Three Kinds Of Believers

[Tongues and interpretation are given from audience: [Break in tape] “. . . I speak unto you tonight by my Spirit. As I came one time to seek and to find that which is lost, when I come again, My children, I'm going to gather in those that I have sought and found that were lost. Because, My children, I'm sending out My abiding presence; My comforting Holy Spirit to fill: with My powers, with My love, and with My faith, those that have sought after me. Those that have persevered, My children, when the going was hard. They are the ones, My children, that I'm bringing to, bringing to them My reward when I come. Because My reward is in My hand. I'm looking to you, My children that have [unclear words], sought, and found me. And to whom I have revealed My Spirit and My power in a mighty way, to carry this message in faith and deliver it to those that will hear it. Because, My children, I have a few, yet, are outside; a few yet are knocking on the door of My heart, My children, and I have not yet closed it completely because I have yet a little mercy. There is yet a little time for my children to come in.

So look up, tonight, My children. Cry out, and spare not, because as I've told My prophet the Lord's word, 'Cry out and spare not.' Because, My children, how could they hear it [unclear words] they have preachers. And how can I [unclear words] preachers except they desire to be fed.

Because, My children, I will not compel you to go, but you must go in love. You must go, My children, because you desire to go. You must go, My children, because you believe Me. You must go, My children, because you have My love in your heart, and you have a burning desire to see My children coming to the kingdom.

Look up, tonight, My children, rejoice, because your redemption draweth night, saith the Spirit.“]

Let's bow our heads. With our heads bowed and our hearts, I wonder how many would like to be remembered in prayer. Will just lift up your hand, say, “Lord, remember me, oh Lord.” There's a lot of requests here—the handkerchiefs laying on the desk.

Dear heavenly Father, we are assembled again this evening under this roof, where You have met with us so many times and have expressed Your love to us, as we try in our humble ways to express our love and gratefulness to You for what You have done for us. And tonight we come again, Lord, as a needy people, for we are ever in need of Thee. And as long as we're here on earth, we know that'll be the cry, for we are in a battle, and we're . . . The battle is raging, and You promised and said how the enemy'd be like a roaring lion. He's loose among the people, and we can see it everywhere—like a roaring lion devouring what he may, because he knows his time is short. But we have a Father who cares for His little ones, and to Thee we flee with our requests tonight, Lord, We pray that You'll grant them.

And these handkerchiefs laying here, Father, means that there's sick people somewhere in the land that's calling and needing Thee and believing on Thee to exercise their faith here to send these handkerchiefs. God grant that every one of them be healed.

We see Your mighty power, Lord, just a few moments ago there in that room, restore the perfect memory to a boy that was lost. We see Your great power time after time moving the sickness and revealing the secret of the hearts and showing the people and setting them straight in order. We thank You, Lord God, 'cause that's beyond any man; that's beyond anything that any of us would know—how You can reveal the very cause and what did it and how it is. That's You, Father. We know that the Word searches out the heart, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart. So we thank Thee for this.

And Lord, we believe that the people now with their heads bowed are thinking on these things, and it's the Holy Spirit that's speaking to them. And grant that each one of their requests may be answered. Save the saveable, Lord, tonight—the lost; may they come in and be saved.

We're so thankful to see that great huge pile of wet clothes there, knowing that the grave has been opened, and the old man's sin has been buried for many of them. I thank Thee for it, Father. May they walk in newness of life the rest of their days. Through Jesus Christ's name, we ask it. Amen. The Lord bless you; grant the request that you had on your heart to be answered.

Now, I believe Billy said that Brother Wheeler had a little baby—Was that right? Did I make a mistake there? to be dedicated or something another, or dedication. If you'd like to bring them up now, we'd be glad . . . if the elders will come forward lay hands upon the little fellows for dedicational service, and we'll try to be just brief . . . And we want these little fellows that wants to come to the Lord Jesus —wants to bring their little jewels that God has given them. We always try to make a way for them, because we don't know what tomorrow holds. My mother used to tell me, “Don't put off tomorrow what can be done today.” That's right, 'cause you don't know what tomorrow holds, but we know who holds tomorrow. That's the main part. We know who holds tomorrow.

Brother Wheeler, the Lord God bless you. And this is Sister Wheeler? I'm certainly happy to meet you. And I . . . My grand privilege, first time, I believe, as I know of to meet you. This is your baby? What's its name? Carline Rebekah. Well, what a find little girl. Pretty as she can be. Now, little Carline Rebekah Wheeler. Brother Wheeler is one of our deacons here in the church. And God has blessed their union to this little one I believe you have about . . . I know two other girls, don't you? Three other girls. They're really fine ladies as I understand. And so I pray that God will make Rebekah just like the rest of them. See, then that will be satisfactory with you all won't it? That's right, 'cause they're very sweet children. I don't know whether she'll let me hold her or not, But if she don't we'll lay hands upon her. Would you like to come over here to me Rebekah? What a pretty little girl. Now let us bow our heads.

Gracious heavenly Father, as we stand here before this deacon tonight, and truly a fine office he holds for a deacon must be found blameless, the husband of one wife controlling his family well. For if he doesn't know how to control his family, how can he control the house of God? And we thank Thee that this brother has met these qualifications and we find in him the Spirit of God. And he brings now his little baby daughter here to be dedicated. You have placed it in their arms for raising. God, and how thankful we are that we could say their desire is that she'll be as the rest of her sisters. Grant, Father, that this will be so and may the child live and be a great service to You, Father. And now in the name of Jesus Christ, we give this baby to You for a life of service. Make her healthy, strong. May she live a long life until Jesus comes, if that's possible. And then Father, we believe that she'll be raised in the admonition of Christ and we give her life to You for a life of service. Amen. God bless you Rebekah, and God bless you Brother Wheeler and Sister Wheeler. The Lord be with you.

How do you do? Now here's another little girl with a great big smile on her face. And what's her name? Rhonda Rene¦Coats, is that right? Are you any relation to Jesse and them Jesse Coats? I just wondered. I knowed some of the Coats here in town. I know them real well and been friends of mine for a long time. Rhonda? Rhonda Rene¦ Wonder if you'd come over to me, Rhonda? Now I'll give you right back to mother, as soon as we give you to the Lord Jesus. Now isn't she sweet? Now let us bow our heads.

Heavenly Father, as your elder and I stand together tonight in agreement and harmony in the gospel, this mother brings this little Rhonda Rene' to You for dedication. You have placed it into her arms for care and the first thing she can do is present it back to You. As Job said of old, “The Lord gives these things,” and we pray, God, that You'll keep her safely until the hour that You're to take away. God, grant that she'll live a real Christian life and be an example to others as she comes up. Bless her home and may it be dedicated to You a full service with true hearts. And now God we give to you little Rhonda Rene' Coats in the name of Jesus Christ for a life of service. Amen. Very sweet. God bless you, sister.

How do you do? Robert Paul Shane? Shamell. Well, what a . . . you kind of young yet. I don't think you could raise much fuss about it. Don't laugh at me like that. Looky here if you want to see someone laugh Robert, Paul. What a beautiful name. Let us bow our heads. God, as this young girl comes here just to us would be a child and she's giving her little boy, O God, as a life of service to you. It's the fruit and the results of their union. I pray God, as your elder and I laying hands upon this little fellow, that his life will be dedicated to You. Grant, Lord, if there is a tomorrow may he pack the message that his parents is listening to God. Grant it. And I pray that You'll bless their home and may the child be raised in the admonition of God and will be a loving disciple of yours. We give him to You, in the name of Jesus Christ. Amen. Well, he's just one fine boy, that's all. You couldn't ask for nothing sweeter, could you? There's nothing in the world could be any sweeter, that's right, than that little fellow. All smiles, sweet.

That's one time my wife envies my job—holding those babies. She loves to hold them. I do too, but I'm always afraid I will break them. They're so, you know, so cute and delicate looking, but you know they're tougher really than what we would be.

Now, I told you I was going to get out . . . well, I've only got thirty-five minutes. I'm going to have to hurry, won't I? Let's see. I don't mean to misjudge anything or say anything wrong, but I'm going to try real hard because—you know, after we get way up the road we're not just as active as we used to be, you know. The miles sometimes gets rough, and two or three services a day, why . . . And what does the main part is those visions. Preaching doesn't hurt me. My, I can stand here all day long, and don't bother me, but I . . . but just those visions. And when people are on these interviews, that's what they must have, see. That's what they're here for. It's something that can't be settled just by laying hands on. It's got to know the root—the start of it; what causes it; what did it, and then what to do to get out of it. That's what they are here for.

Now, the meeting starts day after tomorrow night —or no. I beg your pardon; it's Wednesday night at Shreveport, Louisiana. And if any of you have friends around in there, why, tell them to come on over. Life Tabernacle, I think it's where it starts, unless it gets across the auditorium (if they can get that) which it gives them a little more seating room. But they got the balcony upstairs, and the big main floor, and then a floor down below that, so . . . I don't know exactly how many they can seat, but it's a . . . If it gets too bad, maybe we can get the auditorium just across from it, which will . . . I don't know how many it seats either. I've had services there, but don't remember. This is a annual convention.

Three years ago I was down there, and we started a revival in the name of the Lord, and it's never ended since, it's constantly going on, just constantly every day; people coming: being saved, baptized, and going on with the Lord like that; ministers and everything coming right in. And we just . . . As long as it keeps on like that, and I get to stay here, I want to visit it all the time and just put in my few words and go ahead.

Now, that'll begin Wednesday and end Sunday. Christian Businessmen's breakfast is . . . I don't forget the name of that hotel. I believe it's called . . . They'll tell you when you get there. It's a businessmen's breakfast.

Had a great time there (to you businessmen here), the last time there. The Lord saved a rabbi out of the city, and oh, I don't know what all taken place; it was a great time in the Lord there, preaching on the “Blood Covenant.” So we . . . That's what the Jews know about—it's the blood. Without shedding of blood there's no remission, you see.

Now, let's get right straight to the Word, and I'll do my best to keep my word to you.

And now, if the Lord willing now, Sunday after Christmas, if you're on your holidays and riding around; it's not slick and everything, why—you're around here close, why, drop in. And we're aiming to have a service here Sunday morning of Sunday after Christmas. What is the date? . . . 29th? The 29th day, and that's the Sunday after Christmas—the 29th day.

Now, if anything occurs that we . . . something we won't . . . we can't be here . . . We don't know about the future, you know, but if anything happens, why, you that live out of town that come in, like the folks from down in Memphis . . .

I wanted to hear Brother Ungren sing “How Great Thou Art” and I don't . . . Is he here tonight? And so . . . And I always have so many things, I can't get them all done—can't get them all done. God bless you people.

Now, let us turn in the Scriptures, now, for just a little Scripture reading. Where my words fail, this won't. And then God will bless you for staying just on account of listening to His Word. “Faith cometh by hearing . . . hearing the Word of God.” Is that right? Now, as I was thinking . . . while you're turning to St. John the 6th chapter, beginning with the 60th verse and reading the 71st, inclusive—St. John 6:60

Now, I was thinking as I was looking out the window a little while ago and looking at the setting of the sun and seeing how all nature has a law. And when the wintertime comes, the law, automatically, of nature runs the sap down into the tree roots. It buries . . . As Job said, “Oh, that Thou would hide me in the grave; that Thou would keep me in the secret place until Thy wrath be.” And now, that's it. “If Thou would hide me . . .”

See, he saw the nature, the tree . . . the life go down into the roots, Brother Way, and there stay until the wrath be passed, and then call me and set me a time, see. Nature has a law. There is a law of nature; there's no way at all to get around it. It's a law of nature. And then there is a law of the Spirit. There is also no way of getting around that.

I was speaking to a couple this afternoon about: you cannot totally annihilate anything. Human beings can't annihilate. They can tear down, but not annihilate. Someone said, “Well what about taking and burning a piece of paper. Does that annihilate it?” No, sir. It only breaks the chemicals apart—the heat of the fire. It goes right back to the gases, what it was in the beginning. You cannot annihilate. And if the world stood long enough that same gasses and chemicals was in that paper could come right back and be a piece of paper again. That's exactly . . . You cannot annihilate. Exact.

God then . . . If there is a resurrection to everything back again and no annihilation, there's a resurrection of the just and we've got to come back. That's all there is to it; there's no way at all of doing it. No matter if you're burnt up, if you're drowned, wherever it takes place, you cannot annihilate.

Just remember that every part of you was here. When God spoke the world into existence, He put your body here right then, and there's nothing can take it away except God. It's all back into His hands again, see. And He's the one—the one that . . . The creator was the one who made the promise; so we're sure that there is life eternal. And we have the assurance in our heart now that now we have everlasting life, eternal life that cannot die in us now.

All right, St. John 6. Let's begin now with the 6th chapter of St. John, and beginning with the 60th verse:

Many therefore of his disciples, when they . . . heard this, said, This is a hard saying; who can hear it?

Then Jesus knew . . . himself that his disciples murmured at it, and he said unto them, Does this offend thee?

What . . . if ye shall see the Son of man ascending up where he was before?

Is it the spirit that quickeneth; and the flesh profiteth nothing: the words that I speak unto you, they are spirit [that's Him], and they are life. [What did He say? “I am the truth, the life.”] . . . they are spirit, . . . they are life.

But there are some of you that believe not. For Jesus knew from the beginning who they were that believe not, and who should betray him.

And he said, Therefore I said unto you, that no man can come to me, except it were given unto him of my Father.

And from that time many of his disciples went back and walked no more with him. [Hard saying, see; they couldn't take it.]

Then said Jesus unto the twelve, Will you also go away?

Then Simon Peter answered him, Lord, to whom shall we go? for thou has the words of eternal life.

And we believe and are sure that thou art that Christ, the Son of the living God. [My!]

Jesus answered him, Have I not chosen you twelve, and one of you is a devil?

He spake of Judas Iscariot the son of Simon: for he it was that should betray him, being one of the twelve.

Now, if I should call this a subject for tonight (and try my best to make that half hour count), I want to talk on “Three Kinds of Believers.” And I've often made the statement, I thought, “Well, I just believe I'll preach on it one time—this afternoon.” I thought that.

The first is believers, make-believers, and unbelievers. Now, that is quite a subject, but as sure as we sit here tonight, that group is always gathered together. Wherever the people gather: we find this group, and always have found them, and we probably always will have them until the coming of the Lord.

And I want us, tonight, to picture ourselves, as I speak of these three groups, and see what group that we are in. Now remember, I'm speaking here to maybe . . . this church, packed again tonight around—and the walls and corridors, but I'm also speaking the world around, see. In all different parts of the world these tapes circulate through—ministries of the tapes.

Now, I want to speak of the three different types of believers, now. Now remember—believers. My subject is believers: one of them is a true believer, and the next is a make-believer, and the next is a unbeliever, see.

Now, the first group we'd like to talk about is the believer, because I think he ought to be first, because he is the one that truly believes. Now . . . believes like the disciples believes here. We're going to use this Scripture reading for example.

Now, the first is believers—genuine believers. And faith cometh by hearing—hearing of the Word of God —the Word of God which is Christ (see), believers.

Now, did you notice this great statement that this believer made? Now, a believer doesn't have to be a smart person in the world's way of being smart. He doesn't have to be an educated person in the way that these people try to say that you have to be, but you do not. This man that made this statement, the Bible itself said that he was both ignorant and unlearned—Peter. He was not really considered an intelligent person.

In Isaiah 35 says, “There shall be a highway, and a way, and it shall be called the way of holiness the unclean shall not pass over it.”

I was talking to one of the deacons this afternoon as we was talking about the bridges spanning across —this new one. I said, “There's many expansions across bodies of water, bayous today,” and I said, “but there's one great expansion that reaches from earth to glory. It's called 'The King's Highway.' The unclean shall not pass over it.” That's right. It's a road that's built by Christ our Lord—the expansion that is made from this earth to another land, and the unclean doesn't pass over it.

Peter, this unlearned person of a . . . standing near, when he had saw the thoroughly a-vindicated Word of the day, that God promised in that day that there would be one rise up which would be a prophet among them . . . And Simon was hard to believe it because there was . . . been so many impersonations of it, but when he seen the genuine, unfolded Word of that age and hear Him properly identify Him, he was certainly convinced who He was.

And he was the one, said, “Lord, to whom would we go?” when it was asked him, when the crowds was separating between the believers, and unbelievers, and make-believers. There was all three of them standing right there in that one company of people: believers, make-believers, and unbelievers—right found in this chapter, right here. And because that Jesus had spoke the words the way He had, it separated His congregation, but it must be done.

He was a great man as long as He healed the sick, but when it come down to the doctrine and the prophesy, that's what separated the chaff from the wheat, see. The chaff only wraps around the wheat; it's not the wheat; it cannot be used. There's nothing in it—no life in it. It's the husk, and it cannot stay with the wheat. It won't be heir with the wheat. And so it's got . . . just the grain is what we're talking about the heart of the grain of the wheat.

Now notice, Peter was convinced that that was the Messiah. Now, don't make any difference what all the rest of them said. It didn't make any difference what the priest said; didn't matter to Simon Peter what the church said. He was convinced himself.

Jesus told him in one place where He asked, “Who does men say I am?”

And some said, “You're a prophet.” Some said, “You're one of the old prophets raised up.” And, “You're Moses,” or “Elias,” or something.

He said, “I asked you; what do you think?”

And Peter said, “Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God.”

He said, “Blessed art thou, the son of Jonas (Simon, the son of Jonas), for flesh and blood never revealed this to you. You never learned it from a book, or from a creed, or from a catechism. My Father, which is in heaven, has revealed this to you.” There's a genuine believer . . . spiritual revelation of the Word, see. And up . . .

“Thou art Simon, and upon this rock, of your revelation of who I am, I'll build my church, and the gates of hell cannot prevail against it,” see.

No wonder Simon said, “To whom would we go?”

Jesus turned and said, “Do you wish to go also?”

And they said, “Lord, who would we where would we go to, for thou alone has the words of life. You're the only one.” For not only did He have the words of life, He was the Word of life. He was the Word of life, and Simon thoroughly recognized this. And when he recognized it, that was what that kept his hope, because it was revealed to him that He was that living Word.

Now, that's a genuine believer. When the Holy Spirit, not some persuaded by some other person, not by some other thing, but when the Holy Spirit has revealed to you the Word itself, and you see the Word made plain, vindicated; then the Spirit of God come and get into that age for the Word for that age and make it manifested.

How could a man kept from believing Luther if he'd've knowed that? Luther was a reformer. The man-spirit went forth there for reformation; Wesley, the same way. They had to believe it. See, that was the message to the church age; that was exactly what was happened. That's what was to take place. You had to believe it.

And here we are down to the Laodicean age and we're taught in the Laodicean age that Christ was put out of His church, and was even knocking on the door trying to get back in. So when we see that happening, we know what age we're living in.

And then we're at the closing of the history of the world. The book is now being finished. The last line will be wrote across it someday, and she will be closed up, then time shall be no more.

And there's a great drama being set, and angels are standing over the skies, watching. You know what a drama is. The actors are ready. You can see them acting.

You can see the evil one acting. You can see the villain of the play, how he's come on the scene with his cunningness to deceive.

But you can also see the raptured church making herself ready. It's a great scene.

You can see the presence of God vindicating and making the great drama that's foretold here in this Bible to act itself out. What a time to live, the most glorious time! The men of all ages has longed for this time. The prophets of old longed to see this hour, but wasn't privileged.

Now, there was a believer, because he seen it; he believed it. “We're fully persuaded that thou art the Christ, the Messiah, the Word of God for this day, and we believe that.” See, that was a real believer.

Let's just take up a few more believers right quick before we go to the next character. Let's take the prophet, Noah. When he, being maybe a farmer—perhaps he was in them days, a farmer. But when the scoffers and religionists of that day . . . The church had got to a low ebb, and God spoke to Noah and told Noah that he was to build an ark. Noah never debated that with God. He believed it that it was the Word of God and went to work right quick making things ready.

That's a real believer.

Don't fuss about it. When you're thoroughly convinced, that's it. Just like anyone, any faith anyway—faith cometh by hearing. If you can stand here, no matter what the doctor says is wrong with you (which the man give you the diagnosis of the cases, and probably knows just what he's talking about as far as his instruments and knowledge will permit him to know, but he says there is nothing left but death), but you pray, and standing yonder in the future you can see a well man or woman standing there, that's it. That's just it. You'll walk right into that just as certain as anything, because you believe it. God has spoke it. You know it's so.

Like the little woman coughing up the cancer, see. There was no doubt in her mind that was going to happen. The cancer was dead, and it turned loose, and away it went, see. That's it. You believe it.

Like that father brought his little boy awhile ago in there. (He's here in the building somewhere now.) The little boy had had a fall and lost his memory. He couldn't remember anything. Just in a few moments after prayer I asked him his name, he told me and how old he was, and there he was, just as normal as any boy could be, see. They believed. And when God says anything, it must be that way, and Noah believed God, and Noah was considered a believer. Daniel, when the church was in captivity down in Babylon, Daniel believed God. And no matter how much they said, “We'll make a proclamation. They'll have . . . pray to no other god but this image out there, this holy man, or whatever it might be.” Daniel didn't pay any attention to that. He had heard God, for he was a prophet, and the Word came to him. And when the temple is dedicated it was said, “If any man is in trouble in any country and look this way towards the holy place and pray, then hear from heaven.” And Daniel believed God. He was a genuine believer, and even the lions couldn't eat him. That's right, see. He was a believer. He had something real and genuine. He was a believer.

David, another believer—a little offscour of a boy.

Daniel didn't take the place with the modern church; neither did Noah take the place with the modern church. Not at all. They was believers in what God said to be the truth. No matter what the modern world said, they believed what God said was the truth. That's genuine believers.

Just the same as Peter did and the apostles—they believed that He had the Word of life and was the Word of life. I believe the same thing today. And every other thing against it is contrary. It's not . . . it's death. This alone is the Word of life, and Christ is the Word.

Now David—a ruddy fellow . . . The first place, he was probably picked on by his brothers, 'cause he was a little fellow. He wasn't big enough to bear an armor. He couldn't go to war, and he was too little and scrawny; and yet, he got out there as a believer. And as he set back on the desert watching a few dozen sheep that his father had given him to watch over with a slingshot (in a country where there's lions and bears and wolves and so forth), David begin to look upon the shady green pastures and knowed what it meant to a sheep to get down in that shade and lay out of the heat of the sun—knowed what a good cold drink of water meant, as he said, “As the hart thirsts after the water brook, my soul thirsts after thee, oh God,” see.

He had cried, prayed, and one day the emergency arose—a lion grabbed one of his sheep and took off. He thought, “The God that made me superior to the lion . . .” see. And he took the slingshot and knocked the lion down with a little rock in the slingshot. Now, if anybody ever seen a lion, one of them African lions—big woolly-necked lions that they have there in Palestine and Asia—they'd know what one of them fellows was. When a great big 300 Magnum hardly will knock him down—and he knocked him down with a rock. And when the lion rose up after him, he grabbed him by the beard and killed him.

That's the reason. He knowed what he was talking about. He'd had an experience. He had put God to the test about His Word.

And he wasn't afraid of Goliath because he was uncircumcised; he wasn't a believer at all. And when Goliath come out and cursed him in the name of his gods . . . And Goliath, many times larger than he was—great big fellow, fourteen inch fingers on him. Now, the fingers would be that long (see), fourteen inch fingers, a warrior. And probably the coat of mail that he had on him, probably weighed three hundred pounds or more (see), that he had on him. A helmet, and a great . . . probably the metal a inch and a half thick. A great big giant like that, walking with a weaver's needle, which is claimed to be around twenty feet. He had twenty foot spear in his hand. Now, how could anyone . . . A man like that could just stand and pick up a dozen men and throw them like that as they come up. What an opposition!

And there he was standing there boasting himself, bragging. When the . . . seems like the odds is down . . .

You see, he said, “Let . . . don't have no blood shed.” Said, “Let some man come fight me, and then if I win, then you all just serve me, and then if you win, then we'll serve you.”

See, when the devil thinks he's got the odds on you (see), that's when he likes to make his brag. But he met the wrong man. He met the littlest man in the country—little, stoopshouldered, ruddy looking fellow.

He said, “Do you mean to tell me, that you, the army of the living God, will stand there and let that uncircumcised Philistine defy the army of the living God?”

Why, he was shocked at it. Why? Why? He was a believer. The others were make believers, see. See, he was a genuine believer.

He said, “If you're afraid, I'll go fight him,” see.

What a challenge for a little guy like that! And so he was a believer, and he done just exactly what he knowed that God would do.

When that uncircumcised Philistine cursed him in the name of his gods, he said, “Am I a dog?” A little, bitty runt of a kid come out like that. “Why,” said, “I'll pick you up on the end of my spear, and I'll hang you up there in the tree and let the birds pick your flesh!” Oh, my! Oh, what a horrible fellow he was!

David said, “You meet me with a sword and a spear, with an armor; you meet me in the name of a Philistine, but I meet you without a sword or spear and armor, but I meet you in the name of the Lord God of Israel!”

There you are. That's a believer. That's his fortress! That's his shield! That's his defense! Amen! That should be the church's defense. Any believer—that's his defense! No matter what takes place, what the world says, anything else, your defense is the Lord God of Israel. That's it. “The name of Jesus Christ is a mighty tower . . . the righteous run into it and are safe.” “That's our defense—is Jesus Christ.

Notice, and when it come to pass, we know what happened. David—nowhere to hit but that one little place when he dropped down his cover over his face. One place to hit was right here in his forehead. And before he could get with any distance to the giant, God directed the killing mark, and he slew the giant, see. God did it. Now, we notice he was a believer.

Now, another believer was Abraham, and he was of the . . . a Chaldean of the city of Ur. And he was called upon to do something that was . . . and believe something that was totally, physically impossible. But he didn't stagger at the promise of God through unbelief (says Romans 4), but was strong, giving praise to God.

When Abraham was seventy-five years old and his wife sixty-five years old, and had been living together since they were young boy (it was his half sister)—a young boy and a young girl. And that was . . . They'd lived together without any children at all. And God told Abraham, “Separate yourself from the unbelievers.” God always calls some separation. “Separate yourself from the unbelievers, and walk with me. And I have made you a father of many nations. I've already done it.”

And Abraham believed it. That's a believer.

“How are you going to do it, Lord?” He never asked the question. God said He'd do it, and that settled it.

When the first month passed, and Sarah was still (she was past menopause) . . . “Anything different?”

“Not a thing.”

But Abraham still believed it. Twenty-five years later, there was still no difference! But Abraham still believed it! That's a believer. That's not a make-believer; that's a believer. Twenty-five years later Abraham was stronger than he was at the first place. He believed God, and it was imputed unto him for righteousness, because he . . . That's the genuine believer.

Now, after a while, I'm going to let you search and see what class you're in.

Now, what did Abraham do? staggered not at the promise of God, the impossibilities. What would a man seventy-five years old with a sixty-five year old wife do if they went to a doctor, and said, “We want to make arrangements at the hospital; we're going to have a baby”? And then twenty-five years later said, “Doc, you still holding the hospital open?”, see. It makes you act funny. Your decisions are odd to the world. But it's a believer, no matter how strange it seems!

The Bible said that he was fully persuaded that God was able to perform what He said He would do! That ought to be in the achievement of every believer this afternoon! God's able to keep every word that He said He'd do! I don't care what the denominations say. “The days of miracles is passed, and all this is telepathy, and all . . . fortune-telling.” It doesn't matter to me what they say! I still believe that that gun is zeroed to the target, it'll hit the target. And I believe if a believer is zeroed with the Word of God, it'll hit the same thing that the Word of God ever promised hit. It'll do it again. I'm fully persuaded of that, that when we see we're in this age when it's supposed to be here . . . It's supposed to be here. These things are supposed to take place.

That's the reason I do believe that when that bride is called out and elected and set in the book of life, there'll come a sound from heaven that'll take such a baptism of the Holy Spirit into that bride that'll take her from the earth, in a rapturing grace. God promised it.

I don't care how many science . . . and how many astronauts they signed up, and everything else, and how many million miles they can see—I don't care nothing about that. There is a heaven, and there's a literal Jesus Christ there that'll come in a body form to receive His church to Himself! No matter how old the story seems; it's still the truth; God said so. That's what believers believe.

God said, “I'm the Lord . . . heals all thy diseases. I am God and I change not.” Amen! And God is Word, and if God don't change, how's the Word going to change! See? “I am God, and I change not.” The Scripture says that; God said it Himself. And if He cannot change, then He is the Word. “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God [the unchangeable Word!] . . . and the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us.” Amen! Yes, sir.

God raised up bodies all down through—Moses, and Ezekiel, and Jeremiah, and Isaiah, and Elijah—all down where His Word temporarily come, but the full Word was made manifest in this man Jesus Christ; which He was God in the . . . God in the fullness of the Godhead bodily. There He was made flesh. I believe that, every word.

Job, another believer.

Sometimes believers put to the test, not sometimes, every time! For every son that cometh to God must be chastened, tried, child-trained! Remember the trials, the dusty roads, the hot sun of persecution, but the loyalty of your heart beats that material till she's ready to go into the mold. God's children is made up correctly on His Word, for they are living examples, and the Word of God living through them, see. The trial comes to shake you, to put you to the very bottom, to see where you'll stand, see. Tested, tried—every son that cometh to God.

Job went through the trials and the tests—his children taken, everything else taken. The church members come, accusing him being a secret sinner, and tried to say everything against him, but yet he wouldn't listen to any of it. He knowed he had met God's requirements. He knowed there's no need of Satan trying to tempt him! He knowed it was the devil! And as long as Satan could make him believe that his sickness was his God doing it, he had Job whipped. But when Job once struck that revelation that it was not God, he was only going through his trials to make him something. It wasn't God doing it; it was Satan doing it!

Same thing today. He'll try to tell you these trials and things is your God trying to put punishment upon you. It isn't so. No, sir. It's Satan doing that, and God permitting it to temper you, to make you see if you're tied to this earth by the earth cares or whether your treasure's in heaven. For wherever you're treasures is, there you are also. Your heart is where your treasures are.

Job—tried, yet he said, “I know my redeemer liveth; at the last days He'll stand upon the earth. Though after my skin worms destroys my body . . .” Did you notice? The skin worms was already in him. Your skin worms is in you. You're in a sealed-up casket without any air in it or anyhow, but the skin worms are already there. They're right in you, and they're ready to be called to duty any time.

Remember Caesar? he cankered right in the street. The skin worms eat him up right in the street, his own skin worms. They are right there ready.

“Though after my skin worms destroys this body, yet in my flesh shall I see God.” Amen! You cannot annihilate it; though the skin worms eat it up, it still will come back again. “Whom I shall see for myself, mine eyes shall behold and not another.” He said it—Job. Why? He was a believer. In trials he was a believer; in persecution he was a believer! He was a genuine believer.

Joseph, another believer. He couldn't help being what he was. He was a prophet; God made him a prophet. He didn't want to be different from his brothers, but he was different. God made him what he is. Nobody else could take his place.

Nobody can take your place. No matter how little . . . You say, “I'm just a housewife.” Nobody can take your place. God in His great economy has so set your . . . the body of Christ in order, till there's no one can take your place.

How I would like to take Billy Graham's place (any of us ministers), but we can't do it. But just remember, Billy can't take our place, see. We all have a place. Some of us are evangelists, some prophets, some teachers, some pastors; whatever we are—some housewives, some mechanics, some farmers, whatever it is, God has set you in your place, see.

Joseph was a prophet. He couldn't help because he could interpret dreams. He couldn't help because that he saw visions. Watch how true he was. No matter if it cost him his fellowship with his brothers, he was true, because he believed those dreams. He believed that the dream that he had that they'd all bow to him (the sheaves would), it come to pass, because he believed it. He was a genuine believer. How . . .

I got five minutes—and ten pages.

Notice now. Notice a scripture wrote out here. The woman . . . Nathanael, he was a believer. Is that right? Nathanael, when he saw what took place, and it worked on him that Jesus told him who he was and said he was an Israelite indeed, and there was no guile in him, and told him where he was the day before, praying under a tree. He saw him when Philip called him. He was a believer.

There's many standing there said, “This is the devil's spirit. The devil does divine healing.” That old devil hasn't died yet today. They believe that the devil does divine healing.

Jesus said, “If Satan can cast out Satan, then his kingdom's divided, and a kingdom can't stand,” see. Satan said . . . He can't do it. So Satan cannot cast out Satan.

So Nathanael was a believer. And when he seen the Word made flesh, vindicated that he was a believer, he said, “Thou art . . . Rabbi, thou art the Christ; thou art the King of Israel.” He believed it.

When the woman at the well saw it, she believed it. She is a believer. When blind Bartimaeus . . . When a woman come by . . . Everybody was crying, going on, some of them saying, “There's a whole . . . I hear you raised the dead. There's a graveyard full of them up here; come up and raise them. Let us see you do it.” See, that same devil that said, “If thou be the Son of God, command these stones to be turned to bread” Same one put a rag around His face, hit Him on the head, said . . . passed the stick one to the other, said, “Now, if You'll tell us who hit You, we'll believe You.” Them soldiers (see), making fun out of Him. It looked like the card chip was down on Him, but just remember, God's always on the scene, see. He was right there ready at any time.

Now, Jesus said, “I could speak to my Father, and straightway He'd send me twelve legions of angels.” Oh, what would one angel do? But you see . . . but He could send twelve legions just at His command. But He had a job to do. He had something to do. He had to go through that.

You've got something to do. God's got something for you to do. You may have some heartaches and some troubles; you may have some disappointments, but do we pray to shun them? No, Lord, take me through them, whatever they is. Whatever it is, don't let me escape them. If they're set for me, just give me grace to go through them. That's all. Now notice, blind Bartimaeus. He knew that they was told, “This is that prophet of Galilee; He is the Son of David. We believe it.” Some of the believers must have told him that. “We believers know that He is the . . . that Son of David.”

And he knew if He was, He was the Word.

If he knowed He was the Word, he knowed He could discern the thoughts of the heart. So he cried, “Thou Son of David, have mercy on me.” The unbelievers was hollering this and that—the church members. That didn't stop blind Bartimaeus at all. He said, “Oh, Jesus, Thou Son of David, have mercy upon me!”

Perhaps He couldn't hear him, but He knowed he was crying, and He stopped and turned around. There was a believer. He said, “Thy faith has saved thee.” Amen.

He said that to the woman with the blood issue—the same thing. “Thy faith . . .” 'Cause she said within her heart, “If I can touch His garment, I'll be made well.” “Thy faith has saved thee,” see. She was a believer.

That's the same thing that saved William Dauch, sitting there, the other day with a complete heart failure, in a heart attack—a man ninety-one years old. “Thy faith has saved thee!” Why? He's a believer.

Reverend Tom Kidd here, going into his . . . nearly, I guess way around ninety years, now, old—close to it. And when he was seventy-nine years old, they took him to the hospital with a cancer on the prostate. The doctors says he hasn't got a chance, but when we walked in that morning, seen that little patriarch with the shawl over his shoulders sitting there, beating a little cane . . . And he was almost beside himself. He said to an old woman sitting there —he called her Grandmother; knowed her—one of his members for years. Said, “You look as white as snow”—beyond his mental thinking. Yet when the power of God struck the room . . . He's alive tonight! That's been four years ago! A man nearly eighty years old, and here he sits tonight perfectly sound and well from the cancer! Not a make-believer, a believer! That's it. Believe. He takes God at His Word.

Just the same as blind Bartimaeus was. Blind, but yet he knowed if he could attract the attention of Jesus Christ, he'd get what he wanted. The woman knowed if she could touch His garment, she'd get what he wanted—she'd get what she wanted. Tom knew—he had faith if I'd pray for him he'd get what he wanted.

Ain't that the same faith that Martha said, “Even now, Lord, whatever You ask God, God will do it for you. My brother is laying yonder dead, four days in the grave, but you just ask God, and God will do it for You.”

He said, “Thy brother shall rise again.”

And she said, “Yes, Lord, in the last days at the resurrection he'll rise. He was a good boy.”

He said, “But I am that resurrection and life!”

“Yes, Lord, I believe that, too.”

“Where've you buried him?” That's it. It's over. Yes, sir.

The queen of the South come up in that generation of unbelievers (that's right) and stood there and believed what she saw to be of God. The Bible said she'll raise up in the last day with that generation and condemn it, because she came from the utmost parts of the world to hear the wisdom of Solomon.

Moses was a believer. Though he tried intellectually; he tried every scheme he could, but it wouldn't work. He tried to take Israel out, knowed he was called to do it. He tried the mathematical way; he tried the military way; he tried the educational way; he tried every way, but it wouldn't work. But then he took God's way. What happened? There was a fire over in a bush up there one day that wouldn't leave. From there the Word spoke to him! Said, “I AM [not, I was, or I will be], I AM.” And He is still the I Am! He is the Word, the eternal, everlasting Word.

Moses did not doubt. The difficults against him . . . every nature against him; everything against him, with a crooked stick in his hand, he went down and took over the whole nation, drownded it in the [Red] Sea out there, and took Israel to the promised land. Why? He believed God. Right. He had a . . . That's the believer. We could stay . . . Now I've stayed my half-hour on the believers. Got two more classes. We'll hurry through them, 'cause they're not important anyhow. No.

Then secondly, there comes now, the unbeliever. Let's speak of the unbeliever next. What does the unbeliever do? We see the believer what? accepts the Word: every race, every generation, follow all the way from Noah all the way up. We could take six months of revival right on that right there, bringing up the characters—they believed. The believer don't question. The believer believes it, regardless of what it sounds like or what anybody else has got to say about it, how impossible it seems to be. The believer believes it. Believes what? the Word, not the creed, the Word; not the denomination, the Word; not what somebody else says, what the Word says. Now remember, that is the believer! The believer doesn't question. The believer doesn't say, “How can it be? If I can get it explained . . .” That's the unbeliever, see. It's the believer that no matter what it is, if it's the Word, it's the Word. That's true that's the believer.

Now the unbeliever. Now we see what . . . we'll take the unbelievers. We find out that they did all right as long as they get patted on the back and called disciples. As long as they . . . everything went fine, they were all right. But when this prophet that they believed to be a prophet, and knowed was, that could heal the sick, and so forth . . . What did He do? When the real truth and the rebuke came, contrary to what they believed, they couldn't take the Word. They could take the miracles, and they performed them. They went out and cast out devils, preached the Word, and still—unbelievers. Matthew 10—He sent them out, two by two (the seventy) and they cast out devils insomuch that Jesus rejoiced and said, “I seen Satan falling like light from heaven,” see. They cast out devils—Judas right with them [here comes the unbelievers), but as soon as Jesus begin to say that He was something, that He was the resurrection, He was the life . . . “What would you say if you seen the Son of man ascend up from where He come from?”

“Now this man trying to say He come from heaven. That's too much for us! We can't believe it.”

He said, “What is it? the flesh that you're talking about profit nothing; it's the Spirit that quickens.”

There you are. The Spirit quickens the Word. It's a Spirit, not the creed; the Spirit of . . . the Holy Ghost quickens the Word to you and becomes alive, and there you are. You see it. By faith you see it. You know it's so, because the Word said so, and the Spirit quickens the Word to you. There you are.

Now, he said, “What will . . .” And as soon as we did this, we find out the unbelievers, when you say something that they don't agree with, they walk out on you. “I just won't . . .” Oh, that's getting so dense in the world today. Start, and just say something; they gather in.

I notice it in meetings they'll gather in (great crowds), and you stand up, start saying something. Now, as long . . . They'll sit there just watching, just waiting, and as soon as you say, “Now, Jesus Christ identified Himself as Messiah, because that He was a prophet,” that jug is done full; away it goes. Somebody . . . and away they go. What is it?—unbelievers!

Now you say, “You're making that up.” I'm not! I'm saying just exactly what the Bible says here. They were unbelievers, and they walked out. Though they were disciples, but it was contrary to what . . .

They said, “This . . . Who could believe a thing like that?”, see. They was Pharisees and Sadducees that had come out, joined—went in with Him, because . . . See, when the supernatural is displayed it produces three different types. It did down in Egypt. It produced the unbeliever, the believer, and make-believer. It did—all three classes. Just wrote down here till we just go on and on through the night explaining how it is. Everywhere you find it, you see them three. Always that way (see), you find them.

Now watch, these seventy, they walked out because it didn't agree with what they believed to be right. We haven't got no thought coming—it's what He said. You deny your own thinking. You just say what He says. That's really confession. Confession means to say the same thing.

If I confess that a certain thing taken place, I say the same thing that taken place. That's what real confession is and He's the high priest of our confession (see)—saying the same thing God said. See, that makes it right, 'cause you are just repeating God's Word.

Now notice, the seventy walked out. What did they do? And they went out just because that they disagreed. Their wisdom, their church affiliation was too much. That was too much for them to think that this man standing here that all the rest of the people believed that was illegitimate born, He had no rights to call Himself God, and He was just a man.

Said, “We don't stone you for a good work you do, but we stone you because you, being a man, make yourself God.” And the Word said He was God! “His name shall be called Counsellor, Prince of Peace, the mighty God, the everlasting Father.” Their very scriptures that they read, the very day that they were singing the psalm (the 22nd psalm): “My God, my God, why hast Thou forsaken me? All my bones they stare at me. Not one bone shall be broken.” The very psalm that they were repeating in the temple—there hung the sacrifice screaming the very words that David said eight hundred years before, and was too blind to see it.

And today, the very God that spoke of this age is on the scene doing exactly what He said He would do, and they're too blind to see it! That's unbelievers. They walk out and say, “Oh, I can't believe stuff like that! I never heard of that in my life!” It don't make any difference what you heard. The Bible said it would be here. It's His Word.

They never heard of that either, but it was there just the same, see. That's right. They were unbelievers, just like Eve was. She was very religious, of course so, but she did not believe the true Word, and she had to make herself a religion, so she made some fig leaves, see. But it wouldn't work. Religion means a covering.

Cain did the same thing. Cain couldn't believe that that was right. He said, “God is holy; God is pure, and God is beautiful; so I will get me some flowers, and I'll take the flowers, and I'll make a fine great altar, and I'll show my reverence to Him. I'll get up before it, and I'll bow down before Him and worship that God. And I'll put flowers on the altar, because, you know, my father and mother eat some apples (some fruit) in the garden of Eden, and that's the thing that brought me out. And so that's . . . I will go back, 'cause I will make it beautiful.” “God just can't turn my big cathedral down. Why, I'll be too big a cathedral. I'll make it so pretty till it will attract God's attention.” Satan's the one that dwells in beauty. That's exactly what the Scripture says.

That's the reason sometimes, a pretty woman is a bait for Satan. If he can just get a hold of her, he can twist more men into hell than he could with all the barrooms in the country. That's right, see. Or handsome . . . some great handsome man that wouldn't stand up in his trueness of manhood, see. Again, he can swing them women to the devil, and send them to hell. Yes, sir.

Notice, Satan dwells in beauty. What did he try to do in the beginning? make a more beautiful kingdom than Michael's was. Moved over in the north, and took two-thirds of the angels with him. See, whose son that was then had that nature in him? Satan's son. Certainly it was.

Now, he built the altar, and he knelt down and he worshipped. He went through everything that Abel did. But Abel knew that it wasn't that. It was blood that took them out. He knew that that was it; it was the sex blood. So he took a little animal, and offered it upon a rock, and chopped it's neck.

Notice, Cain . . . God told him, He said, “Why don't you worship like your brother? And you'll do all right. You'll do well if you'll do that.” But no, he knowed too much about it, see. He rejected the original a-vindicated Word. If that ain't his children today, see.

Now look, God had testified—the Bible said, Hebrews the 4th chapter . . . or the 11th chapter—God testifying of His gift that he was righteous. God vindicated his offering; God made proof that that was what He accepted; that was His Word, His plan, and told Cain, said, “Do the same thing, and live.” But do you think he would forfeit his idea? No, sir. He was a unbeliever. He walked right out. That's right. Cain did the same thing, Nimrod did the same thing—unbelievers. He did not believe.

Belteshazzar, the same thing; though . . . or

Nebuchadnezzar. Though having a . . . Daniel as his god . . . called him Belteshazzar (which was the name of his god), saw Daniel do the great works of God, and then he knowed that Belteshazzar believed . . . or that Daniel was a god. So he made a image to him and put it up out there, and made everybody to worship it, and so forth.

See, the Gentile kingdom come in with forcing of the worship of an image of a holy man. And the Gentile kingdom goes out with the forcing of the image of a holy man, see. Same way. And there was a handwriting on the wall of unknown tongues at the beginning of the Gentile kingdom, that no one could read but that prophet, and there's a handwriting on the wall today. That's right. Ichabod—that the glory of God has departed from them things. And the handwriting's on the wall and can be read by the spiritual mind that believes in spiritual things, that's been born of the Spirit of God.

Old Belteshazzar goes out and gets these vessels of the Lord to drink wine of. Why? he was an unbeliever. He thought he was a believer, but he was a unbeliever. See, that's it. He disbelieved the Word.

Ahab, he was an unbeliever, though he acted like he wasn't. No, no, he was amongst the believers, but he was a unbeliever. What did he do? He married an idolatress and brought it . . . idolatry right into Israel. He was an unbeliever; we know that.

They deny the whole of the Word of God to be true. The unbeliever is . . . See, now remember, he's a hypocrite. And he acts like that . . . He says he believes it, but he denies it. He said, “Well, so much of it is well,” but if all of it isn't right, then that makes him an unbeliever. You've got to believe every tittle and every jot, and everything that's said in there. It's got to be true. If it isn't true—if you say, “Now, I don't believe that,” well, then you're a unbeliever.

There's a guy said to me one time—a minister. Said, “I don't care, Mr. Branham, how many people you could produce that you said was healed, I wouldn't believe it.”

I said, “Certainly not; you can't believe it. You're a unbeliever; it wasn't for you. It's only for the believers.” You've got to believe it, see. And they do not believe it. So when you see a person in that . . . Well did Paul speak of (the prophets), saying that they'd be heady, high-minded, lovers of pleasure more than lovers of God, having forms of godliness, but denying the power there . . . the power of the Word; from such turn away.

Notice, they deny the whole of the Word, but in every form very religious. They are unbelievers in the true Word, though it be vindicated. All through every age God vindicated the Word of these people I've talked about—Noah, on down through Moses, and all the prophets, and forth. God spoke through the supernatural, and vindicated the Word, and yet those people walked right out on it.

And here's these disciples standing there (them seventy) and watching Jesus do the things that He did and knowed the Scripture. Him telling them that that was the age that this was to take place. And then when He said something (the Son of man) . . . What would you say when He begin to tell them about breaking the bread, and so forth, and went ahead telling them about great spiritual things?

And they said, “Oh, this is a hard saying.”

He said, “What are you going to say then if the Son of man; you see Him ascend up into heaven where He come from?” Said, “Is it the flesh or is it the Spirit that quickeneth?”, see. And then they moved away.

“Said oh that,oh, I can't believe that,” see. They walked right out on the Word. They won't even stay to see what takes place. That is the unbeliever.

What did they do then?

We find out that they . . . that these people, these believers (so-called believers) . . . but in forms of religion, and they failed to see the identified truth of the Word of God, because it's against what they believe, See, it don't make any difference what you believe; how loyal you are; how religious you are or—that doesn't have one thing to do to it. Sincerity—why that don't have nothing to do with it. I've seen people so sincere. I seen the heathens burn their children, feed them to the crocodiles—mothers with their babies. That's more than a Christian would do, see. Sincerely they believe, sincerely, but they're sincerely wrong.

People say, “Well, this church has stood . . . That . . .”

You're sincerely wrong if it's contrary to the Word.

“Well, now look, I don't believe in such things . . .”

Well, the Bible said it was so, though.

“I don't believe that we have to do this.”

I don't care what you think you don't have to do; God said it must be done. “These signs shall follow them . . .” How far? to all the world. Who? to every creature, see. It shall be. Not shall be, it's going to be. And this message of the hour that we're now enjoying—the presence of God, the latter day, the evening time when the lights are shining, and the things is being opened up, and the Word vindicated and proved to be the truth; both prophesied, comes to pass, all through scientific and everything proved that it is Jesus Christ the same yesterday, today, and forever; and a man walk out on that? He's an unbeliever. He's beyond hopes. He's numbed by the power of Satan, so there is no hopes for him. He's beyond hopes.

Now, that is what? The believer; now the unbeliever; now the third class we're speaking about is the make-believer. That's the boy! the make-believer. Now remember, in there stood all three. Now, we find out they do just exactly like their father does, Judas. There was Peter, and the rest of the apostles—believers. There was the seventy—unbelievers. And there was Judas hung right on; he was a make-believer. What do they do?

This is the kind that holds on until they can find something—a fault in it. They're looking every time to find a loophole, see how it's done, see if it's a trick, if it's a gimmick. They're waiting to be sold out. They're looking for that. The unbeliever—he don't even wait around. He's condemned it and walked out. The believer, no matter what happens, he believes it anyhow for it's the Word! There's your three classes.

The old unbeliever will walk out on the first thing that's said—he don't like about it. Brother, he's going to show his colors right then; he's a unbeliever.

Paul said, “They went out from us, because they wasn't of us in the beginning. They started with us. Oh, you did run well, what hindered you?” See it? They went out because they wasn't of us. When they see the Word perfectly moving on, why, they wanted to get some kind of a gimmick they could work, see. But the real believers don't question nothing. It's written in the Word, and they believe it, and they just go on. That's it. Always it's written. If it isn't written, why, you just stay away from it, no matter what happens. It's got to be written, see. And they see that written Word and they believe it. And they see God moving in His Word, see the hour, the message, the time, and they walk with it

as I said this morning.

How old Pilate must've walked the floor at night with his worried conscience, trying to clean hisself. And he said, “My . . .” No doubt he called through the night, saying, “I've washed my hands all night, and I still can't understand,” see. “They're not clean. I can never go to meet Him; I've got blood upon my hands.” Oh, my, see. Don't never be guilty of that, see. It's on your hands; there's only one way you can get it out, that's accept it. That's right. Become part of it. That's what it was shed for.

Now, the make-believer hangs around and acts just as pious as he can, but down in his heart he's trying to find what's . . . how you do it. Oh, if the country isn't full of that part of hypocrites. That's a Judas. That's exactly. Hangs around; becomes part of the group. He was the treasurer, see. He stands around; he's always got his hand out for money. You can tell that one thing; he's always fishing for money, and got his hand out for this, and he is a make-believer. He acts like a believer, but down in his heart . . .

You remember, he wasn't fooling Jesus.

After the seventy left, and the believers made their stand, and he turned around to the believers, and He said, “There's still something in you,” for He said, “I've chose twelve, and one of you is a devil.” Jesus knowed from the beginning—for He was the Word. He knowed the secret of the heart—how hard it was! Stop a minute, think deep, long, straight. How hard it must've been on Him, walking right there, and a man calling him, “Brother,” and knowed all the time that that was the deceiver that was going to try to upset Him, and sell Him for thirty pieces of silver. How hard it was to hold it in His bosom, and His friend walking along there. He even said, “Friend (called Judas His friend), have not I been with you all this time?” Knowing in His heart, and couldn't say it. He knowed from the beginning who it was that would betray Him.

There's that make-believer that's just waiting. He'll say, “Oh, I believe this, and I believe this, and I believe this, but oh, you know I heard somebody say so-and-so, times . . .” Just long with ears. A real believer don't hear nothing but the Word. That's all He watches the Word. He ain't looking for no loopholes; he ain't looking for no gimmicks. He believes God, and that settles it, and he just keeps going on, see. There's the believer.

The unbeliever fills up in a minute, and he can't stay to listen ten minutes to the message; he's got to get up and walk out. It's against his creed, and he just won't have no more to do with it, so he goes out.

Then the make-believer hangs right on—that Judas, see. That's the deceiver. That's the . . . that's the rascal (if I have to say such a word). Judas he hangs around.

This is the time . . . Sometime these make-believers are very popular with the people (that's right), these make-believers, see. Some of them are mighty men, educated, doctor's degree, big pay, everything; some of them are great men, shrewd, just like sons of Satan would be. Look how Satan come right up there and agree with every bit of that Word. He's just waiting to find that weak spot in Eve to where he could show his power to deceive her, to betray her! That was Satan, and here Satan is in the form of Judas in that age. That was Satan in the first age. What was he? agreeing with the Word till just one little thing . . . He was just trying to find a place where he'd get a weakness, and that's exactly what the Judas finds right now. He'll come right along with the meeting, and watch right around until he can find that little spot that he . . . “Oh, there it is, that's it!”, see. “Oh, that's the way it's done!”, see. That's just exactly.

Many of you remember up there that night when that man come out on the platform. He thought that there was a mental telepathy to reading the prayer cards. And how he thought he had it right then, brother, he was sure he had it. He come around—he belonged to a church that don't believe in these . . . in the gospel, the full gospel. And he come up on the platform. I was tired, and they was fixing to take me away. That was at Windsor, Ontario. And there . . . Come right across from United States there, right across from Detroit at Windsor—the big auditorium. And this man come up there with a grey suit on, and a red tie—intelligent looking man—smart as a tack. He come to the platform, he walked up. And I said, “Well, just let me have your hand.” I said, “I'm tired. I've seen so many visions. Let me have your hand.” And I never noticed the man, he put his hand over on mine. And I said, “Sir, there's nothing wrong with you. Go ahead.”

He said, “Oh, there is too.”

And I said, “Let me see there.” I said, “No sir, there's not one sign. No, sir, you're a healthy man.”

He said, “Go look at my prayer card.”

I said, “I don't care what you put on your prayer card.” I said, “I don't have nothing to do with the prayer card.” Not thinking, you see. I was tired and wore out, and my . . . But the grace of God, you see, was still there, you remember. If He sends you, it's His obligation to take care of you. It ain't mine. It's Him; He sent it. I'm just supposed to stand on what's true.

When Moses throwed his stick down, and it turned into a serpent, and the magicians done the same thing, what could Moses do, but stand there and wait for the grace of God? That's all. Same thing. He followed out the commandments, and you know what happened, don't you?

This man said, “Well,” he said, “there is; look at my prayer card.”

I said, “Well, you might've had a lot of faith, and might've done it.” Not thinking, you see, done . . . Not even paying attention. Then he unbuttons his coat, and pushed out his chest.

He said, “There you are!” to the audience.

And I thought, “What's going on here?”

Looked around and he said, “There you are!” Said, “See the gimmick?” (That's your Judas! A religious man—a preacher of a great denomination!) Said, “There you are I had so much faith now. He's got so weak he can't read the telepathy [see]. It don't come to him no more.” And there, he says, “Not my faith was so great.” Said, “I put that on the prayer card, and now he can't catch it, you see.” Said, “That's the gimmick.”

I thought, “What's going on?” Then the grace of God came down. I said, “Sir, why has the devil put in your heart to try to deceive God?” A modern Judas. I said, “You are a Church of Christ . . .” Excuse me. Well, I done said it. “You are a Church of Christ preacher. You belong to the Church of Christ from over in United States. And that man sitting up there with that blue suit on, and your wife, and his wife sitting there, you sat at a table last night that had a green thing over it, a spread like this, and you made up that this was telepathy, and you were coming tonight . . .”

That man raised up. He said, “That's the honest truth. God have mercy on me.”

I said, “Sir, you put T.B. and cancer on that card, and now you have it. It's yours now.”

And he grabbed me by the pants leg; he said, “I didn't . . .”

I said, “I can't help . . . You go right ahead. That's up between you and God. You wrote your doom right on your card.” And that got him. That was all of it.

See, make-believers, deceivers, trying to find some fault with God and His Word! That's the Judases. That's the ones. You see how Judas come out? See how that guy come out? That's the way the make-believers happen, see. Make-believers. Oh, highly educated. Sometimes and . . . a great showdown comes between the Word and their creed, and when it does, they sell out to their denomination just exactly like their forerunner did, Judas. Judas sold out to his denomination, sold Jesus, the Word, to his denomination and betrayed Jesus Christ after he claimed to be a part of it.

Ministers sometimes claiming to be servants of Christ, and when the Word is thoroughly identified to be vindicated for that day, that it is the message of the hour, and they'll sell out for popularity to their denomination just exactly like Judas did—betray Jesus to the Pharisees and Sadducees. That spirit don't die. So there . . . That's amongst the believers, make-believers and unbelievers, see. That's just exactly . . . come right down and sold Jesus for thirty pieces of silver, and many men'll do it today for a meal ticket for an extra hundred dollars a week. Right. Deny the God that's standing in the midst of them that bought their life and with the full Word.

And they'll say, “Oh, them days of miracles is passed!” or “God don't need such a thing as that today,” see. “Oh, I believe in Jesus Christ, the Son of God”; “Hail Mary, mother of God, blessed art thou amongst women.” All these other things they say and . . .

Some of them say, “I believe in the Apostles' Creed. I believe in God the Father, Almighty, creator of heavens and earth. I believe in the holy Roman Catholic Church,” and all these things.

Tell me when an apostle ever had a creed like that. If the apostles had one creed, it's wrote in Acts 2:38! “Repent and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost!” If there's any creed to them, that was it. They had no creed. It was the Word. That is true. It still remains the same.

That's the prescription for the cure of the disease of sin. “And you shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost. Repent and be baptized for the remission of sins [see], and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost.”

But they sell out like Judas. That's the make-believer. Some of them are highly talented people (this make-believer). Watch that guy. That's the shrewd guy. This little guy that fills up quick and jumps up and runs out at every little phrase that he don't like, don't pay no attention to him, he's just an unbeliever to begin with. But when you see this guy, make-believer, that hangs on (see), that's the Judas. That's him.

Like great talents—I'm going to call names here (which I really shouldn't do it, but I'm going to call them anyhow, so that you'll know it), like, Elvis Presley, Red Foley, Ernie Ford, Pat Boone. Elvis Presley, a Pentecostal; Pat Boone, a Church of Christ; Red Foley, a deacon in the Church of Christ. Now I think Ernest Ford is a Methodist. And all those people with those talents! Smart, out on television, and people saying, “Well, aren't they religious? They sing songs.” That don't mean one thing! Yes, sir. Deceiving the world! What'd they get out of it? Judas got thirty pieces of silver; Elvis—a fleet of Cadillacs, and a 102 . . . or 150 million dollars, or a million dollars on records and things like that; Pat Boone and the rest of them. I don't care what church they belong to and everything, it's hypocrisy. It's a make-believe. It's a front, that their life proves out that isn't right. Right.

Then there are those with the talents that is great organizers, worldly wisdom. They preach the gospel—claim to. Smart men, intellectuals. Listen. A man that's trained in that field—he is not a preacher, he's a lecturer. That's what's the trouble today. We have lecturers.

Jesus never said, “Go and train to do this.” He said, “Go preach the gospel, and these signs shall follow the preaching.” See, see? Let's not learn to make a lecturer who can stand and just, my put them flowery things in that make you feel like you're sitting right in the presence of an archangel. That isn't it. “Having forms of godliness,” see. That's a lecturer, not the Holy Spirit in action.

Some little fellow that wouldn't know his ABC's might come down with the power of faith with the Word and make the Holy Spirit do things that that man knows nothing about and deny it, see. There you are.

Great people. Yes, sir.

Then there are organizers. They're prosperous, successful, smart in worldly wisdom, just exactly like Satan did to Eve. That little helpless woman. He came right to her and tried to sell her on the idea that she would be wiser than what she was. And that's what she was looking for. Instead of staying right what the Word said, he wanted to sell her on the idea she'd be wiser, and she bought his product. And they still do the same thing today. The wisdom of this world is foolish to God. Yes, sir.

Oh, my. Just the same thing that the Pharisees sold out and did, see, with the wisdom that they knowed, but deny the whole Word of God, when it's properly been proven, and it's been vindicated to them. They still try to find something and think it's a gimmick. They're not settled in their mind. They can't believe it. You can tell them anything and they're back again. You can tell them anything, they're back again, and they just . . . You can't get it soaked in, you see. And watch them; they're watching for a time—just a loophole, that's all they want.

That's what . . . If it hadn't been for the grace of God all my loopholes had been exposed if I had any, see. It's the grace of God 'cause there is no loopholes in the Word of God. It's straight gospel.

I've always said, anybody, if you see me teach or do anything that's not exactly with the Word of God, you come tell me. Here's the thing that covers the loopholes that you're trying to find. Just put your eyes on that and you'll see no loopholes, 'cause there's no loopholes.

Now remember, Judas thought he found one. That fellow thought he found one. Many times they think they find it, but it proves out that it's not. That's the make-believers—hypocrites. They're ninety-five percent on the Word—so was Eve. But ninety-nine and nine-tenths, but it was that one tenth that caused all death and sorrow. That's the one thing that condemns the organization and things, 'cause they don't take the whole Word of God. That's the make-believers. We find that it's always been. But deny the true a-vindicated Word. These are always in each generation. We find them just as we go along, and also very religious. Now, I'm fixing to close right now, 'cause I done took up another half hour.

Jesus, we find out that He has warned us against these last days and these kind of people, that they'd be so much like the real thing that they would, absolutely would deceive the very elected ones. What is that? That's the Judases. The people that goes so far up . . . Look, they even can cry, shout, claim to cast out devils, everything, and then turn back around and deny the Word. Exactly. They have a form of godliness. They'd almost . . . Look at where Judas came. Judas' spirit climbed into the gospel up to the place of Pentecost. But when it come to the time for his baptism in the name of Jesus Christ, and these other things that goes with the baptism of the Holy Ghost, he walked out. He showed his colors. And that spirit can live in those denominations till it gets right to that truth, then she drops right back, like the spirit that's on them that forerun their coming, just as John forerun Jesus' coming.

Now you say, “Jesus said they'd be so close.”

Now elected, that's the kind that has had their name on the book from the foundation of life that believes or foundation of the world that believes all the Word of life. That's the elected.

Now, watch these people. Now, I say this with reverence and respect with godly love, if I don't I'm . . . I need an altar call myself. Notice, Jesus said they would deceive the very elected. Now, that wouldn't be Methodist; that wouldn't be Baptist. We know they're unbelievers to begin with, but it's Pentecostals organization that took into that denomination, drawed their lines without the Word, and drawed a line and put their own organization, and fenced out the Word. They would deceive the very elected. So perfectly alike! Say, “They cry; they shout; they jump up-and-down; they claim healing services!” So did Judas, and so did all the rest of them. When they went out, come back rejoicing and everything, and even had their names written in the Lamb's book of life. But remember, the bride don't come up in that group. She goes in the rapture.

At the judgment, the judgment was set, and the books were opened. The wicked, and another book which is the book of life, it was open. And there was the bride there to judge it, see. Another book was open which was the book of life. That's the sheep on one side and the goats on the other. See, the people have died back yonder that never had the opportunity. They'll be the ones that'll be separated.

But now notice—“Deceive the very elected.” watch that group! That's that group that follows right along—“Yes, brother. Hallelujah! Yes! Glory to God!” And right down in your heart you see what they're working you for—have you in church. Why? To draw a crowd to bleed them of every bit of money they can get out of it. You think I don't know that? They might not think I know it, but I know it. Jesus knowed from the beginning who was deceiver! See, see. But what did He do? He just waited till that time. That's what we must always do. Wait till that time; don't move in yourself. Wait till that minute.

Having a form and go right along; that's that deceiving group. Watch that deceiver. That group there, not the believer, not the unbeliever, but that make-believer. Oh, my! What are they doing? Just weeding along until they think they can find something; pulling every penny that they can out of the people (see), then piling it up in these great big organizations, which are absolutely against, and they know it. See, they know it. Don't make any difference what you say. They've always warned their people before you come. “Don't listen to it.”

One man with the audacity to stand there in Ohio (just when Brother Kidd was healed), come out there on the platform and said, “Now Brother Branham is a prophet, no doubt at all, when he's under the anointing, but now,” said, “when the anointing is off of him,” said, “don't you believe his teaching, because it's wrong.”

And he didn't know that sitting in my room, the Lord revealed it to me, and I walked right down there (and many of you was there), and I said, “Why would a man say a thing like that when the Word . . .” Now see, I never said I was a prophet, he said it! And the prophet—the word “prophet” (seer) Old Testament . . . now the English version of “prophet” means a preacher. But the Old Testament seer was a man who had the divine interpretation of the Word and was proven by the Word coming to him and foreseeing it. That was what . . .

and a man saying that a man be a prophet and then saying his teaching is wrong. If that ain't a money working scheme, what is? The hour is close at hand when that thing will be pulled out on the scene. But that's the kind that (that make-believer) pat you on the back, call you brother, just as Judas. But remember, He knowed from the beginning; He still knows.

Remember, all these listening to this tape, too. That's right. You're in one of them classes. That's exactly right. Now we're going to close.

Every person that's here present, every person that listens to this tape, and even though some day I have to leave this world, these tapes will still live. That's right, see. And you're in one of these classes. You've got to be in one of them! It's exactly. You can't escape it; you're in one of these classes.

Now watch. Identify yourself with a Bible character that believed. Where you believed the Word when it was a-vindicated like I proved it tonight that it was a-vindicated Word. Always, always, contrary to the popular belief. If you should've lived in the days of Noah (now let me say), what side would you have been on? the church side or Noah's side, the prophet? See? If you'd've lived in the days of Moses, would you have believed Moses' message after it'd been proven and a-vindicated by God? But would you've went with Korah and Dathan and them and said, “You're not the only holy man; other people can do these things that you do, too?” See? You'd have to be one, and you are tonight.

Or would you have been with Daniel or with the church that was down there at Nebuchadnezzar's party they was giving? See? Would you have been outside, or would you have been down at the shindig, the big thing they were having?

Would you have been with Elijah, that man standing alone, called an old crank—a man lost his mind, standing up on top of a hill, his head shining up there to the sun, with a crooked stick in his hand the birds feeding him? Some crank. Or would you've been with the priest and all of them down there with Jezebel, and the rest of them modern dressed women? And Elijah standing up there rebuking them as hard as he could. What part would you took your wife to? Just think; just picture yourself tonight.

In the days of Jesus, would you've been with this boy that had no credentials? He had no denomination affiliations. They said, “What school did You come from? We don't have You on our record here. How do you get this wisdom? How'd you ever learn if we didn't teach you these things? What school did you come through? Are you Methodist, Presbyterian, or Baptist?” He was none of it. That's right. He was the Word. That's exactly right, Brother. Or would you have took the side with the Pharisees of the modern belief, of the humble, old priest that seemed to be so gentle and nice, and the organization that stood up since the Nicaea Council, or since Luther organized it, or . . . What group would you've been in? Would you've been . . . What group would you have been with? Would you've stood with the Word when you seen it a-vindicated and proved to you it was the message of the day, or would you have took the church stand? Now, just picture yourself tonight.

Would you have been with the apostles when they seen Jesus and all these mysterious things, when He crammed down on them preachers? Said, “You are a nest of snakes”—them honest, old preachers, studied that Word. Said, “You're nothing but a den of thieves, and you're full of dead men's bones! You're nothing but a whited wall,” see. “You generation of vipers.” Would you have stood with a hot-headed fellow like that, who stood there and rebuked and tore down and said, “Which one of you can accuse me of sin! If I do not what the Father says . . .”

They said, “Don't listen; that guy's got a evil spirit on him. He's crazy; he's mad. He's got a spirit of the devil on Him,” see. “Now, how He does that, He . . . that's a fortune-teller's spirit, and He tell . . . What is He? His mother had Him before her and her husband was married.” See, see. “What school did He come through? We don't even have one record of Him ever going to grammar school.” And yet when He was twelve years old, He astounded and confound the priests with the Word of God. “What school did He come out of?” The school of above. “When you see the Son of man descending up from where He come from,” see. That was His school.

But would you have stood with the apostles to a man like that, when the showdown come? Or would you actually have walked off with the seventy and said, “Well, we'll go on back to our church if that's the way You're going to teach. Saying You, the Son of man . . . When after all, who are you? What are You? A man like I am; I eat with You! Trying to say You're something. I've watched You; I've seen your weakness; I've seen You cry; I've seen You do this, that or the other; I seen You go in the wilderness with us and everything else like that. Now and You're just a man, and say You come down from heaven. That's too much for me.” Would you have walked up with them. Or would you have walked out with the seventy, or would you have walked on with the apostles and Christ?

When St. Martin tried to hold the baptism in the name of Jesus Christ in the church, when he still tried to hold to signs and wonders and things, and the Catholic church condemned the man and wouldn't even recognize him at all, and cast him out—would you have took the place with the Catholic creed, or would you have stood with St. Martin when he refused to put up all these kinds of images of dead people and worship them, worship them images and so forth?

When he refused the dogmas that was added, he said, “Let the Word be truth!” And God vindicated him with great signs and wonders, and what he foretold happened. And everything that he did, he walked in the Spirit of God and proved it, and wasn't one of them priest or anything could do anything about it. Would you have took his side and went with St. Martin, or would you have went with the Catholic creed?

Now, the Word of God or the church dogmas is before you. Can you take and accept what the dogmas of the church, or do you take what the Word says? Remember, in all ages has been as it is right now. There's always a popular belief among the people, and it's always been a . . . just a little bit contrary to the real Word. Remember, it's never been just a right out deny it. Oh, no. The antichrist don't deny the Word. Certainly not. He says he believes it, but just not all of it the way it is wrote here. See, see?

Satan told Eve: Eve believed it all but just that little bit that he told her. They take just all of it but just a little bit. It might be go to the pool; it might be something else. You've got to take it every bit just the way it is here (see), just the way it's said here. Might cause you to do some first works over again, but it's just what the Word said.

This has been Satan's trick since he worked it first on Eve: just to disbelieve a little bit of the Word, and always separates these three classes of people. The Word separates these people. In every age it's been that way! Every age that ever has been, it's been that way. When God sent something on the scene and clearly identifies it (His Word), then there are those that follow that claim to be believers, and they are. There are those that wouldn't turn back. They believe the Word; as long as you stay in the Word, they believe it. But when it comes a little contrary (no matter how much God identifies it) to what they believe, they say, “Well, I don't know about that.” That's the unbeliever.

Or do you follow along just to see till you can get a chance to say, “Aha, here you are!” A Judas to stab somebody in the back like he did. “I knowed it would come out sooner or later! There you are!” That's the make-believer. Every bit of it; we see it in the Bible.

A little boy one time, down here in Kentucky, raised way up in the mountains, he had never been around where there was a looking glass. He had a little piece tacked up on a tree, but he had never seen himself. He come here to Louisville, it was told, to stay with his mother's sister, and she lived in one of the nice homes, old-fashioned home. When he went into the . . . one of the bedrooms, it had a door that had a mirror all up and . . . all the way up and down the door, see. And when the little fellow started to run through the house, he stopped. Little Johnny saw a little Johnny, see. Then he scratched his head and little Johnny in the mirror scratched his head. He laughed, and little Johnny in the mirror laughed. He jumped up-and-down, and little Johnny jumped up-and-down in the mirror, see. He walked up real close. He saw this little boy he could play with. So he walked up; directly, he pecked on the glass. He turned around and his parents was watching him. He said, “Mama, that's me.”

Now, you look in this one; which is you? Which one of these little Johnnys are you impersonating? Which one is you? See? You're one of them. That's one of them; one that would turn back, the first flaw he found—that you called a flaw, see. Test it with the Word and see if it's right. If the Word proves all things (see), prove all things by the Word. Jesus said do so. Yes, sir. “Hold fast to that what's good.” That's exactly what He said.

Now, look in the mirror of God's Word in the other ages and see which group of these three that you'd be identified in. Now just think, if you'd lived in the days of Noah, if you'd lived in the days of Moses, if you'd lived in the days of Jesus or one of them, whatever it is, just think what group you would be identified with. Think of it tonight.

Then your present . . . Now, just think now. This is deep now. And don't run over the top of it. Your present state right now proves to you what group you'd have been with back there. Now, you're your own judges. Proves what you are.

Reverend, minister, what group would you have been with when Jesus made that statement that was hard to believe? What . . . After He'd thoroughly been identified that He was the Word, see. And yet that statement—you never heard of anything like that. The Son of man. What will you say if He'd be . . . ascends up into heaven where He come from.

And you said, “Well, I know where he was borned at! I know his papa; I know his mama! And here he says he's going to ascend up where he come from!” That would have been a little too much for you, wouldn't it, sir? Been just a little bit too much for you; you couldn't have stomached that. Maybe it's the same thing today. Then look in the glass of God's Word and see where you stand. Oh, deceiver of men. Don't you never do that.

Look, you're one of these classes. And your present state right now, the present state of mind that you here in this visible audience, and you that'll be in the invisible audience of this tape, your present state of mind, after listening to this tape proves to you what class you're in. It tells you exactly where you are: whether you are a believer in the Word and will stay with it; whether you'd walked out, or shut that tape off, see. That tells what you're doing. You don't want to listen to it and shut it off and say, “I don't want to listen to that.” That's that unbeliever, see. You won't stop to test it and see if it's truth or not, see.

Or just hanging around and trying to find some fault with it. Then you know where you are too. It tells you. God help us to believe it and stand on it, and be loyal to it, and obey the Word for He is the Word. You believe that? Let us pray.

Dear heavenly Father, how hard it is at times to say these things, and know that perhaps, tens of thousands of people will hear this over the tape as they go out across the country and around the world. But dear Lord, it is true; it's so true. I pray, Lord, first clean my heart. Oh, Lord, test me; try me. Just look down upon me, Lord. I'm weak; I'm tired; I'm wore out. My throat is husky; my lips are parched like. And my body is wearing down, I'm getting old. And it won't be too many more times, Lord, maybe too many more turns of the sun till I'll be going. Well now, check me now, Father, and if there's something that I'm doing wrong and don't know it, You just reveal it to me, Lord. You show me. I'm ready now to make it all right.

I look at myself over there in the glass of God's Word. Where do I stand? Do I see my image reflecting Jesus Christ? Is that the person I see in the glass? Do I see one of the believers of the Old Testament, or the believers of the New Testament? Do I see a make-believer? Do I see myself as an unbeliever, that wouldn't stand and listen to the Word, and would take the denominational idea instead?

Do I see myself hanging around trying to find a little loophole?

Lord, if it's so, just clean me, Lord. Let my heart be clean and pure, because this is my life, Lord. I want it right. There's no need of just halfway doing it if there's a way to make it really done. I want it fixed right, Father. Not only that, but I'd be leading men wrong and women wrong, and the people that I love and loves me, then I'd be wrong.

And Father, if there be anything . . . If I thought tonight that any denominational church was right, or the council of churches was right, if the majority of the people were right, Lord God, help me to be man enough and Christian enough to admit my wrong and stand here and send these people to where I think that would be right. Cleanse me; let me look and see.

But when it comes to those things, Lord, as far as I can see it, having those forms and deny the Word, you can tell it to them and yet they say, “Well, it don't make any difference. God don't expect that out . . .”

Lord, I believe that You are the same Jesus; You're the same God that You ever was. You're still God and You change not. I believe that this Bible is Your Word, and I believe that You and Your Word are the same. And I pray God, that You'll give us of Your Holy Spirit to quicken the Word to give us the quickening power, that someday when life is over and You're finished with us, that we'll be quickened and ascend up into heaven where we was in the thoughts of God before the foundation of the world. God, grant it. Forgive our sins, Father.

If there be men or women here that stands in that other class besides true believers in the Word, God cleanse their heart. If there is any listening in to the tape or will listening in, I pray for the cleansing of their hearts, that You'll cleanse them, Lord. I don't want to see them lost. God, I pray that You'll help us to understand that, one wrong won't righten another wrong. There's only one way to do it, that's get both wrongs out of the way and get right. And I pray, Father, that You'll grant that to us through Jesus Christ our Lord.

With our heads bowed, our hearts bowed, I want you to stop just a few minutes. When I saw the vision of hell, as a little boy; the horrors of it . . . Then I may be wrong in this. That might just have been a premonition; it might . . . I don't know; it seems I was somewhere. It was so natural. Then not long ago when I seen the realms of the blest. When I was in the realms of the lost, I screamed, “Oh, God, don't never let a person come here!” You can't . . . There's no tongue can describe to you what the horrors of it is. There's no way for me to tell you. If you believe that there is a burning hell, full of fire and brimstone, that would be a cool shady green pasture to the side of what the horrors of this lost condition was in and the misery that has associated that place.

And if I tried to speak to you of things that would be beyond a human's understanding, I still couldn't describe the place of the blest: how peaceful, never to die, never to be old, never to be sick, always to be young, always to be healthy, never to die—eternal life, in the blest of youth, and no sin or nothing else. Oh, there's just no way to describe it!

Even to St. Paul, he said, “Eye has not seen; ear has not heard; nor has it even entered the hearts of men . . .” You can't even understand it! There's no way to explain it! “. . . what God has for them in store that love Him.”

And now, as this is surely true, both here and the invisible audience, we are pictured here tonight in one of these classes. Either we are genuine believers . . . Test it with the Word. If the Word said a certain thing and the church said something different, what would you take? Look in the glass of God's Word and see which class you're standing in. And if you're not tonight (both here and in the invisible audience)—if you're not with that believing type, could I offer just a word of prayer for you now that you would come into that believing type? And would you signify the same by God with your head bowed, your hearts bowed, your eyes closed, and before God . . . Sometimes people are just a little bit afraid, you know, to kind of raise up their hands—afraid their neighbor . . . which they oughtn't to be that way, but they should be willing to stand up and say, “I'm wrong. I'm wrong.”

“He that covers his sin shall not prosper, but he that will confess his sin will have mercy,” see. What is sin? unbelief. Unbelief in what? the Word.

Now, if you're not in that class, there's things that you see in the Bible that you just simply . . . in your intellectuals, you can't see it. You just . . . You know the Bible said so, but you just can't understand it and yet you want to. You say, “God, let me have the understanding. I'll obey You.” Would you raise your hand and say, “Remember me as we pray.” God bless you. God bless you. That's good, see. Really just think of it. “Is there something in the Bible that I just don't know. I'm afraid I'm going to find myself in one of the other categories. Maybe I'm going to find myself with the seventy that I . . . There's just some things that I . . . It's too hard for me to understand how that God would do these things. How He could be . . . how Jesus could be the same. How these things . . . I don't understand it. I want to understand it; I want to believe it, and God help my unbelief. I want to be part of it; I want to be a partaker of the Word. I want it in me.”

“If ye abide in me and my Word abides in you, then ask what you will . . .”St. John 15. We know that's true. Look. “If ye abide [not in and out, in and out.] but if ye abide in me [and He is the Word] and it abides in you, then just ask what you will and it shall be given unto you.” Ye shall have it.

“He that receiveth my words, and believeth on him that sent me has already passed from death to life.” But can you receive the Word, first? Can you receive the Word? All the Word. All of Christ. Christ is the anointed Word. He is the Word, anointed. “Christ” means the anointed one, the anointed Word for that day made manifest, the Saviour, the Redeemer. That's when He was to come, and He was that anointed person to take that place.

Now, it's the Holy Spirit in the last day to shine forth the evening light, restoring back the faith that's been trampled down through the denominations; condemning the denominations and coming back to the original faith, with the original Bible faith; the original Bible, believing every word of it, not adding it and making it say this and say that; just say it the way it's said. And you want to believe it that way. Is there one that never raised their hands, would like to raise their hands and say, “God, remember me.”

God bless you, lady. God bless you, young lady. God bless you. Fine. God bless you, little fellow. God bless you, my sister. I want to . . . God bless you, sister, over to my right. Bless you in the back. I want . . . And God bless you, young man, and you, sister, over here. You, brother, over this other side. Lord bless you. God bless you in the back.

“Just remember me, Lord.”

Now remember, you're not holding your hand to me—to Him.

Right straight in back of me . . . Lord sees your hand. Even if I miss it, He sees it. He knows your heart; He knows what's pulsating there. He knows your objective; He knows what your motive is to that objective.

God bless you, Brother.

Someone else. “I want to believe all the Word.” God bless you. God bless you. “Help me, Lord, help me.” The Lord sees your hands. Yes, sir. That's it. “There's thing's that I can't understand. I don't want to be an unbeliever. Though I don't understand them, I want to believe it anyhow. I'm ready to say, 'Lord God, here I am. I want to believe. Help my unbelief.' ” God be with you. God bless you. Many, many hands are up, and still going up.

You say, “Brother Branham, does that help?” Put your hand up once with a real, right objective and find out how you feel about it. You've testified that there is a little something in your life, you know. There's a little something you don't want it to be there, but it is there anyhow. You wonder how it could be done. And Lord, forbid that I would be a Judas. Forbid that I'd follow along in a message just maybe trying to think that some day some little flaw will show up. Oh, God, not me. Let me stay right with Thy Word, see. Or maybe I'd be a unbeliever that just simply thinks, “Well, if . . . Well, why don't the rest of them say so,” see. I don't want to be like that either. I want to be a believer. I want to . . . I see God's Word of the hour. I see God in it. And Lord, make me part of that Word; make me part of it. I want to be part of it. The Lord bless you.

Now, let us pray, and every person, you pray for yourself, and I'm going to pray for you. You know, one day we're going to . . . we're not going to be together here, maybe, for awhile. Some of us will be taken. And we won't be together. There's many of us here, some of us are getting old; some of us . . . we don't know—even young die. We die at any age. We got to be separated and this thing's got to be settled. And you just can't get there on haphazardly, you've got to come while you're in your right mind.

You say, “Well, just before I die, if I can see it.” No, don't do that. You might not even be in your right mind then. You might be killed before you get home in an accident. You might die in a heart attack. We don't know what's going to happen; only God holds that. I trust not. I'm watching people on the outside even holding their hands in the window, see. Yes, God bless . . .

I want to be right. I want to be right. And now, let's make it right now.

Right, now, just . . . You can settle it for one time if from the bottom of your heart, if you'll sincerely say, “Lord Jesus, no matter what it is, or what anyone else says, Your Word will be first in my life. I want it in my life. You are the Word. The Bible said so, and I believe that the Bible is the Word of God, and I know the creeds and the dogmas that's been injected into it has made it a bunch of hypocrisy. Lord, cleanse me from such stuff as that and let me be wholly Thine. I raise my hands to You; I raise my heart to You, my voice to You, my prayer to You. God be merciful to me.” And my hands are up too. Lord, cleanse me, oh Lord, from all unbelief.

Though He may not give me the power to walk like Enoch and not have to die, but just take an afternoon's walk and go home with Him; but God, I do believe that it will happen, because I know there's to be a rapture in the last days, and the work's to be cut short. Father, so says our calendar—thirty-six more years and the work will be over, and You'll have to come sometime within that or there'll be no flesh saved. And then we're told by the chronologists and the people who search such things that we are absolutely advanced many, many years from that—many years on up. They tell us by the calendars that we're way up further than that—maybe there's only fifteen or twenty years left. I don't know, Father. But I know, even according to our calendar, we're almost there.

I see where there cannot be any hope left, Lord. There is coming a . . . If they ever start turning those bombs loose on each other, Lord, there'll be no battle front. They will destroy one another. Lord, it's hanging there, and yet the Bible says the whole heavens and earth will be on fire. God, I see the hour appearing.

I think of the assassination of the president, and then see that other evil man come in, without letting the man have a trial, and shot him down in cold-blooded murder. Oh, God, one's as guilty as the other. They have no right to do that. Evil in our own nation, supposed to be a Christian nation. What a poor example we are, Lord, of Christians. Forgive us, Lord, of our sins. Help us, oh God, especially Your church—them that's baptized into that mystical body of Christ. “Which it's the Spirit that quickeneth,” You said. “And as the Son of man ascended up, so shall his body ascend up, and He is the head; his church is the body.” Oh, God, it's the head that guides the body. Let the headship of the Word guide the body of Christ. And may I be part of that body, Lord.

I pray for these who raised their hands, and all's present, and all that'll be on the tapes. Lord, God, I pray sincerely, take them in, Lord. You look at their hearts. You know what they are. But as Your servant I intercede for the people, Lord. I love them. I love them and I'm only trying to do this, because I feel Your commission is for me to do it. So Father, here I am, doing the best I can with . . . Forgive my feeble mistakes, Lord. I pray that You'll grant to me strength that I'll be able to make it more plainer to the people.

Now, be with us here in the tabernacle, tonight. Look down upon these, Lord—those who raised their hands in the tabernacle. Search me, oh Lord, and try me. If there be any wrong in me, cleanse me, Father. Grant it. Cleanse this church. Clean us all, Lord, that the Word will be made flesh among us and be made known to the world in this day. Grant it, Father. For I commit this with myself, and this text, and with this audience, and with Thy Word and Thy promise for the salvation of our souls, in the name of Jesus Christ. Grant it, Lord. May the power of God come upon us and anoint us, all the way from the pastor to the janitor, and every person that's present. May the Holy Ghost come and take it's place into our heart and take every promise of God and reveal to us that Thy Word is truth. Through Jesus' name I pray.

And while we have our heads bowed, I can . . . just want the organist, if she will, to give us a chord on this song, “I can hear my Saviour calling. Where He leads me I will follow; where He leads me I will follow.”

. . . . . my Saviour calling,

(What is He? the Word)

I can hear my Saviour calling,

I can hear my Saviour calling,

(Now, deny your dogmas and things.)

“Take thy cross and follow . . .”

“He that will not take up his cross, and follow me, the Word, is not worthy to be my disciple.”

Where He leads me . . . (Back to the Bible,

where He'll lead you.) . . . will follow,

Where He leads me I will follow,

Where He leads me I will follow,

I'll (If it's to the pool in His name, if it's

to the altar to get rid of my shame.)

. . . . . . . . . . . . all the way.

. . . . . . Him through the judgment,

That's it, right now. What side are you on? What do you see in your reflection in the Bible, God's looking-glass? If I'm being judged now by the Word?

I'll go with. . . . . . . . . .

I'll go with the Word no matter what it cost. I'm going through the judgments of God, if I have to take one of the places, make me a believer. Right down the Word.

. . . . with Him, with Him all the way.

For where He leads me I will. . . .

(Now think it over, real close now.)

Where He leads me I will follow,

Where He leads me I will follow.