speaks down deep in their heart. They’ve raised their hands, with their hands towards Heaven, saying that they are wrong, and they want to be right.
E-164 You have said in Your Word, that, “No man can come to Me, except My Father draws him first. And all that will come, I’ll give them Eternal Life. And will raise him up at the last day.”
E-165 You promised it, Father. Now we call upon Thee, as Your servant, to give to these who has raised their hands, Eternal Life and Eternal joy. And may they live for Thee, all the days of their life. And at the end of the road of life’s journey, enter into the joys of the Lord. Grant it, Father. We ask it in Jesus’ Name and for Jesus’ sake. Amen.
E-166 How many of you love Him with all your heart, just all your heart? [Congregation says, “Amen.”—Ed.] Now, in these little places here like this…I’m just late. But the Bible said, that, “We sit together in Heavenly places in Christ Jesus.” The Holy Spirit comes, gets into the Word, moves down through the audience, and you can just watch It when It sweeps over them, changing them.
E-167 As I have said, I believe in emotions. Sure. But, you, what… See, emotions doesn’t change you. Emotions has got to go plumb in till it touches the morals of your being. That’s what changes you from sinful…
E-168 What is a sinner? Unbeliever. There is a many a person today, with a—a Bachelor of Art degree, with a doctor’s degree, with a Ph. D., and double L. D. on their name, and still sinners. Knows the Bible from Genesis to Revelations, preaches in the pulpit, and still belie-…disbelievers. The Bible said, “He that believeth not is condemned already.”
E-169 Ask one of them people if they believe the Holy Ghost is for today. “Why, certainly not.” Do you believe that Divine healing is? “Why, certainly not.” Then he is a unbeliever. That’s right. If the Holy Spirit is in you, won’t He testify to His Own Word? And if the spirit in you testifies contrary to what God says is true, it’s not the Spirit of Christ. You might belong to the church of Christ, but you’re none of Christ’s until your spirit says “amen” to every promise God made. And when He promised…
E-170 Peter said, on the Day of Pentecost, he said, “Repent, every one of you, and be baptized in the Name of Jesus Christ for the remission of your sins, and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost.” And if your spirit says that was for another day…What did the Scripture say? “For the promise is unto you,” the Jew, “and to your children, and to them that’s far off,” the Gentile, “even as many as the Lord our God shall call.” The same promise.
E-171 He said, “I am the Vine, ye are the branches.” And if that’s the Doctrine of the branch, first branch, the second branch has to have the same Doctrine. And the same Doctrine will produce the same results. And as each branch comes on the Vine, it’ll produce the same thing. I’m glad, this morning, I’m so glad that I know that the Spirit of the living God still talks and speaks to people, and confirms His Word.
E-172 We’re going into baptismal service just in a few moments. If you been sprinkled, poured, or immersed any way than in the Name of the Lord Jesus Christ, you’re challenged to come to the water.
E-173 Now you say, “Brother Branham, would you mean to tell me?” Yes, brother.
E-174 Sprinkling is not spoke of in the Bible. There’s no place in the Bible where anybody was ever sprinkled. Now remember this. I’ve asked this desk, all week. Find me where one person in the Bible was ever sprinkled for the remission of their sins, ever poured for the remission of their sins, or ever baptized by immersing in the name of the “Father, Son, Holy Ghost” for the remission of their sins. There never was a person ever sprinkled, poured or baptized in the name of the “Father, Son, Holy Ghost,” in the entire lids of the Bible. No, sir. They were…
E-175 There were some people baptized one time by John the Baptist, and they wasn’t baptized in any name at all, and they were baptized by the same man that baptized Jesus. But Paul, when he met them in Acts 19, told them they had to come and be baptized over again in the Name of Jesus Christ, or they could not receive the Holy Ghost as yet.
E-176 When Peter found some that had received the Holy Ghost before they were baptized at all, he commanded them and stayed with them till they were baptized in the Name of Jesus Christ. That’s true, friend.
E-177 I know a lot of people say, “Now, Brother Branham is a Jesus Only.” That’s wrong.
E-178 I just believe the Scriptures. I don’t belong to any of the denominations. And Jesus Only don’t baptize that way, anyhow. They just baptize, the Name of “Jesus.” The Bible said, “The Lord Jesus Christ.” There’s many Jesuses, but only one Lord Jesus Christ. See? See? Christ is the Messiah. See? And that’s right.
E-179 And now, friends, now, you that’s here this morning, you never been baptized that way, may God’s still small Voice speak down deep in your soul. And regardless of what bishop, what church, what anything else says, come and obey the Lord, is my command to you.
E-180 And, now, Brother Neville will go to this room, for make ready for the baptismal service. And those who are—are getting the things ready, some of the elders will go with me. I’ll be with you in there, just in a minute.
E-181 But I want those who are coming now, when we’re going to sing, “I can hear my Saviour calling.” “I’ll go with Him. Regardless of what church, I’ll go with Him. Regardless what anybody, I’ll go with Him all the way.” Let the—the men make their way to this room, and the women make their way to this room, as we sing now. Then we’re going to be dismissed, officially, just in a moment now. All right. All together now.
I can hear my Saviour calling,
E-182 Now, the men go here, the women over here. “My Sa-…” Some of the women go in here with these women, please.
I can hear my Saviour…(What did you hear? His Voice.)
“Take My cross, and follow, follow Me.”
Where He…(Now do you really mean it?)…I will follow,
Where He leads me I will follow,
Where He leads me I will follow,
I’ll go with Him, with Him all the way.
E-183 Now, as I say this, friend, I heard a Voice. And if the Voice didn’t speak according to the Voice of God, Here, it’s the wrong voice. But, “My sheep know My Voice.”
E-184 How can you come? Here is the reason you come. Is because, “Your name was put on the Lamb’s Book of Life before the foundation of the world.” The Bible said so. Think of a person who is sitting and knows that that is the Gospel Truth, and yet something holding them, knowing that perhaps their name wasn’t put on. Then what?
“In vain do they worship Me.” See, “In vain.”
E-185 “Oh,” you say, “I’m a loyal man. I’m a loyal…” That don’t have one thing to do with it.
E-186 “In vain do they worship Me, teaching for doctrine the commandments of men.”
E-187 I’ve told you, there is nobody sprinkled, poured, or baptized, in the name of “Father, Son, Holy Ghost” in the Bible. Search It. Find it. If it is, come show me, on the platform tonight. Then, if you’ve been done that way, you’re following man’s tradition.
E-188 And if somebody tells you, “Well, you come up and make your confession, you receive the Holy Ghost then.” That’s wrong. That’s man-made doctrine.
E-189 There’s a false water baptism. There’s a false Holy Spirit baptism. The devil is impersonate It because he is religious. Cain, his father was religious, as we’ve been through it. The seed of the serpent still goes on. And the Seed of the woman, through Christ, still goes on.
“But, no man can come except My Father draws him.”
E-190 Now think of some setting here, this morning, that knows that you’re baptized falsely, in a man’s creed, and not according to the Bible, and your first birth of confession is wrong. How can you ever be right, ’less you go back and start right? You remember, this week, I have preached: It Wasn’t So From The Beginning.
E-191 Now, and if you can hear a Voice speaking to you, that’s God, because It copes with the Scripture. If it doesn’t, then there’s some kind of a wrong voice speaking to you. But the right Voice will tell you to follow the rules of the Bible; no sprinkling, no pouring, no falsely. Come right straight out and follow the rules of the Bible.
E-192 Do it, friends, if it took everything. I don’t care what it would cost, I’ll lay aside everything, to follow the Lord Jesus.
E-193 “Hear My Voice. My sheep will, and will come to Me. And all that will come to Me, I’ll give them everlasting Life, and raise him up in the last days.” Is it right?
E-194 Here it is, right with the Scriptures. No one can disprove That. That’s right. No one can disprove That. Here it is, in the Power of the Spirit, doing the same things that Jesus did. Here He is, on picture, the same Pillar of Fire, moving, the same fruits, same Spirit, having the same emotion, same action, same signs, same wonders. There you are. Hear the Voice of God this morning.
And the Voice said, “Samuel.”
E-195 Said, “Yes, Lord. Yes, Lord. Here I am. Here is Your servant. Here is Your servant. I’ll follow.”
God bless the lady. “I’ll…”
E-196 You say, “Brother Branham, you make that awful strong.” I mean for it to be strong. It’s between Life and death, so I must make it strong. The Lord be with you, is my sincere prayer.
E-197 Now, before they move the furniture of the building here, to have the…so that you can see the baptism. The place is open at all times. I want to read some, right straight from the Scriptures, so that you’ll see that I’m—I’m reading.
E-198 Jesus Christ, in the 16th chapter of Saint Matthew, I believe, told Peter, “I give unto you the keys of the Kingdom of Heaven. Whatever you bind on earth, I’ll bind in Heaven; whatever you loose on earth, I’ll loose in Heaven.” You all know that? [Congregation says, “Amen.”—Ed.]
E-199 On the Day of Pentecost, when the Kingdom of God had come in the fullness of Its Power, do you believe that? [Congregation says, “Amen.”—Ed.] Peter, standing. Now, when Jesus rose from the dead, He did not have the keys of the Kingdom. Is that right? [“Amen.”] He had the keys of death and hell, not the keys to the Kingdom. And here is what he said when he was preaching, and they were hearing these things, and had hardened their heart. Here is exactly what Peter said.
E-200 Now listen close as I read the Scriptures, so that you’ll understand. Acts, the 2nd chapter. Remember. How many was here to hear the sermon, It Wasn’t So From the Beginning? Let’s go back to the beginning and see what baptism, baptizing really is. How should we be baptized? Sprinkled, poured, or in the name of “Father, Son, Holy Ghost”?
E-201 Remember, I’ve challenged any minister, any bishop, anybody, anywhere, anytime, to show me one Scripture where any person was ever sprinkled, poured, or baptized in name of “Father, Son, Holy Ghost.” It’s open. It’s not in the Scriptures. No.
E-202 It’s a false, made creed, started by the Catholic church. Sprinkling was formed by the Catholic church, about six hundred years after the death of the last disciple. The “Father, Son, Holy Ghost” was adapted at the same time, because Catholic people worship different gods, and they made the trinity of the offices of God. Not three Gods; Father, Son, Holy Ghost. That’s pagan.
E-203 There’s one God. “Thou shalt not have no other gods before Me.” “Hear ye, O Israel, I’m the Lord your God, one God.”
E-204 The Jew asked us, “Which is your God; the Father, Son, or Holy Ghost?”
E-205 There just One of them. It’s three offices that the same God has worked in, manifesting Himself.
E-206 First, in the Father, could not be touched. Hung on the mountain; even a cow or animal would touch the mountain, should be killed.
E-207 Then He came down, ’cause He wanted to be worshiped. He got closer to man, because He become the Son of man. God was in Him.
E-208 And when He did that, then He said, “A little while and the world won’t see Me no more. Yet, ye shall see Me, for I,” a personal pronoun, “I will be with you, even in you, to the end of the world.” Said, “I come from God.” What? The Pillar of Fire. “I go back to God.” He did. He did. And then when He did that, He went back to God.
E-209 Then we find Paul, in our lesson this morning, on his road to Damascus. And He found Paul down on the road. And He smote him down. And when Paul looked up, what was He? The Pillar of Fire again, a Light that put his eyes out.
E-210 Look what Jesus done when He was on earth, and told the woman her sins, done all these things. And said, “I do nothing except the Father shows Me first.”
E-211 They asked Him, said, “Why don’t You go down there and heal them people down there?” Passed through a great multitude, where lame, halt, blind, and withered. He healed a man with prostate trouble, or something, laying on a pallet. Said, “Why don’t You make the whole bunch of them?”
E-212 He said, “Verily, verily…” Saint John 5:19, now, “Verily, verily, I say unto you, The Son can do nothing in Himself; but what He sees the Father doing, that doeth the Son.”
E-213 Here He has come again, in this last days. The scientific world can’t denounce it. The church can’t denounce it. Here it is, come right back into the church and doing the same thing. The Spirit! God wants those who will worship in the Spirit and in the Truth. Here He is.
E-214 Here is what He said on the Day of Pentecost, Peter preaching.
This Jesus has God raised up, where are…we are all witnesses. (Are we witnesses?)
Wherefore being at the right hand of God exalted,… having received of the Father the promise of the Holy Ghost, he hath shed forth this, which you now see and hear.
For David is not ascended into…heaven: but he said himself, The Lord said unto my Lord, Sit thou on my right hand,
Until I make thy foes thy footstool.
Let therefore all the house of Israel know assuredly, that God has made this same Jesus, whom you have crucified, both Lord and Christ.
Now when they heard this, (that was the religious people) when they heard this, they were pricked in their heart, and they said unto Peter and…the rest of the apostles, Men and brethren, what shall we do?
E-215 Shall we just go and be good? No, no. Watch out, Peter, you have the keys to the Kingdom now. “What you tell them,” God said, “I’ll lock it in Heaven when you lock it on earth.”
Peter said unto them, Repent, every one of you, and be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost.
For the promise is unto you, and to your children, and to them that’s far off, even as many as the Lord our God shall call.
E-216 One more Scripture. Thirty-two years after that, Paul, over here in the 19th chapter.
Paul having passed through the upper coasts of… Ephesus: he finds certain disciples,
And he said unto them, Have you received the Holy Ghost since you believed?
E-217 Baptists, let that sink into you. “Have you received the Holy Ghost since you believed?” It’s a birth, not a confession.
…We not know where there be any Holy Ghost.
And he said…Unto what…was you baptized then? They had been baptized, Unto John…
Paul said unto them, John verily baptized…unto repentance, (not for remission of sins), unto repentance, saying…that you should believe on him that is to come…that is, on Jesus Christ.
And when they heard this, they were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ.
…and Paul laid his hands upon them, and the Holy Ghost came on them; and they spoke in tongues, and magnified God.
E-218 Now let me take you, Paul, closing his epistle, Galatians 1:8.
…though we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel unto you than that which you’ve already heard, let him be unto you a curse.
E-219 I might take you also to Corinthians, the 14th chapter, 38th verse, where It said.
If any man professes to be spiritual, or a prophet, let him acknowledge that…what I write unto you are the commandments of the Lord.
But if he be ignorant, just let him be ignorant.
E-220 What are we going to do about it? Every evidence…I was in your place, and had not been baptized according to Christian baptism, regardless of what my church thought, or what my mother thought, I want to know what my Lord commands.
E-221 Lord Jesus, it’s Yours now. And I pray that You’ll work on every heart. And give these, who are in the pool to be baptized, the Holy Spirit, as they wait upon You. In Jesus’ Name we commit the crowd to You, that on that Day, Lord, may I not be guilty, but free from the blood of all men; not standing by some tradition, or some denomination, or organization, but by standing by Your Word. Amen.