The Presence Of God Unrecognized

Now, while our crowds are small we're going to try to hurry up, get out, so we can ... working for this one purpose: for you to recognize the presence of Jesus Christ, see. If He is present, then, why, everything's settled. He made the Word. He's here to confirm it. He proves that He'll confirm it. He's just the same yesterday, today, and forever. We seen Him do it last night, infallibly. We see Him night after night, and day after day, and year after year.

Never one time has He predicted anything—regardless of what it was, when it would happen, out of the thousands of times—but what was perfectly on the dot, on time, and right. How can it...? How many knows that, and knows the ministry, and knows that's true? There you are. Not one time! Regardless how even impossible; happened just the same. He's God! If we would just recognize that, take a hold of it!

And now, we just have a short time to be here. I think three more nights—two more nights and a day after tonight. I think Sunday afternoon is the closing service. We try to close on Sunday afternoon so that the pastors and everybody.... We don't want to keep you from your church. We just want to add more to the church, and give you more faith in the God that you serve in your church, see. And we don't want the doors of the church closed, by no means. We want you to stay there. But we're just trying to help you, to encourage you. A revival don't even mean to add more to the church. A revival means to revive that what you've already got. That's right—a revival.

I watched one time at the seashore where a wind was blowing, and it was just shaking it. Well, it wasn't the seashore. It was a ... it was up Lake Michigan. I was standing out there watching the waves as they come in. And all that sea was a-jumping, or the water was a-jumping, and the boats a-rocking.

And I thought, “What is that going on?” I thought, “Why, the lake's having a revival. That's it. It's jumping and shaking. Why there's a rushing mighty wind coming down on it.”

I thought, “Well, you know what? There isn't one more drop of water in it right now than what it was when it was perfectly still—no more water in it. It's just all stirred up. Well,” I thought, “what's it stirred up about?”

You know what a stirring up of the water does? It washes all the trash out of it, up on the bank. That's we need—a washing of unbelief out on the bank. Let the Word of God have pre-eminence. That's what we need—a revival! Wash all the unbelief out, and all the bugs, and superstitions and things come out, and see that God's still God. That's what we have revivals for.

The Lord help us as we choose this text and read it for tonight. May the Lord bless the reading of his Word, found in St. Matthew the 12th chapter, 38th to the 42nd verse. And my text tonight is “The Presence of God Unrecognized.” Last night we were talking of Jesus being the same yesterday, today, and forever, and seen that He was the same yesterday, today, and forever. Now his presence, if He is the same, is unrecognized. Let us read;

Then certain of the scribes and of the Pharisees answered, saying, Master, we would see a sign from thee.

But he answered and said unto them, An evil and adulterous generation seek after a sign; and there shall be no sign ... given unto it, but the sign of the prophet Jonas:

For as Jonas was three days and three nights in the whale's belly; so shall the Son of man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth.

The men of Nineveh shall rise in the judgment with this generation, and shall condemn it: because they repented at the preaching of Jonas; and, behold, a greater than Jonas is here.

And the queen of the south shall rise up in the judgment with this generation, and shall condemn it: for she came from the uttermost parts of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon; and, behold, a greater than Solomon is here.

The “Unrecognized Presence.” What could these people be thinking of? God has always ... it's been that way every time He come. When Jesus was here the first time He said, “You whiten and you garnish the walls and the tombs of the prophets, and you put them in there.” See, something happens and it passes by, and God hides it from the eyes of the wise and prudent, and reveals it to babes such as will learn. Jesus thanked the Father for doing such, see. It goes right by the people, and they don't know it.

For instance, you Catholic people here tonight. You remember, a few years ago Joan of Arc in France—the little lady that was.... Really, she led the revolutionary in France, but she was really a servant of Christ. What did your church do to her? Burn her at the stake as a witch, because she seen visions and was spiritual. The Catholic church burned her as a witch at the stake, because she was spiritual and seen visions.

A few years afterwards they found out that that woman was a saint. So, of course, you done great penance: you dug up those priests' body that condemned her and burned her, and throwed them into the river. Of course that ... you done great penance for that, for ... digging up these priests' body.

Now in the days of the prophets what happened? They did the same thing. They didn't recognize them till they had done come, ministry had finished, took out of that the elected. And then after they were gone they recognized that there had been a prophet among them.

Jesus, He came to the earth. Endowed within Him was the Father, God: “I and my Father are one. My Father dwelleth in me. It's not me that doeth the works, but my Father. And if I do not the works of my Father believe me not.”

Now, if you notice when He came, about one-ninetieth of the world knew that He was even on earth at that time; and yet the saviour of the world. And then, they never recognized who He was (even the church or no one else, hardly) until they had crucified Him. Buried, and rose on the third day, before they ever knowed who He was.

It comes in and goes out, and people does not recognize it until it's past, and they ... because that it never fits their theology. It never fits the time of the day.

See, what it is? They are always living in a glare of another age. Always. The reason they didn't accept Jesus, because they were living in the glare of the law. And when Jesus came, it was not contrary to the law, but come to fulfill the law. Well, they couldn't accept Him because his message wasn't exactly the way they had it all creeded out. And it was called then traditions. And He didn't come according to their traditions.

He didn't keep their traditions. And really He upset it, and tore it up, and done things that was contrary to it—insomuch that they thought He was breaking up the churches. And they couldn't receive Him because of his message. And we all know today that He come exactly in the line of God's prophecy; but they didn't know it then. And it could happen again, and we wouldn't know it.

I imagine if He'd actually appear tonight, it would be so contrary to what we've got all figured up on our charts, and in our schools and things, it would be very few would recognize what was going on. He said it would be, how He'd come.

Now Jesus being there so Scripturally identified by the Scriptures, and the scribes and Pharisees of that day could not recognize Him. Why didn't they? Why didn't they do it? Because they had it figured out some other way. That's where Jesus told them, “Search the scriptures; for in them you think you have eternal life: and they are they that testify of me,” see. Now, He come exactly with the scriptures. But they had it figured out, maybe, that if He would come, the Messiah would probably do what Moses did, or what Noah did—build them an ark, or something else. But the reason He come the way He did.... They hadn't figured out in the scriptures what their traditions did not teach them, so the people were so confused they didn't know what was going on. Wonder if that could happen today? I wonder if it could be different than what our traditions has taught us? And it could come and something would pass through, and we'd never even know until it's already passed, and then it's over. That's just about the way it will come.

Do you know when John the Baptist came on the scene that it had been predicted all the way from the book of Isaiah—hundreds of years? About eight hundred years Isaiah prophesied, I think, before the coming of Christ. Did you know John came exactly the way Isaiah said he would come? He come exactly the way Malachi said he would come, and even the apostles didn't recognize it.

One day (in Matthew 11) John was in prison. And the apostles ... some of his disciples went over to ask Jesus was He the one, or should they look for another. Now notice. Jesus did not give them a book of how to behave themselves, how to behave himself in jail, or how to conduct his character. He said, “Stay around and watch what happens. And go show John the things that you seen happen.” That was the evidence that He was that Word.

Now remember, the Word always comes to a prophet. We all know that. God does nothing without showing it to his prophets. That's the reason the book of the Revelation of Jesus Christ is the fullness of Christ, right here before us, the book. Now. He'll have to send someone to confirm that book, reveal it, open the seals and so forth. But as far as any farther revelation of Christ, it's already recognized right here, He's the fullness of this—of the revelation.

Now notice. Never does it fail but the Word comes to the prophet.

Look at John standing in the water, predicting the prophet, that the Messiah was right then among them. He said, “There is one standing among you, now, that you don't know. He'll baptize you with the Holy Ghost and fire.” Now remember, He was standing right among them. The Bible said so. And they didn't recognize it. One day when Jesus came walking down, John recognized Him. He said, “Behold the Lamb of God that takes away the sin of the world.” Now watch. Before He was recognized by anybody, He came to the prophet. He was the Word; John was the prophet.

I remember my old Baptist teacher told me, said, “You know what happened?” Said, “Jesus baptized John.”

I said, “I don't think so.”

He said, “Sure. John was never baptized. He come preaching baptizing. Nobody was worthy to baptize him. Jesus baptized him.”

I said, “I don't know.”

And one day while in study, the Holy Spirit revealed it like this, see. Watch. He walked out in the water. He said, “Why comest thou unto me? I have need to be baptized of thee.”

Jesus said, “Suffer that to be so. [Watch.] But thus it is becoming to us [behooving us] that we fulfill all righteousness.”

John being a prophet, knowing the Word, the sacrifice He was must be washed before presented. Then He was baptized. John baptized Him because “It's becoming to us that we fulfill all righteousness.” The Word came to the prophet in the water.

And then, when He was baptized, still the people.... And the Holy Spirit came down. Not everybody saw it. John saw it.

The angel of the Lord could be right here tonight, and maybe one person see it, no one else. That light, that star that come over every observatory where the wise men followed, no observatory knows anything about it. No one else saw it at all but those wise men, because it was for them to see it. They saw it. It was real to them.

When the light, the pillar of fire, smote Paul down on the road to Damascus, he recognized that he was in the presence of God. Now, that Hebrew would've never called any other spirit “Lord.” Besides, he knowed that was the same pillar of fire that led his people out of the wilderness.

He said, “Lord, who are you?”

“Saul, Saul, why persecutest thou me?” He said, “I'm Jesus.”

Jesus said, “I come from God, and I return to God.” He was that fire that was in the burning bush that led Moses through the wilderness, and He returned back to that.

And now here he was on the road down to Damascus and was stricken down; and all the men was with him, they never saw that pillar of fire. And it was so real to Paul till it put his eyes out, and he had to be led down to the street called Straight in Damascus. He was blind. Ananias, the prophet down there, saw in a vision and went and laid hands on him. And he received the Holy Ghost, and the scales fell from his eyes and he could see again. It was so real to him till it put his eyes out. And yet none of the rest of them recognized it being there, could see it.

So is it tonight. There is somebody sitting right there can bring God on the scene, when the others will know nothing about it, see, recognizing God.

Jesus when he was here on earth, and had fully performed the sign that the Bible said that He would do, but they didn't recognize it, because it wasn't according to their tradition for that age. He wasn't to come and do what Moses did. He was to come and be borned of a virgin. And He.... And according to Deuteronomy 18:15, He was to be a prophet. And exactly He did those works and signs.

The Jews always sought signs. They were taught to; never to depend on intellectual speeches. The Jews knowed better than that. The Greeks taught that. But—not intellectual speeches—but upon signs. “Show us a sign.”

These people once said, “Rabbi (or master), show us a sign.” They wanted to know. And He had already showed them the sign, and they wanted a different kind of sign. But He could only do the sign of that age.

So does He today. This pouring out of the Holy Ghost is the sign of his appearing even in this age, as He promised. They wanted a sign. And He had given the scriptural sign, but they wanted a different sign.

That's where there's so many people today is going to be confused.

You know the rapture might take place? And just think of the sadness of it. Let me go back to where Jesus, or John sent his disciples over to see Jesus, if He was the Messiah or not. That hour He'd done many things. When He returned back to the disciples to tell John what they had seen, Jesus said to those sitting there, said, “What went ye out to see in the wilderness? What went ye out to see when John was preaching? Did you go out to see a man clothed in white raiment, and so forth, or soft raiment?” Said, “They are in kings' palaces.” They bury the dead, and kiss the babies, and marry the young, and so forth that. They don't know the handling of a two-handed sword.

Said, “What did you go out to see then? A reed shaken with any wind?”

Somebody, some group will offer him a little more money, and he'll go over to this one, instead of going in the calling of the Lord? Not John. Somebody could twist him around, and say “We'll give you more, if you'll deny this, and take this.”? Not John.

He said, “What did you go out to see then? A prophet?” He said, “I say unto you, more than a prophet. And if you can receive it, this is he who the prophet said, 'Behold I send my messenger before my face which will prepare the way.' ”

And that was Malachi 3, where he did it.

One day the disciples asked, and said, “Why did the scribes say that Elias must first come?”

Jesus said, “He's already come, and you didn't know it,” and they understood that it was John the Baptist. Those elected apostles still couldn't see who he was. That was the Elijah.

Now, look. You know the coming of the Lord is going to be a secret coming? He said, “There'll be two in a bed, and I'll take one and leave one. [That's where the night is.] Two in a field, I'll take one and leave one.”

You know there is so many people disappear every day off the face of the earth, that nobody can account for? One of these days it might be that people might say, “Well, you mean the tribulation and thing's on us now? I thought the church was to go before the tribulation.”

They don't realize and understand that the rapture could take place and they'd know nothing about it. It's a secret going of the church.

And think, people'll go right on preaching, saying they believe they're getting saved, and adding in the church, and building churches, and going on just like they did in the days of Noah, and so forth. And not know it, and the rapture done past. “It's already happened, and you didn't know it.”

There's hundreds of people disappear from the earth and people know nothing about where they went to. They can't account for it. Somebody was going somewhere, they never hear from them no more. And that could be the rapture.

I tell you, friends, just because that we're members of the church or something like that, that doesn't mean too much to us. You better buckle up that armor! You better take that whole Word of God, and hold on to it, and quit this Hollywood acting around here. It's got right into the church, and it's a shame. But Hollywood glows. It just makes a bright light. And the church today is trying to compare with Hollywood.

Christ is not in Hollywood. Christ is in the individual. Hollywood (glows), Hollywood glares while the gospel glows with humility. God ain't in these great, fine, fancy places and all this stuff that we see. He comes in in humility, in form of meekness and gentleness. Pass right through, and if you are acquainted with the Word you'll see it. “He that has an eye to hear, let him hear what the Spirit saith to the churches,” see. Now.

Now today, which was identified....

He identified Himself properly to the believers that day, them who were looking for it. Look at Peter and Andrew, look at Nathanael—no question in his mind. Look at the woman at the well. There was no question in.... But these Pharisees a few days before, where our text is tonight, saw Him do that, and then called him Beelzebub, a devil. The works had been done. They had to answer their congregation. So the only thing they could do was call it a evil spirit. Beelzebub was a devil, like a fortuneteller or something, and anyone knows that fortunetelling is of the devil.

And they was comparing where.... He was the Word that knowed the secret of the heart, and is proving that He was that prophet that was to be raised up to us in this day, the redeemer prophet. And when He did that, the church in that day declared Him to be Beelzebub. You see what they was? He said “You're blind, leading the blind.” They won't come in. Neither will they let them that's under them come in.

What we want to do today is find out the truth. We've got to know the truth. Is He the same? Is He here to fulfill what He promised to fulfill? Search the Scriptures and find what He is supposed to do today. That's the reason that (John Wesley), or Martin Luther couldn't go on with Wesley's message. They organized it. That's as far as it could go.

Along come Luther out of the Catholic church. He was a crank to them, but he had the message of justification, because it was the Word of God, a promise. Then after his death they organized the Luther organization. Then what happened? It got all puddled up again. And according to the Scripture, there's got to be another church age raise. And when it did, the Philadelphian church age raised—John Wesley. And what had happened? It kept coming westward all the time. And when it happened, there was the church age, and John Wesley raised up.

But Luther could not receive it because they was already organized to justification. He could not accept sanctification. Then when the Wesleyans organized the way they did, and the little branches went off (which did), along come the Pentecostal message of the restoration of the gifts. None of them could move. They was already organized. Now the pitiful part of it is, the Pentecostal's so organized.

Look at the day we're living in. What's promised for this day? Where are we? We've moved on up. The pillar of fire moves, and the children of Israel move with the pillar of fire, or they went back to Egypt. We've got to move with the Word. And today we're getting so slothful. The church is getting so worldly and so indifferent, so their minds so muddled up with television, and “We Love Suzy,” and some of these old things, and staying home. That shows where the people's hearts are.

You can tell them these things are wrong, and they think you're crazy. What is it? Lovers of pleasure more than lovers of God, see.

Oh, the greatest pleasure I know of, is to be ... to pray until I can realize that I'm in the presence of God, and recognize it. I think that ought to be the thrill of the church, is the presence of the Holy Spirit, seeing the God that made the promise standing among us, feel his presence and see his Word, and see it vindicated. It ought to give faith to make cripples walk, blind see, deaf hear, dumb speak!

I stood in South Africa where I had some two hundred thousand people at the Durban race track. And when they seen one time that happen like that, after explaining it to them just in a little mild form.... And they seen one thing take place of that revealed, and 25,000 people was instantly healed at once. They'd taken seven van loads—trucks as long as them there six and eighteen wheelers like that—and piled them full of old crutches and things. Heathens, that didn't even know which was right and left hand!

And the next day Mr. Sidney Smith, the mayor of Durban, called me and said, “Go to your window out towards the Indian Ocean. You'll see something you've never seen.” There was the police escort coming down with seven of those big van loads, with hundreds of people walking behind it—the day before was in the stretchers, and cots, and carriers that they had—singing “Only Believe. All things are possible.” A week before that they were in war with one another, native war. And there they was walking arm-in-arm, hand-in-hand. Why? They recognized the God of heaven had appeared before them in the form of his Word.

We intellectual Americans sit. They'll raise in the day of the judgment and condemn this generation for what we've seen.

Reminds me of a woman in Louisville, Kentucky, not long ago. Had a little baby, walking around in the ten-cent store. And she was doing little things, trying to get it to notice. And the little baby kept staring straight out. And finally, she picked up a little bell—anything that ought to attract the attention of a little fellow about that size. And she shook the bell, and the little fellow just stared right straight in front. And she began screaming, and fell over, and some of the people come to help her.

She said, “Oh, no! It can't be! It can't be!”

Said, “What's the matter?”

Said, “The doctor said the baby was better.”

Said, “What's the matter with the baby, lady?”

Said, “Well, it took a spell about six months ago that it just sits and stares. No matter what it is ought to attract attention of that baby, it won't attract its attention. It just sits and stares. The doctor told me he thought it was better. And I brought it down here to pick up little gadgets that ought to attract that child, and it doesn't. He still sits and stares.”

That's the way the church is getting. God's shook every promise in the Bible before them. Still we just sit and stare. “Look at what? Show me a sign, will you?” And it's going on all the time, right around us, bringing the presence of God. It ought to illuminate us. God made a promise. He stands by that promise. Yes, sir! After Jesus had so proven his Messiahic sign that He was that Messiah, yet, ... face of all that, “Show us a sign.” See, they didn't recognize. It was staring straight ahead of them. It wasn't in them to believe.

As my old southern mother used to say, “You can't get blood out of a turnip, because there's none there.”

Still didn't recognize Him. So blinded by their creeds, and so forth, that they had that day, they never knew the scriptures of the promise because the creeds had covered it up. Their creeds and traditions of that day had covered up the Scripture promise. If they had been taught according to the Scripture, that that was supposed to be the sign that followed the Messiah.... How many believe that He come in his right sign? Sure, He did.

He come according to the promise. But they had been taught a creed. “We believe in this, and we believe in that.” All of them believed in God, all of them.

Today we Americans, especially, we think that we are going to be excused because we build big churches, and have fine pastors and things. Remember, if that was so.... God's unjust if He takes us in like that. For Cain and Abel, the two first worshippers outside of Eden, they built an altar to the Lord. Both of them made sacrifice, both of them offered gifts, both of them prayed. But one was right; and the other one was wrong. Notice, we must have the truth, and the truth is God's Word, always.

Now it's the same today. People become so blinded. They say.... I say, “Are you a Christian?”

“Oh, I belong to a certain, certain thing.” See, that don't have nothing to do with it. I ain't got nothing against that, but that's not what I'm trying to tell you. Belong to any church you want to. Your brand don't make any difference.

I was telling the pastor this morning, up in Colorado I used to ride the roundups, and so forth, and I used to sit there with my leg across the saddle, like that. The Troublesome River Hereford Association grazes the Troublesome River valley. Then you got, up in the top of the valley, you got the east and west fork. All the cattle from here up in the Association grazes the west fork, and the group that I was with grazed the east fork. Then they had the drift fence there to keep the cattle off of the private property, and up into the mountains through the summer.

And we would round up the cattle up, four or five different brands, eight or ten different brands on the river. We'd round up our cattle in the spring, take them up there. And I used to sit there with my leg across the horn of the saddle, after we'd got all the cattle, and they was all branded and everything, starting them back up on the pasture.

And the ranger stood there. He was counting them as they went through.

And I noticed there was all kinds of brands. Mr. Grimes had the Diamond Bar, and Chester Barless had the Turkey Track, we had the Old Tripod, and there was different brands went through there. But the ranger didn't notice the brand; he noticed the blood tag in the ear. There was nothing could go on that pasture to keep.... The breeding association select their cattle true to the breed. Nothing could go on there but a thoroughbred Hereford. It had to be tagged in the ear by the blood mark.

That's the way it will be at the judgment. He's not going to ask me if I was a Methodist, Baptist, Presbyterian. What brand I have won't mean nothing to Him. It's nothing but a borned-again, blood-borned Christian of the blood of Jesus Christ. That'll be what will go in. Nothing less than that will go in. Now we want to remember that.

Now when He is not recognized, his power is all ... is always not revealed when He is not recognized. No matter how much God is standing present, you've got to believe it, that's all. Like the woman with the blood issue. All them people passing by, and all of them standing up saying, “There goes the Rabbi.”

“That's the guy that claims to be a prophet.”

“This is the fanatic,” and all such as that. But what happened?

This little woman had an issue of blood, and she had heard about Him. And when she come down there, regardless of what anybody said, she recognized who He was. And she said, “If I can only touch his garment,” see. And when that genuine faith in God became a positive thing to her, what did it release? It released his power to heal her.

It touched Him in such a way, He turned around and told her what was wrong with her, and said, “Your faith has saved you.” What did? Faith. Others standing there might have been sicker than she. But you see, she recognized his presence. She knowed that was her opportunity.

If we could only do that tonight, people. If we could only realize that He's appearing to us in these meetings for one purpose—that's to release our desires that we have in Him to us. But we've got to recognize his presence. And now, how you recognize his presence, is when the promised word for this age is made manifest—not the promised word of Moses' age, or any other age. It is the promise of the word for this age.

Now, we find out He went right on. And Jairus, the little fellow up there with a dead daughter, he believed what He said was the truth. Now remember, he was a priest. And he was forbidden, because it'd been strictly told, anybody that associated with Him would be put out of the synagogue. Well, whether he was put out, or whether he wasn't, he was satisfied that God was present in Christ, and that was the Word. What did it do? It released to him the resurrection power that was in Him (amen!); brought forth a girl that was dead and laid out, because he recognized that God was in Christ, and his presence was in his house.

But in the city where He was brought up at.... That same power was in Him in the city where He was brought up at, but they never recognized Him. His presence to them didn't mean nothing, maybe some fanatic. “Where is these things? They tell me that you do so-and-so. Let me see you do them here.”

Haven't you heard that? “If there.... You bunch of Pentecostals, and you people that.... Do you believe in divine healing? Here is So-and-So over here. Let me see you heal him.” That's that same old devil.

The same one said, “If thou be the Son of God, command these stones to be made bread.” The same old devil, when He had his eyes covered up, they hit Him on the head with a stick, and said “Now,” (passed the stick one to the other) and said, “tell us who hit you, and we'll believe you if you're a prophet.” He don't clown for anybody.

Same one, when He was on the cross said, “If thou be the Son of God come off the cross, and prove that you are the Son of God.” He could have done it. They paid Him the greatest tribute He ever had there, but they didn't know it. They said, “He saved others; himself he can't save.” If He would have saved Himself, He couldn't have saved others. He gave Himself so He could save others, see. They didn't recognize the presence of God, that's all.

Now, it releases the power to heal, and what.... It'll release the power to open your eyes to recognize Him, or blind your eyes so you will never recognize Him. What opens the eyes of one, closes the eyes of the unbeliever.

But the city, they didn't have no confidence in Him. At the Pharisee's house, they invited Him down. Simon, a Pharisee had made a great supper. And Pharisee wanted to prove to them He was no prophet. So he was back there toasting with his glasses, and his goblets, and all the fine perfumes in the house. And Jesus had got in past the foot-wash flunky, and had sat down here; and dirty—the stink of the field on Him where the animals had been along the path, and his garments.... That's the reason they washed feet in them days.

And you see, the first thing, when you are invited to a home there in Palestine, when they wore those sandals, the first thing they did was to wash your feet, and then give you something to walk on their carpets. The great Persian rugs and things was beautiful.

The next thing they done, they'd give you some oil in your hand. It's got out of a little apple that's found way in the mountain, a rose apple. After the rose is gone it leaves the apple and fine perfumes. And they'd rub it over their face. And that direct rays of the Palestinian sun is horrible. And you see, that creates an odor.

And then, when you do, then the host comes to the door, and he kisses them on the neck and makes them welcome. How did them flunkies ever let Jesus get by without washing his feet or giving Him oil to anoint Himself, or even kiss Him welcome?

But there was a little prostitute out on the street. All them religious that's there now, the whole company, did not recognize Him. And a little woman of ill-fame—she looked in through the, perhaps, the gate, and she seen Him sitting like a wallflower.

That's the way He is today amongst a bunch of religions too—a wallflower. Unwelcome, unwanted, filth, dirty, holy roller they call Him. Some kind of a person that isn't in their right mind, a fortuneteller, mental telepathy, or some kind of an evil name, that Jesus (I'll get to it in a few minutes) said, “Speak a word against the Son of man it shall be forgiven you. But when the Holy Ghost is come, to do the same thing, one word will never be forgiven you.”

But there that little woman seen He needed service, and she rushed in real quickly, went and got an alabaster box full of oil. Probably had bought it with the money from her prostitution. But what was it?

She might have thought, “He is a prophet. But I remember another woman in my fix, another character like mine. She had the opportunity. She recognized Him, and she was forgiven, up there at the well of Sychar. Last night we talked of it. And if I can only get to Him.... I know who He is. I'll do Him a service. If the rest of them ... I don't care what they do. I'll do Him a service. I'll recognize He's the Son of God.”

She run in. She got real close to Him, and she felt so guilty. That's the way a real penitent sinner feels in his presence, guilty. And the tears begin to fall, and she was trying to hide them, and they dropped on his feet.

She was going to anoint Him, but the tears dropped on his feet, and she begin to wipe them, and crying, and wiping them with her hands. And his feet was all, getting mussed up with the dirt that was on it—and if you want to really believe it, with the stink of the animals off the trail. Everyone walked the same trail. And there it was, the stink on him sitting there. And her tears were dropping on his feet and she was trying to wipe them off and she had no towel.

What is the woman's beauty and honor? Is her hair. That's the reason many of you woman today cut it all off. That's wrong. She took her hair, and began to wash his feet and wipe them, her pretty hair taking the stink off of Him upon herself, bearing his reproach. Oh, my! That's when you recognize who's in your presence. Our sisters would have to almost stand on their head to get enough hair to do that.

So there, she washed his feet and wiped them with the hairs of her head, and she kissed his feet.

And there old Simon standing back there said, “Hmph, hmph.” Oh, I can just see him blow up. He didn't recognize who He was. Said, “I told you he wasn't a prophet. If he was a prophet he would recognize what kind of a woman that is around him.”

Jesus never moved a foot. He just watched her. And she was scared. Then after He got through, she doing the service to him, He looked over, said, “Simon, I've got something to say to you. You invited me here. You brought me here [in other words, a trump up his sleeve]. You wanted to show me off. You wanted to prove that I wasn't what I am. And when you brought me here you should have had my feet washed, but you never. You should give me oil to anoint my head, but you didn't. You never kissed me welcome. And this woman ever since I've been here has washed my feet with her tears, and wiped them with her hair, and constantly has kissed my feet since I've been here. I have something against you, Simon.”

Then He turns to her. I can just imagine, seeing her standing there and her big pretty eyes all stained up, and her face ... washed the grease and dust off of the road on her face. And she thinks, “Now have I done wrong? Have I done wrong?”

He said, “And I say unto her, her sins which are many are all forgiven. Go in peace.”

What was it? She recognized ... she recognized her opportunity, see. She did it. She did Him a service. The Pharisees didn't do it. She saw it, and she recognized his presence. And what did it do? It washed.... What did it release to her? Forgiveness. Released to her forgiveness of her sins. What did it do also? It also released the power of God to show to them unbelievers that He was a prophet. He knowed who she was. It also released joy, and power, and eternal life. It released that.

But the one who caused a great huge nail to be drove in them precious feet, he never recognized the presence of God in Him. He also wanted Him to do some cheap trick for him, some entertainment. That's what the world wants today, is a bunch of entertainment. They don't want the gospel. They want to be entertained.

And Pilate said, “I'd like to desire some miracle from Him,” or something like that. “Bring Him up here.” Right in the presence of God, and turned it down because (why?) that he appreciated the opinion of the public more than he appreciated having the opportunity to be in the presence of God.

What happened? The woman was forgiven, and given eternal life. But he lost his mind and went insane, and committed suicide by drowning himself up in Switzerland.

Now. They were so carried away with the popular opinion of that day that He was a Beelzebub, He just a make belief, there wasn't really nothing to Him. What did he do? He forfeited it. He forfeited his opportunity. In the presence of God he could have been forgiven. He said, “I have power to crucify you, I have power to release you.”

He said, “You have no power unless it comes from my Father.” He ought to have known. If he had knowed the Scripture, and him being a Jew should have known that. But you see, the traditions had got him taught down. That's the way it is today. If he had only been taught right.... If the man would have believed what the Scriptures had said ... but his tradition got him off of it.

Same as it is today. People'll take the real gospel where the Holy Ghost is coming in, and the power and glory of God releasing sinners from sin and making them free, and baptizing them in the Holy Ghost, and healing the sick and showing signs and wonders—and people'll walk away, and say, “Hah! You know what my church believes? That's nonsense.”

See, you're forfeiting. You're selling your birthrights, another Esau. So many get the same opportunity today to stand in his presence as they did then. And still because of popular opinion, they turn it down—standing in the presence of God!

I wonder, friend, tonight, if we people who are Christians in his presence and are sick, if we don't turn down the opportunity to be healed by just believing it. When you claim to believe Him ... don't recognize really his presence, what He promised to do today,

vindicated by the promise for the day....

Jesus was rebuking that generation for not believing his Messiahic sign. We see here. He was rebuking them calling Him a Beelzebub. They wanted Him to do the sign of Moses, maybe open the Red Sea. They did want Him to do the sign of David, take the throne in the government. But no scripture said that He would do that. He was to be a prophet. He's coming the king. He was to be prophet then, and He done the sign that God said He would do in them days. And they still was wanting Him to do some sign to please them, see.

And I just wonder if we're not looking too forward ahead for something that's right by us. I wonder if it could be the same way, if we could pass by our opportunity. Remember, as the old types.... The types can never break.

The last sign according to Jesus.... He said, “As it was in the days of Sodom, so shall it be in the days when the Son of man [not Son of God, now], when the Son of man is being revealed.” Looky here where it's sitting today. Friends, I could tell you some things here that's not right for me to tell you, but it would startle you.

I want to ask you a little question while we stop, before we continue on with this service, just a few minutes. I wonder if I could ask you this. Anyone knows that the world.... Positionally, everything's sitting in order for his coming: earthquakes in divers places, the moon spurting out red blood (or red volcanic) all over it, covering it. As Jesus said, “Watch for that sign in the last days.” Sea a-roar, men's hearts failing for fear, perplexed of time, distress between the nations....

Look at the perversion on the move today. Look at it today. Forty percent increase in California of homosexuals, natural affections already lost.

Look at on ... look at today, how the people will stay home (that's calling themselves Christians) and listen to such characters as Pat Boone, Elvis Presley, Ernie Ford, and those who sing hymns on Sunday, and look at them things they....

Look at them kissing them women, and things out there, when no man should ever kiss a woman till he's married to her. That's male and female glands crossing. Well, let it be wherever it may be. It's wrong. It's potentially a sex act. When male and female glands touch, it's a sex act. A man kiss a man in the mouth, it would make him vomit—or a woman, a woman. Why is the difference? It's a sex act potentially (that's right), a type of Christ kissing his bride, see. You should never do that.

But look at today. All these movies and things, one big conglomeration of kissing and hugging, it's absolutely almost public adultery everywhere. And the people are so blind they don't see it! Right. Everything's in a Sodom condition, Sodomite everywhere, as the Bible said—

so many things.

Look at this days, what He said would take place. Look at the promises that He made would take place this day, and then examine it of what's going on and see where we're at. Then you see whether He's still in his Word or not.

They wanted to see the sign of Moses, the sign of David. That was not for their age. It was promised for Moses' age, and them age. The promise for this age has to come to pass. He had clearly showed them. He, by the Scripture, and invited them to search the Scripture to see what day they were living in. He's doing the same thing right now. Search the Scripture.

You who believe the Bible, what's supposed to take place right here before his coming?

Look at the world in the position. Now, that's the world. Look at the church, where it is. Look where it's at: falling away, lukewarm Laodicea putting out the Word, the whole thing going into the big council of churches, the world council of churches, forming the mark of the beast which the Bible proclaims is wrong, and all those things.

And yet the Protestants driving right into it headlong, not knowing the Scripture.... Their tradition ... oh, they're wanting a power man, and they're going to get one. They'll see that they get it.

He had.... Look. But Jesus had perfectly declared Himself, exactly who He was and had proved to them who He was in his age. And the same thing today. Now look. Let's take that study in Luke 17: “As it was in the days of Sodom....” Look at the world. Look at the church, a Sodomite condition. Look where Lot was at, when those men even tried to press in the door to these angels, these men. Notice. Looky here. There has....

Look. Abraham was up on the mountain. He wasn't in Sodom. That's a type.

There's always three classes of people in a religious gathering: believers, make-believers, and unbelievers, always them three. And there they was. There's the unbelieving Sodomite, the make-believer (Lot), and Abraham, the elected church.

Now watch their messengers in that day. Two messengers went down and preached to Sodom. They didn't do any miracles, only just smote them blind. The preaching of the Word does that.

But watch what kind of a miracle this angel did that stayed with Abraham. He had his back turned, and told Abraham his name had been changed, called him “Abraham,” instead of “Abram.” He could not have the baby till his name was changed, neither Sarah. He told him what their name was. The angel told them that. And He said that He was going to visit Sarah according to the time of life, and Sarah laughed about it.

And when Sarah laughed, the man, with his back turned—the man eating flesh of the calf, and drinking the milk from the cow, and eating bread—a man, dust on his clothes, a traveler, was God himself. And Abraham recognized it because He knew the thoughts that was in Sarah's heart behind Him.

He said, “Why did Sarah say within herself, 'How can these things be?' Is anything too hard for God?”, see. And Sarah ran out and denied it. He said, “Yes, but you did.”

Now, He'd have took Sarah's life right there for her disbelief. But see, she was a part of Abraham. And our unbelief in his great manifestation in this hour, we're part of Christ. He just ... see ... He has to keep it.

Now notice. There has never been a time in history of the church age (and I know one real student I'm talking to, a historian), there has never been a.... I ask any student of the Bible to tell me one man that was ever sent to the church age—in this church, since the crucifixion of Christ—a world-wide ministry that his name ever ended up with h-a-m (like A-b-r-a-h-a-m), until this day. Sankey, Finney, Moody, Knox, Calvin—but wherever was there a G-r-a-h-a-m before? Billy Graham, the great evangelist, out there with the denominations that's in Sodom. Never.

There's a modern Oral Roberts out there with the Pentecostals, the same thing. Do you know that? But h-a-m.... Now, G-r-a-h-a-m is only six letters; but A-b-r-a-h-a-m is seven letters. Six is man's number, man's organization, man's doing. But A-b-r-a-h-a-m is seven letters.

Now notice. In the church, elected is pulled out. Not those denominations, but the elected church is stand out. It's to get a messenger, too, in this last days.

What's going on down there? What's going on up here? Compare it with what Jesus said. Never before in history has it ever seven, and the same signs that would be done!

Don't you realize, friends, and recognize it's God come down in the gospel, in his people, making Himself known? Can't you recognize the hour we're living in? Have we just got ourselves off to clap our hands a little bit, play the piano, and recite this ... and got away from the Word till we're that blind to it? Surely we're not. Let's recognize the hour that we're living in. Peter, Nathan, Nathanael, rather, and the woman—they recognized it. They recognized his sign, Messiahic sign, same now as these things I'm saying.

Then, to this age Jesus said.... Now watch. He's referring back, now, telling them of an age.... God in any age, when He sent his message (which was his Word) and identified it to that age, the people that believed it, it was a great time for them. The people who did not believe it went into chaos. It's always been,

like in the days of Jesus, same thing.

Watch Him standing here now. He said, “As it was in the days of Jonas [Jonah].... For as Jonah was in the belly of the whale three days and nights, so must the Son of man....” He said, “A wicked and an adulterous generation will seek after a sign.” Now you know what I think He was doing? He was prophesying, “a wicked and adulterous generation.”

I wonder if any man in his right mind could deny that we're not living in a wicked and an adulterous generation, when homosexuals, perversion, and the divorce rates in America is higher than any other nation in the world. And the whole world's gone into a chaos of it.

Three out of every four, nearly, is divorced, around ... taking the whole thing around, in ten years of marriage, see. Think of it! Divorce, marry again, marry again, divorce, marry again. “They were eating, drinking, marrying wives, and giving in marriage.” Look at the hour we're living in. When was it ever in such a chaos!

“A wicked and an adulterous generation will seek after a sign, [notice!] and they will receive a sign.” What? This generation. “For as Jonah was in the belly of the whale three days and nights, the Son of man must be in the heart of the earth three days and nights.” What sign will that wicked and adulterous generation receive? The sign of the resurrection.

And today, after two thousand years we still see Jesus Christ in the power of his resurrection standing among us, doing the things that He did then that He promised to do. A wicked and an adulterous generation will seek after a sign, always wanting “Show me this. And if you can do this, do this....” They'll get it—the sign of the resurrection. He's the same yesterday, today, and forever, the Word made manifest, dwelling among us. How we should thank God for his great sign.

Notice, He referred to something else there. He said, “And as the queen of the south shall rise up [That's the queen of Sheba. Listen close now.].... The queen of the south shall rise up in the judgment with this generation and shall condemn it, for she came from the utmost parts of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon. And behold, a greater than Solomon is here.”

Notice, let's refer to that a few minutes. He was reading the same Bible we read, about Jonah. And He was reading about Solomon. Now, when Solomon's age come on, he had a gift of discernment. And all the people, the whole nation believed it, everyone was one heart and one accord. Everybody believed it.

If everybody tonight ... if all America would just turn back to God and believe God, it's the best assurance that we have. It'll beat all the bomb shelters and everything else.

Nobody fooled with Solomon. They were afraid of him because he was a gifted man. And the people believed him so ... he was sent from God, till they made him their king. Oh, the nations feared him! Not because of their military power, but because God was with him.

And if this nation who claims to be Christianity, if it could only all of them together cling around this great gift that's been given us in this last days, the Holy Spirit of God upon the church! Not the creed; the Spirit of God. “Not by power, not by might, but by my Spirit,” saith God—the Holy Spirit, Jesus Christ in form of Spirit, upon us, the same yesterday, today, and forever, making this Word live what He said it would do.

Watch closely now.

Oh, the news went out through the world. They didn't have television, and radio, and things in them days, so it went from lip to ear. And after awhile the great caravans came plumb down across the Sahara desert, which is a three month's travel from Palestine down to where she lived. And faith cometh by what? Hearing, hearing the Word of God.

And she'd heard about this great meeting they were having up there. And any time a caravan come from that way, she'd question, “Did you come through Palestine?”

“Yes.”

“Oh, what about that... ?”

“Oh, it's beyond anything! You never seen such discernment. It's just like a God sitting there. Their God is represented in a man called Solomon.”

Well, faith cometh by hearing. The little queen's heart began to hunger to go up and find out about it, see. She was ordained to life. Notice. Now the first thing to do.... Now, her being a pagan, she had to go get permission from her priest to go. So I can imagine, see her go over to her priest and say, “Holy Father, I hear they're having a great revival up there in Palestine. I'd like permission to go up and see for myself.”

“Now, my child, now you don't want to get mixed up in.... After all, we're not cooperating in that revival so you cannot go, see. That's just a bunch of nonsense. There is nothing to it. Them people claim they have come through a Red Sea, and they done all this and that. There's nothing to it. If there was anything like that happening, it would be right here in our church.” We've still got pagans.

So we find out that she began to hunger. She said, “Now look.” She said, “They tell me that their God up there is represented in a human being, and his wisdom is beyond anything. His discernment is wonderful!”

“Aw, there's nothing to that.”

She said, “But I....”

“Well, look. You're a queen. You can't be associated with a bunch of people like that. That's ... you can't do that. That bunch of people's known all over the world as religious fanatics. You can't do that.”

But you see, when God goes to dealing with a human heart there's nothing going to stop it. Husband, wife, children, pastor, nothing else can stop it. When a person's really hungering for God, they're going anyhow. So she got ready ... to make ready.

“Well,” he'd say, “well, I'll just give you ... I'll have to excommunicate you from our fellowship.”

“Well, you can just do that. I'm going anyhow. I'm going to find out for myself about all this, and see.”

She'd bought up scrolls, and she'd read what Jehovah should be; about his prophets and what he must do; how that the Word of God would make manifest; how it would know these things when it was represented veiled in human flesh; what it would do. And she'd read all these things.

So, I hear him say, “Well, look. Our book says this.” He said....

“Yes, look. I ... my great-great-grandmother stood before them same idols. She stood and said prayers day after day. There never was one move, one mutter, nor nothing else, and I'm tired of this old dead form. I want to go see if there is a living God.” It's too bad we ain't got more of them queens today.

So she got ready to go.

Now, when she come to this spot where she must go.... Now remember she had a great difficulty. It wasn't as easy as it would be to you. Now notice what she had to do. Here's another thing I don't want to leave out. She said this, “I'm going up there, and I'm going to take some money. I'm going to take some gifts. And if it is the truth, I'm going to support it. If it isn't the truth, then I can bring my money back.”

That woman could teach Pentecostals! Yes, sir. Support things out there that laugh and make fun of divine healing! And yet you support the radio programs instead of your own church. That's right, they'll laugh and make fun of the very things you believe in.

But she said, “I'll take it. And if it isn't right I can bring it back.”

Now remember, with all this wealth on there, on these camels, and now remember, the fleet riders of Ishmael was (desert robbers) was out there. What an easy thing it would have been for them to fall on this prey. And, why, they would have killed them few eunuchs that was with her, and took that money and been gone.

But there's something about it. When you are really determined, and God's revealing Himself, you're determined to see Christ, there's no danger before you. You don't even pay any attention. The doctor says you're going to die; you don't even notice it. When you're pressing, you know there's something there.

Something down in her heart burning—faith in this God. She took three months to travel over the Sahara desert. Not in an air-conditioned Cadillac—no, no. She took three months across the Sahara desert, maybe traveling by night, reading the scrolls in the oasis in the daytime, until she arrived.

Now, no wonder Jesus said she'll stand in the last days and condemn this generation. For some of them won't walk across the street, and a greater than Solomon is here—the Holy Spirit, Himself. No wonder she'll raise in the last days and condemn the generation.

Watch. She finally arrived. She didn't come like many people. Some people will come to a strange meeting.... She come, and took her camels and went out into the courtyard, put up her tents. And she was going to stay there till she was convinced.

Most people will come, sit maybe five minutes, maybe twenty-five. Soon as the evangelist, or somebody, says something that's contrary to what she thinks that her creed says (or his creed), out they go. It's not even manners. No wonder she'll condemn this generation. She come to stay till she was convinced.

I can imagine the first service that morning, when the trumpets all sounded. Pastor Solomon came out. She may have been sitting way back at the back. She said, “Now I'll see for myself. I know that's what Jehovah's supposed to be. Men can make claims, but I'll find out.”

So she sat there that day, and she watched. And she seen everyone coming to the platform. She seen that discernment was perfect. Finally, let's say her prayer card was called, which probably wasn't. But her time come to come before Solomon. And the Bible said that when she come to stand before Solomon that God let Solomon know all her secrets. There was nothing hid. Then the miracle was done on her.

Then she turned to the audience, and she said, “All these things that I have heard is true, and it's even greater than I heard about it,” see. Oh, there was no more life left in her. Her breath was taken from her, 'cause here was a man that didn't know her. A stranger revealed the things that she wanted to know.

Oh, and Jesus standing there—which was more than Solomon—He was the fullness of the Godhead bodily! He was the virgin-born Son of God. He clothed upon Him in Jehovah Himself, manifested in the flesh. And here He was standing there in the fullness, and they said they wouldn't believe Him—a greater discernment. See, He was Solomon plus David, plus all the rest of them—was all in Him. All the prophets was wound up in Him, a greater than Solomon.

And even at that day He said, “If you speak them words against me, I'll forgive you. But when the Holy Ghost comes it will be greater than it is now, and more condemnation.” And here we stand today, seeing that very same God do the very same thing. I believe she'll rise in the day of judgment, and condemn this generation; because she repented and believed the message that Solomon was preaching, and believed on God. She seen something real.

You know what's the trouble today? There's people, many people (with the people that belongs, and just go to church and have a creed), see, they've seen so much just false, so much just statues, so much of big, fine buildings, and we.... Let's not never get off on that kind of a tantrum. See, God don't dwell in big buildings; He dwells in your heart, see. God don't dwell in intellectual education. He's far from it. He dwells in humility in your heart. He dwells in his Word, and his Word comes into your heart and speaks itself out. And He interprets his own Word through you.

He's trying to find somebody he can get ahold of, to show that He's still God, see. And He'll do that if He can just get somebody He can speak to. If He can get another woman with a blood issue He can still speak the same thing. He can still do the same thing—making known, declaring we're in the presence of God ... not recognize it.

Reminds me of a little story. I might have told it to you once, I don't know. It'd bear right now. As you all know, I hunt big game. And I was up in the North Woods. I used to go up there hunting all the time, and I had a friend up there named Burt Caul. He was a fine hunter, but a half-Indian. Never had to worry about him—he wasn't going to get lost. And we really were chums. But that was the wickedest man at heart I ever seen. He just had no heart at all. He used to shoot little fawns (that's little baby deers) just to make me feel bad.

And he'd say, “Oh, you preachers. You're chicken-hearted. Billy, you'd be a good hunter if you wasn't a preacher.” Said, “You're too chicken-hearted.”

I said, “Burt, that's not chicken-hearted.”

Now it's all right to kill a fawn if the law says so. Abraham killed a calf and fed it to God. It ain't the size of it, or the sex of it. But it's just to be evil with it. And he would just shoot them fawns, and just laugh, and make ... laugh because I felt bad about it. Well, now, he did that.

And one year I went up there. And he'd invented himself a little whistle that he could blow like a little fawn, how it calls, you know, for its mama. And so he said, “Hey, Billy, before we start this morning,” said, “I want to show you something I got.” And he showed it to me.

I said, “Burt, you wouldn't use something like that.”

And he said, “Oh, get next to yourself!” And the fellow had eyes just like a lizard, like some of these women try to paint their eyes, you know, like that. You know, he'd look at me with those lizard-looking eyes, and I ... it almost scared me.

And I said, “Burt, don't do that.”

He said, “Aw, you chicken-hearted preachers.”

So we was ... I was a little late getting up that time, and those northern whitetail.... Your mule deer here, he'll walk up to you. But not one of them guys! Whenever he's been shot at, he's a.... You talk about Houdini being an escape artist, he's an amateur to them. So it was late, and they'd been shot at. And them deer were hiding down, feeding at night in the moonlight, and bedding out in the day.

We walked all the way up old Jefferson Notch, plumb up to Mt. Washington. Was about six inches of snow on the ground, good tracking weather. Never even seen one track. He said, “What do you think, Billy?”

I said, “You all scared them all out of here with them old machine guns you're shooting.”

And so, we went on.

After awhile, about eleven o'clock.... We always carried a little ... one of those thermos bottles full of hot chocolate (If you get hurt, or something or other, that's stimulation.), and a sandwich. So it's about eleven, or eleven-thirty, I suppose. We come to an opening about the size of this arena here, or this building, and no timber. So he just kind of sat down, and set his rifle up against a tree, started reaching back here. And I thought he was going back to get his thermos bottle.

I thought, “Well, we'll eat.” Usually we get up the top of the mountain, and eat. And one go one way, and one another, and come back. We knowed the way around good. And if we got a deer, we just hung it up, then we know ... went and helped each other get them in. So I thought he was just going to eat his lunch and we'd part, 'cause we was almost up to the timber line.

So he reached back, and I started getting for my thermos bottle—get my chocolate —and started getting out like that.

And he pulled that little old whistle out of his pocket. And he gave it a big blow, like that, and looked at me with them lizard-looking eyes again, and blowed that whistle.

And when he did, just about far as across this building, a great big doe stood up. Now, if some of our sisters might not know, the doe is a mother deer. And see, that whistle was a baby, and it cried. And this big doe stood up. And right about eleven o'clock in the day, anyone who hunts deer knows that's a bad time. They're bedded.

So she stood up and looked around. I could see her just as plain.

He looked back at me, and he blowed again. And instead of running, she walked right out into that open. Now that's unusual. They won't do that. Any hunter knows that. And they won't do that. But she walked right out there. Why? She was a mother. That was a baby. It was just borned into her to be a mother, and that baby....

And Burt looked down, pulled that bolt back, and let it down on that 30.06. And he was a dead shot. I seen him level down like this, and I knowed he'd blow her faithful heart plumb through both sides —180 grain mushroom bullet.

And I thought, “How can you do it, Burt? How can you be so evil, to call that mother deer right out there, and then shoot her heart right out of her, and her trying to find her baby? How can you be so brutal as to do that?” I was thinking that.

And I seen him level down like that,

and I couldn't look at it. It was just too much. I guess I am chicken-hearted. I just turned my back. And I thought, “God, how can he do it? How can a human being be that mean to do that, just to shoot that poor faithful mother's heart right out of her.”

Now she wasn't trying to act on. She wasn't putting on a show. She was a mother. She seen the hunter when he throwed that gun down, but did she run? No, sir! Her baby was in trouble, and she was trying to find her baby.

Now, I turned my back, as I said, and started.... I said, “Lord God, how can he do it?” I noticed, and waited, and waited. The gun didn't fire. And I turned around and looked, and the gun was going like this. He couldn't hold it no more. He turned around. Them big old lizard eyes had changed. Tears was running off his cheeks. He threw the gun on the bank. He said, “Billy, I've had enough of it. Lead me to that Jesus you're talking about.”

Right on that snow bank I led him to Christ. Why? He saw something real. He saw something genuine. “If they hold their peace, the rocks will cry out.” That mother wasn't putting on nothing. She was a genuine mother. No matter if it was death, or what it was. She was standing right in the face of death, knowing that just any minute that bullet would blow through her heart. But she was after her baby.

Oh, if we could only be as much Christian as that deer was a mother! Why? She was born a mother. She was born to be a mother. We are born to believe the Word of God. We are born to believe Jesus Christ. Let us bow our heads.

How many in here right now, with an uplifted hand would say, “Brother Branham, truly I would like to be the kind of Christian that that little doe was a mother. I wish that my heart was just so full of Christ that I could stand in the face of anything, and be a real Christian—just as much as that deer was a mother. That's the kind of an experience I want.”? Will you raise your hand?

God bless you, that's fine, God bless you. So many everywhere. I'm so thankful that you still got enough real something in you that will make you believe. See, what if it was that you didn't believe? Wouldn't that be pitiful? See an unbeliever in a place where their hearts are so hard that they cannot believe at all?—doomed, gone, lost, don't know nothing about it, not knowing what hour that death may knock at the door.

You've got to move out into eternity.

And Jesus said, “Except a man be borned again [become as much Christian as that deer was a mother], you'll never see God.” You're done, no matter how many churches you join. He was talking to a religious leader of that day, Nicodemus (eighty-year old man), and told him that he must be born, he must become the kind of a Christian like the deer was a mother there.

Was there one that didn't put up their hands, would really know the presence of God recognize it, and say, “I know that I'm wrong.”? When you realize you're wrong, you're recognizing the presence of God.

But when you don't know you're wrong, the Bible said, “Thou art wretched....”

In this age the church would be wretched, miserable, poor, blind, and naked and not know it. Just think, if a man or woman was on the street wretched, blind, poor, miserable, and naked, and you could tell them that they were naked, and they'd listen to you. But what if they're naked and they don't believe it. What a mental condition that is.

Well, now, that's what kind of a spiritual condition it is. People are spiritually blind, wretched, miserable, naked before God, sinners trying to cover themselves behind fig leaves of some denomination, and don't know it. Will you raise your hands, somebody else? God bless you, that's right. The Lord bless you.

Before you ... maybe you're a stranger here. You've never seen God do one thing. But before you see anything, you still ... you say, “I'll accept it upon the basis of the Word. I know that a greater than Solomon is here. The great Holy Spirit of God is present. I sense it. I believe it. I'll raise my hand. I'm a sinner. I will ask for salvation.”

Heavenly Father, bless these who had their hands up. We ask that your mercy be granted to those who are sinners, that's.... Maybe they belong to church. That still doesn't mean they're not sinners. And they raised their hands, they want to be saved.

Lord, there was something by them. They recognize the Holy Spirit there, and they recognize that it was God, and it was speaking to them, that they didn't have that experience that they should have. And they raised their hands.

He said, “He that will come to me I will in no wise cast out.” And I know that's true. He said, in St. John 5:24, “He that heareth my words, and believeth on him that sent me, has everlasting life ... shall not come into the judgment; but has passed from death unto life.” “He that comes to me, I will give him everlasting life, raise him up at the last days.” Those are your promises, Father. I claim every one of them.

Maybe some Christian, Lord, that's trying to walk through life, trying to live better every day, and they want an experience of a better walk, they raised their hands, too. Father, I pray that You'll bless them. May they find that all-sufficiency tonight in Christ, the Word made flesh among us. Grant it, Lord. I commit them to Thee in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ. Amen.

God bless you now, as you sit real quiet, see, just a moment. Oh, my! I'm five minutes over my time now. Forgive me. I didn't aim to speak that long. I tell you ... let's just wait just a moment. Just give me five more minutes, if you will.

How many knows what God was? We know what the Bible said He was. And the Bible said He's the same yesterday, today, and forever. And Jesus said.... In St. John the 14th chapter, the 12th verse, He said, “He that believeth on me, the works that I do shall he do also.”—not he that make-believeth, but “he that believeth on me.” Is that true, my minister brothers? That's true. How many Bible readers knows that's true? Heavens and earth will pass away but his words can't fail. He promised that.

Now there's no doubt sick people among you out there. I don't know you at all. And to prove what I was saying awhile ago, as the angel of the Lord in the days gone by, the days passed by.... Jesus said, “As it was in the days of Lot, so shall it be at the coming of the Son of man.” Can you see what I was talking about—them names, and everything else, positionally the church sitting right? Can you see it? And I'm sure you read between the lines, things that I didn't speak. You see what I meant.

Now, if you people in here that are sick and needy, I'm.... What business have I got to be here? What would I be standing here for as a deceiver? If I was doing that, it's time for me to ... I don't desire to live. I'd rather die. I'd rather go out and be anything else, than to be a deceiver. What will God do to me? And I don't know that I'll live through the night. Neither do you. But a deceiver? We want to be.... What's the use of being deceiver when you can be genuine? But you see, it's so strange to you.

Now look. If I claim that these scriptures must be fulfilled that I have read and showed you in the last two nights, what Jesus was, what his presence is now—and He's supposed to return in the last days (we know that), through human flesh, and declare Himself the same way.... We all know that. Are we aware of it? Say “Amen” if it is. All right.

Now, for your comfort, I say this to you in his name, “He's here.” The same God that came down and talked to Abraham, had his back turned to the tent and Sarah inside the tent, He knew what she was thinking. He said the same thing when He come here. He looked upon the audience and perceived what was in their heart.

A woman touched his garment. He looked around till He found her, and told her.

Blind Bartimaeus touched his garment when he cried “Thou Son of David, have mercy,” standing two hundred yards from where He passed by. His faith stopped the Son of God on the road. And turned around, and said, “Bring him here.”

Little Zacchaeus up in the tree, hid himself. Said ... so, he didn't believe He was a prophet, either. And Jesus come right and stood under the tree, looked up, and said “Zacchaeus, come down,” called him his name.

When Jesus had never seen Peter, and Andrew had brought him over there, when He seen him come, He said, “Your name is Simon. You're the son of Jonas.” Give him his name, told him who he was. Told Nathanael where he was at, what he had done; the woman, what kind of a condition she was in, what was her trouble, what was her sickness. That's God, friend. How many believe that with all your heart? Say, “That's got to be God.”?

How many of you in here know that I don't know one thing about you? Raise up your hand. Just say, “I know that man don't know a thing about me. Just ... he's just a man.” That's what I am, just your brother. I'm here to try to help you.

But I declare.... How many has read my book, and things? You know? You believe that's the truth? This is the last days. And now, the Lord Jesus help us. And if He will come tonight.... And not let one of you move, just stay right in your seats where you're at, and believe. And the Lord Jesus will come tonight, and confirm these things that He has said, these things that He promised, if He will confirm them to be the truth, will you believe on Him?

Heavenly Father, now I've spoke about You, what You was, what You are. Now, will You just come forward on the scene? And those people sitting out there in the audience—perfectly strangers—will You make yourself known to us tonight, Lord, that we would know and recognize that these scriptures are fulfilled, that Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever?

Then if we're living in the last days, like He said—that He would reveal Himself in the last days like He did at Sodom before the promised son arrived to Abraham—why, Abraham's royal seed that's looking for the royal Son, the same thing would take place? And watch, even to the locations, the time, the names, and everything is perfect in line, Father. Help us, we pray. In the name of Jesus Christ, Amen.

Now, I want you to pray, each one of you. Just whatever is wrong, you just ask Him. Now He's the high priest.

By the way, how many ministers are in the building? Raise up your hands. Everywhere. I guess there's thirty or forty. Now, how many of you know this, that the book of Hebrews, the New Testament, tells us that right now Jesus Christ is a high priest that can be touched by the feeling of our infirmities? Would you raise your hands, and say, “I know it's the truth.” The Bible says that? right? All right. Then if He's the high priest, He's the same yesterday, today, and forever. Then if you touched Him tonight, He'd act like He did back there. Is that right?—like He did yesterday.

Well, when that woman touched his garment.... You say, “Oh, but if I could....” Your faith touched.... The physical He never felt. It was the faith of the woman that touched the garment. Your faith can touch Him now. Do you believe that? Then, if God's Word is manifested, He will reveal that same thing, and show the same thing. Do you believe that with all your heart? All right. Now, just trust Him, believe Him. Don't doubt; but have faith in God that He will do it.

Somebody this way, just pray, and just believe with all your heart. Then somebody in this direction. And if God will let one or two people that you know that is infallible, how many of you will believe then, that we recognize his presence? Then that's all that's necessary. That's all that's necessary.

Lady sitting right there, looking at me there, suffering with heart trouble. Do you believe God will heal the heart, make you well? You have heart trouble. If that's right, raise up your hand. Am I a stranger to you, don't know you? But that's true. All right. The lady, the gray-headed lady sitting there. All right.

The lady with the green ... you raised up your hand, there. You ... your trouble is arthritis. You believe that God will make you well, with arthritis? If that's right, raise up your hand, see. All right. [unclear words]

Now something come over you, didn't it? See, that light ... how many of you ever seen the picture of that light? Now it's hung right over the woman. All at once a real sweet feeling come over you. That's what did it, see. God blessed you, healed you, make you well. Do you believe it?

You believe He knows what's wrong with you? Only He could heal you. It's a dark shadow, epilepsy. If that's right, raise up your hand, young lady. Think a little different than you did a few minutes ago, don't you? See, when I stopped that call, doing that? That's what it was for, was for you. Now, if you'll believe with all your heart, them spells will leave you. Will you accept it, and believe it with all your heart? God bless you. Go believe it.

This lady sitting right here, suffering with stomach trouble, do you believe that God will make you well? Right here on the end, do you believe God will heal you, make you well of the stomach trouble? You do? You accept it? God bless you. I'm a total stranger to the woman. Don't know her. She's just a woman sitting there, but God does it. Do you believe with all your heart now? All right. Just have faith.

Lady sitting right here on the end, suffering with a gall bladder trouble, got gallstones. Liver bothers you. If that's right, raise up your hand. Total stranger to you. That's right.

Lady sitting right next to you, she's suffering too. Can't you see that light over that woman? The lady's got a kidney trouble. That's right. She's got uremic poisoning in her kidneys. That right? Raise up your hand.

The lady that touched you then, she's suffering with a nervous affliction. You're both strangers. You're not from here. That's right, isn't it? You're from Iowa. You're from the city of Des Moines. That's right, isn't it? Do you believe God can tell me what your name is, like He did Peter? If you believe with all your heart.... Your name is Mrs. Wolf. That's right. Raise up your hand. Go back healed now. Jesus Christ makes you well.

Do you recognize his presence? Do you know He's here? Then, why don't you lay your hands over on one another, now, while the Holy Spirit's upon you. That's the Holy Spirit on you. Now every one of you can be healed now, if you just believe it. Do you believe it with all your heart?

Heavenly Father, there's nothing left now but faith. We now renounce all darkness when.... The revival, as I said at the beginning, the wave come down upon the water to churn it up and down, to take the unbelief out of it. Now, while the Holy Ghost is waving back and forth through the people here, may all unbelief be taken away and may the power of Almighty God set every sufferer free tonight.

I rebuke the devil. Satan, you are nothing but a bluff, and you're exposed right here among the people by the scriptural evidence of the living resurrected Jesus. I adjure thee by the living God, come out of this people and leave them go, for the glory of God.

All that accept your healing stand on your feet, now, and say, “I do believe. No matter what happens, how long it takes, I still know I'm going to be well. I accept it with all my heart.” Raise up your hands now. “Thank you, Lord. Praise the Lord!” That's right, give Him praise. Now just raise your hands, and praise Him for your healing, the way you do in your church.