Preparation

I don't know what the Lord will do. Coming over I usually fast and wait till I feel the anointing of the Spirit on me. Let none come get me, till that time. If they knock on the door, I don't even come out. Then I come right to the platform, then I start praying for the sick immediately; because there's a different anointing when you're speaking on the Word here and when you're under the inspiration.

Now, let me explain it one more time so that you'll thoroughly understand. Gifts and callings are without repentance. Do you know that? You can never make yourself something that you're not, see. You're born in this world sovereignly by God with different things to do.

You take a man that wants to be a preacher and goes off and gets himself an education; he will never make a preacher. He might make a lecturer, but preachers are born. God calls preachers. That's right, see. And you might try to be a singer and you set up and squeak tenor for four or five hours every day, or something another like that, you'll never make a singer. Singers are born. That's right.

Well now, in gifts and callings.... Now, like on this....

How many of you here ever dreamed a dream? Let's see your hands. Well, there's most of you. Certain percent of you never, and that's right. There's some people doesn't dream dreams. They never had a dream in their life. But they can't help 'cause they don't dream a dream. They just don't dream a dream.

Now, what is a dream? Now, let's listen close. It's your subconscious. And here you are, here's in your first conscious, here's your second conscious. Now, when this conscious inactive, this one becomes active and you dream of things that you did while you were here in the earthly conscious, this conscious. Then when you wake up in this conscious, this one's inactive and you remember things that you dreamed years ago. Is that right? Well there was some part of you somewhere because it's impressed this conscious so much that you remember what you saw while you was in this conscious. Do you understand? Say, “Amen.” You understand, see.

Now, what if I told you, “Dream me a dream.” You say you can dream a dream, well, dream me a dream. Why you couldn't do it if you had to.

Now, God deals in that subconscious. Many times He promised in the last days that old men would dream dreams, but the young men would see visions.

Now, a dream is something like a vision only you're in a sleep. A vision is not quite that way.

But now, this man can't help because that he dreams a dream. Now, there's some of you here didn't raise your hands, perhaps you never had dreams.

Well now, that man, his subconscious is way away from him, way back like at the wall there. He never gets back to it. He sleeps sound. A man that dreams, he is not sound asleep. He's between being awake and asleep, and that's when he dreams.

Now, if there's an interpreter, a correct interpretation of dreams.... God dealt with Joseph in dreams and He dealt with King Nebuchadnezzar in dreams, but it's not too accurate.

But now this man can't help because he dreams dreams. This man can't help because he doesn't dream dreams.

Now, a seer, a vision seer, or a prophet, whatever you want to call it. A prophet is a compound word. Just like sanctification is a compound word. Means “cleaned and set aside for service.” And there's many words, and especially in our English words, are compound.

But a prophet means “to give a personal experience under inspiration or foresee something.”

Now, this seer, his subconscious is not back there, neither is it here. It's right here. Both of them are right together. He can't help that. Now, if you're subconscious is back there, there's no need of you ever trying to see a vision. You wasn't made up like that. If you're subconscious is here in a dream, if you're a dreamer, not a vision. And this man that sees visions can't help it, he was just made up like that. God made this man not to dream dreams, this one to dream dreams, and made this one to see visions.

Now, instead of going to sleep, a seer, his one conscious ... he doesn't go to sleep like the dream does, but it's just so close to him till he just breaks from one to another. And he sees things just like a dream.

Could you imagine being asleep and dreaming; wake up on the platform; asleep and dreaming; this man, seeing him a hundred years ago, or twenty years ago, or ten years ago, or two hours ago. Then wake up and here you're talking to him over here. And when you're talking over there you know your voice is here on the platform before a group of people.

Here you are standing here seeing a vision of somebody and you see them back there twenty years ago up here in the hills of Kentucky, take something that was wrong, and you're standing right there watch them do it, speaking like that, and knowing your voice is back there; yet you're up here in the hills of Kentucky twenty years ago. You let that happen once and you'll find out just how ... when you come out of it just where you're at. You're just weaving. And then let it happen again, and the first thing you know, you can't tell whether you're up there in Kentucky or down here, or where you're at.

But yet there's something in the human heart that pulls out the love of God for the people.

And in all of that trying ... that's a gift. And trying with all of that, with all the heart and strength I have to magnify Jesus Christ.

And if any time that anything that I ever say or do that's unscriptural, you owe it to me to come to me about it. That's right. Because here it has to be right here first, this is God's Word. And if everything we do ... or isn't found right here in God's Word.... Now, it may not be according to your theology. But if it's in God's Word and God has promised it, that's all right. But it must be found in God's Word, 'cause that's the infallible truth. Paul said, “If an angel from heaven would come preach any other Gospel let him be accursed.”

So we know this is the truth.

And in that then in these nights when I just come down to speak, why, I just ... Oh, I just ... I don't know, I stand up here and holler a little bit I guess, slobber. I've been eating a lot of new grapes from over in Canaan. It makes me slobber, you know, kind of. But I feel good about it.

I remember when I was first ordained in the Baptist church, when the Bishop ... or, not exactly.... A Baptist doesn't have a bishop, that's Bible doctrine, he's a bishop. But we Baptist call it the state overseer or general overseer or something. See? Not a bishop. They got off the line on that. But I always refer to it in the Bible way, bishop. That's what the Bible says he is, a overseer is a bishop.

But I remember when I was first ordained, I liked to pack the Bible under my arm. Had my papers as a minister, you know. And I'd go down the street and somebody would say, “Are you a preacher?”

I'd say, “Yes sir. Oh yes, I'm a preacher.” I liked that real well. So I wanted to be a preacher because I was ... stand up and I could talk a little bit. And I thought that was just fine.

Reminds me of the time, as I told you about Pop and our old horse. When I wanted to put the cockleburs under the saddle and pull it down, I thought I was a cowboy till I really seen a cowboy ride one day out here in Arizona. I realized then that I wasn't a rider.

So when I realized I wasn't a preacher; the guy's sitting present now, was in a tent meeting over in St. Louis. Robert Daugherty sitting here, a minister. He'd preach till he got so red in the face, he couldn't catch his breath, his knees would buckle together. When he'd come back up he'd still be preaching.

Somebody said, “Are you a preacher?”

I'd say, “No sir.”

I couldn't do that, I was sure. So I kind of keep still about being a preacher. But I do love to tell what I know about the Lord. And how good He is.

Now, let's read His Word, have a word of prayer, and get down to the sincere part of it. Now, just before we do that, let's close our eyes and bow our heads.

Now, our Heavenly Father, we thank You for this nice group of people that You sent out here tonight. Many of them are sick, maybe some unbelievers, some are in sin yet. We don't know them, You know them all. And I just come tonight to present myself to You, Lord, as a living sacrifice. And I pray that You will use this, Thy servant, to pray for the sick, to speak the Word out of the Bible, or whatever You have need of, grant it tonight. I just pray that the Holy Spirit will do this.

And I pray that He will circumcise my lips, that I will only speak that which is Your divine will. And if I should try to say anything different, close my mouth like You did the lions' mouth with Daniel. And I pray that You will circumcise every ear and heart here to hear the Word and receive it. And may, when the service is over, may the sick be well, may the sinners be saved, the backsliders reclaimed; and may the Glory of God be upon every person, that when we go from here tonight we will go to our cars and around different places rejoicing and happy and weeping because the presence of the Lord was upon us. Grant it Lord.

Forgive us of our short comings. Forgive us of all of our sins which we know that many, many we have did. And we pray that You forgive us and use us now for whatever You have need in this building tonight. In Jesus Christ's name I ask it. Amen.

Now, there's no man can open the Word of God. I can pull back the pages, read off of them, but it takes the Holy Spirit to open the Word of God. John saw Him sitting upon a throne. No man was able to take the book to look on it. And the Lamb come and took the book out of His hand, sat down on the throne, opened the book and loosed the seals. So it's to Him we're looking for tonight.

While giving out ... is going to speak for a few minutes. I thought of something maybe that would help while we're speaking.

These sick people that's sitting along here; I don't know hardly what more to do than to first bring you this Word, God's Word, and then after that has been brought, then God's Spirit come down and confirm that Word; signs, wonders and so forth. Telling the people everything, just exactly the way Supernatural Spirit Being does.

Now, if God is good enough.... If it was me, if people didn't believe my word, that would be all right. They could take their choice. But not our Heavenly Father. He's so kind, that if they don't believe His Word, then He will set in the church different orders and things like that. Just doing everything He can to seine every soul that He can get. Isn't that right? And how we ought to love Him. How we ought to appreciate Him and His great power.

Now, I want to read from two places. One of them is from Exodus 4 and the other one is Acts 2. In Exodus 4 we read this:

And Moses answered and said, But, behold, they will not believe me, nor hearken unto my voice: for they will say, The Lord has not appeared to you ... or, to thee.

... the Lord said unto him, What is that in thine hand? And he said, A rod.

Now, in Acts 2 and 8 we read. I beg your pardon, Acts 1 and 8 we read this:

But you shall receive power, after ... the Holy Ghost is come upon you: ... you shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, ... Judea, ... Samaria, and unto the uttermost parts of the earth.

And when he had spoken these things, while they beheld, he was taken up; and a cloud received him out of their sight.

And while they looked steadfast toward heaven as he went up, behold, two men stood with them in white apparel;

Which also said, You men of Galilee, why stand here looking up into heaven? this same Jesus, which was taken up from you into heaven, shall so come in like manner as ye have seen him go into heaven.

May the Lord add His blessings to His Word. If I'd say a subject, I'd want to speak to you tonight....

And now, mother, you here in the stretcher, and this dear loving person, mother here, and here, and all around over in the building now, what I want to do tonight, by God's help if He will let me, is to speak His Word to you that'll prepare your heart for the healing service. Now, I want you to listen close.

Now, “Preparation.” God, before He does anything, He always prepares for it. How could we.... as it's spoke in the Bible, if we....

Before we go over to fight a war, first we have to prepare for that war. If you're going to get married, why, you prepare for that time. You have preparation. And before you come to church you made preparations. The ambulance to bring you, or your loved one to bring you, or you had to get a certain amount of money ready before you could come; it's preparation.

And God always prepars the people for the events that's just about to happen.

And may I stop right here just a minute and say: I believe that the people are in the preparation of the last great destruction this world will ever know. I believe we're at the end. You can speak to people, you could put a Billy Graham in every city in the United States, they'd drink whiskey and smoke cigarettes and laugh at you and everything else just the same. They are in the spirit of the last days. And God cannot send destruction before the people are in the spirit for destruction. God never did destroy anything. Man always destroys himself.

In the Garden of Eden there were two trees, one was life, one was knowledge. Man left the Tree of Life to eat off the tree of knowledge. And the first bite he took he separated himself from God. And every time a man bites off of that tree of knowledge, he destroys himself.

He bit off gun powder, killed his comrades. He bit off automobiles off the tree of knowledge, kills more people than all the wars. He's bit off himself a hydrogen bomb now. What's he going to do with that? Everything, he destroys himself by knowledge; and knowledge always climbs so far—it falls back. But this Tree of Life is endless and goes right into glory.

So, don't depend on your knowledge, and don't never try to figure anything out that God says. If you could figure it out, or I could figure it out, or any other preacher could figure it out, we would be equal with God. We are not supposed, and never will be able to figure it out because when we can figure it out, it's not faith any more. We've got to accept it by faith. Is that right? God said so, I don't know how, I can't tell you how He's going to do it, but He's going to do it 'cause He said so. That's the basis. God is going to do it because He promised to do it. He's God and He can't break His promise, how it is.

And some of God's preparations has been so ridiculous to the people who depend on the tree of knowledge. God's preparation has been absolutely ridiculous to the natural mind, because the natural mind can't conceive the things that are of God. Because they are foolishness to him, and he just thinks it's horrible to think, “Why, God would do....”

A few minutes ago I seen some woman.... I was coming in, everybody was praying at one time. And I seen a man shake his head and say...

I said, “All right, that's Scripture.”

It's a whole lot better than one of these old cold formal moth-eaten something another standing around.

I said, taking the Bible, “They prayed with one accord until the building was shook where they was assembled together.” I said, “They got out on the street and staggered like a bunch of drunk men till even they said they were drunk.”

And now listen friends, and to you women, the blessed virgin Mary was with that bunch of drunk people, on the Spirit. And if God wouldn't let the mother of God come into heaven without receiving the baptism of the Holy Ghost and acting like that, do you think you'll get there anything short of that?

Now, let's lay it down flat. Don't try to say virgin Mary wasn't up there, she was. And she acted just like the rest of them.

And don't you think because your name is on a book and you can drive an automobile and run around with a nice hat on and a lot of clothes and dress your children nice, that that means you belong to the church that you're going in. You're going to get the same thing or you're out. That's right. Now, I don't know nobody, and I only know Jesus Christ. And I'm responsible and have to answer at the Day of Judgment for what I speak and say.

Now, God, in the beginning when Adam and Eve.... Man has always tried to prepare himself. Oh, yes sir, he tries to prepare himself. When he first sinned in the beginning, the first thing you know, he went out and prepared himself an apron—fig leaves—wrapped it around him. He's making himself.... Now, the word religion means “covering.” And Adam and Eve made themselves a religion, a covering. But when God called them and they had to stand face to face with God, they realized that their man-made religion wasn't no good.

And if you're anything short of the Holy Spirit and death strikes your body, you'll find out that man made religion won't stand in the time of death.

Oh, don't tell me, I've stood by the hospitals and seen the doctors shoot hypos in the arm when they were deacons and everything else. That's right. Hear them scream and say ... call to their pastor, “You deceiver of men. Why didn't you tell me the truth?”

It'll tell when you get down at the end of the road. So the best thing to do is make preparation for it right now. Get the thing straightened up. Get right with God.

Now, I noticed that Eve wrapped herself up in some fig leaves, and Adam. But when it come time to face God they were condemned. They realized that that man made religion wouldn't work.

So when God called them....

Now, how true it is today. When God had prepared Himself to speak to Adam; and Adam, in a man-made way, was trying to prepare himself to speak to God. But God had to prepare Adam to speak to Him. So in order to do that, they begin to pass the buck one to the other, in the old street expression. And then what happened? God went out and got some skins and made them aprons.

I want to give you who I think God is, just in a minute.

Let's take a little mental trip tonight, you and I. And let's go back before there even was a star in the heavens, 'fore there even wasn't anything. Setting way back in eternity, that was God. And then going out of God, or God unfolding Himself, come the Logos, which was the Son of God or the Word of God. In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. And the Word was made flesh and dwelt among us. The Logos.

Now, watch, we're seeing God unfold Himself. Then He said in Genesis: “Let us make man in our own image.” What kind of man was He? He had to be a Spirit man. And then He put him in five senses to contact his earthly home. He might've given him a foot like a bear and a hand like a monkey. I don't know what He done.

But anyhow, them five senses wasn't to contact his maker. He knowed his maker by faith. His soul was what contacted that. But his body here couldn't contact, 'cause it's just the senses. These things were given for earthly uses: see, taste, feel, smell, and hear. As I proved to you the other night, that seeing and hearing and so forth, wasn't believing. Far from it.

But, notice. Now, in this earthly home, they had sinned. And when God came down and He said, “Because you listened to your wife instead of God, I took you from the dust, dust you shall return. And woman, because you listened to the serpent instead of your husband, why, you took life out of the world and you'll bring life in the world and multiply your sorrows,” and so forth. And the serpent, “Dust shall be your meat.”

And I can see Adam standing there then, and Eve....

I think Eve, not like some of these artists paint her, a horrible looking brute; she was the most beautiful woman the world ever knew, or ever was in the world. And if I had time to go into it, I can prove that by the Scriptures. She was lovely. When Adam woke up that morning and seen there that beautiful woman, flesh of his flesh and bone of his bone, he took her by the arm and walked down through Eden. What a beautiful home; no sickness, no sorrow, no nothing, to live together forever.

And friends, Christians, that seems, maybe to some of you, like a Santa Claus dream. But it's wrong. That's the truth. We're returning back to that. Right. I believe it more than I believe I'm in Owensboro now in this auditorium. because there's something inside of me believes that when this won't let nothing else happen. I don't go by this, it's by this. And this believes the Word of God. This reasons; this doesn't, this just believes it

And then when I see Adam as it was standing there, and Eve; the beautiful stature of her. And while she's standing there, these old bloody sheepskins, the blood running down her legs. Adam in his great fine stature of a man, the blood off these sheepskins running down him. And God standing there pronouncing death, sorrows and heartaches and destruction. Watch.

Then I can see Eve put her lovely head over on Adam's shoulder and him put his arms around her. They started weeping. Turned around and started walking out of His presence. God depart from him. He sinned. There's your judgment.

Then when I can hear, going down along that path through the Garden of Eden, something like this: [Brother Branham claps slowly.] What is it? Bloody sheepskins slapping on Adam's leg as he went down.

Then I can see all that great spaceless eternity come funneling down like a funnel, to four little letters L-O-V-E. He loved His children so much till He couldn't turn them away.

Then I hear Him say, “Stop! I will put enmity between thy seed and the serpent's seed,” promising a redeemer. God making preparation to redeem.

Let's stop here in the sermon just a minute.

Let's go back four thousand years from then, I hear a howling mob in Jerusalem, screaming, the people are going on. We're sitting up now looking down through a window. I hear something dragging on the street. It's an old rugged cross dragging out the bloody footprints of the bearer.

Who is that going there?

Why, it's that Nazarene down here, that fanatic, divine healer.

What's all them little red spots on His back? Look at them all over His seamless robe, there's little red spots.

And as we watch Him going up towards the capital punishment ground, they begin to get bigger, bigger, bigger, bigger. Directly they all run into one. One big solid mass of blood.

Then I hear something. [Brother Branham claps slowly.] What is it? God's prepared Lamb from the foundation of the world going yonder to die for sinners like you and me. God making ready a preparation that would cleanse the heart of sinful men and redeem him back to Himself. God preparing, getting ready. No other way could be done. How ridiculous His ways seem.

Somebody say, “Well, why don't you just ... Why didn't God just say a certain thing? Why didn't He just put the leaves around....”

See, men can never understand God. You just got to believe what God says.

How could I explain to my little girl, if she wanted my straight razor to rake around over her face. How could I make her understand what it would do to her? She's just two years old. She's got to believe me, that's all. I just say, “You can't have it.”

What if my little girl at three years old, or two years old, had my shotgun with the hammers back and two shells in it; she wanted to play with it; screaming and holding on to it.

Don't make any difference how much she wants it, I can't let her have it. I know better, she doesn't. I can't make her understand it. She's just got to believe me. Is that right?

And how can God make that woman laying there, and this one here, and different ones perfectly well when the doctors have said they can't get well. I can't understand it, I just believe it. God said so, that settles it.

How do you take a sinner like me and like you and make a Christian out of us? I can't understand it. That's the greatest miracle that God ever performed, is when He took a sinner and made a Christian out of us. And if you can't....

Looky here; you believe that God can save anybody from sin because you've been taught that. Well, that's far more of a miracle; that man that was dead in trespasses and sin. That man is dead and he had to believe or remain dead. And then after you are born again you become a Son of God. How much more ought you to believe for a lesser miracle, for divine healing, if a live man ought to believe more than a dead man. See what I mean? You've got to believe it. Can't explain it, believe it. That's all you have to do.

Watch. When God then, making a preparation....

The people say, “Well now, Brother Branham, when I believe, that settles it.”

No it doesn't. There has to be a transaction of God there in a confirmation of your faith, giving you a new birth.

How many'd tell the people here ... I'm just so sick and tired of seeing people thumbing their way to heaven. They just say, “Do you believe that?”

“Uh huh. You believe that.”

“You believe that?”

That's hitchhikers. Brother, God ain't got such things as that! A man's got to be born of the Spirit of God and regenerated and made a new creature, or he's lost, that's all. That's exactly right. We got to believe it. We got to accept it.

You say, “Well, if I believe, that settles it.”

No it doesn't!

I told you the other night that Cain was a believer. And I'll give you a little stronger meat than that tonight if you want to believe it. The devil is a believer! The Bible says he is. He believes and trembles. The devil is a believer. Now, if belief and faith in God is all you have to have to be saved, then the devil's saved according to the Word of God. That's right.

But brother, it's got to take the Holy Spirit, a new birth, a regeneration, a new creature in Christ Jesus. When God comes down and puts His Spirit into you, and you're no more your own, but you're God's. Oh, I begin to feel religious already.

Notice, when I think of God's great program. And to think that we poor, alienated, ungodly, undone sinners have the privilege of coming to His place and accepting Him and becoming His sons and daughters. Why, my. “And it does not yet appear what we shall be, but we know we will have a body like His, for we shall see Him as He is.” Won't that be wonderful? Eating, drinking, just like He did.

Now, God in His preparation. Back when God was going to destroy the world. Before He destroyed the world, He sent forth a preparation for the saving of the people that desired to be saved. He always does it. He shows mercy before judgment.

And if men spurn mercy, there's only one thing left and that is judgment. And God don't judge you, you judge yourself. That's true.

As long as you're under this spray of blood that's around the world, you have a right for mercy. The blood of Christ keeps God from killing you or He'd kill you just as soon as you sinned. But that's still holding God from you, from your death.

You're a free moral agent now, but when you die and your spirit soars beyond that, then you're already judged. You don't have to wait for judgment, you're judged already. God done said, “The day you eat thereof, the day you die.” And that settles it.

Then when God sent forth Noah to preach.... Wasn't it strange—never had rained? No water—was only beneath the earth. And an old man come out there, an old holy roller, with a beard hanging down like this and got him a hammer and begin to build an ark—a boat.

Could you imagine the people down in the city talking about it? Why, they'd say, “Hey, what do you think about that rain story that old guy is telling up there?”

But he had the will of God. And he knowed where he was. And no matter what the world ... how ridiculous it seemed to the world, God had a man He could put His hand on. And he built the ark.

The people laughed at him. That didn't stop him. He just built right ahead.

And any man that really knows the divine will of God, is born again, they could call you a holy roller, fanatic, whatever they want to, you'll build right ahead on the ark. It doesn't make a bit of difference. That's right. You get ready for it.

I can see the time Noah said there is going to come a storm, the rains are....

“Oh, how is He going to do it?”

I don't know. “Why it never did do it.”

And they were much better scientists than we have today. Go down in Egypt and look at the pyramids setting in the middle of the earth. No matter where the sun is, there's never.... Geographically, it's in the center of the earth. There's never a shadow around it no matter where the sun is. How'd they do that? And these boulders, at least two city blocks high, that weigh a billion tuns, how'd they get them up there? Produce something now that'll lift them up there. They can't do it.

They can't make mummies today, as they did in them days with the body. They can't embalm like they did. None of those things. They were smarter, really than they are today.

And you know they laughed at that man. They stood up there, building the ark and saying it was going to rain, but it rained anyhow.

I can just imagine.... Let's look at this a moment.

God's prepared. Noah's preaching. And the first thing you know, why one day there come a thunder.

I hear some of them say, “Oh, a blast went off somewhere.”

But a cloud begin to rise. I can see the great big Polly Parrot setting out there, look over to the mother Polly Parrot and say, “Mother, that's what Noah said.” I can see the little monkey drop the cone there and say, “Come on Mammy, we're headed for the ark.” The old camel eat and say, “Come on, let's go.” Two by two they went into the ark led by the Holy Spirit. It goes to show that man hasn't got the gumption of a wild animal sometimes. That's right. Those wild animals heard the sound and took the warning of God by the Holy Spirit, and went to safety!

And today man hears the sound of the coming of the Son of God and rejects and refuses to hear it! Amen. You know that's the truth. But God preparing, seems ridiculous.

I can hear some of them say, “Well, if it does rain, I'll get on me a big poplar log and ride.”

But the big poplar log sunk. And so will every poplar log sink when Jesus Christ returns. Everything that's not in the body of Christ will be left here! “As it was in the days of Noah, so will it be in the coming of the Son of Man.”

Jesus never asked this, “Will I find righteousness? Will I find people that's living good?” Goodness and righteousness is what.... Jesus said, “Will I find faith when I return? Will I find...?”

Some of them say, “I got faith.”

Well, faith without works is dead! Will I find somebody who'll stand at My Word and say, “Every word—it's right! I'm not scared whether this one says so, or that says so, or nothing. I believe in God, and I'm accepting, and standing right there on it!” That's the thing. God is preparing a church today to be saved just as He did in the days of Noah—that ark. And the body of Christ today is that ark.

Why, you say, “We all believe that.”

If I asked you how did I get across the Ohio River here? You'd say, “By the bridge.” That's right. Everybody says, “By faith are you saved, Christ is the way.” That's right, Christ is the way. But how do you get to Christ?

Now, there's His body; the Bible said, “Not by one letter, not by one's confession, not by one profession, but by one Spirit are we all baptized into one body!” Into the body of Christ which has already been judged. Then we're free from judgment. We're just as sure as God raised His body from the grave, the church will go up just as He did. All that are in Christ Jesus! Amen!

All right. Listen, God making a preparation. How ridiculous it seems sometimes.

Take for instance, Moses. God had a time that He was going to fulfill His Word. He promised Abraham that his seed would sojourn in a strange land for a long time, four hundred years, but He would bring them out. When the time of the promise drew nigh, God raised up a boy named Moses. He disobeyed God and they had to suffer for forty years. But one day back there on the backside of the desert, God said, “I heard the groans of My people, seen their cries, and I've come down to deliver them.”

I like that, don't you? Amen. Oh, I want you to notice this, it just tickles me all over. Watch! Here's old Moses, eighty years old, our brother Moses, eighty years old standing back on the backside of the desert, and he seen a bush on fire one day, burning.

Strange God appears in fire. They say this is wild fire. Well, I admit we got some wild fire, but I'd rather have a little wild fire than no fire at all, wouldn't you? But the trouble of it is with you teachers, you're trying to sit back and say, “That's on the day of Pentecost this happened, and back there they had this.”

You're trying to let the people that's cold get warm by a painted fire. You can't warm by a picture! What they had's fine, but what you got now. That's it. You can't warm by a painted fire. Talking of theology, what they did back there ... what He was there, He is now just the same.

Now, Moses, herding Jethro's sheep. And he said, “I will turn aside to see what this strange thing is.” Now, he never said, “I'm going to pick some of the leaves off the tree and take it down to the laboratory, examine it, and see if it's mental telepathy or what's in the leaves, or whatever it is.” He just turned aside to find out.

And when he did, God spoke to him and said, “Take off your shoes, Moses, you're on holy ground.” And He talked to Moses. And Moses was a murderer; come up out of Egypt from killing an Egyptian. But God said, “I'm going down to deliver them. I'm going to send you.”

Could you imagine, an old man, as old as he was? Moses said, “I can't go, I—I stammer. I—I got an impediment of speech, I can't go.”

He said, “Moses, what's that in your hand?”

He said, “A stick.”

“That's all you need.”

All right, he took that stick and performed miracles. And he took that crooked dry stick off the desert there, and sent Moses down to Egypt to invade the biggest and most powerful, mechanized army in the world. How ridiculous. An old man at eighty years old.

Could you imagine the next morning, Moses set Zipporah astraddle of an old mule, put a young'un on each hip, had a big long beard like this, a crooked stick in his hand, pulling a mule.

“Where you going Moses?”

“Going down to Egypt to take over.”

“My! Ridiculous! Why,” the man said, “you're crazy! They've got millions of men standing in armor!”

“Don't make any difference, God said I was going to take over. I believe it.” Hallelujah!

Say it's ridiculous, but God said so! No matter how ridiculous it seems, if God said so let me get into it! Amen! I believe Him!

Could you imagine that old man, “Come on donkey, come on, we're going down to take over.”

And he did! Amen. How's he going to do it? I don't know. God told him to go down and do it, and he did it!

That's the way it is today. That's the reason I joined up with the holy rollers, you my dear Baptist friend, and Methodist. Going to take over some of these days.

How?

I don't know!

How could God deal with a bunch of people like that?

I can't tell you, but He does it! Going to take over. Amen. God said so.

In the last days I will pour out My Spirit upon all flesh, your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, upon my handsmaids and maidservants will I pour out of My Spirit. I will show signs in the Heaven above and in the earth below, Pillars of Fire and vapors of smoke. Your old men shall dream dreams, your young men shall see visions. Is that right?

How's He going to do it? I don't know, but we're going to take over! There'll be a millennium set in after a while! Hallelujah! Jesus is coming! He's coming after a despised and a rejected church by the world. But the one who's not been.... “You be ashamed of Me before men, I will be ashamed of you before the Father and the holy angels!” Going to take over. Ridiculous.

That old man pulling a mule with his wife and his kids. A one man invasion. But he did it! And he didn't have any gun, he didn't have any slingshot, he didn't have any sword nor spear. He couldn't use them if he had them! But what he had he used! Hallelujah!

You may not be eloquent, you may not be a preacher, you may not be a singer, but what you've got, use it! Hallelujah! You can testify, you can do something. Take over. Hallelujah!

Listen, don't let that scare you. “Hallelujah” means “praise our God.”

Listen, I was going into a football stadium here not long ago, where I was preaching. And I looked at a little sign that's always attracted me. It was hanging up over the stadium. It says, “It's not the size of the dog in the fight; it's the size of the fight in the dog.” That's right. You may be little in number, you may be few, you may be all this, that, and the other; but it's the size of the fight that's in the dog that does it. That's right.

Here not long ago, I was in the West; heard of an Indian got converted. Said, “How you feeling, chief?”

After a few days, he said, “Well, pretty good and pretty bad.”

Said, “What do you mean pretty good?”

Said, “Well, since I got saved,” said, “they's two dogs in me.” Said, “One's black and one's white; and they just fight all the time.” Said, “The black dogs wants me to do bad. And the good dogs wants me to do go ... or the white dogs wants me to do good.”

Said, “Which one wins, chief?”

Said, “Depends on which one chief feeds the most.”

That's it! The thing that's in your heart now telling you that is God's truth! That the baptism of the Holy Ghost is the way and God's preparation today is the Holy Spirit, the blood washed church, regenerated, filled with the Holy Ghost, signs and wonders a vindicating it, proving that He's with us! That thing is telling you that. Believe that a few minutes and you'll be numbered with them! That's right. Amen.

Moses, going to take over. How ridiculous, but he did it. Why? God said so. That was the difference. God said so. Now, what's that in your hand tonight?

“Well,” you say, “Brother Branham, I hardly got enough faith to get out here.”

One time there was a little boy came to Jesus. The whole five thousand people there was hungry. The little boy had five biscuits and two or three fishes. Wasn't very much in his hands. But when it once got into Jesus' hands, it fed thousands. See? While it was in his hands it was just a few biscuits, could hardly feed himself. But in the hands of Christ it fed thousands.

That little faith that you've got tonight, just enough to get you out to the church; turn it lose! Put it in His hands! Say, “Lord, I don't care if they call me holy roller or back wash, whatever they want to, I'm accepting the Baptism of the Holy Ghost right now. God kindle a fire in my heart, let me come forward.” Watch what it'll be by it in an hour from now. You'll be going down the street singing, “I got the Old Time Religion.” Brother, I'm telling you, the whole country around here know something happened in the school auditorium tonight. Amen.

You don't have to wait for the Holy Ghost to come. It's been here two thousand years. “While Peter yet spake these words, the Holy Ghost fell on them that believed.” The waiting was just for the Day of Pentecost to come.

Oh, my. I wish I was twice my size, maybe I could feel twice as good. Look, but I'm sure feeling good at my size.

Notice how ridiculous God's ways is sometimes to man; how He does things. Now, we're going to take for instance, there was a fellow by the name of Samson. God was dealing with him.

Now, a lot of people tries to think ... I seen the physiologist paint the picture of Samson, with shoulders look like barn doors. Why, it wouldn't be no mystery to me to see that man kill a lion, with shoulders as wide as from here over to that organ there. Why certainly he could kill a lion. How he could pick up the city gates and walk away, why sure, that's easy.

But there's a mystery about Samson. If you want to know my estimation of him, he was a little bitty, curly-headed shrimp. Seven little locks hanging down around his face, little mommy's boy coming down the street. A little sissy.

When they seen a man like that kill a lion, that's what scared them. But when they seen this fellow come down there.... Why, he was just as helpless as he could be until the Spirit of the Lord come on him. And when the Spirit of the Lord come on him, my, them little shoulders straightened out and he grabbed the lion and slew it. When the Spirit of the Lord come on him.

One day he was God's provided way to deliver Israel out of the hands of the Philistines. And right while he was cornered one day with a great host of Philistines; a thousand Philistines was upon him and he didn't have nothing. What did he have? If he had a spear, he couldn't fight with it. So he looked around and there was a jawbone of a mule. And the first thing you know, the Spirit of God come upon him and he grabbed that jawbone of a mule and slew a thousand Philistines! Hallelujah!

There's more than a jawbone of a mule laying next to you tonight! That's right! Let's get up and do something about it! Let's forsake these old cots and stretchers and wheelchairs and crutches, and say, “it belongs to the devil! I have no more to do with it!” That's right. I claim Jesus Christ's words. Right! Live or die, I'm with it. That's right.

Toe the line with Him! Claim your God-given privileges, and the devil hasn't got any privilege! He hasn't got one legal power over any believer. He was stripped and robbed at Calvary. Jesus Christ robbed him of everything he had and give every believer a checkbook with His name signed on the bottom. “Whatever you ask in My name, that I will do!” Your personal property. Dare you to sign your name to any check there or fill it out. “Lord, I need healing in the name of Jesus Christ.” And use that name of Jesus and stand back! Hallelujah! The whole bank of Heaven will declare it righteousness! That's right. Sure!

“Oh, but Brother Branham, we've got such great hospitals.”

What have they done for you? The hospitals are all right, doctor's are all right, but what about you? God gave you, as a believer, the checkbook; sign it.

Now, there was a.... During the time of the judges, a little old fellow named Shamgar. He wasn't even a judge. Just a little old.... Not very much said about him, a little bitty spot in the Bible—about a couple of verses—Shamgar. Maybe you may never read of him. He was just a little old Israelite. And during the day, every man done his own way he felt. Back then they had on cooperation, one was a Methodist, and the other one a Baptist, and the other one a Presbyterian, the other one a Oneness, the other one a Twoness, the other one a Threeness. Oh, my, no cooperation, they couldn't get together. So every man done what he thought was good in his own sight. That's the reason the Philistines come in and got them.

Now, if you born-again Christians will forget your differences and come together as Christians ought to, we can do something! Our King will come to us, Jesus Christ!

But there, little old Shamgar, was no king. Who was he? He was just a lay member. Well, they'd build up the crop and work hard, Israel would. And the first thing you know, about time the crops got ripe, and they got all their wheat harvested and everything, round would come the Philistines, take everything they had, and go back.

That's the way the devil does it. Just about time you get your church fixed to a place, and you say, “Well now, I'm just getting along fine. We're having a real old time revival.” The devil will slip in some old critic, say, “You know, them people just about crazy.” All that stuff, “There's no such a thing, because Doctor So-and-so said there was no such a thing as that.”

A man right here in this same neighborhood said, “Well now, we believe in divine healing of course, if the man's coming. But after the meeting's over, let me see somebody that was healed. There won't be one.”

That guy was lying. He don't believe in divine healing. No sir.

Can't believe in divine healing. Brother, it's so whether you say it or not, God said so.

If I prayed for ten thousand people tonight and ten thousand of them died in the morning, tomorrow night with the same faith, I'd be preaching divine healing! If I preach to a thousand people tonight, they all died; fifty years from now the resurrection, come to me saying, “Brother Branham, don't believe in it, you're dying now, but you do something else. There's no such a thing as Christ, there's no such a thing as that.”

I'd still take my choice with Christ and let me die believing Him! That's right. No matter what people says, it's what God has said. That's right. God has said so, I believe God.

This little old Shamgar, he got his place filled up, and he got his food all laid up, his wheat, and all—year before the Philistines took it away from him.

I can see him, his poor little old wife out there, and the sleeves all out of her dress, and his little children standing there, real peaked, their faces all drawn down; about like some of these little churches now that's been kicked and beat around by some of these theological cemetery embalmers. That's right.

You know, that puts me in mind of a morgue. They take a dead man in that's already dead and shoot a lot of fluid into him to be sure he stays dead. That's the way they do, just keep him dead.

“Don't believe that stuff. Don't go around one of them meetings, it's nothing but a bunch of fanatics.” Oh mercy, how can you believe?

Then, I can see this great big bin of wheat. Say, “Well, now honey,” I hear Shamgar saying, “Now, sweetheart, maybe the children ... Now, we got the harvest in and maybe we can feed them a little bit.”

We're going to have a revival pretty soon and maybe some of these people have a little, you know how the pastor gets his church set up to the place.

And the first thing you know, Shamgar was standing there talking to his wife and she looked so pale. And I can see the tears run his cheeks, “Poor little thing, she's starved to death.” See his little children, how hungry they look, and no clothes on. Philistines, big old fat potato bug comes right in and take it right out just as fast as he can make it.

That's the way the devil will do it. Chop it right away from you, take everything he can get. Come right around and rob you of every bit of experience you've got, take everything away from you, telling you there's no such a thing. Pointing to some old crow bait laying on the bank.

You know that's the truth. I hope you're reading between lines. If you don't, I will tell you right off on the line.

Notice, all right, but that's truth.

Now, and there he was, there with his wheat and everything. And about that time he heard something coming. Here come the Philistines, coming up the road, six hundred of them. Oh my. Well, there we go, here it is again; labored all year, here comes the Philistines to take everything I got.

His little wife begin to cry and the little children holding one another. Shamgar pulled back the window and looked out. There they were, six hundred of them. All armed, trained, theological—Philistines anyhow. There they was coming up the road. Armor a gleaming, you know, and the spears in their hands, walking right along. They knowed how to do it, brother. I'm telling you they were warriors.

Little old Shamgar stood there and thought, “Well, I ain't no soldier, I don't know how to fight, I don't know nothing about it, but...”

To you holy people, his righteous indignation got up. I hope yours does too tonight. Get up against evil, get up against that old wheelchair, get up against them crutches. What the devil stuck them on, you don't have to have them! No sir! They don't belong to you! Christ said, “Should not this daughter be loosed on the Sabbath day being bound with the devil all these years?” But it's going to be up to you.

Shamgar stood there, and he looked around, he wasn't a warrior, he didn't have time to go away and train now, how to duel and to fight these men with the swords and things. He didn't have time to do it. You don't have time to go study out all these things and take a....

That's the trouble of it is, when a preacher begins to learn how to ... begins to have a calling to the ministry, they'll take him away to a seminary and keep him there about twenty years and take all out of him God ever put in him. That's right. Then bring him back and he just knows so much (My!), that nobody can tell it. That's the way it goes. And when he comes back out, he's worse than when he went in.

If God calls you by grace and by power, stay with it! That's right.

Puts me in mind of a little woman here not long ago. She belonged to a church and she washed over a board and everything. She wanted her boy to go away to be a preacher. He had a little calling in his heart, so she sent him away to one of these big classical schools. And the first thing you know, while he's away three or four years, his little Mammy got sick. They sent him word, thought she was going to die, he'd have to come home.

Well, during that time there was a little woman lived down in a mission of a Full Gospel. So she went up and told this woman, she said, “Do you believe in divine healing?”

She said, “Well, I don't know. Is it in the Bible?”

Said, “Yes, it's in the Bible.” Said, “Our pastor prays for the sick.” Said, “Well, can I have him come up and pray for you?”

Said, “Why yes, if it's in the Bible.”

So the pastor come up, said, “How do you do, lady?” Said, “Now, I just like ... I don't want to take you from the church, I just want to read you what God said.” So he said, “Here's the departing words of Jesus Christ, 'Go into all the world, preach the Gospel, he that believes and is baptized shall be saved, these signs shall follow them that believe. In My name they'll cast out devils, speak with new tongues, take up serpents, drink deadly things; if they lay hands on the sick, they shall recover.'”

She said, “Why, it's in the Bible.”

Said, “Yes.”

Said, “Well then, you anoint me and pray for me.”

They did. The Lord healed her.

Well, it went on. After awhile the boy come home and he was rejoicing, saying, “Oh, Mother.” Said, “Say, by the way, you wrote and told me ... was telling me I was going to have to come home all at once, that you was so sick with that pneumonia.” And said, “All at once you quit writing.” Said, “What happened?”

She said, “Oh, honey,” said, “that Full Gospel Mission down here, them holy rollers,” said, “their pastor come up and anointed me with oil and read out of the Bible in Mark the 16th chapter that we should pray for the sick. And he prayed for me and the Lord healed me.” Said, “Praise the Lord, honey. What do you think about that?”

He said, “Mother,” said, “the very idea. You with them people? Why,” he said, “mother, down in the seminary” said, “them men are illiterate, they don't understand.” He said, “We know down in the seminary that Mark 16 from the 9th verse on is not even inspired.”

She said, “Hallelujah! Praise the Lord! Hallelujah!”

He said, “Mother! Ridiculous!”

Said, “What do you mean?” She said, “Honey, you mean Mark 16 what he read to me from Mark 16, the 9th chapter on is not inspired?”

Said, “No!”

Said, “Glory!” Said, “If God could heal me with uninspired Word, what would He do with that's really inspired!” Amen.

That's right. What are you going to do with Mark 11:24 and all of that? “What things you ask in My name I will do.” Yes sir. “If He could heal me with uninspired Word, what will He do with that's really inspired then?” He could really do things that way! That's right.

I see Shamgar now. (We'll hurry, it's getting close to the prayer line time.) I see Shamgar standing there, he looks out. Oh my! His righteous indignation begin to come up on him, he got a little fight in him.

That's what you got to get, is little fight, a little backbone. Take that wishbone out and put a backbone in. That's right.

I think old Buddy Robinson, his testimony, said, “Lord, give me the backbone like a saw log, give me plenty of knowledge in the gable end of my soul, and let me fight the devil as long as I got a tooth in my mouth, and then gum him till I die.” That's right!

That's the way to do it brother! Get some spunk about you! Stand up and claim your God-given privileges! God promised you healing, it's yours! If you're too weak and jellyfish to take it, you'll die! You want to stand and say, “It's right,” then stand. Hallelujah!

If God saved my soul, I took it by faith and believed that He did, and God give me the Baptism of the Holy Ghost in confirmation of it! If I stand and take Him as My healer when Mayo Brothers told me I had a few hours to live, I took Him as my Healer; and I got the confirmation of it tonight! Hallelujah!

Yes sir. Take Him at His Word and believe it!

Little old Shamgar got his righteous indignation up. He looked around, he couldn't find nothing. He wasn't a warrior. But what was in his hand? He didn't find nothing but a ox goad.

You know what a ox-goad is? It's an old stick that's got a big old brass lump on it, they push the dirt off the plow, and sometime and push the cattle through the gate with it.

That's all he had. But brother, he was sick and tired of the Philistines coming, taking what he had.

Oh, my. Aren't you tired, mother? aren't you, sister? sick and tired of the devil telling me, that “I can't walk, I can't do this, I can't do that.”? God, bless your heart, “All things are possible to them that believe.” That's it!

Shamgar said, “I'm sick and tired of it. I'm not a warrior, the odds is against me!”

No matter how much odds is against you, God's for you if you take His Word.

He said, “There's one thing I know, I am circumcised, I am a Philistine ... I mean, I am a Israelite. That is a uncircumcised Philistine. I know that I'm right.”

I'm a child of God tonight. And I know diseases come from the devil and I know God promised me victory! Whew!

Brother, I wish you felt like I did right now. Yes sir, I feel awfully good. Look! It's my God-given privilege! Yes sir! And still tonight in America where I can preach it! Enjoy it! Thank the Lord for it!

His righteous indignation rose, he grabbed that ox goad and jumped through the window and challenged six hundred Philistines, and stood there and beat their heads in! Right. Why? Not a warrior! Not at all, but he was an Israelite, he was circumcised.

And if tonight you're circumcised with the Holy Ghost you don't have to wait till you're trained to be a warrior! God bless your heart, claim your God given privileges and beat their heads in! Amen. That's right. Say, “Get out of the way Satan!” Kick him out of the way. “I'm the guy that's taking over now. I come in Jesus' name!” Watch him scatter! Brother, when you use that faith on him, he will back up!

A guy told me not long ago, he had a dream, said, “He'd seen a devil, a little bitty old devil stand before him.” Said, “It scared him.” And said, “The devil jumped at him and he jumped back. And every time he'd jump the devil, he'd get littler and the devil would get bigger.” Said, “He knowed he'd have to fight him after a while somehow.” So he looked around and tried to find something, he found the Bible. And he drawed up and whacked him, he took him. And every time he would hit him, the devil would get littler and littler, and then he just beat him to death.“

That's right. Every time he jumps toward you, say, “Days of miracles is past.”

You say, “Is it?”

“No such a thing as divine healing?”

“Is it?”

Oh, he will kill you. God bless your hearts, take your stand out there! Say, “Jesus Christ, the same yesterday, today, and forever, promised me this thing, and I got it!” Brother, you'll see him shrink right on away. That's right.

He beat them Philistines. And look, an untrained farmer peasant with an ox goad in his hand beat down six hundred armed men! Whew!

Oh, that's my Lord. I tell you I feel like I was just about to have a heart spell to run a little bit.

You know what, when I think of that? You ain't got quite room up here, I have to have a lot of room to preach, brother. I got to move out a little bit. Oh my!

A farmer with a ox goad slew six hundred Philistines with the power of the same God that's on us tonight! He didn't have no promise of that in the Bible either. He didn't have a promise of it. We got a promise! Amen. Oh, let that old sickness drop.

One more little expression right quick, please. I'm thinking, there's something come in my mind just now, of a time that Israel had backslid and got away, like the churches are away from God tonight. And the first thing you know they'll.... The devil always, when he knows he's got the edge on you, he gives you a bluff.

[Blank spot in tape.] ...

by the name of Goliath. He stood up there, a great big burley fellow about four times the size of an ordinary man, said, “I'll make a deal with you. I tell you what I'll do, let's not fight over all these men, kill all these men. You just choose one man out of your group and send him over here, and if I kill him you all serve us.” Sure! The big smart brag because he had the odds. He said, “And if he kills me, then we will serve you.” Said, “Some of you come over and fight! Ho, Ho, Ho, Ho, Ho.”

Puts me in mind of these guys today, “Let me see in that revival if one person is healed that I could put my hands on and see before and after, and five years from now they'll still be, I'll believe it, oh, of course I believe in divine healing.”

Oh, that's a lie! You know it is. But as long as he thinks he's got the odds! That's it.

I remember when I first started, there was no campaigns in the country, nowhere! I preached on that little subject right there. That big boaster of modern day science stands up with their big wheels a turning and say, “Days of miracles is past.” Brother, he has to take the corner now. That's right.

One day, you know what happened? There happened to be a little old sheepherder out there God was preparing. A little old fellow out there just about, oh, about four-foot-and-a-half high. Little old lad, right, with a little sheepskin coat on. His daddy, Jesse, happened to say, “David, take some wine and some raisins, and go up there to the battle front and see your brothers. They're at camp. There's none of them going to fight. There ain't enough fight in them. All the courage is gone.”

About like it is in the church today. “Well, I tell you, Brother Branham, I seen so many failures. I don't know.” Oh my. That makes me believe that much more. That's right.

“Now, I don't know what to do.”

So he got the wine and the stuff and he goes up there to his brothers and met his brothers out on the field. And this big giant run out and roared.

He happened to roar before the wrong man one time. Little David turned around and said, “What's this? What's going on over there? Who is that big scarecrow standing up there? You mean to tell me that you guys will stand around and let that uncircumcised Philistine defy the armies of the living God?”

That's what I think today, you let some of these big theological seminary teachers with all these DDD's behind them stand up and say, “There's no such a thing as the power of God and the Baptism of the Holy Ghost, and them days are gone.”

Not as long as I live! No sir. Not as long as God can put His hand on a man to prepare him somewhere. He will not! No sir!

David said, “I will go fight him.”

And there the pastor, huh, big seven foot Saul, cowed down in his tent. Huh, my!

But David said, “Let me go.”

Well, they took him up before Saul. Saul said, “Now, my son, I admire your courage. But I tell you, that man is a warrior from his youth and you're nothing but a youth. That man knows how to use a sword. Why, his spear is twenty foot long maybe. Why, he'd just pick you up like that.”

He said, “My Lord,” he said, “your servant ... God let him kill a bear with this slingshot, and I took a kid out of a lion's mouth. How much more will He deliver that uncircumcised Philistine into my hands.”

He knowed what he was talking about, he had God behind him. He knowed the anointing oil was poured on him, Samuel had done done it. He knowed he was anointed. Said nothing wasn't going to bother him.

What's the matter with you anointed people? God's done poured the Holy Ghost oil on you! You're anointed! You've got the privilege!

Quickly.

And look. “Why,” he said, “You can't fight him.” Said, “Well, if you're going to, put on my armor.”

And the first thing you know, they got this great big jacket of mail, you know, and put on little David. And I can imagine seeing that little bitty fellow standing there with this great big jacket on, standing like.... He couldn't hold it up. Huh.

He come to find out that that ecclesiastical jacket didn't fit a man of God! It doesn't yet!

When you have to go away and get four years of embalming fluid pumped into you. When God says go, get going! That's right! God says you can do it, you can do it! “Whosoever will, let him come.”

That great big ecclesiastical jacket on, you know, theological seminary experience, didn't fit David. David said, “I haven't proved that thing yet. I don't know nothing about it, but I do know what this is!”

Brother, I don't know about all your teaching and all your doctrines and all your doxologies and so forth, but I do know what the Holy Ghost is! The very thing that saved me back there will heal me! Hallelujah! God promised it and I believe it!

Brother, he reached there and got a hold of five little rocks as he crossed. And that old Goliath laughed at him, said, “I'll feed you to the birds.”

He said, “You meet me as a Philistine, in the name of a Philistine, with an armor and a spear. But I meet you in the name of the Lord God of Israel.” He knowed where he was standing.

He reached down and picked up five little stones, put one in the slingshot.

While old Goliath was covered all over with steel, all up and down like that, just one little spot. And here he comes across to meet him. A little bitty fellow about like this, and Goliath about like that standing there with his spear ready to pick him up and hang him up on a tree somewhere.

Here come little David just a bouncing in the Spirit, “Ha, ha, ha.” Oh, what a holy roller! Victory already! Hallelujah! Why? He had placed the name of The Lord God of Israel before him. All devils in hell couldn't wade across that. Little David just dancing in the spirit. Hollered, “Glory! Hallelujah!”

You say, “David dancing?” Oh yeah, he was a dancer. One day the ark come in and his wife was sitting up there looking at him. He was a cute little fellow, she was standing. And here comes the ark across. And David run down there and begin to run and dance and carry on.

And his wife said, “You embarrass me.”

“Oh,” he said, “you don't like that, huh? Watch this.” And around and around and around and around and around the ark. Dancing! Hallelujah! Life! Yes sir. Said, “Watch this.”

And God looked down out of Heaven and said, “David, you're a man after my own heart.” Ha, ha. Glory! You're the very man after My own heart.

Little old David was a dancer.

And here he went up there just a dancing in the Spirit as hard as he could. Why? By faith he saw the victory. Amen! He saw the victory.

He put his little old sling in there, one of these stones, and he give a dance and here he comes, coming around.

I see Goliath saying, “Hah, hah, hah, hah.”

What was it? He had five stones. F-A-I-T-H in five fingers left, his sling around J-E-S-U-S. Here he comes. Oh brother! Look out Goliath! You're going to fall!

And when he set that loose, the Holy Ghost got a hold of that little old stone and picked up a speed about a thousand miles per second, struck that giant between the face and he fell forward. Hallelujah! Oh, my.

Like a little Jim Crow, danced up there, jumped up on him, pulled his sword out, chopped his head off like that. Said, “How do you like that, boy?” Reached down and got him by the hair of the head. Said, “Come on boy, let's preach divine healing.” Way they went. Hallelujah!

And you know what they done? The rest of them seen it could be done and they cut Philistines plumb to the wall! Why? Down there the old critics has got their mouths shut now.

Florence Nightingale, Congressman Upshaw, Queen of England, great men. When the divine healing power was proved that night yonder at Portland, Oregon, that maniac run to the platform, and God threw the demon right on the ground. Tommy Osborn, Oral Roberts, Jaggers, the rest of them took courage. We've cut them devils plumb to the walls! We've got the victory! Hallelujah!

There goes David marching in, pulling old Goliath's head behind him. Victory! God prepared him a man to take care of it.

And brother, about several hundred years after that, the church of God had become cowed down. But I can hear one thing, saying, “Behold, I send a promise of the Father upon you. I want this Gospel preached in all the world. I want signs to follow the believers. I want to heal the sick till I come again. I'm going away, but I give you the keys of the kingdom, whatever you ask in My name, that I will do. But before you do this, I got to prepare you.” Amen.

They climbed up the hillside, looked yonder to the temple, stayed in the upper room until all of a sudden they got to a place one said, “I don't care if I am a Methodist.” Another one said, “I don't care if I am a Baptist, or Sadducee,” till all the differences got out of them. And when they did, they started blessing God. And about that time the preparation come from Heaven.

Now, the Catholic church said, “Lick out your tongue, take the holy eucharist,” that does it. Holy eucharist—a little wafer. The Protestant church, just as bad; shake hands with the preacher, right hand of fellowship, sprinkle a few little drops of water on top of him, take him in to probation.“ Goodness!

How far they're both wrong! But here's what the Bible said the preparation was.

Now, another thing, “Well, now my boy, I believe you're to become a minister. We'll see the doctor and elders and all of them, and we'll give you the right hand of fellowship. We'll send you off to a seminary and we'll teach you all about these things.”

Never that! No sir! That wasn't God's preparation. He said, “Wait in the city of Jerusalem until you're endued with power from on high. And when the day of Pentecost was fully come....”

Here come a priest up the road with a box and said, “Here's the holy....” Nope. Here comes the Protestant preacher, said, “I will give you the right hand of fellowship.” Nope. Here comes the elders saying, “We'll send you to the mission field. First we have to take this student....” Nope!

“But suddenly there came a sound from Heaven like a rushing, mighty wind. It filled all the house where they were sitting.” Hallelujah! Cloven tongues set upon them like fire. They were filled with the Holy Ghost. Out into the streets and across the nation; signs, wonders. They laid in the shadows of their men and were healed. The critics made fun of them!

That was God's preparation. God hasn't changed His plan. That was to be until Jesus come back again. It sounds ridiculous to an ordinary man. “Why the very idea, you mean I have to go down and act like a maniac? Huh!”

You will either do that or stay out, either one you want to. That's what you to do.

Somebody said, like old Naaman, he said, “I—I.... You mean I have to dip in them old muddy water?” Either do it or keep your leprosy. Either one you want to do.

Here, sometime ago, I was preaching. A certain minister come to me, he said, “Brother Branham, I couldn't even enjoy your sermon,” said, “those people hollering 'amen,' and screaming and hollering and crying.” Said, “How could you keep your subject?”

I said, “I wasn't trying to.”

Said, “When do you ever run out?”

I said, “When the sheep gets in the hold.” Yes, when I get a sheep in the hold somewhere, God has to set him down and let the blessings pour again.“

Said, “I tell you, them people just made chills run over my back.”

I said, “They did?” I said, “That's strange. If you'd ever get to Heaven, you'd freeze to death; because brother, they're really making noise up there. Screaming and a shouting, and a praising God day and night! Overcoming by the blood of the Lamb and their testimony!” Hallelujah!

It's God's preparation time! God's preparing a people. And if you can't have faith to heal this sick body, how you going to have faith to raise it up in the last days? Glory to God! It's His preparation time. Oh, you're going to call me a holy roller, so that's all right, I am.

So, let me tell you something now, brother, I'm glad that I seen this vision of Jesus Christ the same yesterday, today and forever, of the power of the resurrected Jesus Christ, the Lamb of God that takes away the sin of the world, heals the sickness. I'm glad tonight that He's here. I'm glad that I have eternal life!

I'm telling you now, when you walk to the altar one day and said, “I accept Jesus Christ as my saviour,” raised up your hand and started praising, thanking Him for your salvation. You couldn't show any physical results, but you went ahead and you believed it. You stayed with it, you confessed it, you believed it. And now, everybody knows you got it. Do the same thing by healing. Accept Him on the same basis. “I accept Him as my healer.”

Don't get that little old cloud down, saying, “Well, I don't believe I could move this foot.” What of that? You might not be able to walk perfect for a month. But, kick that crutch away and walk away anyhow! It's your God-given privilege. Amen.

Brother, I feel good. I just got to quit. I was just getting warm now, so I believe I could preach for a little while right now. You're getting straightened out now. I'd like to get you over in Revelations, to the Lamb coming. But I'll do that some other time. God bless you. Time gets away so quick.

All you got faith ... have you got faith? raise your hand. Say, “I've got faith, Brother Branham. I believe.”

Do you believe it's the preparation time? Don't notice—Don't notice your age. Don't notice your circumstance. Faith knows no age limit or circumstance. Faith knows one thing, “God said so and that settles it.” You believe it?

Where's our sister that plays the piano? Let us bow our heads a moment. “The Great Physician,” sister. Something come on my heart then.

Our Heavenly Father, I thank Thee tonight because that we are living in the hour of preparation. We're living when You're preparing the people to believe all things. We believe that's the message of the day—the preparation time. Jesus Christ the same yesterday, today, and forever. And You're calling a people, have give them the Holy Ghost, and now You're trying to call out of that group of sons, to adopt them.

We realize that the old law was that a son was born into the home, he was a son, but the tutor raised him. And then when he was of age, if he'd been the right kind of a son, he was taken out, put a purple robe on in a ceremony and adopted. And that's what You're trying to do to these Full Gospel people now. To get them out to themselves somewhere, alone with You in faith, and adopt them into the kingdom, and give them the right to go forth and to do the things that You did.

I pray, God, that You will take these few examples and sure as the great St. Paul said after writing Hebrews 11, said, “Seeing that we're compassed about with such a great cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight.”

Now, Father, many are weighted down, they'd like to run but they're sick. And Father, I pray tonight as I have brought them the plain simple truth, how that You healed the sick, You raised the dead, You commissioned Your disciples to go preach the Gospel, said, “These signs would follow them that believe.”

Back in the Old Testament from Genesis on to Revelation You constantly was a miracle working God. When people were ready to step out and believe You. When Moses prayed and then stepped towards the Red Sea, it opened. When the priests stepped into the water of Jordan, it peeled back from one side to the other. We've got to make a step. We've got to try. We've got to put forth our effort to show You that we're sincere. For it's written in the Bible that faith without works is dead, just as the body without the Spirit. And I pray, Father, in Jesus' name, that You will give faith here tonight to these sick people. In the name of Jesus Christ, I ask it.

With your heads bowed. God put something on my heart just now. He said, “You preached like an evangelist, bring the people up and ask them to accept Christ as Saviour, why don't you bring them up and let them accept Christ as Healer?”

How many in here is sick and wants to accept Christ as their Healer now? I'm giving the invitation to walk right up here beside this platform. God bless you, young lady. God bless you, sir. That's right. All right, everyone now:

The great Physician now is here,

The sympathizing Jesus,

He speaks the drooping heart to cheer,

Oh, hear the voice of Jesus.

Sweetest note on mortal tongue,

Oh, sweetest carol ever sung,

Jesus, blessed Jesus.

Now, just reverent as you're singing here, folks, Christians, I will have to answer at the day of the judgment if I've told you wrong. God Almighty will hold me responsible for what I say. You know that.

You don't know how I'd like to take each one of you in my arms, sit down here, sit there and talk with you a few minutes, see just what your trouble was, and see if God would tell me what was wrong; or maybe something in your life that you've done that wasn't just right, would hinder your healing.

Now, you confess all your wrongs. Tell God that you'll make it right. Tell Him that you'll do it and confess your wrong.

Now, you're standing here right now to accept Jesus as your Healer just as you accepted Him as your Saviour.

I seen two little girls moving just now. They were healed. I seen It move over them when they come up. See? Now, I just had to go bless them because that He told me to. See?

Now, I want you to come on these basis, accepting Him.

Now, look Christians, you love me, I love you. If God, who knows.... If that's wrong, I don't know my heart, see. But I believe that I know truly that I love you. And I wouldn't stand here as a deceiver: Well, you know I wouldn't do that. And you know God would never bless a deceiver.

How is this message just goes the whole world over now, when literally millions of healings.... Even in the jungles of Africa, after they was converted, I said, “Don't wait till you get an education, go right on out, lay hands on the sick.”

Why, up in the jungles they got the healing campaigns going on amongst the natives, men who don't even know which is right and left hand hardly. But they know Jesus Christ. They seen Him do it and they believe it and they prayed for their native friends and they're healed. Preaching the Gospel, accepting Christ, breaking up their idols, forming big churches and groups, praying all night, fasting for weeks at a time. No education or nothing. They just believe God. Now, you do the same.

Now, look, I don't think you could find fault with what I preached. I don't get it out in the right way, maybe. But I give it the best way that I know how, and I know It's the truth. I haven't got the scholarship and education to present it, like a man that could do that. But I just have to reach up and grab it and spit it out and reach and grab it, it's the only way I can get it. Just as it comes to me.

But look brother, I know it's the truth. I've tested it in death, I've tested it against demons, all across the world. This is my third trip around now, and I've seen witchdoctors and devils and hypnotizers and demons and everything, and critics and everything come up and say, “It's mental telepathy. It's somebody out in the audience is looking up here and I'm reading their mind; mental telepathy.” And all such things has been tried in every fiery furnace. And every time God slays the adversary, drops them right to their feet.

There's a man sitting tonight, paralyzed in this world because he tried to hypnotize me in New York City. Went to one of these Army guys that goes and makes people bark like dogs and things with hypnotism.

And I said, “Why'd the devil put it in your heart to do that?”

And that settled it, they packed him out paralyzed. He's that way yet tonight.

Many other things I could say, hundreds, but I've told you the truth. God has confirmed it to be the truth.

Now, listen to this truth. Each one of you standing here are sincere in heart. I believe that. I don't believe you to come, I believe you're needy.

And I want that elderly lady laying there too, and brother here from New Albany. Aren't you from New Albany? You're the man that surveyed.... You two brothers surveyed my land up there. Is that right? I seen your mother sitting there. I know what's the matter with here. I didn't call her last night. I seen her sitting there, but I knowed what was her matter; and you know that I know these things. I want her to be well. She was good to me. And you know if anything in the world I could do for that mother, God knows I'd come, do it if I had to wade through the river to do it. But the only thing I can say, mother, “Have faith.” Believe God, accept it, you'll get well. You, over here mother, laying bound up in this sector, too.

I see some crutches laying along there on the floor. Don't pay no attention to those things. Let's believe.

Now, you're standing here right now accepting Jesus like you did when you come to be a Christian. Is that right? Now, don't look for any physical thing, any results, just claim it.

Now, look, Hebrews 3:1 the Bible said, that, “He is the High Priest of our confession.” Is that right? Now, it's “profess” and “confess” is the same word there. Now, He can't do one thing for us till we accept it, and say that we have accepted it and believe it and testify of it. Is that right? He can't do nothing, no matter what. You've got to accept it first by faith and believe it and confess that it's right and He, before God, makes it right, in your stead as a High Priest. A High Priest is make intercessions. Is that right? He's touched by the feeling of our infirmities. Now, that's as far as I know to be the truth, and God knows that.

And if you're here tonight, everyone of you, would accept Jesus right now as your Healer, and say, “Lord, this settles it right here. I don't care if I ache twice as bad, if I'm three times as sick, five times as lame; I'm going to.... If I can't do no more than wiggle my finger, I'm going to wiggle my finger and give You praise, claiming You healed me.”

And as far as I know the Scriptures to be true, God's under obligation if your heart's pure and clean, to make you well.

I've seen pure sarcomas cancer. If anybody'd like to have statements of that, I got medical statements. That's right. Cancer.

Look at Congressman Upshaw. Sixty six years an invalid in a wheelchair, rolled him into a big place there in California. The Holy Spirit moved and showed him just what was wrong. And He told him, “Rise to his feet,” and he hadn't been on his feet like that. Had his crutches and braces and beds, and things like that for sixty six years; walked to the platform, touched his feet, and turned a hand spring, went everywhere. A congressman of the United States.

Everywhere, have faith.

Now, bow your heads everywhere. Now, just like you were coming for salvation, you come for healing.

Now, everybody in here, you out in the audience that's well tonight, you should be happy that God has let you be well. Look at these old mothers and dads, and little mothers with their babies in their arms, poor little children leaning against the altar, crying. Gray-headed mothers and fathers standing around here, poor old things just slaved a long time in life. Good, sweet, kind; what if that was your mother? What if that was your dad? You'd want somebody to be awful sincere, wouldn't you, when they prayed. Well, they do the same.

Now, everybody sincere, everybody believe, and I'm going to ask God to heal every one of you.

Now, while I'm in prayer and you feel that God has healed you, I want you to raise your hand and say with a loud voice, “I accept my healing.” Or give God praise. And I want you to come now with sincerity. If you're deaf, put your fingers in your ears. If you're sick in the stomach, lay your hand on the stomach. Wherever you're sick, place your hand. And then ... or on your child, or on your parents, and let's pray!

Now, Heavenly Father, I am so happy to know that You're here. And many of us, years ago, little old bashful boys and girls have now received something that's given us boldness, great courage, courageous as a lion; because the Lion of the tribe of Judah has rose in our hearts giving us grace and power.

In this building tonight there's some maybe two thousand or better, people, seated here, and they're under expectation. And I have tried to speak to them upon Your preparation: the preparation for healing, the preparation for salvation, the preparation for victory.

And now, You have give them in their heart, faith enough to come to this altar, and I've called them here, and they're here believing that You're going to make them well. They realize that they can't live very long unless You do it. And You're the only One who can do it. And as far as their healing, You've already done it. You did it at Calvary. And You're trying to open their understanding right now that they might understand that You have did it.

And now in this massive group, as we're standing here gathered, pulled out, confessing our faith, coming to the altar believing that You have come to heal us; Lord, I pray now. And knowing this, that the only thing that's keeping any person in here from being healed, if their heart is right with You, is that shadow of the devil of doubt hanging over them—doubt, unbelief. If they only had one speck of faith more, they could be healed; and Satan is shadowing that little thing for them.

Now, Lord God, hear my prayer. Not knowing what hour I have to come and meet You, or none of us does. And knowing that we have to answer for our ministry before You, I pray Thee, Father, to give me favor just now before You, that if I have found grace in Your sight that You will answer my prayer.

And here's these dear people that's set here night after night. They're trying to press into the prayer line to search out their souls and so forth. God, may that take place just now and may their souls be searched out.

And now, they're standing here wanting to be healed, and Your Spirit is hovering over here; the very Spirit that can make a little old timid person stand in the power of the resurrection. And now the devil's hanging over them trying to keep them from ... just trying to keep them from believing or accepting their healing. And I ask You, Lord, if I've got grace in Your sight to give me power to make him leave from before these people, and cast away that devil long enough that they can get a glimpse yonder of Calvary to see that old wet coat of blood going up there, dripping, smack, smack, smack, against the back that was striped for our healing. Oh God, grant it!

Now, you devil of doubt that's hanging over the people, come out of them in the name of Jesus Christ! I rebuke you that you leave these people! Come out of them and let them each one be healed!

Lord God, I pray that You will cast away Satan and make the power of God so real to them that they will look through that shadow yonder and see the Son of God standing yonder with His stripes, saying, “By My stripes, you were healed already.” And may they accept it now, Lord, in the name of Jesus Christ.

Throw up your hands every one of you. All that believe now that believe you're healed, raise your hands. Amen! Amen! Give God praise and glory. Looky here audience. Every one of them's healed! The power of God! Let's stand to our feet everywhere and give God praise and glory! Hallelujah! Looky here audience, this whole group of people is healed!

What about them others down there on them stretcher cases; stand to your feet! Get up! And have.... Get up, God will heal you. God will do it if you'll raise and believe Him.

What do you think, brother, the heart trouble gone now? Going to be well?

What do you think, sister? Female trouble gone? You're going to be well?

What do you think, brother, with your ear? Going to be all right now? God bless you.

A little girl who had the cross-eyes, they're uncrossed. They're all right now. You're well. You can go home.

Everyone of you is happy.

Let's stand and sing the praises to Him, “I Will Praise Him.” Everyone now, altogether, lift up our voices and give God praise.

These people, if they are not healed, they are not saved! They've come on the same basis. How many out there believes they're healed? Raise your hand and say, “Praise the Lord!” You're healed!

Now, let this audience, here at the altar, turn towards them out there in the audience as you accept your healing just like you did your Saviour. Turn around this way and face the audience with your hands up to let them know that you believe Jesus Christ has now healed you and made you well.

All right, “I Will Praise Him. I will praise Him.” Kindly? It's all right.

I will praise Him,

Praise the Lamb for sinners slain, (Everybody)

Give Him glory all ye people,

For His blood can was away each stain.

(Let this audience lift that up and sing it loud now, come on!)

I will praise Him, I will praise Him,

Praise the Lamb for sinners slain,

Give Him glory all ye people,

For His blood can wash away each stain.

How many of you would like to hear these people say what they were healed of? Raise your hand. Just let this one word. All right, let them start right down there at the end now. Just say what you was healed of, just call out, say, “Gall bladder trouble, stomach trouble.” Whatever it was, just say what you was healed of, let the audience know. Everybody speak what you was healed of out there to them. Say what you had and was healed of. Say to the audience, “Lumbago, sinus, [unclear word], kidney trouble, arthritis, heart trouble, heart trouble, sinus. (Ma'am) stomach, kidney.” Just listen to that. Let this audience here now, right here, walk right forward and shake your hand. Come right down and say, “I'm shaking your hand to thank God for your healing.”

How many would like to shake their hand, say, “I want to congratulate you for your faith to believe that God can heal you.” Come right down. How many of you Christians would like to do that? Anywhere. Come down and shake your hand, and say, “God bless you, I'd like to...” They've just been accepted into the body of Christ, they're healed, they're going home well. Let's say, “Praise the Lord.”

I wish some of the ministers....

Look at here, this little old mother laying on the cot, raising up down there. Been paralyzed, raising up down here out of the cot.

Let's say, “Praise the Lord!” Everybody! Let's just raise our hands and bow our heads and give God praise! “Thank You, Lord Jesus.”

Come here, Brother Bosworth, and lead them in prayer, if you will. God bless you.