Perseverant

... our love with Him, I'm sure. But there is a great cooling off amongst the people. The revival's over; the fires is going out. See, it's time for something to happen. You know, in the old Roman temple, the Temple of Vesta, when the fires went out, everybody went home. So there was no business done there. I think that's.... I'm just about enough Quaker to believe that it should be that way.

Now, I think tonight.... I omitted it every night ... but I like to respect this Word of God because I think it is God's Word and it's Him. It's Him in letter form. The letter itself.... You have to have the Spirit there to quicken the letter.

So now for respects to this Word, let us stand while we read it. St. Mark, the 7th chapter and beginning with the 24th verse and reading down the 30th verse inclusive, you that have your Bible and kind of like to take a text. Just a little formal planting maybe of a few seed again, tonight, to build that faith until the time comes.

And when I feel that the Spirit is giving that climax, right then every one of you will be called to the platform. Don't ... don't worry; it'll be right then. But until that Spirit gets to that place to where you feel that the people's got it....

What's the use of coming up here if you're just walking up here?

You walk through Tommy Hick's line and Tommy Osborn and Oral Roberts', and back and forth through the line. It only weakens your faith, that's all.

When you come here with a full assurance that you're not walking before your brother or anyone else, you're coming here because the Spirit of God in you has bid you come, something's going to happen. There is nothing to keep you from it. Until then you're just on a walk right around. Next minister comes in town, right around; next minister comes, right around. That's no good.

There's nothing in a preacher, no more than there is in your husband or your brother or whoever it might be. We're just representatives of his, telling you the Word. Some of them have different gifts, which.... The Bible speaks of these gifts. This is all done to vindicate his presence.

Now if it'd been me, or you to me, if you can't take one another's word, why that'd settle it. But God, full of mercy, He sent gifts and confirmations to prove. And just so the.... He's so long-suffering, so gentle and kind, that He wants no one lost or no one hurt. He wants to be sure that every one of you get in. All right.

Now have you got the Bibles turned to the 7th chapter of St. Mark and the 24th verse?

And from thence he arose, and went into the borders of Tyre and Sidon, and entered into the house, and would not ... would have no man know it: but he could not be hid.

For a certain woman, whose young daughter had an unclean spirit, heard of him, and came and fell at his feet:

And the woman was a Greek, a Syrophenician by nation; and she besought him that he would cast forth the devil out of her daughter.

But Jesus said unto her, Let the children be filled ... first be filled: for it is not meet to take the children's bread, and to cast it unto dogs.

And she answered and said unto him, Yes, Lord: yet the dogs under the table eat ... the children's crumbs.

And he said unto her, For this saying go your way; the devil is gone out of thy daughter.

And when she came ... was come to her house, she found the devil gone out, and her daughter lay upon the bed.

Now let us pray, with our heads bowed, and our hearts. I wonder, while we pray, how many here'd like to be remembered in prayer for some special something? Would you raise your hand. Maybe, “Lord, let it be me tonight,” see; or, “I have a loved one. Let it be them tonight.”

Our heavenly Father, Thou knowest the needs before we even ask. Jesus taught us that. “Your father knows what you have need of before you ask”; but yet we are to ask.

When He looked upon the harvest.... He was the Lord of the harvest, and He said, “The harvest is ripe; the laborers are few. Pray ye the Lord of the harvest, that He may send laborers into his harvest,” making Himself with man so bound together that He works only through the agency of man. He chose man to work for Him. He could have chose the sun to preach the gospel. He could have chose the winds or the trees, the stars, but He chose man; veils Himself inside, hides Himself from the unbeliever, reveals Himself to who He will.

Lord God, we're here tonight for no other purpose but to see You reveal yourself to us by forgiving the sins that we have committed, and helping us; and encouraging saints along the way, saving sinners, calling backsliders back to the fellowship of the heavenly Father and to the church of believers, the first born.

Grant it, Lord. You know what's behind each one of those hands that went up. You know what was beneath it, under the heart. You know their desire. I offer my prayer in their behalf that You'll grant each one of them their desires. My hands is up too, Lord. Grant our request.

Bless the reading of thy Word. And now as we take a text, we pray that You'll unfold to us the context, that we might know Him better. And when we leave here tonight, may we say like those who, coming from Emmaus after He has risen from the dead.... And they had walked with Him all day, talked with Him, and yet they didn't know who He was.

There's many in this city, Lord, tonight, no doubt has talked to You, and walked with You, and yet never recognized your presence. But that night when You ... when they bid You come in and abide with them (Cleopas and his friend), and when You got the doors shut, and You sat down, You did something just the way You did it before your crucifixion. No other man did it that way. You did it your own way, and by that they knew You were the resurrected Christ. Quickly You vanished out of their sights. And with a light heart full of joy, they joined themselves quickly with the rest of the apostles and said, “Indeed, He has risen from the dead.”

And when we leave this building tonight, may we see You come on the scene, and do the same things you did before your crucifixion, as You promised you would repeat again in the last days. And grant, Lord, that when we leave, we'll go with ... like they, saying, “Did not our hearts burn within us as He talked to us along the way?” For we ask it in his name and for his glory. Amen.

Be seated.

I wish to take just one word for a text tonight, and the word I want to take is called “Perseverant.” You might say, “Brother Branham, that's a ... that's a very small word for three or four hundred people sitting here tonight,” or whatever there is. (I'm a poor judge of a audience.) And you say, “That's a very small word.” Well, it isn't the size; it's really what I'm going to say about it.

Now “perseverant”.... According to Webster, it's to be ... it's a word that you're to be persistent to.... Means to be persistent in trying to make a goal, try to put something over, try to do something. You are perseverant when you are persistent.

Now all Christians must be persistent. They must be perseverant. And the only way that you're able to ... to do this, is to first to have faith in what you're trying to do. And if you have no faith, you're just jumping at it, then you can't ... cannot be perseverant. But when you really know it's the truth, then there's nothing going to stop you. You are really perseverant then.

And men of all ages that's ever been able to do anything, and had faith in what they were trying to do, were perseverant.

For instance, like the ... what we call the father of our nation, George Washington. He was perseverant. When he ... trying to achieve that victory over the British and cross the icy Delaware, he was perseverant. There was nothing .... His soldiers ... half of them didn't even have shoes on their feet. Their feet was wrapped in rags. The wind was blowing. But he had prayed all night, and he had the victory in his heart. And there was no British army or nothing else was going to stop him; neither could the icy river. He had prayed through, and there was no hindrance going to stop him. He was perseverant. And he achieved the task that he was trying to do, because he had the answer from God.

When a man gets his answer from God, there's nothing going to stop him.

Most people today.... As I will repeat myself from last night, saying, “They have hope instead of faith.” You find people coming on the platform, they're just built up in hopes. But faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence. It's not a myth, it's not imagination. It's something you've got. You've already got it, and you're just as happy with it—that faith that you have—as you would be if you had the substance in your hand.

For instance like this: if I'm starving to death, and a loaf of bread cost us a quarter, which will buy the loaf of bread.... Now when I have the quarter in my hand, I'm just as happy as if it was the loaf of bread, because it's the purchase price of the bread. And when I know in my heart that I have accepted it, and I believe that God has give it to me, I'm just as happy with that faith as if I was ... if I was healed, because I'm going to be healed anyhow. I've got the substance right now. Nobody can take it away from me. I know it's right, and I can be perseverant with that.

When God tells something that's going to happen, like the visions or something.... I've seen tens of thousands of them, and many of you are witness, and not one of them has ever failed. And when God says anything, I don't.... If He would say tonight, “Go to the National Cemetery, for I'm going to raise up George Washington in the morning,” I'd invite the whole world come watch it. It's going to happen.

God's Word can't fail. He's never failed, and He can't fail. There's one thing God can't do: and that's fail. He cannot fail, and God is his Word.

Now, Noah was living in a scientific age, when they was ... perhaps could shoot the moon with radar. Jesus said it was a day like this. “As it was in the days of Noah so will it be in the coming of the Son of man.”

Now we know, down in Egypt we see these pyramids. We could not reproduce them today. We have no power to do it. They had a hold of atomic power, or some kind of power that built the pyramids. We couldn't put those boulders up there by no means. Neither could we reproduce that sphinx. There's no way of doing it. We don't have the material to make a mummy, embalm a body that looks even natural for thousands of years. We've lost that art. A dye that won't fade out, many things they had then that we are completely blind of. And they built that pyramid so ... sitting so center in the earth, no matter where the sun is there's never a shadow around it. Never a shadow at the pyramid. Oh, the architectury, the instruments they had—it's far beyond now.

And Noah lived in that intellectual scientific age. Noah did. And he was a prophet. And the Lord told him that it was going to rain. And after Noah hearing the voice of God (being a prophet to the voice of the Lord, word of the Lord comes to his prophet), and he knew it was going to rain no matter what anyone else said, whether it ever rained. And it never had rained before. God irrigated the ground with ... the vegetation with irrigation from the springs, and so forth, in the earth.

There'd never been a cloud in the sky; but yet Noah knew there was coming water from above. How's He going to do it? He doesn't know. But he was so perseverant, he went and built an ark according to the specification that God said for him to build it, because he had heard the voice of God, and was standing in the presence of God when the voice of God was made manifest to him. That ought to set this borned-again church afire! Perseverant!

I don't care how many critics laugh about it, how many says it can't be so, and then go out there and scientifically prove it; shoot the radar to the moon, and show there is no such a thing as water in the skies.

But Noah knew that if God ... standing in his presence and his ... the God that had spoke to him.... And He was clearly identified, that it was God's word. And standing in the presence of God he was—he was persistent. He would build the ark anyhow. Nobody wanted to help him; he'd build it himself. He was persistent because he was ... knowed that it was the word of God. And he built it.

I can think of how Moses, a great scholar.... He was so smart that he could teach the wisdom to the Egyptians. He could teach the teachers. He knowed all of the theology of the ... that the Egyptians knowed, and of his Hebrew family. And he was a smart, witty man, a great.... We are taught he was a military man, but had totally failed, because one thing: he slew this Egyptian. And his education ceased when they accused him then, “Would you slay us as you did the Egyptian?”—thinking his brethren would understand it. And he miserably failed.

And that brings me to a thought of this: That's the reason, tonight, that our systems has failed. That's the reason that we will never be able to educate people to God. We'll never be able to denominate them to God. We've tried all these systems and they all fail like ... fell like the tower of Babel. And they always will do that.

God (the unchanging God) made his decision at the garden of Eden how He would save man. And when God ever makes a decision it has to ever remain that way. He cannot change. He cannot get smarter. He's the source of all intelligence.

No matter what our science says, if it's against the intelligence or the Word of God, it's contrary; it's not right. I don't care how scientifically it can be proved, it's still wrong.

God decided He would save a man by the shed blood of an innocent one. They've tried to build cities; they've tried to unite them. They've tried to build towers, educate them into it, and they get further away all the time. You'll never be able to save man till he comes back to the blood. That's the only place that God will ever meet a man.

Not by his intellectuals, not by how smart he is—how many men has made him a priest, or a bishop, or a state overseer, or whatever he might be, minister or deacon. That isn't the grounds that God meets a man on. He meets him on the grounds when he's under the shed blood. That's the only place Israel ever was able to meet God to worship, was under the shed blood. That's God's provided way. No other way will work. And under the shed blood God meets man and stands in the presence of man.

Moses—this runaway intellectual, runaway prophet, out on the backside of the desert.... And married this beautiful Ethiopian woman and was living.... Had a child, little Gershom. And one day while walking around on the desert (the backside of the desert), an old man of eighty years old.... Looked like was plumb out of use as a minister. But he found a bush that was burning with fire, and it did not consume. And he went aside to see what had happened and come into the presence of God. And heard the presence of God, heard the voice of God while he was in his presence—when this pillar of fire was laying in this bush talking to him. Where he was afraid to even go near Egypt, knowing that Pharaoh would take his life; there's nothing going to stop him now.

And sometimes when a man gets in the presence of God and hears the voice of God, he does things so radical to the ordinary thinking of people it sounds ridiculous.

The next day now.... A man that was afraid to take an army to attack Egypt (all the slaves there was in Egypt—he's afraid to attack Pharaoh like that), here he is the next day: eighty years old, beard hanging all the way to his waist line, his bald head shining, a crooked stick in his hand, his wife sitting on a mule with a young'un on her hip, going down with his eyes set up, glorifying God. “Where you going, Moses?”

“Going down to Egypt to take over,” a one-man invasion. Why? He'd been in the presence of God. He seen what God could do with a stick. He didn't know what He could do with an army; he knowed what He could do with a stick.

I don't know what He could do about a denomination. I know what He can do with one man that will surrender himself completely to Him. That's all He needs: one person. That's you. Then he's perseverant. Nothing is going to stop him.

Moses had come in the presence of God, heard his voice in a miracle sign. He knowed He was a consuming fire. And here He is in the pillar of fire back in the bush. All of his education, all of his theology left him, and he knowed one thing: there was a God, and he had his orders. A crooked stick was good enough. He had been in the presence of God. Don't make any difference how many trained men Egypt had or any of these things. Didn't mean a thing to Moses. He had been in the presence of God, and he was perseverant. He's going down to take over—against shields and trained men by the tens of thousands, with a crooked stick in his hand.

Stop him, if you can! There's nothing can stop him, and he did it. He went down and took over, because he was perseverant, when he absolutely knowed that he would ... been in the presence of God, and had heard the voice of God out of the presence of God. Amen! Not only the voice was, but it was a scriptural voice. There's all kinds of voices. Check it with the Word.

The voice said, “I'm the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. I made a promise that I would deliver those people. The time is at hand. I've heard their groaning, seen their taskmasters burdening them, and I remember my promise. And I've come down to deliver them, and I'm sending you to do it.” That's good enough. He seen his glory, and away he went.

David was very perseverant when he had come over to the armies of Israel, which was standing in a bluff at that time. And across the little creek and over on the other side was the Philistine. There was Goliath, the great challenger, about twice the size, height of an ordinary man: fourteen-inch fingers, and a great spear several feet long that could stand there and just pick men on it like that, and throw them off—punch them out and pick up on the spear, and throw them off as they come up the hill.

And when the enemy knows that he's got the upper hand on you, he likes to brag. So he said, “Let's not have so much bloodshed.” Said, “Saul, let some of your men come over here and fight me, and if I kill him, well, then you serve us. But if he kills me, we'll serve you.”

See, when the enemy's got that upper hand....

And every soldier was just so shaky that he could hardly hold his armor up. And Saul, the most able of all of them, head and shoulders above his army, he wouldn't dare touch him, and yet supposed to be the anointed of the Lord.

But there come from the wilderness a little stoop-shouldered, ruddy-looking fellow, that had a slingshot in his hand. And that giant made his brag before the wrong man. And David said, “Do you mean to tell me that you'll let that uncircumcised Philistine stand there and defy the armies of the living God? Do you mean to tell me that you'll do such a thing as that?”

Now, his brothers said, “Now, you're naughty. You get back out there at the sheep, where you belong.”

And the news come to Saul. Saul said, “Bring the lad here, and let me look at him.”

And when he come up: little stooped, ruddy-looking fellow standing there, probably hair hanging down his eyes. And he said, “Why you can't fight that man.” Said, “You're nothing but a little fellow, little ruddy man, and in your youth. And he's been a warrior since his youth.” He said, “You can't fight him. I admire your courage, but the ... it's too great.” What happened? He said, “Let me see if you can use my armor.”

So he put his armor on him, give him his shield. Well, poor little David couldn't stand up. He said he didn't know nothing about it. He found out that Saul's ecclesiastical vest didn't fit a man of God.

So he said, “I'll send him away and get him a schooling of PhD, LLD, and so forth, and see what he can do about it.”

He said, “I don't know nothing about these things. Take them off of me. I don't know nothing about this. But here's one thing I do know: I was herding my father's sheep, and a lion come in and got one of them; and I went after him because my father had give me charge to watch those sheep.” Amen! And any good shepherd is a watcher of the sheep. And he said, “I don't have nothing but this slingshot in my hand, but I knocked him down. And when he rose up against me, I slew him. And a bear come in and got one, and I run after him and took it out of his mouth. And when he rose up, I killed him.”

And said, “How much more will God of Israel, God of heaven, deliver that uncircumcised Philistine into my hands!”

That little fellow was perseverant because he knowed what he was talking about. He knowed who he had believed, and was fully persuaded He was able to keep that which he committed to Him against the day.

Now he had just a slingshot; that's all he had. He said, “I'll go fight the Philistine,” because.... The reason he was so perseverant: he knowed if God, under the care of the sheep, had helped him deliver the sheep back to his father, how much more a man.

Now think of that, all ministers. And we feel that way about you sheep, tonight. The devil has come and smote you with a disease. That's right. He's took you out from the good health.

I don't have no PhD. I don't have no LLD. I don't even have a grammar school education. But I know what I do have. I'm coming after you tonight, to bring you back to the shady green pastures and the still waters. That's what we're here on the platform for tonight, is to come get you—snatch you out of the hand of the lion out there, bring you back. Be patient. Listen close and watch. Try to find.... What we're trying to do is try to help you.

Now. David was very persistent, because that he knew who he had believed, and he knowed he was able to commit ... what he committed to Him, He was able to keep it.

We find out that Samson.... Another great judge in Israel, and that.... Some people picture Samson as having shoulders about like a barn door. Now it would be nothing strange about that, to see a man who could pick up the gates of Gaza and walk out with it, or take a lion and pull him apart. But you know, Samson was just a little bitty (in a street expression), a little shrimp—little bitty old curly-headed, sissified mama's-boy, seven curls. It was a strange thing when .... They thought that a man, a great big ten-foot man, could pick up a lion, sure, and kill him. But the strange thing was, this little fellow seemed to be helpless until the Spirit of the Lord come on him. It wasn't Samson; it was the Spirit of the Lord.

That's the reason that it wasn't the apostles. Jesus chose them all—practically every one of them without even enough education to sign their name. He didn't choose priests. He didn't choose theologians. He chose fishermen and herdsmen, the ignorant and unlearned, so that he could take that in his hand; and take nothing and make something out of it. That's his nature. So He doesn't take trained schools and trained scholars. He takes something that realizes it's nothing. He gets into it and makes something out of it.

We find that this Samson was a Nazarite; he had seven little curls that hung down his back. And when the Spirit of the Lord come upon him, he feared nothing. Why? He was persistent as long as he could feel that Nazarite vow with him. As long as he could reach back here and feel those locks, he knew that he was in the will of God, and nothing could bind him. The city couldn't bind him. A lion couldn't kill him.

He took the jaw-bone of a mule, and it dry, and beat down a thousand Philistines with it. Do you know those helmets (those brass helmets) was over an inch thick? You know what would happen when an old desert dry bone would hit against that? Why, it would burst into a million pieces. But he stood there single-handed with this jaw-bone of a mule, and beating over the head, and killed a thousand Philistines. Why? He was persistent! Every time he hit, he felt that Nazarite vow move back upon him.

How much ought the church tonight—that claims that you're borned of the Spirit of God, stand in the meeting and see the vindication of the resurrected Jesus Christ, and claim to be filled with the Holy Ghost.... And could sit still and let Satan push you around like he does? It's a strange thing. As long as you can feel the presence of the Holy Ghost, know that it's his Word and his promise for this day, you should be persistent to press in until it's over. Perseverant! Stay with it. God promised it. It's not you; it's God.

How about the little virgin Mary? (Now to you women) Now she was just an ordinary girl that lived in a real mean city, way worse than Topeka. And she lived there, but she lived a straight clean life. And she was engaged to a man by the name of Joseph. And one day she was on the road to the well to get some water, and a great light appeared before her. And an angel stood there (which was Gabriel), and told her that she was going to bear a child, knowing no man. And at the same time it told about Elizabeth, her cousin, that was old in age (Zacharias' wife), and she had conceived in her old age.

And now Mary.... You could imagine what a laugh it would be to the people, to think that this young girl going with this boy steady, and here she shows up to be mother. But it didn't make any difference to her. She had been in the presence of God. She had heard the voice of God. She didn't care the scorn of the people, or the laugh of the people, or what they said about it. She was persistent. Up through the hilly country she went.

And women then wasn't like they are now: get out here with shorts on a couple days before deliverance, out on the streets before men. That's a disgrace to humanity. That's right. She hid herself.

And little Mary come up before she was to be a mother, and went up in the hills of Judea to see Elisabeth. And while Elisabeth had hid herself, no doubt one morning looking through the curtains, she saw this young lady come running and she recognized it to be her cousin, Mary. And as women then.... They loved to see one another, and they meant so much to each other. She run out, perhaps, and throwed her arms around her and hugged her, and was greeting her. And she said, “I understand that you're to be mother.”

“Yes.”

She said, “You know, I'm to be mother, too.”

“Oh! You and Joseph are already married?”

“No, we're not married.”

And she seen she was showing to be mother. She said, “You mean, dear, that you and Joseph are not married yet, and you're to be mother?”

“Yes.”

“How will this be?”

“The Holy Ghost will overshadow ... is to ... has overshadowed me. The voice of God said so.” And said, “I know that you're to be mother too.”

She said, “Yes, but it's already six months with me, and I'm worried because the baby has not moved yet.”

Now anyone knows that that's altogether out of ordinary. Two to three months and life is felt. But this had been six months with no sign of life. Now that baby was dead, six months with no life. She said she was worried about it.

She said, “But the Holy Ghost has come upon me.” Mary said to Elisabeth, “The Holy Ghost has come upon me and has overshadowed me, and said I'd have a son; and he'd be the Son of God and I'd call his name Jesus.” And just as soon as that human name of God, “Jesus,” was spoke by mortal lip out of a human being, a dead baby come to life in the womb of a woman, and received the Holy Ghost.

And, if that will do that to a baby dead in a mother's womb, what ought it to do to a borned-again church! The first time the name of Jesus Christ was ever spoke by mortal lip, a baby dead in its mother's womb came to life and received the Holy Ghost. “Whence cometh the mother of my Lord?” said Elisabeth. “For as soon as your salutation came to my ears, my baby leaped in the womb for joy.”

And today we claim to have that Holy Ghost, and cowardly with it, afraid to move out. We got to get persistent. If we got the real genuine Holy Spirit we will be persistent.

Now, going a long ways ... get away ... I get away from my text and here it is almost time to start the prayer line now, and I haven't even got to my text. This is too short.

This woman that we're talking of, this Syrophenician woman, she was a Greek, and she had heard about Jesus. Now “faith cometh by hearing”—hearing the Word of God. And she had heard. And somehow faith finds the source that others don't see.

A doctor might say, “I.... Child, I've done all I can do for you.” He's at the end of his road. That's all a man can do. He sees the thing is advanced and there's nothing he can do about it. But you see, faith finds a source that he don't know nothing about.

Science won't prove it, because faith....

The whole armor of God is supernatural. What is the armor of God? Love. What is love? Scientifically prove me there is such a thing as love. Where's it at? You.... How many of you loves? Raise up your hand—love your wife, love your brother, love your friends. Well, I want somebody—some science—to prove to me what part of you is love. Where do you buy it at? What drug store? I want a bunch of it. Love. Joy. You got joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, patience. What is it? It's all supernatural. God is supernatural.

You don't scientifically prove God; you believe God. You believe it. If you don't believe it.... Then a man that says everything is not scientifically ... is unorthodox is not right, then that man can never be a Christian. He has to believe. By faith we believe God. Not by education, not by theology, but by faith you are saved.

Notice. Faith finds a source that others don't see. His Word is a sword. Hebrews 4:12 said that the Word of God is “sharper than a two-edged sword,” even discerns the thoughts that's intents that's in the heart. That's the Word of God. And the only thing that can hold that sword is the hand of faith. Nothing else can do it. Nothing else.

You have to see something. In otherwise, scientific.... You, scientifically, educationally, you cannot hold that sword. You can't do it by education. It's too twisted, too complicated. You make it—make.... It'll try to deny itself, and everything. You cannot do it. Jesus said it's hid from you. So forget about it. You cannot know it. It's hid. And when God hides anything, it's really hid.

That's the reason that you're so hid, if you're a Christian. For you are dead, and your life is hid in God through Jesus Christ, and sealed by the Holy Ghost. How's the devil going to find you? Can't do it; you're hid. God hides you. Amen! What a hiding place: in the bosom of Jesus Christ.

Now. Faith holds it; it yields it. Now you may not be strong enough (that arm of faith) to cut a hole all the way through it, and walk through like some can. But just keep punching. It'll come—just hold to it.

She had many hindrances (this little Greek woman), but her faith didn't have any. Faith don't have any hindrance at all. There's nothing can hinder faith. Don't care what anybody else says. Nothing hinders faith.

Let's see some of the “mights” that could have happened to her. She might....

Somebody.... They might have said to her, “You are a Greek. Your denomination isn't sponsoring his meeting.” But she was persistent anyhow. She was going anyhow because she'd heard. And “faith cometh by hearing.” Not by cooperation, but by hearing.

Notice. They might have said this, that, “You're a Greek. You're not in their class of people. You.... They're different skin from you. They're a different race.” Still that didn't bother her. That didn't bother her.

And some of them might have come and said, “Now that's nonsense. The days of miracles is past. There's no such a thing as that healing that you hear about. He's just another fanatic that's raised up.”

Sure, they have all kinds of bogus dollars; but there's a real one somewhere it's made off of. That's right.

Now, said, “The days of miracles is past. There is no such a thing. That's just a bunch of fanatics down there—just a little handful of them. We've had it all along.” But still, something had struck that woman. She was still persistent. The days of miracles might have been past for that one that was talking to her, but not to her. It might be apast for some of your associates, but not for you if you've got faith.

There might have been another group, maybe some women, stood on the corner saying, “Martha [I hope there's no Marthas here], Martha, you know what? Your husband will leave you as sure as you go down to that meeting. Now I know your daughter's got epilepsy, but I tell you, it's going.... If your husband ever catches you going down there.... He belongs to the great clubs and societies of the city. If you go down there, he'll leave you.” That didn't mean nothing to her. She was going anyhow. Faith had done took ahold. Faith knows no hindrance.

Well, then there might have been another group down on the corner that said, “You know what? You'll be the laughing stock of the church because you're going down there just for nothing. And the people's going to know you're going, and as soon as you're identified with them, then you'll be the laughing stock of the people. Everybody will laugh at you.” That didn't mean one thing to her. Not at all. She was persistent.

Some group might have said, “They'll put you out of your church; they'll give you your membership card.” Still she was persistent. That didn't hinder her a bit. Why? She had already got ahold of faith.

I wish I had time to stop here for four hours and just tell you the ... of the experiences on that similar thing: that women and men and children who were dying, and by doctors' statements they're living tonight by the grace of God, because something got a hold of them. Faith! That's the idea. All right.

She broke through all these gates, all the critics, all the laugh-ats, all the “Your husband will put you away; your fellowship card's gone from the church; you have to find something else; you'll be a castaway; you'll be called a holy roller.” That didn't mean a thing to her, because she had already seen God. She heard, and “faith cometh by hearing.” And she knew that others had been healed. Why couldn't her daughter be healed? There you are. She comes through.

Finally she arrives at the feet of Jesus. And notice. What a shock! Many people think just because that they can get there, that's all there is to it. But you've just started now. When she got to Jesus, what a disappointment to her—or it would have been, maybe, to us in this day. Jesus said he wasn't even sent to her race.

If that had been some of you Pentecostals of today, why, you would have stuck your nose up in the air and walked away and said, “That's what it is! If they don't like me at the Assemblies, I'll join the Oneness. If they don't like me there, I'll go over to the Church of God. I don't have to put up with no such a stuff as that.”

Oh, that's the reason the miracles has gone from the church. That's the reason the faith has gone from the church, see.

Even Jesus, the very God (listen to it!), the very God that she was going to worship, and change her thoughts, and come to—to believe on Him—when she arrived at Him she got a cold shoulder.

Remember me speaking last night about the hybrid flowers and things? Christianity today is a reproduction. It's not the original. If you had the original baptism like they had it back there, that Pentecostal church would be ... there'd nothing could stop it! It'd be like a house on fire and a dry weather and a hot wind blowing. There'd be nothing could stop it. It's on fire!

What's today? No, it's a different group today. My opinion, it's a reproduction.

Notice. He give her a cold shoulder. Today we have to pat them, “I'll promise you if you'll just come over, I'll put your card on my book over here [your letter], and I'll see what I can do. We'll get with the deacon board and see if we can't get you on the deacon board or something.” That's the way you have to do them today. See what a bunch we got?

But even when she got there, He said, “I'm not even sent to your race; and besides that, they're nothing but a bunch of dogs.” Oh my! What would we have done? What would you have done? Ask yourself that, and be honest.

Somebody said.... Why, if you don't even get prayed for the first night, you claim you ain't coming back no more. And you got faith? Sure. (Now remember this tape goes all over the world. I'm not just pointing my finger here; I'm pointing everywhere.) Yeah. You ... you won't come back. No, you can't even sit and listen to the meeting through. “Yeah, I got faith.” Yeah.

But she was called a dog. That's the lowest can be gotten, or was to them in that day, an unclean animal. Of course today it's an idol. But they.... A woman will take a little old dog and give it a mother's care, and practice birth control, because she wants to get out to dances and parties and carry on like that. She hasn't got time for a child. You know, she'll route the dog off in a little cage somewhere, and take it with her. That's exactly right. Practice birth control, and then go to church and sing in the choir; wear shorts, slacks, everything else, and call herself a Christian; bob off her hair, and still say she's in fellowship with God, when the Bible says she's not. That's exactly right. I don't care.

Listen. You say, “That little thing? What are you saying that about?”

In the beginning one word caused all sickness and death. The same God at the last of the book said, “Whosoever shall take one word out of it, or add one word to it....” So, no matter what you do, how saintly you claim to be, how much you jump up and down and cry, speak in tongues, roll over the floor (or whatever you want to do) or give to the poor, whatever you are—that isn't it. You've broke that word; and that one word you broke, you can't go back in. Exactly right. Not one word.

You take a creed instead of the Word because it suits you better. That's the reason people can join church and go to this, that, or the other, and sit around there. It's nothing but a lodge. It isn't a church. You're borned into the church. You join a lodge; but you're borned in a church—the church, not a church. The church. There's only one church, and you.... I've been in the Branham family for fifty-five years, and they never did ask me to join the family; I was born there. That's right.

Yeah. Turned down, called a dog; but still she held on.

See, she had faith. She was disappointed with all of her friends, disappointed with her people. All kinds of things trying to hinder her, but everything's still that way. That shows Satan trying to push back genuine faith, but he can't do it. Don't care what anybody says, it's still there. She's persistent. She keeps moving on.

She got to Jesus, and Jesus said, “I'm not sent to your race. [I'm not sent to your church. You're not cooperating.] You're nothing but a bunch of dogs anyhow.” Still she moved on. Says, “Me, I come to heal these (mine), not to come to heal you. Not meet for me to take the children's bread and hand it out to you bunch of dogs.”

She said, “That's the truth, Lord.” Amen. Faith will always admit the Word is true. Amen. Now if you want to hold on to a creed, go ahead. But the faith (real genuine faith) admits the Word is the truth. She said, “Truth, Lord; but the dogs can eat the crumbs that's under the children's table.” That got it. That got it.

She was not a hothouse plant. She was not a hybrid bunch so-called believers, that we have a crop of today. She had genuine faith. She admitted he was right. But she wasn't after even all the bread that the children could eat; she was just searching for crumbs.

We either get the best or we don't have any at all. We'll walk away from it, then say we got faith. “They don't treat me right, I'll walk out.” That's no faith. That's not faith.

Faith is there. What I'm trying to say to you friends: we're going to have a prayer line here one of these nights. And I want to see not one stretcher, one wheelchair, one crutch, or nothing, but what's laying here on the floor; and them walking on out, see. Unless you come with the right kind of approach you're not going to get anything. That's right. You're just walking right through, and somebody slapping a hand on you, and going on out. That's no good. You've got to know what you're coming.... “He that cometh to God must believe....”

Watch. Remember, she had never seen a miracle. She was a Greek. She knowed.... She was a Gentile. She had never seen a miracle; yet she had faith that there was such a thing. And year after year and day after day we see miracles, and just can't hold on an hour or two.

She was like Rahab the harlot. Rahab didn't want.... That Gentile woman: she didn't want to see how Joshua wore his clothes, or see Joshua. She said, “I have heard and I believe.” That's all. She heard and she'd believed. Jesus said for this saying, she had the right approach to the gift of God. Remember, she was the first Gentile that a miracle was ever performed on, because of her faith. Faith admits the Word is right, humbles itself same as it does today.

Martha, in the presence of God.... Martha, the sister of Lazarus, she was humble in the presence of Jesus, and she was perseverant when she got there. He said.... She said, “Lord, if you'd have been here my brother would not died. But even now whatever You ask God, God will give it to you.”

He said, “I am the resurrection, and life: he that believeth in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live: Whosoever liveth and believeth in me shall never die. Believeth thou this?”

Remember, she had a right to upbraid Him. She had sent for Him twice when he was sick; let him die. But you see, she had faith. She knowed that if that Shunammite woman (in her age), when her baby died, that she believed God was in that prophet, Elisha. And she held right on to Elisha. She said, “As the Lord God liveth, and your soul liveth, and never die, I'm not going to leave you.” She was perseverant.

And Elisha didn't know what to do. He just went in the room, and walked back and forth until the Spirit of God, the presence of God, come. He laid himself upon the baby. It sneezed seven times and come to life, because somebody was perseverant. Somebody had a hold of faith, to get to the man of God.

And she knew if God was in Elisha how much more was He in his own Son. She knew “faith come by hearing.” And in presence of Jesus she was perseverant. Jesus, look like, tried to turn her back, and say he'll rise, and all this, and so forth. But she was perseverant.

She pushed through every critic saying, “Now where's that divine healing program you was talking about? Where's that all at? Your brother's dead and buried out there now. And the pastor's slipped out of town till he died; and then come back.” But that didn't stand in her way. She pushed right through every critic till she got to Him. She got what she asked for.

Now here some time ago.... I just remember at the Tabernacle (I see some of the brethren sitting here from the Tabernacle tonight), there was a lady .... I come into the church. We have about every night about what we got in here in our meeting. And so then we was ... I wasn't praying for the sick that night. There'd been a woman come from California, had a tumor. The tumor itself weighed fifty pounds. And so they'd had her in the back. And so, they told her we wasn't praying for the sick that night, that was just coming down to speak because just come from a meeting. And when I went out the back door, two of the deacons had drawed her around the house in a chair, and set her at the door, and right on the ground. And when I come out.... She caught me by the trouser leg when I went out.

She said, “Brother Branham, only thing I ask you, lay your hands on me.” She said, “My tumor will go.” And she was just about like this. About six weeks from then she was in a meeting and took the sisters to go in and examine her. Without any operation, there wasn't a speck of the tumor nowhere. No matter if it wasn't a night to pray for the sick, she was perseverant. She got what she asked for. Faith had found its place, had a hold.

Micaiah (and I'm closing in a moment).... Micaiah, in the presence of four hundred well-trained priests, prophets of Hebrews, with all.... He said, “Come down, Micaiah. You've been put out of the ministerial association down here. But if you'll speak the same thing that they do now, and say for Ahab to go on up with ... Ahab and Jehoshaphat to go on up, and we realize ... that they'll put you back up in the fellowship.”

He said, “As the Lord lives, I'll only say what He says to me.” God give us some more Micaiahs. So he waited. That night the vision came. He examined his vision with the Word, because the Word of God had said that Ahab, that dogs would lick his blood like it did Naboth. So we find out that his vision was exactly with the Word, so he was perseverant when he walked out the next morning. Said, “Go on up, but I seen Israel like sheep scattered on a hill having no shepherd.”

And this high priest or ... over the prophets, walked over, smacked him in the mouth and said, “Where did the Spirit of God go when it went out from me?” Still Micaiah didn't care what they said. He stood there. He said.... “Put this fellow in the courts,” said Ahab, “and put him in the inner courts, and feed him the bread and water of sorrow. I'll deal with him when he ... when I come back.” In other words, behead him or something.

He said, “If you return at all the Lord hasn't spoke to me.” Oh! He knowed where he was standing. Didn't make any difference what the rest of them thought, he knowed he'd been in the presence of God! He'd heard the voice of God. It was exactly with the Word of God.

So ought we tonight, to see this hour that we're living in, and see the promise of this day, that the Word of God promised it! No matter what anybody else says, the Word said so, and Jesus comes to make Himself known.

Perseverant.

The blind man that Jesus hid, or healed, could not.... He could not explain or argue their theology. But one thing he knowed; he was perseverant. His father and mother couldn't say ... said, “Why, we're afraid they'll put us out of the synagogue.” And they said, “Ask him; he's of age.”

He said, “Who healed you?”

He said, “One Jesus of Nazareth.”

He said, “Give God praise.” Said, “We know this man's a sinner.”

He said, “Now whether he's a sinner or not, I don't know; I can't say that.” But said, “One thing I do know. Wherein I was once blind, I now see.”

They said, “We don't know whence come this man.”

He said, “There's a strange thing. You're supposed to be the leaders of this day, knowing all the spiritual things. And here a man comes and opened my eyes when I was born blind—and yet you don't know where He come from?” Oh, he was perseverant. Nothing going to bother him. He'd been talking to God.

Nathanael didn't care to call Him “Lord, King of Israel,” before his pastor and all the rest of them, when He told him where he was at the day before. Nathan didn't care.

The woman at the well didn't care how many people told her it wasn't legal for her to say anything because she was a prostitute. She'd met a man that she'd looked for since she was a little girl, knowing that Jesus was to come on the scene (a prophet). And she'd found that prophet who she seen tell her the things she had done.

Stop her? As I say again, “Like a house on fire in a high wind.” You couldn't do it. Her heart was flaming with joy and peace. She'd been forgiven of her sins. She had seen the Messiah. She had seen his presence. She had seen his Word. “We know when the Messiah cometh, He'll tell us these things. But who are you? You must be his prophet.”

He said, “I am he.” If the man could do a thing like that, wouldn't lie. She knew that was the Messiah; so the good news had to be spread.

How ought we to be on the same fire tonight! Persistent to let everybody know that the Holy Ghost is real today; that it falls upon us and does the same thing that He did, and the promises of this hour. We're not persistent. I wonder if it's really struck us, see.

Notice the woman at the well. One thing.... I've got to close. I've got about a half-a-page of notes there. But I want to close in saying this: This brings a story to me. Then we're going to pray for the sick, going to be just a little bit late, but maybe ten, fifteen minutes. But bear with me just a little bit longer.

I was in Mexico City about three years ago.... How many knows Brother Espinoza, you Spanish people here? Well, I guess many of you do. He was my interpreter. We was down there in Mexico City—as far as I know, the only Protestant ever come in there sponsored by the government. But General Valdini (you remember him).... He's one of the Christian Businessmen; had received ... been saved and filled with the Holy Ghost. And he'd got through the government; and he got me in.

And so, we got another big ring out there that seated several thousand people. Didn't seat nothing; had to stand up. And you think about having to stand here for two or three hours in this room. Them people stood in that hot blazing desert sun, there, from nine o'clock at morning till nine that night, day after day. And one night, pouring down rain, they stood there. And them young Mexican women, the hair hanging down their face, and it raining so hard I couldn't see halfway across the audience. It didn't make any difference to them. They was holding on to that Word of life.

Remember one night there, come in.... I was only there three nights (platform about long as this or maybe a little longer). There had been an old blind man come across the platform, and they'd brought him up.

The fellow that come and got me—I called him “Mañana” (that means “tomorrow”), he was so slow. He never would get there, and he.... Well, he'd look around and get over there anytime—and me praying—and I just called him “Mañana.”

So they'd take me up the back of this big wall on a ladder, and then let me down on the platform. Brother Jack Moore.... How many knows him? Sure, I guess you do, and Brother John Sharrit, many of them here. They were there on the platform. That night coming across the platform

Mañana give out the tickets (the prayer cards), but Billy walked right along by his side to see that everything went right. He could talk to them, and he give them prayer cards. But Billy went to find out whether it was really right or not; whether he'd sell any of them or what he would do, or give respect to person, let everybody that wanted a prayer card have one.

So, then that night when the prayer cards was called, there was an old man come across the platform—barefooted, and his trouser legs all tore off, old hat in his hand wrapped up with cord. And when he got close to me he was blind. And I looked at the old fellow. And I was standing there, as good a clothes as I got on tonight. Somebody'd give me a nice new suit, had on good shoes—and that poor old fellow there in old ragged shirt and dust all over him.

There he was totally blind: his eyes pretty near as white with cataract as my shirt, and he.... And I thought what a cruel thing Satan had done. The poor old fellow probably never had a decent meal in his life.

The economics are so poorly balanced down there, and they.... Just think now, say, Pedro (Peter) he's a brick mason, he gets thirty pesos a day; but he had to work four days to get himself a pair of shoes. See.

And then what about little Pancho, or Chico? The little one works out, you know, only makes about four pesos a day with four or five kids to feed. He'd get down and get some old niba, bean tortillas for his.... And tonight Martina can have one and little Chico can have one; but somebody has to do without one. They have to save so much to buy a grease candle to be burnt on a gold altar for their sins. That's what burns me up. So there you were.

Now. This old fellow stood there. And he was saying something in Spanish, and he had a lot of little beads wrapped around his fingers, and I told him take them off, and ... through Brother Espinoza. And I thought.... So I thought, put my shoulders up, I can just lay my coat down, tell him ... his shoulders much wider than mine. I put my feet outside his; thought I could step right out of my shoes; nobody would see it, and give him my shoes. But his feet was much larger. And I thought, “Well, I.... What could I do?” I thought, “Oh, God....”

If you don't feel for people, it's no need trying to serve them. You've got to feel it. That's the reason He felt our infirmities.

I just put my arm around him like this, and I said, “Heavenly Father, if my daddy would have lived, he'd have been about this old. It's somebody's daddy.”

And I was just standing there like that, and I heard, “Gloria a Dios!” That's “Glory to God,” you know. Looked around there, and that old man could see as good as I could, just walking up and down the platform, just going. Well, and of course they had to get the ushers (about three or four hundred ushers standing there), to keep them down. Then they had to take me back up the rope.

Next night, come in there, there was just piles that high, a rick, all up and down there, of old shawls and hats and things they laid up there to be prayed over. How they ever knowed what belonged to who, I don't know. All piled up there, laying there. And it was raining and I was late. And I got in there, and I'd just started preaching “Faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.” Brother Espinoza was down there interpreting.

And Billy come over and tapped me on the shoulder. Said, “Daddy, you're going to have to do something.” Said, “Mañana's done give out all the prayer cards.” And said, “There's a little woman standing over there (a little lady),” said, “she's got a dead baby, and it died this morning.” You've seen the article in the “Full Gospel Businessmen.” And remember that has to be bonafide before it's printed. Doctors has to sign this statement that it's true when you put it in print.

And said [blank spot on tape.], “It died this morning.” She'd been standing in that rain with it all day and she didn't know Espinoza was, or I mean Mañana was giving out them prayer cards. And said, “He hasn't got a prayer card.” Said, “I've got forty or fifty ushers can't hold her off that platform.” Said, “She'll go right under them, upset them, climb over their backs, or anything. She's trying to get up here.”

And I said, “Well, I tell you.” I said, “Come here, Brother Moore.” You know, all of ... many of you ... raise your hands. You know Brother Jack Moore. I said, “Brother Moore, she don't know who I am. She don't know. There's been many ministers standing here speaking—lot of the Baptists and everything, that's sponsoring the meeting.” And I said, “Now you—you go over there and pray for the baby. She won't know the difference.”

And he said, “All right, Brother Branham.” He started walking off the platform, about as far as the wall over there, and I turned around. The people didn't know, because they didn't understand English.

And I said, “Now as I was saying, faith is the sub....” And looked here in front of me, and I seen a little Mexican dark-faced baby with no teeth, just sitting there grinning at me, right here in front of me.

I said, “Wait a minute, Brother Moore.” I said, “Tell the little lady to come here.”

And Billy said, “Daddy, she ain't got a prayer card.”

I said, “I just saw a vision, Billy.” And so they went down there and got the little lady. Here she come running up there and fell on her knees; began to holler “Padre,” which means “Father,” you know.

And I asked her to stand up (Brother Espinoza) and hold the baby. She had a little blue and white striped blanket over it, just soaking wet, and the water dripping off, and her hair hanging down —lovely looking little woman, probably her first baby. She was in her ... twenty-two, twenty-five years old, holding the little thing like that: little stiff form about that long under this blanket.

I thought....

They all thought I was just praying to get rid of it, you know, get her off of their hands there. I put my hands over on the little baby and I said, “Heavenly Father, I don't know that this is the baby, but I saw a vision there a few moments ago of a little Mexican, looked like a little dark-faced baby, smiling.” And I said.... They don't interpret the prayer, you know. And I said, “I saw it smiling.” I just laid my hands upon it this way, “In the name of Jesus Christ,” to pray. And the little baby let out a kick and started crying, and started ... and so it started screaming.

And I said, “Brother Espinoza, don't you put that down now. You send a runner with that baby and that woman, and take it to the doctor.” And that night they called the doctor out. The doctor signed a statement that the baby died with pneumonia that morning in his hospital, or in his office, at nine o'clock; and here it was around ten o'clock that night. Been dead since that morning, and come to life; and is living today for the glory of God. Because why? She was just as persistent as this little Syrophenician woman was here we're talking about tonight. It goes to show that God is still the same yesterday, today, and forever.

The thing of it was.... What was it? She had heard about that old blind man.

She was Catholic by faith. All of them are Catholic. So it was.... When you're born in Mexico, you're just automatically a Catholic. So then, them people there had seen this old blind man on the streets speaking of his testimony. She had.... They'd heard about it.

This woman had never seen a miracle, but she knowed if God could give a blind man his sight, He could raise her baby back to life, because it was the same Jesus Christ. She'd sometimes make Pentecostals feel little—that's right—with such faith; because she was persistent, that it had to be God that could restore sight. And if it was, “God could keep his Word and restore sight; He could raise the dead.” And He done it because she was persistent. Be there one more night and she might.... That was the night for her.

Won't we tonight, friends, won't we be perseverant? Can't we press through the mystic dark shingles here and accept Jesus Christ as our healer? Can't you do it? Let us pray.

Lord Jesus, O God, I don't know what more to say. I pray, God, shall I call just a little prayer line, Father? And maybe You'll show the people that ... do something just like You did before your death and burial, that (this day and time, maybe there'd be strangers here) that we might see that You're still the same yesterday, today, and forever, keeping your Word. And maybe there'll be someone with faith enough to break through that barrier yonder—that sound barrier, that sin barrier, that unbelieving barrier yonder—break through that to where all things are possible. Grant it, Lord.

We're told that when that plane passes that sound barrier, it's unlimited in speed and power. God, if we could just break through that power of unbelief, miracles and things and promises of God are unlimited. “For all things are possible to him that believeth.” Grant it, Father. We ask it in the name of thy Son, Jesus Christ. Amen.

If I'm just a little bit late, is it all right to go ahead and just call a little prayer line? I know the people get restless, but let's just call a little prayer line.

Let's see. Monday night we had A's, is that right, when you gave out prayer cards? No, I mean Wednesday night. I think about Monday ... Wednesday night was.... The first night was A's, and last night would be B's, and tonight would be C's. We called from 1 to 25 in A's. I think that was right, wasn't it? 1 to 25 in A? Was that right? 1 to 25 in A? 1 to 15 in A.

Well, let's call in B's, yesterday's prayer cards, then. Let's call B-75 to 100, prayer card B. We'll catch your C and all them. B-25. No, B-75, I believe. I said, “B-75 to 100.” All right. Let them stand up on this side now. B-75 to 100 stand up over on this side. Come right over on this side and line up here. Some of you brethren go down.... Billy, Roy, some of you go down there and see the people get in the prayer line.

All right,

I want your undivided attention just a moment. Now be real reverent. Now look, some people go and they say, “A preacher wears the wrong kind of tie; he's got on the wrong suit. His manners isn't right. He doesn't stand straight enough.” Well, see, you still don't have no faith, see.

If a man come in that door back there and told you that they had a ... that he had a money order, or a bank draft for you for a million dollars, you wouldn't care whether he was educated or uneducated. You wouldn't care whether he had on overalls, or whether he had on a tuxedo. You wouldn't care whether he was black, yellow, brown, white. It's not the messenger; it's the message you want to listen to. Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever. How many's aware of that?

Now if you'll just—just if the—

if the engineer there (I think Mr. Ruby or ... I think was his name, I met the other night), if he just would.... He's given us the lights and so forth here. If you'd just bear a few minutes for the sake of the gospel....

Now everyone be real reverent. But be real perseverant. Push right in beyond the veil.

Now when Jesus Christ heals the sick.... Now I don't say they'll be healed; I can't tell you that. Remember, I have no power to heal. I don't have power. You don't have any power; none of us does. We have authority. How many understands that?

Look here. Let me ask you something. Out on the street.... You're on this busy highway. It comes in from the superhighway, right on the main turnpike. I see the speed limit is eighty miles an hour. There's cars come down there anywhere from two hundred horsepower up to three or four hundred horsepower and....

Number 76 please come. They need number 76. B-76. Might be somebody deaf, look around. Oh, sorry. All right. B-7.... Is that right, my brother? B-76. All right.

Now notice. For instance, here comes a little policeman out there on the highway. He's so little till his cap holds his ears down; and he won't weigh over about a hundred pounds. Now how much power has he got to stop one of them cars? And there, some of them, just as ... three or four abreast, just as hard as they can pour down that highway at three hundred horsepower in each one. He couldn't even stop one horsepower. And here these cars are. But let that big badge shine, and let him raise up that hand. He might not have power; but he's got authority. Listen at the brakes squeak and run sideways and everybody stop. Why? Because he's got authority.

I don't have any power, you don't have any power; but we got the authority. Amen. The badge of faith hanging on the Word. “I believe it. It's the truth.” That's what stops. Then you can be persistent.

A little policeman stand out there, and blow that little whistle and hold his hand up, I'll tell you, everything is going to stop. It's his authority. It's his authority to believe.

Now, you believe, each one of you. Now you, standing in there, now don't be discouraged. Just sit there and press through. Say, “Lord, this man knows nothing about me. I'm sure of that. If he can speak to ... tell me, I'll believe with all my heart.”

Now what would we know now? Who is the healer? Jesus Christ. Is that right? Well, then if He's here present, well, the only thing we have to do is just ask Him. He's the high priest that can be touched by the feeling of our infirmities. Is that right? All right. Then He's the same yesterday, today, and forever. Today He's the high priest.

How did He act when a woman touched his garment two thousand years ago? He turned around and told her what her trouble was, and said her faith had healed her. Is that right? Well, He's the same today. He'd have to act the same, 'cause He is the same.

Now is your prayer line ready?

Now here's a woman coming up here. As far as I know I've never seen her. She's a total stranger to me as far as I know. We're strangers to one another. [Woman speaks to Brother Branham.] She said she's been in my meetings in '47 and in '53. [Woman says, “ '51 through '53.”] '51 through '53. But to know you, I don't, see. Just like if I met you a week or two weeks from now, I probably wouldn't never know you. There's a lot of people been in the meetings, tens of thousands since then, see. I wouldn't know. But as far as.... What I mean: do I.... Do you know me? You know me because you've been in the meetings. But me to know you, or know what your trouble is, or what you've done between now and then or before then, or what you're intending to do, of course I wouldn't. No.

But now, so that we won't bear long with each person to try to.... The other night I stopped before.... I didn't see.... I didn't think there was any more left; and I left two or three standing in the line. I shouldn't have done that. I just didn't do it. I don't know why. I just.... Everybody ... looked like it was a climax of time. You don't want to baby people; you want them to be rugged enough to reach up there and take ahold of what you're saying, see. And then they're healed. If you don't, why, they're not healed.

Now, this lady here, our first time meeting.... Now, if He's the same yesterday, today, and forever .... Now, if He was standing here with this suit that He gave me through some good person, give me the suit.... Now, if He were standing here with this suit on, could He heal you? No. No.

He's already done it, you see. “He was wounded for our transgressions.” He couldn't heal you. How many knows that to be the truth? It's already done. Any sinner here, He couldn't save you; He's already done it. You have to accept it. Now, if He was standing here with this suit on that He gave me, He could ... the only thing that He could do was say....

If you'd say, “I'm sick,” “I'm needy,” or “I have a loved one that's sick,” or whatever; “I'm financially in trouble,” “I have domestic trouble,” or whatever it is, He couldn't ... He couldn't give it to you. He would just tell you He'd already purchased it. How many understands that? That's true, see, because it's already done. See, He can't do....

If you've been redeemed from any thing.... The pawn broker cannot hold you any longer, if you're redeemed. If you got the receipt that it's redeemed, that settles it. He can't hold it no more. We've got the receipt, see. Now, if you got the faith to cash it in, see....

But now, if He was standing here, and me basing all my campaign upon He's the same yesterday, today, and forever, He would know what your trouble was. And that would surely ... me not knowing it, it would certainly identify it'd have to be Him. It'd have to be some power, some power. It depends on what you think the power would be, because you know that I don't know you, humanly speaking; and it'd have to be some power.

If you believe that to be Him.... If you didn't believe it to be Him, of course you shouldn't be standing here. But if you do believe it to be Him, then if He could tell you what you've done, or what you're here for, or something, that would increase your faith, wouldn't it?

Would it increase yours out there? When here's my hand, as far as I know I've never seen the woman in my life, only just some in the audience; or maybe she was in the prayer line, or something like that years and years ago. I ... any recollection of her, no. But may the Lord help me now.

As a gift.... See, like these ministers here. You already know, if you've heard me preach, I'm not a preacher. I have no education; I couldn't call myself a preacher. But there's men here that's more able to do that than I am. But my gift comes from God because I love Him, and this.... I believe gifts and calling are without repentance. They're predestinated of God to each generation. And my part in this was to that Word, for it to live again: become the Word to discern and know. That's prophetic, which is promised according to Malachi 4 to be in this day. Makes us perfectly in the last day.

Now, if the Lord Jesus tells me where your trouble is, will you believe me to be his prophet or his servant? May He grant it. You are suffering with a skin condition; there's something wrong with your skin. That's right. Now, if that's right, raise up your hand. See, so....

Now, I keep feeling that coming from out there, somebody saying, “He guessed that.” Now wait just a minute. I did not guess that, lady. Some ... see they.... You can't hide a thought now, see. He's here now. Now I take every spirit in here under my control in the name of Jesus Christ, for the glory of God. I didn't guess that.

That's a nerve condition. You have a nerve condition that you're ... that's bothering you. You're praying for a loved one. That's a woman that is your daughter-in-law, and she's suffering with epilepsy [Woman says, “Yes.”] Now I didn't guess that. Just believe it. You believe it with all your heart; and as you have believed, so will it be to you. “I believe. I will believe.” If you'll believe it, it will be. See, I can't deliver it on my faith. It's got to be delivered on her faith, see. Understand?

How do you do. I've just lost my mother, about two years ago. And when I see you coming up like that, it brings memories. Wouldn't I be an awful person, standing here representing Jesus Christ, and be a deceiver? That would be horrible for me to do a thing like that. But I am not a deceiver; I am his servant. And if God will let me, by his grace, know something about you, well, you'll believe that it comes from God? Now if the people will understand....

Look here. See, that one discernment was more than if I'd preached till midnight. Jesus said, “I perceive that virtue has gone.” If that was that for the Son of God, how much more for me, a sinner, see. Daniel saw one vision; was troubled at his head for many days. How many knows that? See, you don't realize the grace that God grants us.

Now, the lady suffers with a stomach condition. It's in your stomach. I see you backing from the table, and it's caused from a nervous condition that causes the stomach to be that, which makes the food not be able to digest. It's a peptic ulcer (really what it is) in the stomach. And you believe that God will heal that for you? You accept it as being healed? You believe that God will take it away from you? God bless you. Go, and may the Lord God grant it to you.

Real reverent. How do you do. We are strangers to each other, I suppose. I really ... first time meeting is it? You've been in the meetings but, me knowing you, I do not.

You was asking for yourself. If you'll believe, that arthritis will leave you. Yes. (She was sitting there bowing her head, praying.) It will leave if you'll believe it.

Your husband.... Do you believe that God can reveal to me what his trouble is? You believe that God can tell me? You're so happy to know that she was going to be well of that. You have a prostate trouble that bothers you. Raise up your hand. I've never seen him in my life.

Tell me what they touched. Now just ask that question. What did they touch? They never touched me; they're thirty feet from me. But they touched that high priest.

If I am a stranger to you people, wave your hand like this, you two people sitting here. If I.... Just wave your hand like this, if I'm a stranger to you, see. You were just sitting there and the lady was praying, see. And He's standing here, turns just like He did in the Bible—not me turning; Him turning me.

Look, I don't know those things. It's just like this microphone: it's a perfect mute without something speaking through it. But you hear me through this microphone. Is that right? But the microphone can't speak itself. It has no voice. I don't know those people. Can't you realize it's in the presence of God that's using that, to show you He is present? Press right through.

Now, we being strangers to each other, you're younger than I. We was probably born years apart, and miles apart. And here we meet for the first time. Now, when it went there, I can only go. It's a light. I watch it, you see. The Holy Spirit is a light, we know that. But if the Lord Jesus will help me to know what your trouble is, will you believe me to be his servant, and know that it's not me, that it's Him? I am just his servant, like that microphone.

Now this desk here is a part of the furniture of the house, but it wasn't made to speak. It holds my Bible. The microphone won't hold my Bible; it carries my voice. Well, there's different gifts in the church. Some is his voice, some is a vision, some is other things they do. But I am just by vision as his servant.

Now if God will let me know what your trouble, what you're here for, you will believe me, and believe that it is the word of God? You're suffering with an infection. The infection's in the skin. See that? She knows whether it's the truth or not. See, now more you talk to her, more would be said. She's a very fine person. By the way, look here just a minute. (Then the rest of them, if you have to, bring them a little faster.)

Let's just talk a few minutes, being that you're such a nice person. Now, you know that something's happened to you. Now, between you and I there's a light. Did you ever see the picture of it? It's standing right between me and you. I'm looking at you through that light, see. And you believe God can tell me who you are? He told Simon who he was. How many believes that?

Here we are with our hands up; we're total strangers. They call you Florence, and your last name is McAllister. You believe God can tell me where you come from? You're not from here. You're from a place called Lawrence, Kansas. That's right. Now return back. Jesus Christ makes you well.

Have faith in God, see. See what....

Now please be reverent. Don't move. God heals diabetes. You believe that? You believe He'd heal you? Just go ahead and say, “Thank you, Lord,” and believe it with all your heart and you'll be healed.

Do you believe God can heal that female trouble that you have? Then just go on saying, “Thank you, Lord, I believe it with all my heart.”

All right, let the lady come. You have a lady's trouble and you also have diabetes. Do you believe that God will make you well? Just keep walking, saying, “Thank you, Lord.” Believe it with all your heart, now.

Come. A nervous condition causes a stomach trouble. Do you believe you can eat your supper now? Go saying, “Thank you, Lord,” eat your supper. Believe with all your heart.

God heals heart trouble. Do you believe He'll heal your heart trouble? All right. Go believing it, and He'll do it, you see. You believe it.

What if I didn't say anything to you? Just to show faith that I believe you have, just lay hands on you, you believe you'd get well? Come by. You're already healed when you left up there.

Of course anyone sees this woman's limping. That's been all of her life. But another thing you have, is a stomach trouble's bothering you that you want.... Just keep walking. Say, “Thank you, Lord.” Believe with all your heart and go.

Do you believe? Do you believe God will heal that arthritis, and let you get well? You go home. Go believing it with all your heart.

How many out there believes? All of you? Here sits a man, sitting right here looking at me here. Don't you see that light hanging over this man right here? Really, what he's troubled about is about an overweight problem. That's right. Raise your hand if that's.... You believe God will heal you?

Your wife's sitting behind you there. You believe God can tell me what her trouble is? You believe? Would you, lady? You believe me to be his prophet, his servant? (That blinds people when you say prophet). You believe me to be his servant? You believe God can tell me what your trouble is? High blood pressure. Believe with all your heart now, and it'll leave you, because you believe.

This colored boy sitting out here on the end of the seat, watching intensely. What do you think about this, sir? Do you believe it to be of God, you sitting there? You was looking at me so earnestly. I don't know you. You're a stranger to me, but you're suffering from a trouble. Do you believe God can tell me what it is? You do? It's an allergy. That's right. Do you believe that God will heal you? One great thing about you is this: one of your greatest troubles is that you're backslid. You really want to come back to God. That's true, raise up your hand. Then come here. Your sins are forgiven you, my brother.

You say, “How do you know that?” The same One that told me what was wrong with him.... How many in here wants your sins forgiven? Will you rise to your feet? You want your sins forgiven? I just want to see if you're honest enough to do it. Thank you. Wonder if you'd walk right down here and stand here with this man that's just been forgiven. Say, “I want my sins forgiven. I'm honest about it.”

You can't....

Come on. There's more than that here. Now, if discernment discerns sickness and diseases, it discerns sin. You know that. How would I know this man was a sinner? That's it. Come right out, and come right down, we.... Will you do it just for a moment? Come here and stand just a moment. Say, “I want to be forgiven, brother. I want God to forgive me of my wrong. I'm ... realize that I'm in his presence. I don't care what my neighbors think; I'm coming anyhow. I'm perseverant. I want to be saved tonight. I believe God. I want to come right now and have all my sins washed away.

How many ministers are in here that believes that these people has a right to be saved by the grace of God? I want every minister that believes it to come stand right here with them, now, while we pray—every minister that's interested in lost souls. I didn't think I was going to do this, but I know better than to disobey his voice. He told me to do this. That might be their last time, I don't know.

How many knows that this is what He did when He was here on earth? Then it's bound to be Him again. It's impossible for a man (any human being) to do a thing like that. We are in his presence. And here we see Him tonight doing.... “If I be lifted up I'll draw all men unto Me.” We see Him here doing the same thing He did when He was here on earth. Can't we be perseverant now? Press right in. What caused us to come here? What caused all this anyhow? It's God. Don't you believe that?

I want each one of you minister brothers to walk forward and put your hands upon one of those confessing people there. Now, my dear brother, sister, you who are confessing at the altar, what made you come? You didn't come by your own power. You come because that something convinced you that you were wrong. You want to be forgiven.

When you seen that poor colored boy (that Ethiopian boy) stand there, gone away from God.... And the Holy Spirit revealed that he was a sinner. That same Holy Spirit just never called you right from my lips, but it called you. And here you are tonight, standing the same way that boy was. Confess your sins now before God. Believe Him with all your heart, and He'll forgive every sin that you have committed, and take you back tonight on the grounds of your confession and fellowship. He'll do it if you'll just believe Him.

Now let's bow our heads, everywhere in the audience, and everybody real reverent. Now let us pray. Each one of you confess your sins. He's here. The Holy Spirit is here. That's what's calling. Now just believe it with all your heart. Confess that you're wrong. Ask that He'll forgive you. And each one of you brothers, pray with these people.

Heavenly Father, we come now in the name of the Lord Jesus, thanking You for your great grace and power toward usward, Lord, that we, the unworthy ones, way down here in the closing of time.... We ask that your mercy be extended, Lord, on down, on until the last soul be brought in, tonight, because of your appearing before us. It made people press beyond every circumstance to get up here, to believe that this is the hour that their sins will be forgiven them, and that they will be free from this night on. Grant it, heavenly Father. May every sin pass from them. You said, “He that will come to me, I will in no wise cast out. Though your sins be like scarlet, yet they shall be white like wool. Red like crimson, they shall be white like snow.”

We plunge beneath the flood of the blood of Jesus Christ. By faith we take this people, confessing, into that presence of God, into the blood of the Son of God, and ask forgiveness for them. We ask this petition in Jesus' name. Remit every sin and take them into your care, Father. As they confess, bring them back, upon the basis of your promise. You said You would do it, and I know You will. They are yours, Father. We give them to Thee in the name of Jesus Christ.

Each one of you that's standing around the altar now, just truly confess you're wrong. And in the presence of God, you believe me to be his prophet, and believe that I've told you the truth upon this, and you believe that your sins are gone and you now.... By faith, you break through that veil into the presence of God, and say, “Lord, I believe You right now and accept You.” Raise your hands and say, “I do it.” Each one around the altar, raise your hands and say, “I do it. I now believe it.” God bless you. Amen. That's the way to do it. That's it. Just by faith break through that veil.

Now. While you're right on the same grounds that you're standing on, that you're forgiven, now brothers, lay your hands back on them again for the baptism of the Holy Ghost—right where you're standing. Lay your hands right on them now, and pray that they receive the baptism of the Holy Spirit, standing right here.

Lord Jesus, send your power upon them like a rushing mighty wind. Send another repeat of Pentecost, and fill the people (not the room), the people with the fire of Holy Spirit, and forgiveness, and demonstrations of power, through Jesus' name.