Elijah

You can find this sermon at ChurchAges.net

1 Evening friends.
It's a, always is a privilege to be at the Church Of The Open Door. I like that name, the Church Of The Open Door, and I like the pastor also, and the congregation, and the Lord Who lives here. So it makes me always happy to come here. Concerning the meeting at Owensboro, it begins, as Brother Cauble said, it's a salvation, healing, regular campaign that we usually have. And the public, of course, is invited to bring your sick and the afflicted and come down. Brother Bosworth just called this afternoon and he's to be with me there to officiate in the meeting. And that's at the City Auditorium, I... it's a new auditorium, they just built it there. They have seven thousand seats in it. And so, there'll probably be plenty of room 'cause it's a small city and... But they got Evansville and Paducah and many of the others cooperating and it's just the outskirts of Louisville here. So come down when you get a chance, to see us. We'd be very happy to have you down there at this campaign. And bring the sick and the needy and your pastor and everyone along. We'll be glad to have them.

2 And now, tonight, is just the eve of this great prayer for the sick. Our good Brother Cauble's come over and asked me if I'd come say a few words tonight; which is always a pleasure to speak in the Name of our Lord, and to His people. I don't get a chance very often to speak like this. Usually my campaigns it's all on the subject of Divine healing because the managers and them gets the altar call and things before I get in or right after the meeting's over. And it's mostly praying for the sick.
We had a marvelous time over at Jeffersonville this morning in the tabernacle. Our Lord did meet with us over there and help us and we're grateful for that. And the Lord to prosper our ways as we go is our earnest, sincere desire that all of you pray for us and that God will help us.
And now, tonight, being it's just before this prayer meeting, I was coming over and I thought, "Well, I'll." Brother Cauble's never said what to speak on and it wouldn't do me no good write any notes on it anyhow 'cause I'd get up in the platform, the Lord tell me something else and I never look at it. I tried two or three times, as a young minister, to try to write me out some notes to follow. After the service was over I thought, "Well, wonder why I didn't look at that?"
And come to find out I didn't even preach on it, so, I just thought it would best just to let Him have His way, you know, whatever He has for us.

3 And, but just setting here on the platform to when I turn to a Scripture concerning waiting for this great meeting coming up Tuesday. That's a worthy thing. I just come from Santa Cruz, California where we had a marvelous meeting over there. So many people got out there till they had to call the city troops, or I mean, the state troops and block the highways off for the people at Beulah Park and over at Santa Cruz. And all the way over it was constantly just same routine. Everything dried up and Nevada and California and Kansas and all through there it's just like it is here. All across the nation going east it's the same way. "That everything," they say, "is dried up."
Texas, I believe there is one place in Texas, where they haven't had a rain for three years. And just think of that. Now, all this is bound to speak of something. It's just can't be, just say, "Well, it's just a coincidence. It just merely happened that way or just to be." I don't believe that. I believe that everything has to move according to God's will for it to move. And now these things are for a purpose.
And now, I'll watch this clock... usually, I've been accused of speaking too long, but, I don't think I do. I seldom ever speak over four or five hours at a time. And so I'm sure that I won't break that record tonight. I don't think so, I, and... But we'll try to cut it down just a little bit if we can.

4 Now, over in the book of Saint James, I happened to run across these verses, and thought it would be appropriate just to speak of preparation for this meeting that's coming. And now, some of my friends are here from the tabernacle setting here. Why, I want to urge them, also, if they possibly can, to attend those prayer meetings for the sick, or for the, pardon me, it's about half on my mind, looks like, about praying for the sick, but for the drought to be broken. And I believe that God can break a drought today just like He did in the days gone by. But there's a condition we got to meet.

5 And now, as Brother Cauble said a while ago, it's a very beautiful picture. Or, it's sad in one way, but, of our hearts' condition of the world, at how we becoming dry towards the Lord. If you'll notice and go out into the desert... many times I've walked out into the desert in California and Arizona and through them places. And every weed that you find's got a sticker on it. It's because it's dry, it... A dry climate just develops stickers. Everything that's on it's got a sticker. Then you change and take that same variety of weed and put it up into a country where there's a lot of rain and swamp, it's just as soft as it can be. The water makes the difference. And you take a people or a church that's just so dry, that they never have prayer meetings, they become stickers. They're just finding fault and sticking at one another. But all we need is a good rain to soften us up a little bit. Don't you think so? A little... I like to live at the spout where there's just plenty of rain falling and we can just have a... just keep softened up, you know, and you... I think that's the best place to live, anywhere, where the rain's falling.

6 Over in Saint James the 5th chapter and the 16th verse we read these words, beginning:
Confess your faults one to another, and pray one for another, that you may be healed. For the effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much.
Elias was a man subject to like passions as we are, and he prayed earnestly that it might not rain: and it rained not on the earth for the space of three years and six months.
And he prayed again, and the heavens gave rain, and the earth brought forth her fruit.
Brethren, if any of you do err from the truth, and one converteth him;
Let him know, that he which converteth the sinner from his error of his way shall save a soul from death, and shall hide a multitude of sins.
Just for one more word of prayer, if you will.

7 Heavenly Father, we come in approach to Thee in the Name of Thy beloved Son, Jesus, to ask mercy and guidance. We don't know what to say and the audience is waiting. But Thou has always supplied our needs and we know that you will according to the riches in Glory. When we look forward and see the end time approaching, our hearts are leaping for joy that know that after a while, by and by, these old frail bodies will be changed and made like unto His Own glorious Body. We shall see Him as He is. We'll never pray for each other no more. There'll never be no more sick, no more old and gray and crippled and sickness. Hospitals, they'll have no need, no more undertakers, no more funeral processions. But then we'll be like Christ, live as sons of God, and reign for Eternity with Him. Oh, until that time, Lord, prepare our hearts and let us give call to this day and night, and not be silent, that God's great Message might wake the people from sin to righteousness. For we ask it in Jesus' Name. Amen.

8 I am a... had a positive thinking that I would go on record of this, just, I have to watch, of course, what I say because there's a many... God has let me come in contact with many thousands, just around, many million of people around the world. And I'll always weigh my words when I make statements of this kind. But I believe that we're living in the end days that when we're at the end of the road. I can't see any hope for anything else but the coming of Jesus Christ. Looks like we've tried every political scheme that we could find and there's nothing seems to work. And there was a Man died nineteen hundred years ago at Calvary who paid the price for all of us that we could be brothers and sisters. And I believe that His program, that we have shunned so long: that is the greatest need the world has today.

9 Now, I'll make this statement which seems very bitter to begin with. And I wanted it because it's the truth. That every kingdom of this world is controlled by Satan. The Bible said so. Satan is the prince of the power of the air, and every nation is under his domination. The Scripture says that. Satan quoted it to Jesus said, "The whole world, all of these kingdoms are mine and I'll do with them what I will." And he said, "I'll give them to you if you'll fall down and worship me." Jesus said, "Get thee hence, Satan, for it's written that thou shall worship the Lord and Him only shalt thou serve." So, you see, they all belong to Satan. Jesus didn't dispute his words about it. But Christ knew that He would fall Heir to all these nations someday.
And over in the book of Revelation, when John the Revelator saw that Christ was falling Heir to it, he said, "Rejoice, ye heavens and all ye earth, for the kingdoms of this world have become the kingdoms of our Lord and of His Christ, and He will rule and reigned a thousand years on the earth." Now, we're looking for that great Millennium day, that time when all the troubles and droughts and everything will be settled.

10 We're speaking tonight about Elijah and making it a preview of our prayer meeting coming now. Elijah was a man... Many times when someone speaks of a man like Elijah, they would expect him to be a great angel or of some sort or a sainted person that was dropped out of Heaven. But the Bible said that he was a man subject to like passions as we are. He has his ups and downs, his trials, his indifference, but he prayed earnestly that it wouldn't rain. And it didn't rain for three years and six months. And after three years and six months, he prayed again and the heavens gave rain.
Now, he was a man just like we are, not an angel, not no more than what you or I. He had his differences and things, and his ups and downs in life, his life, like we do. But God answered his prayer because he prayed earnestly and sincerely. And before that kind of a prayer can be made for sick or for the end of drought or for anything that we have need of, there must be a perfect understanding that we're praying in the will of God. That's the reason he could close the heavens that it didn't rain, because God had told him it was going to happen. So it's easy to say anything's going to happen, when God says it's going to happen, because it's got to be that way. God's Word cannot fail.

11 And how that in those days, as we look back at the history, in First Kings the 9th chapter, and begin to think of what had taken place in that day, Israel... The reason that a prophet would pray that God would shut off the rains that it wouldn't rain: starve the people to death. Could you imagine that? A sainted person, now, a godly man, a prophet, major prophet, one of the greatest in the Bible, prayed that God wouldn't even let it rain to bring food on the earth. For he knew it was a great mistake for the people to have plenty to eat and to die and be lost in torment, yet have plenty to eat, it would be better that they had nothing to eat and would die and go to Heaven. That's right. And that's true today.
What's the matter with we, American people, we're well fed and fattened up and everything and we just think we just got everything made. And that's the same way that Israel got. It got into a place in the reign of King Ahab that the land was prosperous. And they had many chariots and horses and they whipped all the nations down everywhere. But the king, the main man of the nation, one of the main men, the king of the nation went and married a little, I believe an Egyptian princess. She was a woman who was not a believer and that's what started the trouble. A little leaven leavens the whole lump.

12 And people, today, as you see... you say, "Well, I guess I'm a pretty good Christian, Brother Branham." You can't be a pretty good Christian. There is no such a thing. You have to either be a Christian or you're not a Christian. A grain of wheat or salt... The wheat can't be a barley today and a wheat tomorrow. It's a wheat today, it's wheat for always. And a man that becomes a Christian is not a Christian today and a sinner tomorrow, and a Christian today and a sinner tomorrow. He's the same like Christ, yesterday, today and forever, because he becomes a son of God.
And a nation, we are called a Christian nation. Well, the reason we're called that is because that we hold that name. But just being that name doesn't expel us from all the judgments of God. So, here's... And not long ago, we were talking on this subject. Each year, if you'll notice, across the nation, the drought has begin to get a little worse and a little worse each year. Each year moving up. And I believe that it's we haven't seen half of it yet. And not only that, but the thing of it is, that our people are forgetting God. That's the main thing, friends. We've got plenty to eat. We got plenty to wear. We got fine automobiles. We're the most prosperous nation in the world. In the midst of it all, we don't look to where it comes from.

13 It's like a hog under a apple tree. He'll eat apples all day long. They'll beat him on the head and he'll never look up, see which way they're coming. Well, that's just the way we are. We just absolutely will... God will pour His blessings upon us and then we never look up to say, "Thank you, Lord, I'm so glad to be here, thankful that you give me something to eat." We just go ahead just like he owed it to us. We owe to Him. He owes us nothing. We owe all we are to Him.
And now, I was talking to a... some ministers recently and I was speaking on this manner about judgment fixing to strike this nation. They said, "Brother Branham, God could not put punishment on this nation because of the sacredness of the nation and the... our forefathers, who were real gallant Christians with... and at Plymouth Rock and so forth. He'd remember that."
I said, "God loved Israel and said so in the Bible; and He never did say that He loved us in that way." When, I said, "But He had... That was His first love was Israel." And yet when Israel got out of the will of God, God poured out the judgments of Heaven upon Israel. And we will not escape the judgments of God. If... David was a man after God's Own heart, and when David sinned before God, God made David reap for what he sowed. And we'll never come short of that. Whether it's a individual, church, community, or a nation, God will require judgment of sin. Amen.

14 Now notice, oh, I just love to think of all those examples of what God gave us, to look back over in the Old Testament, to see what God did then; that's just what He is today for He's the same yesterday, today and forever. And if you'll notice, the people had got out of God's will. Ahab had married this little princess, and she'd come over there, and she wasn't a believer. Now, there was a believer married with an unbeliever.
And here is a nation, which is suppose to be a believer, hooking up with all kinds of meanness and diviceties and making it legal: for instance, drinking. Now, I am not this, that or the other. It's not my business to deal with that. But I just want to show you that one thing. We legalize and give men right to sell men whiskey to drink, and beer to drink, then, when they catch him on the street drunk, they lock him up and put him in jail. It's not right. If they'll sell him the whiskey, let him get as drunk as he wants to. He's paid for it. It's his money. So the thing to do.
Not long ago, when we had prohibition in, and saloons was closed, and so forth like that, just as the Bible says, "As the hog goes to its wallow and a dog to its vomit," we couldn't walk the straight, narrow path, we had to turn back. That's right. And we voted in whiskey. We voted in all... When we brought in that, we brought crime.

15 I just left Los Angeles in here, and I was reading the paper, as I was flying over Los Angeles, where on the last two years, it's averaged a hundred and eighty-two major crimes done in that city alone every twenty-four hours. A hundred and eighty-two major crimes done. I said, "It isn't 'Los Angeles,' it's 'lost angels.'" Where men once had morals and understanding; and the great crime of sex and things is on the increase. Why? Is because we let them drink, smoke, do anything they want to. How can we expect to get good out of evil? You've got to take right to go right. You've got to do right to reap right. This is right and this is left. I can't be going left when I'm going right, or vice versa. We've got to go right, think right, do right, to be right. But when we get off of that road, then we're going wrong. We'll come out wrong, no matter how it looks, we've got to come out wrong. And that's the way our nation is today.
Here not long ago... Now, presidents rise and go, they run their business; I'm preaching the Gospel. But I've never... i'm neither Democrat or Republican; I am a Christian. I cast one vote, that was with Jesus Christ. He accepted me. And I've been trying to hold up His Gospel ever since. I'm electioneering for Him, and trying to get all the candidates for His kingdom that I know how, to pull into the kingdom, going day and night everywhere. And I know that there will be a time when Jesus Christ will rule and reign in this world, and all His subject will reign with Him. I want to be one of those. And I look forward for that great, tremendous day when He shall come and set all the captives free, and death and things wiped away. And then we'll be made likened unto His Own glorious image, and there'll be no more of these things. So let's look forward to that.

16 Think here not long ago, when they had a great drought hit the land. Just before that, what did we do? They bought up the hogs and things, took them over there on the west coast, killed them, and by the thousands piled them up, and the bacon and stuff, and burn it to make prices go up. They plowed under all the cotton and everything like that to make the prices go up. And the very next year... And then, we were talking about, "Peace, peace, peace," and China and Japan starving to death. And taking billions of bushels of wheat out in the ocean and dumped it out. And in India that same year, thousands times thousands of people died in the streets, so many, till rats eat them up before they get them off the street to bury them.
Then we call ourselves a Christian nation? And all those things there? How can it be?

17 Brother, what we need tonight, over the whole nation, is an old fashioned God sent revival and repentance for every church and every individual to come back to God, to the true and living God. Not to the psychology, not to the theology of church, but what we need to come back, is to the true and living God: Who changes a man's heart, changes his nature, changes his makeup and makes him a new creature in Christ Jesus, Who kills all the nature of the world and makes a person a new creature.
Oh, Christian friends, that's what the world needs tonight. We don't need a program. We need the regular program that Christ set at Calvary. When He was here on earth, He said, "Except a man be born again, he will in no wise enter the kingdom." That's what we need tonight. We've got it all kinds of programs everywhere, and everybody soliciting, and everything, for this program and that program. When, brother, the program lays right next to your heart, Christ Jesus, the Holy Spirit, trying to get into you just as hard as He can. And yet, we shut it off, and turn aside, and listen to everything else besides the right thing. And God has... lets the bucket of plagues pour out upon the nation. That's right.

18 Now, let's look back again, just for a moment. And Ahab, or, in that day, when he wouldn't listen to the prophet, the prophet tried to speak to him, he wouldn't do it, he listened to his wife. Good time, prosperity, gaiety, carrying on and that's what this world is swallowed up in today. Listen, I... Remember, I love you, but when I'm behind this desk, I've got to say as He says, 'cause I only know how to catch It as He gives It.
It's a disgrace today to look around. Now, I'm not talking to this bunch here. But I'm talking about the world in whole, or this nation in whole. To think, today, that many of the churches don't even open up on Sunday night through the summertime. They stay home to listen to some kind of a radio program or a television program. Is that the truth? And what they do, the American people want to be entertained when they get a preacher. If he's not a good entertainer to have socials and things like that, or carrying on, they don't want him. And they vote him out of it. They want to be entertained. But God don't send entertainers. He sends preachers of the Gospel to preach the unadulterated Gospel of Christ, the power of His resurrection. And every man that believes, and accept it, is born again; outside of that you're lost. And the nation will be lost. And the people will be lost. Sure it's predicted in the Bible that this United States will fall. And it will fall. And it's right on its road right now because it's accepted gaiety and big times and social and things like that instead of the Gospel. They refused the cross, and have accepted, and got a double cross from the Devil. Amen.

19 When I stood in Paris, France, here not long ago, after being over there, looking down through the streets, to see that nation and that people who's polluted beyond anything that I ever seen. If I ever seen a rat hole in my life, it was at Paris, France, when it was so dirty and filthy and immoral. Jumped off in front of the Notre Dame church: the prostitutes, you had to beat them off with a club almost; selling pictures that's vulgar, and everything else like that. And walk in and throw a little water on them and say a prayer and walk away, and then claim to be holy and clean. Oh, it's a disgrace. They call. And then I went on--went on down the streets, on a sightseeing bus. I wanted to look around down by the Seine River and I noticed there was a... the speaker begin to speak, said "The Huguenot." And I looked there, and there was a statue with the little children, wires wrapped in them, and others, and where they'd piled brush around, and burnt the Huguenot, a order in the days gone by. A bunch of people who had the Holy Spirit, who was born again and filled with the power of God, and they went over there to preach the Gospel; and they burned them in the street. That's right. And they accepted their big time, wine, women, and everything else, and they've been the disgrace to the world ever since.

20 And to think that the very devil that done that landed yonder in Hollywood, and stripped our women, and done just the same thing here that he did there. And the preachers behind the pulpit has been ashamed, are afraid of their jobs, to put the Gospel out like it ought to have been done. That's right. If you'd have handled the Gospel with bare hands and tell the people the facts.

21 Now, I begin to notice in the last few weeks over there at home, some of the big dignitaries, or the great men of the big churches, are coming and hungering and thirsting. Great men, some of the greatest men in the nation, even the archbishop of India, come into my house there and had come to the... in America here seeking and begging for the baptism of the Holy Spirit. They're sick and tired of theology and human psychology. They want to feel the touch of the living God Who changes men's life and make them new creatures in Christ Jesus. That's what we need tonight, Christians. That's what the world needs tonight. That's what America needs tonight.
We got programs going around, revivals everywhere and asking people, "If you'll accept Christ as personal Saviour?" They stand up, say, "Yes, I do." And two or three days after that, the Devil's got them right out there again. What they need today is an old fashioned, God sent, Saint Paul's revival and the Holy Spirit would get men down at the altar like their mother and daddy used to do and cry out on the altar till God gives them the baptism of the Holy Spirit. That's the truth, my Christian friend. Wake up, tonight, you people in here; and it'll never get any better, I doubt it, 'cause the Bible predicts it to be, and so we're just there. This has become, not a national affair, now it's an individual affair.

22 Look at this man, Elijah, he said, "Send down the drought." And he closed off the heavens that it didn't rain. And now, I want you to, just, to notice now, just for a prefigure what taken place here. Now, when God told Elijah to go do this, and he went down and predicted to the people what was going to happen, well, those people, no doubt, said, "Well, that man's crazy." Now, if you could've seen him come up, he wasn't a great diplomatic looking man. He had an old piece of sheepskin wrapped around him like this, and his beard sticking all out over his face, and hair probably hanging out the same way. And he walked down the street, little old skinny, boney body with a oil cruse hanging on his side and a stick in his hand, walking down the street; but God was with him.
That's what's the matter today, brother. We have went to the big church or some brethren say, "Oh, well, our church looks better than yours. And ours does this, that, or the other." You're looking at the outside. What does it make any difference there? What kind of a people has it got in it? Has it got a people there who loves God, prays to God, worships, a prayer meeting, and so forth? You'll see a prospering church when you see that kind of a people. Yes, sir, not the building. God said, "Sacrifices and so forth," said, "I have none. And Solomon built Him a house. But howbeit the most High dwelleth not in houses made by hands for He said, Heaven is My throne and earth is My footstool: and where is the house of My rest? But a heart has Thou prepared me, a body." God comes to the individual.

23 Then, I noticed this prophet as he had an alternative, and he prayed that it might not rain so that the people could be saved. And I imagine hearing those people in that day say, "Say, did you hear what that holy-roller said? It isn't going to rain anymore till he calls for it. Did you ever hear of anything like that? Nonsense." They went on out in their big parties, dancing and gaiety just like they always did. That's what throwed our nation into the chaos, when they were drinking and drunken and carousing around when Pearl Harbor struck down there. If they'd been on the alert and been prayed up and had a prayer meeting down there that night, they wouldn't have fell into the hands of the Japanese as they did.

24 And I'll tell you tonight, if we was prayed up and the nation was prayed up and people was living godly, we wouldn't have droughts and famines and pestilence and things like we're having now; if men and women lived right before God. But the trouble of it is, look down through your own city of Louisville, cross over in Jeffersonville. Look down in New Albany, heard an analysis of it, New Albany, twenty-seven thousand people, and forty percent of them has never been to church or don't belong to any church, forty percent of the people of New Albany, Indiana. I forget how many thousands of children in Boston, Massachusetts didn't even know what the name of Jesus Christ meant, of children. Could you imagine that? And talking about a Christian nation, why, brother, it's as black as Africa. That's right.
What are we going to do? No wonder God shut off... No wonder we ought to get ready. I believe over in Amos it said, "Prepare to meet thy God, O Israel. Being that you wouldn't hear the Message and so forth." Said, "Prepare." And if there ever was a time that the world ought to be preparing for the second coming of Christ, is now. Hear it.

25 You prepare for weddings. You say, "Why must I prepare? Why must I start to get ready to meet God, preacher? What are you speaking of?" You prepare for a wedding. And you can be disappointed in that. Yes, sir. You can say I prepare for a great meeting somewhere or something another, you can be disappointed in that. But there's one preparation that you're not going to be disappointed, that's you got to meet God, every one of you. So, what makes me think, every time I know, I see a gray hair, it speaks to me, "I must get ready to meet God." Every time I hear a siren, I know that I must meet God. It's a preparation time. Every time I hear of a death or anything, it's a preparation time, God preparing. And when you see those things, to you see sickness, and see the doctor's office, you see those things, it's a warning, prepare to meet God for it's at hand.
You see a man, young man, here this week, and look back and it look like it hasn't been no time, and there he is broke down, his hairs are turning gray, and the beautiful young woman, she's withering away. That's a warning, prepare to meet God. Yes, sir, and everything that's pointing you to that will witness against you at the Day of Judgment. When I come to the end of the road and you come to the end of the road when we get there, God is going to make everything here, the trees, is going to make every warning be rise up in judgment against us. Even the cries of the wicked will condemn you. When the cries of the wicked that is in hell, when you stand there and say, "Well I didn't... I meant to do right, I..." There'll be millions of them in hell, say, "You have to condemn him, because I had the same intention and you sent me down here. You're not just, God, if you let him get by with it."

26 If the virgin Mary had to go up in an upper room, and stay there till she was filled with the Holy Spirit in such a way till she staggered like a woman that was drunk under strong drink, how are you going to get in, anything less than that? Yes, sir, brother, it's time for us to quit fooling with it, and come on up and get right with God. And the power of God get into our lives. That's the truth. Yes.

27 Ahab, he wouldn't listen to Elijah. Elijah walked up... Could you image a fellow looking like that now? An ol' burly looking man and his little ol' body walked up there and pointed his finger in the king's face. And said, "It's not going to even be dew fall from the heavens till I call for it." Well, I imagine the king said, "Well, who are you?" But he knowed what he was talking about. He knowed the Word of the Lord. That's the reason ministers today, and everything, keep telling you prepare to meet God, because they know Word of the Lord, and know these are warnings everywhere. Famine, pestilence, and earthquakes, and so forth, He said, "All these are the beginning of sorrow. Then they shall deliver you up: and you shall be hated of all nations for My Name's sake."
Looky here in America today, friends, all this we talk about being a religious nation, and they just built, in Chicago, a temple to a heathen god, worth millions of dollars. And the true Gospel of Jesus Christ, many times, is preached in little old missions and things along the street; can't get a dime hardly to support their program.
And here, the pastor said, a while ago, that this little church here, was thirty thousand dollars in debt, and we Christians in America, and call ourselves a Christian nation, when heathens are coming over and build a million dollar temple. And I walked through that temple of continuity up there, when the Devil was so powerful, you could strike it everywhere. If you're spiritual, you'll understand what I mean. There it was, in there, said, they said, "Here's Mohammed here, this is for this over here, and that over there." That'll never work, no, sir. There's only one way, and that's Jesus Christ, the Son of God is the Door and the Gate. And Christ is not dead, He lives in His people.

28 Elijah goes up to the mountain. God told him, said, "Go up there on top the mountain," (the driest place there was, of all of it), " and sit down up there by that little brook Cherith. I have commanded the ravens to feed you." Could you imagine it? And then the people say, "Well, we'll get along all right," a drought set in.
Notice, things begin to come the way the Word of God said it would come. And now they wondered... they thought that that man was crazy. But there he was setting up there eating three meals a day. Crows come and fed him. Well, they... He was better off than a lot of you people here. He had some colored porters. I'd imagine there isn't hardly any of you here, has got servants. But that man setting up there in the wilderness and God made ravens come and feed him. Now you said, "Where did the... where'd those ravens get them sandwiches they was bringing him?" Well, I don't know, that's not for me to know, I can't tell you. The only thing I know, they got them somewhere. And they brought them to Elijah and he eat them, and stayed alive for three years and six months. Amen. The only thing I know, the ravens brought them and Elijah eat it.

29 You say, "Brother Branham, do you mean to tell me there's such a thing as you preach a heartfelt religion?"
Yes, sir. I believe it. If you don't feel it, you haven't got it. That's one thing sure. If I couldn't feel this coat, I wouldn't know I had it on. That's exactly right.
Old fellow one time said... This is not, I don't joke in the pulpit, I don't believe it, don't believe in it. This is no place for jokes, this is a place for the Word of God. An old colored man said, "I carry this Bible."
Said, "You can't read it." Said, "What do you carry it for?"
Said, "I carry it because I believe it." Said, "You, well, I carry it for that reason. I can't read it; says, 'Holy Bible' wrote on it, and I know that it's holy."
And he said, "Well, you believe." His boss said, "Do you believe that a man can have heartfelt religion?"
He said, "Yes, boss."
He said, "Well, how.There is no such a thing as heartfelt religion."
He said, "You just missed one word. There's no such a thing as heartfelt religion, as far as you know." But he knowed different.

30 One day he said, "When... Where... I want to get that heartfelt religion." He said, "It's a rainy day. We can't work."
He said, "Come on." He took him out to the corn crib. It was nice and dry. Said, "Can I receive it here?"
The old darkie said, "No, sir."
He went up in the hayloft, said, "Can I receive it here?"
Said, "No, boss."
Said, "Where do we receive it?"
And he pulled up his trouser leg, like this and walked out in the pigpen and the mud like that. Said, "Come on out, boss." Said, "Here's where you get it, out here."
He said, "I can't come out there to get it." Said, "I don't want it out there."
He said, "You don't want it bad enough. That's the reason."

31 Brother, I tell you when a man's really getting hungering and thirsting for God, he'll receive it. The trouble of it is, that the church is not hungry enough tonight for God, is the reason the Holy Spirit is not moving in the church tonight. That's the reason the signs of the apostles... They sometimes say, "Brother Branham, how does this healing and the miracles and signs and wonders.?" It'll work if you believe it. If you'll take God at His Word, it'll produce. God let me live to prove that around the world that that's true. And so will it work tonight in a drought or anything else. If you'll meet God's condition, God will meet you on those grounds. But you got to come to His conditions.

32 Look, Elijah setting up there by this pool drinking when he wished to and ravens feeding him. Then it come the time when they begin to hunt up... want for Elijah. And they went out to try to find this man of God. Now, I want you to notice what he told them for a preparation. And the thing that worked in that day for a preparation will work in Louisville, Kentucky. It'll work for you people, who are going to come here this next coming Tuesday night and Tuesday afternoon to pray for the rain.
Now, listen close. Elijah said, "First, go call up four hundred of them prophets. Go call your opposition and bring it up here." And said, "When you get it up here," said, "then let's cut a bullock in two and you give them their chance and let them call on their god. And then you give me a chance to call on my God." And I want you to notice, after they'd pour... went up and the heathens had carried on over their religion and so forth. It was dead, there was nothing and Elijah walked out and put his hands across his breast, maybe this way and said, "Why don't you call a little louder? Maybe it's pursuing. Maybe he's in battle. Why don't you speak to him?" Yes, sir.
Now, you have a beer party down here to start your gaiety, or have a big picnic somewhere, and let the whole world turn in to that and bring rain on the earth. Are you... Let's try that tonight. You just open up every saloon, give everybody all the drinks they can, and make the Christian stay home and not pray and everything like that, and see if you can bring rain and prosperity to the nation. That's right. But then you close them, every one, up. Stop all your meanness and everything, and get down on your knees and call out to God and watch what happens. Let the God that answers be God. Let's do a trial.

33 I've seen that tried a many time. I said, "You get one of the persons and let's bring the sick and afflicted and find out Who's God." God will be the same thing in this. If you people around this area here want an old fashion pouring down rain, you just get down on your knees, and all of you around here start calling out to God with a sincere heart. Burn up everything in your house, take that beer bottles out of the icebox, throw that deck of cards away. Take the children and take off to Sunday school next... And stay in prayer instead of running out and running around, and gadding about the way you do. Get on your knees and start praying, God will send you a rain. That's right, make preparation.
I want you to notice old Elijah. Oh, my. Amen. Don't get excited. Amen means "so be it." It won't hurt you. I haven't hurt no one yet. Notice, I get a little excited, maybe, sometime, but it's Something inside of me making me excited. Do you believe in that? Sure, Something inside of you makes the excitement. Once I... What if I'd go out here tonight and say, "Say, I see the moon shining. What are you shining about moon?" And the moon would say, "It's not me shining. It's the sun shining on me." That's what it is. If you live close enough to God so the power of the Holy Spirit can fall on you, it'll reflect the Presence of God. Amen.

34 Up in the mountains, when I go hunting, oh, I just love nature. I used to get out there to an old spring. It was the happiest thing I ever seen. It just bubble, bubble, bubble all the time. And I set down by it one day, I thought, "What makes you so happy. I wish that I had that much energy. You're jumping and bubbling all the time." And I said, "Are you happy because deers drink up to you?"
He'd say, "No."
I said, "Because bears drink there?"
"No."
"Maybe it's because I drink there."
"No."
If he could talk I'd say, "What makes you so happy?"
He'd say, "Brother Branham, it ain't me bubbling. It's something behind me pushing me, making me bubble." And that's the way it is with a man who's right with God, it's Something behind him, pushing him, bubbling him. It makes him testify. It makes you cry. It makes you get right with God. It makes you believe in God because the very reason was.

35 I could say to that light bulb tonight, "What are you shining for?"
He'd say to me, if he could speak, he'd say, "Brother Branham, it's not me shining, I'm just a wire and a bulb here. But it's something running through me making me shine." And that is every man that's born of the Spirit of God: he can't help from believing God does things, because the power of God has, from a great dynamo yonder, a generator that's moving in that man's innermost beings, and he has to shine out in a testimony for the glory of God. Amen. What we need's an old fashion breaking up. What we need's a cleaning up. What we need is a.not a whitewashing, but a washing white. All we need's a getting rid of these things that... The Bible said, "Let us lay aside every weight, that so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that's set before us. Looking to the Author and Finisher of our faith, Jesus Christ."

36 Elijah said, "Now, the first thing I want you to do, when you get ready for my sacrifice to prove Who's God, if you want to see some rain around here, now the first thing I want you to do is go get me twelve stones." Twelve stones represented the twelve tribes of Israel. And that's the only way we'll ever have a revival in America. That's the only way we'll ever get back to God the way we should. The Methodist has got to recognize the Baptist. The Baptist has got to recognize the Presbyterian and we've got to recognize one another as brothers and sisters in Christ, and quit segregating ourselves off like this and have an old fashioned revival. Amen.
An old fashion, God sent, sky blue, sin killing religion (yes, sir, brother) that'll make you what you ought to be. Start an old fashion testimony meeting in the chur-.well, you can't hear a testimony meeting no more, get around, the church is so cold, the spiritual thermometer goes forty below zero. Nobody in there praying, you come into the church and they're all jostling one with another, joking around, walking up and down the aisles, and chewing chewing gum and talking about the washing and this other thing and that. You ought to be praying. Amen.

37 That's the reason God can't get a hold of hearts is because that men won't let Him. You got your life all choked up with something else. Some kind of an organization or, "that you must do this." "Well, they got a revival down at the Methodist or the Baptist. Hah, that's not my church. I don't go down there." Sure, you're a member of that church. Every man that's born again of the Spirit of God is a member of the Body of Christ. Amen. And every man that's born of the Spirit of God has that kind of a motive towards his Christian brother. Although you might differen in little bitty things, but, what difference does that make? You say, "Well, the Methodist sprinkle and we baptize." That don't have nothing to do with it. The thing to do, brother, if in your heart you can't recognize that to be your brother, you need a trip to God's altar to get right with God. "Well, they're down at the Church Of The Open Door, I belong to the Baptist Church. No need me going down there praying for rain." Oh, brother, don't do that. If you do, you'll never get rain. You'll close the heavens again. Yes, sir.

38 Elijah said, "Bring me twelve stones representing the twelve tribes of Israel." And he loaded them together, load them one on top of the other, and when them stones come together, it represented the tribes coming together. Then the sacrifice, the bullock was laid on top of the stones. That's the Blood of Jesus Christ covering all His children. Then he said, "Now, to be sure that it's not false, or anything about it." Everything God does, is in there, above board. He said, "Now, bring me seven barrels of water. And they poured the barrels of water up on top of them sacrifice, and they made a trench and the water run all down around like that. Said, "You see, there's no fire around it. It's absolutely genuine." Churches together, the sacrifice laying bleeding, now Elijah walked out and said, "Lord God, I've done all this at Your command. Let it be known today that Thou art God and I am Thy prophet." And about that time, the fire of God begin to fall, begin to lick up the sacrifice and all the water around; took up the sacrifice and received his efforts. And Elijah slew all the priests over there that was against God; went down there and set down by the side of the mountain, said, "Now, Lord, I have done all this that you said. The people have received us and all cried out in one accord, 'Let God be God. Let God be God.'"

39 Then the people begin to cry with one accord. Then Elijah went down there and said, "Now, Lord, look, Your people's all with one accord. There's three years and six months that there hasn't been a sprig of grass growing or nothing. Everything's dead, the people are just about to perish. All the waters are gone, and just a few mules has been saved, and so forth, of the stock. Look what a time it is, and now they've repented and they're coming back to you." Said, "O Lord God, send rain."
Said, "Go up Gehazi and look."
He looked and he said, "The skies are like brass."

40 Oh, I wished I had time to go into that right now, what brass means. Brass speaks of "Divine judgment." The laver at the altar, where the sacrifice was offered, it was a brazen altar, where the lambs were throwed, the sacrifice, judgment, Divine judgment. Look back there... Moses, when he lifted up the brass serpent in the wilderness, that stick on the pole, that stick represented the cross. The serpent, in itself, serpent represented "sin already judged from the garden of Eden," and brass represented "Divine judgment." Divine judgment, that Christ, that... what... It seems strange that God would let this represent His Son: but a snake. A snake represents "sin" and sin judged by Divine judgment was the brass serpent on the pole. Amen. I just love that.
God sparing not His Own Son, but sent Him made in the likeness of sinful flesh that He might reconcile us to Himself. How God has unfolded Hisself, trying to get into the heart of man down through the age. Oh, you're a wretch without an excuse. How that God, back there in that Pillar of Fire, away from man but looking down, and loving man. And then, no one could touch the mountain where He settled on. Smoke and fire and lightning flying every way, no one could come near the mountain, even if a beast touched, it must be killed.

41 Notice, then after God manifested Hisself to the children of Israel in a Pillar of Fire, that same God revealed Hisself in a body, Jesus Christ. God with us, manifesting Himself here. Unfolding Himself down now from something that couldn't be touched, to a virgin-born body, in order to give this body as a sacrifice to die and to go away and return back again. And now God unfolded Hisself in the Pillar of Fire into a virgin-born body, and now into the hearts of sinful men that's been regenerated by the blood of this Sacrifice. It's more... I couldn't explain it.
How God could love the people so. And all these things and pestilence and things brings us only a warning and a love token to you to get you ready to meet God. Now, when you go home, if there's sin in the camp, burn it up. Get ready for a revival. Come down here, and not only pray for a rain on the earth here to water the things, when billions and millions of dollars worth of stuff is destroyed. Why? Why is it?

42 Here about three years ago, I forget how many thousand rural churches was turned into sheep barns. And that same year, it's been two years ago, I was reading statistics on it, that that same year there was hatched out thirteen million infidels. Why? Why, men and women? Why does it permit? Because the Devil has come in here and is riding us all down, and quoting big pictures and painting wonderful things and he's got you so blind till you can't see the coming of the Lord, yonder.
Young folks, old folks, whoever you are, prepare, get ready to meet God. Prepare yourself, prepare for the end time. We're at the end of the road. One of these days... Do you know the Bible predicts that this world's going to be burnt up with fire? Do you know the Bible said in the last days that the heat was so great upon the earth until men would dig holes to get into it and try to hide themselves from the wrath of God? Do you know diseases are predicted to have, in the last days, till even great men and chief captains and so forth would break out and rot in their flesh, and birds would eat from their bodies, birds of the heavens that fly down and eat on their bodies before they died? You say, "How can those things be?" It's a mystery to you. So was the horseless carriage a mystery to you. So was electric lights. So was airplanes and so forth a mystery.

43 When the prophet give, twenty-five hundred years ago, that missionaries would travel from place to place and go into the nations and wouldn't leave a track behind them, coming by airplane. Twenty- five hundred years ago, before there was thought such a thing. Nahum, four thousand years ago, said that the chariots would rage in the broad ways and look like their headlights would be like a torches and they would run like lightning. And anybody's ever been in the oriental countries, their little old streets are not much wider than that aisle through there, just where a horseman could go down, or a carriage. And he seen the broad ways, he said they'd be the carriages shall rage in the broad ways. That prophet, through the power of God, looking down through an eye of God and said there'd, in other words, there'll be automobiles, there'll be airplanes, and men will come in the last days where they'll be, "Heady, highminded, lovers of pleasure more than lovers of God; trucebreakers, false accusers, incontinent, despisers of those that are good; having a form of godliness but denying the power thereof: from such turn away." That's the Scripture. We're at the end time, friend.

44 Listen, tell you what let's you and I do, let's do like Elijah. Let's get the things right. Let's get back to God. Then Elijah put his head down and he prayed. He said, "O God, send the rain." He went up. Gehazi come back and said, "It looks like brass." He went again, till he went the seventh time. And when he went the seventh time he said, "I see a cloud rising up out of the sea, just looks like a man's hand." And Elijah said, "I hear the sound of abundance of rain. Go tell Ahab to gird up his loin and go to Jezreel 'cause there's a great rain coming."
Look what unbelief would have done then. Unbelief of today, the 1953 version of that would said, "If that's all you can send, well, just take it back." But when Elijah saw the first moving of the hand of God, he said, "I hear the sound of abundance of rain." Look, like a man's hand. Look here, J-e-s-u-s. When he seen that standing in the skies, he knowed everything was all right. That's right. Everything was all right. When he seen Jesus come on the scene.

45 Brother, what this nation needs today to end this drought, to end these pestilence... Look at diseases breaking out when doctors don't even know what they are. And looky here, we're developing drugs... Now I'm.I preach Divine healing, I'm not against drugs, you realize that. No, sir. They're God given, but today they become a... I don't know what to call it. When here not long ago, riding on the road, I picked up an agent and we were talking together in a filling station. And he was talking to me about Divine healing. He said the medical racket has become the greatest in the nation. They kill as many as they help. They give a shot of penicillin, it'll help you get rid of a bad cold, it'll set up something else that might take your life.

46 Here I come back from overseas, Doctor Adair, my friend in Jeffersonville, he said, "Billy, I don't want to give you penicillin. I'll give you some Chloromycetin." I was up there praying for the sick and everything. And I was sneezing around; the wife said, "Well, you just come out of that hot climate, get... take some medicine." And I took them things and I... didn't do me no good. And I went and got another bottle of them and took them, and I got so swimmy- headed, I couldn't stand up. And I called, I said, "Doc, you know, them things makes me swimmy-headed."
He said, "How many you took?"
I said, "Two bottles."
He said, "Mercy, goodness, enough to kill you. Quit taking them." There's only one thing about a bad cold, if you take medicine, you have it seven days. If you leave it alone, you have it one week. So, there, you can suit yourself. So now, that's it.
But let me tell you, brother... Look, then at the Moody Bible Institute up there, I was up there at the broadcast, in Chicago, when the medical science was giving their estimation on the... of their... about drugs. They said, "Don't take Chloromycetin because it sets up a rare blood disease, there's no cure for it." Hmm, I wonder... and here you see on these days.

47 Let me tell you all America. And listen to this, you! Listen! I have seen here the other day in a medical journal where they was getting after these cigarette companies that's putting out these things, that doctors prescribe for certain-certain cigarettes. There's no true doctor prescribes for nothing like that. It's nothing in the world but a trick of the Devil. And you look at this here, this month's Reader's Digest. They taken seven rats over here in the medical research at St. Louis, Missouri, and put seven rats in there and give them one cigarette a day for a year and all seven rats had cancer at the end of the year. And now they claim, I forget how many; eighty thousand cases of throat and lung cancer is caused by cigarette smoking. And the cigarette firm knew as soon as they could get a woman to indulge in that they had it made. And there are more men has cigarette cancer than what women does, because men's been smoking longer than me-... women.
Let me tell you something today, brother, America's loaded down with that tommyrot. And all they got on the programs, and the radio time, and everything sold as such as that, because they got the sway of the world. That's right. Why, the Gospel of Jesus Christ ought to be preached in its power; and men and women born again, and come away from such stuff as that, and live for God. Let me tell you something, brother, you say, "Now, Brother Branham, you're going to teaching about morals." You just get the old fashion baptism of the Holy Ghost and you'll find out what God will do for you.

48 You say, "Will I have to quit smoking, Brother Branham, to get the baptism of the Holy Ghost?" Listen, when springtime comes, we live, here in this country, there's a lot of little ol' scrub oak. You know what it is around here. It's got its leaves all year around. They're hanging on right now. They'll hang on till next spring. Now, when springtime comes, you don't have to go out and pick all the old leaves off. My, just let the new life come up and the old leaf drops off. Just get down here at the altar and stay, Tuesday, until God fills your heart with the Holy Ghost, and you won't have any more time for that kind of stuff. You won't have to preach against it or nothing. It'll take care of itself.

49 "I don't know what to do." He said, "I just don't know what to do."
I said, "What's the matter, Brother Reidhead?" A man of his position.
He said, "I come to you." Said, "Not long ago, I stood by an Indian from India." And he'd been educated here in America. "And I said, 'Why don't you forget your old dead prophet, Mohammed, and accept the resurrected Lord?'" Listen now, closely.
He said, "Sir, what can your resurrected lord do for me any more than my dead prophet can?"
"Why," he said, "Our resurrected Lord is raised from the dead. He gives us happy and joy and everything."
He said, "It's pure psychology. We have the same thing." Said, "Our dead prophet never promised what your resurrected lord did."
Now, there's been a white horse standing at the grave of Mohammed ever since he died two thousand years ago. He claimed that he would raise again. He said, "Your lord raised. And he promised that the things that he did, shall you also and even greater." He said, "Let our Mohammed raise and the whole world will know it." And said, "Your lord's been raised for two thousand years and two-thirds of the people never heard his name."
What's the matter? You've substituted theology for the Holy Spirit. That's exactly right. You've took church creed and took in the place, and let the church creed govern the church when the Holy
Ghost ought to have the way in the church to lead the church. That's exactly right. You'll have to come back to God's program before God can ever turn anything. It's got to be God in you. Amen.

50 He said he stood there whipped and changed the subject. He stood there in the room and said, "Brother Branham, I've been to the Pentecostals and everything;" but said, "I want to ask you something: Is the baptism of the Holy Ghost real?"
I said, "Brother Reidhead, as God lives of Heaven."
He said, "Is it.?"
I said, It's real."
He said, "Can I receive it?"
I said, "Yes, sir, it's 'whosoever will, let him come.'"
He said, "Has the teachers been wrong?"
I said, "Reverently I say it, brother, and with the fear of God in my heart. Yes, sir, they've been wrong." They've tried to educate you into it when you can't be educated to it. You're born in it. Yes, sir, not joined in it, not shook hands in it, not lettered in it, you're born in it. I'm a Branham because I was born forty-four years ago in the Branham family. They never did ask me to join the family. I was born in it. And that's the way a man's born in the kingdom of God, by the baptism of the Holy Spirit, puts him into the kingdom of God, and a joint heir with Jesus Christ. Amen. That's what we need tonight, friends. You know that's the truth. Yes, sir.

51 And there, laying hands on Doctor Reidhead, he received the baptism of the Holy Ghost. He's been right here in this church, I guess. Yes, sir, Doctor Reidhead, he went out and got started. Don Wells, one of the best known Baptists of the southern states here, walked down there and received the baptism of the Holy Ghost in Chattanooga, Tennessee. He set in my den room up there and said, "Brother Branham, I believe it's real and coming from God." And here, Lee and all the rest of them come and has received the baptism of the Holy Ghost. While hundreds and hundreds of men and women across the world... When here come the other day out of Kentucky, here, your main leading of the Christian church, and set on my porch while the movie studios was up there trying to take a picture of the place. And said, "Brother Branham, is the baptism of the Holy Ghost real?" He said, "I'm tired of church theology. I want something real."
What is it, brother? Men and women, we're coming to the end of the road, hungering and thirsting. God is pouring out His Spirit and the people are seeing it and running to Life. They're getting up to Cherith up yonder, where God has commanded the ravens to feed them. That's right.

52 And these little old missions around town, these places are looked upon as a bunch of fanatics, watch out, brother, sometime it might be a meal ticket to you. That's exactly right. Seek God. When you come to this meeting now... I'm sorry, I've kept you long.
But when you come to this meeting Tuesday night, come prepared. I tell you what you do, kill off all of your old long-robed priests. They stand around saying, "The days of miracles is past. There's no such a thing as the glory of God in the human heart. It's all imagination."
Let me tell you something right now, if Jesus Christ raised from the dead, He's living in His church today and we are His representatives. If Jesus is here, look in the meetings, come to the campaigns once when the anointing of the Holy Ghost comes, if it doesn't produce the very same life of Jesus Christ: healing; knowing; foretelling; saying what will, what will not. Watch it if it isn't true. What is it? Jesus isn't dead. He rose from the dead. He said, "A little while and the world will see Me no more; but you will see Me: for I'll be with you, even in you, to the end of the world." He's here tonight. That's right.

53 I can see the wise men as they went to worship him. I can see them getting ready to go. I can hear, oh, one of them say, "What are you doing? You didn't take any compasses," wife said, "how are you going to get through the valleys? How are you going to get over the mountains? How are you going to get over there to worship Him?"
He'd say, "Look, wife, I don't need any of your man-made stuff. I'm going God's provided way. I see a star hanging yonder and that star is going to lead me to the Christ. I don't need compasses anymore. I'm following that star." And it took him right straight to Christ.

54 And brother, you might take, join this church, join that church, you'll go to the Methodist awhile. If they do something over there you don't like, you'll take your paper out and go over and join the Baptist. If you don't like it over there, well, you'll come over here at the Nazarene, join them. You go back over to the Presbyterians and join them or over at the Christian Church. You've packed your paper till it's wore out. Why don't you forget, and tear the thing up, and put your name on the Lamb's Book of Life in Heaven, where it can't be moved. And there with fellowship with the Methodist brother, the Baptist, the Presbyterian, and come together in these union meetings and worship God and let your heart be open and be a brother to all men. Say, "God bless you, brother." If the man's in the wrong, don't condemn him, help him up.
When you see these drunks and prostitutes on the street, don't point your scornful finger and say, "I'm better than they are." The thing to do, that person's just as low as they can get now, if anything, take them by the hand and lift them up and point them to Jesus Christ, the Son of God, who can save them. But, oh, I belong to the church that we don't have such people as that in our church. We've drawed a boundary line now. We just let a certain class of people come to our churches. That's right. What we need today is that old fashion, Holy Ghost revival, a nationwide, which makes us all shake hands with one another and call one another, "brother and sister." God bless you.

55 I hope... I'm a poor preacher. I don't know how to carry a subject but I know one thing, I love God. I know that with all my heart. And I know the old fashioned religion that give me new birth, that taken me out of a home of corruption, that taken me out of the gutters of sin and made a Christian out of me, if that'll save me, will save you. That that brought healing to my body will bring it to yours; that who made me turn my face from the things of the world and look to Christ. And tonight, brother, I couldn't help it, if He'd condemn me at the end of the road and say, "William Branham, you go to hell." And I'd go down into the pits of hell, if there is such a thing as love there, I'd love Him there. That's right. I couldn't help it.

56 Here not long ago, I'd had a trial. They're precious to you. I buried a little baby this afternoon out of a home over there that the little baby was born, died right away. Little mother and father, I said, "Oh it's just a... What is it? It's a little cut. It's something to bring you closer to God."
I remember when my little girl had died and I laid her on my mo-... the mother's arms and buried them out there in the graveyard. My father died. My brother got killed instantly. All that happened just at once. And there I was going up the road one day, a pair of boots on, right after the flood, walking, tears running down my cheeks. I couldn't stand it hardly walking up the road. Mr. Isler, of Jeffersonville there, he's the something another in the state law there, I... Senate, I believe. Anyhow, he was going up the highway and he seen me and he stopped his car. He come to the church once in a while, my little church. He put his arm around me and he said, "Billy, I want to ask you a question."
I said, "All right, Brother Isler. What is it?"
He said, "Your father died in your arms. Your brother died before you could get to him. You was holding the hand of your wife when she... you kissed her good-bye and told her you'd meet her at the gate." Said, "And turned right around and walked down in there and God took your baby right out of your arms and you standing there praying for it." Said, "What does he mean to you today?"
I said, "He's more than life to me."
Said, "Do you still love Him?"
I said, "Brother Isler, I could deny myself before I could Him."
Why?
I said, "Down yonder in a little ol' coal shed one night, as a sinner boy, I was kneeling on a grass sack, praying. There's something happened here. A new creature was born. William Branham died and Christ Jesus come in. And since then I love Him, Mr. Isler." If the whole world should turn me down, everything else, I still love Him. If He condemns me, I still love Him.

57 Oh, love of God how rich, how pure. And I know I'm getting older each day, and I know some of these days I've got to come down to the end of the road. I know my last sermon will be preached one of these days; I'll pray for my last sick person. A while ago, they was asking me about a church or something another like that, I said, "I'd love to have a great church. But how can I stand to see them little black hands reaching over yonder in Africa and India that's never heard the Gospel one time, when there's big churches on every corner." Oh, it's not fair.
And one of these days, when I come to the end of the road, I done, I fixed it with the Lord a long time ago. I said, "Lord, I don't want no trouble when I come down there that morning. If there's anything wrong in my life, let me make it right now, for I won't have time when I come to the river. I don't want no trouble down there." I've got a lot of brier patches I've went through. I been cut and bruised and called and scorned and laughed and anything, but I haven't kept my eyes on people. It's on Christ. On Christ the solid rock I stand, all other grounds is sinking sand.

58 As I move yonder, one of these days, if I live to be an old man, these few hairs that's left here will probably be hanging down and turning gray. Most all Branham's, when they get old, take the palsy, they shake hard. And I suppose, maybe, standing yonder by the river one of these mornings, I'll be standing leaning on my cane, with these gray hairs stringing down around, shaking with this old Bible in my hand. And I know, the doctor has left the room, and said, "He's gone, he's... nothing to be done for him. The end of the road's come." When I'm standing there listening to breakers dash against the shore yonder and I look back down a path, I want to see it carve through every brier patch for the name of the Jesus Christ. When I know my days is ended, I know my time is come, I want to take off my helmet and lay it down on the shore like that, kneel down on there and take the old sword and stick it back in the sheath of eternity. And raise my feeble hands to God and say, "God, I've done the best that I know how. I've done all that I know how, shove out the lifeboat, Father, I want to come home."

59 I believe He'll be there to meet me. I believe He'll be there to meet me. He won't disappointment me, that hour. That's right, I believe He'll stand there. And I believe He'll stand with every man and woman here tonight that'll believe Him on that ground. If you haven't believed Him that way, believe Him tonight. Won't you? Accept Him in your heart, now. Purpose in your heart that from this night on, you're going to serve God. You're going to tear down all the old mournful things, saying, "The days of miracles is past. Heartfelt religion." Slay them things like Elijah did and come and worship a God who answers by Holy Ghost and Fire. Amen. May the Lord bless you while we bow our head just a moment, and if the organist will, go to the organ, just a moment, sister, if you will. If you will, bow your heads, just a moment.

60 Oh, Father, dear, such a tremendous time we're living, in the greatest time of all the ages. How the prophets would have longed to have seen our day, the announcing of the coming of Jesus. And we realize that mortal men and women are setting here tonight, the purchase of Thy Blood. And now, they've been committed here to us, to preach the Gospel. Receive these few broken words, Father, and mend them together in some way and place them in some heart here tonight that's without you, without hope. Maybe pretended to be a Christian for years but has never been born again, don't know what it means. God if that person's here, won't you speak just now. A loving Father, waiting just across the water yonder, with outstretched arms, calling the wayward in. Will You grant it just now, Father? For we ask it in His Name.

61 And while you have your head bowed, I wonder if there's a man or woman in here would just raise up your hand and say... Don't no one look, now, just let the Lord and I look. And if you'd just raise up your hand, say, "Brother Branham, I'm right now sincere, my heart before God. I really, if I knowed I had to, wasn't coming back no more, this is my last night, I truly, I'd have a lot to repent for and I'd want to make my life different than what it is now." Would you just raise up your hand, say, "Will you pray for me, Brother Branham, that I will meet the conditions God has asked?" God bless you and you and you. Oh, that's right, just, that's right, all over the building, there's hands going up from everywhere. God bless you. God bless you, you, you, you, dozen or more hands in one section.
All right, over to my left, is there any over this way in the left? Raise up your hand. No one look but just the Lord and I, please. Raise up your hand, say, "Brother Branham, these things may be secretly." You just want, you, maybe you belonged to church a long time but you want, you really want a close walk with God. You say, "Brother Branham, I want to really have what Jesus wants me to have, the baptism of the Holy Spirit in Its power and I want to be a shining light for Him. I'm raising up my hand so God will see it and I want you to pray for me." Would you do it, in, to my left side? God bless you, that's right. All down the row. God bless you, all along. Yes, just hands, dozens of them. God bless you.

62 While our heads are bowed, O God, we realize that someday, one by one, if you tarry, each one of these people that put up their hands will go, one by one, to an altar somewhere in a casket, or be destroyed in the river, or in fire, or a wreck, or somewhere. But God, they got a soul there that's going to live on forever. I pray Thee, Father, with all my heart, with all my soul, that you'll not let one of them be lost, if Thy servant has found favor in Your sight. Then I pray that you'll answer my prayer. If you'll open the eyes of the blind, and, like in the service this morning: a little baby standing there born deaf and dumb and the spirit left it and was there normal. O Lord God, You, who can do those things, You, who can make the blind to see and the cripples to walk, hear their prayer, Lord. And you seen their hands. You knowed every one of the them. You was the One Who had them to raise their hand. Grant it, Lord, that You'll hear my prayer and not one will be lost but all be saved.

63 And Father, in this coming meeting, coming here, Tuesday night and Tuesday afternoon, O God, may there be... may the priest stand between the altar and the... and God and hang on to the horns of the altar and weep between the porch and the door, and may there be old fashioned conviction everywhere. And God, I pray that you'll send an old fashion revival and a good sweeping rain that'll water this beautiful country through here. Grant it, Lord. And may, again, the wheels hum the song going to the church on Sunday morning and Wednesday night prayer meeting and may this great lovely nation of ours that you've give it, as our poets of long ago prayed and sang in the hymns, "Long may our land be bright with freedom's holy light; protect us by Thy might, great God, our King."
Grant it, Lord, that once again, that America will turn to God, and we'll have this drought broke and these pestilence stopped, these plagues removed. Grant it, Lord, and may freedom... when everybody's in fear wondering when the atomic bomb would strike, and we're told that in one hour's time, the whole nation could be blowed up. O God, and that great thing is right in the hands of our enemy, and they're well prepared to do it, just Your mercy holding. O God, may men take advantage of this. May sinful men and women everywhere repent. And grant it, Lord. Then send us an old fashioned rain, rain of the Holy Ghost and a rain of the waters that'll water the lands and water the church. And may we all serve You as long as we live and come to Your house in peace at that day. For we ask it in Jesus' Name. Amen.

64 God bless you, for bearing with me all this hour and a half. Wasn't quite five hours, but God bless you and I pray that God will bless each one of you and give you the desire of your heart. It's a happy privilege to get to stand here, be with you. And now, tend to all these meetings that Doctor Cauble has spoke of. And the brother coming from Scotland, attend those meetings and bring the sinners in, and everything. And then, when the meetings are over, remember down at Owensboro, Kentucky, we got a nice big auditorium there seating seven thousand. Everyone's welcome. Come, bring your sick and afflicted. God bless you, Brother Cauble.

65 [A brother makes an altar call and leads the congregation in singing while Brother Branham prays for the people]... God bless you... Won't you come? Won't you come to the altar? God bless you my brother, may the Lord... Just move right out and step in the aisles and find the old fashioned altar. Glory to God.

66 Friends, this is an old fashioned time, like your fathers and mothers had back in the Wesley church and the old fashioned missionary Baptist churches. You just got away from this old time thing. Come to the altar and confess your faults. Come to the altar and tell God about it. If you want just a little closer walk with God, why don't you come up here tonight and stand for prayer. It wouldn't do you a bit of harm. There might be a missionary sitting in here somewhere, tonight, that God wants to send to the field. There might be a preacher. There might be somebody that's facing something. If you are, you might be facing death this very night, tomorrow, I don't know when. But if you're here, why don't you come? That... I just feel, somehow, we ought to just wait just one more moment, while we have one more song or one more verse of that song, rather. Won't you come down here? Just like to shake your hand, stand here so you can just represent Jesus Christ here. He said, "If you're ashamed of Me, I'll be ashamed of you before the Father. But if you'll confess Me, I'll confess you before the Father and the holy angels." Won't you come now? While we sing one more verse, if you will, brother. That's right, sister. I want you to see... Come on down, like an old fashioned altar call. God bless you, I knew you were back there. Come right on down this way and stand right along here at the altar. God bless you. That's... Many of you in here should come. That's the way. Just be open and confess it and come right on out, and God knows your heart. Only thing... That's the way, an old fashioned altar call. Let's sing it now, yeah, come while we're singing now.
...pleading, O list to His voice, (Won't you come now?)
Hear Him today, hear Him today,
... believe on His Name shall rejoice;
Quickly arise and away.
Calling today, calling today,
Jesus is calling, is tenderly calling.

67 Sure, everything's under the Blood now? Everything's all right? If you haven't got the Holy Spirit, come here, stand here just a moment. Let's come. God bless you. Come right on. All right, that's the way. I like to see the people... I see husband and wife and children and all come. It means to me, such a difference in a home.
Friends, we're not asking you to join church, now. We're asking you to come, get right with God. That's right, that's the way. Come right out. Certainly, there's more of you back there that should be here. Certainly, all right, but this... We're just thanking the Lord, now.
Now, to you people penitent, stand here, while the rest of them are standing. Look this way to me just a moment. I want you to look this way. You have a need of God, you wouldn't be standing here. You want a closer walk with God. Look if you... how... Do you want a closer walk? If it is, raise up your hand. You... Do you know the reason you do? There's something in here craving a closer walk. If there's anything in here making you want a closer walk, there's a closer walk for you. When the deep calls to the deep, if something in here is... Before there can be anything in here to make you thirsty, if you thirst for water, there's got to be water somewhere. See? If you... what you want in here, what's in here craving, it shows that there's something out there to respond to the deep call to the deep; there's a deep to respond. Before there's a fin on a fish's back, there had to be a water first for him to swim in or he wouldn't have had no fin. Before there was a tree to grow in the earth, there had to be an earth first or there'd be no tree to grow in it.

68 Here, some time ago, I see where a baby eat the rubbers off of a pencil, eat the eraser off of a pencil, he eat the pedal, rubber pedal from a bicycle. The doctor said, "his body needed sulfur," and sulfur's in rubber. See? He was craving sulfur. If there's something in here craving sulfur, there's sulfur to respond to it. Now, before there can be a creation, there has to be a Creator to create that creation. Is that right? With the Creator, God, by grace and sovereign gra-.No man can come to Jesus, or come to God, except Jesus calls him. See? God has to call you first, it's sovereign election and calling. Now, God has called you, tonight, to a deeper and closer walk. Before He could do that, He has to put that creation in your heart to make you long for it, or you'd have never come. Is that right? Now, being that you have come and answered His call, He's here sovereign to His Word to fulfill what He promised to you.

69 Now, each one of you are going to receive It. Do you believe it? Each one of you are going... I guess there's around a hundred people, nearly standing here, or not that many, maybe, forty, fifty, sixty. But whatever it is standing along here that's wanting more of God, you can have it right now. It's right here, ready for you. The great supernatural God who heals the sick, makes the blind to see, who created the heavens and earth, made the trees, the flowers, His Spirit's moving right through you now. Now, if you could just catch your soul like this and say, "Father, I have come because You have called me and You wouldn't call me here if there wasn't a Fountain to drink from. And I come, by faith I'm accepting It, and I'm now believing that You're going to fill my life with Your Spirit and I'm going to love You, from this on, closer all the time."
Little boy, little Japanese boy there, you believe God is going to give you the Holy Spirit tonight, too? God bless you, all right. Do you believe it over here, sister, that God is going to give you the Holy Spirit tonight? All right.

70 Now, let's bow our heads, the whole congregation, reverently, now. Now, I want this audience that's standing here, the ones that's come here penitent to just repeat what I'm saying. Now, surely, these are the Words that'll defeat Satan. And I want... I'm just going to say them, but I want you to pray them from your heart:
"Almighty God, the Author of Everlasting Life, I have come with true, sincere faith, believing, that You have said, 'Blessed are they, that hunger and thirst, for righteousness, for they shall be filled.' I have come, hungering and thirsting, for righteousness. I believe, that I shall be filled. Now, I'm waiting, Father, and I believe that You're going to fill me right now, with Thy Spirit. In Jesus' Name, I accept it."

71 Now, while you keep your head bowed:
O Lord, I pray Thee just now in the Name of Thy great, powerful Son, Jesus, who died for our sins and died in order that His Ghost could return back to this earth, the Holy Ghost, and dwell among people, and would manifest the Life of Jesus Christ in every believer with power and signs and wonders and miracles. And in this day, when men and women are hungering and thirsting after God, Father, in this glorious little old church, tonight, You have opened up the heart of many people and sent them here to fill them with the power of God. And Father, I pray that while they're standing here in deep sincerity with their hearts bowed before You, I pray that You'll fill each one of them with Your blessings.

72 And by praying, and You have filled all those, Lord, who we have asked for You to, even to the great men of the nation, to the bishops and the doctors and so forth. I believe that You'll fill these lovely, humble people standing here, tonight, with the baptism of the Holy Ghost. May each one of them, may the Holy Spirit surge through their lives right now and take out all that's unlike God. Take out all the things of the world, all the habits and sinful habits of the flesh that they got. Cleanse them, O God, and free them from their sins. And may they leave here, tonight, with a song on their heart, with a testimony on their lips, that they're going from here happy, rejoicing and serving You the rest of their days.
O Holy Spirit, Power Divine, send Thy love and devotion upon each one of them, Lord, and spread forth Your great holy wings and may the power of the Holy Ghost drip upon each one of them. And may their hearts be open to receive Him. Grant it, Lord, and may this be a change of time that they'll never forget as long as they live. In the hours of their death, may they remember, of standing here penitent before You, and confessing before these people that they truly believe You. And may they be filled with Your power, for we ask it in Jesus Christ's Name. Amen.