Blind Bartimaeus



1 You be seated. I didn't get to see the man that did that singing. That was a real good job though. Thank you. My favorite song. I guess you know the author, Mr. Clibborn, Booth-Clibborn? [A man says, "I know of him."] Yes, sir. It was wonderful. How many enjoyed that song? Oh, that was just... That's next to: Only Believe. That was a good one.
And I was talking to some friends of mine just as I come up, Mr. and Mrs. Doble. I was asking about the little baby. Ten years ago when I was here, the Lord gave me a vision, seeing her holding a boy baby in her arms. And she taken sick.
And years passed, but the boy baby is here now. And so, she was back there. I met them just behind the stage. And my little boy Joseph walks around to meet her just now. And they were having a little time of fellowship.

2 And Brother Bosworth, the old gentleman, you know him, he used to... He's got a great sense of humor. He says, "Brother Branham, you know what fellowship is?"
I said, "Well, I think so."
Said, "It's two fellows in one ship, makes the fellowship." And that's about right. Baptist closed communion.
And so there has been some complaints about the speaking not vibrating or something or other back, but they said tonight it had cleared up. Is the sound all right, better back there tonight? Can you hear better back in the back? Can, raise up your hands, can hear all right. That's fine. Fine. That's good.

3 Tomorrow afternoon, there's a... Tonight, pardon me, tonight, we have made a promise... That's the reason I could come in without coming under the anointing and so forth, and talk with you a little while. We have given Friday night now...
The best of our calculation of the ministers here counting, has been about between seven and eight hundred accepted Jesus Christ as Savior since we've been in the city. And so to that, we're very happy.
What we been trying to do is to have faith to find favor with God. And then if we can put first things first, then we think God will give us favor now for the next two or three nights for great healing services. We believe that He will do it. Course we're still asking sinners to come to Christ. And so the...

4 Mr. Mercier here, one of my associates, the tape recording, him and Mr. Goad, tells me that the books are out, but they will take the orders if you want them. And they'll be sent to you. And we didn't bring but just a few of them, and we had to distribute them between Tacoma and here. So they will take the orders on through, but they...
I don't think they have any books. Is that right, Leo? Don't have no books, but you still have tapes and a few of the pictures left, is that right? Just a few of the pictures left.
Now, I do not, (as I said in the beginning of the meetings), I do not... I'm not a book salesmen. I buy those books from Mr. Lindsay. I get forty cents less. Well, time you bring them across the country and the losses and then we don't ... in Canada we never put a price on anything. We just set it out there. I know what it's supposed ... what it cost us. But if the people wants it, can't afford it by paying for it, take it anyhow. We give it to you. So therefore we...

5 And these pictures, that belongs to the Douglas Studios in Houston, Texas, and it's copyrighted (a member of the American Photographers Association). And one hangs in the religious hall in Washington, DC. And under it is written, "The only supernatural Being that was ever scientifically proven to be taken." The only supernatural Being that was ever scientifically proven.
And so they're just something, little tokens of the meeting. I don't know what they ... what they even pay for them when they get them. But ever what it is, that's what you get it for. And so, they're not us, it goes right straight back to the studios, you see.

6 So we don't... They're copyrighted. And just bring them along, and we don't sell books or do things. We're not here... We don't want your... We say, "Write to us." We don't mean to get your address so we can ask you to support something. We don't have nothing to support. The only thing you can support me by is your prayers. That's all.
I don't have any radio program, no television programs; just have a little office there with... We mail out many handkerchiefs and things across the world daily. And my expenses runs me about seventy-five to a hundred dollars a day. That's a year round at home. And so just enough till I have to stay on the field all the time.

7 Somebody here sometime ago offered me a great big offering of several thousand dollars. I refused to take it. I said, "I don't need that. Just put it in foreign missions." And the Lord will supply for me just as the days go by. That's the way I want to live: just for the day. I don't know about tomorrow. He takes care of that for me when tomorrow comes. But I just have today to live for.
Now, tonight we're going to pray for every person that has a prayer card, tonight. And then tomorrow afternoon, Mr. Rasmussen, a former pastor of this city, a man that I have learned to love with real Christian love and respects... And I know all that knows Brother Rasmussen says the same. And he's speaking here each afternoon.
And then tomorrow night... Billy says the people are not here so that they can give prayer cards to them enough when he gets here. We don't want to interrupt with the other services. So tomorrow afternoon prayer cards will be given out after two o'clock, tomorrow afternoon, here in the auditorium. And perhaps Sunday, the closing, also.

8 Now, I hope if there's someone here that doesn't understand English, why that someone sitting next to them will tell them. Tomorrow afternoon at two o'clock. I think that's when the services start, isn't it? Two o'clock tomorrow afternoon. And the prayer cards will be given here at the afternoon service. But now, when you get a card, come back so you can be prayed for, because tomorrow night they'll be called.
And then we're going to try with the grace of God now, feeling that we found favor with Him, to place these other nights in praying for the sick, everybody. We got about two or three hundred prayer cards, they tell me, out here tonight.

9 So we want to take our time and just speak to you just a short time in the Word. We're going to speak on now: divine healing, how to accept it. Mr. Rasmussen will be giving lectures on that: how to accept your healing.
And now, tonight I wish to read for just a little text, found in Saint Luke the 19th chapter, and the 42nd verse.
And Jesus said unto him, Receive thy sight: thy faith has saved thee.

Luke 18:42 And Jesus said unto him, Receive thy sight: thy faith hath saved thee.

10 You notice that name there, the way that's written. "Thy faith has saved thee." Now, there's scholars here; I'm not. But when I find a word, I go back to my Greek, to look it up. Now, that word in the Greek is "Sozo." So the word "save" for salvation is Sozo. Same one for healing. Sozo means that they were physically saved, or spiritually saved.
Both word applies because it was by the same atonement, the same man on the same day. "He was wounded for our transgressions, with His stripes, we were healed," see.
So our scene opens tonight... And just for a short time, so we can have time to run the prayer line through. Our scene opens at the south gate of Jericho. And to the one that we're looking at, is a beggar. He had become quite middle-aged man or a little better. And let's just turn our thoughts to him for a few moments, and learn by his action what we should do tonight when we come to the line.

Isaiah 53:5 But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed.

Luke 18:42 And Jesus said unto him, Receive thy sight: thy faith hath saved thee.

11 Now, it was in a day that when the Jews were all under heavy taxation from the Roman government, and times were very hard. And there were many beggars in the city and in Jerusalem and all of Judea, many afflicted people who could not make their livelihood in the fields working. They were lame, blind, lepers. Oh, such a scene.
I wonder if there'd be anybody in here ever seen leprosy. Let's see your hands if there has been. I don't even see a hand that's ever seen leprosy. Well, I've hugged lepers in my arms. And I used to think that it was contagious, but it isn't. Leprosy is caused by a insufficient diet. And it is not contagious.
I've had lepers with no hands, ears eat off, just stand and hug them. And they'd weep. Down into Africa, into India, and different places where they have so much leprosy.

12 And I was watching a man one day when we was in Bombay. The American people had given me some money to give to the poor. And I just love to do those things. And I'd change it into rupees. And I started out into the street to give it away to the beggars, the poor people, and they almost had to get the militia to get me back in again, just running over me.
And all night when they learned I had some money and was there in the Taj Motel ... or hotel (That's at the gates of India.), I could hear them hollering, "Padre! Padre!" all night. Now, it's not an Indian word. Padre really means "father" in Spanish. But Spanish is spoke quite a bit in there.

13 And they was all night... I couldn't eat. I'd go to the window. And I want to ask you Canadian people that see how grateful you are to God for your wonderful nation here.
And there they were laying in the streets. Little babies with their little bellies swelled up like that, dying, starved to death. Little mothers holding their little babies, and their face and jaws all sunk in. Men coming down the streets, nothing but a loincloth on, little old half-starved monkey following behind him. They laid on the street like cordwood.
And when they would die over the night, they would pick them up, go down to a great salamander. No John 14 ceremony; just dump them in. They don't know who they are or where they come from. They just died on the street, they're beggars, and that's all.
You don't know how to appreciate a real nation like you live in. That's right. You Canadian [Gap in the audio.] And I think in the face of that we ought to try to hold these nations by prayer, doing what we can to keep this the way it is.

14 Oh, what a pitiful sight to see lepers and beggars. And to what I was trying to get at: There was a man running around there. We would take these rupees and throw them out the window to them. And when they did they'd... There was a fellow there that didn't have any arms; leprosy had eat him off, up on his arms. And it gets kind of white like warts, and it just drops off, their arms and what more.
And I said to Billy, my boy, I said, "How could that fellow ever pick up a rupee?" So he went down to watch him at the door. He went out, went down to another part of the hotel. Got to throwing the rupees out down there for them. And as soon as they could get them, they'd take around the corner where they could get some curry.

15 Now, a rupee is twenty-four cents. And it would keep them for two or three days, on twenty-four cents. Costs about three cents to get a little plate of curry. And what it was, sheep feet boiled up with the hair still on it, and so forth and little ri... Oh, it was terrible. Go through the street with your fingers on your nose.
And then the slave markets where they took young women there. Just bring young, beautiful women up and auction them off like you would a cow or anything else. You don't know what it means to live in a nation that still has respect for God.

16 And Billy got these fellows all down that way, all the rest of them. And I motioned to that man with no hands, and I throwed a rupee out when they wasn't noticing, and it circled to the ground. You know how he got it up? Licked it up with his tongue on that dirty, filthy street. And around the corner he went, screaming at the top of his voice, to get him something to eat.
And think, you raked out your garbage can tonight, enough to feed them. That's right. We're just not grateful enough.
And in the day that we read of tonight, it was like scenes like that, that our Lord saw. And then, a beggar in these special days when taxation and so forth was so high, when a man came out to go to his work, he could perhaps just afford one coin a day. And the first beggar that he come in contact with, well, that was the lucky one. He couldn't give, maybe, two coins a day. And there were hundreds of beggars.

17 And let's imagine tonight that our character that we're speaking of, Bartimaeus, that he had been standing, and it'd been a bad morning. He hadn't been able to find anyone who could give him a coin. And it was a cold October morning, so his ragged coat he had wrapped around him, he just kind of shivered a little and felt his way back till he hit the wall. And he sat down by the side of the wall.
And in the warm sun as it begin to warm him, he begin to think, study. Do you like to do that? I do. Just get away to yourself somewhere, sit down, think it all over.

18 And while he was sitting there thinking, he hears a little clipping of the hooves coming down the street, old cobblestone street that runs by there, had been there for many, many years. And this little clipping, he knew it was someone approaching, so he raises up and he said, "Please give to me a coin this morning. I am blind."
And he almost staggers right into the little mule. And the one on the mule said, "One side, beggar. I am on my road into the city. And I am the servant of the Lord. And there is coming a fanatic to this city today. And we must get with the council of the churches and stop this stuff before it ever gets into the city. And I'm on my road now to see that this is stopped. I have no time for a beggar, so step to one side."

19 Find out he was a priest. And he said, "Oh, servant of the Lord," said the blind man, "I would not interfere with you on your commission to God. I am sorry I stopped you. But what is this fanatic that's a coming?"
"Oh, it's that man who's a divine healer up there, the Galilean prophet, He calls Himself. And He's on His road here, and I'm the head of the ministerial association, so I have to see that none of that stuff gets scattered in our city, around here. So I'm on my way. One side, beggar." And on he goes.
Then he moves back over to the warm sunshine and sits down again. And there he begins to get a new thought. A Galilean prophet is to come to this town, a healer. Well, then he begins to dream. You know, his mind goes back to many years previous to that when he was a little black-headed Jewish boy. Used to play out on the hillsides of the Jordan river.

20 And one of his greatest delights was to go in in the afternoon before his nap time, and let his mother get him up in her arms. And how he used to look at those big, soft eyes of his mother as she stroked his little black hair back out of his eyes, and begin to tell him Bible stories.
You know there's something about bringing up a child in the way that it should go. Teach it the right thing, and when it's old, it'll not depart from it.
And he used to remember the stories that his mother told him of the great mighty Jehovah. How Jehovah used to blast forth His voice in a time of trial and change the situation.

21 How that he used to love to hear especially that story of Elisha, the prophet. And how that Elisha went in and laid his body upon the body of a little dead baby. And that prophet was so anointed until the little baby come to life again. Oh, that just thrilled his heart.

2 Kings 4:35 Then he returned, and walked in the house to and fro; and went up, and stretched himself upon him: and the child sneezed seven times, and the child opened his eyes.

22 And it thrills my heart. I can think of the story when the Shunammite woman had been kind to that man of God. She didn't do it to receive anything, but you just cannot help from receiving a reward when you're good to God's children. "Verily, verily, I say unto you, if you shall give one of these little ones as much as a cup of water, you will in nowise lose your reward."
So be kind to one another. If the meal barrel is empty over to that house, take them something over there. Be kind. If the widow needs some coal, buy her some. God will bless you for it.

Matthew 10:42 And whosoever shall give to drink unto one of these little ones a cup of cold water only in the name of a disciple, verily I say unto you, he shall in no wise lose his reward.

Mark 9:41 For whosoever shall give you a cup of water to drink in my name, because ye belong to Christ, verily I say unto you, he shall not lose his reward.

23 And so, showing all the kindness, the Shunammite woman had built a little side room for the prophet to lay in. And the prophet said, "Go, see if she wants me to speak to the king for her."
She said, "No." She dwelt among her people and everything was all right.
But Gehazi said, "She has no children." And Elisha blessed her, prayed for her, and she received a child. When it was about twelve years old, I think the little fellow must have had a sunstroke. He was out in the field with his daddy in time of harvest, and he begin to scream, "My head, my head!"
And a young man carried him to his mama. She sat him on her lap, and along about noon, he died. And now, aside from our text for a moment, I want you to watch the gallant faith of that woman. She took the little baby and laid him on Elisha's bed. That's a good place to put him: on the bed where the prophet had laid, where a house, where a home, where prayer has been made. That's the place to go.

2 Kings 4:13 And he said unto him, Say now unto her, Behold, thou hast been careful for us with all this care; what is to be done for thee? wouldest thou be spoken for to the king, or to the captain of the host? And she answered, I dwell among mine own people.

2 Kings 4:14 And he said, What then is to be done for her? And Gehazi answered, Verily she hath no child, and her husband is old.

2 Kings 4:18 And when the child was grown, it fell on a day, that he went out to his father to the reapers.

2 Kings 4:19 And he said unto his father, My head, my head. And he said to a lad, Carry him to his mother.

2 Kings 4:20 And when he had taken him, and brought him to his mother, he sat on her knees till noon, and then died.

2 Kings 4:21 And she went up, and laid him on the bed of the man of God, and shut the door upon him, and went out.

24 And she said to her servant, "Saddle me one of those mules, and don't you stop lest I bid you, and go straight to the prophet." Now, she knew that if she could get to the prophet, she'd find out why her baby had died.
Well, God don't always tell His prophets everything that He does. He just tells His prophets what He wants them to know.
So on the road over Elisha looked out of his cave and he said, "Here comes the Shunammite. And she's got sorrow in her heart. And God has kept it from me. I don't know what's wrong with her." So when she got close, he said, "Is all well with thee? All well with thy husband? Is all well with the baby?"
Now, listen, mother, that woman with her baby laying dead in the room, she said, "All is well!" I love that, see. Elisha was God's representative on the earth at that time. And she knew if she could get to God's servant, she might... She wasn't thinking of her baby back, she had no idea of it. But she knew she would probably find out: This man could ask God and God would talk to him and tell why they took the baby.

2 Kings 4:22 And she called unto her husband, and said, Send me, I pray thee, one of the young men, and one of the asses, that I may run to the man of God, and come again.

2 Kings 4:23 And he said, Wherefore wilt thou go to him to day? it is neither new moon, nor sabbath. And she said, It shall be well.

2 Kings 4:24 Then she saddled an ass, and said to her servant, Drive, and go forward; slack not thy riding for me, except I bid thee.

2 Kings 4:25 So she went and came unto the man of God to mount Carmel. And it came to pass, when the man of God saw her afar off, that he said to Gehazi his servant, Behold, yonder is that Shunammite:

2 Kings 4:26 Run now, I pray thee, to meet her, and say unto her, Is it well with thee? is it well with thy husband? is it well with the child? And she answered, It is well.

2 Kings 4:27 And when she came to the man of God to the hill, she caught him by the feet: but Gehazi came near to thrust her away. And the man of God said, Let her alone; for her soul is vexed within her: and the LORD hath hid it from me, and hath not told me.

25 And she said, "All is well!" And then she begin to reveal to him what had happened.
Now, Elisha said, "You take this staff and run before me and lay it on the baby."
I've said the other night, I believe that's where Paul got laying on handkerchiefs. Elisha knew that what he had touched was blessed. He was anointed with the Holy Spirit. That's the reason we lay hands on the sick.

2 Kings 4:26 Run now, I pray thee, to meet her, and say unto her, Is it well with thee? is it well with thy husband? is it well with the child? And she answered, It is well.

2 Kings 4:29 Then he said to Gehazi, Gird up thy loins, and take my staff in thine hand, and go thy way: if thou meet any man, salute him not; and if any salute thee, answer him not again: and lay my staff upon the face of the child.

26 Now, but what happened? The woman's faith was not in the staff. It was in the prophet. So she said, "As the Lord liveth, and your soul liveth, I will not leave you." So there wasn't but one thing for the prophet to do, that was gird up his loins, get started with her.
I like that. Hang on to it. When you're satisfied you're right, stay with it.
And the prophet went on. And the boy took the stick and laid it on the child, but no life. He met them coming back. Elisha walked into the room, not knowing what to do. But he walked back and forth, up and down in the room, praying. And went and laid his body on that little dead baby, his lips against its lips, and his nose against its nose. And the baby sneezed seven times and come to life.
Oh, how little Bartimaeus loved that story. You like that story, you little blond-headed girl sitting here? All right. That's a beautiful story. And that's what God is yet today. You believe that, little boy sitting there? You do? That's good. Oh, them is nice stories. And they're the truth.
And little Bartimaeus how he loved that story. But, oh, you know what? The preacher said that those days were all passed. God didn't do that no more. But how wrong those priests were. God never changes. He's just the same all the time. Never changes. He's still almighty God. And if He can't do all things, then He's not almighty God. And if He is almighty God, He can do all things.

2 Kings 4:30 And the mother of the child said, As the LORD liveth, and as thy soul liveth, I will not leave thee. And he arose, and followed her.

2 Kings 4:34 And he went up, and lay upon the child, and put his mouth upon his mouth, and his eyes upon his eyes, and his hands upon his hands: and he stretched himself upon the child; and the flesh of the child waxed warm.

2 Kings 4:35 Then he returned, and walked in the house to and fro; and went up, and stretched himself upon him: and the child sneezed seven times, and the child opened his eyes.

27 So then, little Bartimaeus happened to think then of another story that he liked real well. And not over five hundred yards from where he was sitting, one time the great Jordan, in the month of April, when the Judean hills, the snow had melted, all the fields were flooded with water. The greatest time the floods, the great angry muddy waves a rolling down from the mountains of Judea, down through the plains. And the Jordan had swelled way out, and it was many times its size.
But just at that time Israel arrived on the other side. You see, God gave them a promise on this side. They were on their road to claim that promise. And everything that stands in the way of God's promise has to give a way. No matter whether it's a worse time, or the worse kind of sickness, or how muddy black it looks, everything gives a way to God's promise. Certainly.

28 And how he loved to hear his mother tell how the lightning roared, and that big Jordan waved back, and held her peace until two million Israelites crossed over on foot. Oh, that made his little heart... He'd almost go to sleep, and he'd shake his head and say, "Mama, tell me another story."
Then he remembered too that not standing a hundred and fifty yards from where he was sitting, a great thing happened. And right, not twenty yards from where he was sitting, down that same road, over those same old cobblestones, about four hundred years previous to that, the great mighty prophet Elijah and Elisha come down that road arm in arm, going towards Jordan to make her open again.

29 Why? Would it open again? God's the same. And so he thought, "Oh, if I could have only lived in those days. If I could just be sitting here blind." Then he scratched his head, and said, "What am I thinking these things, since that priest said about that Galilean prophet. But somehow or another, I'm beginning to think different. I haven't thought those stories for years." Something was fixing to happen.
And when something in you begins to desire, and seek out for God, something's fixing to happen. God knows how to get everything set up for His drama.
Then we notice that as he begin to think, "If I would've been sitting here when Elisha..." God usually has just one major prophet at a time. And Elijah was going down to the river to put his mantle, his coat, upon Elisha. And he was become prophet because Elijah was going up.

30 And as they walked down by that gate, side by side, he said, "If I could have only lived in that day, I would've rose up from this place where I'm sitting. And I'd've rushed out into the street and said, 'Oh, prophets of God, lay your hands on me. And I believe if you'll pray for me, God will restore my sight.'"
But alas, the days of miracles was passed to him. The priest told him there was no such a thing as that happen anymore. Elijah had been gone for years, and Elisha had been dead for years. And oh, Jehovah had forgot the people. But He doesn't forget the people. He still remembers.
Then he remembered just out from that gate, that great Joshua had marched Israel right over those same cobblestones, right around the walls of Jericho. And all of Jericho was shut up. Although they had the Israelite outnumbered many times, but the fear of the Lord went before them. They held their peace.

31 One day when the great Joshua, not very far from that same wall, was strolling along one afternoon, and he looked, standing there on the side of a little bank, there stood a warrior with his sword pulled. And Joshua pulled his sword, and he run to meet him. He said, "Are you for us, or are you for our enemy?"
And the stranger waved the sword in the air, said, "Nay, but I am the Captain of the host of the Lord." The mighty Joshua threw down his sword, took off his helmet, and ran and fell at His feet. Little did blind Bartimaeus know that less than two hundred yards from there, stood that same Captain of the host of the Lord.
And if the people in this exhibition room tonight here, would only realize that that same Captain of the host of the Lord stands here tonight!

Joshua 5:13 And it came to pass, when Joshua was by Jericho, that he lifted up his eyes and looked, and, behold, there stood a man over against him with his sword drawn in his hand: and Joshua went unto him, and said unto him, Art thou for us, or for our adversaries?

Joshua 5:14 And he said, Nay; but as captain of the host of the LORD am I now come. And Joshua fell on his face to the earth, and did worship, and said unto him, What saith my lord unto his servant?

Joshua 5:15 And the captain of the LORD'S host said unto Joshua, Loose thy shoe from off thy foot; for the place whereon thou standest is holy. And Joshua did so.

32 But he had been told that those days were gone. After awhile his dream is interrupted. Some little children run by, said, "Did you get to see Him? Did you get to see Him?" They were wondering what it was all about. Here come some ladies. And they were talking. "Oh, oh, wasn't it wonderful?"
And Bartimaeus begin to ask, "What's going on?" Just around the corner he heard a lot of noise. You know somehow or another where Jesus is, there's usually a little noise going on. In the Old Testament the only way that they could tell the high priest was alive, when he went behind the Holiest of holies, (He might have been slain by the Lord.), but he had a garment, and at the end of the garment, he had a pomegranate and a bell, a pomegranate and a bell. And when he had to walk a certain way...
And a man that wears a robe of God has a certain walk he has to walk. And as he walked, them bells played, "Holy, holy, holy unto the Lord. Holy, holy, holy unto the Lord." And the only way the congregation could tell whether he was alive or not, they could hear a noise.

Exodus 28:34 A golden bell and a pomegranate, a golden bell and a pomegranate, upon the hem of the robe round about.

Exodus 39:26 A bell and a pomegranate, a bell and a pomegranate, round about the hem of the robe to minister in; as the LORD commanded Moses.

Luke 18:36 And hearing the multitude pass by, he asked what it meant.

33 I sometimes wonder when I go in some of these old cold morgues called churches, icicles hanging down, spiritually speaking, the thermometer forty below zero, I just wonder if there's anything in there alive.
It was like my little brother. I caught a snapping turtle, and I cut his head off. And anyone knows a snapping turtle just keeps on snapping if his head is cut off. And it was laying up on the bank, and my little brother come along and said, "What'd you catch, Billy?"
I said, "I got a turtle."
He said, "Is that him?"
Said, "Yeah."
"Where's his head?"
I said, "Laying up there on the bank."

34 And he went up there, and he started to take a stick to turn it over, and it snapped the stick. He said, "Hey, I thought you said he was dead."
Well, I said, "I separated his head from his body. He should be dead."
He scratched his head. He said, "He's just dead and don't know it."
And that's just a whole lot of good theology in that. Oh, brother, when Christ comes, He brings life abundantly. Said, "If they hold their peace, the rocks will immediately cry out," when He was coming to Jerusalem.
And we find out a noise was around the bend. He said, "What's all the noise about?" See, he had been thinking on those things. It had to happen. Have you been thinking on those things for tonight? If you have, it's going to happen. It's just got to. You draw nigh unto God, He will draw nigh unto you.

35 And then, what took place? After awhile here come a bunch of people singing, "Hosanna in the highest, blessed is He that cometh in the name of the Lord. Blessed is this Galilean prophet, for He makes the blind to see, and the deaf to hear. Blessed be the name of the Lord."

Mark 11:9 And they that went before, and they that followed, cried, saying, Hosanna; Blessed is he that cometh in the name of the Lord:

36 Then behind that come the critics, them priests and religionists of that day, saying, "Shut up. Hold your peace. There's nothing to that guy." Listen at it. And once and awhile something smashes against the wall. It's an over ripe tomato or something, thrown at Him.
Oh, if he could've only seen, walking right down through that street, a little man, not too big, no beauty we should desire, graying in His hair, walking slowly, not paying any attention. And there was them priests saying, "Say, You holy-roller, You that said You raised Lazarus from the dead. We got a whole graveyard full of them up here. Come raise them. Let us see You do it."
You know them kind of spirits never died. They still live. And the other one does too, thank God.

37 "Hey, You done miracles up in another place. Let's see You perform a miracle here. We'll believe You. You hypocrite, we know that the days of miracles is past." Bartimaeus got all confused. He said, "What is this anyhow?" People just climbing over the top of him.
After awhile, a gentle little lady said, "Oh, beggar, I'm sorry that they've walked over you. What was you asking, sir?"
Said, "Who is it that passes by that's causing all this commotion, one one way and one another?"

Luke 18:36 And hearing the multitude pass by, he asked what it meant.

38 You know, when Jesus is around, it usually produces that kind of a crowd. One for Him, one against Him. One saying it's the devil, and another one saying it's God. And it hasn't changed.
And so he said, "There's something taking place. And I don't understand what it is."
And she said, "Why, sir, have you never learned of Jesus of Nazareth?"
"No, I don't believe I ever heard of Him."
"Well, He's a great prophet out of Galilee. Oh, you should see Him. Why, a woman just touched His garment here a few weeks ago, and He turned around and told her what her trouble was. And there was a little man just on the other side of this wall, climbed up in a sycamore tree this morning to see Him. And his wife told him all about these things, and he said, 'Oh, there's no such a thing as that. Them things don't happen. If that man does that, He's a devil.'"

Luke 18:37 And they told him, that Jesus of Nazareth passeth by.

Luke 19:4 And he ran before, and climbed up into a sycamore tree to see him: for he was to pass that way.

39 "So, Zacchaeus climbed up in a sycamore tree and pulled the limbs all around him so nobody would see him. He said, 'I will stand here because I'm a great member of the church. And I'll take this little leaf and raise up here, and He will never see me. And when He passes under this tree, I'll get a good look at Him, and I'll tell the priests all about what I think of Him.'"
"So, when Jesus come around the corner and got under the tree, He stopped. Zacchaeus said, 'Now, wonder what He's going to do.' He looked up in the tree and said, 'Zacchaeus, come down from there. I'm going home with you today for dinner.'" Not only he thought he was hid, but Christ knowed him, and knowed his conditions, and knowed what his name was. He hasn't changed. He's still the same Jesus.

Luke 19:4 And he ran before, and climbed up into a sycamore tree to see him: for he was to pass that way.

Luke 19:5 And when Jesus came to the place, he looked up, and saw him, and said unto him, Zacchaeus, make haste, and come down; for to day I must abide at thy house.

40 Oh, she begin to tell him. He said, "Well, isn't that the Son of David that's been promised?" Yes, that was enough to set his soul afire. It was his first opportunity. We've had many opportunities through this last week. But that was his first opportunity to ever come in contact with Jesus.
And he raised up. Now, the street runs just about the distance of the end of this arena here, from the wall. And thousands of people swarming around Him, some hollering and screaming and others praising Him. And he screamed, "O Jesus, Thou Son of David, have mercy on me."

Mark 10:47 And when he heard that it was Jesus of Nazareth, he began to cry out, and say, Jesus, thou son of David, have mercy on me.

Luke 18:39 And they which went before rebuked him, that he should hold his peace: but he cried so much the more, Thou son of David, have mercy on me.

41 Now, Jesus could not have heard his voice. It was too far back. If you were ever there to look and see where it happened... And another thing, with all that howling mob, He couldn't heard it. But what was it? Jesus stopped and stood still. And He turned around. It wasn't his voice that stopped Him. It was his faith that stopped Him.
An insignificant beggar trying to be pushed back. Jesus stopped and said, "What would you that I would do for you?"
He said, "Lord, that I might receive my sight."
He said, "Receive your sight, for thy faith has saved thee."
And as they go on down the street, I can see old blind Bartimaeus standing there looking for his fingers. He said, "He told me. I take His Word. I believe it." And the mob went on. After awhile he begin to see his fingers. And he begin to follow the Lord rejoicing because he had received his sight.

Mark 10:51 And Jesus answered and said unto him, What wilt thou that I should do unto thee? The blind man said unto him, Lord, that I might receive my sight.

Mark 10:52 And Jesus said unto him, Go thy way; thy faith hath made thee whole. And immediately he received his sight, and followed Jesus in the way.

Luke 18:41 Saying, What wilt thou that I shall do unto thee? And he said, Lord, that I may receive my sight.

Luke 18:42 And Jesus said unto him, Receive thy sight: thy faith hath saved thee.

Luke 18:43 And immediately he received his sight, and followed him, glorifying God: and all the people, when they saw it, gave praise unto God.

42 Sometime ago I read a little story. It may be fiction and it may not, about blind Bartimaeus. They say that he sat by the Jericho gates; he was a married man, had a wife and a little girl. And this little girl at the time of his healing, was perhaps, about ten years old, little curly headed girl, just chubby enough to be lovable.
And he had never seen the little child because he had been blind many years. And they say he had two little turtle doves, and they would do little enchantments, turn over each other, little tumbles, so that it would attract the attention of the tourists.

43 If he didn't have something to entertain the tourists, like it is in India and different places with a little monkey or something, the monkey gets a stick and beats the man, and it attracts attention so he can beg.
And blind Bartimaeus' little pigeons turned over each other so that it would attract attention to watch the accuracy of those little doves ... or, little doves, making a little flip, jump over on their feet again. And one night, his wife got sick. And the physician could not do anything for her. And he felt his way out along the side of the house. And he said, "O Jehovah, if You will be merciful and spare the life of my wife, I will give You my two turtle doves."

44 And his wife got well. So he goes and offers the turtle doves for an offering. Sometime later, he had a lamb. And in those days, the lamb led the man, just like (the blind man), like the dog leads the blind man today. But lambs did it then. They trained the lambs to lead the man. And blind Bartimaeus, how he got back home of a evening, was hook his lamb on his hand, and the lamb would go home and he would lead his way, lead him back to his home.
And his little girl got sick. And she had an awful fever. And the doctor came, and said, "Well, Bartimaeus, I don't think there's anything that I can do for her." She kept getting worse. So, he went out into the night again, knelt down on his knees, and he said, "God, if You'll heal my little girl, I'll give You my lamb."

45 And the little girl's fever left. And the next day he was on his road up to sacrifice his lamb. And the priest come out, and he said, "Where goest thou, blind Bartimaeus?"
He said, "Oh, priest of God, I go up to the temple to offer my lamb for a sacrifice." Said, "I promised God that I would do it."
Oh, he said, "Blind Bartimaeus, you can't offer that lamb. I'll give you some money. And you go buy a lamb at the exchange, and take a lamb and offer it. I'll give you the money."
He said, "Thank you kindly, priest of God, but I never promised God a lamb. I promised God this lamb."
Oh, my! There's a lesson in that.

46 He said, "You can't give that lamb, Bartimaeus. That lamb is your eyes."
He said, "But, oh, priest of God, if I'll keep my promise to God, God will provide a lamb for Bartimaeus' eyes." That day when he heard that Jesus of Nazareth passed by---watch faith go into action. He grabs his robe and throws it sideways for God had provided a Lamb for blind Bartimaeus' eyes. God's provided Lamb.
And that same Lamb's provided tonight for you, sir, on that cot. That Lamb's provided for you, there in them wheelchairs. That's Lamb's provided for you with heart trouble. That Lamb's provided for you with cancer. He is the same Lamb yesterday, today, and forever. And He's been the One that's led you here tonight for this great service just ready to take forth now.
And if you are a sinner, and don't know Him in the forgiveness of your sins, He's a Lamb provided to take away every blot off of your sinful life.

Hebrews 13:8 Jesus Christ the same yesterday, and to day, and for ever.

47 Let us bow our heads just a moment now, while we think on these things. And if the pianist and organist will give us just a little note, please.
Just before prayer now, I wonder if someone in here who doesn't know this great, marvelous, meek Lamb of God, would say, "God, I want to know that Lamb for the forgiveness of my sins. My soul is spotted. I've made a profession." Or, maybe you have or have not. "But I say by this I'd like to accept Him tonight as the Lamb for my soul, while I hold up my hand." Would you do it? Someone want to be remembered in prayer?

48 God bless you here, lady. God bless you, sir, this man sitting here. Someone else would like for that Lamb to lead you to the fountain? God bless you back there, sister. Anyone else on the bottom floor yet? God bless you, my brother over there. That's the way. Believe. If ye believe, God will supply everything you have need of.
Is there another to the balconies to my right, would raise your hand, say, "God be merciful to me. Let the Lamb of God lead me to the fountains of life, of the water of life, tonight. I am thirsty for Christ. I would love to, for Him to lead me." Would you do it? You're blind if you're a sinner. You don't know where you're going, man. If you're a church member, you're still blinded. You're blind by the creed of men.

49 Is there another on to the right here, to the rear, the balconies to the rear? Quickly. Balconies to my left here would raise your hands? It's just a little thing to do, but you, by your uplifted hand, you'd say, "I ... I now want..."
God bless you up there. That's good. Someone else on the bottom floor now that hasn't raised their hand? God bless you back there, sir. God bless you. Whole group of you back there, God be with you. Over here to the right, God be with you. May He lead you tonight to Calvary where there is a fountain filled with blood, drawn from Immanuel's veins, when sinners plunge beneath the flood, lose all their guilty stain.

50 I'm just watching the moving of the Spirit as it's moving in the building, and just taking my time, just letting it really soak in. Do you really, really mean that you love Him? All right. I just seen some hands going up, and I was watching something take place.
Let us pray.

51 Heavenly Father, may the Lamb of God come quickly now. Lead each of these who raised their hands, to that fountain filled with blood, drawn from Immanuel's veins.
Oh, when I can see Him coming around the wall there at Jericho: His face set towards Calvary, going right on up to Jerusalem to be offered up into the hands of sinful men for a sacrifice, to be a propitiation for our sins and sickness.
And that howling mob, and yet with the sins of the world bearing upon Him, and Him being God Emmanuel. He certainly felt the load that was just before Him. Dark Gethsemane was before Him. The mock trial was before Him. He knew all this and His precious heart was beating high.

52 But to think that He wasn't too busy, neither was He too heavy burdened, but what He could stop and have mercy on a blind beggar. You're not too busy tonight, Lord, but what You'll have mercy upon these who raised their hands. Take them to the fountain of water ... of the waters of life freely, and may they drink. Thou hast said in Thy Word that He that heareth My Word, and believeth on Him that sent Me, has eternal life, and shall never perish; but is passed from death to life.
I present them to You now, Lord God, in the name of Jesus Christ, as love gifts of the message. Amen.

John 5:24 Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that heareth my word, and believeth on him that sent me, hath everlasting life, and shall not come into condemnation; but is passed from death unto life.

53 Let's just sing a little hymn now. This is worship. We had to cut just a little short, but this is a worship. Now, let's get real quiet and sing, "There is a fountain filled with blood, drawn from Immanuel's veins." Just worship as you sing it. Oh, I just love this song.
There is a fountain filled with blood,
Drawn from Immanuel's veins,
And sinners plunge beneath that flood,
Lose all their guilty stain.
Lose all their guilty stain,
Lose all their guilty stain;
And sinners plunge beneath that flood,
Lose all their guilty stain.

54 Now, new-born Christian, you that raised your hand just a few moments ago, I want you to promise me something. There's many pastors here in the church, and I want you to get with some of them, some pastor. Promise that to God. Now, you're a Christian now. God's Word is eternally right. "He that heareth My words, believeth on Him that sent Me, has eternal life."
And there's only one type of eternal life. And God alone has eternal life. Is that right? And He gives it to you. But what? "He that heareth My words, and believeth on Him that sent Me, has eternal life (that's without end) and shall never come to the judgment; but hath passed from death unto life."
Now, find you a good church home, quickly. Be baptized, and move into that church, you and your family, and live peacefully with God. And if I never meet you again this side of the river, I'll meet you on the other side. The Lord bless you.

John 5:24 Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that heareth my word, and believeth on him that sent me, hath everlasting life, and shall not come into condemnation; but is passed from death unto life.

55 Maybe if we have time after the prayer cards are given, and we're praying for the sick tonight, that you can come up around the altar and stand here a little while so the pastors over the city can see who you are.
I let fifty thousand converts go here not long ago. I don't know what happened. In a certain nation that I was in, someone just set up the meetings. We didn't have any cooperation. They just set up the meeting, and thousands poured into that country. And there was no church home to take them to. I don't know what happened.

56 I thought every church in the country was cooperating. But just a minister ... or, a man, just a lawyer, just set up the meeting and said, "Come on." And I just flew in there and started. We had five nights and five thousand each night or more, come to Christ. And I don't know what happened. Whether they went to church home...
I'm learning a little better than that now. Every person that's saved ought to have a church home. They ought to be in church, and there every time that church has a service, or every time you pass it, go in, open the doors and go in and pray or do something. Love the Lord.

57 It was a... Today where I live there was some people had had to leave. There happened to be a very good Norwegian friend of mine who's sitting here. He's my secretary for the Norwegian people, and has been since I was in Norway. And he's done all the translation, not one cent for it or anything.
He was sitting in the room, he and his lovely little wife. And a vision begin to move. And someone knocked at the door, and we went in. And while we were in the room, there were three sick people in there, very sick. The Holy Spirit come down and moved into the room, and told each of them all their troubles, healed them.

58 Then just a few minutes later, I run into two ladies. They're sitting right before me now. And it's been said, "Oh, well, he just reads their minds, or there's some way, he... It's a trick he has he does." So these ladies had heard this. Standing right there in the presence of Almighty God, God came right down with a vision and just told all about it, standing right there them, their troubles.
I could ask that lady to raise her hand, if you'd like for to see. Would you like to see the lady? If you would, raise your hand, if you'd like to see the lady. All right, lady. Where was you from? Dawson Creek. Never seen her or knowed of her in my life. I believe this is the other lady sitting here---a Ukrainian lady. Is that right? Isn't that lady right here? Raise up your hand so the people can see.
Why, the visions here at the platform is a miniature to what it is outside, out in the other places. Now, just... We got about five minutes. I want to tell you what happens. Being that I'm trying to have the prayer line, and get away from it as much as I can so that we can pray for the sick.

59 But however, the Holy Spirit is right here now. The Angel of the Lord is right here present now. Let me say this before I go any farther. If the Holy Spirit will come and will reveal in this audience, and heal people from right here, just use my lips as you've seen it done, as He does it through His gift, and will tell the people in this audience just like He did when He was here on earth, how many will it make ... have the courage and confidence, that's going to come through the line? So, that you'll know we're ... the Holy Spirit is here... This is not a night just when we're just going to drop through here. The anointing of the Holy Ghost is right here now.
Now, you in the audience, somebody that doesn't have a prayer card, start believing. And if Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever, if He... If that blind beggar...
[Gap in the audio.]

Hebrews 13:8 Jesus Christ the same yesterday, and to day, and for ever.

60 Listen, I want to ask you something. Healing the sick never did prove His Messiahic sign. No, sir. What was the Messiahic sign? What did they know Him by? Take the Jewish nation. What did they know Him by? When Nathanael came with Philip, and Jesus looked at him and said, "Behold, an Israelite in whom there is no guile."
He said, "When did You know me, Rabbi?" In other wise, "You never saw me. How did You know me?"
Said, "When Philip called you when you were under the tree, I saw you."
He said, "Thou art the Son of God. Thou art the King of Israel."
How many knows that's true, in Saint John, the 1st chapter. To the Jewish nation that was a sign of Messiah.
Now, to the Gentile ... to the Samaritan nation: Ham, Shem, and Japheth's people ... Japheth's people, rather.

John 1:47 Jesus saw Nathanael coming to him, and saith of him, Behold an Israelite indeed, in whom is no guile!

John 1:48 Nathanael saith unto him, Whence knowest thou me? Jesus answered and said unto him, Before that Philip called thee, when thou wast under the fig tree, I saw thee.

John 1:49 Nathanael answered and saith unto him, Rabbi, thou art the Son of God; thou art the King of Israel.

61 Now, when He went to the Samaritan, there was a woman came out. A man... This was a woman. And this woman came out; she was probably the distance of out along there somewhere from Him. She was at the well, and He was sitting on the little seat that sits under the grape arbor here.
And He said, "Bring Me a drink," to the woman.
She said, "It's not customary for you Jews to ask Samaritans such." Like a colored woman, or, to a white man, or something like that.
He said, "But if you knew who you were talking to, you'd ask Me for a drink."
She said, "Why, the well's deep. You have nothing to draw with."

John 4:7 There cometh a woman of Samaria to draw water: Jesus saith unto her, Give me to drink.

John 4:9 Then saith the woman of Samaria unto him, How is it that thou, being a Jew, askest drink of me, which am a woman of Samaria? for the Jews have no dealings with the Samaritans.

John 4:10 Jesus answered and said unto her, If thou knewest the gift of God, and who it is that saith to thee, Give me to drink; thou wouldest have asked of him, and he would have given thee living water.

John 4:11 The woman saith unto him, Sir, thou hast nothing to draw with, and the well is deep: from whence then hast thou that living water?

62 They went ahead and carried a long conversation. After awhile Jesus said, "Go get your husband and come here."
She said, "I don't have any husband."
Said, "You've got five."
Now, she said, "Sir, (Now, listen) sir, I perceive that You're a prophet. But we know (we Samaritans know.) that when the Messiah cometh, He'll tell us all things." But she couldn't understand Who He was.
He said, "I am He that speaks to you."
And she dropped her water pot, and ran into the city, and said, "Come see a man who told me" what she had done. Said, "Isn't this the very Messiah?"

John 4:16 Jesus saith unto her, Go, call thy husband, and come hither.

John 4:17 The woman answered and said, I have no husband. Jesus said unto her, Thou hast well said, I have no husband:

John 4:18 For thou hast had five husbands; and he whom thou now hast is not thy husband: in that saidst thou truly.

John 4:19 The woman saith unto him, Sir, I perceive that thou art a prophet.

John 4:25 The woman saith unto him, I know that Messias cometh, which is called Christ: when he is come, he will tell us all things.

John 4:26 Jesus saith unto her, I that speak unto thee am he.

John 4:27 And upon this came his disciples, and marvelled that he talked with the woman: yet no man said, What seekest thou? or, Why talkest thou with her?

John 4:28 The woman then left her waterpot, and went her way into the city, and saith to the men,

John 4:29 Come, see a man, which told me all things that ever I did: is not this the Christ?

63 That was a sign of Messiah to both Jew and Samaritan. What do you think it would be to a Gentile if He's the same yesterday, today, and forever? This is the day when the Gentile day is. God's taking a people out.
How many people here that's sick that doesn't have a prayer card, right along here, raise up your hand. Somewhere close that doesn't have a prayer card, raise up your hands. All right. You can put your hands down. If Christ will do the same thing you...
Here's some colored people sitting here. There's just about the same scene. Here's a colored woman sitting here on the end. Now, lady, you know I don't know you. I've never seen you. Now, here is a good example of Jesus Christ the same yesterday, today, and forever. Now, I don't know whether He will or not. The only thing that I'm ... just see you sitting there, is because that you're a colored woman, me a white man.

Hebrews 13:8 Jesus Christ the same yesterday, and to day, and for ever.

64 Now, that's about like it was between the Jew and the Samaritan. Now, in the South, way down in the South, there's a racial segregation, but Jesus let them know right quick, there's no difference in the color of a person's being. My, we're all from one tree and that's Adam. That's exactly right. The country we lived in, it turned our skin yellow, brown, black, whatever it was. That has nothing to do with it. We're God's creatures, every one of us. Jesus let her know that. Might've been a lovely, nice looking woman standing at the well there.
But then, just that you being a colored woman, me a man, are you desiring something from God? You're desiring something from God? All right. That's good. Do you believe me then to be His servant? If God will reveal to me what your trouble is, will you accept it then, and believe that it's all right, that you'll know it's the same Christ that talked to the woman at the well?

65 Now, here's the same picture again. I don't say God will do it, 'cause the light is not around the woman. But if He does, how many would say, "I could truly believe that it was Jesus Christ the same yesterday, today, and forever."
Or if we are strangers to each other, lady, raise your hand up---the colored lady I'm talking to. All right. She's got a white glove on her hand. Now, if He does, all right. If He doesn't, I do not know. I'll just have to see that.
Now, there it is by the lady. I just catch her spirit as we're talking to each other. The woman's suffering with a lady's trouble, a female trouble. If that's right, raise up your hand, lady. Now, you don't have it. You're healed. You can go on your road home. Amen
.

Hebrews 13:8 Jesus Christ the same yesterday, and to day, and for ever.

66 There it goes right over on this man sitting right here, the end of the row. That stirred faith to you. And just as I looked at you, Something struck you. If that's right, wave your hand, sir, the colored man. If God will reveal to me, my brother, what your trouble is, will you believe God?
You got bad blood. If that's right, wave your hand. That's right. Now, you may go home and be well. Your faith makes you well.

67 See, He's the same. He doesn't fail. If you can believe, all things are possible.
Here sits an elderly man. There's that light hanging right over him. He's sitting, turning his head sideways, looking at me, right here. He's kind of partially bald on top, gray around the side. Do you believe, sir, that Jesus Christ could reveal to me what your trouble is? You do? Then you wouldn't have to take insulin. The diabetes would leave you. You believe God would do it? You believe He'd heal you? Raise up hand to Him then. All right. You can go home and be well.
What about the lady sitting right behind him there? See, it just moved right back to the lady right behind him. You're sick too aren't you, lady? You got high blood pressure. Isn't that right? It's true. I don't know you, do I? Never seen you in my life.

Mark 9:23 Jesus said unto him, If thou canst believe, all things are possible to him that believeth.

68 Besides that you got varicose veins. If that's right raise up your hand. You also have arthritis. I see you trying to move alongside of a street or something, walking real slow, taking your time, especially when you get up of a morning. If that's right, raise up your hand. You're a wonderful person. Mrs. Spears, do you believe that God would heal you? You believe He would? That's your name. All right. Now, go home and be well in Christ's name.
Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever. Do you believe it? Let's give God praise like this then [Brother Branham begins clapping his hands.], just saying, "Blessed be the Lord."
Oh, He's so real. Friends, don't let this day pass by you. I don't think this is personal. Don't pay no attention to me, I'm a sinner saved by grace. But God has done something for the world, and they can't see it, see.

Hebrews 13:8 Jesus Christ the same yesterday, and to day, and for ever.

69 Did you realize the priests that burnt Joan of Arc to the stake as a witch, because the voice of God talked to her, later the Catholic church dug up their bodies and throwed them into the river, when they canonized Joan of Arc as a saint.
The testament's not enforced until the testator's dead. They never knew Jesus truly to be the Son of God till after His resurrection. Sure. They never appreciated Elijah till it was all over. These things come into our midst, friends, and it's over. Look at Saint Francis of Assisi, see. They don't know these things. John the Baptist, they knowed not who he was until it was over.

Hebrews 9:16 For where a testament is, there must also of necessity be the death of the testator.

Hebrews 9:17 For a testament is of force after men are dead: otherwise it is of no strength at all while the testator liveth.

70 Christ is visiting the Gentile church. It's the evening lights that's a shining now. The prophet said, "In the evening time it'll be light." Now, this is the hour. This is the time. And if you'll just take that little, some kind of a little something that wants to make you kind of halfway believe it and halfway doubt it, brush that thing aside and come now. It's Christ. Jesus Christ the Son of God, the same yesterday, today, and forever. How many believes that?
Now, that anointing's coming down. I want to... If you start a prayer line like that, it would stop everyone that come through, see. And we want to sing a song or something before we calls the prayer line so that I can get the people up here and just pray for them because I couldn't pray for over eight or ten. They'd pack me out of here. How many understands that through the Scripture?
How many knows that poets, prophets, and spiritual people is always considered neurotic or something wrong with them? Sure they are.

Hebrews 13:8 Jesus Christ the same yesterday, and to day, and for ever.

71 How many ever heard of Stephen Foster? Let's see your hand. He gave America its greatest folk songs. He wrote "Old Black Joe," "Old Folks At Home," "Way Down Upon The Suwannee River," "My Old Kentucky Home." And that man was considered a neurotic. He'd get an inspiration. He'd go somewhere and write a song, then come back and get on a drunk. He had it in the head, but not the heart. Finally he called a servant and took a razor and committed suicide, coming out from under that inspiration. It's all right when you're in there, but it's when you're coming out.

72 How many ever heard of William Cowper ... Caper ... is that Cowper? He was a English poet. He wrote this famous song, "There is a fountain filled with blood, drawn from Immanuel's veins, when sinners plunge beneath the flood, lose all their guilty stains." How many ever heard that song?
I stood by the grave in London, England, of William Cowper. And when he wrote that song, he went up into the inspiration. He was considered neurotic. And when that inspiration left him, he was down at the river trying to find a place to commit suicide, to drown in the river. It was too foggy, or he'd have got in the river and drowned.

73 See, when you're up there it's wonderful, but it's when you're coming out. Look at Jonah the prophet. Went down with a message of God, and prophesied to the city about the size of St. Louis, Missouri, to a people which didn't know right and left hand. And his message was so forceful until they put sackcloth on their animals.
And then when the Spirit left him, he was so depleted till he sit under a little tree and got angry and wanted God to strike him dead because a little cutworm cut the gourd tree down. Is that right?
Look at Elijah the prophet. Under the inspiration stood there and called fire out of Heaven, called water out of Heaven the same day, and killed four hundred priests. And run at a threat of a woman, run out into the desert and was out there forty days and nights wandering around. The Angel woke him up when he was sleeping and fed him twice for that long journey. He was wandering in the desert, not knowing where he was. And when God found him, he had been pulled way back in a cave. How many knows that? See?

1 Kings 18:38 Then the fire of the LORD fell, and consumed the burnt sacrifice, and the wood, and the stones, and the dust, and licked up the water that was in the trench.

1 Kings 18:40 And Elijah said unto them, Take the prophets of Baal; let not one of them escape. And they took them: and Elijah brought them down to the brook Kishon, and slew them there.

1 Kings 18:41 And Elijah said unto Ahab, Get thee up, eat and drink; for there is a sound of abundance of rain.

1 Kings 19:2 Then Jezebel sent a messenger unto Elijah, saying, So let the gods do to me, and more also, if I make not thy life as the life of one of them by to morrow about this time.

1 Kings 19:3 And when he saw that, he arose, and went for his life, and came to Beersheba, which belongeth to Judah, and left his servant there.

1 Kings 19:5 And as he lay and slept under a juniper tree, behold, then an angel touched him, and said unto him, Arise and eat.

1 Kings 19:7 And the angel of the LORD came again the second time, and touched him, and said, Arise and eat; because the journey is too great for thee.

Jonah 3:8 But let man and beast be covered with sackcloth, and cry mightily unto God: yea, let them turn every one from his evil way, and from the violence that is in their hands.

Jonah 4:6 And the LORD God prepared a gourd, and made it to come up over Jonah, that it might be a shadow over his head, to deliver him from his grief. So Jonah was exceeding glad of the gourd.

Jonah 4:7 But God prepared a worm when the morning rose the next day, and it smote the gourd that it withered.

Jonah 4:8 And it came to pass, when the sun did arise, that God prepared a vehement east wind; and the sun beat upon the head of Jonah, that he fainted, and wished in himself to die, and said, It is better for me to die than to live.

74 Oh, if we could just get the spiritual side. Friends, I love to hear people shout. I love to hear people praise the Lord. But that's not spiritual yet. I've seen people shout and dance and praise the Lord, knowed no more about spiritual things than a Hottentot knowed about a Egyptian knight. That's right.
They come up on the platform just running around and around, screaming and carrying on. That's emotion. Emotion's all right. But, brother, when you come right down to the fact of it, that's not Spirit. That's joy. But Spirit is spiritually discerned, see. It's Spirit.

75 Now, please understand that Jesus Christ, God's Son, is appearing not because He has to, but because He promised He would do it. It's to fulfill His Word to the Gentile people. And you can see just about the way they're receiving it across the world, see. The day is finishing. The sun is setting. It'll be over soon. Let us enjoy the blessings of the Lord.
Someday you who are Christians are going to a place where you'll never have to be old, never have to be sick, never have to be ... never die. How many knows that? Amen. That's right. God will raise it up.
Here the other day I was combing what few hairs I got left. My wife sitting back there, she said, "Billy, you're getting baldheaded."
Why, I said, "Honey, I haven't lost a one of them."
She said, "Tell me where they're at."
I said, "You tell me where they was before I got them, I'll tell you where they are waiting for me to come to them." That's right. Oh, yes. They wasn't one time, then they was, then not. Wherever they come from, they're in the hands of almighty God. Some day they'll...
.

76 Why, as I asked the doctor not long ago, when I was sixteen years old, every time I eat, every time you eat you renew your life. And when I was sixteen, every time I eat I got bigger and stronger. Then after about twenty-five no matter how much you eat, you get older and weaker.
You're pouring water into a glass out of a jug, and it just keeps getting fuller till it gets about half full, then no matter how much you pour it goes down all the time. Scientifically prove that to me. Because it's appointment of God. God gets you up there just how.
When you married mother, you remember how she looked: them beautiful eyes. Remember how dad ... that black wavy hair. And one morning you woke and said, "Mother, there's a wrinkle coming under those pretty eyes."
She said, "Yes, dad, and there's some gray coming in with that black, too."

77 What is it? Death set in. It keeps pushing you to the corner, one to another. It'll get you after awhile. Don't you worry. But it can't hurt you. In the resurrection, everything that ever represented death will be done away. And you and mother will be young there forever, in the very prime of life. I can prove it by God's Bible. It's a promise.
So what makes you long? What makes you long for health? What makes you long for perfection? Is because there... You in this life are the negative. If this earthly tabernacle be dissolved, we have one already waiting. So it's that one that's pressing this negative, groaning in the Spirit to be clothed upon with immortality. That's the reason. That's what takes place, see.

78 There's got to be a deep calling to the deep before there can be a deep to respond. And that's that body sitting yonder waiting for this to leave here to say, "Goodbye" here, "Good morning" there. And this old, frail, wrinkled up, sin carried body will drop into the dust and you'll receive a new one [unclear words]. Oh, that would make a Baptist shout. It should, to think that. Blessed be the name of the Lord!
Oh, then you can look death in the face, you can look worry in the face, you can look anything, say, "There's nothing that can separate us from the love of God that's in Christ Jesus." God made the promise. "He that heareth My words, and believeth on Him that sent Me, has everlasting life. He that eats My flesh and drinks My blood has eternal life. I will raise him up at the last days." Why, sure. God promised it. It's a promise. It cannot fail. God swore by an oath, He would do it. Amen. That settles it.

John 5:24 Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that heareth my word, and believeth on him that sent me, hath everlasting life, and shall not come into condemnation; but is passed from death unto life.

John 6:54 Whoso eateth my flesh, and drinketh my blood, hath eternal life; and I will raise him up at the last day.

79 If God made me what I am without having a choice, how much more can He make me different person by taking a choice. When the Holy Ghost makes love to me, I make love back to the Holy Ghost. And He who took me out of the bosom of the earth...
You come out of the earth. When this earth wasn't nothing but just a volcanic eruption, your body was laying there then. You're made out of sixteen elements of the earth. Potash, calcium, cosmic light, petroleum, so forth. And if that come out of the earth, who brought it from the earth? God did. That's true.
And because you live today, physically, something had to die. If you eat fish, the fish died. If you eat meat, the cow died. If you eat bread, the wheat died. If you eat potatoes, it died. You live by dead substance. That's correct.

80 And if you have to live physically by dead substance, you live eternally because something died, Jesus Christ, that you might be made alive and live forever. When His Spirit moves to your spirit and said, "Child of Mine, come." You say, "Yes, Lord, here I am." He gives you eternal life with a promise He'll raise you up at the last day. Amen.
Every promise in the Book is mine,
Every chapter, every verse, every line.
I'm trusting in His love divine,
Every promise in the Book is mine. Amen.
Say, "What are you doing, Brother Branham?" Just getting away from that anointing. It's you know, those visions. That's what I was talking about. Now, we're ready for the prayer line.

81 All right. Billy, where you at? What was them... What? C, D, E, and F. That's about four hundred prayer cards. Call them one at a time. All right. Where did we... What was the first number? C? All right. I believe that was the first night. Would we call from 1's or what?
[Gap in the audio.]
That I'm going to do all the praying. This whole church is going to be praying for you. How many that's not going to be called tonight, is going to be praying for them raise your hands. Let's see, see. Just look at the people's interested in you, you sick people.
[Gap in the audio.]

82 It's a finished work. Do you feel like that the presence of the Lord is here to heal the sick tonight? I do. I do. I feel that God is going to heal the sick tonight. All right. C, D, E? Prayer cards E, take the next stand. Prayer cards E. The ushers line them up according to the numbers. Prayer cards C, D, and E. All right. We will get them lined up. C, D, and E. They'll go right along the sides there...
[Gap in the audio.]
All right, everyone reverent. Now, Lord Jesus, here's a woman, deaf and dumb. Your Word said when the deaf and dumb spirit went out of the person they could speak and hear. I don't know. You haven't showed me how long she's been this way. Probably all of her life. But I pointed to this picture of the Angel of the Lord. She nodded her head that she believed it.

83 Now, Lord, with my hands on her body, and the bowed head of these reverent men standing on the platform and these hundreds in the building, we ask that this deaf spirit go from the woman, that she can both speak and hear.
Now, Father, if we've found grace in Your sight, and our love in our heart is right (forgive us if it's not), and let this woman speak that it might cause these people to have more faith who's coming through the line. If You'll just do this for us, we'll be grateful to You, Lord. I pray in Jesus' name.
Now, every head bowed, every eye closed. [Brother Branham snaps his fingers.] Hear me? Hear me? [The woman speaks.] Amen. ["Amen."] All right, you can raise your heads. She can both speak and hear [unclear words]. Watch here. [Brother Branham snaps his fingers again.] Amen. ["Amen".] You're healed. Go on your road rejoicing.
Let's say, "Praise the Lord," everybody now. That's the way. Now, now, we're just thanking our Heavenly Father, you see. We don't have to ask for those things, see. That's not right to do that. We're to pray for the sick. All right. You do? You do? She hears, yeah, she ... a whirling in her head. Amen. Amen. Praise the Lord.

84 Now, now will all of you believe, everywhere now? Now, we will just start praying right for the sick. And now, you pray with me now. It's your prayer that's a doing it.
Hear this now, getting this in here? Well, good. In here? Yep, fine. She's sitting here motioning to me in her ears that she can hear this microphone now.
Oh, isn't He wonderful? The same Jesus that knowed the secrets of the heart... That was just a gift in operation. Here it is Christ in operation healing the sick, see. He does it.

85 Now, who can make the deaf to hear or the dumb to speak? Now, if she'd been in that other line, it would have told her how long she'd been that way or what had happened. Any of you all know there how long she's been that way? Anybody know? What say? All her life, this lady says, she's been deaf and dumb. And here she can both speak and hear.
Now, look, lady... She can't understand too much now. But look, she's going to have to be like a baby. You're going to have to teach her, just like a baby, get her to say... Now, see, what happened, it's just like this: her ears, like the nerve in her ears had gone dead. The doctor says, "It's a dead nerve." Her vocal the same way. What made it go dead? It's not dead all over her body. Just dead there. What is it? It's a spirit. If he can't...

86 If there's a transparent band on my hand, cutting off circulation, the doctor couldn't see it. The only thing he'd say, "Well, the nerves just died from here out." If he can't see what's a doing it. Now, all the salve in the world would never heal this. They'd have to amputate the hand here. But now, look. If life will come back into this nature ... if you can't see it, it's got to be supernatural, well, then when that band is lifted, the hand's got feelings in it. But of course nature has to take its place. There's operation again.
Well, that's what's happened to the lady. Well, she said she could feel that going through her. You should stand here and look what we are looking at. All right. That's wonderful. Now, just teach her to talk, to sing, get her to sing. She'll be all right now. God bless them.

87 [Gap in the audio.] ... congregation that has been any more reverent in holding on and waiting, as you people have. I truly believe with all my heart that there'll be people here that was... We couldn't spend but just a moment or two of time with them to pray, but such a vibration of faith that they had. I believe you'll see people here tomorrow night... Especially I seen a little boy there that was all crippled up, polio had... Oh, he was in awful shape. But somehow or another when I looked in the little lad's eyes, I just believe that God healed him. I just believe He did it.
And we're going to ask everyone of them, everyone that's on crutches, or sticks, or clubs, or braces, that's here tonight, I want you to go home believing with all your heart. Wake up in the morning, leave your old crutch and things alone. Come up here tomorrow night and hold it up here, just before the meeting starts. When the minister says ... say, "I was walking on this last night." I want the people to see that their prayers meant something for you. How many's going to be looking forward to that tomorrow night? Raise your hand.

88 You're very lovely. Thank you. And I know only Heaven will reveal... Now, remember, it wasn't my prayers altogether. It's your prayers.
There's a lady sitting there, right there, that had a mental deficiency. I really believe that that woman's going to be all right.
I seen a woman taken from a mental institution, been in there for about ten years (a colored woman) the other day. She was in the prayer line---her sister---and prayed for her. And through a vision, and the very next day that woman was dismissed from the hospital and sent home, a normal well woman. She just come to herself. Oh, it was wonderful.

89 Now, let us stand, if you will. May I ask God to bless each one of you for your reverence? That's somebody's mother, papa, somebody's little boy, that you prayed for. God bless you. Now, while we bow our heads, I'm going to ask Brother Rasmussen here if he will dismiss the audience. God's blessings be with you is my prayer.
Just a moment, won't we pray for the handkerchiefs. Father God, I pray that You'll heal each one of these that the handkerchiefs represent. I pray that they'll be made normal and well, through Jesus Christ's name. Amen.
Now, tomorrow afternoon, two o'clock, prayer cards will be give out. And tomorrow night, a discernment line. Check those over, that couldn't hear or something, so if they couldn't put them in the line for tomorrow. The boy give the cards for you.


“The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you.” — 1 Corinthians 16:23