E-1 It's certainly a privilege to be back amongst these Spanish people again this morning. And I wonder if Jim's getting this. Oh, he is getting the recording. I've still got the record that the little Spanish choir made when I was here before with Brother Garcia. And I forget that little song they used to sing me. But, oh, how I liked that. And those children now are all grown and married. I hear from them now and then. And when I walked in this morning and seen little Joseph, and now it really done something to me, and I was certainly happy to see you.
And now, I got one word I can say in Spanish. Would you like to hear it? "Hallelujah." I'll never forget the word. I was trying to get a deaf woman to hear me one time. Now, I may say this all wrong (You see?), but the best I remember it was "oiga." That right? Hear me. Hear, "oiga." And then never forget, "Gloria a Dios." you know. Just wonderful. Oh, I had the opportunity to be down in the capital, Mexico City, speak with them down there. How happy I was. And I used to...
E-3 I was in Finland after I was here. And always remind me of speaking to a little Finnish woman. They taken me up to what they call a Bethany. Every nation has it's own idea. (Am, are you getting the rebound? I'm too close to that? Can you hear all right, how's that?) This little woman, she was a lovely little person. But she was like me, she liked to talk a whole lot. And the interpreter... She talked real fast, and--and the interpreter couldn't say it fast enough to what she wanted to say it. And she'd stand and her face would get red, she said, "I've got it in for them guys a--babbling."
But, you know, I've noticed that all the--the birds all sing in English, dogs bark in English, babies cry in English. I wonder what's the matter with us anyhow. But each one of us think that our--our language will be the millennium language, of course. But we who have received the Holy Ghost, that is true, 'cause we have a heavenly language.
E-5 We have Brother Rowe here with us this morning, a diplomat from Washington. I believe he served under five or six Presidents, seven Presidents. And you know how I feel standing up on this platform, speak, with a man like that setting behind me. But his testimony always was such an outstanding one to me, and especially when he... I believe he was Lutheran, if I'm not mistaken, either Catholic or Lutheran: Lutheran. And he said he--something about crawling under a tent in a Pentecostal meeting, and he got up... Finally he made his way to the altar, and when he did, the Lord came down upon him and blessed him so much that... I think he can speak in about seven different languages. And said he tried one, it didn't work; then tried another, it didn't work. And I suppose he can speak Spanish same as you all can. So he--he tried all of them, and they wouldn't work. And, see, know what, God was so good, He come down and give him a language he never tried before, said, "It works." That's right. I think that's the way it'll be on the other side.
E-6 Many memories I hold in my heart of the little church up, I believe at... Oh, I forget where it's at. It's over here somewhere close to Toddle Street. And I remember that. I can think of the word "Toddle Street," where the Spanish Apostolic church used to be.
I was saying to the pastor, "This would be a grand place to have a revival," plenty of room, new church, fine people. So I think it would be in line for a revival someday. You pray to that, come in and have a revival. Now, I hope it's just a repeat of that we had over at the other church. I remember standing in the yard, leaning over the fence, up and down the streets, of trying to leave there of a nighttime, it was--sure was a thrill that I've never forgotten. And I've got a--a record of the little ladies, the misses and the brethren who sang and made a record. And they would try to sing "Only Believe," and they didn't get it out just right, you know. They'd say, instead of "only believe," they'd bring it out "yeonea believe." See?
E-8 And I remember Rebekah, my daughter, Sarah, and yet they say, "Daddy, sing, play that little record of the little..." Instead of saying "Spanish," they couldn't speak that word, said, "Spinish girls, little Spinish girls singing 'Only Believe.'"
Well, I remember they followed the meeting. The revival was on then, and they followed the meeting all the way to the west coast. And I--a little thing anchored in my heart when we left California, Brother Moore and I, and Brother Brown, way up at the capitol. And when I went down through that building that night, those kids standing there singing that, "He careth for you." You've heard it. "Through sunshines or shadows, He careth for you." Many times in foreign nations, upon the battlefields of the world strife, trying to bring the Message of Christ, I'd remember those girls and boys singing that song to me, "He careth for you. Through sunshines or shadows, He still careth for you." So that's been a great inspiration, a help.
E-10 Meeting your fine pastor, and so happy to see that the church is alive and you've got this great beautiful building here, setting all, plenty of parking room. Just a real place in the hands of the Holy Spirit, if we can just get Him to see it and know that we are calling for a revival. He, I believe He would give one.
E-11 Now, tonight we're at Brother Outlaw's church, the Jesus' Name church, over on the other side. And Brother Outlaw, I believe in--is Apostolic church too. I think he just calls his name, the church, Jesus' Name. I think he's apostolic in belief. And so we're to be there tonight. And now, we're not saying to the Spanish church, "now come over there," because you stay at your post of duty. And then there's going to be a great rally of the Christian Business Men, beginning Thursday, after the services are closed in other churches, on Thursday. And this convention, they're going to have outstanding speakers, and so Oral Roberts, and some Methodist brother that's just got saved, and they claim he's a very forceful speaker. And I'm sure you'll enjoy these conventions. And you teenage children, they got a rally there for the teenagers too, as brother just announced. I'm having my children there so they can get in on this. And so now come over, we'd be glad to have you. The Lord bless you all.
E-12 And now, I want to turn in the Bible and read some of His blessed Word. And I've chosen this morning for just a little while, I don't want to hold you too long, some texts, and one of them is found in I Samuel, the other found in Isaiah. And I'd like to read from Isaiah first. And I...
Can you hear all right, all around? In between these mikes, they seem to be very sensitive to me. I don't know why. You hear all right out there, raise up your hand. Good, good.
E-14 Now, I'm just a teeny bit hoarse, of course, that's from speaking much. And since I was here with this Spanish brethren, about sixteen years ago, I guess, maybe about sixteen or seventeen years ago, well, I been preaching ever since. So I was tired then, I said; and I'm still tired; but I'm still going on by the grace of God.
Now, let's turn to Isaiah 40, the 40th chapter of Isaiah; and the 1st chapter, or the 3rd chapter of I Samuel. And while we're holding them places for the reading of the Word, I would like now for us to bow our heads just a moment for prayer.
E-16 Our heavenly Father, we are grateful today for this privilege of standing in this lovely sanctuary that's dedicated to God and for His work. And as we know that Your servants has stood behind this platform here or pulpit many times, and with a dedicated life to Your service.
And at this--this morning brings back memories, memories of a revival that was just starting with the Holy Spirit that had come down in the form of a big Light like a Pillar of Fire, and It spoke that the Message should sweep the earth. And now, today that is history. The Message has caught fire through great men, after seeing it, like Oral Roberts, and Tommy Osborn, and Tommy Hicks and many others. And through the efforts that we have put forth together, we see the Message has set revival fires in every nation under heaven, of the Pentecostal message. To this we give thanks and praise to Thee, O mighty God.
E-18 And now today we pray that You will condition our heart, get ready for a great rapture that will take place soon, we believe. And if our hearts are not in condition for that or for anything else that You have in store for us, we pray You forgive us of our shortcoming, and will speak to us today through Thy Word. Bless the pastor of this church, its deacons, trustees, and all the laity, the members. Bless this little choir, and the pianist, the musicians. All together, bless them who enter the gates of this place. May they go out changed each time, a little closer to You than they were when they come in. Grant it, Father. And may that be so, even this morning, for we ask it in Jesus' Name. Amen.
E-19 Now turning to the Book of Isaiah, the 40th chapter, we read.
Comfort ye, comfort ye my people, saith... God.
Speak ye comfortable words unto Jerusalem, and cry unto her, that her warfare is accomplished, that her iniquity is pardoned: for she has received of the LORD's hand double for... her sins.
The voice of him that cries in the wilderness, Prepare ye the way of the LORD, make straight in the desert a highway for our God.
Every valley shall be exalted, and the mountain and hill shall be made low: and the crooked shall be made straight, and the rough places plain:
And the glory of the Lord shall be revealed, and all flesh shall see it together: for the mouth of the LORD has spoken it.
Now, in the Book of Samuel, I Samuel 3rd chapter, I want to read the 1st, 2nd, and 19th verse.
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.
And it came to pass at the time, when Eli was laid down in his place, and his eyes began to wax dim, that he could not see;
... 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... and he answered, Here am I.
The 19th verse...
And Samuel grew, and the LORD was with him, and He did let none of his words fall to the ground.
E-20 Oh, that would be enough text that we could speak on here for a month, and we could draw much context from this glorious text. But this morning... And we just have about twenty minutes to get out in proper time from our... I guess the Sunday school is over or maybe it follows this; I don't know. But, however, I want to use the text of, "The Voice Of God In This Last Days."
A very outstanding time... We realize that where we're speaking from in the Scriptures, that it said there was no open vision in the days of Samuel. Therefore, "Where there's no vision," the Bible said, "the people perish." We must have a vision. And visions comes to the prophets, and it's the Word of the Lord spoken to them.
E-22 And we find out that Eli was not a prophet; Eli was a priest. And he was getting old, and his eyes were going dim, and he could not see to get around, was a great heavy man. And he had begin to let the work of the Lord go undone.
And that's something like it is of today. I think the church, the organization and denominations, they've been on the field for a long time, and they're beginning getting laxed. And the work of the Lord is being left undone, the Word of Truth, because the church in itself has become dim-sighted. And we need today, the Voice of God to speak among us, bring us back.
And, see, Eli had laid down, and the--his eyesight was failing. He was a priest. And they had no open vision from the Lord.
E-25 And that great need... And God has promised to meet the need of the hour. He always does that. And we need the Voice of God today to meet the need of the hour, to meet the time that we're living in. And after He has promised it, we can rest assured that He will keep His promise. That's the confidence that the believer has in His Maker, that He promised to meet the need.
And today, one reason that the church is in the condition that it's in, is because there is so many voices, so many other voices to attract the church from the Voice of God, till it's very doubtful that many would hear the Voice of God though It spoke right in their midst. They perhaps wouldn't even understand it, because it would be a foreign thing to them. They have got themselves so much centered on the voices of the day.
E-27 And if we notice in our Scripture reading, that the Voice of God was foreign to them. And it's become that way again today, that the Voice of God... There is so many other voices. And then if God promised He would give us that, and if other voices are contrary to the Voice of God, then it must be the voice of our enemy to confuse us, that we would not understand the Voice of God when it spoke.
And we notice it was something similar to that with Eli and with Samuel, but Eli recognized right away that it was God. And it was absolutely a--a blaspheme on Eli. Because the Voice of God speaking to Samuel, had told him about Eli's wrong doings, for he had babied his sons, and they was taking money and--and the flesh from the offerings. That was not right. And they were doing things wrong, contrary to God's Word.
E-30 And Samuel had... Only thing that Samuel could do, would speak exactly. And he was a little reluctant to do so, because it was against the very place that he was sent to be raised up in: Eli and in the temple. But Eli said, "Speak on." See? And he told him exactly what was going to happen, that Samuel--or Eli's day was finished, as a priest, because God had spoke, and God was sending His message through Samuel the prophet. Very odd birth, dedicated to the Lord from a child, God spoke to him, as a child and was preparing him for a work that laid ahead, and as Eli's time was finishing up.
E-31 There is so many voices in the earth today, that it is absolutely a hard thing, because it deadens the Voice of the supernatural. There is so many intellectual voices, great voices of mighty man who are intellectual, that in their intellectual conditions, even shake the nations. They're just not overnight people, but they shake nations, bringing great organizations together, great campaigns, floweredly. And a person would be a bit confused. It's enough to confuse them, of how that these things go on and prosper. And there's voices that--that raise up and do these things, and it causes the Voice of God to be placed way back somewhere, the True Voice of God.
E-32 "And the Voice of God," they say, "how will we know it's the Voice of God?" Because for today... Then it was an a-vindicated prophet. Now, today, how we know it's the Voice of God, because it's the manifestation of the prophet's Word. This is God's Prophet. And a true Voice of God only brings back that real, living, supernatural God with His supernatural Word, with the supernatural manifestation of the true Word. Then we know that It's the Voice of God. Because and that super... There's so much other in the other realms, that just almost deaden That out. But, remember, It will glisten; It'll come forth. It'll do it.
E-33 Now, there is a voice today in the world of politics. That's a great voice. And people, absolutely, in this great day of politics, they'll... It's all mixed up in their churches and everything. And many times, that we have just seen recently, that the voice of politics is actually stronger than the Voice of God in the churches, or the American people would've never did what they just done. See? They'd have never done it. If the Voice of God would been kept alive in the church, they'd have never made that mistakes. But the voice of politics is so much stronger in the earth today than the Voice of God, until people sold their Christian birthright for a mess of popularity, education, and political power. It's such a shame to see it. The very thing that our nation was made, what it's made on, the people turned right back around and--and voted in the thing that we left the other country. And the--and the Plymouth Rock, and Mayflower, and them, the--come over here and--and established this great economy that we have... Is the very thing that we fought so hard to come out of, we've put ourselves right back in its clutches, because that the Bible speaks it would be that way.
E-34 And the system of Eli, a priest instead of a prophet... The prophet is the Word. And the priest was the church.
And it's got in such a place till it begin to get so loose that the Word is foreign to the people. They don't get It. Then you can speak It, and they don't understand It, because they're not trained to It. Paul said, "If the trumpet gives an uncertain sound, who'll know to prepare himself for battle?"
The people are trained to a--a--a church voice, a church trumpet, "We've got more in our Sunday school than the rest of them's got." That don't mean a thing. "We've got more in our denomination than the rest of them's got. We're the biggest amongst the denominations." See, that's the kind of a voice that the people are trained for. In the street they go out to get the people and bring them in, tens of thousands times thousands in great campaign, bring them in. What are they interested in? "We got the biggest church. We got the biggest congregation. We got the highest-membered Sunday school. We got the mayor of the city coming to our church." That might be all good, but if that same church isn't trained to the Voice of God, the Gospel Trumpet, what good does it do?
E-37 And when a thing rises just like has rose amongst our government, what's happened? The church didn't know the Voice of the Trumpet, and they didn't know what to do. The great promise of prosperity, an intellectual giant coming in, and they went right over the very thing that the Bible predicted and brought it in. See, a political voice, and it proved that it overrode the religious voice, or they'd have never done what they did, the Gospel voice. Because we're promised of a lot of stuff, we're promised prosperity, and no doubt but what we'll get it.
But still that doesn't mean anything to a believer. Turn over in the Book of Hebrews at the 11th chapter, listen to that Saint Paul speak, how they in the days wandered about in sheepskins and goatskins, was destitute, not a place, couldn't enter the city.
E-39 I was reading in the Nicaea Council, when the great issues come up at Nicaea, Rome, three hundred years after the death of Christ, in the great Nicaea Council, when the great church that stood for what was right, they wanted the Bible. And the Roman converts of the first church of Rome had injected dogmas to say, for instance, like we have Christmas.
Christmas, Christ was no more borned on the twenty-fifth day of--of December than I was. Why, the hills of Judaea is snowy, and He... It'd contrast all other Bible prophecies. He was borned in the spring like all lambs are born. Why was He born in a barn instead of a house? He was a Lamb. Why was He not just run up to the altar or to His altar where He was nailed to the cross? He was led to the cross. You lead the sheep to the slaughter. He was a Lamb. Then He was born when lambs was born.
E-41 But, you see, to do that, they had the sun god's birthday, which, on the solar system, the--the sun in the five days from December the twentieth unto December the twenty-fifth, there's hardly a moving at all of the sun. It--it varies a little each day, gets longer and longer and longer till it hits its longest day in July, and then in December its shortest day. And then that little time of the twenty-fifth, from the twentieth to the twenty-fifth, they had the Roman circus and the celebration of the sun god's birthday. So then Jupiter, which is the Roman god, and then they injected it, in saying then, "We will take the Son of God and the sun god's birthday, put that together and it be one great celebration." That's contrary. And, oh, the many injections that they placed in there...
E-42 And then when them true men of God who wanted to stay with the Word, like Polycarp, Irenaeus, Martin, those great, early, sainted men who wanted to stay with the Truth, and when they brought through the Nicaea Council, some of those people had been so rejected until prophets came in out of the wilderness with nothing around them but a piece of sheepskin to set in that council. But they knowed the Word of the Lord. But popularity, them fifteen days of bloody politics had overrode it. Then we had a thousand years of dark age. See?
E-43 But God promised that that trumpet would sound again. Always the people listens to the true Voice of the Word. Always examine what you do by the Word.
The voice of politics... And we in America and the rest of the world, have a loud speaking voice today, and that's the voice of Hollywood. It's captured the world. Let somebody come out in Hollywood with something, you find it all over the country. Now, we notice that they have set a pattern for our women on their dress, their hair styles. They set that dress.
E-45 The church ought to know the Voice of the Trumpet of God on that. But there's so much confusion because you see others do so, examples. Don't never pattern yourself after that kind of an example, because it's perishable. Always hear the Voice of God, what He says about it.
And then we notice in Hollywood they raise up things. And just let me speak just a moment on this before we go further. There was a--a thing come out not long ago, that a--a man in Hollywood... Nothing against the man now, he's a mortal that Christ died for, but just to show you. They invented a little thing called, the kids used to call the hula-hoop, hula-hoop, or something. And if you ever noticed the vulgarity and things that follow that (What?) in the little children. That's not right.
E-47 Now, Hollywood is full of--of the gunfighters. Now, anyone that knows history, knows that them people back there in them days that was gunfighters like the--the different fellows, they wasn't decent citizens; they were renegades; they were like Al Capone and Dillinger. They got a Hollywood play they call on--on the television, they call, "Gunsmoke." And I heard on the monitor the other day that the fellow that plays it, Arnez or something, or Arness, or I forget what his name is, and he's supposed to take... He represents Matt Dillon who was a sheriff in Kansas. And Matt Dillon was as yellow as a rabbit. He shot twenty-eight men in the back, innocent people, going outside of Dodge City and waiting in a bush. And when a man come along, that somebody would call him and tell him that there was a certain villain coming through, he'd stay out there, and when the man come in, he'd shoot him through the back. Now we find he's big guy that comes down. Why, it's--it's absolutely glorifying sin.
But the little children of our country can tell you more about Matt Dillon than they can tell you about Jesus Christ. The--the--the stores, the ten-cent stores, and the clothing department, is hanging full of little--little toy guns, with little hats that--that you could buy anywhere. It's all right to wear that, but I'm--I'm just telling you. You see? Then they--they--the commercial world, picks that thing up and makes millions of dollars off of it.
E-48 We have what we call St. Patricks Day; we have what we call these religious holidays. And the commercial world has picked it up, and they make millions of dollars: Mother's Day, bunches of flowers. Why, every day should be an honorable day to mother. She's off somewhere alone, go see her. That'll be worth more than all the flower you could send her or anything else. See? But they pick it up. It's a voice, and--and we blend right in with it. It's really not right. But what are you going to do? See, we're--we're just...
I'm trying to get to a point here to tell you something, what I--I believe. The Voice is rare, the Voice of God.
E-50 Now, we find out that they set the pace. And did you ever notice, our young boys has become Ricky and Elvis. You got a child named that, change it right quick, call him number one or two, or something. Don't... That's a horrible... You say, "What difference does the name mean?" Why, sure, it means something. Your name characterizes your life. "Now, Brother Branham, you're on numerology." No, I'm not. I'm on THUS SAITH THE LORD. Why was it when Jacob, he lived to his name as--as deceiver, supplanter, Jacob. And when God changed him, He changed his name. God changed Saul to Paul, Simon to Peter. Certainly, it has something. And Ricky and Elvis, and such names as that, is the modern American name which throws a child automatically right into that. See what I mean?
E-51 Now, I hope I don't... I better back up and don't get too far on a limb here (See what I mean?), that you wouldn't understand. But all these things is not even understood by the common person. They don't catch it, because they got one trend. That's all they listen to, those voices.
There's a voice of philosophers, communism, promising something that they cannot stay by. And yet a great percent of the American people are wrapped up in communism. Now, I've been in communism, communism zones, rather, in Germany, on the east side of Berlin. They had great big houses to show the outside. You ought to walk on the inside of them, they're not even finished. It's a false economy, they're trying to push over something.
E-53 And in Russia, the birthplace of communism... Which, many years ago, when I was just a boy preacher, I'd say thirty-three years ago, when nazism, fascism, and communism was rising, I said, "I speak in the Name of the Lord. They'll all wind up in communism." But did you ever think, God has left us an avenue out, if we'd just take it. There's only one percent of Russia that's communism, one percent, but they're the controlling percent. One percent of communism--one percent of Russia is communism, rather, but they control.
E-54 And the same thing, Hollywood's one place, but they're in control.
About one third or two thirds of the population of the United States goes to church, and is church members, but they control in those denominations. What communism needs over there is the Voice of God rise up among them, and it'd put it to a shame.
In Finland, when that little boy was raised from the dead that day, and they was bringing me three squares away, where this little fellow was raised up from the dead, communist soldiers, Russians, standing there with the Russian salute, and the tears running down their cheeks. They said, "We will receive a God that can raise the dead." It's the negligence of the Catholic church and the Lutheran church, and all those denominations in there, has taken all of the money, and building organizations, and giving the people nothing. They live like the rest of the people. There's got...
What Russia needs is a prophet to rise on the scene with the Word of the Lord, that can--can shut the mouth. Then that ninety percent will take over.
What America needs is a Voice of the prophet of God, who could stand up and condemn Hollywood, and condemn these things in the Name of Jesus Christ, and the Holy Ghost church will take over. Too much confusion, see too many voices of contrast against it...
E-60 The church, its voice, each one wants more members. The Baptist wants it all; Methodist wants it all, Presbyterian. We all have these. And Catholic's look like is going to take it all, and they will. That's exactly the Voice of God out of this Bible. They will rule.
But the most high God shall finally rule. The saints shall take over, one day; the Bible said so. They will take over,
Such an awful lot of voices... Then there's the voice of the false prophet. That's a terrible voice, a man who calls hisself a prophet. A prophet of course is a preacher. The modern word "prophet" absolutely means "a man that preaches under inspiration." And there is a man who stands and calls hisself a prophet and denies the Word of God, denies the Truth of God. There's so many voices.
E-63 Just a few moments ago, there was a brother out there directing me where to come in up here, but I went--guess he wondered why I went on up the street and turned around and come back. If you're here, brother, I was listening to something; it was our--our colored friends, the Negro. They got a temple here, and they call it, "the Elijah Mohammed," or something, "young Elijah Mohammed." Raising up with a voice, and saying that they are the voice that's going to bring the--the colored race out of this chaos, that... You see, the very thing, their--their--their Moslem is here, their mosque. Why, don't you see, that the very background of it, it's wrong.
E-64 The colored people, just like the white people, brown people, and yellow people, not back to--back to Mohammedism, but come back to Christ, the very principles that the Bible teaches. Mohammedanism is against the Word. Now, I had the privilege of leading ten thousand Mohammedans to Christ one time at Durban, South Africa. It produces nothing but psychology. And psychology is all right as long as psychology don't deny the Word. But when psychology denies the Word, then psychology is wrong. It gives an uncertain sound. There's everything else will pass but God's Word; Jesus said so, "Heavens and earth will pass away, but My Word shall never pass away." So, you see, we must stay with the Word, the Voice.
E-65 So many confuse things. The people get up; they don't know the Word, and they say things, and maybe it sounds very reasonable. Communism is a very reasonable thing: "Everybody the same. There's no more capitalists; they're all communists." Did you ever stop to think that that's a false revival, communism is? And where did he pattern it all after? The... Jesus said, "The two spirits would be so close, it would deceive the elected if possible." And everything the Devil's got, it's a perversion of what God created. Sin is a--is righteousness perverted. A lie is the truth misrepresented. Adultery is the--is, an act that God ordained us to, perverted. All unbelief is the perversion of belief. You have to deny the truth in order to take the--the perversion. See, straighten out these voices; test them by the Word and see if it's truth.
E-66 Oh, how we could go on and on, on these voices of today, but our time's passed. But so many voices that people don't know what to do. The Methodist will finally hear a Baptist preacher; they'll go over there; they'll stay there awhile and then they go to Lutheran. And in the Pentecostals they have different groups; one will run to one, and one to another, then back and forth. It shows you're not stable. Hear His Voice. Here It is wrote on paper, the Voice; the Voice will be confirmed if It is the Truth.
The church world don't know what to do. The political world is in chaos. Everything seems to be in chaos. Fellows run from here, something else rise up, some jacket, some coat. When I was in Rome, they got nineteen different vindicated nails that was drove in Jesus' hand; and there's only three, but yet they've got the record that nineteen different nails. Now, what difference does it make who has the nail? Christ never left us nails to worship, He left us the Holy Spirit by His Word. "These signs shall follow them that believe; they'll have the original nail"? "They'll have... These signs shall follow them that believe; they'll belong to the denomination I started"? He started none. See how the voice is contrary?
E-68 But, "These signs shall follow them that believe; in My Name they shall cast out devils." There's the Word. "They shall speak with new tongues; take up serpents, that would not harm them. If they drink deadly things, it would not bother them. If they lay their hands on the sick, they shall recover." And you watch these things plus all the rest of the Scripture put together.
Now, that alone will not confirm it, not at all. There's where we Pentecostals get on the wrong road. Did not Jesus say, "Many will come to Me in that day and say, 'Lord, have not I done mighty things in Your Name? Have not I prophesied in Your Name? Have not I done all this in Your Name?'"
And Jesus said, "Depart from Me, you that work iniquity; I never knew you." Do you see, my sisters and my brothers, why I'm so condemning and indicting this generation? You might speak with tongue like men and Angels; you might dance in the Spirit all around the church; that has nothing to do with It.
E-70 I've seen Mohammedans dance around like that. I've heard in the doctor--witch-doctor's camp, seen the witches stand up and speak in tongues and interpret it, and tell exactly what was going to happen, and it happened that way. I've seen even a pencil raise up and write in unknown tongues, and only one there could read it, and was of the Devil. You can't base your eternal destination upon some sensation. Satan can impersonate any of those sensations. Not... It's to know Christ, something changes in your life. Watch your life and pattern it with the Word, and see where you're at, taking inventory, certainly.
E-71 In spite of all this impersonations, false voices, false prophets, all these other things that's rising up, Jesus still said, in spite of all of this, "If any man will hear My Voice and follow after Me..." He is the Word. Listen, His commission to us today in all these voices. Which I said it would take hours to bring out all these voices. And it's confusing to the people. It's a pathetic thing. And after all, you don't get the second chance; you've got to take it now. You might not get a chance tonight. You might not get a chance tomorrow. It's now. "When you hear My Voice, harden not your heart, as in the days of provocation. Now is the time. This is the acceptable time that if any man will hear My Voice." That goes to show that His Voice would still be there in the midst of all the chaos. He's still got a Voice. Why? His Voice will ever remain. Here it is; "Heavens and earth will pass away, but My Voice shall not pass away," His Word.
E-72 Let's just take, say, another five minutes, quickly. Can you, will you stay that long, a few minutes? Now, I'll hurry.
Let's just take some who heard this Voice and obeyed it: how it made them act, what it made them to do. Now, I'm going to bypass a lot of--of Scripture here, just in order to get the--right straight to you. How it changed their lives and all them that was about them, how they become the oddball; we call an oddball. Every man that ever did believe God was considered an oddball. Because if you're in the trend of the world, there's something wrong with you. To be a Christian you have to be an oddball. "For all that live godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecutions of the world. He was in the world, and the world was made by Him, and the world knew Him not." Quickly now, listen close as we close.
E-73 Adam heard His Voice in the cool of the evening and had fellowship with Him. There was no condemnation to Adam. He heard the Voice of God, and he said, "Father, now I lay me down to sleep." And he laid down and Eve on his arm; the lion, the tiger, and the wild beasts laid right around him; there was no harm, no way of getting sick, no way of wondering if he'd wake up in the morning, they're going to wake up. Adam heard His Voice in the way that he ought to have heard it.
But one day he heard his wife's voice. Now, I better leave that alone for a while. But he listened to the wrong voice, yet it was his wife, the closest tie he had on earth. Why didn't he, like Job, "Thou speakest like a foolish woman"? And if it would, the whole human race would be living instead of dying. It changed the course of human beings and time. But he heard a Voice of God, he had fellowship with it, but when he turned... How did he know that his wife was wrong? Remember, it was pleasant.
E-75 We think today that our organization church, we think that our prosperity today is God smiling upon us. It looks good. It looked good when Micaiah stood there before the four hundred prophets, and the whole land belonged to them, and the Philistines was on it, or the Assyrians; it looked good. These prophets was telling, "Go out there, that belongs to us. Take it." But it wasn't the Voice of God. And Micaiah turned around and cursed the voice. And how did he know to do that? Because his vision was exactly with the Word. That's the only way to trust it and see it today; it's got to be on the Word.
E-76 Then did you notice after Adam listened to another voice besides God's Voice, his own wife. And the church is listening to the voice of her organization, injecting into them creeds instead of the Word, letting them live any way they want to. As long as they go to church and a member of a certain church, that's all matters. Closest connection that the believer has on earth to them is the church. But the believer, the real believer, the closest connection is the Holy Spirit, is God's Word.
So you find out that Adam realized his condition, and he heard the Voice of God calling again, and he was in fig leaves then. But it was a voice of condemnation, "Why have you done this?"
E-78 I wonder if America today, or the world in its religious uproar, as it is, and America swallowing, being swallowed up, it'll be a national religion pretty soon.
[Blank.spot.on.tape-Ed.]... who's setting before me. I know it's taped and it'll go all over the world. We have tape programs, that every message takes the whole world in, all other countries.
Well, now, if you'll look and see, you're just standing in fig leaves. When the true Voice of God comes out, they don't know what to do about it. It's confusing; they don't know what to do.
Quickly. Noah heard the Voice of God. It was preparing to save his life, and he followed the instructions and he stood.
E-82 If a man hears the Voice... Now, listen, catch this real good. Don't fail. If a man hears the voice of something, and if It's proven to be the Voice of God, and on time, and then that proceeds forth from the man, heavens and earth will pass away but that Word can't pass away.
Noah heard the Voice, and condemned the world. And they laughed in his face because his--his message didn't cope with their scientific achievements, but it rained and destroyed the whole world. See? His voice that went forth, the seed was laying there. Every age it's been the same way.
Samuel, alarmed when he heard the Voice of God, that he was--go ahead to condemn Eli, the man that had nurtured him, the man that had been a daddy to him, and had raised him up, and fed him.
E-85 Minister brothers, shall I...? Ministers many time upon their denominational grounds and creed, their credentials in their pocket, of the very happy, the very organization that's nurtured them, and fed them, and brought them up, and positionally put them in church, and put them in a congregation, you have to knuck' down to what they teach. See? What a horrible thing it would be for a true servant of God to hear the Voice of God and have to come back to that same mother organization, say, "You're condemned because you don't receive this Word." What a thing.
It was hard for Samuel. But he was a prophet; he had to do it. Regardless of whether it hurt or not, he had to do it anyhow.
E-86 And Moses heard the Voice of God. He was full of theology. He knowed all the ins-and-outs, but it failed. He heard the Voice of God; Moses was never the same.
And no man is never the same. You might hear in your ears the--the Voice speaking, but when you hear in your heart the Voice speaking (See?) then you're hearing. You do not see with your eye. You look with your eye; you see with your heart. You see something, say, "I just don't see it." You mean you don't understand it. You do not hear with your ears, you hear with your heart. Many times your ears hears the true Voice of God, and It falls off of you like water off of a duck's back. But when you really hear, you hear with your heart.
E-88 And all the theology that Moses had, he hadn't heard the Voice of God. But one day God called this eighty-year-old sheepherder over to one side and spoke to him, and he caught it. He proved that He was God. First thing He done to Moses was vindicate His Word, "I'm going down; I remember what I promised."
And this is what He promised for the last days. He'd raise up a people from the Gentiles, and all the promises.
"This I promised." Said, "Moses, take off your shoes." In other words, honor it. "Now throw down you staff." And a--a dry stick off the desert became a serpent, and Moses caught it, and went back to its condition again. See? He knew that was God, because God said, the Word of God, the Word that he was speaking, said, "Throw down the stick in your hand." That's God's Word. Don't try to do the same thing; that ain't God's Word to you; that's God's Word to Moses. Here's God's Word to you.
"Throw down the stick." It turned to a serpent. Said, "Now are you afraid of it? Pick it up by the tail"; back it went again. God's Word to him. What did He do? God vindicated His Word.
E-91 I had a call here a few months ago, about, been, oh, it's been about a year, over a year ago. A little lady on the end of a telephone connection with a Baptist preacher and a Pentecostal preacher. She said, "Brother Branham, the Lord has made me a prophetess."
Said, "Fine."
Said, "You know, I'm told that you said that you--you bore record that my ministry was of God."
Now, I couldn't do that; it's contrary to the Word. So I said, "Lady, that's an error. I don't even know you."
And the Baptist preacher; I heard him; I heard the Pentecostal preacher. She said, "Well, I'm having a meeting here." And said, "The Lord is doing great things."
I said, "I'm grateful for that." She said... I said, "Has He ever told you anything yet?"
Said, "Yes, I've got a great program in hand."
I said, "Wonderful." I said, "Now, what's your program?" I said, "What did the Lord tell you?"
"He said, 'Go to Phoenix, Arizona, on a certain-certain date, and then I'm going to give you the lost Dutchman Gold Mine, and you're going to take this gold that's found in there and you're going to sponsor missionaries around the world.'" When we all know that the lost Dutchman Mine is a legend. "So He said..."
I said, "Well, I'll tell you how to find out whether it's God or not." I said, "You be there on that day. And if it's--you find the lost Dutchman Mine, then it's God. If you don't find the lost Dutchman Mine, then repent and get that lying spirit off of you." That's how to find out whether it's God or not.
E-99 God said, "Moses, throw down the stick; it'll turn to a serpent." He did it. He said, "Pick it up; it'll be a stick again." He did it.
When God makes a promise of a ministry in this last days, He'll confirm it just exactly the way He said He would do it. Then you know you got the right Voice. You're listening to the right Thing, because it's the Word being confirmed. See? Oh, how... I'm sorry, I... All right.
E-101 Moses acted different. Look what a--a funny thing Moses done. Now, always when you're following the Voice of God, you're crazy to the world. The next day found Moses with his wife setting on a mule, and a young-un on her hip, or that's southern, "child," on her hip, and there they was. This old man with beard hanging down like this, and his baldhead shining, a stick in his hand, leading a little donkey, going right down towards Egypt just as hard as he could go. Somebody said, "Moses, where you going?"
"Going down to Egypt to take the thing over." Wherewith he had failed as a young man, he'd failed as a military man, but here he was going down to take over. And he did it. Why? He'd heard the Voice of God and seen It vindicated for his day, for the things that was to be in his day. He saw it.
E-103 Paul, a self-styled Pharisee, just as full of theology as he could be, but one day he heard the Voice of God. He saw a Pillar of Fire, and he knowed there was something different. It changed his life. No matter how many Pharisees, how many Gamaliels, or anything else could cry out to Paul, "You're wrong, you're wrong." Paul, when he heard the Voice of God; he knowed It was the Truth.
Peter, religious as he could be, keeping the traditions of the elders, he would not eat any meat. No, sir. He would have nothing to do about it at all. He was really keeping the traditions of the elders right to the word. What happened? One day he heard the Voice of God, "Don't call that common and unclean, what I make clean." He was a changed man. He was ready to go anywhere the Lord sent him.
E-105 Closing, I might say this. There was a man one time who was a believer. He had been dead four days. He was in the grave, stinking, rotten, but he heard the Voice of God speak, "Lazarus, come forth." And if it brought a man forth after being dead and rotten, what ought it to do to a church that still has life in it? It ought to resurrect them in the midst of all of these voices that we've talked about, religious, politics, Hollywood, all the false prophecies and things that's gone out. In the midst of all of it, the true Voice of God will call a man that's dead in sin and trespasses to life again. It ought to take a backslidden church and call it to life again. Sure.
E-106 Remember, in closing I say this; then I'll close. Jesus said the time would come, when all that was in the grave would hear the Voice of God. And you're going to hear It. No matter what condition you're in, you're going to hear It anyhow. And some of them that come out of the grave will come to condemnation. They hear the Voice, but It's condemning. And if you hear It today, "Today, after so long a time, when you hear My Voice, harden not your hearts, as you did in the days of provocation." And if you Pentecostal people grouping yourself out in creeds again in worldliness, "having a form of godliness and denying the power thereof," before you have to rise in the resurrection to be condemned, because the Voice of God that speaks to you now through the Word will condemn you in that day.
E-107 If you're just a lukewarm believer, the Voice of God cries in your heart this morning, you are a lukewarm believer, you'd better repent.
You men, women, boys, or girl, that's not living for Christ, and the Voice of God speaks to you through His Word and says "Stop doing that," you better do it. Because you're going to hear It again one day, and It'll condemn you. You can't deny It; It's speaking to you now. And remember, it's recorded.
And those who does right and hears His Voice, will rise to righteousness, to glory, to heaven.
E-110 So you're going to hear the Voice of God some time. Maybe faintly this morning It speaks in your heart, that you should turn from the way that you're going: turn back to God. Now, remember, they'll record that Voice that's speaking to your heart in heaven. And someday when Jesus does call, and all that's in the grave, all, right and wrong, will rise. And then this very same Voice will whisper right back to you, "In Phoenix, Arizona, on a certain Sunday morning, when the minister held you so long, speaking on the Voice, I spoke to you: told you women to let your hair grow out, quit dressing immorally; told you men to quit that lying, smoking; told you preachers to turn back to the Word of God." See what I mean? That's right.
That still Voice say, "It could be right."...
E-111 If I had to come like Nicodemus, I'd still try to get there. I'd come to Him, and go out here in the desert somewhere, and say, "Lord God, here I am; change me now. Mold me in Your fashion." Come back to the Word. Somewhere where you see you're leaving off in the Word, come right back to that, because a chain is its strongest at its weakest link. And anywhere in your life that you've left the commandment of God off to serve a tradition, there's where your chain will break no matter how firm you are on the other things. Hold to God's unchanging hand.
E-112 Let us pray. Today, after so long a time, Lord, You said that You'd speak, You'd write Your laws upon the tables of hearts. I know not what stands before me. The only thing I know to do is take Your Word and spread It out; surely It will lodge beneath some rocks somewhere. I pray, God, that You'll speak to every young person, every middle age, old person, whatever it might be. Speak to my heart, Lord. Speak to these ministers' hearts. Speak to the congregational hearts.
We pray, Father, that today we will hear Your Voice. And we know, as it was in the days of Samuel, an open vision is a rare thing, and it startled the people. So is it today. We have dreams and dreamers; we have speakers and interpreters. But an open vision coming forth with the Word of the Lord, and corrected... We pray, heavenly Father, that that Voice that was crying in the wilderness, "Prepare the way for the Lord," that we believe the Holy Spirit gives that Voice again today, "Prepare for the coming of the Lord." And how odd it is, 'cause there's so many other voices to numb it and to take it out, but it's gracious in the ears of those that hear it. I pray that the Holy Spirit will now do the work in the hearts of all of us.
E-114 While we have our heads bowed, and I trust our hearts bowed, if you know somewhere that you have disobeyed in your life, know some Scripture that you know that's Bible teaching that you haven't cooperated with, because something, Hollywood voice made you do something different... Some place that you ministers has found a place in the Bible that's actually the Truth, but you know your organization would put you out if you taught that, and you know it's absolutely Truth... To you people who take the wrong thing, live the wrong life... You fathers and mothers that's not trying to correct your children, not trying to raise them, you may try your best, and they're going right on worldly anyhow, but you're putting example before them. And if you're not doing it, the Voice of God is speaking to you, "Don't do that."
E-115 And now, with every head bowed and all eyes closed, and may the God of heaven look down into the hearts of that person that's hungering and find the place where they're wrong. And with a hand up to God, saying, "Lord, I truly desire for Your Voice to take out all of the unbelief, and all the things that's not like You, and make me what You'd have me to be," would you raise your hands. While you... The Lord bless. God bless you.
Then the Bible said, Jesus said, and in spite of all these other voices, "Yet if a man shall hear My Voice..." Follow after Him, you're going to get your desire.
E-117 Lord, time is running out. But the Bible said that, "As many as believed, were baptized." I pray, heavenly Father that every one of those that raised their hands in true confession, that the Word of God that they have read, and seen that they been wrong... I never looked at half of them. It's not for me to look; it's for You to look, Lord. You know the motive and objective behind the hand that raised up. Let them, from this very hour, purpose in their heart, "From this day, henceforth, I'll take the Word of God and the Voice of God, and follow it no matter what the price is." And bear in their mind, as they're going, the song of the poet,
Must Jesus bear the cross alone,
And all the world go free?
No, there's a cross for everyone;
There's a cross for me.
And this consecrated cross I'll bear,
Until death shall set me free...
Then when the Voice of God speaks, I'll come forth in His righteousness, for I have followed His Voice, the Voice of His Word. I commit them to You now, Lord, in the Name of Jesus Christ.
E-118 Now, while we have our heads bowed, you making your confession and your pledge... I'm amazed at a little boy setting here, twisting his head around. And there is a Voice for the church, "I'm the Lord Who heals all thy diseases." That's a Voice in the church. And all you who have need of healing, and you're living a consecrated life to every Word of God that you know what is right, and you have a need of healing, I wonder if you'd just raise up your hands. Raise up your hands, "Lord, I have a need of healing." All right.
Now, keep that Voice in your heart, "I am the Lord that heals all Thy diseases." Remember, when the Word is spoken, It has to come to pass. Jesus said, Mark 11:22, "If you say to this mountain, 'Be moved,' and don't doubt in your heart, but believe that what you said will come to pass, you can have what you said."
E-120 Now, each one in our own way now, bow your head, make your confession, "Lord, I believe Your Word. I hear Your Voice telling me that You're the same yesterday, today, and forever." I'm going to walk down and lay hands on this child, because he's too little to know what it's all about, precious little boy, about the size and age of my little Joseph. And I want all of you to be praying, praying, "Lord, I hear Your Voice. I believe."
E-121 Heavenly Father, we're bringing this audience to You for the healing of their body. And, Lord, here sets a poor little child, he's attracting my attention all along in the message, seeing a parent set there holding the little fellow. Through medical science, there's not a hope for the little guy. There is a Voice of God that rides over everything. And as this church joined together to make every commandment that I know how to do, the rest belongs to You, Father. I'm walking down and laying hands on that child.
Father God, in the Name of Jesus Christ, I condemn this. Let the power of God, the healing of God... May there be such a difference in him in the next five minutes...?... May they all...?... for Your glory.
Heavenly Father, You gave the promise. That's all I know; You gave the promise. It has been done, as it been said, "If you say to this..." and I'm saying to every devil of sickness or affliction that's binding this audience, that's binding these people, every spirit of unbelief, I'm saying, "Depart from the people, in the Name of Jesus Christ." Now, we know it is written, and now it's been said; let it be done to the honor and glory of God. And in the Name of Jesus Christ it's asked.
E-124 Now, you that can believe, and do believe, no matter what happens, don't have to be, the seed dropped there. That little something inside of you, that Voice. Parent of this child, no matter what the condition of the child is, you believe the seed of God dropped into your heart, that that boy will get well? The rest of you is praying, one for another, do you believe that the seed of God dropped into you heart, "My sickness is finished"? Then the prayer of faith has been prayed for you, drive down that post. And if Satan ever tries, you come right back, "Standing in that Spanish church that Sunday morning, the prayer of faith was prayed for me. And God promised. The prayer of faith shall save the sick and God shall raise them up." It has to come to pass. Do you believe it, say, "Amen." God bless you. Now I'll turn the service back to Brother Rose, I suppose here, Brother Jewel Rose.