Jehovah-Jireh

... then he reached over and took hold of his hand, said, “Luke, we've come a long ways together, haven't we?”

He said, “Yes, we have, Paul.”

Said, “Think of it, in five minutes from now I'll be standing in the presence of Jesus Christ, clothed in his righteousness.” Squeezed his brother's hand and died. Oh, that's the way. That's it. I stood with Doctor Bosworth when he went out, and I heard of Moody's testimony when he went out. And we've got to go out too.

I've held them in my arms and feel them dying and cool off, and then stretch out again, screaming for mercy and asking for help. I've seen them say, “Lay me back on your breast, Brother Branham,” raise up their hands and sing, “Happy day, happy day, since Jesus washed my sins away. He taught me how to watch and pray.”

I remember a little friend of mine. I was holding him. Said, “Can't you see Him, Brother Branham? There He comes.” He said, “Well, farewell to you, brother, till I get you on the other shore.” Raised out his hands and said, “I'll see you on the other shore.” He said, “O Lord Jesus.” He bowed his head and fell over on my lap. That's the way to go. See, that's right. He was a darling, sainted boy.

And I believe there was one time written in the Scripture that David (I believe) said he'd seen the wicked in power and spreading forth like a green bay tree, just prospering and doing everything. But the Lord told David, “But did you ever behold him at the end?” That's where it counts, is at the end. Not what's here; it's what ... the end. And that's why I'm trying with all my heart to point people down to the end.

Now, before ... I'm going to finish this message this morning, the Lord willing. But here's the reason I have to drive at that, if you can't catch it spiritually. (Say, you that wrote me a letter, out there, about Ezekiel 33:33, you're on the nail head, but hold your peace.)

Now, Ern Baxter told me, he said that up in Canada they were having a contest with this new Schwinn bicycle. Was going to give a contest, who could ride for, I believe, a hundred yards of board—fourteen or sixteen inches square—without falling off of a two-foot ... three-foot ramp. Go right down that ramp. Who could ride closest to the end, that would be the winner of the bicycle. Well, Ern said he knew he was going to win it, said, because he could go downtown, get groceries for his mother, and never even touch the handle bars. Said, “Just go down....” You know how you ride a bicycle. Said they was just expert riders.

Said, when they all got up there that day to ride, he said they had a little old sissy boy, he seemed to be kind of a little frail-like fellow. And he was the only one that rode it. He rode it right straight out to the end, and got off his bicycle. And every one of them fell off before they got any piece at all. So all of them got around, the boys got around him, and said, “Why did you do it? How did you do it?”

He said, “Now, fellows, I'm going to tell you fellows what it was.” He said, “I noticed each one of you, where you made your mistake.” And said, “I prospered by your mistakes.” Said, “When you got on your bicycle and they shoved you off,” said, “I noticed you, like this, trying to keep it on the board.” He said, “See, when you look down like this, you get nervous.” He said, “When they shoved me, I kept my eye on the end and kept steady.”

There you are. See, that's it, friends. Don't look down here what's going today or tomorrow. Keep your eye on the end and be steady, see. If you go to watching.... “What if I don't do this, if I don't to this, if I....” See, you're going to fall off sure as the world, see. Just keep your eye on the end. And at the end of every life you meet Jesus. That's right. So just keep your eye on the end, and be steady.

Let us pray. Father God, we are entering now into thy presence, into thy sanctuary where the goodness of God is stored up for those ... the hidden manna. I pray, God, that You'll break it freely to us this morning, in this little few minutes of lesson to wind up this great study on thy servant, the great patriarch Abraham.

We thank Thee for this church and for its open doors. We thank Thee for the pastor and his gallant stand; and to see him, Father, the way he's being blessed and helped, we're so glad for that. I think of that precious old father of his in Canada, how that he stood for that which was right in his day and his hour. God, may his son follow those footsteps and never compromise, but stay straight with the Spirit and the gospel.

I pray for his church here, these lovely people that's been called in. Heavenly Father, Thou dost bring us to the house of correction, and correction begins at the house of God. Judgment starts here. And if we ... some men's sins goes on before them, and some follow. Lord, let ours go before us, as we confess them, that they're wrong; and may we have mercy and grace from thy Son, Jesus.

Bless all the strangers in our gates. We pray that You'll give them the “exceedingly abundantly” of thy Spirit. And may this little revival that's started now never end until Jesus comes. Grant it. May it be a little fire in all of our hearts.

And I'm sure, Lord, that they all understand the stand that I take for You, that it must be straight. It's a narrow way, and there's no room on the road but just for the one person and Jesus alone. So we have to walk that way, Lord. I pray that the audience will catch that vision, and may it never leave their hearts. Grant it.

Bless us through the night as we come into the healing services tonight. May there be an exceeding powerful service of your healing power tonight, to make the lame to walk, the blind to see. May they come in, Lord, and shut themselves in with You and look up to You. May your great Spirit be here. May they not come with any delusion, or come in any way but just under the great expectations that You're going to pour out your bountiful blessings upon them; and give them the desire of their heart, for we believe it's the Father's will to be kind to all of his children.

It's written in the Scripture, “I would above all things that you prosper ... in health,” for, Lord, we cannot serve You when we feel sick and down. When we feel our best, then we can do our best; and I pray that You'll help us to be at our best, through Jesus Christ's name. Amen.

Now, tonight, I'd like to have all the people.... Now, there'll just be a little bit to give out the prayer cards. The boys will be here to give out the prayer cards. And at six o'clock be seated right here in these seats, right along in here. Then they'll get up here before you, mix up the cards, hand them out to you. Now, be sure at six o'clock. Now if you don't come, then you can't.... And you let the person come, now, the ones that's been having the instructions of the meetings. The cards are inexchangeable. Don't take them out and give them to Jones, and he'll never come. You take your card and sit down. Just wait there till the time comes to be called.

And then be here at exactly six o'clock, because I think they have other exercises here of ... as I know most all churches do, like all of them. So we want you here early so we can get this off our hands. And then I'll be over then about 7:30, quarter to eight, (Something like that, I think it is, isn't it, brother?), to pray for the sick.

And, now, I would that you'd always leave these front seats to the sick, if I can get them up here. See, I get them right around me.

Last night I had to take a little walk afterwards. The anointing dropped down after just digging into that message so hard, you see. The Spirit of the Lord then, it dropped down, giving the discernment, and so forth. There was someone sitting behind me here, a lovely brother. I turned around and saw something, nodded my head to him. I met him out there in the room, and I trust to God it's all over now. And so, it's just....

You have to be careful. People think this is very easy. This is the hardest thing you ever climbed into. I've said things, and go home and cry till my pillow slip would be wet. I've had my wife come put her arms around me, sit in the middle of the floor, crying at nighttime. You have to do things you don't want to do. See, that's the Spirit doing that. You can't be nothing but what you really are, see. If you don't follow the leading of your spirit, then you do something that you don't feel led to do, then you're being a hypocrite, see. Be what you are. No matter what you are, be that, see. Just be that. And it makes it awfully hard.

And then sometimes when the anointing drops down, and you can look over and see things.... Here the other day I was sitting at a table with some ministers. Oh, I wished I hadn't sat down there. I'd just come out of a meeting. They wanted me to go to dinner with them. And there sat that man, looked across the table, and said to me a certain thing. And, honest, I'd give today five hundred dollars, if I could, if I'd never went to that supper; because I've always had the highest respect for the man, and there, what I seen.... You think this is easy. Brother, you don't realize. You just don't realize what.... It's killing.

And just a little bit of it.... You just talk to someone, you know, about their condition, or something like that, it's just like....

You see, you don't realize, but you're the one that's bringing those visions. It's not me; it's you. I couldn't do it. I don't control it; it controls me. (Now could I have about five minutes extra? I think it would help our meeting.) I tell you what.... See, we're coming into a healing service.

Now, look, we're all little boys and we're going down to the circus. A carnival come to town, or the circus. All of us. Well, it happens to be I'm a great big, skinny, tall fellow, and I'm walking along. And you're short. We walk on. How we going to get in? It's behind a board fence. Well, it happens to be, I look up here and here's a knot hole up here. Well, I say.... They say, “Hey, Brother Branham, what's going on in there?”

“Well, jump up and see.”

“Oh, I'd never reach it.”

See, we have to be what we are. Gifts and callings are without repentance. When you're born in this world, before the world ever began, God knew you, positionally placed you. If that isn't so, then the Bible isn't so. That's exactly. God put our names on the Lamb's book of life not when you come to the altar, but before the foundation of the world. That's right. That's what the Bible says. When was the Lamb slain? Before the foundation of the world. And when the Lamb was slain your name was put on his book.

God by his foreknowledge saw all things. He's infinite. He knowed the end from the beginning. He isn't willing that any should perish. That's not his desire, but being God He had to know who would and who would not, see. Like Esau and Jacob. He hated one and loved the other one before they was even born and had a chance to do anything—because He was God, He knowed all things.

Now, see, gifts and callings are without repentance. Jesus couldn't help being the Son of God. He was the Son of God foreordained, predestinated, before the foundation of the world, and even slain before the foundation of the world. See. That's right.

Isaiah saw John the Baptist 712 years before he was born, and said, “He's the voice of one crying in the wilderness.” Is that right? He couldn't help being John the Baptist. He was John the Baptist because God had ordained him John the Baptist. I believe it was Ezekiel, the prophet, or Jeremiah ... Jeremiah, I believe it was, the prophet. I believe Jeremiah 1:4, He said, “Before you was even conceived, or formed in the womb, I knew you, sanctified you, and called you, and ordained you a prophet to the nations.” Before he was even formed in his mother's womb. Sure.

See, God has set in the church first apostles, prophets, and so forth.

Now them gifts, where Paul said, “I pray earnestly for the best gifts,” that's church gifts. That's not offices. There's a gift, and then an office. There's an office—that's a prophet.

There's a lot of difference between a prophet and a gift of prophecy. Before a gift of prophecy really should be given in the church, it'd have to come before two or three judges that's got the gift of discernment, to say whether it can even be said. But never did you see anybody stand before Isaiah to judge it, see. He was born a prophet. Them prophets had “Thus saith the Lord,” right up through life. See, there's a lot of difference.

I think what the church needs is a real good scriptural lesson on things. And then there's no slip-ups. If somebody gets up and speaks in tongues, one gives the interpretation. I'm not a judge, no; but by discernment you can tell it. Some of it is purely flesh. They say, “Behold He cometh, behold He cometh.” or something like.... Why, sure we all know...

God said, “Don't use vain repetition.” Told us not to, and He wouldn't do it.

In our church when they give one of them.... When I had my church running, when I first become Pentecostal, if a prophecy was given.... All the gifted people met first and they used.... They're part of the church. They brought out ... say somebody spoke in tongues and somebody gave the interpretation. It had to be something directly to the church, had to be a message. “Tell Brother So-and-so get away from this. And don't do this, or don't be at this corner at that time because a certain thing's going to happen.”

And then before that could be given then, it had to be discerned by two or three different discerners, and they put their name on a paper and laid it on my desk, and I give it out to the church. If it happened, thank God. If it didn't, I wouldn't let them do it no more till they got that evil spirit away from them. Right.

That's right.

We don't have to take a substitute. The Pentecostal skies are full of the genuine. Why take something that's bogus when there's a real one there? Certainly. When they get real, then there's no slip-ups. See, you've got it right there. Somebody said, like, “Thus saith the Lord, 'Tell Brother Branham tonight there'll be a woman come in. She's coming from Ohio. She'll be dressed in a certain garment. She's got cancer. But when she was a little girl she stole money out of a treasure. She can never be healed. Tell her to go take that money back and make it right.' Thus saith the Lord, 'She'll be healed.' ” There it is. If there wasn't a message directly to somebody like that, it was flesh. We didn't accept it at all.

What if I'd come here and say, “The Lord tells me somebody's got kidney trouble.”? How many has got kidney trouble? Sure, it's all over the building. I've seen that so impersonated of a gift of God. “Somebody tells me ... the Lord tells me, hallelujah, I feel it's nervous. Somebody here is nervous.” Sure, the whole crowd is. That's not it. Who is it, and where they come from, what caused it, and what's going to be the outcome? See. That's carnal impersonations, which is carnal in the sight of God. Why accept that when there's a real one? Why would you do that when there's a genuine?

So here's what it is. See, then I reach way up and pull up—that's a gift. See, the person is standing there, see. I look up. I say, “I seen a giraffe.”

“Oh, you did?”

Now, you know what that is? In the natural.... (Now I'm showing you a parable.) In the natural, now, see, maybe the other brothers they could pack water—they're strong. But I happen to be born to be tall. God makes us what we are—preachers, evangelists, apostles, prophets, God set in the church. Who taking thought can add one cubit to his stature? You can't do it. Don't try to be this one when you're that one, see. Just be what you are.

Now, what's doing that? That's you doing that yourself. See, raise up, nearly kills me. Say, “I saw a giraffe.”

“What else did you see?”

Oh, my, here I go again. Jump up. “An elephant.”

“Oh, you did?”

See, now, that's on the platform. That's the way you are using God's gift. That's the same thing the woman did that touched his garment, see. He never said, “I did so-and-so.” He said, “Thy faith has saved thee,” see. He looked around as she touched his garment, and said, “I perceive virtue has gone from me.” Looked around over the audience till He found her and said, “Thy faith hath saved thee.” See, He said....

But now watch. When the Father showed Him that Lazarus was going to die.... Now remember, Jesus never did one thing without the Father showing Him first. How many know that? St. John 5:19: “Verily, verily [that's absolutely, absolutely], I say unto you that the Son can do nothing until He sees the Father doing it first.” Right.

So the Father told Him, “Go away now, because Lazarus is going to die. And after four days [or so many days] return back and I'll have You to raise him up again,” see. Well, He left. He never said where He was going. Lazarus took sick. They sent for Him and, why, He just went on, see. Sent for Him again, He just went on—ignored it. That was strange for Him, you see. But men that are led of the Spirit of God just have faith and believe that they're following a vision. They can't tell you what to do. Just let them alone.

So then, come to find out then, after Jesus knowed the time that the Father had showed Him was fulfilled, He said, “Our friend Lazarus sleepeth.”

He said, “Well, if he sleeps he does well. Let him ... [or] that's all right.”

He said, “He's dead, and for your sake I'm glad I wasn't there, but I go wake him.”

Watch Him at the grave: “Father, I thank Thee that I was already ... [see] but I said this for them that's standing by.” Just to make an example. And He called Lazarus from the grave, and raised the man out of his sleep of death, had been in the grave four days. In four days the nose has done fell in. You know that. Corruption set in the body. And He called that man's spirit back and raised him up, and went to supper with him. He lived.

That's right, and He never said one thing about being weak. But the woman touched his garment, and virtue went out of Him. See, that's when the Father was using his gift.

Now that's the same way it is in this ministry. I can be in my hotel room. The Holy Spirit will say ... or if ... somewhere, at home or wherever it is, “Get on a plane and go to a certain place. Go down to a certain place. You'll find a certain place to go in,” like that. And great things happen.

Like this you seen in the paper about.... Nobody never did know who did that, don't know it till yet. That's right. There ... had been for that time. That's when the Holy Spirit called me out to that man with TB, and told me to stand there at the corner of that ten-cent-store till that man come down with that Bible in his hand in that wheel chair. Just said, “A mystical thing happened. A man healed in wheel chair, and man disappears.” I didn't disappear. Went right through the ten-cent-store and out in the alley, and went on right to the airport. That's exactly, see. But they never did know what it was, them things, because, see, it's not....

What good does it do? See, God gets glory; and as long as we try to take glory in man, then you got it all wrong.

That's the reason I don't call people up and lay hands on them, say “Receive it, brother. 'This is that.' ”

That's all right, but that puts too much... Say, “Brother Branham laid his hands on me. Glory to God, I got healed.” Let Brother Branham stay out of it.

“I seen the Lord Jesus Christ and He laid his hands on me. I put my hand on Him. I wasn't even in the prayer line. I just sat there and believed, and He turned Brother Branham around and said so-and-so.” There you are. That's it. That's the real thing. Now, see, that's the difference then.

Now when I go up ... the stage, here stands a woman here, and she'd say ... I'd say, “How do you do?” What am I trying to do? Like Jesus talked to the woman at the well, trying to contact her spirit, see.

And she'd say, “How do you do?” See, I catch her spirit then.

A few minutes, if it's a strange vibration from it, or funny thing, I, “Uh, oh, that's somebody trying to pull something now. Wait just a minute.” Watch what happens to them. Just watch how they'll pack it off the platform in a little bit, see.

I say, “How do you do?” Speak to them, go to saying something, you know. And first thing you know.... If it don't seem right, I just wait then, see what the Holy Spirit says, see. And then....

Like a fellow come in the prayer line, he thought it was telepathy, because he'd wrote it on a prayer card. He wrote on there he had TB, and everything. He come in the line, said, he said, “How do you do?”

And I said, “How do you do, sir?” And he said ... I said, “Well, do you believe me to be his servant?” See, that's what the angel told me, to “get the people to believe you.”

“Yes, sir.” And that didn't sound right. It didn't register, see. In myself, I'd ... why, a fine looking man, just a nice looking fellow.

I said, “Yes, sir.” Got talking to him, and I said, “There's nothing wrong with you. You're perfectly healthy.”

Said, “You are wrong.”

I said, “No, I'm not.”

He said, “Get that prayer card down there and look.” Said, “I got TB, cancer,” all, whatever.

I said, “I don't care what you got on that prayer card.” I said, “There's nothing wrong with you.”

He said, “Why, I've got it on my prayer card.”

I said, “I don't care what you put on your prayer card. That doesn't mean a thing, see. It's what the Holy Spirit says.”

And he said, “Well, it is.”

I said, “Well, maybe you had faith enough to get healed before you come in the meeting.”

He said, “And that's the way it is.”

I thought, “What's going on here?” He looked like he was a Christian man. Looked around. There I looked over on the wall, like towards this way, and there I seen it, moving out. And I turned around to him. Many sitting here now was right in the meeting when it happened. And I said, “Why would you let the devil put such a thing as that in your mind?” I said, “Now you are a certain church (I won't call the name) that don't ... believe the days of miracles is past. And you was at the meeting the other night and told me ... and said within yourself, rather, that this was nothing but a mental telepathy.”

And I said, “That man sitting right there in the balcony, with the red tie on and the gray suit, you was in his house the other night. You was sitting at a table had a cloth pulled over it like this. And you made up in your mind that you was going to come down here and write that on your prayer card, come in here.”

And that man screamed out and said, “That is the living truth,” sitting up in the platform like that.

And I said, “Because that you have said and put that on your prayer card, now you have it.” And he died about six weeks afterwards.

See, we're not playing church. We're living in the presence of the Holy Ghost. Remember Ananias and Sapphira. You better be sincere and correct with God before you try that. Remember, it's a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God, see. That come right upon him, and the diagnosis of the case and everything showed he had both cancer and TB. He said it, and his words come to pass. That's just exactly.

He sealed his own doom, just exactly like David did when he stood before Nathan and said, “The man will surely die.” See, you'll have to pay for it. You know what Nathan told him. He sealed his own doom. So it's still the same God. We don't serve another God from another day. Now, that's how it is, so just have faith in God.

Now for about ten minutes I want to close off with Jehovah-jireh. Are you willing to wait just a few minutes? Are you? All right. I know the beans won't scorch—and if they do, this'll help you. Now last night we left Him, Jehovah-jireh, a-blessing Abraham and Sarah, and had give them the promise of the little boy, and had turned them back to a young man and woman. You believe that? Sure. He had to do something to strengthen her, so He just turned her back. Because it showed ... the very attributes of what she did showed that she was a young, beautiful woman again.

And remember ... let me show you something. Abraham was a hundred years old, and he lived to be a hundred and seventy-five years old. And after forty years, after Isaac was forty years old, Abraham married another woman and had seven sons, besides the daughters. Amen. Sure he did. Is that right? So you see, He turned him back to a young man, turned her back to a young woman. Aren't you glad that you're children of Abraham? That's what He'll do for us some day at his coming.

Now notice quickly now. We'll hit the high post of it if we possibly can. Now we find out that immediately after that, that little Isaac was born. God turned her back to a lovely young woman, and him to a young man, and little Isaac was born. And then when Isaac become about twelve years old (I imagine a beautiful little Jewish boy).... And what a feeling that was for that mother and father, after all these years, and have the assurance....

When God ever answers prayer for you one time, then you know that He is a prayer-answering God. Is that right? Now how many here has received the Holy Ghost? Raise up your hand, all that's got the Holy Ghost. Now, how could you doubt healing? How many here ever had a prayer answered? Let's see. Sure, then He's a prayer-answering Father, isn't He? There you are. Get the idea? If you need anything, ask. Lack wisdom? Ask of God, see. He'll give it to you.

Now, Abraham knew that he'd held onto that promise and He'd brought it to pass. So he seen the little boy was born. So the Lord said, “Now, I'm going to make them people down there in the Assemblies of God down in Long Beach, about twenty-five hundred years from now, I'm going to give them a real assurance; and let all the seed of Abraham know that I am a prayer-answering God, and I keep my promises to my people.”

So He said, “I'm going to take Abraham, because I know he believes me, and I'm going to ask.... I've done told him I'd make him the father of nations. He waited twenty-five years, until now he's about 145 years old, or 112 years old, somewhere like that. Now I'm going to tell him to take this little boy that he's waited on, and take him up and kill him. Abraham will obey me.”

Now, what a trial that was to Abraham. Think of what that was. Now we're in Genesis 22. Now, he perhaps didn't want to tell Sarah. He didn't want to go tell her, “Sarah, I'm going to kill Isaac this morning.” No, he didn't want to do that, so he just got up early and chopped some wood (clave it, the Scripture says), put it in a ... probably a little sack of some sort and put it over the back of the mule; and took a servant and took Isaac, and they walked for three days' journey.

Now, any man ... I can walk, any day, thirty miles. I used to patrol. I walked seven years thirty and thirty-five miles every day through the wilderness. And now we got gasoline feet. And men in those days, where they had to walk everywhere, Abraham could've probably—in his youthful condition then—could probably have walked a hundred miles easy in three days.

Now, look. From civilization he's three days back. And then he lifted up his eyes and saw the mountain far off, where the Lord showed him. Now watch where he went. Now, then when he gets close there, he stopped the little mules and tied them up, took the wood and put it on Isaac's shoulder, and he said.... Now listen at this. Oh, this is so beautiful! I just wish we had a lot of time on this, see. So beautiful! He said, “You wait here with the mules. The lad and I will go yonder to worship, and we shall return.”

How is he going to return? He's going to kill him. How is he going to return? But what ... take over in Hebrews, if we just had ... or over in Romans, the 4th chapter, if we just had time to go through it. But Abraham said this within his heart: “I received him as one from the dead, and I'm fully persuaded that God's able to raise him up from the dead.” A perfect type of God giving his only begotten Son, see—Abraham offering up Isaac, God giving his Son. And making it an assurance, because God had already told him, “I have ... I have made you a father of nations.” Now, he'd already give him the promise and he knowed without one shadow of doubt that he was going to be.... He already was. Not “I will”; “I have. I've already did it.”

And that's the way your healing is, He's already did it. There's only one thing left for you to do—accept it. That's the way it is with your salvation. There's only one thing to do—accept it. Reading that article this morning of that Baptist scribe, that the brother was giving out, I noticed that Baptist preacher stood and looked at it. Looked it square in the face. He said, “I want that Pentecostal blessing.” God's no respect of person, in other words, and he received it. And he had big meetings in Chicago with Moody, and he was outstanding—a Baptist minister.

Because if God makes it known to you that it is for you, then it is yours. It belongs to you.

If you're a sinner and something says (Brother Branham knocks on the pulpit), “I'm the Lord that saves thee.” That's God's voice. Turn, give heed to it. Accept it, and walk on. If He never knocks, why, you just can't do it. So, “It isn't he that willeth, or him that runneth; it's God that showeth mercy.” That's right. See, if God knocks at your heart, that's the greatest privilege you ever had in all your life—anybody ever did have—is for God to give you an invitation to come to Him.

Now, we find that Abraham had faith, because he'd waited twenty-five years for the child. And now God tells him to take the same child and kill him. Now, what a trial that was. But Abraham never staggered at the promise of God. He said, “If God gave him to me from the dead, God's able to raise him up from the dead. I'll go right on, because He told me I was the father of nations.”

And I see the devil try to sit on his shoulder and say, “Abraham, you know you love God.”

“Oh, yes, I love God.”

“Well, then, if you love Him, how are you destroying the very evidence and the only thing that can be that you be a father of nations?” See, “How you going to do that—you going to be a father of nations—if you destroy... ? The only seed that you have is this boy promised through this woman. Now, how you going to do it?”

“Well, if God told me I was the father of nations, that's up to Him to do it. God said so and that settles it.”

Get the idea? How am I going to get healed if the doctor tells me I'm going to die? God said so, and that settles it.

That's the idea. How am I going to do this? How can I reach up in the midair and find something, and it'll come down, an element, and heal me? I don't know. How did you reach up there and found something that saved you? That's it. See, that's greater than healing. Way greater than healing, because it changes your whole disposition. It changes your mind, it changes your thoughts, it changes everything in you. So it's greater like that.

Now, but Abraham believed God. Now watch what taken place. Oh, I think this is beautiful. Now watch. Abraham never packed the wood himself. He put the wood upon Isaac's back. See, just showing that a few hundred years after that, that Christ, the true seed of Abraham, would pack his own sacrifice up Golgotha. When you see Jesus going up Golgotha ... or, I mean Abraham and his little son Isaac going up, and Isaac packing this wood, that was a foreshadow of Jesus Christ going up Golgotha, going to the sacrifice. Obedience.

And you know little Isaac begin to get suspicious, and he said, “Father,” he said, “we have fire here, we have wood here, we have everything ready. But where is the lamb, the burnt offering? Where is it?” He begin to look around. “I see everything but one thing.” Oh, my. “How is it going to be?”

And look at the sturdy voice of Abraham, how he answered his son back. See, perhaps he didn't even know what he said. He said, “God will provide a lamb for the burnt offering. God will provide. Jehovah-jireh—the Lord will provide for Himself a sacrifice.” Oh, I like that don't you?

“How am I going to do it, Brother Branham? I've been through prayer lines, I've done this, I've done that. How can I do it?” God will provide. “How you going to get by with this, your saying ... like that? You know you're making yourself targets?” But God will provide. That's all.

“How do you know when you stand on the platform...?” God will provide, that's all. I know He promised it. We take his Word, we believe it, that settles it, that's all. Walk away from it. Because God said so, it's just got to be that way.

They went, the two together, on up the mountain. Finally come to a place ... he rolled the rocks together, laid the wood in order. And watch little Isaac, obedient to death like Christ was. Pulled his hands around behind him, tied them, tied his feet, and he laid this little boy upon there. His only begotten son, the seed that was to be the promised one, laid him upon the altar. Stroked his little hair back out of his face—a pretty little boy. What's mother going to say when you get home and tell that you've had to kill that son? But God will provide, as long as you're obeying his Word.

Throwed his little head back, like that, reached down in his bosom, took the knife out of its sheath, and raised it up, like that. Pulled his hair back like that—and in his heart choking, swallowing it back, as if to say, “Farewell, Isaac, my boy.”—raised his hand, and about that time, in full obedience....

Even if you're doing something wrong and walking in obedience, the Holy Ghost is there to stop you. You say, “I'm afraid if I ever receive the Holy Ghost I might act indecently.” Don't you worry. If it's the Holy Ghost, He'll know when to stop you and when to start you. He's got the button in his hand, you see. So He knows when to turn on and turn off. Just throw yourself at his mercy.

That's the way you do with healing—throw yourself at his mercy. He promised it. It's his Word. He's got to fulfill his Word. If He doesn't, He isn't God.

So we find out then, just as he started to stab his own little son to death, the Holy Spirit must have caught his hand, said, “Abraham, Abraham! Stay your hand. I know now that you fear God. I know that you love Me.” And what happened? About that time he heard something behind him, and there was a ram (that's a male sheep) that was caught in the bushes with his horns.

Now I want to ask the class something in closing. Where did that ram come from? He'd rolled the rocks all around there, made the altar, and built up the wood and everything. Where did it come from? He was at least seventy-five to a hundred miles from civilization—three days' journey. There's lions, jackals, all kinds of wild, vicious beasts in there would just prey on sheep and things like that. It couldn't have survived it. There's no civilization there. Where did the ram come from?

Now another thing, he's way up on top of the mountain where there's no water. How could it have ever got there? What was it?

The text explains it. He's Jehovah-jireh. He spoke the ram into existence. Now it wasn't a vision. A vision don't bleed. He went and got the ram, laid it upon the altar and cut its throat, and blood run out of it. It wasn't a vision; it was a ram. And that's the reason Abraham called the name of the place “Jehovah-jireh.” If God has made a promise, God can provide the thing for that promise. Jehovah-jireh, the Lord will provide for Himself. That ram was spoke into existence in one minute; the next minute it went out of existence—but it fulfilled God's purpose.

And God is able this morning to send in our midst the Holy Ghost. He's able to send power to heal the sick, to save the lost, and to do anything that He has spoken to be so. “He's able of these stones,” said John, “to rise children unto Abraham.” And a true messenger from God believes that and holds to that. Jehovah-jireh, God will provide.

When God says anything, “How's it going to happen, Brother Branham?” I don't know. It's none of my business to know. God will provide it. God will provide for Himself.

“Now, look here, Brother Branham, the doctor said I had cancer, and he told me I was going to die. I've got thirty days yet to live. He said I was going to die. Now, how in the world is something I can't see, touch, feel, smell, taste or anything else, how in the world is something like that going to take this cancer out of me? What's going to come down here and literally move that cancer?”

I don't know, but God promised it and God can provide something to do it.

God will provide. He's Jehovah-jireh. He's just as much Jehovah-jireh right now as He was then. He's still Jehovah-jireh. The Lord will provide for Himself a way to make his Word come to pass. Amen. If the Pentecostals won't receive it, God's able of these stones to rise children to Abraham. If the Baptists don't want it, then God's able of these stones to rise children to Abraham.

I remember when the angel of the Lord met me out there that night, when He come down on the river there, and spoke those words before about ten thousand people. Told me, said.... You've heard the message. It's in the book what He said. Look how exactly, perfectly, word by word, it come to pass. Certainly. Just exactly the words He said about thirty-one years ago. Told me where I'd go, and what to do, and what it would cost. God said it.

And I went to my Baptist pastor and told him. He said, “With a seventh-grade education, and you're going to preach the gospel around the world, and work miracles and signs?”

I said, “That's what He said.”

Said, “Billy, what did you eat that night for supper?”

I said, “I might as well give up my fellowship card right now, because light and darkness cannot fellowship together.” Exactly right.

He said, “Who do you think would believe you?”

I said, “If God is sending me, God'll have somebody out there to receive the message, because God doesn't do it in vain.”

Then when I found the Pentecostals, I cast my lot with them. Exactly right, because they believed it. They'd been looking for it. They believed it to be the truth. God is able of these stones to rise children to Abraham. Yes, sir.

So if God sent a message, God promised it in the Bible, God said He would do it, He promised He would do it, He said these signs.... He said this very signs and wonders would take place, as it was in the days of Sodom. How is it going to happen? I don't know. I can't tell you. He promised He'd send all these things, and here they are happening.

“How does it work, Brother Branham?” I wish I did know. I don't know, but God promised it and God's Jehovah-jireh. He can provide a way for it to be done. Amen. He can provide it in an organization, out of an organization, or whatever He wants to do. He can do what He wants to do, because He's God, Jehovah God. He's able of these stones to rise children to Abraham. He is Jehovah-jireh.

I want you to keep them words on your mind now. I've kept you twenty minutes over, but I want you to keep those things on your mind.

“How will God heal me?”

“My mother, Brother Branham, is very sick.”

“My baby's very sick,” this and that.

“Can you help them?”

“No, there ain't a thing I can do.”

“Well, how did you say....?”

“Well, God can do....”

“Well, how is He going to do this, and this baby was born this way?”

I've seen thousands times thousands that were born afflicted, waterhead, twisted, and everything else, just perfectly normal and well today. How did He do it? I don't know. The only thing I know, He's Jehovah-jireh—the Lord has provided a sacrifice. The Lord has provided a lamb.

Remember, it wasn't a female sheep; it was a ram. Jesus was man; man was God. God dwelt in Him. He was the sacrificial ram and He's already provided. We don't have to wait for Him to come, or something another for sacrifice, to be provided. It's already provided, and the only thing we have to do is put our confidence and faith in God's sacrifice that's already provided. How do you know it's provided? Well, here He is right among us, doing the same things He did on earth. Amen. Do you love Him? Let's bow our heads.

Lord Jesus, may it never pass over the people's heads, Lord. May it funnel right down into every heart. May we see your great Spirit move in this audience tonight, and see the children of God that's laying here sick and beyond doctors' control.... We thank you for our doctors and all the knowledge that they have, but, God, above everything we thank You for Jesus Christ.

And I pray, heavenly Father, that You'll let each one today, as they go home and study, and call up the neighbors, and get those people out here at six o'clock tonight, may Jehovah God provide a way for them to come. He is still Jehovah-jireh. How can I ever get them to come? Lord, if we'll do our part, You are able to provide for your part. May it be so, Father.

Heal the sick, save the lost, get glory to Thyself, for it's all for your glory, Lord.

It's not nothing to us. We're just ... it's our sympathy, our heart. We feel that it would help the people. It's something to help the church. Why would we be here? Wouldn't it be much better for me to be home this morning in my Tabernacle, and with my wife and babies? (And them calling me on the phone, crying, being lonesome.) O God, I've spent thirty-one years of my life out on the field here. How easy it would be for me to go home.

But, God, something down in my heart says, “Stay there on that West Coast where sin's abounding. Stay there where the wall ... for east and west in meeting, and.... Like the wind, sweeping across, and blowing the contamination against this West Coast here, where ... cults and things that's not known anywhere else in the country.

God, why would we stand here? Because it's your commission.

How are we going to break down the walls? I don't know, Lord, but You're Jehovah-jireh that can provide Yourself a way. We'll stand, because in our hearts we feel that we can help your precious little church that's struggling along here on this coast, amongst all this Hollywood glamour, and all this other stuff. God, somehow You'll call your elected. “Those who He foreknew, He called; those who He called, He justified; those who He justified, He has glorified.” Lord, they're here somewhere. Speak to them, Lord, as we work and labor and love, to bring your church out of the chaos. Grant it, Father.

We commit them to You, and commit ourselves to You, that You'll work through us, that we might be an example in this neighborhood. Other churches, and other people around here, will see the life of the Pentecostals, will see that they are a different people. They're a peculiar people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation. God, grant it. Let your church be sanctified and set aside, called out, separated from the rest of the world. Grant it, Lord—a peculiar people, signs and wonders working through them, great glorious meetings and power. Then they'll know that there's something different.

You said, “You're the salt of the earth, but if the salt loses its savor, it'll be made walks out of.”

People will just say, “Well, he's speaking of the coming of Christ, and look what you're doing. And you say you're different. We don't see no difference in you.” O God, shut the heathen's mouth up. Grant it, Lord. Make your church so different, so salty, till people say, “If there ever was a bunch of Christians, there they are. They are absolutely different.” Grant it, Lord.

And You said, “If I be lifted up I'll draw all men unto me.” And may we in our lives and our testimonies lift You up, that the world might see a Saviour for the world. Grant it, great Jehovah-jireh, for we ask it in the name of thy provided sacrifice, thy own Son, Jesus Christ. Amen.

I love Him, I love Him

Because He first loved me.

And purchased my salvation

On Calvary's tree.

Oh, doesn't that do something to you? What would we do without Him? What if there was no Jesus? What would I do today? Where would I go? Thou alone, Lord, has the words of eternal life. I've turned to You. Let the world do what they wish to, but Thou has eternal life. Let me cleave to Thee, my Father. What if there was no Father, there was no Jesus, with no love, no hopes? What would I do? What could we do? Oh, if I had ten thousand tongues I couldn't express the adoration for Him out of my heart. The only thing I can do is to say:

I love Him, I love Him

(Embrace Him. Embrace his

being, by faith in your heart.)

... He first loved me.

(Praise Jehovah-jireh)

And purchased my salvation

On Calvary's tree.

Oh, wouldn't it be wonderful if the Spirit'd take a hold just now the way it wants to—the lame, the afflicted, the sick, just rising up. Oh, it'd set this coastline afire. The newspapers would be speaking, if every heart could get yielded, the phenomena of the Assemblies of God in Long Beach one Sunday at noon. If there was days to come, they'd say, “They was all in one accord and suddenly there came something into the church.” Oh, my, how I feel! I look down ... oh, let me.... Forgive me, please, for taking time.

I was trying to find Oral Roberts this morning on the television that sits in my room. I finally found it. I'd went ahead, was taking a bath and was shaving, and I looked upon the ... went back out to see what was going on. And, my, the most ungodly things!

Trying to advertise skirts for women, said showed every move of their body. How ... God making a woman such a high thing as she is, and would degrade her mind—when God put a sheepskin over her to hide her, and she'd want a knitted dress to show every form of her body.

Christians, can't you feel that evil? If you can't, there's something wrong. It grieved me. I turned around. I thought, “O God, wonder if my Pentecostal sisters would... ? Please God, don't let that happen, please. Have mercy, God. Don't do it. Don't let them be carried away with that stuff.”

I walked out on the street. I thought I'd get a bite of breakfast. There come a man and his wife going to the church, and that woman blowing cigarette smoke from both sides, like a steam engine or something. Here come Grandmother down the street, a pair of high heels on, stuck her way out this way, and way back that way, and way out this way. I ain't making fun. I'm just trying to tell you.

And my soul was so grieved. I thought, “God, here I am out here as a minister of righteousness. And I can speak it out and it makes them hate me. What can I do, Lord? What can I do? It's your people.”

Then something said to me, “Would you desire the praise of men more than the praise of God?”

I said, “Lord, give me boldness. Let the people see that it's love. It isn't to be different; it's love. I'm trying to speak salvation, seeing my little church that Jesus died for.” Then I sat down on the corner. I sat down, I looked coming across the street, and here come two or three young women. Here come a boy with one of them Ricky haircuts, you know, and I thought, “O God, coming from church, a cigarette in the hand. Looked coming down the other street, and here come a whole gang, one of them telling a real funny joke, immoral.

I started walking on up the street. I thought, “God, this is not my home. Why don't you just let me just lose gravitation, walk on out of here sometime? Let me go, Lord.” I thought, “Oh, I can't say that. O God, who's going to cry out? What are we going to do? What are we going to do?” It just felt like something was dropping in my heart, down on the inside. I thought, “You mean that your children, your daughters, your sons has got captured by this, God? Have they got captured by this?”

And looked like I could just see (it wasn't a vision—just in my mind), I could see Jesus looking over Jerusalem, tears running down his cheeks and saying, “Jerusalem, Jerusalem, how oft would I have hovered you as a hen does her brood. How I would have gathered thee, but you would not.”

And I could feel the Spirit in my heart crying, “Oh, Pentecost, Pentecost, how oft would I have took you under my wings, but you would not.”

So I guess the hour of separation is drawing nigh. Oh, Christians called of God, don't let that be your destination. Look up, look up! Cut yourself loose from every line. Sell out to the things of the world. Don't be earthbound—sail out upon the deep. Let out into the deep. Do that, won't you?

Father God, I pray that You'll let the people know what I mean. Grant it. And may they understand that the only reason that a poor, illiterate person would be permitted to do these things is to let them realize, Lord, the hour that we're living. Judgment. They read the newspaper, they hear it on radio, through television. Science says it's just three minutes now till midnight, and less. What could happen? At any time the clock is ready to strike.

The world is at the end. We see that every little nation with their atomic and hydrogen bombs.... Some of them would blow a hole in the ground a hundred seventy-five feet deep for a hundred miles square. O God, what would it do if one of them ever gets loose and gets in them radar screens? Every nation will go to firing. Then the end is here. Don't know, it might be yet today.

Father, I don't know, but I'm going to live as if it was today. Grant it, Lord. You help me to do that.

Not only me, but help these people to do that, Lord. May we keep ourselves ready. Jesus told us when these things begin to come to pass, lift up the head, redemption's drawing nigh. We look at Israel, God's calendar, sitting yonder in the homeland, waiting to see the Messiah; Israel turned back, when Joseph will make himself known. There'll be weeping; each family separating themselves, weeping. But before that comes, what did he do? Sent his wife into the palace. O God, grant, grant, Lord, that the church will see it quickly.

We know that they all won't do it because You said that they'd be lukewarm, and You had to spew them from your mouth. But the little remnant will be taken in. God grant that every person here today will be called that little remnant. Grant it. May they have the little remnant's reward.

Bless this church, God. This little church sitting on the corner here, no doubt was built, Lord, under great opposition. We know that many men that's belonged into the organization that this church represents, the Assemblies of God.... I can just hear them testimonies from them old timers, when them old women would shout. Remember of a man shooting a 45 Colt pistol into the room, and struck this woman right on the apron, and the bullets just dropped off on the floor—a godly old Assembly of God mother. What would she say if she could rise this morning and see her daughters? O Father God, be merciful. Do something for us quickly, Lord. Grant it.

God, I can't help saying these things. There's a Spirit inside of me crying, crying, just dripping, crying. I plead for mercy, Lord. These people give me a love offering—that's part of their living, Lord—to make a living for my children. I wouldn't hurt them. You know I wouldn't, Lord. I love them too much. But, God, what can I do but just follow your Spirit? I pray that You'll make the rest of it clear, Lord. Grant it that they'll understand, and all together we'll all be saved at that great coming of the Lord.

I commit them into your hands, and commit myself, Lord. You lead me to them and them to me. Grant it, Father, that we might be a church of the living God, melted together with love, and bonds of love by the Holy Spirit. We cannot do this ourselves. It takes the Spirit to do it. So, Father, we commit ourselves into your hands in the name of your Son, Jesus Christ, our Saviour. Amen.

Until I see you tonight at six o'clock.... Leo, Gene, Brother Borders, Billy, or some of them will be here to give out prayer cards. Perhaps Billy—that's his job. He'll come here tonight, mix up the cards, and give anybody a card that wants them. And we'll call from somewhere in there through the night. Now we may have one more, next Sunday a week. Now, get your people in here. We don't know whether we will or not. That'll be the way the Holy Spirit leads, whatever He does. But now it breaks loose sometimes in the meetings. It gets so tremendous ... can't stop it. It just goes on out anyhow. And I don't know what'll happen. I know I just love the Lord.

I love you.

You say, “You love us and talk to us like that?” That's the reason—I love you. That shows I love you. I don't want you lost. I want to spend eternity with you, my brother, my sister. I'm not trying to make you angry at me—I love you too much. Would a real father see his child sitting on the street and say, “Baby child, you'd better....”? Oh, no. He'd correct it. He'd do everything he could to keep it from getting killed.

When I stand there that day and look upon Him, what if the Holy Spirit said, “I anointed you and sent you forth and you held back.”

And you'd wave your hands at me and say, “Brother Branham, if you'd only told me.” Hunh-uh. It won't be that with me. I'll be honest with you. I'll be truthful with you, because I truly love you. And God bear me record that that's true. Until I see you tonight, the pastor. God bless you, Brother Buntain.