As the eagle stirreth up her nest
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1 All the things are possible, Lord, I believe.
Let's bow our heads just a moment for prayer.
Gracious Lord, we are approaching Thy throne of mercy in the name of Thy Son, the Lord Jesus. We want to thank You for all the blessings that You have bestowed upon us. How good Thou has been to us. And we pray, Father, that You will continue to be with us. Many are sick and needy, and we pray that Your power will heal them. So glad to pick up these letters returned from the people that's been here, that was once sick, afflicted, and even pronounced by the doctors, they're well now.
God, may there not be a feeble one in our midst at the close of the service. May the grace of God be with us. Those who are coming and seeking salvation, O God, may they find that rock in a weary land, the shelter in the time of storm. And may the great Holy Spirit, Lord, baptize every believer into the body of Christ by His presence and the baptism of His being.
2 Remember those who are convalescing, Lord, in such a way that they can't be moved, hospitalized, and otherwise. We pray, Father, that Your Spirit will heal them.
Now let the Holy Spirit search every heart that's in here tonight. May this be a searching time; may it be a time of sincerity and checking up.
We pray that You'll bless the Word as we read it. And then may the Holy Spirit take everything that's needy here tonight, placing the Word right over it, so we can see that we got a redemptive blessing waiting. Grant it, Father, for we ask it in Jesus' name. Amen. You be seated.
3 We certainly had a wonderful day today. I stayed a little long last night in the meeting. The wife and them like not to have got me around to myself for about ten minutes after I left the building, as I had a little too much in the line, I think.
It isn't when you're up there (see?), up there in that glorious anointing, or it isn't when you're down here; it's between that counts, when you're coming from one to the other, and dropping out from that anointing back down to this again. But what does it speak to you? There's a land beyond the river. There's a real place that we can find peace and joy and satisfaction.
And now, the Lord willing, tomorrow night we will give out prayer cards at six-thirty, the boys will, and then... And we haven't got very much more time, have we? Tomorrow night will be Friday, is it? Friday, Saturday, and Sunday, three more nights.
4 Well, that's... Everyone wants to get prayed for and so forth, come right in now and get your prayer cards, and we will call them right into the line, and pray for them, and do everything we can. And if you have to leave before the service is over, to go to the emergency room ... and we'd like for name to come out here, then the Holy Spirit can find whether there's something in the life, when it's under that discernment, see. If you've got something that you have done, or something you have not done, something you ought to have done, see. No matter how much you're prayed for, it'll never leave you until that thing's made right. You could just shake, lay hands, and pour oil on; it won't leave. It'll stay right there.
Look, there was a... Jesus gave His disciples power to cast out devils. How many knows that? Sure. Ten days later we find them all defeated on a epileptic case, see. But when... That devil laid right there. And then when Jesus came, and that devil knowed that he met something that was on a higher level than what disciples had, and he had to come out.
Now, we must always come prayed-up, confessed-up, and ready to be healed. And then if you do that, there's only one thing left---cast the enemy out, that's all. If you've prayed up, and are sure that it's God's will to heal you, and you've prayed up on it, that settles it. See, there's only one thing to do then, only thing a gift can do, is to cast it out. It's all over, see. It's done then. And I'm so glad that we can tell, we know something's happened when it takes place.
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.
Matthew 17:17 Then Jesus answered and said, O faithless and perverse generation, how long shall I be with you? how long shall I suffer you? bring him hither to me.
Matthew 17:18 And Jesus rebuked the devil; and he departed out of him: and the child was cured from that very hour.
5 Today was a... This morning early I got up (and I never slept too well last evening), and I got up early this morning, and the Holy Spirit was speaking to me. And He said to me, "Get out; I will use you."
And so, only thing I know to do is just get out. That was all. And I thought, "Well, my car needs the grease changed in it, so I will just..." or the oil, rather, so I went up to the filling station. I thought, "Lord, maybe some of these fellows here." And I talked to a fine Presbyterian boy hauling gasoline, and different ones. Seemed like nothing urgent. And an accident happened on the corner. I said, "Here it is." Walked out there, but nobody hurt, so that wasn't it. So I got my car, I thought, "I'll go back down home."
Started down home, and well, something said, "Just keep on driving."
6 So I've been making my prayer grounds up around Mount Rainier, up here, going back into the bush. And there's something about getting out where nature is, you find God. Just get alone by yourself. And I had little Joseph with me, my little boy, and something said, "Pull off the side of the road here and stop, because it's a ... and watch the ... let the little boy watch the fisherman." Well, they fished about ten minutes and left, so Joseph and I was sitting there. Well, I thought, "Well, we'll drive on up then to the prayer grounds, and then I will let Joseph play around while I read and pray, then we will come back down." I eat that once today, so...
Something wouldn't let me go. And I thought, "Well, Joseph, I got a rag beneath the seat, let's just wash the mats in the church's car. I'm driving their car." So I thought I'd just want to take care of it. And I was washing the floor mats, and I thought, "That's fine."
7 And I had the door open. Joseph, he was doing his on the wheel down there, you know, that little fellow kind of entertaining himself. And all at once, a car stopped, started backing up. Someone thought that somebody in need. And then, when I come to find out, in this car was a woman dying with cancer, a minister's wife. And they had been led very strangely. They'd went to the place where I stay, and I was gone. They left a handkerchief to be prayed for, and started over another pass that they was supposed to go, and something told them, "Turn and go back."
And they went around this a way, was going down, said, "Isn't this strange why we would be coming this way?" And just then, said, "Wonder if them people's ... something's wrong with them there in the car?"
8 And at the same time, I was on the inside of the car, head down, scrubbing up-and-down like that. And I was going to leave within a couple of more minutes; I'd've been pulling on out to the prayer place, and there laid a woman in the back of the car, dying with cancer. How God poured His Spirit out in there!
Isn't it wonderful how He works, how mysteriously He will lead us from place to place? Just make every corner meet just as... That's just not coincidental; that's spiritually led. You believe that, don't you? Sons and daughters of God are led by the Spirit of God.
Romans 8:14 For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God.
9 Now, let us turn in the Scriptures tonight, for the Scripture reading, in the book of Deuteronomy, the thirty-second chapter, and let's begin with the seventh verse and read a portion down to the twelfth verse inclusive:
Remember the days of old, consider the years of many generations: ask thy father, and he will shew thee; thy elders, and they will tell thee.
When the Most High divided ... the nations their inheritance, when he separated the sons of Adam, he set the bounds of the people according to the number of the children of Israel.
For the Lord's portion is his people; Jacob is the lot of his inheritance.
He found him in a desert land, and ... a waste howling wilderness; he led him about, he instructed him, he kept him as the apple of his eye.
As an eagle stirreth up her nest, fluttereth over her young, spreadeth abroad her wings, taketh them, beareth them on her wings:
So the Lord alone did lead him, and there was no strange god with him.
I would like to take for a text, which, if it be the will of the Lord tonight, odd, strange, but "As the Eagle Stirreth Up Her Nest," fluttereth over her young, takes them on her wings and bears them up.
Deuteronomy 32:7 Remember the days of old, consider the years of many generations: ask thy father, and he will shew thee; thy elders, and they will tell thee.
Deuteronomy 32:8 When the Most High divided to the nations their inheritance, when he separated the sons of Adam, he set the bounds of the people according to the number of the children of Israel.
Deuteronomy 32:9 For the LORD'S portion is his people; Jacob is the lot of his inheritance.
Deuteronomy 32:10 He found him in a desert land, and in the waste howling wilderness; he led him about, he instructed him, he kept him as the apple of his eye.
Deuteronomy 32:11 As an eagle stirreth up her nest, fluttereth over her young, spreadeth abroad her wings, taketh them, beareth them on her wings:
Deuteronomy 32:12 So the LORD alone did lead him, and there was no strange god with him.
10 I have often wondered why that God ever likened His heritage to an eagle. And one day I found out in the Bible that God calls Himself an eagle. He's Jehovah Eagle, and His children are eaglets, young eagles, under the wing of Jehovah.
And, as a naturalist, I like to study nature. My first Bible was nature. How I noticed how everything taking place in nature, and how it had to be God; nothing else could be that but God. And it led me to believe that there was some great supreme force somewhere that controlled all these things. Like we...
11 In India not long ago I was entertained by seventeen different religions one afternoon in the temple of the Jains. They had the Buddha, the Mohammedan, and the Sikhs, the Jains, and what-more. And they are very odd people. But out of all these seventeen religions, most all of them, besides the Mohammedans and few others, they believe in reincarnation. They carry a little mop, and they mop the floor, so they would be sure as they walk to not step on a little fly or an insect, because it might be their uncle, or aunt, or someone that's returned back. How could you ever preach a blood religion to a people that wouldn't kill a fly? see. And so I just had to wait and let God do that Himself. But He certainly did a great thing in India.
12 But if we look at nature and find that how that everything operates, then you'll know that the basis of Christianity, and Christianity, is the only religion that's right. Because Christianity is based on death, burial, resurrection.
Now, it isn't replacement. Now, if I drop this paper on the floor, and said, "Well, I dropped that one; I will put this one back in its place." That's not resurrection; that's replacement. But the same Jesus that went into the ground, the same Jesus come back out of the ground. And resurrection ... or, Christianity is based upon resurrection. Therefore, when you can see the woods, and the trees, and watch...
1 Corinthians 15:3 For I delivered unto you first of all that which I also received, how that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures;
1 Corinthians 15:4 And that he was buried, and that he rose again the third day according to the scriptures:
13 Here a few months ... well, be about a year this coming ... about four ... three weeks from now, I was down in Kentucky squirrel hunting. And we'd had a meeting pretty close, about two years before that, on a Methodist campground, for two nights. The Lord did great things amongst the Methodist people. And so they...
The Methodist used to believe in divine healing. John Wesley did. I've got his book, his text book, and so forth, his notes. And so, they used to believe in divine healing. Many of them do yet. And so there's a great revival among the people. So this great campground down there, down in the southern Methodist, they had called me down for a campaign, and I'd spent Saturday and Sunday with them.
14 And Mr. Wood, which formerly was a Jehovah Witness, and his crippled boy, leg drawed back under him, young man, sitting back in the meeting. And his father sitting there criticizing, his mother sitting there praying, the Holy Spirit turned to a place where (there was, I guess, at least eight or ten thousand people), and said, "The young fellow, sitting back there with the crippled leg, his father's a Jehovah Witness. And he is a contractor, his name's Banks Wood. His mother is a Methodist. The young boy's name's David. "Thus saith the Lord, stand on your feet. Jesus Christ makes you whole." Up he got. He don't even know which leg it was now, 'less it'd happen...
So Mr. Wood, he really got saved, and he brought all the rest of his family into (his father, and mother, and all of them), into the covenant of Christ by the baptism of the Holy Spirit. And he and I were hunting together (we'd been down about two weeks), and he said... It was so awful dry, we had to get down in the low places to find where it's wet enough to walk or the squirrels would hear you. And so he said, "I know where there's a man that's got five hundred acres, but," said, "very doubtful that he'll ever let me hunt, because he's a perfect infidel."
And I said, "That'd be a good fellow for us to meet."
15 So we went over, and he pulled up in front of his house, and he was sitting in the yard, talking to a elderly man. And when we drove up Mr. Wood got out and went around the car, and he said, "Hello, Jim," or whatever his name was.
Said, "How do you do?"
He said, "I don't guess you know me."
He said, "Yes, I do; I believe you're Jim Wood's boy."
He said, "That's right." He said, "I wonder if I could hunt back in here?" Said, "It's so dry. We've been hunting over on another creek, called Dutton, and," said, "it's so dry over there."
He said, "I got five hundred acres here; any son of Jim Wood can have his pleasure hunting anywhere he wants to, or anytime he wants to." Said, "I never had a more honest friend in my life than Jim Wood."
He said, "Thank you." He said, "Now, I've got my pastor along with me."
He said, "Wood, you don't mean to say you've got so low down till you have to carry a preacher with you wherever you go?"
And he said, "Well, I don't know about that, but I..."
16 And I got out of the car. And I dropped around, and I said, "How do you do, sir?"
He said, "How do you do? Well," he said, "and you're the preacher."
Squirrel blood and dirty, oh my, whiskers about that long. And I said, "Yes, sir, I suppose I am."
And he said, "Well, I guess Wood has told you I'm an infidel."
I said, "Well, he said something about it, but I hardly think a man that'd show the kindness that you have would really be an infidel." I said...
He said, "Well, I'm supposed to be."
I said, "I'm glad you said, you was supposed to be."
And he said, "Well," he said, "I tell you what." Said, "I never did see anything that ever could (anymore than just psychology), could ever prove to me there's anything of a God." He said, "I hear these preachers ball out and talk about there was a God, and said He died back yonder a long time ago, two thousand years ago." And said, "What good could a God like that do me that's dead two thousand years ago, after I'm dead?" See?
I said, "Yeah, if that ended it, you're sure right." I said, "That didn't end it."
And he said, "Well, there's... I haven't been to church," he said, "for about fifty years." He was about seventy-five years old.
I said, "That isn't very much to brag about, is it, sir?"
He said, "No, I reckon not." He said, " But there's a preacher that had meeting over here at the---" he said, "at Acton not long ago, on that Methodist campgrounds." He said, "If that guy ever comes in the country again, I'm going to hear him."
I said, "Yes, sir." Brother Wood looked at me and winked, you know. And I said, "Yes, sir." I said, "What was his name?"
Said, "I don't know his name." He said, "But old Aunt Melissie So-and-so lived up here on the hill." Said, "Me and my wife had been going over for two weeks, raising her up and pulling a draw sheet out; she couldn't even move, for cancer of the stomach." And said, "Doctors had give her up months before that." And said, "They couldn't even put her on a bed pan." And said, "Her sister went to that meeting that night." Said, "There's some, maybe, three thousand people out there on the campgrounds." And said, "This preacher, his first night there, looked back in that audience and called this woman by name, and told her who this woman was that she was praying for. And the woman started crying. Said, 'Now take that handkerchief that you bathed them tears with, and go lay it on the woman, for, thus saith the Lord, she will live.'"
And said, "I thought they had the Salvation Army up there on the hill that night, when they got back over there---the screaming and hollering." Said, "we thought that the woman died." And said, "Wife and I got our clothes on, about ten o'clock at night, and went up there, and she was frying fried apple pies, and eating them." And said, "She couldn't even drink barley water that morning." He said, "And now, she don't only do her own work, she does all the neighbors' work."
And I said, "That was wonderful."
And he said, "Now, when that guy ever comes back down here again, I'm going over to hear him."
I said, "Well, would that make you believe in God, if you seen something like that?"
Said, "Well," said, "now, I guess that's something you can see."
17 I said, "Well, that was fine." I picked up a little old apple there. How many knows what a yellow jacket is? And so a yellow jacket was on this apple, and I run it off, and started to eating on the apple. I said, "Them's fine apples."
Said, "Yes, they are."
I said, "How old is that tree?"
He said, "Well," said, "I planted it there." Said, "I guess that tree's about thirty-five years old or forty."
I said, "It produces apples every year?"
He said, "Yeah, sure does."
He thought I was trying to change his subject, you see. So I said, "Well, I want to ask you something." I said "This is about the middle of August, or the last week in August, and," I said, "I noticed the leaves are falling off that tree."
He said "Yes, yeah."
And I said, "Wonder what would make them leaves fall off that tree."
He said, "Saps gone down."
I said, "Where did it go?"
Said, "Went down in the roots."
I said, "Well, what makes it go down there?"
He said, "What are you getting at?"
"Well," I said, "surely, before there's been any frost or anything, something had to warn that sap to go down in the roots."
And he said "Well," he said, "it's just nature."
"Well," I said. "you set a can of water on a post, and see if it'll go down," see.
And he said, "Well, what are you meaning?
I said, "Sir, you'll admit that there's something takes that sap. If it stayed up here it would kill the tree, you'd never get another apple. So something warns that sap, and it goes down into the roots of the tree until spring, and hides, and then it comes up that brings you another crop of apples."
Said, "That's right."
"Well," I said, "the same intelligence that told that tree, that sap in that tree, 'Get down in the roots, it's coming winter time,' before you even have a cold spell or a frost, 'get down there and hide,' that's the same intelligence that told me that that woman was going to live."
He said, "You're not that preacher!?"
I said, "I am." There ... see.
Well, he said, "You know what? Come here, I want to shake your hand." Said, "I never thought of that."
I said, "Mister, God is all around you. Who can make a flower one color, and another one another color, the same variety, on the same sun, on the same...? See? Make one pink, and the other one red, and the other one white, and so forth. God. God is in nature, if you'll just study Him. He lives in nature."
18 When I begin to see that God called Himself an eagle, and called His children eagles, His prophets, then I wondered why. And I got to studying about an eagle. An eagle is a great bird. Now, the very word eagle... There's forty different kinds of eagles that we know of. Eagle means "ripper with the beak." And then, a eagle is a strange bird. He can fly higher than any other bird there is. There's not another bird can follow an eagle. If a hawk would try to follow that eagle, he'd disintegrate in the air. He's not built for it. An eagle can soar so high that no other bird can come near him. He'd go plumb out of sight, just go right up.
Well now, it won't do him any good to get up there unless He's built to live while he's up there. And that's the reason that God called His prophets eagles. Higher you go, the further you can see away.
Well then, if he hasn't got an eye that he can see, his eye will compare with his climbing, then what good would he get up there? if he was blind?
19 So that's the way many people, try to climb so high, and they're blind after they get there. So what good does it do to get up there? See? You think you'll get your Ph.D., double-L.D., D.D.D., Q.S.D., and all the other kind of degrees. But what if you got up there and you're not qualified, you'd be blind to the very thing you climbed on. It wouldn't do no good; you can't see back no more. As the brother said about the key the other day he left ... or, the man left.
So an eagle, in order to go up, he has to be a special built bird. And a man, to be a servant of the Lord, is a special person. He has to be changed on the inside, and made over again. That's the reason God calls His children, His prophets, the eagle. He has to climb up. His eye.
20 And another thing, if that eagle tried to climb up there with just an ordinary feathers, likes in a crow, or like in a pigeon, why, every feather would come out of him.
Did you ever try to pull a feather out of an eagle? You'd better get a pair of pliers and put your feet on him, because them feathers really stay there. If they didn't, it would drop the eagle when he got up there in those spheres. Where the other birds... So you see, he has to be a special bird.
21 Another thing about an eagle. An eagle is a special bird because he will never build his nest on the ground. He builds his nest way high.
He likens that to His church. You are a city that sits on a hill, not in a valley. You're a city that sits on a hill, that can be seen far off. A lighted candle, it can be seen far out. The church sitting high, with high expectations, high ambitions.
Matthew 5:14 Ye are the light of the world. A city that is set on an hill cannot be hid.
22 I haven't got much hopes for a pastor's church that hasn't got ambitions to better themselves day by day, and year by year. A church that's really a church of the living God will never stop, say, "Well, I just come in. I guess it's all right now." That ain't the church of God. He's got an ambition to press on.
"Well, I've done my part; I brought one sinner in this year, and he got saved." Brother, that's not the ambition of the church of God. If he brings one, he wants another, another, another, another, another. There's no end to it. It just keeps on climbing up, see. We want to have an ambition and expectations. God wants us to be that way.
23 Then I want you to notice another thing. A eagle renews his youth. Did you know that? A eagle actually renews his youth. Now, he will get so old till he can't hardly fly, and then all at once something happens to him. Now, he's just the same age, but he gets a youthful feeling about him, and he just restores himself. He's a good eagle again. Now, the Bible said that the eagle renews his youth.
And I remember the first time I was in a Pentecostal meeting, it was in Mishawaka. I was a young Baptist preacher up there. And I heard these people. They had signs on the back of their cars, and I thought, "I believe I'll just go in; it's a religion meeting." And I sat down in the back of the meeting, and I heard them up there preaching. Oh, my! I never heard such preaching in all my life. And that night I thought, "I believe I will get on the platform."
They said, "All preachers come to the platform." There was hundreds of them. And so, that day I'd been noticing all the young preachers preaching about what Jesus had done and all about it. And, oh, I thought they had a wonderful message. I never heard of such before."
And they'd speak in tongues, and shout, and dance, and run all around. I thought, "Whew. They've got poor manners, but they're sure having good time with it, so ... I guess that's all right."
So that night, on the platform, he said, "I want each minister just raise up and say where he's from, what's his name."
So it come to my time, I said, "William Branham, evangelist, Jeffersonville, Indiana. Baptist," sat down.
24 Then they brought that night, for the night meeting, an old colored man out, a great big long, old frock-tailed preacher's coat, like we used to use in the south, velvet collar, just a little rim of white hair around his head. Poor old fellow could hardly get out there. He says, "Wells, I's going to tell you." He says, "I'm going to take my text tonight [I believe it was in Job 7:27 or something like that]: ' Where was you when I laid the foundation of the world? Declare unto me. For their bands ... when the morning stars sang together, and the sons of God shouted for joy?'"
And I thought, "My, why don't they put some of them young fellows out there? An old man, like that, before about three thousand people? Well, they oughtn't to put that old man out there. He's just so stiff he could hardly get along."
Job 38:4 Where wast thou when I laid the foundations of the earth? declare, if thou hast understanding.
Job 38:7 When the morning stars sang together, and all the sons of God shouted for joy?
25 Now, all the brethren had been telling what had gone on down here on earth, he started back there about ten thousand years before the world was ever formed, when the sons of God was shouting for joy, and the morning stars was singing together. He brought it across the skies, and down the horizontal rainbow in about five minutes. Directly he jumped up into air and said, "Whoopee!" skipping his feet together, and kicked around there and said, "You'ven't got enough room up there for me to preach," walked off the platform.
I said, "Brother, that's what I want. If it'll make an old man act like, what would it do for me? And I'm not twenty-five years old."
I tell you, it renews his youth. Is that right? When the Holy Spirit comes in, it makes the old act young. Yeah. They've become eagles. There something about it, I never forget that. I just might make a quotation here.
26 That night I slept out in the corn patch, and I took my old... I had an old Model-T Ford, it would go thirty miles an hour: fifteen this way and fifteen this a way. And I took the back seat out, and the front seat, and put my little seersucker trousers between them, and pressed them out. I had just a dollar and fifty cents to get back home on, buy me some gasoline. I got some stale rolls, and got the hydrant, something to eat.
And I'd prayed all night. I said, "Lord, I never seen such a people in my life! I never heard of such! Now, I don't go with their manners, because they just haven't got any manners." But I said, "But I sure think they're the happiest people. They're not ashamed of their religion."
27 And so the next morning, I come in and sat down. A little T-shirt on, you know, and seersucker trousers. We Baptists, we even wore a turned around collar, you know. So we got up there, you know, on occasion. So I'm ... I sat down there, and I sat down by a colored brother. Now, they had to have their meeting... That's been several years ago, and they had it up north, for their convention. Two or three different denominations of Pentecostals was having their convention. I think they've emerged now, they's called PA of W, and a PA of JC, or I think it's called the United Pentecostal Church now. So then... I think that's right. So however, I was sitting back there, and I sat down by a colored brother. And so this young fellow walked up to the platform, and said, "That young minister was on the platform last night, his name is Branham. He was an evangelist, a Baptist. We want him to bring the message this morning."
Oh, my! I scooted down in the seat. I'd never been before a microphone in my life. And I didn't know what to do---and seersucker trousers and T-shirt. I just scooted down.
So in a few minutes he announced it again, said, "Anybody on the outside, that young minister named William Branham," said, "tell him to come in. We want him to bring the message this morning." They sang another song and waited. I just hunkered way down.
And this colored brother said to me, "Do you know him?"
"Oh?" I said, "Yes, sir."
Said, "Go get him."
And I said, "Look, brother, come here. Hold over." I said, "I'm him."
"Oh, you is?"
I said, "Yeah, I'm him."
He said, "Well, go on up there."
I said, "T-shirt and seersucker trousers?"
He said, "Them people don't care what you dress like. Go on up there."
I said, "No. No." I said, "Sh-h-h, keep still. Don't say nothing about it," like that.
He said, "Anybody found William Branham?"
Said, "Here he is! Here he is."
I felt so funny, little seersucker trousers on, and T-shirt. I did have enough hair to be bushed up a little then, you know. So I walked up the platform, and I thought, "What am I going to say? All these people's so happy like that." I never forget, I took my text from over in Job. I beg your pardon, I took my text from over in Luke: The rich man lifted up his eyes in hell and then he cried. And I said, "There was no children there; then he cried."
Somebody said, "Amen!"
I never heard that before when I was preaching.
And I said, "There was no flowers there; then he cried. There was no God there; then he cried."
They started going, "Amen! Amen!"
I kept saying, "No flowers there, no children there, no Christians there. Then he cried, and then he cried." Then I cried.
Luke 16:22 And it came to pass, that the beggar died, and was carried by the angels into Abraham's bosom: the rich man also died, and was buried;
Luke 16:23 And in hell he lift up his eyes, being in torments, and seeth Abraham afar off, and Lazarus in his bosom.
28 Oh, God is wonderful. Isn't He? Renews our youth. He renews our youth like the eagle.
Now, the eagle is a great bird. I could stay on this till morning, just about the eagle.
One of the most saddest things I ever seen, I thought, in my life. I was at Cincinnati not long ago, about three or four years ago, and I took my children up there to see the zoo. And I had my little fellows, and I was leading them around, showing them the zoo, while mother was getting the dinner on the table. And we was having a Saturday afternoon outing. And I went down to a big cage. And there I saw something.
I always felt sorry for any animal was caged up. I can't even have a canary at my house, see. I don't like to see nothing penned up. No, sir. I don't like anything in bondage. I believe in freedom.
And I go to the zoo and see those lions walking the floor, and... When I was in Africa, they gave me two little pet lions, and I could've brought them back, but I said, "If I'd..." Said, "What will I do with them?" Said, "In a year they'll be great big fellows."
Said, "Put them in a zoo."
I said, "Turn them loose, right here on the desert." I won't never put anything in jail. I don't like anything in bondage.
Isaiah 40:31 But they that wait upon the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint.
29 And so I was walking around, and they'd just caught a big eagle, great big beautiful bird, and had put him in this cage. And that fellow, all the feathers was beat off his face and head. His wings was all beat off like this. And I stood and looked at him. And he'd walk back there to the cage, and walk back like this again. And he'd start off, and take those big wings a flopping, and he'd slam himself against that cage, and fall back again like that, lay there and look up towards the skies, those weary eyes look around.
Why? Oh, he's a heaven-born bird. He lives in the heaven. He couldn't free himself. He's absolutely hopeless. Somebody has caught him, some smart guy caught him and put him in there. He'd beat the feathers off of his wings. He'd beat the feathers off of his head. He lay in there with his feet up, those big eyes looking up there where he really belonged. How he had longed to be free, and spread his big wings and fly through the heavens, screaming, he was to be free again. He could look, but he was in a cage.
30 I thought, "That's the most pitiful thing I ever seen in my life. I thought, "If they'd sell it to me, I'd buy that eagle right now and turn him loose, if I had to half starve and allowance my children at the table to pay for that eagle to let him loose. They wouldn't do it.
And I went down there and sat down there. I couldn't keep from crying. Then something said to me, "You've seen worse than that. To see men who's born to be sons of God shackled down by creeds and denominations and people that says the days of miracles is past; when he's actually born to be an eagle to fly in the lights of the heaven yonder, brother, under the power and supernatural strength of God, to walk by faith and not by sight. And some shrewd fellow has caught him and bound him down into something by a creed or something: 'Repeat this creed and that's all you have to do.'"
31 Oh, brother, to get that man out of a cage... To see sons and daughters of God caged in, it's a pitiful... The most sad thing I ever seen is to know that men and women who are born ... see women walking the street half-naked, in these little old clothes around here, and know that that woman is absolutely possessed of an evil spirit. That's right.
Sister, let me tell you something. You say, "I'm as pure as a lily. I wear them."
But do you realize something? Let me tell you, at the day of the judgment you're going to answer for committing adultery. The Bible said, "Whosoever looketh upon a woman to lust after her has committed adultery with her already in his heart."
You might be as pure as a lily, but you dress yourself like that, and sinful men of the world look at you, he's going to have to answer for committing adultery with you, and you're going have to answer for presenting yourself in the same way before him. That's right. These little old dirty, sexy clothes that women wear. And it's getting into our Pentecostal ranks too. It's too bad! No, sir, don't you never do that.
Matthew 5:28 But I say unto you, That whosoever looketh on a woman to lust after her hath committed adultery with her already in his heart.
32 A lady said to me... I said something like that one time, this woman said to me, said, "Well, Brother Branham, they don't sell any other kind of clothes but this kind."
I said, "They still sell goods, and they have sewing machines. There's no excuse at all." That's right.
Brother, when this old heart gets right with God there, and that eagle spirit begins to move up, you climb up out of those things of the world. The trouble of it is, we're not attending prayer meeting, attending church, and doing what's right. We're staying home to see some movie play or something like that on our televisions, uncensored programs, some of them dirty jokes and things they're cracking. And that's the wrong thing to put before our young generation of people. Used to be it was wrong for the people, holiness people, to go to movies. The devil pulled one on them; he put them right in the house. That's exactly right.
Oh, it's too bad! But, brother, let me tell you. They might put you in a cage, but you're still an eagle. I can tell you there's a way out tonight. Yes, indeedy. Yes, sir.
33 You know, it behooves us to study the eagle just a little bit. We could stay on it for hours, but let's study this eagle just for a little while and see what he is.
Now, it's pitiful to see that sons and daughters are born to be sons and daughters of God... Up here in Iowa not long ago, to stop just a second again. A fellow taken me to dinner with him. And he went outdoors, and looked, he said (He raised hogs. That's legitimate, that's all right, if he wants to do that.) he said, "I've got the best hog herd in this country." He said, "This herd, my father started; he raised all of us children, left me the herd. I've raised all of my children. I will leave them the herd," and so forth.
And I said, "That's very fine, sir."
He said, "I own all this ... [break in tape].
34 ...not a snake could climb to it, way up in this place. Then he will go out and get green briars, and come back and weave that mess through and through, to be sure that no wind's going to blow it, because it's anchored in the rock.
Oh, my! I love that. God builds His church anchored in the rock. "Upon this rock I'll build my church." Anchored on this rock. He's the chief cornerstone.
And when he builds his nest up there, then... Now, it's all full of stickers. So now, a mother eagle, she's going to be sure that her little ones are going to have a nice place to stay, so she goes out and gets every thing that she can. She will kill a rabbit, eat the meat, take the fur and poke it in these little places, every little crevice, and tighten it, till it's just as snug and neat as it can be when the nest is complete. Now, what's she getting ready? She's getting ready for her little ones. And she wants them to have a nice little soft place to walk around and so forth. She's taking care of them. How God does His children the same way. Oh, how He blesses our heart. When the little eagles are born, little soft nest to walk around in.
35 You remember the first time when you was borned again, when the Holy Spirit come to you, and you become a Christian? You felt like you was just walking on feathers, didn't you?
I remember when I got saved. Why, I was about forty yards from the house, a board walk running up there, and, I tell you, I don't believe I ever touched a board going in.
And mother said, "What's the matter with you, Billy?"
I said, "I just don't know, Ma. I just can't tell you."
And I picked up my Bible; I couldn't read it. I picked up a song book; I couldn't read it. I laid it down and went around behind the house. There was a railroad track back there, and I got on that railroad track, and I had to let the steam off somewhere. I run down the track just as hard as I could, and jumped way up in the air and hollered, "Whoopee!" just as hard as I could. I had to give vent to that feeling. Oh, I was floating in the air. My! that new birth--
36 -when this little eagle comes. Oh, he loves his home!
Now, the mother eagle goes out and gets fishes, and she gets rabbits, and she gets sheep or whatever she can get, and she fixes this little eagle a nice diet. She be sure that junior gets the right thing.
I'm so glad that Jehovah sees that His little eaglets gets the right kind of food. He will put it before you, whether you want to eat it or not. You'll have to turn your head. But if you're a born eagle, "My sheep [My eagles] know my voice." They know the food.
Said, "You love me, Peter?" Said, "Feed my sheep."
I like that, "Feed my sheep." "Feed my sheep. Don't drive them; feed them. Feed them the Word; they like sheep food." You know, some people don't like this sheep food. The sheep food is that good old-time feeling of old-time salvation, just as free as you can feel, and no condemnation.
Why, we used to stand, and clap our hands, and sing, "I feel all right; there's no condemnation in my heart," having a great time. And of course, it'll cause the little chickens to look up and say, "Tsk, tsk, tsk. Fanaticism."
John 10:27 My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me:
John 21:16 He saith to him again the second time, Simon, son of Jonas, lovest thou me? He saith unto him, Yea, Lord; thou knowest that I love thee. He saith unto him, Feed my sheep.
37 There was a farmer not long ago; he was an ambitious farmer. He didn't have very much of a barn. But he just built the fine crops, and done everything he could to take care of his stock. Another fellow had fine tractors, but he was too lazy to farm.
Well, when the fall of the year come, he cut his weeds and put them in the barn. He had a beautiful barn, oh, my, a fine barn. But the other fellow, he didn't take time about the barn, but he was seeing that his animals got good feed.
So there was a calf born in each barn. And the next year when springtime come, you know, probably the calf that was born in the good barn---great big high spires, you know, and plush seats. You know what I'm talking about, so you can read between the lines---but he didn't have much food.
38 So then, they turned them out, both of them did, to get a little spring breeze. Oh, my, this little calf had been in a little bitty mission down there somewhere, a little church, you know, he was all fat and round and full of vitamins. My, he got out there, and that wind begin to rush over the top of him, he was full of ginger. He begin to kick up his heels and jump around and around and around. He was feeling good!
They turned the other little calf out---had been fed on ecclesiastical weeds, you know---when he got out there, poor little fellow, the wind was just about to blow him down, staggering around like that. And he stuck his little face up to the crack of the fence, and looked through, and seen this little calf just happy and jumping, and jumping all around, said, "Tsk, tsk, tsk. Such fanaticism."
39 Oh, I like to have sheep food, good food, the power of God, the Word of God! The Holy Ghost feeds on it. That's what the church needs tonight, is good solid gospel preaching, gospel teaching, gospel salvation, and a gospel Holy Ghost. Amen! We are not so interested in what ... this nation might not need a president, the city might not need a new mayor, but what we need today is a good old-time Saint Paul's revival, and the Bible Holy Ghost back in the church again. That's what we need, sheep fed on sheep's food, not ecclesiastical weeds.
40 Now, this little nest was all fixed up, and she brought him the food, and he eat, and oh, my, he was growing. Now, the first thing you know, he's begin to put on some feathers. You know, begins to come into the second work of grace. And he begins to get feathered out pretty well, you know. So mother eagle begins to look down, and she begins to think, "You know, I never want my children to become a chicken, that's all."
You know, God's just determined for that. And He doesn't want us to be earthbound chickens. So the mother eagle said, "I've got to see to this." So the first thing, you know, she's got to get them eagles out of that nest, that's all. If they stay there, they'll be earthbound.
And that's the way it is. You just... I've often wondered why we went away and got great education for schooling, for to be a preacher, and then we come in with all the history of the church and all this and all the vitamins and everything, and then turn back around and say, "Well, of course, the days of miracles is past."
41 How can you ever get a man that's freezing to death, how can you ever thaw him out by a painted fire? What if a man's freezing, you say, "You see that great big painted fire there? 'On the day of Pentecost there came a sound like a rushing mighty wind; it filled all the house where they were sitting.'"
"Yes. I'm shivering."
"Oh, the Holy Ghost fell upon them, tongues of fire. Oh, that was a great thing; but that was back, see. That's a painted fire. You can't get warm by that."
If we are needing fire today, then we can't get warm by a historical fire. What good does a historical God do, if the God of Abraham isn't the same God today, the God of Paul ain't the same God today? If the Holy Ghost that fell on Pentecost isn't the same today, then where are we at? That's right.
Acts 2:1 And when the day of Pentecost was fully come, they were all with one accord in one place.
Acts 2:2 And suddenly there came a sound from heaven as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled all the house where they were sitting.
42 It's like giving your canary birds a lot of seeds with vitamins in them and make good wings, and keeping him in a cage all the time, see. He can't use his wings. What's the use of learning all about God, if you try to say He died two thousand years ago and there's no more to it? I believe that He's the same yesterday, today, and forever! He lives! And He said, "Because I live, you live also." Amen. I'm glad for eagle food. That's right.
John 14:19 Yet a little while, and the world seeth me no more; but ye see me: because I live, ye shall live also.
43 Now, the old mother eagle's determined that they won't get adjusted to that nest too much. And God's just determined that a newborn babe isn't going get too adjusted to this world. That's right. He don't want us to get adjusted here. He's going to get ready to take us on a flight.
A few days before the old mother eagle takes her little ones on a flight, you know what she does? First, she gets up there. She stands up on the nest. And some eagles are fourteen feet from tip to tip, the most mammoth bird we got. He will stand on this nest. The old mother eagle is usually the largest of the two. And she will walk back and forth over this nest, and she will scream. "Caw." That's so shrill that a eagle gives. What's she trying to do? She's trying to teach her babies the sound of her voice. They're going into some perils in a little while, so they've got to know the sound of mother's voice.
Oh, I tell you, it pays you to listen to the voice of God, the still small voice that speaks deep and rich. It attracts the attention of His people.
44 And she walks back and forth over this nest. And then, sometimes, she will spread those great big wings out, flutter them back and forth. And them little eagles, it'll just kind of shake them down a little, you know. And they'll look back, and "Oh, mama, what a great bird you are!"
Oh, I just love that, because God's got two wings, the Old and New Testament. He spreads them out, and we look at it, and look up and say, "How great Thou art! How great Thou art!" When we hear that He opened the Red Sea and brought the children of Israel across, He raised Lazarus from the dead, He's the same yesterday, today, and forever, New and Old Testament, the same God, the same Jehovah, the same Holy Spirit, right in the church today, moving back and forth: "See how great I am? I'm the same that delivered Moses. I'm the same that delivered Daniel. I'm the same One that brought the Hebrew children out of the fiery furnace. I'm the same One was at Sodom and Gomorrah. I'm the same One that talked to Abraham. Oh, I AM that I AM. I AM, present now!"
Exodus 14:21 And Moses stretched out his hand over the sea; and the LORD caused the sea to go back by a strong east wind all that night, and made the sea dry land, and the waters were divided.
Exodus 14:22 And the children of Israel went into the midst of the sea upon the dry ground: and the waters were a wall unto them on their right hand, and on their left.
John 11:43 And when he thus had spoken, he cried with a loud voice, Lazarus, come forth.
John 11:44 And he that was dead came forth, bound hand and foot with graveclothes: and his face was bound about with a napkin. Jesus saith unto them, Loose him, and let him go.
45 Oh, God's going to take His little eagles on a solo flight one of these days. Yes, sir. What's He getting ready?
See, they never knowed nothing but a nest. They never knowed nothing but a denomination or a creed. And they're eagles, so God's walking back and forth, even in this meeting, night after night, showing what He is. He is "I AM that I AM," He said. He's God, He's Jehovah Eagle, trying to show the people that He's the same great powerful bird, saying, "See these great big wings of mine? [mother eagle] Now, you're oldest brother and them that flies in here to see you once in a while, I took them out of the nest on these wings. Believe in Me." Oh, hallelujah!
I look back to Pentecost. He shoves His wings out, "I that give them Pentecost in AD '33 gives Pentecost to My children yet today. Amen. I'm Jehovah Eagle. I bear you away on eagle's wings. I'm the same yesterday, today. I was the One who brought the Hebrew children from the fiery furnace. I was the One that spoke to Moses in the burning bush. I'm the same. I want you to step out. If you're sick, if you're needy, I want you to step out! I AM that I AM. I'm Jehovah, hear My voice, listen to Me." Don't take the voice of some chicken trying to talk to you, or some scavenger. You better listen to mama eagle. This is her voice right in the Word. What's He going to do?
Exodus 19:4 Ye have seen what I did unto the Egyptians, and how I bare you on eagles' wings, and brought you unto myself.
Acts 2:39 For the promise is unto you, and to your children, and to all that are afar off, even as many as the Lord our God shall call.
46 Now, these big wings, they've got to trust those wings. Now, she looks her brood over, since they've been in this old ecclesiastical nest, and they don't look very good. Now, they got a lot of loose feathers in them, and she knows, if she ever takes one of them eagles up in the air, and drops him with them loose feathers, he'll break his neck.
And there's just too much doubt in the church yet to take a flight. That's right. Got too many quills, too many loose feathers, so you know what He does? He gives it the third work of grace. She stands back there, and takes these big wings, and she begins to flop them like that, and a mighty rushing wind comes right through there, and all the loose feathers begin to fly.
Oh, when that mighty rushing wind comes from heaven, the baptism of the Holy Ghost, all the doubting feathers will fly out of you! Amen! Now, I feel religious. Amen. Begin to feel like talking to you now. Oh, in them old doubting days, little old feathers sticking in there, saying, "Days of miracles is past. There's no such a thing as the Holy Ghost." Let that rushing mighty wind come down, and wings from the New and Old Testament begin to fly back and forth, saying, "Jesus Christ the same yesterday, today, and forever," now all the little old pin feathers begin to fly. You better not start off with them in you, if you'll do you'll bust up in the air somewhere. You'll never take that solo flight.
She's getting ready.
Hebrews 13:8 Jesus Christ the same yesterday, and to day, and for ever.
47 Well, she fans all the feathers out of them, see if they're all good and tight. Now she's fixing to take them on a flight. They don't want to go; they're pretty well satisfied walking in that nest. So you know what she does next? She flies right into that nest, and takes that big bill and picks that feathers out; she picks up the sheepskin, and dumps it outside, and throws it over the side of the wall. There isn't nothing left in there but stickers, and these little fellows is having a hard time.
You know, about the first time that you ever got the Holy Ghost, you know, and everybody begin to talk about you, and make fun of you, and everything else. Do you remember how that was? Every time you sat down, it's a sticker. And back there, you know... But He don't want you to get adjusted to this world. He's ready to take you somewhere. Sometimes He lets a disease hit you. He'll let a cancer, let a tumor, or something hit you to see if you're ready for a flight. Oh! See if your ready. Where's all the feathers? See if everything's right.
48 "Yes, the doctor looked at me and said, 'You got three more minutes to live.'"
"Yes, but if I'd listen to that, I'd been dead years ago." But He just blowed all the loose feathers out somehow or another.
49 And the little old eagle, he will start up and everything's miserable, tight. He'll sit down, "oomp," he sticks his feet. And he gets stickers all in the nest, them old green briars. She puts them in there for a purpose.
And the Bible tell us that our trials are worth more to us than precious gold; and then we fuss about it. "Oh, must I be carried home to heaven on a flowery bed of ease, while others fought to win the prize and sailed through bloody seas?"
Why, we American people just wants to sit back and be entertained. And if somebody says something, "Say, I heard you joined the holy-rollers?"; "Well, I guess I won't go back over no more, wife." Oh, my, you're a poor eagle. You might be a buzzard, but you're not an eagle. That's one thing sure. Let me tell you, brother, yes, sir. If you're a vulture, eat the things of the world; but a eagle eats fresh meat. Hallelujah!
An eagle of God eats the Word of God and that alone. He has no ... He can't stomach that old thing of the world. That's right. It won't digest. He just couldn't stand it anyhow. He wants fresh meat. He wants the freshness of the Holy Spirit, the meat of God right out of the Bible. He longs for it! He will drive through snow storms and everywhere. When he hears there's a revival going on, he will take off to it just as hard as he can. Jesus said, "Where the carcass is, the eagle's will be gathered."
Whether they're Presbyterian, Methodist, Baptist, or whatever they was, when the power of God begins to fall according to the Word of God, real genuine eagles will come to that feast. There ain't nothing in the world will keep them away from there. They'll go anyhow, where the power of God... You can say they're holy-rollers or whatever you want to, they'll go just the same, don't make it ... because their eagles. They eat on that. That's what they feed on.
Matthew 24:28 For wheresoever the carcase is, there will the eagles be gathered together.
Luke 17:37 And they answered and said unto him, Where, Lord? And he said unto them, Wheresoever the body is, thither will the eagles be gathered together.
1 Peter 1:7 That the trial of your faith, being much more precious than of gold that perisheth, though it be tried with fire, might be found unto praise and honour and glory at the appearing of Jesus Christ:
50 This mother, there comes a time she's got to stir up this nest, and she throws it all out, and throws all the soft part out, and puts some trials on you. Now, what would a little buzzard do sitting in that nest? He'd never get out of there, that's all. But a eagle, he stirs his nest and he's ready.
Now, one day she says, "Now I think it's time to take my little children on a flight." And she comes screaming out of the air. "Here comes mama!" They know it. Just like a church filled with the Holy Ghost, when the Holy Ghost begins to fall, hands will go up, "Hallelujah, He's here!" Amen. "Oh, I'm so glad!" Why, here sits your neighbor there---you don't care who's sitting there. "Mother Jehovah is coming into the nest. Glory!"
Let Him fall tonight! Let Him scatter His big wings across this place here, pack every person from a wheelchair, every sinner to the altar. He will come riding in on the wings of an eagle. Amen. Oh, I feel good. Yes, sir, He will come in, if you'll let Him, if you'll invite Him. You hear that scream come, "My sheep know my voice, they can tell that."
John 10:27 My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me:
51 Oh, I was talking to a doctor not long ago, and he said, "Billy..." I was having this meeting in a high school auditorium at Jeffersonville, at my home. And the people got shouting and praising the Lord down there because some things happened. And the doctor said to me... I said, "What do you think about that, Doc?"
He said, "Billy, you know what? I think them people are just excited."
I said, "You're a doctor, and you know you can't be excited unless something's there to excite you."
Oh, glory to God! Sure it does. It's the Holy Ghost comes in and excites us! We're ready to take a flight one of these days to glory. Sure it's excitable. If that wasn't excitable, I'd change it for something that was excitable.
52 I can prove to you by science that anything that doesn't move is dead. That's right. You know, if a baby's born, and it don't cry, it don't squall, it don't do nothing, that baby's dead. That's what's the matter with the church today; we've got too many stillborn babies. You know what the doctor usually does? Pick him by the heels, and give him a little posterior protaplasma stimulation. That fixes him up just right. And what the church needs today is a good old-time stimulation of the power of the Holy Ghost to come into the church, tear us up and shake us, stir up the nest and blow out the loose feathers.
Pentecost needs a stirring. Amen. Blow out the loose feathers. We're getting too much doubt among us, superstitions, and "Could it be so? Would it so." Certainly it's so. God's Word said it's so. Eagle's food proves it's so. Amen. Sure it is. Eagle Jehovah comes in and stirs up the nest. And the church is getting too ... it's stagnated. Yeah. Better come in and stir it up.
53 Well you say, "Brother Branham, I've already got the Holy Ghost." Yeah, but it gets some loose feathers in there, see.
I was standing by the sea one time. It was Lake Michigan, really, where it was at. And I noticed that thing, the waters a blasting in and blasting out. I stood there and thought, "Floods of joy over my soul, like the sea billows roll." I commenced to singing. I thought, "You know what, though? There isn't one more drop of water in this ocean, or this lake, than there is when it's perfectly still." That's right. It's got the same amount of water, but it's jumping and carrying on. I thought, "Well, what's the matter? It's got a revival going on. What does that do? It washes all the trash over on the shore." That's what we need today is a good old-fashioned God sent revival to get the doubt and trash out of our hearts, and wash it up on the shore, and forget about it. Amen, clean the sea. Amen. That's what we need, a good old dashing.
54 I like something that's got life, moving. I was a state game warden in Indiana. I used to pass by a spring. That was the prettiest spring I ever seen. Summer or winter, it would always, "bubble, bubble, bubble, bubble." I thought, "Well, you know, that's the happiest thing I ever seen." I sat down one day, and I said, "I want to ask you something, Mr. Spring. Why're you so happy? What are you bubbling all the time about? Are you so happy because that rabbits drink from you?
"No," he'd say, if he could talk.
I said, "Well then, are you happy because, maybe, that the cattle drink from you?"
"Nope."
I said, "What makes you bubble then. Because I drink from you?"
He'd say, "Nope, Brother Branham, not that."
I'd say, "What makes you bubble?"
He'd say, "It isn't me bubbling; it's something behind me a-bubbling me." That's what it is. That's what the church needs today, is the Holy Ghost behind them to bubble a little bit, throw that unbelief out, and the trash, and thinking that the days of miracles is past, and so forth. Let's get back to Jehovah's great power, Jehovah's great eagle food, and believe that we're children of Abraham, God's called eagles. Back to the gospel, back to the Word, back to the truth, back to the food, angel's food, sons of God's food. The eagle stirring her nest, getting ready for a flight. Yes. Oh, it's grand to know these things!
55 Then the first thing you know, an old mother eagle gets up there, and she screams, and they know her voice. Then she goes down to where them little eagles are, and she gives them a lecture: "You're fixing to take a flight now. Something's fixing to happen, but don't you get scared. If you trust me..."
Like Abraham, last night. "Come out here, take your own son, take him up here on top of the mountain and cut his throat. Will you trust Me?"
"I trust you, Lord," said Abraham. Oh, my!
56 Something happened to you; you got sick. Something happened, this one happened, somebody made fun of you. The boss said he'd fire you if he caught you praying again. He's going to give you trial to see what you are. Every son that cometh to God must be tried and chastened. That's it. If you cannot stand chastisement, you become illegitimate children, and not the children of God. When a man comes up---I don't care, he might shout, he might speak with tongues, he might prophesy, might do whatever he will---and if he comes into that trial and backs up, he's not a son of God. No, sir! If it takes his life, he stands there just the same, because he knows who he has believed, and is persuaded He's able to keep that which is committed to Him against the day. Amen.
2 Timothy 1:12 For the which cause I also suffer these things: nevertheless I am not ashamed: for I know whom I have believed, and am persuaded that he is able to keep that which I have committed unto him against that day.
Hebrews 12:6 For whom the Lord loveth he chasteneth, and scourgeth every son whom he receiveth.
Hebrews 12:8 But if ye be without chastisement, whereof all are partakers, then are ye bastards, and not sons.
57 Now, mother eagle says, "Get ready, children, I'm going to give you you're solo flight this morning." So she bats her big wings up, and each one of these little eagles climbs upon them big wings. Oh, I love that! Upon the New and Old Testament both. Climb up on them like that, and say, "All right, fasten my hold right down." Reach over and take the mouth, catch on one of those great big feathers (that you couldn't pull out with a pair of pliers), put his little beak around there and catch it in there, hook his little hooker around there, take these little claws, hook them down into the wings, and say, "All right, Mammy, I'm ready." Oh, my!
58 Jehovah. What? Almighty God, El Shaddai, the breasted One, the big Eagle, the winged One, the Bible, Old and New Testament. Just take your hold, whatever you have need of. Put your hold right onto God's promises, sit right there. No matter what takes place, hold on! Hold to God's unchanging hand. You've reached up, and said, "I'm the Lord that heals all thy diseases," take ahold of it.
If He said, "These signs shall follow them that believe; If they lay hands on the sick, they shall recover," take hold of it. "Blessed are they that do hunger and thirst for righteousness: for they shall be filled."
Pastor says there's no such a thing today, take hold of what God said. Put your hook around there and hold. You're fixing to take a flight now. Remember, it looks dangerous. Hold on! Oh, I'm so glad. Why a buzzard couldn't do that if he had to. A chicken don't even have a hook in his bill, he'd slip off before he got out of the nest. First time anybody said something about him, he'd say, "Oh well, I guess it wasn't right."
Oh, but a eagle's a special built bird. He hooks that little old hooker around there, and puts them feet in there, and he knows how to hold on. Hold to the wings of the cross, brother, let her ... let the storms rock, just keep on going, moving up.
Exodus 15:26 And said, If thou wilt diligently hearken to the voice of the LORD thy God, and wilt do that which is right in his sight, and wilt give ear to his commandments, and keep all his statutes, I will put none of these diseases upon thee, which I have brought upon the Egyptians: for I am the LORD that healeth thee.
Psalm 103:3 Who forgiveth all thine iniquities; who healeth all thy diseases;
Matthew 5:6 Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness: for they shall be filled.
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.
59 She spreads those big wings, picks those little eagles up, feels the weight of them like that, and she gives a big jump off the top of this rock. Now, these little fellows never did feel that wind before. That's a strange thing to them.
You remember, the first time you felt, as eaglets, that mighty rushing wind coming down from heaven set upon you, and cloven tongues like fire sat upon each of them? You remember when He struck you? It was a strange thing, you Methodists, and Baptists, Presbyterian, Lutheran, and Catholic, and Pilgrim Holiness, Nazarenes, and so forth. You'd been born. Sure, you'd been borned again a Christian by believing. But when that wind begin to come, oh, loose feathers begin to fly. I'm telling you, something took place. It was getting you ready for your flight!
60 So the little eagle held on. The old mother took her wings and she jumped off the nest. She begin to rise higher, higher into the blue. Oh, my! Away on up, on up, on up, way on, way on. If there'd happen to be a chicken on there, he's gone by that time. He'd just disintegrate and fall off. But these little eagles are special built. They know God.
God called you; He knowed you, and ordained you, and put your name on the Lamb's Book of life before the world was ever formed. That's what the Bible said.
The antichrist in the last days will deceive all upon the earth whose names were not written in the Lamb's book of life from the foundation of the world. That's right. What are you scared about!? Take the ride!
Don't be scared, brother in the wheelchair. Don't be scared, sister. Don't be scared, brother. You with the cancer, heart trouble, or whatever it is, don't be scared! God's invited you to take a hold of the wings of the cross and this Bible here, God's promise, and fly away into the blue.
Said, "I wasn't up there before, Brother Branham." Hold to Him; He will take you up there.
"How can I do it, Brother Branham? I don't... I never did move my hand. I..." Don't make any difference, move it anyhow! God said so. Amen.
Revelation 17:8 The beast that thou sawest was, and is not; and shall ascend out of the bottomless pit, and go into perdition: and they that dwell on the earth shall wonder, whose names were not written in the book of life from the foundation of the world, when they behold the beast that was, and is not, and yet is.
61 I know you think I'm crazy; but if I am, just let me alone. I'm more happier this way than I was the other way. So I'm satisfied this way. The other way I had worries, and frets, and everything. Now there's no condemnation, I just feel fine, see. So I like this. Yes, sir. In the way that's called heresy, that's the way I worship the God of our fathers. That's right.
Acts 24:14 But this I confess unto thee, that after the way which they call heresy, so worship I the God of my fathers, believing all things which are written in the law and in the prophets:
62 Now, the old mother eagle goes so far up till she becomes out of sight almost. You know what she does to them little eagles when she gets up there? (I've watched them a many time.) She shakes them every one off.
"Oh, you cruel mother!" Oh, no: "You smart mother." She shakes them every one off in the air because she's not afraid. If they had confidence enough to put their confidence... She ... they've done looked all over her big wings. They knowed what she was. They had seen, and she'd told them what their brothers was the year before. And she knowed they were flying; they knowed they flying. She knowed they were eagles, and she wasn't afraid to shake them off.
God's not afraid to put you on a trial. When He said to Job ... Satan said, "Oh, yeah, you got him all hedged up." Said, "Make him ... break that hedge around him; I will make him curse you to your face.
He said, "He's in your hands."
Oh, my! God's not afraid to put His eagles to a flight test. He's not afraid; He's depending on you. He wasn't afraid to put Abraham to a flight test. He was depending on him. He's not afraid to put Abraham's seed to a flight test, because He's depending on you.
Job 1:10 Hast not thou made an hedge about him, and about his house, and about all that he hath on every side? thou hast blessed the work of his hands, and his substance is increased in the land.
Job 1:11 But put forth thine hand now, and touch all that he hath, and he will curse thee to thy face.
Job 1:12 And the LORD said unto Satan, Behold, all that he hath is in thy power; only upon himself put not forth thine hand. So Satan went forth from the presence of the LORD.
63 She shakes those little eagles off right out in the air. She said, "All right, children, flop for yourself." Hmm, my, one of them, you know, he... Then what does she do? She swoops out to one side, sails along watching them. The first thing you know, one of these little eagles is on his back. He's a flopping as hard as he can. Next one has his face down, he's flopping as hard as he can. But she's a watching them. They don't care, they're having a Pentecostal jubilee. Just flopping around, they don't care. If they get topsy-turvy, get out of balance, they are trusting in the great, all-sufficient power of their mother. If one of them little fellows get out of topsy-turvy, and gets turning over too fast or something, she will swoop right under him, and pick him up, and bring him up back in the grace again. Amen. Glory.
64 Yes, sir! Don't you be afraid when He's took you up in these spheres that you don't even understand, yet it's written in His Word because you look through His wings. He promised it! Just flop. My, I can hear them hollering, "Hallelujah! Glory to God! Praise God! How am I doing? I don't care, but I'm just having a big time. Glory to God! Praise God! Hallelujah!"
And the old mother hen, down on the ground, looks up there and said, "Such fanaticism." She don't even know the first thing, got no higher than a barnyard post. And a lot of times the denomination cracks her wings so she can't get up that high.
65 Maybe I better shut up. But oh, brother! I know what I'm talking about! Yes, sir. Them chickens don't know nothing about the heavenlies. They never been up there.
66 Sometime ago a fellow was preaching on divine healing. I won't say who it was. And as soon as he left, there was another fellow come up there and said, "There is no such a thing as divine healing. There's no such a thing as the Holy Ghost. That preacher's crazy."
There was an old country boy sitting back there, with a overall jacket on, hair hanging down, and his mouth, one tooth out, come walking up through the building like that. And stopped and looked up at him, reached down, got an apple, began peeling it like this. Preacher ... or, the debater said, "What do you want, Zac?"
He said, "I want to ask you a question." Just kept on peeling.
Said, "Well, what do you want?" Just kept on peeling the apple. Said, "Speak, or I will have you ... put you out of here."
Said, "I want to ask you a question." Kept on carving the apple up, you know, took the peeling off. Sliced it off, took the core out, put one piece in his mouth, begin chewing on it like that.
Said, "What do you want?"
Said, "I want to ask you a question." Said, "Is this apple sweet or sour?"
He said, "I don't know; I'm not eating it."
Said, "That's just what I thought."
How do you know anything about the Holy Ghost when you've never had a taste of it!? Sure. You've never eat; you've never tried it. Try it sometime; it's honey in the rock. Hallelujah! It's the power of God unto salvation, the resurrection of Jesus Christ, it's eagle food. God's Word, God's Bible, God said so, that settles it forever. "For the promise is to unto you, and to your children, to them that's far off, even as many as the Lord our God shall call." That's His promise, and He keeps His promise! Amen.
Acts 2:39 For the promise is unto you, and to your children, and to all that are afar off, even as many as the Lord our God shall call.
67 This little eagle just a flopping around, you know; they're having a Pentecostal jubilee, just a shouting, and a jumping. They got ... they believe. If mother took them up there, mother can take care of them.
If God told me to trust Him, I will just trust Him. I don't care how topsy-turvy I get, He'll help me out somehow. I don't know. But the only thing I know, I want to flop my wings. All the faith that I've got in the New and Old Testament go by flopping back and forth: Jesus Christ the same yesterday, today, and forever. Just keep on flopping and flying. Somehow or another---if He sends a rushing mighty wind, He throws all the loose feathers out---you can stand it, or He wouldn't take you up there. Just put your trust in Him one time, see what He will do. That's your solo flight. Oh, my. I feel real good. Don't you? Oh, my.
Hebrews 13:8 Jesus Christ the same yesterday, and to day, and for ever.
68 Nest-stirring time. The Pentecostal church needs a nest-stirring time. It needs an old-fashioned revival. Like He spoke of Jacob, he was the apple of His eye. He done wrong, but He found him in the wilderness. And He's like a eagle stirring her nest; He carried Jacob on His wings. Amen.
The church has done wrong, we've all done wrong, but we're the apple of His eye. He's ready to stir the nest tonight, send the Holy Ghost in and shake all the feathers out, and have a revival here in this Yakima Valley that'll warm the nation. He will do it! "As an eagle stirreth up her nest, and fluttereth over her young, and taketh them up on her wings, and bears them up in the air," He said, "so did He Jacob." And the Lord's inheritance is His people. Amen. That's it. God's inheritance is His people.
He told Moses, said, "I am your portion."
Deuteronomy 32:9 For the LORD'S portion is his people; Jacob is the lot of his inheritance.
Deuteronomy 32:10 He found him in a desert land, and in the waste howling wilderness; he led him about, he instructed him, he kept him as the apple of his eye.
Deuteronomy 32:11 As an eagle stirreth up her nest, fluttereth over her young, spreadeth abroad her wings, taketh them, beareth them on her wings:
Deuteronomy 32:12 So the LORD alone did lead him, and there was no strange god with him.
69 The other day I was standing by... This is fine. I was going by Brother Tommy Osborn... That sweet Christian brother, Tommy Osborn, he was brought to his ministry over there that night when the maniac ran out on the platform to kill me at Portland. And then he's traveled overseas, and he's done a... He's a sainted man of God. I looked at his great building; he took me through there, how beautiful it was.
Then here come our darling brother Oral Roberts, one of the sweetest men, and the finest men, and God has trusted him with great wealth, and everything. And there I went to his building. And I went through there, and seen all them things built in the form of a trinity. No glasses on the side, all imported marble, and the ceiling is aluminum, all aluminum wires wore close together. Five hundred machines or something in there, just like an assembly line running through, and letters and so forth. I thought, "Oh, my!"
70 I stepped outside, and I said to Brother Fisher, that I missionaried with him in Africa, he was taking me through... And I went in to the mirror and seen those great beautiful hands reaching down, like the hands of God, and sinner's reaching for Him, my heart just jumped for joy. I thought, "Oh, God, how I thank You for Oral Roberts. How I thank You for one little old Pentecostal boy, born in a dugout over yonder, could have come up to amount like that." I said, "How I thank You, God!"
And I stood outside, and I got to myself and walked around to get my car. Then something said to me (it was Satan), he said, "But what about you? Oral's ministry come off of yours, so did Tommy Osborn. Here you are. Where's your IBM machines?" A little old end of a trailer that Brother Leo let's me have an office in, a phone sitting in there, and a little secondhanded typewriter. "What about that?"
I said, "Oh, I would sure hate for them to come see that."
Satan says, "You see, He can't trust you."
I said, "I guess that's right," see. "All them brothers with all ... I guess He just can't trust me, that's all." And I was standing there looking there, and I got real broke up. I thought, "O God. As hard as I've tried and everything else." And I said then, "Look what You have done..."
Just then I heard a voice said, "But I am your portion."
I thought, "O God. 'A tent or a cottage, why should I care? They're building a palace for me over there! Of rubies and diamonds, and silver and gold, His coffers are full, He has riches untold. I'm a child [an eagle] of the King! A child of the King! With Jesus my Saviour, I'm a child of the King!'" Oh, my.
71 Just flop then, just keep on, whether it's going up, whether you're down, or which ever way you're doing. Mother's standing right out there soaring, right around. "His eye is on the sparrow, and I know He watches me." In and out of His church to see if you get out of topsy-turvy. Something will happen. The big wings, the Word of God, will bring you right back up.
Somebody said, "That's wild fire." I'd rather have a little wildfire than no fire at all, you know. We could take the big wings, and bear it back up to the right. Is that right, brothers? Just think if it's just a little out of order, why, we will just catch them on the wing (you see?), just exactly what it is, and bring them back up into grace again. If you'll just let them flop. Yes, sir. Just let them go ahead and shout, praise the Lord, and holler, "Hallelujah," dance in the Spirit, whatever they want to do. If they get out of order, we got something here---the wings. God will never let you drop if you're a eagle. He will pick up back up again. Now, if you're a buzzard, you're falling anyhow. So you'll just splash on the ground. But if you're a real eagle, you'll listen to the Word of God. Amen. You'll know that's mother's wing bringing you back to grace again! Amen!
72 Said not long ago, I heard a story, said a farmer was going to set a hen. And I don't know how many eggs it takes for a setting out here. Down in the south, where I come from, it takes fifteen eggs to make a setting. That the same thing here?
So this old farmer only had fourteen eggs, and he got a eagle egg and put it under the hen. See what a kind of a crop he got. That's about the way it is, about one out of a setting. Just about the way you get it. That's right. About one eagle out of a setting.
73 So the old hen sat on these eggs, and finally when they all hatched, if that little eagle wasn't a ugly duckling in that bunch of chickens. Well, he was the funniest looking thing they ever seen. That's about the way some of you did when you really hatched out, among a big bunch of formal, and cold, and so forth, and a bunch creeds: we say, "Our Father who art in heaven, hollowed be Thy nammme ... Hail, Mary, blessed are thou," and all this other kinds of a stuff. "And we believe in all this other things [you know] and about that we believe in the holy Catholic church, the..."
Oh, this Apostle's Creed! I wish somebody'd show me Apostle's Creed in the Bible. That's no Apostle's Creed. If they had any creed, it was, "Repent!" That's what Peter told them on the day of Pentecost. Said, "Repent, every one of you be baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ for the remission of your sins, and you shall receive the Holy Ghost. For the promise is unto you, and to your children, to them that is far off, as many as the Lord our God shall call." That's the apostle's creed. That's what it was. Not none of this, "I believe in the holy Roman Catholic church; I believe in the communion of saints." Anybody believes the communion of saints is confessing that they're a spiritualist. That's right.
Matthew 6:9 After this manner therefore pray ye: Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name.
Luke 11:2 And he said unto them, When ye pray, say, Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done, as in heaven, so in earth.
Acts 2:38 Then Peter said unto them, Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost.
Acts 2:39 For the promise is unto you, and to your children, and to all that are afar off, even as many as the Lord our God shall call.
74 There's only one mediator between God and men, that's the man Christ Jesus. I don't believe in no communion of saints. Saints are gone on. Abraham said that he was a... Jesus said, that he was in the bosom of Abraham, and said he could not come here or go there, these, either way. So that settles it. There's gulf betwixt which they cannot cross back and forth. And there's no communion of saints. That's right. Only communion we have is through Jesus Christ. That's our mediator.
The Bible said, "There's no other mediator between God and men, but the man Christ Jesus." Exactly right. "On Christ, the solid rock, I stand; all other grounds is sinking sand."
Luke 16:23 And in hell he lift up his eyes, being in torments, and seeth Abraham afar off, and Lazarus in his bosom.
Luke 16:26 And beside all this, between us and you there is a great gulf fixed: so that they which would pass from hence to you cannot; neither can they pass to us, that would come from thence.
1 Timothy 2:5 For there is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus;
75 This little old eagle... The mother, after she got him off the nest, you know, he'd kind of puttered along behind. You remember how out of place you seemed? "My, my," said, "this don't seem right." Walk in that old dusty yard, where the cows has walked, and the horses, and that old dust flying up. Hmm, what a stink! Said, "This don't seem right." He looked up like that and said, "Say, what about up there?
And the old hen said, "Cluck, cluck, cluck, cluck, cluck: days of miracles is past. No such thing as flying up in the air, that's impossible." Just didn't sit right, you know. It just---it didn't suit his gastronomics. He knowed there's something better up there somewhere, so he kept walking with his head up.
And she said, "Children, don't listen to him. He's one of them odd guys." You see?
That's the way a eagle is when he's kind of out of place amongst the chickens, see. So she goes over on the big old manure pile, and she begins to scratch and say, "Cluck, cluck, cluck, cluck: we're going to have an old supper over here tonight, we got to pay the pastor. We got to have some kind of a sale to pay the..." When it gets to a place like that, the church ought to close it's doors. Pay your tithes and the pastor will be paid! "We will have a bunco game; we'll all these other things here."
That little eagle started and said, "Whew, I couldn't stand that. My. Hmmm. Hmmm."
76 My, he kept looking up, looking up. And after while---the old mother was searching for him. Here she come. She swooped down. She seen him! Oh, I'm so glad. Oh, my! She screamed, "Darling, you're not a chicken; you're mine!"
Oh, I remember when I first heard about the baptism of the Holy Ghost, He screamed in my heart, "It's for you. I called you. Oh, you're not a chicken, your Mine."
Oh, when he heard that cry... What did she say when she come back across again? She said, not, "Cluck, cluck, cluck." She said, "Glory, Hallelujah! Praise the Lord!" That sounded good to him. Amen. That's what he was born for. That's why his name was put on the Lamb's book of life before the foundation of the world. "My sheep know my voice." When they heard that, it's just like honey on a rock for a bear. He will lick it all night, keep coming. He knows that there's something. "You're mine, honey. You're not a chicken. You're an eagle."
"Oh, is that what it is, Mama?" Look at them big wings: "Jesus Christ the same yesterday, today, and forever. I AM that I AM." Amen. That sounds good. Yes.
"What can I do, Mama?" Amen.
"Just jump as high as you can jump, and start flopping. I will get you." Hallelujah! He made a big jump with four or five flops, and hit right on top of a post, right in the middle of an organization.
She come back across again; she said, "Honey, you've got to do better than that, or I can't even pick you up."
John 10:27 My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me:
Hebrews 13:8 Jesus Christ the same yesterday, and to day, and for ever.
77 What we need today is a nest-stirring time. What we need today is the power of the Holy Ghost. What we need today is eagle food, preaching that Jesus Christ still heals, he's the same, "The works that I do shall you do also."
Aren't you glad to know tonight that Jehovah has His big wings across here, waving His Spirit back and forth? The Angel of the Lord having His picture taken, same pillar of fire that was in the wilderness, in the New Testament, now in the last days, "yesterday, today, and forever." People being healed, filled with the Holy Ghost, speaking with tongues, interpretations, power of God coming, the Lord drawing nigh, God getting His church together. Aren't you glad to be in such thing as that? Happy! Amen. Whew.
My, I don't whether I can go much longer or not. Seem like about to take off right now. This feels good to me, to know that it's the truth, it's not a Santa Claus story. It's the truth of the living God. Do you believe it? Yeah, with all your heart? Do you believe we need a nest-stirring time? Do you believe we need a Holy Ghost again? Do you believe that we need a fresh pouring out of His Spirit? Do you believe the church needs a rebaptizing again? Do you believe with all your heart? Let's start something right now, will you? Are you ready to get under the wind? Are you ready to do it? Do you believe it?
John 14:12 Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that believeth on me, the works that I do shall he do also; and greater works than these shall he do; because I go unto my Father.
78 Let's stand on our feet. How many people here hasn't got the Holy Ghost? How many people hasn't got the Holy Ghost, come here just a minute. Come down out of that balcony. This is nest-stirring time. Let's get these old loose feathers out. We can't heal or have a real healing service till we get these feathers straight out. God will never take us up there and drop us till we get these feathers out of us.
Come now. Everybody that wants to come under the power of the Spirit, come up here just a minute and stand around this altar. I believe God's going to pour out the Holy Ghost right here tonight, and shake this thing, and get all the feathers out of here, and take His eagles on the wings like that, and take us out yonder for a revival.
79 I want to see a revival that's here! I want to see every one of these churches on fire, the power of God falling. We need it. Come on down out of the balcony, brother. Don't put it off any longer. Let's---if you're a sinner, come too. Come right on, you without the Holy Ghost. You without repentance, move right on up around the altar.
"Oh," he says, "it's so far down."
If you fail to get it, one day in hell it'll be too far to get back to repent again. It's a lot closer here than it would be out of hell. Come on. All without battle sure take the hell route. Come on, that's it. Come on, eagles. Have you heard Him scream tonight? Have you felt His presence? Have you felt that wind saying, "This is it. Here it is. This is it."
This is the same that they had on the day of Pentecost. This is the real power of God. This is it. I'm waiting. They're coming from the balconies, some of them coming down.
80 "There Is a Fountain Filled With blood," if you will, brother, on the organ. Let's sing it now, while we're waiting for all the eagles to gather around.
Peter said on the day of Pentecost, "This is that." If this isn't that, I will just keep this till that comes. Amen. Come.
There is a fountain filled with blood,
Drawn from Immanuel's....
You that wants to work for God, if you're a housewife: He will give you the gift of speaking in tongues, He will give you the gift of prophesy, He will do something for you. Won't you come? Get the loose feathers shook out now.
All their guilty....
Won't you come? Come from the balcony, sinner friend. Move on down. Come on. All you that's just accepted Christ as personal Saviour, yet not been filled with the Holy Ghost, won't you come up around the altar? God bless you, lady.
Lose all their guilty stains...
Right over here, lady, right this way.
And sinner's plunged beneath that flood,
Lose all their guilty stains.
Acts 2:16 But this is that which was spoken by the prophet Joel;
81 Listen, friends, this is the only way for you to please God, is to obey Him. They that come to God must believe. Now look, some of you Methodists, Baptists, Presbyterians, or some that's never received the Holy Ghost yet, how would God let me do these things that He does here at night? How would He send me out on the field, seven times around the world? How would He do that, and let millions of souls be won, if I didn't have some conception of truth? How would He let me do these things, the signs that He said that would send in the last days, and we've never even seen them or read of them in history before, since the days of our Lord. Why would He let me bring a message like this, if I'm wrong? He will never bless a lie. But He lets me bring it, because I've preached this is the truth. This is the way.
Hebrews 11:6 But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him.
82 And listen, you Catholic friends, did you know virgin Mary had to go up and get the Holy Ghost, and stagger like she was drunk, before God would ever let her in heaven? How are you going to get there anything less than that? Your church, your creed, whatever it is, if it's Pentecostal creed, if it's Baptist creed, or Methodist creed, whatever it is, you'll never get in anything less than the baptism of the Holy Ghost. That's exactly.
So you said, "It seems so strange."
Yes, sir. What makes these people act like that? Is because they're born from above. Their spirit's of another kingdom. Their kingdom is above. Jesus said, "If this world was my kingdom, my people would fight for it. But my kingdom is up above." That's right.
John 18:36 Jesus answered, My kingdom is not of this world: if my kingdom were of this world, then would my servants fight, that I should not be delivered to the Jews: but now is my kingdom not from hence.
83 Won't you come? Let's sing once more so I will be sure. I've just prayed all day that God would fill this place, and shake it like never before.
The dying thief rejoiced to see...
Do you believe it now, with all your heart? Come down the aisle then. Won't you come down? Please, friend, I persuade you in Christ's name.
And there may I, though vile as he,
(You're as vile as he, if you deny it.)
...all my sins away. (Come right on.
That's right.)
Wash all my sin away,
Wash all my sins away;
And there may I, though vile as he,
Wash all my sins away.
84 Do you believe with all your heart? Now, let's stand still just a moment. Now, if you regard me as His servant, if you do, I appreciate it. I can help you. Now, all of you here that's seeking God's Holy Spirit, raise up your hand. You're hungry.
Jesus said, "Blessed are they that do hunger and thirst for righteousness: they shall be filled."
Now, there's a bunch of people out in here I want to deal with before we go to the room there. But I want you people here, that's seeking the Holy Ghost, to follow one of these ministers. Who? Which one of you? This brother right here. Take the lead, go into the room, here, just a minute. Here, go in like this: "Lord, if you don't give me the Holy Ghost, when You come back to earth, I will be laying right here," see. Just don't play with it. If you do, you'll never get nowhere. You got to mean business. You got to come to God believing that you're going to get what He...
Why did he say... I said awhile ago, them people couldn't cast out that evil spirit. They said, "Why couldn't we do it?"
He said, "Because of your unbelief."
Not, if they didn't have power to do it---but they didn't have faith to do it. Now, you've got the power to receive the Holy Ghost. You've got the Holy Ghost on you, because you're hungering and thirsting, and Jesus said, "You're blessed, because you even hunger and thirst."
Now, hear me and believe. Go right in there now, while I deal with another group here. Be in there just in a minute. All right.
Matthew 5:6 Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness: for they shall be filled.
Matthew 17:16 And I brought him to thy disciples, and they could not cure him.
Matthew 17:19 Then came the disciples to Jesus apart, and said, Why could not we cast him out?
Matthew 17:20 And Jesus said unto them, Because of your unbelief: for verily I say unto you, If ye have faith as a grain of mustard seed, ye shall say unto this mountain, Remove hence to yonder place; and it shall remove; and nothing shall be impossible unto you.
85 Now, as you take your place right here, go right this way to a room, so we won't bother the rest of them. Sometimes, people seeking the Holy Ghost, they think, "Somebody's back there. I brought Mr. Jones, and he's sitting back there." But get you to yourself, where everybody's dying with you, something's going to happen. That's right. Move right into the room.
86 Let's all that's got the Holy Ghost say, "Praise God." Look at this great [unclear words]. Look at this great power [unclear words]. Now, all of you personal workers move right in with them now, all the personal workers. Some of you ministering brethren, if you will too, go in there to see that everything is carried on just exactly right. We want them to receive the real baptism of the Holy Spirit. Go right in the room, so we can meet you right in here, just in a moment.
There is a fountain filled with blood,
Drawn from Immanuel's veins,
And sinners plunged beneath that flood,
Lose all their guilty stains.
Lose all their guilty stains,
Lose all their guilty stains;
And ... (Is there another one would like to go.
One more?) ... beneath that flood,
Lose all their guilty stains.
Let's bow our heads now reverently. [Brother Branham hums.]
A nobler sweeter song...
87 Now, if there's any in here that feel, that with your heads bowed, your eyes closed, that you're not a Christian. You're not a Christian. You say, "I should've went in there. But I want to raise up my hands to God, and say, "God, give me courage; don't let me die in this condition."
Friends, we're not playing church. It may seem odd to what you've been taught in your different creeds and churches, but this is the Bible. This is the way it was at the beginning, and God is infinite and cannot change. This is the same. The prescription reads, "He's the same yesterday, today, and forever."
Hebrews 13:8 Jesus Christ the same yesterday, and to day, and for ever.
88 Now, if you don't know Him as your Saviour, would you just be gentleman or lady enough to raise up your hand, say, "Pray for me, Brother Branham. I'm not a Christian."
God bless you, young lady. In the balcony to the left, to the main floor, is there one here would say, "I'm not a Christian, Brother Branham." God bless you, lady. I have courage for a person that's honest. You'll never get no where with God till you're honest. Over here? God bless you, lady. God bless you, son.
Up in the balcony, to my right, raise your hand, say, "I'm not a Christian." God bless you, lady. God bless you. "I'm not a Christian, but I really want to be, Brother Branham. Pray that God will give me courage to come yet. Or if He don't, don't let me die this way."
Surely you don't want to die that way, children. What made you raise your hand? Because the very thing in you, you're born to be an eagle. That's what made you raise your hand. Now, don't just let the little old pin feathers and things hold you from the heavenly flight. Why not do it tonight?
89 Our heavenly Father, there are those seven or eight people, many of those, most of them are young people in the adolescent age, just the crossroads. I noticed those beautiful, lovely-looking young women, young men, raising their hands. They're hungering, Lord. Rock-and-roll and the things of the world can never satisfy that spot in a human heart till God comes in there, if there's any place there for Him. If when He made that person, He made a place for Himself to dwell in, nothing will never take it's place.
Father, let them know that the greatest thing that ever happened to them is when conviction come on their soul that they wanted to serve You. I pray for them, Father, even now, while we have our heads bowed, that those people that raised their hands will make their way right in that room. Those young children, Lord, just nothing but teen-age children.
I pray, Father, that all that raised their hands will have the courage, and may my prayer go before You to knock at the door [Brother Branham knocks on the pulpit.] one more time, Father. Grant it. Maybe they'll go in, the greatest thing they ever done.
I can remember back in the early days of my boyhood, how that night I was hungering, and I felt You knock at my door, Lord. I'm so glad I let You in. Now I'm a middle-aged man; I just love You more than I ever loved You in my life.
90 O God, never let nothing happen... If I can't serve You, take me now. Let me go now. What a joy it is, and a privilege, to serve God. Give it to these young people, Lord. They've got an awful battle. Look at them. Look at what they got. Look at their television: rotten and polluted. Look at the nation they're coming up in here: politics rotten to the core, the antichrist arising in seat and power. The world, American people, don't know what a struggle is. They don't know how to do without. They never had to miss a meal. O God, just look. Glamour and Hollywood, and it's even got into assembly-line religion in the churches, and streamlined Hollywood. No more old-fashioned all night prayer meetings, and agonizing, and praying, and having fellowship around the things of God. No more praying through.
God, these children need that. I pray that they'll receive it tonight. I'm keeping my eyes closed, Lord. I'm going to believe that You're going to send every one of them straight to the room. Grant it, Father. Let it be done, Lord. Please do. And I can shake their hand on that day, and say, "Yes, a little old chopped-up message one night, As The Eagle Stirs Its Nest."
91 You stirred the nest of the world that they lived in. They're getting tired of it, Lord. They're raising up their hands; they're looking up. "How great Thou art. How great Thou art." May they flee, Lord, into the heavenly blues, where they can fellowship up there with fellow kinsman of the same gospel. Eagle's food, may they eat. Grant it, Lord. Not be an earthbound chicken that wolves... And them young ladies, that old wolf stuff they have today, the boogie-woogie and rock-and-roll; and let them know, Lord, it's just the thing to tear their precious souls out them and send them to a devil's hell, callous their hearts, pull it through these old movie stories and true stories, when it's all lies and fiction and make-up. Let them look at these big wings of God, the New and Old Testament, and say, "There I will take my stand, right there upon that rock."
Grant it, Lord. I'm trusting that each one of them is in that room now. Grant it, I pray in Christ's name. Amen.
92 Let's just stand still a minute. [A brother speaks in tongues and another brother interprets. Then another prophecy is given.]
Praise God. Friends, that's---if I understand the Scripture, that's the voice of God speaking back in confirmation. He reverenced with that. What did He say? Don't rebel; go into the room. Every sinner without the blood of Christ, make your way to the room, friend. If the Bible... Forgive me for saying, "if"; we know the Bible is right. That's not my voice; that's God's voice speaking. And to you people that's sick, you hear what He said? That's a message to the church, see. That's the Holy Spirit.
93 Now, let's sing, "At the Cross, At the Cross Where I First Saw the Light." Let every sinner move back in here, will you please? Move back here if ... [break in tape].
At the cross, at the cross where I first......
(That's right. Move right back to the right.)
And the burden of my heart rolled....
(Rest of you can be seated, if you wish to.)
It was there by faith I received......
(Personal workers hurry to the room, right quick.)
...now I...
Everybody that wants to be a volunteer for a personal worker, move. They're meeting in the room there, where the people's receiving the Holy Ghost.
At the cross, at the cross where I first saw the light,
And the burden of my heart rolled away (rolled away),
It was there by faith I received my sight,
And now I am happy all the day!
[Brother Branham hums.] Let's just hum it, and hold our hands to God.
O God, we love You. Lord, we love You. [Brother Branham hums.]
........I received my sight,
And now I am happy all the day!
Now, real slowly and sweetly. And in the tune that you're singing.
At the cross, at the cross where I first saw the light,
(At the nest.) ... of my heart rolled away,
(I seen her two big wings.)
It was there by ... (I climbed up on them.)
I received my sight,
And now I am happy all the day!
[Brother Branham hums.] Oh, I just can't let that go. Isn't it sweet? Don't you feel it in your heart?
And the..........