The Rejected King

You can find this sermon at ChurchAges.net

1 ...looking for the glory of the Lord to be brought upon us today through the ministering of the Word. This last week I've kind of been just a little under the weather. Not exactly say under the weather, it was a test I had to take, a physical test. And that's what you heard that I was in the hospital. It was because that I went there so I wouldn't have to come back and forth across the river. You take an upper gastronomic, and a lower gastronomic and every few minutes they have to come back and x-ray again.
But we're supposed to take them, if we do overseas missions, every six months. Brother Roberts and them, I think, gets theirs every six months, but I hadn't had one for four years.

2 The trouble---I just don't like that castor oil. That's the only thing. And they say there's nothing else they can give instead, so I... Oh, I got so sick when they give me that stuff. You know, I've told you in my life story how that stuff makes me so sick, and I just hate to take the stuff. And I said to my gracious doctor friend, "Isn't there something else?"
And he said, "I don't think so, Brother Branham."

3 Oh, when that lady come in there with looked like ... maybe I'm exaggerating, but looked like a quart. I never seen so much. And I'd just hold my nose and gag, but I finally got it down.
But now, in all of the trial and all of it went through, I want to thank the Lord for a perfect examination. I passed 100%; can go anywhere in the world that I want to go. I asked the doctors---which was three of the best specialists, I guess, in Louisville---and I asked them, I said, "Am I at least 10% disability?"
He said, "You're not one speck disability." He said, "You are in perfect health every way." And I am so grateful to God. Who else could it come from but our heavenly Father, of being that way. And he said, "All your flow shows in there you'd be young." He said, "Your blood cells haven't even started breaking or anything." He said, "You are in very good shape, Brother Branham."
And I said, "Well, I am so glad."

4 And I had the privilege of talking, witnessing, to every nurse in that hospital and every doctor, to the kingdom of God. One certain doctor, I think he's supposed to be here this morning. And I'm glad to know that there's still good men in this world, real men, men who would take me for five days through a physical examination, which would probably run two or three hundred dollars for each one; when I got through, they said, "It's our contribution to the work of the Lord that you're doing." Not even... Said, "Why, you embarrass us to even ask us if you owe us." Said, "Just your prayers for us."
"And inside," they said, "we find an emotional something that we can't understand." They said, "It doesn't seem to be..." He said, "Outwardly, you're not nervous or disturbed, but" said, "inwardly, there's an emotion that we can't understand."
I said, "If you'll just sit down here just a moment, I'll tell you." And I went to talking about visions. It was another field to them. They knew nothing of it. I told them about the Bible. Then I told them of the vision that the Lord just gave me the other day, and they wept like babies---just sat there and wept.
I said, "I hope that you don't consider me some religious crank or some..."

5 Said, "By no means, Brother Branham. I believe that with all my heart." He said, "But just one thing I want to say, you don't go to school to learn those things"; said, "I believe that they come from the Almighty God." And that was three of the outstanding physicians in Louisville, the best that they had. And so, I was so happy for that and to know that maybe the Lord let me plant some seed along there.

6 Each nurse, talked to them... One morning, coming out of the x-ray room, I said to the ... I looked at a poor old woman; she was so sickly. And I kept moving down, moving down, till I got to her. I thought she might be dying, and I said, "I want to ask you a question, sister."
She said, "Yes, sir?"
I said, "Are you a Christian?"
And she said, "I belong to a certain church."
And I said, "I just want to make that a little clearer." I said, "I want to know if you're a Christian, really a Christian. That if you should pass over this sea of life into the other land, do you love Him?" I said, "Would you really be saved?"
And she said, "Yes, sir, I would."
And I said, "God bless your heart then. No matter which way the wind blows, you're all right then, as long as it goes like that." And if we just get around, there's lots of fine people yet left in the world.

7 Now, today I have come with a vision that I will tell you a little later, and I'd like to speak first on some of the Word, because I believe the Word is very essential---the most essential now.

8 And I'm glad to see Charlie Cox and Brother ... my friends standing there together---Brother ... I can't think ... Jefferies (I can't think of his name), many of you other precious brethren from Georgia, from different parts of the country. My old buddy Bill sitting here (I believe it is) this morning, and many ... and brother from Georgia there, the people that give me this suit. You know, that's one of the best suits I ever wore. It feels just so good. It's really very fine and... You mean so much to me. When I tell you what has happened this last few days to me, you'll see why I think it means so much to me.

9 Now, I believe if the Lord is willing, I want to press the battle harder than ever before in my life, because I find out now as ... of course, I could die today. That's ... you don't know. Electrical cardiograms and everything, sixteen different types of x-rays---a complete physical showed that I was as normally as any person could be, a human being on earth. So I'm thankful for that. But all things, even all of that, and as thankful and grateful to God that I am that I believe He still keeps me in His service, it wasn't what He showed me just a little bit before that, see. It just made me so happy.

10 Now, I think tonight... It's all right, isn't it? Our precious brother is one unselfish man, is Brother Neville. And if any of you was here last Sunday and heard that marvelous message that he brought on "The Cruse of Oil," it was one of the most outstanding messages I ever heard, was what Brother Neville brought by the Holy Spirit last Sunday to this little herd of sheep that God has gathered together. And if it'd be all right, pleasing to the Lord, and with Brother Neville and the church, I want to speak again tonight, and start a series of, say, Monday night, I mean Sunday night, and Wednesday night and next Sunday---a series that what I studied...

11 I wouldn't have had to stay over there to the hospital but they were so good to me. They gave me the room for about one-third the price, and so I just took my Bibles, my books, and wound up the bed, and sat all "a-hunkered" up there and got all my Bibles and things laying around, and I really had a time---until they brought that castor oil in. My good time ceased right there; I was finished then. But, Brother Pat, I was really sick. That stuff I just can't stand. But I was having a good time up for the first three or four days.
I was having a good time, and I was studying on the book of Ephesians. Oh, that setting together of the church, and I think it's a beautiful thing.

12 Now, if you have a church that you go to, you go right ahead and stand at your post of duty, but if you do not have a church, and you'd like to come back tonight, and Wednesday night, and Sunday night, I'd like to take tonight the first book of Ephesus, and Wednesday night the second chapter of Ephesus, and next Sunday the third chapter of Ephesus, to set the church in order. You know what I mean---its placing, positionally, and I think it's an upbuild to the church.
Now, I'm not... I'm just speaking this to the comers of the Branham Tabernacle. And if any of you dear brethren... I know some of you, I think, has got meetings. Our little brothers up at Sellersburg and different ones have meetings. Now look, them's revival meetings. You attend those. They are servants of Christ---young men who are standing in the breach, that's come out. When even their own church denied the truth and things like that, they walked right away from it, and God called them to the ministry.

13 Yes, sir, I admire men... I can't even think of the man's name. But he's a young fellow, fine, handsome-looking fellow and a lovely wife and children.
And Brother Junie Jackson's been having some meetings down here, which is another wonderful, remarkable trophy of God's amazing grace.
And when they're having revivals in your churches, you go right on to them because that's the thing to do, because you don't know---might be a sinner come to the altar, and you might be influenced to lead that person to Christ which will be your great reward across the other side. This is just teaching and setting the church in order here at the Tabernacle, helping along as we go.

14 Now, I didn't bring my watch, so somebody will have to watch for me. Doc's done showed me he has one, so ... [Brother Branham speaks aside to his brother.]

15 Now, I won't speak very long. Now, if there's strangers in our gates, we sure want to welcome you with all of our hearts. You are so welcome here at this little tabernacle. We haven't got much of a building. It's in a program now to build us, not a big place, but just a... This one's just pretty dilapidated, and we're going to try to build us a nice little comfortable church here soon as the Lord will permit us to do it. And a lot of you all are making efforts toward this, and we sure do appreciate that.

16 Now, I want you to turn with me this morning, in reading, to I Samuel the eighth chapter, and begin about the ... let's begin about the nineteenth verse, the nineteenth and twentieth verses, maybe, for a little text for a context. And now as you get it, and before... We'll read it, and then we want to go to prayer; and would there be any requests this morning, and say, "Just remember me?"

17 In our last ... two weeks ago, or three, when I had the meeting... Say, by the way, while you're turning, the meetings start in the Chautauqua the sixth now. We're expecting a great time ---Middletown, Ohio. You that's got your vacations coming up, come on. A big camp right on the river, where there'll be all the preaching you ever heard. They're all up and down the river---preachers every morning, all through the day and night. So they all congregate together. It's a big campgrounds, far bigger than Silver Hills---many times---and then a big place there where we can put between eight and ten thousand people, and it's always packed out. We have great times in Ohio.

18 And old Brother Kidd, that I went to pray for the other morning---you all remember me telling you three weeks ago, the doctor gave him twenty-four hours to live---he's up and walking around. He quoted a Scripture, a song he couldn't sing. And when I went in and looked at him the other morning and that little shawl over him... I left here about three or four hours before day so I could get to him, said he'd die that day---cancer in the prostate.

19 And his precious little old wife washed for fifty cents a day. And that's before daybreak until after night for fifty cents to keep her husband on the field as a preacher. Preached a two-weeks' revival, took up an offering, and got eighty cents. But I seen them sitting there the other morning---them two little old couples (or little couple, rather) sitting there, and his little shawl over his shoulder, and one of his converts---ninety-two years old, just as brilliant and bright, and Pentecost to the core, and sitting there, you know.
And I said, "You, what are you old people sitting out here for?"
"Just waiting for the boat to come."
Their work, all they have achieved, a purpose they have achieved, and they're ready now to go to their reward. And I said to Brother Kidd that morning, "You will be at the Chautauqua meeting."
He called me yesterday, said, "I'll be there, Brother Branham." It was just fine.

20 Many of the ... meeting from my new ministry coming in. A brother---Baptist brother standing here---his daughter, a teen-age, had been kind of a little wayward, and I told him, "I give you your daughter for the Lord Jesus," the other morning, and when he went home she was saved, and the other one here this morning to be baptized, and going on.
And a man, Mr. Sothmann, a friend of mine from Canada---his mother-in-law, in a dying condition. Said, "You'll find your mother-in-law, when you get there, well, on her road to recovery, all right." That's just the way it was. People just coming in. It's just in its infancy now, moving. But, oh, we're expecting the exceedingly abundantly above all. We're in the evil and last days, but in a glorious hour.

21 Now, have you got your Bible for the reading? ... eighth chapter of Samuel. And I promised Gene to stay back there at the record, the rest of this ... we were just beginning in our meeting.
Nevertheless the people refused to obey the voice of Samuel; and they said, Nay; but we will have a king over us;
That we ... may be like all the nations; and that our king may judge us, and go out before us, and fight our battles.
...Samuel heard all these words of the people, and ... rehearsed them in the ears of the Lord.
And the Lord said to Samuel, Hearken unto their voice, and make them a king. And Samuel said unto the men of Israel, Go ye every man unto his city.
Now, if I should try to choose from this this morning what I would call a text for the next few minutes, I would like to choose the text of: "The Rejected King."

22 It was a time that, as in all times, the people have never wanted God to lead them. They want their own way of leadership. And this story this morning (and when you go to your home, it would be good for you to read it all the way through), it was during the time of the days of Samuel, the man of God, the prophet. And he'd been a just man and a good man---honorable, reputable, true and honest with the people, never deceiving them, and telling them nothing but straight "Thus saith the Lord."

23 But the people had come to a place where they wanted to change this program. They had looked upon the Philistines and the Amalekites, Amorites, Hittites, and the other nations of the world, and they had seen that they had kings that ruled them and governed them, and guided them, and fought their battles, and so forth. And this seemed to be that Israel wanted to pattern themselves like these kings and like these people.
But it has never been, in any age, God's intention for His people to act like the people of the world, or to be governed or controlled like the people of the world. God's people always has been a peculiar people, a different people, a called-out, a separated, an altogether different in their action, in their ways, in their manner of living, than what the peoples of the world has. Their appetites for things and all that their make-up is, has been always contrary to the things that the people of the world desire.

24 And the people of Israel came to Samuel and said, "Now, you're getting old, and your sons do not walk in your way," because they wasn't true like Samuel. They were bribers and takers of money. And they said, "Samuel, your boys is not like you, so we want you to go out and to find us a king, and anoint him, and make us a people like the rest of the peoples of the world."
And Samuel tried to tell them that that would not work. He said, "If you do that, the first thing you know, you'll find that he'll call all your sons from your home, and make soldiers out of them to run before his chariots and bear armors and spears. Not only that, but he'll call your daughters to make bakers of bread, and take them away from you to feed the army." And said, "Besides all that, he'll take certain taxes off of you, of your grain, and all your income. He'll tax all of that to make certain government debts and so forth that'll have to be paid." He said, "I think you are altogether making a mistake."
But when ... the people said, "But we still want to be like the rest of the people."

25 There's something about men and women that they long to be like one another. And there has only been one man ever lived on earth that was our example: that was the one that died for us all, our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. He was the perfect example of what we should be---always about the Father's business and doing that which is right.

26 And no matter how much that Samuel tried to persuade the people, continually they went after him day and night. "We want a king. We want a man. We want a man that we can say, 'This is our guide.'" And that has never been the will of God. It never was the will of God, or it never will be the will of God for men to rule over one another. God rules over man. God is our ruler, our King. And it's very much of a parallel of today because that man seems to have that same idea. They don't seem to be able to grasp that God still rules man, instead of man ruling man.
So, they chose themselves a man named Saul, which was the son of Kish. And he was a reputable man, an honorable man. But he suited the people just right because he was a great, tall, noble stature of a man. The Scriptures said he was head and shoulders above any man in Israel. He was kingly looking, and he was handsome in the face. He was a brilliant and an extraordinary man.

27 Now, that's the kind of man that the people like to choose today. The people does not seem to be satisfied with the way that God placed His church to be governed and controlled by the Holy Spirit. They want somebody, some man, some denomination, some certain people to govern the church, that they're not able to throw themselves completely into God's hand to be spiritual, to be led by the Holy Spirit. They want somebody to do their religion for them, somebody that will tell them just how to do it and all about it. So this man seemed to suit the place exactly, because he was a very intellectual man.
And it's a whole lot like today. We like to choose such people, too, to control our churches, to control the church of God. Nothing that I have to say against it, but just merely to make a point, that it is not, it was not, and it will never be the will of God for such to be. God is to rule His people, to govern each individual.

28 Then we find that this son of Kish---great man, and his stature, and his... He seemed to suit the people, that his robe upon him would look great and the crown on his head---way and above all the other people as he walked---would be a real asset to the kingdom of Israel, for the other kings of the other nations would think, "Look what a man!" How they could point their finger and say, "Look here, what a great king we've got! Look what a great man that's over us!"
And sad to say, but how true it is today with the church. They love to say, "Our pastor is not a narrow-minded man; he is a great man. He is a graduate from Harvard or some great school of theology. He has four degrees out of so-and-such a place, and he's a very good mixer amongst the people." All that may be all right and have its place, but God's way for His church is to be led by the Holy Ghost and by His Spirit. But they like to say that, "We have this great denomination that we belong to. We have started back in the early pioneer days when we were in the minority, just a very few people and small. And now we have grown until the place that we are among the largest denominations there is. We have the best schools and the best educated ministers. We have the best-dressed crowds, and the most intellectual people of the city attends our denomination. And we give to charity, and we do good deeds and all such." And nothing at all ... God forbid that I should speak one word against that, for that is all good; but still it isn't the will of God that man should rule over man.

29 God sent, on the day of Pentecost, the Holy Ghost to rule in men's hearts and rule in his life. It was not meant for man to rule over man.
But we love to say that. It's a very outstanding thing when we can say we belong to such a great organization. Are you a Christian? That's how I fell upon this text. When I was at the hospital, and I would ask one, "Are you a Christian?" "I belong to such-and-such."
"Are you a Christian?"
"I belong to such-and-such."
And the little nurse came in to the bedside where I was reading the Bible, and she was a new nurse on the floor, and she said, "How do you do?" She said, "I believe that you're Reverend Branham here for a physical checkup."
I said, "I am."
And she said, "May I rub your back to make you feel a little better, with the alcohol?"
And I said, "You may do it."
And while she was rubbing on my back, she said, "What denomination of church do you belong to?"
And I said, "Oh, I belong to the oldest denomination that there is."
And she said, "What denomination is that?"
I said, "It's the one that was organized before the world was ever organized."
"Oh," she said, "what...? I don't believe I know just that..." She said, "I belong to a certain church. Is it that organization?"
I said, "No, ma'am. That was only about two hundred years ago---that organization. But this organization started when the morning stars sang together, and the sons of God shouted for joy, when they seen the coming of a Saviour to redeem mankind."

30 And she just stopped rubbing my back, and I was stooped a little over this way so the lady could rub (and she was from near Corydon down here), and we got to talking, and she said, "Sir, I've always believed that if God ever was God, He's still God today just like He was in the old days." She said, "Though my church flatly denies that, but I believe that it is the truth."
And I said, "You're not far from the kingdom of God, young woman."
She said, "If He ever was a healer, isn't He still a healer?"
I said, "He most certainly is, my sister."

31 But man wants to rule, and rule over man; and man wants man to rule over him. He doesn't want to have God to rule.
So this son of Kish (Saul, by name) was just an answer to what they had wanted. The great stately man and the ... oh, he could just lead them to their battles, and so forth. Still, it wasn't God's way of doing things. God wanted His faithful old prophet to direct them and speak His words to them.

32 Now, today, in our great church age that we live in, I think and believe this with all my heart, that we have exactly gone vice versa from what God ordained us to do. The last words of our Saviour was in Mark 16, said: "Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature. He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; he that believeth not shall be damned. And these signs shall follow them that believe; In my name they shall cast out devils; they shall speak with a new tongue; And if they should take up serpents or drink deadly things, it would not harm them; And if they lay their hands on the sick, they shall recover."

33 There is not a man, there's no son of Kish, or no one else can produce that outside of the leadership of the Holy Spirit. But we have made schools, we have made seminaries, and made organizations to satisfy and to look like the rest of the world.
Now, the Holy Spirit used to be the leader in this nation. This nation used to be governed, when back in ... when they wrote up the Declaration of Independence, and there was an extra chair sitting there. There is not one speck of doubt in my mind but what the Son of God sat at that table when this nation was founded upon the principles of freedom of religion, and freedom to all, and upon the basis of God's eternal Word. But we have corrupted that---politics. We have voted men in there under buying and selling and promises of falsehood, until our nation and our politics and our democracy is so polluted until it's interwoven with communism and all kinds of "isms."

34 And many times we call into the sessions for prayer, when Leagues of Nations meet in there, or to have discussions. And in one certain great time recently, there was not even one time called for prayer! How are we ever going to settle differences without prayer? How can we ever expect in all the world to ever do anything without the leadership of the Holy Spirit?
But let me say this with love and respect to our nation, and to its flag, and to the republic for which it stands: we have rejected our leader, the Holy Spirit, and through corrupt politics have brought in men of perverse mind. And if you don't watch, they're going to make one of the most fatal mistakes they've ever made right now. It is because that the people are desiring man to rule.

35 What we need in the capitol of this United States as a president, what we need in Congress, what we need in our halls of justice, is men who have consecrated their lives to God, and are filled with the Holy Ghost, and are led by His divine direction. But instead of that, we choose men of intellectual, men who have forms of godliness and deny the power of God, men who are atheists and sometimes even worse than that---we've brought into our political realms of our nation.
Not only that but in our churches. Our churches have become corrupt upon the basis that we, in choosing our shepherds to lead us, we have gone to the seminaries and have selected men that's great intellectual giants, men who are very brilliant in mind, men who have scholarship, and are great mixers amongst the people, and are great men in the neighborhood---which I have nothing to say against. Men who are kind in their ways of walk, careful in their ways of life, and how they conduct themselves among other men and among people, great men in their fields, which I do not speak evil of---God forbid that my spirit would ever be that evil. But still, that isn't what God chose for us! It's the leadership of the Holy Spirit, Christ in the heart of man.

36 Many of those intellectual men that stands in our pulpit deny the real existence of the Holy Ghost. Many of them deny the existence of divine healing and the power of the Spirit.

37 I was reading an article (yesterday I believe it was), a series of newspaper clippings from Jack Coe, the late Jack Coe, one of my converts to the Lord Jesus, who was a mighty man of valor in his day, and was called to question down in Florida, because of asking a young child to remove its braces from its legs and to walk across the platform. And upon doing so, the child walked across the platform normally, and fell when it got to its mother---all being a setup of the enemy of Christ.
This young woman and her husband brought our gallant brother into the courts of the land. And when every church ought to have stood by Brother Jack, when every churchman that mentions the name of Jesus Christ should've stood by his side gallantly, every man that calls on the name of the Lord Jesus should have fell to their knees in prayer; but instead of that, across the headlines of the papers, one of our great denominations said they joined hands with the atheists to condemn and prison Brother Jack Coe. Could you imagine a church calling themselves the name of Christ, would join hands with an atheist to condemn a godly man, who was trying with all of his heart to stand for the Bible? But they did it.

38 And then Brother Gordon Lindsay was at the rescue, and when the unbelieving judge said, "This man is a fraud, because he taken the braces from that child and sent him across the platform, and said he was healed; and he lied and he did something contrary to the doctor's orders. Therefore, he has a defraud case against him."
And Mr. Coe raised up, and he said, "Sir, I defy that statement. God healed the boy."
And the judge said, "I will ask any man in this court if that statement could be true that God could heal that boy on one end of the platform, and let him be sick on the other end. If that statement can be proved by the Bible, then I say Mr. Coe has a right for his statement."
And a minister raised his hand and said, "Your Honor, sir, may I state it?"
And the judge said, "State on."

39 And the minister stood to his feet and said, "One night on the rocking sea, when a little ship was about to go to the bottom, all hopes of being saved was gone. They saw Jesus, the Son of God, come walking on water. And one of the apostles, by the name of Peter, said, 'If that be you, Lord, bid me come to you on the water.' And He said ... The Lord said to the apostle, Peter, 'Come on.' And he stepped out of the boat, sir, walking just as good as Jesus was walking on the water. But when he got scared, he begin to sink before he got to Jesus."
The judge said, "The case is dismissed."

40 We need Holy Spirit leadership---not intellectual men.
Saul, the son of Kish, was then made captain over the people. And he taken two thousand men and Jonathan taken a thousand, and Jonathan went down to a garrison and smote a bunch of Amorites---Ammonites rather. And when he had smote them, Saul sounded a trumpet and said, "You see what Saul has done." He began to get puffed up.
Just as soon as a man gets to be some great doctor of divinity, or gets a little something behind his name, he becomes more or less a "know-it-all." God's men are humble men. God's people are humble people.
When you see someone who says they have received the Holy Spirit and begins to separate themselves, seemingly not having the faith, going about trying to be something that they're not, just remember, they haven't received the Lord Jesus.

41 Then we find that the enemy set in, and he was going to come into a little bunch of God's people and was going to pluck out the right eye of every man. That's what the enemy always tries to do, is pluck out both eyes if he can, so that the people cannot see what they're doing. That's what Satan tries to do today to every Christian: pluck out his spiritual sight, that he can only follow the intellectual sense of things and not the sense of the Holy Spirit leading him.
So then when they did that, when the great defeat came, then Saul cut up two great ox and sent them to all the people. And I wish you would notice here, when Saul sent the pieces of the ox to all Israel and said, "Let every man that will not follow Samuel and Saul, let him, this ox ... be as this." Do you see how deceitful he tried to represent himself with the man of God? How unchristian it was. The fear of the people was because of Samuel. But Saul got them all to follow him because that the people feared Samuel. "Let them come after Samuel and Saul."

42 And how many times today have we heard it: "We are the great church," "We are the Church of Christ," "We are the church of God," "We are the So-and-So." It makes the people get a fear, and think that that really is where God's working. And they don't want the leadership of the Holy Spirit; they'd rather follow men like that, because they like to live their own individual life. They like to believe what they want to believe.
Do you see the Holy Spirit is our judge? God never give us a pope, or a bishop, or anybody to be a judge. The Holy Spirit, the person of God in the form of the Holy Spirit, is our judge and our guide.

43 Now why is that?
Please pardon this rude and most rude expression. I do not mean it to be mean; I say it from love. But the Holy Spirit says it's wrong for our women to cut their hair, and it's wrong for our women to wear little shorts and slacks and to make up their lips and face with paint. The Holy Spirit says it's wrong, but we want men to tell us that it's all right.
As long as we follow "me and Samuel." They like to live through six days any way they want to, and go to church on Sunday morning; and a fine intellectual college graduate with plenty of degrees can speak to them a little sermon that will ... a few jokes that would tickle their ears and cause them to be entertained like some movie or television program; and say a little prayer over them, and send them home with kind of a self-satisfied security that they've done their religion.
That is not the will of the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit wants you to live godly every day in the week and every night, separating yourselves from the things of the world. But the church don't want that. They want some man who can interpret the Bible the way that they want to hear it. They won't listen to the voice of the Holy Spirit speaking through the Bible.

44 Many of them want to say, "The days of miracles is past." That's what tickles the people. They want to say, "There's no baptism of the Holy Spirit." The people don't want to act any different than what the rest of the world acts. They don't want to get on the street and to have their face washed, and men with clean countenance and not cigarettes in their mouth, and cigars, and pipes, and the things that men do; and women want their hair cut up real short and little dresses on, showing their forms and things that they want. They want men who'll tell them that's all right.

45 Then the other night here came a man to tell me that because that I'd preached against such, that a great denomination, about five of them, said, "We'll drop Brother Branham and have nothing else to do with him. You'll either call those tapes back and apologize for them, or we'll drop you."
I said, "I'll stand with God's Word though you take everything that's in my life. I'll remain with the Word and I..."
Said, "Well, should you not call back such-and-such a tape?"
I said, "I have never preached anything in my life that I was ashamed of. I'll call back no tapes, or no records. I'll remain with what the Holy Spirit says. That I'll live by and die by." I'm not trying to say about myself now, but I'm just trying to give you an illustration of what's going on so you will see and understand. It's people wants to be led by man.

46 They didn't want Samuel. Then before they anointed Samuel king ---or Saul king, pardon me---Samuel came to them again. And I'm going to speak just in language like he would have said it today. You may read it.
He said, "What is the matter with God being your King?"
"Well, we don't see God."
"Well, I am His representative." Samuel said, "Have I ever told you anything wrong? Have I ever prophesied anything that didn't come to pass just as I said it would do? Have not I told you the Word of the Lord? And I'll ask you this: Have I ever come to you and begged any of your money? Have I ever took anything from you? Have I ever brought you anything but straight "Thus saith the Lord"? And God has vindicated it every time that it was the truth, and He sent a thunderstorm and rain." You know the scripture right there, to prove that Samuel was God's mouthpiece.
And as Samuel perfectly represented today the Holy Spirit, the Holy Spirit is God's mouthpiece that speaks just exactly what the Bible says, that believes just what the Bible says and won't vary from it one bit. But they wanted somebody who could tell them different.

47 And the people could not say that Samuel's prophecy wasn't perfect. They answered and said, "Samuel, all that you have spoke in the name of the Lord, the Lord has brought it to pass just as you said. There is not one flaw. You never did come to us and beg us for our money. You have supported yourself. You've never asked us to do any great outstanding thing for you. You've trusted in your God, and He has delivered you from all things. And your words are true, everything you spoke in the name of the Lord has been just as you said; but still we want a king!"

48 Can you see the discrepancy? Can you see the cunningness of the devil can work on a human being? Instead of yielding himself, or herself, to the Holy Spirit and listen to what "Thus saith the Lord" is for a pure life, an undefiled character, for a different life, a peculiar people, a holy nation, an odd-acting people, they'd rather coincide with the world, and act like the world, and go to some church that says, "That's all right. Just act like that and go on."
Can you see what it is? They say, "There's no such a thing as healing. Oh, the baptism of the Holy Spirit was a framework to the church." In other words, then God taken men, took the Holy Spirit out of the church, and let the denomination build it up. Never, never. There's no such a thing. The Holy Spirit, the Word of truth, was to guide you until Jesus comes. But that's the way it went.

49 Saul came into power. He got a great following. Oh, he had beautiful armors, he had singers, he had shields, and he had spears. Oh, he outshined all the rest of the nations. And he brought them into a democracy that was beyond anything that anybody had ever heard of.
And that's exactly what our denominations and churches has done today. We have the biggest church buildings in the world. We have the prettiest dressed people in the world. We have the highest scholarships that can be brought. Like Saul's trained men who could take that spear, and they could move it and maneuver till nations feared them. They were a trained people, and all.
But one day, there came a time that there was a challenger come out. And it so excited the whole Israelite army till they stood trembling in their shoes. Goliath made them a challenge: "If your God is what you say He is, you are the best trained ..." and he challenged them. They didn't know what to do. Their fine, polished armors wouldn't work. Their spears wouldn't work. There was something they hadn't heard of before was taking place.

50 And with all reverence, and godly respects, and honor, and dignity, and love, and Christian fellowship, I say this: I read the other day in an African paper where that our son of Kish, our challenger of evangelism, when a Mohammedan challenged him (Billy Graham), said, "If your God is God, let him heal the sick like he said he'd do!" and the son of Kish, with the rest of the army, quietened themselves and left the country defeated. It's a disgrace. Our God is God!
We have our good churches, we have our fine evangelism, we have our paid singers, we have the best choirs, the highest spires in the country. We have the finest men, some of the most money. We have the intellectual, we have theology down to the point. We can preach it, we can tell it, we can evangelize and bring people in, and make millions each year of converts into the church. Our paid singers, our intellectual evangelism doesn't know how to meet a challenge like that. They know nothing of it. They know nothing of His healing power, of the baptism of the Holy Ghost, of a power that can take a shadow of a man dying with a cancer and set him free. They know nothing of it. They haven't been trained in that field, as Saul and his man-made group was.

51 But let me say to the people of God and to you children, that you might know that God never leaves you without a witness: Not knowing to Saul---Saul knew nothing about it---but God had a little David back over behind the hill somewhere that wasn't feeding sheep on ecclesiastical weeds. He was leading them beside still waters and in green pastures! He was mindful of his father's sheep, and if something run in, an enemy, to grab one of his father's sheep, he knew the power of God to deliver that sheep!
God's still got a David somewhere that knows what it means to deliver one of God's sheep by the power of God. He still knows all about it. He had trusted... He didn't know nothing about Saul's armor, neither did he want any of it. He didn't want any of their denominations; he didn't want the old armor upon him. He said, "I don't know nothing about it! But let me go in the power that I know of."

52 He had fed his father's sheep. He had took care of the pastures. He had given them the right kind of food, and they lived and thrived. "Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God man shall live." The true shepherd feeds them---"Jesus Christ, the same yesterday, today, and forever." And if the enemy grabs one in sickness, he knows the power of God.
Look at little David, stood there. Said, "That guy is a warrior from his birth. And from his youth he's known nothing but a spear and an armor. He's well trained. [He's a theologian.] And you know nothing about it!
He said, "That is true, sir. I don't know nothing about his theological training, but there's one thing I do know: that when an enemy came in to take one of my father's sheep, I went with the power of God. I delivered him! I brought him safely back to good health again. I brought him back to the shady green pastures and the still waters. And the God that delivered the lion into my hands, and I slew him when he took one of the lambs, and He let me slay the bear, so will the God of heaven go with me to slay this uncircumcised Philistine!" We need leadership of the Holy Spirit.

53 I don't know my days. No one does. The other morning I was laying in my bed. And I had been asleep, and I dreamed that Joseph was sick, and I had picked him up to pray for him. And when I woke up I was very upset. I said, 'Well, maybe Joseph is going to be sick." And I looked going before me in a little dark shadow, rather of a brownish color, and it seemed like it was me. And I watched it, and coming behind it was someone white, and it was Him. I looked over to my wife to see if she was awake that I could show her, she could see the vision but she was sleeping. I said, "Oh, I'm sorry, Lord, but that's been my life. You've had to drive me to everything that I've done. Every time anything would happen, I'd think it was You doing it, and I realize it was Satan trying to keep me away from it." I said, "If You could only lead me." And as I looked I saw the prettiest face I ever saw on a man. He was in front of me looking back. He raised His hand and got ahold of mine and started moving this a-way. The vision left me.

54 Last Sunday morning I'd wakened up early. That was on Saturday, this vision. I've always worried. I've always thought of dying. Me, being fifty, my time is not ... I didn't think was too long. I wondered what I would be in this theophany, celestial body. Would it be that I'd see my precious friends and see a little white fog going by and say, "There goes Brother Neville," and he couldn't say, "Hello, Brother Branham."? And when Jesus came, then I'd be man again. I often thought that.
I was dreaming that I was out west and coming down through a little sagebrush place, and my wife was with me, and we'd been trout fishing. I stopped and opened up the gate, and the skies were so pretty. They didn't look like they do over the valley here. They were blue and the pretty white clouds. And I said to wife, I said, "We ought to have been out here a long time ago, Honey."
She said, "For the children's sake, we should've been, Billy."
I said, "That's..."

55 I woke up. I thought, "I'm dreaming so much, I wonder why." And I looked down and she was laying by me. And I raised up on my pillow, as many of you people have done, put my head upon the headboard of the bed and put my hands behind me. And I was laying there like this, and I said, "Well, I just wonder what it will be, the other side. I am already fifty, and I haven't done nothing yet. If I could only do something to help the Lord. For I know I won't be mortal ... half of my time is gone, at least, or more than half. If I live to be as old as my people, still half of my time is gone." And I looked around, and I was laying there fixing to get up. It was about seven o'clock. I said, "I believe I'll go down to church this morning, if I am hoarse. I'd like to hear Brother Neville preach."
So I said, "Are you awake, Honey?" And she was sleeping very soundly.
And I don't want you to miss this. It has changed me. I can't be the same Brother Branham that I was.

56 And I looked, and I heard something kept saying, "You're just starting. Press the battle. Just keep pressing."
I shook my head a minute. I thought, "Well, I'm probably just thinking like this, you know, a person can get some imaginations," and I said, "I just probably imagined that."
It said, "Press the battle! Keep going! Keep going!"
I said, "Maybe I said it."
And I put my lips within my teeth, and put my hand over my mouth, and there it come again. Said, "Just keep pressing. If you only knew what was at the end of the road." And it seemed like I could hear Graham Snelling or somebody that sang that song like this; they sing it here---Anna Mae and all of you all:
I am homesick and blue and I want to see Jesus;
I would like to hear those sweet harbor bells chime;
It would brighten my path and would banish all fears;
Lord, let me look past the curtain of time.
You've heard it sang here at the church.
And I heard something say, "Would you like to see just beyond the curtain?"
I said, "It would help me so much." And I looked, in just a moment, one breath, I'd come into a little place that slanted. I looked back, and there I was laying on the bed. And I said, "This is a strange thing."

57 Now, I would not want you to repeat this. This is before my church, or my sheep that I am pastoring. Whether it was I was in this body or out, whether it was a translation... It wasn't like any vision I ever had. I could look there, and I could look here. And when I hit that little place, I never seen so many people come running, screaming, "Oh, our precious brother!" And I looked, and young women, maybe in their early twenties, eighteen to twenty, they were throwing their arms around me and screaming, "Our precious brother."
Here come young men in the brilliance of young manhood, and their eyes glistening and looking like stars on a darkened night, their teeth as white as pearl, and they were screaming and grabbing me and screaming, "Oh, our precious brother!" And I stopped and I looked, and I was young. I looked back at my old body laying there with my hands behind my head. I said, "I don't understand this."
And these young women throwing their arms around me.

58 Now, I do realize this is a mixed audience, and I say this with the sweetness and with the mellowness of the Spirit. Men cannot put your arm around women without a human sensation. But it wasn't there. There was no yesterday nor tomorrow. They didn't get tired. They were... I never seen such pretty women in all my life. They had hair way down to their waistline, long skirts to their feet, and they were just a-hugging me. It wasn't a hug like even my own sister sitting there would hug me. They were not kissing me, and I was not kissing them. It was something that I have not got the vocabulary; I haven't got the words to say. Perfection wouldn't touch it. Superb wouldn't even touch it nowhere. It was something that I never... You'd just have to be there.

59 And I looked this way and that way, and they were coming by the thousands. And I said, "I don't understand this." I said, "Why, they..." And here come Hope---that was my first wife. She run, and never said, "My husband." She said, "My precious brother." And when she hugged me, there was another woman standing there that'd hugged me, and then Hope hugged this woman, and each one... I thought, "This has to be something different, it can't be. There's something..." Oh, would I ever want to go back to that old carcass again? I looked around there and I thought, "What is this?" And I looked real good, and I said, "I can't understand this." But Hope seemed to be like, oh, a guest of honor. She was no different, but just like a guest of honor.

60 And I heard a voice then that spoke to me that was in the room, said, "This is what you preached was the Holy Ghost. This is perfect love. And nothing can enter here without it."
I am more determined than ever in my life that it takes perfect love to enter there. There was no jealousy. There was no tiredness. There was no death. Sickness could never enter there. Mortality could never make you old, and they could not cry. It was just one joy---"Oh, my precious brother."
And they took me up and sat me up on a great big high place. And I thought, "I am not dreaming. I'm looking back at my body laying there here on the bed." And they sat me up there, and I said, "Oh, I shouldn't sit up here."
And here come women and men from both sides, just in the bloom of youth, screaming. And one woman was standing there and she screamed, "Oh, my precious brother. Oh, we are so happy to see you here."
I said, "I don't understand this."
And then that voice that was speaking from above me, said, "You know it is written in the Bible that the prophets were gathered with their people."
And I said, "Yes, I remember that in the Scriptures."
Said, "Well, this is when you will gather with your people."
I said, "Then they'll be real, and I can feel them."
"Oh, yes."
I said, "But there's millions. There's not that many Branhams."
And that voice said, "They're not Branhams; them's your converts. That's the ones that you've led to the Lord." And said, "Some of them women there that you think are so beautiful were better than ninety years old when you led them to the Lord. No wonder they're screaming, 'Our precious brother.'"
And they screamed all at once, "If you hadn't have went, we wouldn't be here."

61 I looked around and I thought, "Well, I don't get it." I said, "Oh, where is Jesus? I want to see Him so bad."
They said, "Now, He's just a little higher, right up that way." Said, "Some day He will come to you," see. Said, "You were sent for a leader and God will come, and when He does, He'll judge you according to what you taught them, first, whether they go in or not. We'll go in according to your teaching."
I said, "Oh, I'm so glad! Did Paul ... does he have to stand like this? Does Peter have to stand like this?"
"Yes."
I said, "Then I've preached every word that they preached." I never divvied from it one side to the other. Where they baptized in the name of Jesus Christ, I did too. Where they taught the baptism of the Holy Ghost, I did too. Whatever they taught, I did too."
And them people screamed and said, "We know that, and we know we're going with you someday back to earth." Said, "Jesus will come, and you'll be judged according to the Word that you preached us. And then, if you are accepted at that time, which you will be," and said, "then you will present us to Him as your trophies of your ministry." Said, "You will guide us to Him and altogether we'll go back to the earth to live forever."
I said, "Do I have to return back now?"
"Yes, but keep pressing on."

62 I looked, and I could see the people just as far as I could see, still coming, wanting to hug me, screaming, "Our precious brother."
Just then a voice said, "All that you ever loved, and all that ever loved you, God has given you here." And I looked, and here come my old dog come walking up. Here come my horse and laid his head up over my shoulder and nickered. Said, "All that you ever loved and all that ever loved you, God has given them into your hand through your ministry."
And I felt myself move from that beautiful place. And I looked around. I said, "Are you awake, Honey?" She was still asleep, and I thought, "O God! Oh, help me, O God. Never let me compromise with one word. Let me stay right straight on that Word and preach it. I don't care what comes or goes, what anybody does, how many Sauls, sons of Kish, rise, how many this, that, or the other, let me, Lord, press to that place."

63 All fear of death ... I say this with my Bible before me this morning. I've got a little boy there, four years old, to be raised. I've got a nine year old girl and a teen-ager that I'm thankful for, that's turned the way of the Lord. God, let me live to bring them up in the admonition of God. Above that, the whole world seems to scream to me. Ninety-year-old women and men and all kinds, "If you hadn't have went, we wouldn't have been here." God let me press the battle. But if it comes to dying, I am no more... It would be a joy, it would be a pleasure to enter from this corruption and disgrace.
If I could make up yonder, one hundred billion miles high, a square block, and that's perfect love. Each step this way it narrows, until we get down to where we are now. It would be just merely a shadow of corruption. That little something that we can sense and feel that there's something somewhere, we don't know what it is. O my precious friends, my beloved, my darlings of the gospel, my begotten children unto God, listen to me, your pastor. I wish there was some way I could explain it to you. There's no words. I couldn't find it. It's not found anywhere. But just beyond this last breath is the most glorious thing that you ever... There is no way to explain it. There's no way; I just can't do it. But whatever you do, friends, lay aside everything else till you get perfect love. Get to a spot that you can love everybody, every enemy, everything else. That one visit there to me has made me a different man. I can never, never, never be the same Brother Branham that I was.

64 Whether the planes are rocking, whether the lightning's a-flashing, whether the spies has a gun on me, whatever it is, it doesn't matter. I'm going to press the battle by the grace of God while I preach the gospel to every creature and every person that I can, persuading them to that beautiful land yonder.
It may seem hard, it may take a lot of strength. I don't know how much longer. We don't know. Physically speaking, from my examination the other day, said, "You've got twenty-five years of hard, good life. You're solid." That helped me. But oh, that wasn't it. That isn't it. It's something within here. This corruption has got to put on incorruption; this mortal has got to put on immortality.

65 Sons of Kish may rise. All the good things they do, I have nothing evil to say against it---giving to the poor and to charity. And remember, why, Samuel told Saul, "You'll also prophesy." And many of those men are great mighty preachers, can preach the Word like archangels. But still it wasn't God's will. God was to be their King. Brother, sister, you let the Holy Spirit lead you. Let us bow our heads just a moment.
I'm so homesick and blue, and I want to see Jesus,
I would like to hear those sweet harbor bells chime.
It would brighten my path and would banish all fear;
Lord, let us look a-past the curtain of time.
Lord, let me look a-past the curtain of sorrows and fear;
Let me view that sunny bright clime.
It would strengthen our faith and would banish all fear;
Lord, let them look a-past the curtain of time.

66 I'm sure, Lord, if this little church this morning could just look a-past the curtain... Not an affliction among them, nor never could be. Not a sickness, nothing but perfection. And it's just one breath between here and there---from old age to youth, from time to eternity. From a worry of tomorrow and sorrow of yesterday till a present time of eternity in perfection.
I pray, God, that You will bless every person here. If there be those here, Lord, who does not know You in that way of love... And truly, Father, nothing could enter that holy place without that type of love---the new birth, to be born again. The Holy Spirit, God, is love. And we know that that is true. No matter if we move mountains by our faith, if we did great things, still without that there, we could never climb that great ladder yonder. But with that, it'll lift us beyond this earthly care.
I pray, Father, that You'll bless the people here, and may that every person that has heard me this morning tell this truth, that You be my witness, Lord. As Samuel of old, "Have I ever told them anything in Your name but what was true?" They are the judges. And I tell them now, Lord, that You've taken me to that land. Thou knowest that it's true. And now, Father, if there be some that doesn't know You, may this be the hour that they say, "Lord, place within me the will to be Thy will." Grant it, Father.

67 And now you with your heads bowed, would you raise your hands and say, "Pray for me, Brother Branham, God will within me."
Now, while you're right where you are, just real sweetly, why don't you just say to Father, "God, within my heart, today I renounce all things of the world. I renounce everything to love You and serve You all my life. And I will from this day henceforth follow You in every Scripture of Your Bible." If you have not been baptized in the Christian baptism, "I will, Lord." "If I have not yet received the Holy Ghost..." You'll know when you received it. It'll give to you ... it'll give to you the assurance and love that you need. Oh, you might have done different, had sensations, like you might have shouted or spoke with tongues, which is fine, but if that divine love isn't there... Believe me, now.
Say, "Lord, place within my heart and in my soul the reaching of Your Spirit, that I might love and honor and have that divine love in my heart today that would take me to that land when my final breath leaves me." While we pray, you pray yourself, now. In your own way, you pray. Ask God to do that for you. I love you. I love you, you precious gray-headed men sitting here, who has worked hard and fed little children; you poor old mamas who's stroked the tears from their eyes. Let me assure you this, sister dear, it isn't that way across the other breath yonder. I believe that it is absolutely in the room. It's just a dimension that we live into; this is just a corruption that we live in now. "Will in me, Lord, Thy will to be." You pray while we pray together.

68 Reverently, Lord, upon the basis of Thy Word and Thy Holy Spirit, we are so glad that we know where our birth comes from. We are glad that we were born, not of the will of man, nor of the will of flesh, but of the will of God. And we pray today, Father, that these who are now asking for pardoning grace, that Your Spirit will do that work, Lord. There's no way for me to do it. I'm just a man, another son of Kish. But we need You, the Holy Spirit. God, let me be as Samuel---one who tells the truth of the Word. And you have vindicated it so far, and I believe that You will continue as long as I stay true to You.
May they all now receive eternal life, Father. May this day never depart from them. And the hour when they come to leave this world, may this, what I have just said to them, open to a reality. And as we sit here mortal today, looking at our watch, thinking of our dinner, of work tomorrow, of the cares and toils of life, they'll not be then. They'll all fade away. There will be no cares---one great joy of eternity. Give them that type of life, Father, every one. And may ... I ask you this, Father, that every person that's here this morning that's heard me say this vision, may I meet every one of them on the other side. Though there may be men here that would disagree with me, and women too, but Father, never let that stand in our way. May we meet them over there, and they run, too, and we grab each other, screaming, "Our precious brother." Let it be like it was shown there, Lord, to every one. All that I loved and all that loved me. I pray that it'll be that way, Lord. And I love them all. Let them appear, Father. I offer them eternal life now. May they do their part to accept it. For I ask it in Jesus' name. Amen.

69 We have just a few moments to pray for the sick. I see we've got a little sick girl here and a lady in the chair. Now, to my most precious brethren, sisters, please do not misunderstand me. I don't know what happened. I don't know what happened. But, God, when I die let me go back there. Just let me go to that place, is where I want to be, wherever it was. I'm not trying to be a Paul that was caught up in the third heaven. I'm not saying that. I believe that He was just trying to encourage me, trying to give me a little something to push me on in my new ministry coming up.

70 Would it seem irreverent if I read something here just a minute? Would it be all right? One of the nation's leading magazines---Billy Graham: "Dr. Billy Graham invited to Islam," on the front page of the "Afrikaans Times," February 15, 1960. The writer for the article, who was a Moslem (Mohammedan) thinks that miracles should follow the preaching of the gospel of Christ---the same, yesterday, today, and forever. We quote:
"It is this Christ promised His followers when He said, 'He that believeth on me, the works that I do shall he do also; even greater than these shall he do.' Has the church ever done the works that ... the attributes of Christ in the Bible? Can it today? Can any of the church (distinguish) perform even half the miracles performed by Christ? Not to say greater works. Can you as an individual renowned, advocate of the Christian, raise the dead to physical life? Can you walk on the seas? Can you heal the sick and give sight to the blind? Is not this according to the above-mentioned era set forth of the Mohammedan? Or set ... or the test by Christ which follows as the statements of somewhere in your belief?"

71 Much to the Moslem article is plainly one misstatement after another. They discredit this Moslem, but he was right. Here's what they had to say:
"The best answer to which to read the Bible and to know the Koran. The Koran suffers that the ... suffered by the comparison. The claim of Mohammedism is out-standing and out-pacing Christianity, is pure b-o-m-b-a-s-t-i-c (bombastic, I suppose), imagination. The writer nevertheless has touched a vital point regarding miracles belonging to the church. But here again we doubt the writer's sincerity. For who could point out and could dispute the miracles done by Reverend William Branham before the Moslems in South Africa, when ten thousand received Christ as Saviour under the ministry of William Branham at Durban, South Africa and elsewhere throughout the world, or to T. L. Osborn in East Africa. Of course we stand 100% for Billy Graham. We've talked the point of question---this point of question is of no value."

72 In the midst of every bit of it, he told me ... said we were fanatics, we didn't know what we were doing. They had to witness in their own paper that God did do it anyhow. God's just as much God today as He ever was. You might not think that they don't believe it, they don't see it. It isn't hid; it isn't done in a corner. There's hundreds of thousands of people sitting there that watched that, when they saw that crippled, afflicted boy come there, the Holy Spirit tell him about his life and things and what took place there, and see 10,000 Moslems lay themselves on the ground flat, and accept Jesus Christ as personal Saviour.
We still got T. L. Osborns, and so forth, that still feed sheep food. I guess Brother Osborn hasn't been down amongst the Moslems yet. They claim they're so predominant. But we still have a God who can deliver the sheep from the lion, can deliver the sheep from the bear.

73 And it done me good to know that they'd have to write it and recognize it. They think they don't. They walk away and turn their back and say, "Oh, them days are past." Them Moslems say, "Ah, the whole Bible then is past. You're all wrong. You're worshipping a man. A man that died, and his name was Jesus, and he died long years ago, and there's no such a thing as him being resurrected."
But they couldn't say that at the Durban meeting. There He stood doing the same things that He did and proved to them. Now, even the denominations has to come back... The very person that wrote and told me that I'd have to with-trace my teaching on the Bible was the one had to write that in their paper. God will make them praise Him anyhow, regardless. That's right. He'll make them praise Him anyhow.

74 Got a little sick girl sitting here. That your child? What's her trouble, sister? Brain hemorrhage. Four years old. Is this the girl? There's only one thing, Mother, can save the girl, that's God. (Mother says, "She's a lot better than she was.") I'm so glad of that. Have you been down and prayed for her, Brother Neville? Since Brother Neville went down and prayed for her she's gotten better. Still have shepherds that know sheep food.

75 What's your trouble, sister dear, sitting in the chair there? Yours? Cancer. Well, if I just ask you something, maybe right here, how many in here have been healed of cancer, raise up your hand. Look here, sister.
God is the healer. We know that. If I told you that I could go down there and take that hemorrhage off of the girl and make her well, I'd tell you wrong, or I could take the cancer off the woman. But I know one thing: There was a bear, a cancer, a tumor, a blindness, and even death grabbed some of God's sheep one day. And I went forth with the power of God, and I slew him and brought that sheep back. That's right. We go forth today, not with any great something so-and-so; I go forth with a plain little slingshot of prayer. It'll bring her back. You believe that, don't you, sister? You believe, too, don't you, sister?

76 How many of you believe with your heart now? Now, you bow your heads while I go to pray. [Brother Branham leaves the platform and prays for the sick.] All right.
Dear Father, a beautiful young woman lays here that can never walk no more or get around, except You help her. The enemy has caught her; she's beyond the reach of any doctors. The enemy has jerked her so far out yonder in space till the doctor couldn't even do a thing. But she's not out of Your reach, Lord. She's right where You can put Your hand on her. On the basis of the Word of God I lay my hands upon the--the young woman and condemn this brain hemorrhage; in the Name Jesus Christ, call her back to a normal woman again. She'll live to the glory of God. May she be well, walk in and out of this church like others do after coming to know you. Give praise to God. So be it through Jesus Christ...

77 As the frosting of her hair, just a few more rounds and she would be in that land yonder where I saw... not old no more, but young, but her loved ones set here weeping, and they love her. A great enemy has grabbed her and jerked her out of the reach of the doctor, a fearful lion of cancer. God, I come after her. And I--and I come to bring her back. I slay the lion... in the Name of the unseen Christ to Who I'm an ambassador to. May it leave her, and may she be well and live many years yet to the honor and glory of God, through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
Our heavenly Father, as just not in great armor, not with a polished spear, like You said... come forward here. But with a common little slingshot of faith I come for this soul and this body, that the enemy of cancer has grabbed her beyond the reach of the doctors, but I come forward this morning, Lord, getting her back to shady green pastures and still waters. In the Name of the triumphing Jesus to which I am His ambassador with unfailing faith I believe she shall be brought back by the power of this prayer. And may so be it, in the Name of Jesus...
I believe there is a baptismal service just now?
Would you raise your head just a moment? The pastor has just told me these people are very, very sick. They'll be all right. It's okay. God's promise never fails. We go after them.

78 They've got a baptismal service. There's some people that must go. We're going to have service again tonight. Is there anyone here that could not come tonight would want us to offer prayer for you now? that cannot be here tonight. Would you come right here then? You that cannot come tonight. I'll have more time for my prayer line tonight. They've got to baptize these people.
Now, if you'll just give us just a minute or two longer, then we'll have the service for the baptismal. I know you'll want to see it. And those who are wishing baptism this morning, well, you ... the ladies go over here to change their garments, and the men go over on this side. And then, while I'm praying for these sick people, then you may be making ready for the baptismal service. And those now that...

79 Now, tonight I'll try to run a little prayer line tonight. Right away, as soon as I come in. And we're going to start in the first book of Ephesians tonight. And we'll be very happy now, to have you in if you have no church to go to. But if you have your own pastor and church, then you attend your precious church where you support. If you that have to go and are going to leave at this time, God bless you. Be with us again when you can. We'll be happy to have you. Now, the rest of you while you bow your head a minute, we want to pray.
Father, I thank Thee today for the little shepherd's sling, the prayer that brought the lion to his knees, and the little lamb was jerked away from him and took back to its mama and daddy. I pray for our brother. I ask that You will bring him safely in too, Lord. May the blood pressure and troubles of his body cease. I go after him, Lord, bring him back. In the name of Jesus Christ, so be it. God bless you, brother.

80 Going down I see a little blind boy. One more thing I'd like to say. I was very sick, I was vomiting, and I thought (I don't want you to miss this if you can) I thought, "God, what would I give if I could hear somebody stop outside."
My wife would say, "Billy, there's an old gentleman here to see you." And here come in a little bald-headed fellow, with gray whiskers hanging around his face.
He'd walk in and say, "You're Brother Branham?"
I'd say, "Yes, sir, I am."
"My name is Simon." Put his hand over on me and look at me a minute, say, "You're a believer, Brother Branham."
"Yes."
"It'll be all right." Simon Peter of the Bible. How I would appreciate that! He wouldn't have to say much---just put his hand on me, it'd be all right.
And then what come to me: By God's help and by God's grace, there's tens of thousands of people believe the same thing if I come to them. And I thought, "Lord, let me get to every one I can, then. Let me just..." I thought if Simon would just ... Paul, some of them just come in, say, "Are you Brother Branham?"
"Yes."
Put their hands over on me and look at me and say, "All right, Brother Branham," just walk out. I'd get well. I'd be all right. Sure. I said, "Boy, my courage would pick up right then." I'd say, "I'm going to be all right. Yes, sir. There's people believe that same thing today. And that's what I'm coming down here to do: lay hands on you, and ask God.

81 I want to go to this little boy, sis, in just a minute, this little blind boy. How long has he been blind, sister? Ever since birth. Hi, little boy. Oh, you're not... Now, just a minute.
O gracious God, beyond the reach of doctors, at the birth of this little boy, being born blind, and he can't see, this beautiful, lovely, little boy... And the enemy, before the little fellow had a chance in life, jerked him beyond the reach of the doctors. But I'm coming right after him this morning, Lord. This simple little slingshot of prayer... let me bring him back, God. And I meet the enemy, the devil, in the Name of Jesus Christ, and I claim this boy for God. I claim his sight for God, giving him back this what Satan robbed him from. May he have it in the Name of Jesus Christ, it will be. Now, so be it.
Now, sister, dear, now don't you have one speck of doubt, for this little boy is going to be all right. I want you bring him back here at the church and show the people that he can see... give him his sight in the Name of Jesus Christ...

82 Yes... Lord Jesus... this little one that we have offered so much prayer for, but this morning I come again in the Name of Jesus Christ, packing this little slingshot that You gave me; You've helped me with this, Lord, by Your power to take the... out of the mouth of... out of the mouth of death itself, raised up the dead after they'd been pronounced dead, and laying stiff and cold. I come after this enemy, in the Name of Jesus Christ. So bring her back to good health again. Grant it; so be it done for the glory of God.
And you're to prayed for... You are a believer? Lord, I bring her in the reach of this little sling. In the Name of Jesus Christ may it leave her and never come back. Amen...
Well, that same little slingshot that went and got for that heart, and for your daughter, and... Dear heavenly Father, I come after the enemy, using this little sling that You give me, for You said if you get the people to believe and be sincere when you pray... go now, as I send it to her request. In the Name of Jesus Christ may it be so. Amen.

83 All right, sister. Now, we're... Nerves is beyond the reach of doctors. They could give you something to kind of quieten you, but it'd make you worse after... Now look, we're going out after it this morning. We're going out, bringing it back. [Gap in the audio]
Lord Jesus. [Gap in the audio] I... [Gap in the audio] five [Gap in the audio] little stones, f-a-i-t-h, in the slingshot of prayer, and I'm bringing back my sister from the clutches of that nervousness... doctors... I'm bringing her back to peace and shady green pastures and still waters; and I do this in the Name of Jesus Christ. Amen...
All right. It isn't muscular dystrophy. Father God, this little girl, we're so glad that it wasn't muscular dystrophy; but regardless of what it is, it's still in Your reach, Lord, and I come with a little sling of faith in this sling... And I press this stone with all the strength that I can throw it, in the Name of Jesus Christ may it hit the mark. May our little sister be well. I do this in the Name of Jesus Christ...

84 As this young mother and her little offspring, a little one that she wants to meet over yonder on the other side, in that glorious land that I just spoke of. And they... The mother won't live to raise the little fellow. And neither can the little fellow live long without Your help, but I'm coming with this sling, with all of the strength in that aim that I can take at the enemy. In the Name of Jesus Christ, I sling this at him. They shall be well for the glory of God, in the Name of Jesus. Amen...
Oh, well that's so nice. I'm just glad, for that ministry then was a great ministry pointing them to... She is going to be worse? Our heavenly Father, Satan has jerked this little mother beyond the reach of the doctors yonder. They can only sling a drug out that way, Lord, that'll only tear around and around and hardly make her know where she's at, and then when she gets through, she's worse. But I'm coming with this slingshot of faith with a stone directed with direct aim, to zero in on the target. In the Name of Jesus Christ, I take this nervousness from her for the glory of God.

85 Dear God, Brother George laying yonder dying not long ago, see what a faith did for him. Now he's got rheumatism, Lord. He realizes they could give him some cortisone or something that would be kinda ease the pain but it won't take the thing away; so we aim this prayer in the Name of Jesus Christ, may the rheumatism go. May he go home and be well. Thank you very much...
How do you do. Oh, my. Yes, ma'am. Did you hear it all? Just beyond the reach of mortal kin. You a believer in the Lord Jesus? I see a beautiful woman over there... You'll be young again forever. I know you want to live now to His glory. Going fast to the--the other... Your son... Can't you find him? Oh, he can't be... grief strickened, I see.
Sister dear, I want you to get... here. Is she here to... All right, you tell her. Well, she's going to tell you what happens just beyond your breath here that precious boy is waiting for you. You'll be young like him... just...
Dear heavenly Father, life's race has been run. There's not much more left, and her precious boy's just across the river. He can only look back... just... She's waiting for the boat, Lord, that'll take her through the falls, to that glorious Land. You bless her, Father... her heart. May that be a great reunion, just across the river.