Jehovah-Jireh
You can find this sermon at ChurchAges.net
1 Then You have told us in Your Word, "If the people that are called by My name shall assemble themselves together and pray, then I will hear from heaven." What a promise. Then we are just as sure that we are standing in the Angelus Temple, here at Echo Park, we're just that sure that God hears, and more sure, because it's His Word. And we know that You'll answer. And we pray, Lord, that all that's in Divine presence tonight, with the speaker, may be blessed with the presence of the Holy Ghost. May He take our lives and mold them, and make them, and fashion them that we might walk from henceforth according to His will.
Bless this Temple, its pastors, its teachers, and all of its members, and may it just continually to grow and to spread with this marvelous Gospel. Bless every church that's here tonight, the different denominations around. We pray that You'll be Thou near us all, for we need You, Father. Bless the Word now as we meditate upon it, for we ask it in Jesus' name. Amen.
You may be seated.
2 Do you know, I was standing behind the curtain just now, and heard Brother Duffield mention that ... kind of shocked me to think that after tonight there's only three more services in this campaign. And I'm just... We just got all the spooks away now, so we can really get right into the Gospel.
I didn't mean, maybe, to be that rude about it, saying "spooks." I'm not on the air tonight, so I feel just a little more, you know, around yourself. Just like you feel... It's all right out there, but I'm always thinking of where it's going to out there. I like to kind of like look a fellow in the face when I'm talking to him, you know, then I feel better about it. Well, we certainly have enjoyed these days.
3 Just talking to my good friend, Brother duPlessis back there, which is leaving us tonight to go further into more services. And he's going into Europe now to set up meetings in the different places there for me, and down into South Africa, and Germany, and Switzerland, and...
And then we're anticipating then to Australia right away now. Depends on how ... as soon as Mr. Graham gets out. We're waiting for him to get out long enough that it won't look like I just rode right in on his ministry. I don't want to do that. I don't want to be there while he's there.
4 He's taken very good care of the job. I admire Billy Graham. [Audience applauds.] Thank you. It goes to show what he's made out of when they set ... the news said they'd put signs on the streets, "Go back home, Billy Graham," and booed him and everything. They found out he was made out of that kind of goods that don't boo out so easy when the Lord's told him to go. He's stayed right with it. And I seen him on television, and looked like his eye was all black beneath there, and still stand there hammering away. A man has to admire a servant of Christ like that. You certainly do. And I think he's doing a gracious job.
And he might not believe in divine healing the way we do, and still he might believe the way we do. God's give him a job to do, so he's doing his part. If I can take care of my end of it as good as he's taking care of his end, it'll be fine. I will feel real good about it. So, God bless him, is my prayer.
5 Now, we been speaking on Abraham, and just kind of hitting the highlights, just the what we would call the high points. And I just only wish that I had the opportunity and time now, that we could just take that book of Genesis and break them down. We're just touching the high spots of it. If we could go back and pull in those Scriptures...
I stayed on the book of Revelations one time in my church for three years straight. That's constantly in services. And just breaking the words down, and all of the... I'm breaking the text, I mean. All of God's Word just dovetails rights together. There's no contradiction in His Word. And all of it, of the sixty-six Books, there's no contradiction. They all just hit the same place. You can depend on it being inspired.
We're so glad to have a real God, and a real Bible, and a God that stays behind His Word and backs up every Word He says. I'm so happy to know that.
6 Of course, the other day, you know, I had a birthday. I'm not no little boy no more. And I ... but my anchor holds within the veil. That's the main thing. I'm so glad of that, that after life is fading away, and the moisture of the river of Jordan begins to strike me in the face some of these mornings, I don't believe I will be fearing then.
One of these days I'm going to preach my last sermon, close the Bible the last time. And you know what I want to say then when I know I've fought my way through the battlegrounds to the end of the road? I want to get down to the river and say, "Send out the lifeboat, Father, I'm coming over home this morning." I believe He will do it.
7 So now, have you enjoyed these lessons on Abraham? Thank you. Now tonight, we are going to have the third and last of this, because tomorrow night we're going to start healing services again. And, if the Lord willing, I want to speak tomorrow night just almost a continuation, but on "Time Of Decision." And that, of course, comes out of Genesis the twenty-fourth chapter, where I take my text of Rebekah where she had to make a decision.
And pray for these services. And tomorrow morning at the Christian Full Gospel Businessmen's breakfast at Clifton's. I'm sure you're all invited to come. And if you cannot come by some means, turn on the radio, because they certainly have a wonderful time there.
Genesis 24:58 And they called Rebekah, and said unto her, Wilt thou go with this man? And she said, I will go.
8 I seen some great healings take place down there at that breakfast. Now, my tape boy here (one of them, Mr. Mercier), his mother had come down from her home up in Michigan. I never seen the woman. And she was sitting in the meeting, and I knew it not. But he was sitting over there praying for his mother, and if the Holy Spirit didn't come right over and call that woman out right there at the breakfast and healed her of a affliction she'd had for years and years and years. And so, we don't know what the Lord will do. He's just everywhere and full of goodness. So happy for it.
9 Now, we want to read just one verse of Scripture, found in the book of Genesis the 22nd chapter and the 14th verse:
And Abraham called the name of the place Jehovah-jireh: as it is said to this day, In the mount of the LORD it shall be seen.
Jehovah-jireh. Now, last night we left our brother getting in contact with God, one of His angels, just before the destruction of Sodom.
And Lot, remember, had took his choice and had went down into Sodom to live in sin, and luxury, and pleasure. But yet, he was a believer.
And now, this may have a little bit of a Calvinistic 'wang to it, but if a man is once a Christian, he may get away from it, but it'll never get away from him. There's something happens to a man. John 5:14, Jesus said, "He that heareth my Word, and believeth on him that sent me, hath [present tense] eternal life, and shall never come into condemnation; but hath [past tense] passed from death unto life." That's His Word. See?
Genesis 22:14 And Abraham called the name of that place Jehovahjireh: as it is said to this day, In the mount of the LORD it shall be seen.
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.
10 But Lot had backslid. He was going---not to lose his soul, but lose his reward. And there he was... Now remember, to find out whether he still had the spark in his heart, we find out that the Bible said that the sins of that people vexed his righteous soul.
Don't you feel bad tonight to go out on the street and see people, the way they live in sin? That's the righteousness of God in your heart, that it just seems there's something wrong. And that's the way Lot was. Though he had circumstances, and had backslidden, but yet down in his heart...
2 Peter 2:8 (For that righteous man dwelling among them, in seeing and hearing, vexed his righteous soul from day to day with their unlawful deeds;)
11 And I believe this, that out in many of those great fine churches tonight, great denominational churches, people who has not yet received the Holy Spirit, many, but I believe down in their heart, many of them has a warm feeling towards God and desiring the baptism of the Holy Spirit.
You know, the main thing is, with our message, it's not the message that's hindering; it's the way it's presented sometimes. See? If we can present it right, in the power and the demonstration of the love of God, men will be glad to receive it.
12 Now, we found last night that the last message just before Sodom was destroyed ... which today, the church of the day, or the world of this day, is suffering under the same sins that Sodom was destroyed for.
And I've said this (and I do not hope it sounds sacrilegious), but if God lets the United States get by with its sinning without having judgment, He will be duty bound as a righteous God to resurrect Sodom and Gomorrah and apologize for sinking them ... for burning them up---because they are doing the same sins.
Matthew 10:15 Verily I say unto you, It shall be more tolerable for the land of Sodom and Gomorrha in the day of judgment, than for that city.
Matthew 11:24 But I say unto you, That it shall be more tolerable for the land of Sodom in the day of judgment, than for thee.
Mark 6:11 And whosoever shall not receive you, nor hear you, when ye depart thence, shake off the dust under your feet for a testimony against them. Verily I say unto you, It shall be more tolerable for Sodom and Gomorrha in the day of judgment, than for that city.
13 And I noticed in this fair city here, especially on the perversion, homosexuals, it's on the increase. I read a paper not long ago, how many each year it multiplies. That was the sins of Sodom, one of them. Worldliness, lust. And it's terrible to see it. And not only this city, and this country, but world over. It seems like that something has happened, mental slip has come to people.
And now, before that great cities was destroyed, God sent an angel, two of them; and came Hisself in the form of a man, and sat down and ate meat, and bread and butter, and drank milk. Not a spirit, but a man. And He was none other than Jehovah God Himself, showing by an example that just before the end time
14 God always appears in a form of man---flesh---to preach the Gospel.
Just before the end of the Jews, God was made manifest in a human body called Jesus, which was the Son of God. But God dwelt in His Son. God was in Christ, reconciling the world to Himself, or expressing Himself through the lips of Christ, His Son.
How He was His Son, because He overshadowed Mary and created a blood cell. The baby is born by the blood cell which comes from the male, not the female. The female... The cell of the female is only the egg. The germ of life comes from the male.
2 Corinthians 5:19 To wit, that God was in Christ, reconciling the world unto himself, not imputing their trespasses unto them; and hath committed unto us the word of reconciliation.
15 Just like a hen can lay an egg, or a bird. It's coming spring time and all the birds go out and make their nest. And they lay... The mother bird can lay a nest full of eggs, and get over them eggs, and hover over them; she turns them with her feet, keeps them warm. And she can set on that nest and hover those eggs until she's so poor and weak she can't fly off of that nest. But if she hasn't been with the male bird, they'll never hatch. That's right. She's got to be in contact with the male; because the hen can lay the egg, or the bird can lay the egg, but if it hasn't been with the male it's not fertile.
And that's the way with some churches. We just get a bunch of members in there, and baby them, and pat them, and so forth, and baby them until you take all the Spirit out of the church. And you haven't got nothing but a nest full of rotten eggs. That's exactly the truth.
There's only one thing to do, is clean out the nest and start over again. What we need tonight is a good old-fashioned Saint Paul's revival, and the Bible Holy Ghost back in the church.
16 How could you ever take a people like that that's never been in contact with the male, which is Christ, and teach to them divine healing? Why, they've never been in contact with anything; they don't know nothing about it. How can you teach them the baptism of the Holy Ghost?
What happens to them eggs? They lay right in the nest and rot. No matter what you do to them, they'll rot, because they're not fertile.
And any church that's not fertile, that is from the fertility of the coming of the Holy Spirit into the human heart, no matter how good a church it is, how well the members dress, how educated the pastor is, how fine the songs you got, what a fine building you got; if Christ isn't there, the Spirit of God isn't there, you got nothing but the same infertile bunch of eggs. That's exactly. And you'll never get anywhere with them.
What we need tonight is the Holy Spirit back in the church, moving in every member, setting it in order.
17 Now, Lot was backslid. But God came down to Abraham and performed a mighty miracle. And then when He performed this miracle, Abraham called Him Elohim, the great mighty Jehovah. But He was a man sitting there eating, drinking, talking---a stranger. And remember, being a stranger, He yet asked, "Where is Sarah thy wife?"
Same Spirit came in the body of Jesus Christ and said, "Thou art Simon. Your father is Jonas." "I saw thee when thou was under the fig tree," to Philip. "Go get your husband and come here."
"I have no husband."
"Thou has said well, for you have five husbands, and the one you are now living with is not your husband." That same Spirit of God. And we find out that Jesus, picking that up...
Genesis 18:9 And they said unto him, Where is Sarah thy wife? And he said, Behold, in the tent.
John 1:42 And he brought him to Jesus. And when Jesus beheld him, he said, Thou art Simon the son of Jona: thou shalt be called Cephas, which is by interpretation, A stone.
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 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.
18 Now, you know, the Bible is wrote on pages, but yet you have to have the Spirit of God to understand the Scripture. It's a love letter to the believer. A man can get down and set it...
19 No wonder they say that. "Oh, it contradicts itself." I've offered any price that I can pay for anyone who can show me a contradiction in the Bible. It's not there. No, sir. You're contradicting it in your own heart and mind. God doesn't contradict Himself, not one place. It can be straightened with the Word of God if it's put together. But it's all confused to you because... Jesus thanked the Father that He'd hid this from the eyes of the wise and prudent, and revealed it to babes such as would learn.
Matthew 11:25 At that time Jesus answered and said, I thank thee, O Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because thou hast hid these things from the wise and prudent, and hast revealed them unto babes.
Luke 10:21 In that hour Jesus rejoiced in spirit, and said, I thank thee, O Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that thou hast hid these things from the wise and prudent, and hast revealed them unto babes: even so, Father; for so it seemed good in thy sight.
20 When I go overseas... I got a lovely wife. And I tell her now, "Good bye, sweetheart. You pray for me, now." She prays for me. When I'm overseas, and gone for months, and I pick up a letter, she will say, "Dear Billy, I am sitting here tonight with the children, thinking much of you..." Now, I see what she's writing on the paper, but you see, I love her so much till I can read between the lines. I know what she's talking about. See?
And that's the way it is with God. You can't just sit down and read it in a cold formal heart. You've got to be in love with the Author, and then you can read between the lines. Then you have an understanding of the Scriptures.
21 Now, Jesus was saying that to those Jews (see?), when He revealed Himself. Then He said ... prophesied to the coming of the end of time, where these signs had never been done before the Gentiles, and He said that as it was in the days of Sodom, so shall it be in the coming of the Son of man. Same thing.
And then if you notice, when He said about Noah, He gave some morals that they were doing: eating, drinking, marrying, giving in marriage, and so forth. But in Sodom's time, the great Angel had come and revealed it.
Then we find... We left Abraham returning to his tent, last night, after the angel ... or, God had left him. The angels went on, two of them, went down into Sodom. And we know what happened down there.
Matthew 24:37 But as the days of Noe were, so shall also the coming of the Son of man be.
Matthew 24:38 For as in the days that were before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noe entered into the ark,
Luke 17:26 And as it was in the days of Noe, so shall it be also in the days of the Son of man.
Luke 17:27 They did eat, they drank, they married wives, they were given in marriage, until the day that Noe entered into the ark, and the flood came, and destroyed them all.
Luke 17:28 Likewise also as it was in the days of Lot; they did eat, they drank, they bought, they sold, they planted, they builded;
Luke 17:29 But the same day that Lot went out of Sodom it rained fire and brimstone from heaven, and destroyed them all.
Luke 17:30 Even thus shall it be in the day when the Son of man is revealed.
22 Then we find coming on after that, the destruction of Sodom, God raining fire and brimstone out of the Heavens and destroying Sodom.
Now, I want you to notice though, before one bit of fire ever struck Sodom, Lot and the sleeping bride (as we would refer to it today) come (or the sleeping virgin) come out of Sodom---come out, then the fire fell. He said, "Hasten hither quickly, for I can do nothing till thou has come thence. Come out!"
The call of the church today is "Come out of Sodom! Come out of it!" Then the fire fell.
And we find Abraham then, and Sarah, real old people. Abraham was one hundred years old, and Sarah was ninety.
Genesis 19:22 Haste thee, escape thither; for I cannot do any thing till thou be come thither. Therefore the name of the city was called Zoar.
Genesis 19:24 Then the LORD rained upon Sodom and upon Gomorrah brimstone and fire from the LORD out of heaven;
23 Now, as I expressed a few moments ago about reading between the lines... But if you're reading between the lines and try to make it say something, that in between the lines says something different than what the lines says, then it's wrong. But it's got to agree, all the way through it. The Bible is just like a great jigsaw puzzle, if you'll excuse the expression. And if you just try to put it together just the way you look at it, you've got to have something over here to look at. If you don't, you'll ruin your scene. You'll have a cow picking grass on top of a tree. So it won't be right.
So that's the way it is when we try to put the Bible together with a intellectual understanding of it. You can't do it. It's a Spirit-written Word, and it takes the Holy Spirit to place it together. Then you get the whole great picture from Eden out into chaos, and the way of the cross back home. That's the entire picture: God's redemption story of sending His own Son to redeem a lost and polluted people.
24 Now, Sarah was ninety years old. And Abraham was a hundred years old. Here they are, the Bible said, they were both well stricken in age. At ninety years old, that would make her about forty-five years past menopause. But this Angel that spoke to Sarah, or spoke to Abraham, gave Abraham this promise, that according to the time of life (otherwise, next month), according to the time of life, which it would be with Sarah, I'm going to visit you. That was His promise. God keeps His promise.
Now, they'd had a baby by Hagar. And Hagar had, of course, later on, had to take her baby and have it cast out, she and her baby; for the bondswoman and her child will not be heir with the free woman and her child.
Genesis 18:10 And he said, I will certainly return unto thee according to the time of life; and, lo, Sarah thy wife shall have a son. And Sarah heard it in the tent door, which was behind him.
Genesis 18:11 Now Abraham and Sarah were old and well stricken in age; and it ceased to be with Sarah after the manner of women.
Genesis 18:14 Is any thing too hard for the LORD? At the time appointed I will return unto thee, according to the time of life, and Sarah shall have a son.
Genesis 21:10 Wherefore she said unto Abraham, Cast out this bondwoman and her son: for the son of this bondwoman shall not be heir with my son, even with Isaac.
Galatians 4:30 Nevertheless what saith the scripture? Cast out the bondwoman and her son: for the son of the bondwoman shall not be heir with the son of the freewoman.
25 I want you to notice a little story here. When Hagar, how she must have thought the misbehavior of Sarah and of Abraham. That lovely couple, they'd lived together, the sweethearts of the Old Testament, and all of a sudden the attitude of Sarah changed. And Abraham did not want to cast his child away, but the Lord spoke to Abraham and said, "Do as Sarah has said."
Then Hagar, how she must have felt that morning when she took her baby, a son of Abraham, and a bottle of water, and a little basket of bread on top of her head---that young Egyptian woman---and went out into the wilderness. And the water was all spent, and the baby started crying for water. And she took the little fellow and put him under a bush, and went a bowshot---a hundred and fifty yards or something---and knelt down and begin to cry. She couldn't stand to hear the baby crying for water and dying in that condition.
Genesis 21:11 And the thing was very grievous in Abraham's sight because of his son.
Genesis 21:12 And God said unto Abraham, Let it not be grievous in thy sight because of the lad, and because of thy bondwoman; in all that Sarah hath said unto thee, hearken unto her voice; for in Isaac shall thy seed be called.
Genesis 21:13 And also of the son of the bondwoman will I make a nation, because he is thy seed.
Genesis 21:14 And Abraham rose up early in the morning, and took bread, and a bottle of water, and gave it unto Hagar, putting it on her shoulder, and the child, and sent her away: and she departed, and wandered in the wilderness of Beersheba.
Genesis 21:15 And the water was spent in the bottle, and she cast the child under one of the shrubs.
Genesis 21:16 And she went, and sat her down over against him a good way off, as it were a bowshot: for she said, Let me not see the death of the child. And she sat over against him, and lift up her voice, and wept.
26 But remember, the Bible said that the Lord heard the child. Why? He's a seed of Abraham. God hears the cry of the children of Abraham! And if you are in Christ tonight, you are Abraham's seed! He never heard Hagar, the woman, the mother. She was very religious, but He never heard her. The covenant wasn't with that. It was with Abraham's seed.
Oh, if I could get that drilled into you. God's obligated! He swore by Himself and made the covenant unconditionally between Abraham and his seed forever. You are Abraham's seed if you are Christ's. If you are dead in Christ, you are Abraham's seed, and are heirs according to the promise. And the same promise that He made Abraham is yours. Oh, that ought to make everybody get well. To think that, if you are the seed of Abraham.
Genesis 21:17 And God heard the voice of the lad; and the angel of God called to Hagar out of heaven, and said unto her, What aileth thee, Hagar? fear not; for God hath heard the voice of the lad where he is.
Galatians 3:29 And if ye be Christ's, then are ye Abraham's seed, and heirs according to the promise.
27 Now you see, He never heard Hagar crying; but the Scripture said He heard the cry of the child. And He told Hagar He had heard the child crying in misery and want, before He heard Hagar praying.
That selected, elected, chosen people that the real Christian is, and then to see that Satan will get into their intellectuals and cause them to suffer and to be taught that the promise was some other age, when it's all of Abraham's children has that promise.
Would you give your little girl a glass of water, and give the next little girl of yours a glass of milk, if they were both starving and you had milk to give? "Would you give one a rock? And the other one a serpent?" said Jesus.
As long as you are Abraham's children, God swore that He would confirm this covenant with you. You are His children. And you have a right to these things. This is God's blessings, the redemption blessings, that Christ redeemed you from these curses; and they're your privileges to have.
Genesis 21:17 And God heard the voice of the lad; and the angel of God called to Hagar out of heaven, and said unto her, What aileth thee, Hagar? fear not; for God hath heard the voice of the lad where he is.
Matthew 7:9 Or what man is there of you, whom if his son ask bread, will he give him a stone?
Matthew 7:10 Or if he ask a fish, will he give him a serpent?
Luke 11:11 If a son shall ask bread of any of you that is a father, will he give him a stone? or if he ask a fish, will he for a fish give him a serpent?
28 I don't understand how any person could preach the Gospel without including divine healing, because sickness is an attribute of sin. Before we had any sickness, we had no sin. When sin came, then sickness followed with it. Might not be your sins; you inherit these things down, as God promised, to three and four generations. But yet, the blood of Jesus Christ cleanses from all sin.
If a big animal had his foot in my side, and was cutting me in with his paw, there's no need of trying to cut his paw off. Just kill the animal from the head, and it kills paw and all.
So you don't have to pick out divine healing, or any other redemptive blessing. When you knock sin in the head, you knock the whole thing in the head. See? You kill it all, for that's the first cause. When that's ridded, every attribute goes with it.
1 John 1:7 But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin.
29 Now, Abraham then, being old, God met him just exactly the way He said He would meet him.
Now, I want you to notice... Now Bible students, I know I'm in a great school here. Now, if you don't agree with this, you do just like I do when I eat cherry pie. When I'm eating cherry pie or chicken, and I run into a bone or a seed, I never throw away the pie or chicken; I just throw away the bone or the seed and keep on eating chicken or pie. So that's the way you do with it. If you do not believe it, all right, that's up to you. Just let that be a bone. But the part that you believe, you eat. You see?
30 Now, God showed right here... Now, I'm going in between the lines just for a minute. And watch if this weaves out right. God showed right here what He's going to do to every son and daughter of Abraham, every one.
Now, we know that that woman being ninety years old, a little grandma with a little dust cap, and a shawl over her shoulders, and all stooped shouldered; and Abraham with great long beard, and white hair, and beards hanging over his chin and face, and carries a stick walking along, now they were...
Genesis 18:11 Now Abraham and Sarah were old and well stricken in age; and it ceased to be with Sarah after the manner of women.
31 The Bible said... Now, don't think it was for that age, because the Scripture said they were both well stricken in age. They were both old. Now, we know, if he'd lived with her as a wife since she was about eighteen years old, and here he was ... here she was ninety, well, there's absolutely... Well, it was past the time of having children---many, many years past time. If she was actually going to have children, she'd have had them back when she was a young woman. And then when it come the time of the change, why, she would have had it before there, or maybe in that time. But now, we're forty years or better past that time.
Now, God had to perform some kind of a miracle. All that will agree with that, say, "Amen." God had to do something.
32 Now, the first thing... You're a mixed multitude, and you'd listen to your doctor. I ought to be as much to you as he; I'm your brother. So now... I've got to say it this a way so you'll thoroughly understand.
Now, a woman... He had to make her womb fertile. There had to be something happen. That's the reason He said, "I will visit you according to the time of life."
Now, if she become to be mother... Now, in order to go into labor, she had to have her heart strengthened. Or no woman at ninety years old... A woman at forty today, they die, most of them. And here she is ninety, ninety years old. God had to strengthen her heart. He had to make her womb fertile.
And then, they didn't have these hygiene bottles as they have today for the babies to nurse, for the cigarette smoking mothers. But in them days the baby had to nurse normally, the mother's milk. And then if she was that old, the milk veins was dried up in her body. He had to make milk veins for her. Certainly He would.
Genesis 18:10 And he said, I will certainly return unto thee according to the time of life; and, lo, Sarah thy wife shall have a son. And Sarah heard it in the tent door, which was behind him.
Genesis 18:14 Is any thing too hard for the LORD? At the time appointed I will return unto thee, according to the time of life, and Sarah shall have a son.
33 You see, He'd just have to patch her up. God did not patch her up, He was going to show here what He's going to do to every daughter of God. He changed her and made a young woman out of her. And He turned Abraham back to a young man.
Now, watch and see if this isn't true. I can just imagine (so that the younger will catch it) I can imagine Abraham saying ... coming out one morning, and I can hear her say, "Why, Abraham, honey, you know that stoop in your shoulders? You're beginning to straighten your shoulders up. That gray hair has begin to turn black."
And I can hear him say back to her, "Sweetheart, those black eyes that you used to have, they are turning back again. And those wrinkles are leaving your face."
34 Look where they taken a trip from. They was up in Canaan, and they took a trip and went all the way to Gerar. That's quite a journey, about three hundred miles, for an old couple, hundred years old apiece. Journeyed down to Gerar afterwards.
And not only that, but there was a young king down there by the name of Abimelech, and he was looking for a sweetheart. And he had all those beautiful girls of the Philistines there to pick from, but when he seen grandma coming, he said, "That's the one I've been waiting for." Now, wouldn't that sound ridiculous? No, sir! Abraham said, "You are fair to look upon; and you say that you're my sister, and I will be your brother." And Abimelech fell in love with Sarah and would have married her. Ridiculous to try to think...
See, that's what all ... all of Abraham's seed and his children is going to turn from old back to young at the coming of the Lord Jesus. Just live true to God. That's His promise.
Genesis 20:2 And Abraham said of Sarah his wife, She is my sister: and Abimelech king of Gerar sent, and took Sarah.
35 I asked a doctor here some time ago, I said, "Doctor, how... If I was made out of the dust of the earth (scientists said I was, made out of sixteen different elements of the earth) then if I was, then why is it ... how did I ever become into the form that I am?"
He said, "By eating food. Food turns into blood; blood cells builds you."
I said, "Then, Doctor, why is it that I'm eating the same kind of food I eat when I was fifteen years old (every time I eat meat, potatoes, bread), every time I eat, I got bigger, stronger; and I'm eating the same food now, getting older, weaker? If I'm renewing my life every time I eat, why is it I'm getting old and wrinkled up, and eating better food than I did then? And yet, every time I eat, I'm dying; when I eat then, I was living."
36 If you pour a glass of water ... or, take a glass and a jug of water, and begin to pour water out of a jug into this glass, and it fills halfway full. And then keep pouring, and more you pour, farther down it goes. Scientifically prove that to me. It can't be. There's no answer for it. But the Bible has the answer. It was appointed unto man.
Now, here's what's happened. In the resurrection, when you come forth, you won't come forth a little baby; you'll come forth in your---the splendor of young man and young woman.
I want you to get this sincerely. It isn't too long ago, maybe, to some of you older people, that you begin to notice that pretty girl that you married is turning gray and wrinkling. That young man that you married is turning gray and stooping his shoulders. What's happened? Death's set in on you. And it's going to pin you here, maybe God let you out; finally, it's going to take you. But it can't do no harm to you!
37 And when you come forth in the resurrection, you're not going to be one thing that'll symbolize sin. You growed; you become at your best between ... I think, science claims, between twenty and twenty-three you are at your peak. After that you start dying. You're living, building, till that time. After that, you start going back.
God gets the picture up, marries you, puts you together like the first Adam and Eve, and give you a choice. If you could choose Him, you have eternal life; if you do not choose Him, you do not have eternal life. But all that's got eternal life, God will bring with Him at the coming of Christ. And you'll resurrect, not an old man and woman, not a little bitty baby, but you'll resurrect to the perfect young man and young woman of about twenty-two or twenty-three years old. You'll be like that forever in the presence of God. That's exactly the truth.
38 That's what He done to Sarah and Abraham. And when Abimelech saw that she was beautiful, why, he fell for her. And he took her to be his wife.
Now, I want to kind of pinch just a little bit here, not to hurt bad. But I want you to notice that Abimelech... I could imagine when he took this beautiful Hebrew girl and put all the jewelry on her, and fixed her clothes. Why, tomorrow he's going to marry her. He went and took his bath, and said his prayers, and got in bed and stretched out, and thought, "Oh, my. Tomorrow I will marry that beautiful Hebrew girl." Only ninety years old (See?) and he's going to marry her. She probably looked to be about twenty-three.
And then when he was laying there thinking that, God came to him and said, "You're just as good as a dead man."
He said, "Lord, why is this?"
He said, "You've got another man's wife."
And he said, "Why, with the integrity of my heart I did this, Lord. You know she told me that was her brother, and he told me that's the sister."
And God said, "That's the reason I kept you from sinning against Me. I know the integrity of your heart." But listen to this, now. "I know your integrity, but she is a wife of a prophet. Her husband is My prophet."
Genesis 20:2 And Abraham said of Sarah his wife, She is my sister: and Abimelech king of Gerar sent, and took Sarah.
Genesis 20:3 But God came to Abimelech in a dream by night, and said to him, Behold, thou art but a dead man, for the woman which thou hast taken; for she is a man's wife.
Genesis 20:4 But Abimelech had not come near her: and he said, Lord, wilt thou slay also a righteous nation?
Genesis 20:5 Said he not unto me, She is my sister? and she, even she herself said, He is my brother: in the integrity of my heart and innocency of my hands have I done this.
Genesis 20:6 And God said unto him in a dream, Yea, I know that thou didst this in the integrity of thy heart; for I also withheld thee from sinning against me: therefore suffered I thee not to touch her.
Genesis 20:7 Now therefore restore the man his wife; for he is a prophet, and he shall pray for thee, and thou shalt live: and if thou restore her not, know thou that thou shalt surely die, thou, and all that are thine.
39 Now, you talking about somewhere that you think you've done a little something that you can't get back to God? Look at Abraham out there, what he'd done. Lying about his wife, sitting out to one side... Any man, would act like that about his wife... There he was out there, he was backslid. Certainly. God told him, "Don't leave that country. Stay in Palestine." Any Jew that goes out of Palestine is backslid. God told him, "Stay in that country!"
Now, He gave them that country. That's the reason they're returning back now. It's covenant time again, see? Come back to the country.
40 And now, he had backslid, went away from God, went down there, and told a man that that was his sister instead of his wife. And Abimelech might have been a good holiness man for all I know, but God said, "I will not answer your prayer. But that husband of hers is My prophet. And if you don't take him back his wife and let him pray for you, you're as good as a dead man." What about that? That's God keeping His promise to the seed of Abraham. Oh, my.
Can you see? Healing is yours! Salvation is yours! It's a free gift of God that God gave you, and called you, and chose you. Before the foundation of the world He chose you. You're His heir! Why, He watches over you day and night, trying to get to you to do something for you.
You say, "But, Brother Branham, I made a mistake last week, or last month." I don't care how many mistakes you make! We've all sinned and come short of the glory. If you're a child of Abraham, you're ready to recognize that as sin, and come back to God again, and God's mercy still hangs to you.
Genesis 20:7 Now therefore restore the man his wife; for he is a prophet, and he shall pray for thee, and thou shalt live: and if thou restore her not, know thou that thou shalt surely die, thou, and all that are thine.
Romans 3:23 For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God;
41 Look at Abraham. Said, "I won't hear your prayer, Abimelech. But every womb is closed up." He said, "You take his wife back to him and let him pray for you." Amen. I like that. "I will hear his prayer, for he's My prophet." And he took Sarah, and took her back to Abraham, and sent her back with gifts. And then Abraham prayed for him, and God opened up the womb of everything he had. And he prospered. And Sarah was a young woman, and Abraham was a young man.
Notice. After Isaac was born, and Abraham's body being as good as dead (Sarah died at about a hundred and thirty-seven years old), and Abraham at a hundred and forty-five married another woman and had seven sons besides the daughters. Hallelujah! That's it.
Genesis 20:7 Now therefore restore the man his wife; for he is a prophet, and he shall pray for thee, and thou shalt live: and if thou restore her not, know thou that thou shalt surely die, thou, and all that are thine.
Genesis 20:16 And unto Sarah he said, Behold, I have given thy brother a thousand pieces of silver: behold, he is to thee a covering of the eyes, unto all that are with thee, and with all other: thus she was reproved.
Genesis 20:17 So Abraham prayed unto God: and God healed Abimelech, and his wife, and his maidservants; and they bare children.
Genesis 20:18 For the LORD had fast closed up all the wombs of the house of Abimelech, because of Sarah Abraham's wife.
Genesis 25:1 Then again Abraham took a wife, and her name was Keturah.
Genesis 25:2 And she bare him Zimran, and Jokshan, and Medan, and Midian, and Ishbak, and Shuah.
Romans 4:19 And being not weak in faith, he considered not his own body now dead, when he was about an hundred years old, neither yet the deadness of Sarah's womb:
42 He turned him back to a young man. Well, this is nearly another hundred years later. See what He did? He renewed them. That's what He will do to every covenant person that comes into Christ, and dies out to the things of the world, and becomes a new creation in Christ, takes on Abraham's seed, and are heirs according to the promise. There you are.
Then what's divine healing? Couldn't you believe that, brother? From Canada. What's that cancer in the sight of God, to a seed of Abraham? You're feeling around, trying to find if you... Why, He's right on you, over you, under you, in you, all around you. You can't lay there and live. You must rise in the name of the Lord Jesus!
43 "I'm Abraham's son, because I've accepted Jesus Christ, the promised One. And healing belongs to me."
To you people there in those wheelchairs, the same thing. If you are a born again Christian, the same faith that was in Abraham is in you. And God's promise to Abraham, anything contrary to it, he said as though it wasn't. He staggered not at the promise of God through unbelief, but was strong giving praise to God. Every day seemed longer and farther away, but he still praised God and said it's as though it's already over with. That's the way to do it.
Some of you say, "I can't give up the things of the world. I can't do this, I..." You can't? You just haven't caught a hold of the right hand yet. That's it. You haven't touched the right garment yet. When you touch Him, the High Priest of your confession, Who is the great seed of Abraham, through God's promise, then you take on His Spirit in the fullness of His resurrection power. He fills you and charges you with His goodness and His mercy and His power of faith to call anything that's contrary to God's promise as though it isn't even there. Don't even look at it. March on. Amen.
Romans 4:17 (As it is written, I have made thee a father of many nations,) before him whom he believed, even God, who quickeneth the dead, and calleth those things which be not as though they were.
Romans 4:20 He staggered not at the promise of God through unbelief; but was strong in faith, giving glory to God;
44 "Well, I just look at 'We Love Suzy' so much I can't go to prayer meeting on Wednesday night." You get God right down in your heart one time, you'll turn that vulgar thing off the radio or television. That's right. Sure you will. All those wisecrackers with all them dirty jokes and things, how that uncensored programs on television, and the nation lets it get by with it? Why, it's a disgrace! No wonder we're in the corruption that we're in. And them people who call themselves Christians will miss church to see such stuff. I say, Los Angeles, like the rest of America, you need a revival.
And the trouble of it is, so many time preachers behind the pulpit is so sissified they're afraid to tell people the truth. It's a meal ticket, or they get throwed out. What of it? If you get throwed out, preach it outside somewhere. Keep on going. God's Spirit's eternal; it's multiplies and keeps moving.
45 An old man, John Ryan, seventy-something years old, a beggar in Fort Wayne, totally blind for twenty-five years, and in the meeting there that night when he come to the platform, the Holy Spirit told him who he was, and said, "Thus saith the Lord, you're healed."
And the old fellow, he said, "Well, I don't see."
I said, "That don't have nothing to do with it. You're healed! If you're a child of Abraham, you take His Word first. And here's the Angel of the Lord, Who knows who you are and all about you, told you, 'Thus saith the Lord.'"
Well, he just ... said, "What must I do?" He belonged to another denominational church, Catholic. And he said, "What must I do?" He used to be a movie star. He also rode in the ring in Barnum and Bailey's great... He was a leader of that great famous garland, clowning. And he was a great man.
"Thus saith the Lord." The old fellow got up in the balcony the second night. And I'd told him, I said, "Just keep saying, 'Thank You, Lord, for healing me.'"
He said, "You think I will get my sight?"
I said, "You told me you believed what I told you."
He said, "I do."
I said, "Well, what are you questioning me about then?"
So he went up there, the next night I could hardly preach. He'd say, "Everybody keep still. Praise the Lord for healing me." Sit back down.
46 About two weeks after the meeting had left Fort Wayne... He sold papers on the street corner. And he was over there selling papers, and another little news boy led him across to get a shave at the barber's shop. And so they put the towel around his neck, and lathered his face, and the little barber wanted to be smart-aleck, you know, and he said, "Say, I heard you was over to see the divine healer when he was up here."
He said, "Yes, I went over."
Said, "I heard you got healed."
Said, "Yes. Praise the Lord, He healed me." And his eyes come open in the barber chair. He jumped out of that chair, and down the street he went, with that towel under his neck, the barber behind him with a razor in his hand, down the street---he made a show!
47 About two months after that, I went to Benton Harbor to that Jewish colony there, called Israel's School. And this young rabbi come out to see me. He said, "By what authority did you open John's eyes?"
I said, "By the name of Jesus Christ, the Son of God."
He said, "Far be it from God having a Son." He was a Jew.
And I said... And he said, "That fellow Jesus wasn't nothing but a thief." You know how sometimes Israel can argue.
So I said, "A thief?"
Said, "Yes, He stole corn."
I said, "Your own law says a man can go through the field and pluck what he wants to eat, but don't take any out in a sack. How was He a thief by your own laws?"
And he said, "You can never make me believe He was the Son of God."
I said, "John's got his sight, hasn't he?"
And he said, "Yes, I've give him many alms on the street. I know he was blind."
I said, "He can now see. And it was done by his faith in the Son of God, Jesus Christ."
He said, "I don't believe that."
I said, "Well, he's got his sight. We never come here to argue. So there it is, the man's standing here. You can't deny it. He can read a newspaper without glasses." And I said, "What about that?"
48 He said, "Well, look." Said, he said, "You Gentiles can't chop God in three pieces and give Him to a Jew."
I said, "We don't chop Him in no three pieces, not at all."
And so then he said, "Well..."
I said, "Would it be hard for you to believe the prophets, rabbi?"
He said, "I believe the prophets."
I said, "Isaiah 9 and 6, who was he talking to? Who is he talking about when he said, 'Unto us a child is born, a son is given?'"
"Oh," he said, "the Messiah."
I said, "Well then, what will Messiah be?"
He said, "He will be a man."
I said, "That's what I thought." I said, "Now, what requirements... What did He not meet in everything that the Old Testament promised Him to be?"
And you know, that fellow, honestly in his heart, I noticed him. He looked around and started to walk away, and tears was running down his beard. And he said, "Mister," he said, "I believed that those Temple priests would have believed Him, I believe they'd've been better off."
I said, "You believe, Rabbi, that He was the Son of God."
He said, "I believe He was a good man." I had him started. He said, "But He wasn't the Son of God."
And I said, "Rabbi, everything He said is coming to pass."
He said, "Oh, I believe He was a prophet."
I said, "If He was a good man, He wouldn't lie. And if He was a prophet, He couldn't lie. So there you are. You believe He was the Son of God."
He turned around, started walking in, he said, "If I taught that," he said, "I'd be down there in the street [over the cliff there], I'd be down there in the street begging."
I said, "I'd rather be down there in the street begging! I'd rather lay on my stomach and drink branch water and eat soda crackers, than have my name on that building up there in gold letters and have to compromise with my own convictions on the Word of God." Absolutely, that's right! God is God! Just the same.
Isaiah 9:6 For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace.
49 There. Then when He brought Sarah back, Abraham back, to a young man and woman, she become a mother. They brought the little child. How lovely that little fellow must have been. Eighth day he was circumcised. And when he was just a young lad, why, there was a big feast made to him.
And one day, God said, "I'm going to prove (so much like this) to the Angelus Temple that I keep My promise. I'm going to prove to the people." Said, "Abraham, you take your only son, and take him to a mountain where I'm going to show you, and there you sacrifice him for a burnt offering." Now, He told him he was going to be the father of nations, and here his only son. And now take and destroy and kill the very thing that was going to be ... how He would make him the father of nations. And now He said, "You go on, and I will show you the mountain." I can imagine how the old fellow felt.
Genesis 17:5 Neither shall thy name any more be called Abram, but thy name shall be Abraham; for a father of many nations have I made thee.
Genesis 21:2 For Sarah conceived, and bare Abraham a son in his old age, at the set time of which God had spoken to him.
Genesis 21:4 And Abraham circumcised his son Isaac being eight days old, as God had commanded him.
Genesis 22:2 And he said, Take now thy son, thine only son Isaac, whom thou lovest, and get thee into the land of Moriah; and offer him there for a burnt offering upon one of the mountains which I will tell thee of.
50 The next morning, his lovely little boy of about twelve years old, how he must have got over and shook him and said, "Wake up, Isaac. Don't wake up mama, because mama wouldn't understand. Wake up." And he went out there and chopped some wood, clave it, put it in a little sack, put it on the back of a mule, and got two servants.
Now remember. He went three days journey back in the wilderness. Ordinary a man can walk... When I was on patrol for five years I had to walk thirty miles a day, for six days a week. People these days has got what we call "gasoline feet." Them days, they had to walk; they was more used to it. A man could easily... Well, say, he just walked twenty-five miles a day. That made him seventy-five miles back in the wilderness. And then he lifted up his eyes and saw the mountain far off, that the Lord had showed him in the vision, where to take the child to offer him.
Genesis 22:3 And Abraham rose up early in the morning, and saddled his ass, and took two of his young men with him, and Isaac his son, and clave the wood for the burnt offering, and rose up, and went unto the place of which God had told him.
Genesis 22:4 Then on the third day Abraham lifted up his eyes, and saw the place afar off.
51 He got close to the mountain. Now, listen close, as we're fixing to close. He got close to the mountain. And he said to the servants, "You stay here."
Think of how his heart must have been beating, knowing that he was going up there to kill his son and destroy the only hope he had of ever being the father of nations. But he said he had received him as one from the dead, he was persuaded that God could raise him up from the dead. See that Abraham faith? See what it means? No matter how ridiculous it sounds, if God said it, He means it. He is the way. He keeps His Word. It's up to Him to see it through, not you to try to see it through; it's Him to see it through.
Genesis 22:5 And Abraham said unto his young men, Abide ye here with the ass; and I and the lad will go yonder and worship, and come again to you.
52 Now, listen close. Then, he said to the servants... I just love this. He said to these servants, "You wait here. The lad and I will go yonder to worship, and the lad and I shall return." How's he going to do it, when he's got the knife, and it sharpened? He's got the fire in his hand. He's got the wood on his back. And he took it off of his own back and placed it on Isaac, a beautiful type of Christ packing that wooden cross up the hill. And he said, "You wait here. The lad and I will go yonder to worship; and we shall return!" Amen!
Oh, my! How you going to get out of that wheelchairs? It's none of your business to think about it! How you going to get well? It's God's promise! Only thing you do is keep moving on.
Genesis 22:5 And Abraham said unto his young men, Abide ye here with the ass; and I and the lad will go yonder and worship, and come again to you.
Genesis 22:6 And Abraham took the wood of the burnt offering, and laid it upon Isaac his son; and he took the fire in his hand, and a knife; and they went both of them together.
53 And he laid that wood on Isaac's shoulders, and he starts up the hill. And when he got up to the top of the hill, he rolled some rocks together, laid the wood. Little Isaac got suspicious. He said, "Father..." What's the first word the Bible ever mentioned of Isaac's voice? Was, "My father." "My father, here is the altar; here is the fire; here is the wood; but where is the lamb for a burnt offering?"
And the trembling old father, not... Just at the last moment he turned to him, and he said, "My son, God will provide a lamb." Are you Abraham's children? "God will provide for himself a sacrifice." Why, it was the last moment. So he reaches under his belt, pulls out the rope, and little Isaac didn't start screaming. He was like Christ, submitted Himself to death. Put his son's hands behind him, tied his hands and his feet, laid him upon the altar... Could you imagine how he felt? There's the faith of Abraham. Have you got it?
Genesis 22:7 And Isaac spake unto Abraham his father, and said, My father: and he said, Here am I, my son. And he said, Behold the fire and the wood: but where is the lamb for a burnt offering?
Genesis 22:8 And Abraham said, My son, God will provide himself a lamb for a burnt offering: so they went both of them together.
54 "God's able to do this," he said. "But this is His commission, and this is what I will carry out." Picked up that honed knife, pulled the little curly locks back out of his little twelve-year-old boy's face, leaned it back, thinking of Sarah at home, his only son, probably kissed him on the cheek, laid him back, looked up, picked up the knife and raised his hand. That's believing God! And as he started to bring the knife down, the Holy Spirit caught his hand, said, "Abraham, Abraham! Stay your hand. I know now that you trust me. I know that you love me." Said, "You haven't even would spare your own son." And about that time, a lamb bleated behind him. It was a little ram. Not a ewe now; it was a ram, a male, Christ. Had his horns hooked in the vines, right behind him.
Genesis 22:11 And the angel of the LORD called unto him out of heaven, and said, Abraham, Abraham: and he said, Here am I.
Genesis 22:12 And he said, Lay not thine hand upon the lad, neither do thou any thing unto him: for now I know that thou fearest God, seeing thou hast not withheld thy son, thine only son from me.
Genesis 22:13 And Abraham lifted up his eyes, and looked, and behold behind him a ram caught in a thicket by his horns: and Abraham went and took the ram, and offered him up for a burnt offering in the stead of his son.
55 I want to ask you a question. Where did that ram come from? He was three days journey from civilization, and up on top of a mountain where there's no water. Why, the wild beasts would've killed the ... the lions and things would of got the little ram if it'd wandered ninety miles back in the wilderness. And then, up on top of the mountain, another day's journey where there's no water, no grass. If you know the land, have been in there, just rocks, that's all. And here was this little ram hooked in the wilderness by its horns. The sagebrush and stuff had it all hooked up by its horns. Where did it come from? Why?
No wonder Abraham called Him Jehovah-jireh. What happened? The Lord spoke that ram into existence! He spoke it in existence one minute, and another minute it went out of existence. What is He? He is able! Amen. He's Jehovah-jireh! He's God! It wasn't a vision; the lamb bled.
Genesis 22:14 And Abraham called the name of that place Jehovahjireh: as it is said to this day, In the mount of the LORD it shall be seen.
56 The same God that could pull the elements together and make a body for Him to live in and walk up before Abraham, that same God spoke a ram into existence, for there was a need for a sacrifice.
How's He going to bring you out of that wheelchair? I don't know. That's His business. He's Jehovah-jireh. The Lord will provide! What was it? His Word was at stake. God will provide.
You say, "Brother Branham, I'm eat up with cancer." That hasn't got one thing to do with it! "The doctor says I can't live but a six months longer. My heart's so bad the valves are stopped." I don't care what they've done. He's still Jehovah-jireh! He made that heart.
What was He? He was Christ. That ram represented Christ. Jehovah-jireh has already provided a sacrifice for you.
57 And then He said, "Abraham. Abraham. All nations will be blessed by you. My covenant is sure to you." Why? Abraham loved Him. Abraham took His Word.
And if we are the children of Abraham, God has fulfilled His promise, as we had the other night at the day of Pentecost ... or, the day of the sacrifice, when He tore the life out of Christ, and took the body up, and sent the Holy Spirit back here. And night after night, year after year, He proves Hisself a-living among us, the healer---to Abraham's children, whosoever will believe.
You might have done evil. You might've been adulterous. You might be a gambler. You might be anything that there could be in sin. No matter how deep you have stooped, He's Jehovah-jireh! His sacrifice is provided, His presence is here, He keeps His Word! He's here now to save, to heal, to perform anything that He promised, because He's already made the sacrifice and accepted it. And all we do is to look and live. Jehovah-jireh---the Lord will provide Hisself a sacrifice. He has provided a sacrifice for us.
Genesis 22:8 And Abraham said, My son, God will provide himself a lamb for a burnt offering: so they went both of them together.
Genesis 22:14 And Abraham called the name of that place Jehovahjireh: as it is said to this day, In the mount of the LORD it shall be seen.
Genesis 22:18 And in thy seed shall all the nations of the earth be blessed; because thou hast obeyed my voice.
58 You are sick. Your duty is to go to your doctor. If your doctor cannot help you, then God has a sacrifice provided. If you're an alcoholic, you've went to this "Anonymous," and you probably tried to get cured that way. If you're a cigarette smoker, you probably taken "Notobac," and everything that you can think of, and still you crave them things. You've come to the end of the road. With that, with them unclean habits, you can't be of God. And if you've done everything that you can do, and still you see that it doesn't work, then Jehovah has a provided sacrifice. He's Jehovah-jireh, the sacrifice to take you away from your sins.
You say, "Brother Branham, I've sought for the Holy Spirit. I've did this." You never do that. The Holy Spirit seeks you. You don't seek the Holy Spirit, it's seeking you. It's just your surrender to it. That's what does it. "Brother Branham, I've sought divine healing." Divine healing was purchased at Calvary. You don't seek divine healing; the divine healer seeks you---God. That's why you're here tonight. He's trying to get into your heart.
59 Jesus, the Son of God, He's in the building. His Spirit is here. Jehovah-jireh has provided a sacrifice. [Someone speaks with tongues; another interprets.] Yes, Lord. [Someone speaks with tongues.] ... I understand the Scriptures right, the Holy Spirit's speaking... Now, reverently. I heard talking of healing there. Now, be real reverent while the Holy Spirit is moving now. Everybody quietly. Pray.
I don't think there's any prayer cards given out. There's no cards in the building, is there? No. No. But that same God that was over there on the day of Pentecost, that same God that... [Someone speaks with tongues. Blank spot on tape.]
60 Thank you, Father. We thank You for these promises. And how that Your children, maybe not of just going out and doing evil, but the sin, I would believe, that You were saying for them to confess, is the sin of superstition, or unbelief. I pray that You will grant unto these people tonight, that they are present here now, to know that these people are charged with Thy Spirit, and they have delivered that amount of messages, three messages... You said, "Let it be by the course of three." And we've had those three messages immediately after the teaching of the Scripture. Now, Father, we thank You for that. We pray that that'll sink deep into the hearts of the people. And now, let Thy Holy Spirit convince and convict sinners of their sin, that they might come to Thee. We are waiting on Thee in the name of the Lord Jesus.
1 Corinthians 14:29 Let the prophets speak two or three, and let the other judge.
61 Now, as you're praying, just keep praying. The Bible said that Jesus is a High Priest that can be touched by the feeling of our infirmities. Now He is that High Priest. And a woman touched His garment; He turned around. Now, you don't touch me. This is just a gift. You touch Him, and see if He doesn't know your trouble.
Has there been anybody in Divine presence now that has never been in one of my meetings, would you raise your hand right easily? Just a few, not over two dozen, I guess. All right. While they're praying, be real reverent now. Don't no one move. Just sit real still.
I'm a total stranger to these people. But that you might know that the words that I have said and been talking these several nights, that we're at the end time... The last sign to the church is that sign that Jesus gave to the Jews at the ending of their dispensation, gave to the Samaritans at the ending of their dispensation, but never give it to the Gentiles; then spoke that in the last days that sign would come back again just at the burning of the world, like it did at Sodom and Gomorrah. And the man who had God's Spirit in him turned his back and asked Abraham where Sarah was, asked "Why did she laugh in the tent," when she laughed within herself, never made any noise. Jesus said, so much, "That will take place at the end of the Gentile age."
Genesis 18:13 And the LORD said unto Abraham, Wherefore did Sarah laugh, saying, Shall I of a surety bear a child, which am old?
Luke 17:28 Likewise also as it was in the days of Lot; they did eat, they drank, they bought, they sold, they planted, they builded;
Luke 17:30 Even thus shall it be in the day when the Son of man is revealed.
Hebrews 4:15 For we have not an high priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities; but was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin.
62 Now, be reverent, and pray. I want to try to come across the audience, everywhere, if I can, just to see if the Holy Spirit will reveal. Now, don't no one move; just be real reverent. Keep praying. Just... Don't think about me standing here, but just say to the Lord like this...
Now, I do not know a person as far as I can see. This minister sitting right here in front of me, I can't think of his name. I shook his hand just now, I can remember of meeting him, but I don't know just what his name was. It's the only person in the building that I know of. And I've got some friends here I know. The Stadsklevs, Chaplain Stadsklev, he's here somewhere, and then I think Brother Sothmann and some friends from Canada. Outside of that, with my own son and my daughter and them, is the only ones I know. If it should speak to one of them, I will call their ... who they were.
63 Just pray if you're sick. How many in the building... Maybe there's no sickness here. If anybody in here is suffering, and that you believe you have faith enough to touch the High Priest now, just slip up your hand real quietly, like that. Oh, yes, there's plenty of sicknesses, just everywhere. All right.
Now, it's wrote in the Bible, you know that. It's God's promise. Now, will it work? If it works, then I told the truth. Now, I've spoke of God. Now, if He speaks of me, I'll know I've told the truth about Him. Now, He may not speak of this; I don't know. If He does, all right; if He doesn't, well, still that's all right anyhow. We will just ask and see if He will speak to us. I will look to my left, just concentrate on that side.
If you'd raise your head just a moment. Right straight through here, a lady sitting, praying, has got sinus trouble. Do you believe the Lord Jesus will heal you, sister? All right. The gray-headed lady that bowed her head right ... raise up your hand back there. That's it. God bless you now, just believe with all your heart now.
64 Now, somewhere out in here. I can't see where the boy's at, but there's a young... There's a boy, man, young fellow. He's praying. He's a Spanish boy. Can anyone speak Spanish here? Raise up your hand. You, sir? All right. There you are. Liver trouble. That's right. Speak to him. All right. All right. Liver trouble. Will you believe? Benny? Benny back there I'm speaking to. That's his name. Raise your hand if that's true. It's over now. Say, tell him this, tell him he's from San Diego; he isn't from Los Angeles. That's right. He can go back home now; he's going to get over that.
Now, the boy was on the floor somewhere, I couldn't see him. But I could see him standing up here, and it's in his back. I seen the examination in his back. And I seen him warbling something, I knowed he couldn't speak English. If the mother there, or any of them that understands, he doesn't know any English, not one English. If that isn't the Holy Spirit, what is?
65 What about somebody else, that you want to believe. Do you believe? Now, have faith. Somebody in this direction. If you can believe.
A lady sitting right in here. A man sitting there, must be him praying or the lady, has got sinus trouble. No, it's nervousness, real nervous. I see it's something making them nervous. If you'll believe. Mrs. Myers is who I'm speaking to. Do you believe that the Lord Jesus will make it well? If you believe it, you can have it. All right. Do you believe, Mrs. Myers? Stand up on your feet so the people will see. I don't know you; I've never seen you. Is that right? Raise up your hand. If we're strangers one another, raise up you hand. Been extremely nervous. But there's something's happened to you. You believe this to be the truth, don't you? That's the reason you're healed. Now, you can go home; you're going to be well.
66 If thou canst believe. Just don't doubt. Have faith in God. You believe it can be done from my back turned to you? Just like the Angel of the Lord that came...? Now, it's Him, not me. You pray. Somebody in this section, just pray, and let me pray, and look this way.
Lord God, let it happen, Lord, that the people might know that it's not Your servant, it's You, Lord. It's to fulfill Your promise. You promised it, Jesus. And we believe that You are the same yesterday, today, and forever. Let it happen, Lord.
Hebrews 13:8 Jesus Christ the same yesterday, and to day, and for ever.
67 There's a lady praying back here. She has complications, trouble with her eyes. Her name is Mrs. Code, Coleen Code. Stand up, Mrs. Code. Jesus Christ makes you well, sister. I do not know you, is that right? Raise your hand if that's true, if we're strangers. All right.
Have faith. Do you believe God's still God? Certainly He is. Just only believe. Lord, could it happen again? I pray that You'll grant it.
68 Must be in this direction. I see a woman, a vision of a woman. She's... No, she's behind me. And the woman's suffering with arthritis, troubles. Her name would be Ruth Myers. If you believe, you can be made well. Stand up, ever where you are. Mrs. Ruth Myers, the Lord bless you.
Right out from you there sits a lady that's suffering with varicose veins. And if you believe also, lady, while the Spirit... She's got a big hat on. Raise up your hand, lady. All right. Now, you can go home and be well too. Jesus Christ makes you well.
Do you believe on the Lord Jesus? How many believes now with all your heart? See, see? Look, friends. That could just keep going on now. I don't want to weaken myself; I want to put everything I got in Saturday and Sunday's meetings. Just that you might see. There's not one prayer card in the building. These people, ever who was called, I couldn't a bit more tell you now than nothing. See? And I'm having to keep watching both sides of the building like that, to keep seeing them visions coming, because the anointing is on me. And that's not me. That's your faith, believing what I preached to be the truth. See? Now, that's God here.
69 Now, try to, one time, see, try to realize how great that is, see that it's God's promise. He said that would happen right here amongst the Gentile people. If God did that at the ending of each generation, or each time, and He doesn't do it here at this time, then He did wrong back there, He let them have something that we didn't have. But He promised this would be at just before the destruction time. Here's the Angel of the Lord.
I don't... I'm a grammar school student, just barely made the seventh grade. You know by my talk I have no education. But God probably had it that way. He gave me something else to work by. You can tell by my preaching, I'm not even a preacher. Why, I can't have no education. I don't know much about Scriptures, and how a theologian... I'm not a theologian. Just what I know, I like to express it. But God gave me something else to manifest Him by.
70 Now, it's strange that it doesn't do too much good in America. When in Africa, India, Australia, let that happen, and thousands times thousands will cry and run to the altar and repent, and... But here, it doesn't seem to go. Why is it, friends? Are we at the end of the road? Are...? We are at the end of the road. Remember, I'm saying that with my Bible over my heart, with the Spirit who knows your heart and knows all things and...
Now, I can't do that at my own leisure. He is the One who reveals it to me. See? And I couldn't do it; it's your faith that's a-doing it. Jesus didn't know what was the matter with the woman. He said, "Who touched me?" Somebody touched Him, and He kept looking around till He found it. And He said it made Him weak. How many knows that's the Scripture? Does the Bible say Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever? Then that's Him. If He's the same, He's got to be same in principal, same in power, same in attitude. You might have heard lots in your life, friends, but just remember, as "THUS SAITH THE LORD," you're sitting under the anointing of the Holy Ghost. Remember, "THUS SAITH THE LORD."
Mark 5:30 And Jesus, immediately knowing in himself that virtue had gone out of him, turned him about in the press, and said, Who touched my clothes?
Luke 8:45 And Jesus said, Who touched me? When all denied, Peter and they that were with him said, Master, the multitude throng thee and press thee, and sayest thou, Who touched me?
Hebrews 13:8 Jesus Christ the same yesterday, and to day, and for ever.
71 Let us pray. Father God, after three nights of trying in my poor illiterate ways that I have, being an illiterate person, and I've tried with all my heart, Lord, to explain that You are still the great Jehovah. And Your goodness and mercy, to come down and confirm that, that I have told the truth that we're at the end time.
Lord, please, don't let any person that's in Divine presence ever have to suffer the separation from God, eternal separation to go into a devil's hell---that's prepared not for them, but for the devil. May they now, in the presence of the Holy Ghost, not take a choice to continue on and go to the devil's hell, but may be come to God's heaven, where all things are made ready and waiting for them. Their invitation now is the Holy Spirit speaking to their hearts. Let them come, Lord, and confess Thee, and confess their unbelief, and ask You for mercy. Then heal the sick and afflicted that's in our midst.
72 May this be a great time just now, for all things are ready. The Word has been preached, the songs has been sung, and the Holy Spirit has confirmed His presence. Lord, let those who are needy tonight reach up by faith and receive Christ for what they have need of.
We ask it in Jesus' name, because we believe that they are the children of Abraham---that has been kind of tossed about, Father. The people seem to hardly know what to do. They're like sheep that's strayed out from away from the shepherds. We pray, God, that tonight, regardless of their denomination or affiliation of church, may they come to the Shepherd of life, Jesus Christ, who is present now, and proves that He's present. May they come, for we ask it in His name.
73 While we have our heads bowed, how many on this bottom floor here will be honest within your heart for just the next five minutes? Will you raise your hands and say, "Brother Branham, I need Christ. Spiritually speaking, I need Christ in my life. And I want Him to give to me the faith and make me Abraham's seed."? Would you raise your hand? On the bottom floor, just put your hands way up. Now hold them up for awhile. Surely, in the presence of the Holy Ghost, you'd not be ashamed to do it? God bless you. There's dozens of hands up on the bottom floor.
74 Now, you say, "Does that mean anything, Brother Branham, if I put up my hand?" The difference between death and life if you mean it. You say, "What does that do?" That shows supernatural power when you raise your hand. Science says your hand has to hang down, gravitation holds your hand down. But there's a Spirit here talking to your spirit that tells you that you're wrong. And you break the laws of gravitation when you raise your hands, showing that there's something in you that's made a decision. And you break the laws of gravitation when you raise your hand, because according to science they have to hang down, gravitation holds them down. But a spirit in you, making a decision upon your Maker, holds your hand up.
75 Now, in the balconies up there, be honest. Tomorrow night's the great healing services starting. I want you to raise your hand, and say, "Brother Branham, by this I raise my hand to God. I realize I need Him. My faith isn't sufficient. I don't, maybe don't live right," or something like that. Raise your hand to Him. Will you do it? How many will do that? Just raise up your hand.
Brother Duffield, I want to show you something. Keep your heads bowed just a minute, please. (Do you notice the people that's closer here is the one who gets it? Did you notice that? See, farther back, up there, goes completely out. See, it's phased out. That strange? But it's working of the Spirit. See? It closer, brings just like when I come to the platform.) Just something I wanted to show the pastor here, that I've been talking about, just so he could see it confirmed.
76 Now, how many's sick and needy, really needy, and you want God to heal your body? Raise up your hand, just sick and needy. God bless you. Up in the balconies, everywhere.
77 Now, would you believe me while... If I found grace in your sight by the preaching of the Gospel, and if the Holy Spirit has come back and spoke through me, showing that I've told the truth, that's God speaking that I've told the truth.
Remember, each one of you that's sick, Jesus healed you nineteen hundred years ago when He died at Calvary; He was wounded for your transgressions, with His stripes you were healed right then. See?
Now, if you're children of Abraham, believe that promise. It's yours. Might not happen just at this minute, might not happen in the morning. It's got to happen. It never happened for Abraham for twenty-five years, but it did happen. But if Abraham would have ever give down, it wouldn't have happened. But you've got to hold on, see, to God. Just take a hold of it tonight by faith and believe it, and every one of you will be made well. Do you believe God would hear my prayer? Say, "Amen," if you do. All right.
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.
78 Now, as my loving people, the jewels that will be in the crown, if I have any, the people that love me, and I love you... And these nights where I've been speaking real deep and cutting, I don't mean to hurt anyone; but I'm trying to shake you hard enough just so you can see what I'm talking about. See?
I want you to realize that you're in the presence of the Holy Spirit, not a man. I have nothing to do with it, just... If He didn't use my lips, He'd use his; didn't use my eyes, He'd use somebody else's. See? Somebody's got to represent it, because He promised it. Do you understand? Say, "Amen." Then it's His goodness.
79 Now, you do as I tell you, and don't you doubt one bit. All that believe in all your heart, that through Jesus Christ, your life being dead and hid in Him, that you are seeds of Abraham, all you sick people, say, "Amen." Then if you're Abraham's seed, you have Abraham's faith. Is that right? Say, "Amen." Now, you listen then to me as God's servant. Now, the Bible said, "These signs shall follow them that believe. If they..."
How many believers, first? Raise your hands, believers. Now look, them's believers. Now, what did the Bible say about that? Now, if God keeps this promise, how much more mysterious is this promise than that one? How much more farther up into the kingdom is this promise, to make known the secret of the heart?
Mark 16:17 And these signs shall follow them that believe; In my name shall they cast out devils; they shall speak with new tongues;
80 Now, did you hear those people speaking in tongues awhile ago? Now, Paul said that was to be done. Keep quiet, and see what it says. Let it be by the courses of three. That's just what there was, three. All right. Now, he said then, "If one speaks and no one interprets," said, so forth; and he allowed tongues. But he said, "But if there be one prophet that prophesies and makes known the secret of the heart, then they'll all fall down and say God is in your midst." Is that true? Is that the Scripture?
Well, see, that's the Spirit that was in the early church, is here in the Angeles Temple right now. That same Spirit that hovered over Paul and them when they were teaching, is right here now doing the very same thing, keeping the very same promises of Christ. And that same Spirit made this promise: "These signs shall follow them that believe. If they lay their hands on the sick, they shall recover." Is that what He said?
Mark 16:17 And these signs shall follow them that believe; In my name shall they cast out devils; they shall speak with new tongues;
Mark 16:18 They shall take up serpents; and if they drink any deadly thing, it shall not hurt them; they shall lay hands on the sick, and they shall recover.
1 Corinthians 14:24 But if all prophesy, and there come in one that believeth not, or one unlearned, he is convinced of all, he is judged of all:
1 Corinthians 14:25 And thus are the secrets of his heart made manifest; and so falling down on his face he will worship God, and report that God is in you of a truth.
1 Corinthians 14:29 Let the prophets speak two or three, and let the other judge.
81 Now, all you people that's believers, lay your hands over on one another. See? Just lay your hands on somebody near you. Now, so that there'll be no selfishness, don't pray for yourself. You pray for one another. You know who that is sitting there by you that's got their hands on you? That's one of Abraham's seeds, God's chosen children. Abraham's son, or Abraham's daughter, has their hands on you. Now, you thank God, in your heart, for the promise of His healing. See? They've got their hands on you; "These signs shall follow them that believe." They've got their hands on you; they're Abraham's seed. You're healed, that's all. So you thank God that Abraham's children prayed for you.
If you'd let yourself just go into that Spirit now. Don't be afraid, it won't hurt you. It'll save you. It'll heal you. Just let yourself get right into that Spirit one time in your life. Just let it give right in, just like you was receiving the Holy Ghost. Watch what takes place. The lame will walk, the blind will see.
Mark 16:17 And these signs shall follow them that believe; In my name shall they cast out devils; they shall speak with new tongues;
Mark 16:18 They shall take up serpents; and if they drink any deadly thing, it shall not hurt them; they shall lay hands on the sick, and they shall recover.
82 Lord God in Whom we trust and believe, we believe that the Holy Spirit now is coming into every heart that's in Divine Presence. As Your servant, I condemn every sickness that the devil has put on these children of God. Satan, you're defeated. We defeat you through the name of Jesus Christ. Come out. I adjure thee by the living God to move from this audience, away from these people, and let every one of them be healed just now as they're praying.
Lord, they have their hands on one another. They're Abraham's children, and they're praying one for the other. O Lord, let the Holy Ghost so baptize this audience just now with the power of His presence, till they'll completely forget about their sicknesses and diseases and will be made well. Grant it, Lord. They're Yours. They're the trophies of Your grace and Your promise. They believe You. In the name of Jesus Christ, may it be so.
What did He say?
Only believe, only believe,
All things are possible, only believe;
What do you think now? All right? Amen. Take your cot and go home then.
Only...
What do you think, over here? Believe it? You?
All things are possible, only believe.
83 One March morning, the wind was a-blowing, a man rushed up to Jesus. He said, "I took my children, my child, to Your disciples."
Ten days before that, Jesus gave them power to heal all kinds of sickness, all kinds of diseases. And they was down there crying, and shouting, and everything. But they couldn't cast this epileptic spirit out. The boy still had it. Yet they'd been given power.
Matthew 17:16 And I brought him to thy disciples, and they could not cure him.
Mark 9:18 And wheresoever he taketh him, he teareth him: and he foameth, and gnasheth with his teeth, and pineth away: and I spake to thy disciples that they should cast him out; and they could not.
Luke 9:40 And I besought thy disciples to cast him out; and they could not.
84 Now, you Presbyterians, you got the power; you Baptists, you got the power; but it's laying dormant, because you're afraid to use it. See? That's the way... They had power, but they couldn't do it. And every one of you has got power. These crippled people's got power right now to rise from up there and walk. This dying man with cancer's got power to raise up and walk. The rest of you all out there that's sick, you got power. You got power; it's given to you. "You shall receive power," that's what the Bible said.
85 And this man said, "I brought him to the disciples, and they couldn't cure him." Said, "Lord, if You can help me..."
Jesus said, "I can, if you believe; for all things are possible to them that believe." What more could God do to make us believe? We believe.
Now, in the name of Jesus Christ, the Son of God, I do declare this by the Word of God, that every person that desires to be healed, right now, if you'll accept it after hands has been laid on you by these men, women, sons and daughters of Abraham, you can rise up and be made well, for you're healed according to God's promise and Word. You are well. Your diseases are done. Now, do you believe it? Stand up on your feet and accept it in the name of Jesus Christ. Amen. Amen. That's right. All right. God bless you.
Matthew 17:15 Lord, have mercy on my son: for he is a lunatic, and sore vexed: for ofttimes he falleth into the fire, and oft into the water.
Matthew 17:16 And I brought him to thy disciples, and they could not cure him.
Mark 9:18 And wheresoever he taketh him, he teareth him: and he foameth, and gnasheth with his teeth, and pineth away: and I spake to thy disciples that they should cast him out; and they could not.
Mark 9:22 And ofttimes it hath cast him into the fire, and into the waters, to destroy him: but if thou canst do any thing, have compassion on us, and help us.
Mark 9:23 Jesus said unto him, If thou canst believe, all things are possible to him that believeth.
Luke 9:38 And, behold, a man of the company cried out, saying, Master, I beseech thee, look upon my son: for he is mine only child.
Luke 9:40 And I besought thy disciples to cast him out; and they could not.