Influences
You can find this sermon at ChurchAges.net
1 That's right. I think we ought to stand when we read his Word. Don't you think so? So let's stand just a moment, as we read his Word. I'm reading tonight for a Scripture lesson found in the book of Isaiah, the 6th chapter. Listen closely:
In the days of the king Uzziah died I saw also the Lord sitting upon a throne, high ... lifted up, and his train filled the temple.
Above it stood the seraphims: each one had six wings; with twain he covered his face, and with twain he covered his feet, and with twain he did fly.
...One cried unto the other, and said, Holy, holy, holy, is the LORD God of hosts: the whole earth is full of his glory.
And the posts of the door moved at the voice of him that cried, and the house was filled with smoke.
Then said I, Woe is me! for I am undone; because I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips: for my eyes have seen the King, the Lord of hosts.
Then flew one of the seraphims unto me, having a live coal in his hand, which he had taken with the tongs from off the altar:
And he laid it upon my mouth, and said, Lo, this has touched thy lips; ... thine iniquity is taken away, and thy sin is purged.
Also I heard the voice of the Lord, saying, Whom shall I send, ... whom will go for us? Then said I, Here am I; send me.
Isaiah 6:1 In the year that king Uzziah died I saw also the Lord sitting upon a throne, high and lifted up, and his train filled the temple.
Isaiah 6:2 Above it stood the seraphims: each one had six wings; with twain he covered his face, and with twain he covered his feet, and with twain he did fly.
Isaiah 6:3 And one cried unto another, and said, Holy, holy, holy, is the LORD of hosts: the whole earth is full of his glory.
Isaiah 6:4 And the posts of the door moved at the voice of him that cried, and the house was filled with smoke.
Isaiah 6:5 Then said I, Woe is me! for I am undone; because I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips: for mine eyes have seen the King, the LORD of hosts.
Isaiah 6:6 Then flew one of the seraphims unto me, having a live coal in his hand, which he had taken with the tongs from off the altar:
Isaiah 6:7 And he laid it upon my mouth, and said, Lo, this hath touched thy lips; and thine iniquity is taken away, and thy sin purged.
Isaiah 6:8 Also I heard the voice of the Lord, saying, Whom shall I send, and who will go for us? Then said I, Here am I; send me.
2 Let us bow our heads.
Father, woe... We feel the same way as Isaiah felt. Woe is us, for our eyes have seen the King, the Lord of glory. We thank Thee, Lord, that there is a cleansing process tonight, that can touch not only our lips but our hearts, and our souls, and cleanse us from all of our uncleanliness. For it is, truly we dwell among people with unclean lips, and our lips also is unclean. We pray that the great Holy Spirit will come and touch our lips and our hearts with an anointing, the fire of the Holy Spirit from the altar of God, and cleanse us from all of our unbelief and doubt, that He might come in and make his abode with us. For we love Him, and we adore Him, and we worship Him.
We pray, Father, tonight if there's any here that hasn't yet had that cleansing touch of the great Holy Spirit, and the fire of God, that this night that this work will be wrought in them, for the kingdom of God's sake. We ask it in Jesus' name. Amen. Be seated.
3 Now, we'll try to be out early. I don't want you to miss Sunday School. It's all right to miss a day's work---you won't miss that too much. But ... keep you till 9:30 or something on any other night. But don't miss Sunday School, whatever you do.
Now, my subject tonight is "Influences."
4 We want to read this story. We should turn to II Chronicles, the 26th chapter. You could read it. This Uzziah was a shepherd boy and he... II Chronicles, 26, tells us he was anointed king at the age of sixteen. And regards his father: a godly man. And this man was a good man, having godly parents. He did that which was right in the sight of the Lord.
Now we find that... Usually,
2 Chronicles 26:1 Then all the people of Judah took Uzziah, who was sixteen years old, and made him king in the room of his father Amaziah.
5 I think today, our great problem of what we believe to be juvenile delinquency is a parent delinquent, a home delinquent. Our people got away from the things that they should have stayed with. The church got lukewarm or cold, and the children got out into the world.
Now, Hollywood puts out lots of movies, and television and so forth, that's even uncensored, where they curse and use God's name in vain. And it used to be it was wrong for the children in the Holiness churches to go to bioscopes, or picture shows. And now Satan got one jump ahead by bringing it right into the house in the form of television, and then uncensored and so forth. And that's Satan's way of gradually entering in,
6 like the old toboggan slide used to be.
Many of you don't remember it because you're too young. Used to have entertainment for the children. You sit down on your toboggan, and just move around and around. There's a hole, a chute. And everyone would dare one another, who could go closest to it. And after while, before you knew it, down you went. That's the way sin is. Don't trifle with it. Don't see how close you can get to it; see how far you can stay away from it, see. Don't take no chance. If you're going to take a chance... I don't want no chance.
7 An old Scotsman one time, they said, was going to cross the mountain. And the carriages were waiting, each man wanting to take him across. He said, "I want the best teamster to take me."
One of them said, "Well, I can drive my six head of horses, at a full gallop, within ten inches of that rim around that mountain. Fall off, it's death. I'm a good enough teamster to drive my horses safely around there within ten inches of my wheel, and not fall off."
The other one said, "I can beat that. I can drive within six inches, or four inches, and never fall off."
He said, "What about you, sir?"
He said, "Well, I don't know. I don't like to do that. I just hug the bank."
He said, "You take me."
That's right. That's the one.
8 It isn't how close you can come, and how well you think you're fortified. Stay just as far away from sin as you can stay. Get just as far away as you can.
Say, "I can do this. There's no harm in doing this."
Well, if there's a question in your mind, don't you do it at all. Anywhere there's a question, stay away from it. Then you see, then you're absolutely living by faith if there's no question. If there's a question, then leave it. Don't go around it at all.
9 And I think that many times that it's the parents that get away. I know there's sometimes that the schools and things, and Sunday School about a half-hour, or hour, on Sunday morning, and the world has the kids the rest of the week, and cram into them more than a teacher. And many times (too many times) the teacher's got a little quarterly that she teaches about while she paints her lips, and fixes her hair, and lets the children do the best they can.
And then at home they get no Christian training at all. Mother's out somewhere to a card party, and Dad's down to the bowling alley, and Sis is out with somebody with a hot-rod, and here you are. See, what ... where did we ... where did we go? You just ... it's just ... it's terrible.
And then we find out that all these things together, Junior out beating up and down the street on his motorcycle, or it's some of them down playing golf, and others playing pool, and it's just something another for entertainment. And the church is let go.
10 Many times, then, they got a board there. If that pastor would happen to hit a little wire that was kind of little contrary, or say something about it, that board would have him up. His name would go up to headquarters, and he'd be excommunicated. So you see, it's become a meal ticket, instead of anointed servant to preach the gospel. That's right. It becomes a thing that they want a... It's a meal ticket. They got to stay there, get good pay. Listen, brother. God have mercy upon a man that would sell his birthright for that.
We need men that will handle the gospel bare-handed---not with any kind of a denominational glove on. Just lay it out there the way it's wrote, and let the chips fall wherever they want. "If the shoe fits," Mama used to say, "wear it. Don't trim your corn." Now, so we have those things that we ought to be listening to.
11 Now, this King Uzziah being such a wonderful child... He had a godly father. His mother came from Jerusalem, and a godly father who was king before him. And that kind of a teaching melted into that boy.
I'm neither Democrat nor Republican. I made one vote, and that was for Christ. He's... I'm going to win on that.
2 Chronicles 26:3 Sixteen years old was Uzziah when he began to reign, and he reigned fifty and two years in Jerusalem. His mother's name also was Jecoliah of Jerusalem.
12 Now, I think the greatest president, though, that we ever had was Abraham Lincoln. Not because he was a Kentuckian too, but it's because that the man come up from nothing. And all the books that man ever owned from the time he was a young boy until he was of age, almost, was the Bible and Bunyan's "Pilgrim's Progress." See, that molded into him, what that honest Abe, he...
What you read, what you do, molds your character. It tells what you are. And now you see, he read where if you did wrong, you paid for it; you did right, God would honor it. And that molded him, what he was. And his mother a godly woman, too... He said if there's any credit given anybody, it was a godly mother that raised him right.
Now, that's made, I think, I'd say at least one, if not the greatest president that we had. He come up from nothing, and God made him president because he was an honest man, and a good man.
13 Now, we find that this boy was the same. Having these godly parents, he did that which was right. When he was made king when he was sixteen years old, he ignored all the politics and the popular opinions of his day, and served God with reverence. That made him a real king, to ignore the politics, the modern opinion, and serve God with reverence. That was very good. His kingdom---God blessed it---was so great till it was next to Solomon's. Solomon had the greatest that there was, but this boy was next to Solomon in his kingdom.
It was a great help to the young prophet Isaiah. And him being a young chap at that time just coming on, being born a prophet, he watched the influence that this man had upon the people, and seen where his influence come from, because he trusted God emphatically. And he noticed again, Isaiah did, how that God will bless them that will be true to God's Word.
2 Chronicles 26:3 Sixteen years old was Uzziah when he began to reign, and he reigned fifty and two years in Jerusalem. His mother's name also was Jecoliah of Jerusalem.
14 Now, we realize that this young fellow wanted to stay with the principles of what God said. He kept his laws. His eye wouldn't turn right or left. He stayed right with what the Word said, and God honored him, and blessed him in everything he done, prospered, went right on. What an example that is for any young person.
I think if we had people today, our churches who claim to be Christians, if they would abstain from the things of the world and live that kind of a life, it would influence the younger Christians to do so. But today, when they let down and drink, and smoke, and carry on, and still try to hold their confession as Christianity, that puts a bad stumbling block in other people's way. And it makes it very hard.
15 Remember the Bible said, "You are living, written epistles read of all men." Now many people won't read the Bible. But God has made you a living representative. You are a walking letter, should be a walking Bible, Christ in you. You should be the walking Word of God. And if you profess to be a Christian and not that, your influence ... your ... what you're influencing will make you have to answer for many souls that you've turned aside, away from Christ, in that day of the judgment.
I think it behooves us tonight to think about that. For every man, woman, boy and girl, knows that you're coming to the judgment. You might escape this, that, or the other. You might beat the income tax, and you might escape the Internal Revenue. You might do one thing, or another. You might have run over the speed limit, and the cops never catch you. But one day judgment's going to get you. That's certain.
2 Corinthians 3:2 Ye are our epistle written in our hearts, known and read of all men:
Hebrews 9:27 And as it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment:
16 We know that man must die, and after that the judgment. Death's not a hard thing. It's the judgment after death that's the bad part. And there, what you've done on life, and how you've influenced others, you'll have to answer for it in that day.
How much more ought we to set aside every weight, and the sin that easily beset us, that we might run with patience this race that is set before us, looking not to the creed, to the denomination, to some other person, but to Jesus Christ, who is the author and finisher of our faith.
Hebrews 12:1 Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us,
Hebrews 12:2 Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God.
17 How we should think them things, friends, sternly and reverently as we see this day approaching, and knowing that any time your life's pages of book may be closed tonight. And tomorrow will be too late for you to do it. Don't put off what you can do today for tomorrow ... for tomorrow may never come. Men and women, boys and girls may be sitting here tonight, will be in the morgue before daylight. Surely then, your book is closed, and you'll never have another chance. This may be the last chance that you'll ever have. Think of it seriously. You say, "Well, it probably isn't."
I ... it probably isn't, but it could be. But remember, some day the book's going to be closed. And what you're doing now, and especially you people who are claiming to be Christians---separate yourself from the things of the world. Have nothing to do with the world. Shun it. For some person is watching you. Somebody is watching you. And you're going to not only stand yourself there, but you're going to take them to the bad place, and you're going to have to answer for your influence.
18 How this prophet watched this man and seen that God blessed him, and what an influence that was! How that man prospered, what God did for him! He lived a life that was wonderful, blessed of God. And he wouldn't turn right or left.
Now, here we find another example, here in this man, this man Uzziah, a great king who once walked with God. The Bible said when the king felt that he was secured, felt that he was all right, then he was lifted up in his heart with pride.
2 Chronicles 26:16 But when he was strong, his heart was lifted up to his destruction: for he transgressed against the LORD his God, and went into the temple of the LORD to burn incense upon the altar of incense.
19 Let me stop here to say this solemnly, my brother, sister. God has made you my audience tonight. I must be dead earnest in what I am saying, and you must listen with dead earnest. That's what's the trouble with many people today. They think... We have some of our ministering brothers: some of them gets to a spot maybe in big ministries, until they feel secure. We've had ... know this to be true, of many ministers in the land today, begin to drink.
Some of them think, "Well, I've got my little kingdom built around me. There's no reason for me... Them people love me so much, until they'll never pay any attention if I do this, or I do that."
Let me tell you, brother, there is one who is looking, and that's God. No man's secure outside of God.
20 Sometimes we get to a place we think God blesses us.
"He give me a Cadillac, he give me a better job, he give me this."
That's no sign that you can't turn his blessings from you.
When you get lifted up and feel, "Well, I once laid all night and prayed. I once did this, and I did that, but I didn't do it any more," you're on dangerous ground. That's what's the matter with our Pentecostal people.
Why, back yonder, long time ago, when we had a little mission down on the corner somewhere, the women with no stockings on, and beating the tambourine down there, had to pray all night and everything. Cops locked you up, and stayed in jail, and so forth. You prayed. The churches, all the denominations, laughed at you and made fun of you.
But now, God has lifted you up till you got some of the best churches in the country, a great powerful denomination. You begin to feel secure. Be careful! That's when you get lifted up. Then when God sends something, you can't accept it anymore, because you've already witnessed to this thing. Then you begin to feel secure. That's the time that you're on your road to your fall. That's what denominations does for nations.
21 Look at our nation. Once one of the great moral countries of the world; look at it today. It's the laughing stock of the world, filthier than anything I know of.
When I got off the plane and come in at Rome, and went up to St. Angelo to go into the catacombs, I was embarrassed when I seen a sign sitting at the St. Angelo's catacomb. Said, "A word to all American women. Please put on clothes, before entering the catacombs to honor the dead." Coming in there with shorts on, and trousers on, in a place like Rome. And then had to say to the American women, "To honor the dead, put on clothes." Why, it's become a stench in the nostrils.
And all of our overseas money, and relief loans, and everything like that, will never buy friendship.
22 What we need in this nation (and we'll never have it), but what we need is a house-cleaning time; not a political house-cleaning, but a Holy Ghost-sent revival, that will sweep her from head to toe. That's what our churches need. That's what our people need. That's what as individuals we need, that our influence when we get lifted up...
Say, "I'm Pentecostal, I spoke with tongues, I shouted, I danced in the spirit."
You might have done that. But let me tell you something, brother. That's no security to you, not a bit.
23 We find out when Uzziah got lifted up in his heart, we find out that God smote him. What did he do? He tried so much to try to take a minister's place. He thought because he got lifted up---God had blessed him, made him a great man---he could just do anything he wanted to.
I heard a young man tell me not long ago, he said, "You know, God loves me so much, Brother Branham, He just lets me do anything I want to. He don't care."
2 Chronicles 26:16 But when he was strong, his heart was lifted up to his destruction: for he transgressed against the LORD his God, and went into the temple of the LORD to burn incense upon the altar of incense.
24 I hear so much today about God being a good God. He is. I'm not disputing that. He is a good God, but He's also a God of wrath. His holiness requires righteousness. His law requires judgment. If there is no judgment to law, law is of non-effect.
What good would it do to say it's against the law to run this red light down here, without being a penalty behind it? There'd be no law. You couldn't do nothing about it till there's a penalty. There's a penalty for transgressing God's laws. And it will ... you'll have to pay to the utmost farthing before you're brought out.
Matthew 5:26 Verily I say unto thee, Thou shalt by no means come out thence, till thou hast paid the uttermost farthing.
25 Now, many men today makes that sad mistake like this fellow did. When he got exalted, got big, got so he had everything in his own hands, he felt secure. "God loves me so much that there's nothing can bother me now." When he did that, he throwed hisself in the same shape that Nebuchadnezzar did one time, as you Bible readers know. Then we find out that he was smitten with leprosy because he tried to take a minister's place.
2 Chronicles 26:19 Then Uzziah was wroth, and had a censer in his hand to burn incense: and while he was wroth with the priests, the leprosy even rose up in his forehead before the priests in the house of the LORD, from beside the incense altar.
26 Not long ago... I speak international for the Full Gospel Businessmen. Sometime ago, I was sitting in a place over in Jamaica. We was having a meeting. I love them, because it's people out of all the churches. It gives me a chance to speak. Sometimes the churches won't cooperate, but their businessmen are cooperating. They have to kind of hold their face, for the Businessmen's sake.
27 Now, we find out, that in there I was having a meeting. That night when we come back over to the Flamingo Motel, I said, "I'm ashamed of you fellows." I said, "It's a disgrace. All you talked about, before all the political leaders and things, and businessmen up and down here, was about, 'I had a little bitty business down here,' and, 'I got sixteen Cadillacs,' or whatevermore." I said, "Them men, you can't compare with them.
"That's what's the trouble with the church today. You're trying to compare with Hollywood. You're trying to make it like Hollywood. Remember, Hollywood glares; the gospel glows. You can't go over on their ground. You've got to bring them on our ground. That's where we've got to get them. You've got to get them over here; not us go out there. We can never compare with them. We don't want to. They shine and glitter; the gospel glows with meekness and humility. That's just the difference between a glow and a glare."
28 Now, we find out ... I said to these men, I said, "The thing of it is, you men, which are just business men, are trying to preach the gospel. You ain't got no business doing that. We preachers have a hard enough time keeping level. And you fellows oughtn't to be doing that. You're trying to take the wrong place. You're businessmen. But don't try to take the gospel's place."
I said, "The thing of it is today, you're trying to say how much you got. What a difference it is from the first Pentecostals. The first Pentecostals got rid of what they had."
Some little singer there---was a fine little man. I love him, a nice man. But he said, "Brother Branham, I never want to dispute your word, or say anything against it."
I said, "That's all right. If it's not the Word of the Lord, then you've got a right to, brother."
He said, "That's one time you're wrong."
I said, "Oh, no. No, no." I said, "The first Pentecostals sold everything they had, throwed it in the missions, and went out."
And he said, "Preacher, that's the worst thing they ever did."
I said, "What? The Holy Spirit make a mistake?"
He said, "I don't say that. But it was the worst thing they ever did." Said, "Then, when the dispute come in the church, they had no homes to go to."
I said, "Just exactly the reason God had them to sell their homes. Then they went everywhere, scattering the message throughout the country. They had no other place to go. God knows what He's doing! Let Him run the business."
Acts 4:34 Neither was there any among them that lacked: for as many as were possessors of lands or houses sold them, and brought the prices of the things that were sold,
29 We find out that this man took a censer, started into the ... to the ... to make a ... wave a censer, burn incense. That wasn't his job. He was king, not to be priest. And the priest run behind him, and told him, said, "You shouldn't do this. It's only for a Levite to do that, and you're not a Levite. It takes a consecrated man for that, and you're not consecrated to the Lord. You're a king. God's blessing you. That's good. But you're not consecrated to do that."
So many times have we seen gifts tried to be impersonated, when they wasn't consecrated to the cause. And we've seen all this. We see it today, just as it was then. See somebody trying to impersonate a person having the Holy Ghost, shout like them, speak in tongues like them, and still they know no more about God than a Hottentot would know about an Egyptian knight. That's just an impersonation, acting like it, putting on something.
Let me tell you, you that's looking on that: remember, where you see somebody impersonating it, there's a genuine something somewhere. If I found a dollar, and it was a bogus, it's only a sign it's made off of a real one.
2 Chronicles 26:16 But when he was strong, his heart was lifted up to his destruction: for he transgressed against the LORD his God, and went into the temple of the LORD to burn incense upon the altar of incense.
2 Chronicles 26:17 And Azariah the priest went in after him, and with him fourscore priests of the LORD, that were valiant men:
30 We find this man Uzziah trying to take the place of this priest. And when they run after to tell him, he got angry. He turned around, and let them know, "I'll do what I want to do. Who are you to tell me what to do? You tell me what I'm supposed to do? I'm king. I'll do as I want to."
And God smote him with leprosy right there, and he died a leper. In his anger, when his anger had kindled up, then he was smitten with leprosy.
Then was a lesson for the young prophet, sure enough. After he had watched this man come up and get his Ph.D., his LL.D., and so forth, and then try to take a place that didn't belong to him, he found out and got angry about it. When somebody tried to tell him what was "thus saith the Lord," he failed to recognize it, and God smote him with leprosy, which is a type of sin. All right.
By this, Isaiah learned that God orders his man to his place. God does the ordering. We can't take a man sometime, and do this to him.
2 Chronicles 26:17 And Azariah the priest went in after him, and with him fourscore priests of the LORD, that were valiant men:
2 Chronicles 26:19 Then Uzziah was wroth, and had a censer in his hand to burn incense: and while he was wroth with the priests, the leprosy even rose up in his forehead before the priests in the house of the LORD, from beside the incense altar.
31 A young lady here, not long ago, she told me she had a little boy. She was going to... Said he felt he had a call. She was about thirty-five years old, I guess. She said, "My son, about fourteen years old, he feels he's got a call. Brother Branham, would you send him away to get his Ph.D. or something another like that, or send him to some college? What would you advise?"
I said, "The best one I know is the College of Kneeanology, down on his knees." I said, "He'd get out there amongst that, and the first thing you know, it's a ... they begin to learn math, mathematics and all about this, and so about this, and they give him a mental test, and an IQ, and all like this, and then they've got all the God that was ever in him took out." I said... Not I'm just degrading them things, but I'm showing you how far they get off of the line.
32 Watch and see what did happen. Now, God orders his man to his place.
Not long ago I was reading a little story, where a woman that was ... had a disease, a pneumonia, in St. Louis, Missouri, and she was very, very sick. And they said she was going to die. And she had a son in college. So they come over to find out, the doctor did, just how much longer he thought she had to live. Said, "She probably won't be here over a day or two more."
So, they wired to the young son that he'd better come home, his mother was seriously ill. So the young son (give him the telegram) was getting ready to go. And he got another telegram, "Your mother is better now. All right. Don't come."
33 Well then, about a year later, why, the boy made his annual visit home. When he come home, he said, "Mother," after he greeted her, he said, "you know, I just wonder. When you were so sick, you never did tell me just what happened."
She said, "Oh, son, I've got something to tell you." She said, "You know that little mission down the street here, down here where them people that will holler like that, and cries, and goes on?"
He said, "Yes."
She said, "Their pastor believes in praying for the sick." Said, "One of the ladies come up here and told me." Said, "A doctor told me I had a couple more days to be around." And said, "Then sent and got ... wanted to get this pastor to come pray for me. And the lady did. And I said, 'Well, sure, have him come up.'" She said, "You know he come up," and said, "He read a scripture out of the Bible there." And said, "He come and laid hands on me and prayed for me. And you know, the fever left me and I got well." And she said, "Oh, praise God!"
He said, "Mother, Mother, now you know better than that."
Said, "Oh, oh, no. No, Honey," said, "it actually happened." She said, "Glory to God. I'm telling you..." She said...
He said, "Now you're actually acting like them people." Said, "You mustn't do that, Mother."
Said, "But," said, "Honey, he read it right out of the Bible. He
read out there in Mark, the 16th chapter, 'These signs shall follow them that believe.' " Here it is right here." Said, "We, we ... this is it right here."
He said,
Mark 16:17 And these signs shall follow them that believe; In my name shall they cast out devils; they shall speak with new tongues;
34 "Oh, Mother, that's the illiterate type down there." Said, "Them people down there don't have no education." Said, "They're just poor people, trash right off the streets, and so forth, run in there." Said, "That pastor..." Said, "We learned in the college that Mark 16, from the 9th verse on, is not inspired."
She said, "Glory to God!"
He said, "Mother, what's the matter with you?"
She said, "I was just thinking, son. If God could heal me with the uninspired Word, what would He really do with that's inspired!"
I think that just about settles it! Now, if the uninspired will heal, what will the inspired do? That's it, my friends. Yes, sir!
35 Now, trying to take another's place... God orders his man. God puts his man in place. He must not try to take another's place. You mustn't do that.
Now, the vision at the temple: at the temple, he went down when he found out that... Isaiah seen that Hezekiah ... and what had happened to him. And then he'd died, and there'd been (I mean Uzziah)... And he'd ... taken away to the leper camp, and his son had to reign in his place. And now Isaiah got kind of fed up. So he went down to the temple one day to kind of get the thing off of his chest.
I think that's a good thing for us all to do. Just go down to the house of God, go down and deliver your soul, get the thing off your mind.
2 Chronicles 26:21 And Uzziah the king was a leper unto the day of his death, and dwelt in a several house, being a leper; for he was cut off from the house of the LORD: and Jotham his son was over the king's house, judging the people of the land.
36 So Isaiah got down there and got to praying, you know. It might have been along in the afternoon, and he ... or early in the morning. I don't know. So he got down at the altar, and begin to pray. And he got to praying until he got in dead earnest. Now that's the way.
He'd seen what he was looking at there on earth had failed. That king that God had blessed, this great and mighty king, the mightiest in the land---and yet had failed. And then he didn't know what to do, and he got to praying.
Then all at once he lifted up his head, and then he saw a real king. He saw God lifted up on high. His train filled the heavens. He saw ... something to look at, a real example. When you look and try to make a man your example, you'll sure go wrong, because he'll fail. But He was trying to say to the prophet, "Don't look at man, or what man says. Turn your eyes towards Me, and what I said. Look up here---not a earthly throne, but a heavenly throne, exalted way in the heavens." And his train filled the sky.
And he looked up, and then he looked in the temple. At the temple he saw God lifted up, and noticed the heavenly seraphims.
Isaiah 6:1 In the year that king Uzziah died I saw also the Lord sitting upon a throne, high and lifted up, and his train filled the temple.
37 Now, the seraphims there are not angels. They are supposed to be the sacrifice burners that lead the way for the guilty. And they were sacrifice burners. A special covering was over these beings, and showing that God is all holy. God is all holy.
And they were screaming to the top of their voice, "Holy, holy, holy is the Lord God Almighty. Holy, holy, holy," right in the presence of God. Remember, it was the seraphims and the cherubims that guard the holy place. They're the one that takes the sacrifice and offers it. And here they were living right in the presence of God, screaming, "Holy, holy, holy is the Lord God Almighty."
Isaiah 6:3 And one cried unto another, and said, Holy, holy, holy, is the LORD of hosts: the whole earth is full of his glory.
38 Let's look at their make-up for a little while. We find out that these were six-winged creatures. They had two wings over their faces, two wings over their feet, and were flying with two wings. Think. Two wings over their faces first. Firstly, what would it be? Let's find out what the two wings over their face meant. When God is so holy that even the holy angels and cherubims have to cover their face to stand in his presence, how are we going to stand when to stand (we all have to) in the presence of God? He is the supreme judge. And we'll all stand in his presence.
And holy angels have never known what sin was. They were created a special being, and to stand in his presence have to cover their holy faces to stay there. If angels have to cover their holy faces to stay there, what will we do to have to live in the presence of Almighty God, if we stay in his presence? We've got a covering, though, the blood of Jesus Christ. That's right.
Today... That's reverence. That meant reverence in the presence of God.
Isaiah 6:2 Above it stood the seraphims: each one had six wings; with twain he covered his face, and with twain he covered his feet, and with twain he did fly.
39 Today there is no reverence. Oh, what little there is, is just very little. What you see ... people laugh at what's called Christianity. What's going to happen to that man, when God sends something to the earth, and they see a thing operating just exactly with the Word, and then men talk about it, and make fun of it. Do you know what the Bible said? Jesus said, "It's blasphemy of the Holy Ghost, and will never be forgiven."
"Oh," they say, "that's of the devil."
Be careful what you say, brother, sister. Be careful what you say, sinner. There's no forgiveness for it. Jesus said, "To speak a word against it would never be forgiven in this world, or the world to come."
Matthew 12:32 And whosoever speaketh a word against the Son of man, it shall be forgiven him: but whosoever speaketh against the Holy Ghost, it shall not be forgiven him, neither in this world, neither in the world to come.
40 Look what He just got through doing, discerning, telling them the thoughts that was in their heart, and they said, "He's Beelzebub," calling the Spirit of God an unclean spirit, a devil doing the work of God. And He said "I'll forgive you." The atonement wasn't made at that time but... Jesus hadn't died. But said, "When the Holy Ghost is come, to speak against that it'll never be forgiven you." When the Holy Spirit comes to do the same work that He was doing then, it would never be forgiven.
Irreverent people! What can we expect but judgment? This nation that's turned down God...
Matthew 12:24 But when the Pharisees heard it, they said, This fellow doth not cast out devils, but by Beelzebub the prince of the devils.
Matthew 12:32 And whosoever speaketh a word against the Son of man, it shall be forgiven him: but whosoever speaketh against the Holy Ghost, it shall not be forgiven him, neither in this world, neither in the world to come.
41 This nation has many Billy Grahams and Oral Roberts that's blasted across this country; and other great soldiers of the cross that went through this country preaching the gospel. And it's on the rampage every year. Sin keeps multiplying.
Was this... Great evangelist Billy Graham said the other day, in one of his meetings when he went to New York, he said he believed New York had increased many percent in sin, since his revival there. Said when he was here in California, Los Angeles, he said In ten or fifteen years from now that every citizen will have to pack a pistol, or some ... to protect himself. They can't get enough law enforcement, sin is on such a rampage. Oh, what is it? It's irreverence to the Bible. It's turned down the chance they've blasphemed and made fun of. Right.
42 Now, let's bring it down a little close to home. Look at the churches, what they've done. Many of them, going across the country, when you get a man with enough of ... with enough real power of God about him to tell the people about their sinful ways... Get somebody who'll tell them they've got to be borned again---not shake hands, and come up and make a decision---they've got to be borned again.
Not putting your name on a book, or joining church, or shaking hands, or in sprinkling, or some baptism, but to be borned of the Spirit of God, separated.
God's life living in you, showing itself through, not just today or tomorrow, but the rest of your days. With joy in your trials and tribulations you move on, knowing that the road is open before you to Glory. That's the kind of a gospel.
When you find them like that, you preach it, and come back next year. There they are the same. The same thing, only worse, and more of it, and more of it. The more you preach against it, the worse it gets. What is it then? Irreverence!
43 And then 95% of those people go to church, have their name on the book, claim to be Christians. Men claim to be Christians that smoke, and drink, and gamble, and tell dirty jokes. Many deacons on the board with one, two, and three, and four wives. True. What a disgrace! Women sing in the choir with bobbed hair. The Bible says she's a unhonorable person. Paint on their face! There's only one woman that ever painted her face in the Bible. That was Jezebel. God fed her to the dogs. So you see what He thinks about it.
And then you come tell them about it. Next year, come back, they're worse than they was in the first place. Irreverent! They have no respect, no thoughts of decency.
2 Kings 9:30 And when Jehu was come to Jezreel, Jezebel heard of it; and she painted her face, and tired her head, and looked out at a window.
2 Kings 9:36 Wherefore they came again, and told him. And he said, This is the word of the LORD, which he spake by his servant Elijah the Tishbite, saying, In the portion of Jezreel shall dogs eat the flesh of Jezebel:
44 Let me tell you something, women, young women and old too. Go out here with these dresses on, and these little old tight clothes, and shorts...
You say, "You oughtn't to be talking like that, Brother Branham."
I should. That's my duty. This is a ... this is the pulpit. I had a man call me in not long ago, one of the greatest Pentecostal evangelists in the land. He said, "You leave them people alone."
I said, "Who are you to tell me to leave them alone?"
He said, "I love you." And he said, "Your ministry is praying for the sick."
I said, "It's preaching the gospel, brother."
And he said, "Look, Brother Branham." He said, "Why, them people believe you to be a prophet."
I said, "I never said I was, did I?"
But he said, "They believe you to be. Why don't you teach them women how to receive the Holy Ghost, and how to receive gifts, and do something, instead of always bawling them out about the way they're dressing, and what they're doing. Why don't you teach them them kind of things to help them?"
I said, "How can I teach them algebra, when they won't even learn their ABC's?" You know what ABC is? Always believe Christ. That's right.
45 Now. Now, how can you do it? How can you do it? It looks like there's a pressure on them. Something won't let them do it. That makes it a modern Sodom. That's the hour that we're standing in, just awful things that's going on in the land today.
And he said, "Well, look."
I said, "No. I don't have no programs to sponsor. I don't have no church to put me out. No, sir."
I said... He said, "That's the pastor's duty to do it."
I said, "But they're not doing it. Then it's up to somebody, some voice has got to cry out against it, because it's wrong. Certainly it's wrong. Reverence, respected.
46 Another young lady said to me, one time, she said, "Mr. Branham, they don't make no other clothes than this."
I said, "They still sell goods, and they have sewing machines." That's right.
Let me tell you something, lady. You might be just as clean and virtuous as you can be. You might be as honorable to your husband, your boy friend, as you can be. But one of these days at the judgment bar, you're going to answer for committing adultery.
"If I'm not guilty?"
You're guilty! Jesus said, "Whosoever looketh upon a woman to lust after her hath committed adultery with her already in his heart."
When that sinner looked at you like that, and had them thoughts about you, he's going to have to answer for it at the day of judgment. And why did he do it? You presented yourself to him twisted up in some kind of clothes, and things like that. Right! It's a shame. You're going to have to do it, lady.
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.
47 And you men that call yourselves Christians, that ought to rule your house, let your women do that. Repent, or your whole house will perish. You might not like me after this, but I'm going to tell you the truth, because when... My hands are going to be free of the blood, when I come to the judgment bar. That's one thing I'm free from.
Listen, brethren. There's always a voice goes with the sign, you know, and you better hear it. Not mine, but this is what the Bible says. That's right. Oh, I know it sounds old-fashioned, but that's just what the Bible says. And that's what we're supposed to be.
Angels have to cover their faces to stand in the presence of God.
48 And women, when the Bible says it's an (uncommon) thing, or common thing, for a woman even to pray with her hair cut, she has no right to pray. And you put her in the choir, and even make her a preacher. Right.
I know that makes you a little bit sick but... You know, like Mama used to tell me, about taking castor oil, "If it don't make you sick, it doesn't do you any good." So that's the way with the gospel. It's got to get you to thinking. It's the truth. Men and women both, both guilty, both sides---six of one and half-a-dozen of the other.
49 That's exactly right.
Where do we stand? Irreverent. No matter what the Word says. "Well, it's all right. I believe it's all right." You're presuming it's all right. The Bible says it's wrong. And presume is to venture without authority. You haven't got God's authority to do it. These seminaries and schools and things that pass over these things like that, it's a disgrace! It puts young men, young ministers, on the wrong track---take them off after some kind of a man-made theology instead of the Word of God.
No wonder they can't believe a real true message. No wonder they can't have these things in church. No wonder they have to put Him on the outside in the last days. No reverence in his presence. His presence can come down---they'll laugh, and pop chewing gum, walk all around, carrying on like I don't know what. Not no more reverence than nothing, in his presence.
Now. Now, no reverence at all for God, or his people.
50 Why? Why do they do this? Now listen close. Why do they do it? They are not conscious of his presence. They don't think it's God. Do you think that woman would've actually ... or that soldier would've smote Him in the face, and would've put a rag around his face and hit Him on the head, and said, "Now if You're a prophet, tell us who touched You"? If that man knowed that was God he was hitting, do you think he would have done it?
Do you think that drunken soldier would have pulled beard out of his face, and spit in his face, would've ... hawking and spitting in that face, if he had knowed that would've been the Son of God? He wasn't conscious of it.
Luke 22:64 And when they had blindfolded him, they struck him on the face, and asked him, saying, Prophesy, who is it that smote thee?
51 And today, what people calls a bunch of fanatics, they're not conscious that that's the Holy Spirit working in those people. Just get by with anything; not conscious of it, not conscious of his presence. You know what the old saying is. Someone says, "I go to the meeting and laugh, go to the meeting to find fault."
It's been said that fools will walk with hobnailed shoes where angels fear to trod. Not conscious of God, that's the reason. Why don't you be like David? David said, "I put Him always before me." That's the reason he said, "I'll not be moved," because God's always before him. Yes, sir.
Psalm 16:8 I have set the LORD always before me: because he is at my right hand, I shall not be moved.
52 Now, secondly, they covered their feet. What "they covered their feet" meant? Humility. Covering their face is reverence in God's presence; covering their feet was humility in his presence. Like Moses in his presence, taking off his shoes, uncovered his feet.
Paul, when he found Jesus, the pillar of fire, he fell to the ground, off his feet. Where his feet should have been, he had his face. Humility. John the Baptist, that great prophet, first one that'd been in the land in four hundred years. But he said, "I'm not worthy to touch his feet, to unloose the latches on his sandals,"
Exodus 3:5 And he said, Draw not nigh hither: put off thy shoes from off thy feet, for the place whereon thou standest is holy ground.
Isaiah 6:2 Above it stood the seraphims: each one had six wings; with twain he covered his face, and with twain he covered his feet, and with twain he did fly.
Mark 1:7 And preached, saying, There cometh one mightier than I after me, the latchet of whose shoes I am not worthy to stoop down and unloose.
Luke 3:16 John answered, saying unto them all, I indeed baptize you with water; but one mightier than I cometh, the latchet of whose shoes I am not worthy to unloose: he shall baptize you with the Holy Ghost and with fire:
John 1:27 He it is, who coming after me is preferred before me, whose shoe's latchet I am not worthy to unloose.
Acts 9:3 And as he journeyed, he came near Damascus: and suddenly there shined round about him a light from heaven:
53 see. The one over ... his feet covered meant humility.
Watch this servant, now, before God: his face covered in reverence, his feet covered in humility. Yes, very conscious of ... be very conscious of your littleness. All of us is trying to be some big somebody. "I'm Dr. So-and-so of the great so-and-so, so-and-so." You're nothing. That's right. That's just ... you're nothing.
If you want to know how great you are, put your finger in a pool of water and pull it out, and find the hole where you put it in, see. There's nothing there. That's what we are. God can do without us; but we can't do without Him. Who are you? Be conscious of how little you are. The way up is down. He that humbles himself shall be exalted; he that exalts himself shall be abased.
Matthew 23:12 And whosoever shall exalt himself shall be abased; and he that shall humble himself shall be exalted.
Luke 14:11 For whosoever exalteth himself shall be abased; and he that humbleth himself shall be exalted.
Luke 18:14 I tell you, this man went down to his house justified rather than the other: for every one that exalteth himself shall be abased; and he that humbleth himself shall be exalted.
54 Not long ago I was invited to Chicago by a group of saints to speak. Some great Pentecostal minister there with about four degrees from college, and so forth. And he didn't want my little chechaco way of speaking up there before that great council they was going to have. So they had a man from a great Bible school there to come up, a great Bible school in Chicago, to make the speech. And the man said... Now what he would do, come up there and belittle those people for about everything he could think of---how wrong they was by believing there was a Holy Ghost, and all that stuff like that---before Pentecostal people.
He walked up there with his chest out, and his collar turned around like a tuxedo suit on, throwed all of his notes out upon the platform. He had it so masterly fixed that he could just explain the Bible and God didn't know nothing about it.
55 And the first thing you know, it ... he... You see, it didn't take with the people. He kept saying something like that, and they just sat and looked at one another. It didn't go with them kind of people, them Pentecostals.
So after awhile he seen he was defeated, and he got his stuff up under his arm, walked off the platform, his head down-driven. An old saint sitting over to the wall said, "If he would have went up the way he came down, he would have come down the way he went up." And that's just about the way it is, too.
Humble yourself! See how little you can be. Not what you know; what you don't know. Let yourself get humble before God.
Now we find, thirdly, he could fly with the other two wings.
56 Now, watch. First, in the presence of God he was reverent, with his face covered. Secondly, he was humble before God with his feet covered. And his next two wings he could fly, put him in action. Oh, my! What was God doing? He was showing the prophet how his prepared servants should be. God was showing, "These are my servants. These are mine. Look how they're prepared: reverent, humble, and in action." That's the way God's servants are. Oh, my! That's the way we should be: reverent to God's Word, humble, and in action for God.
Isaiah 6:2 Above it stood the seraphims: each one had six wings; with twain he covered his face, and with twain he covered his feet, and with twain he did fly.
57 Like the woman, when she was called into action, when she said, "Come see a man who's told me what I've done." His sign influenced her, that He was the Messiah. She said, "Sir, we know when the Messiah cometh (now, you must be a prophet), we know when the Messiah cometh, He'll tell us these things," See?
She expected Him to say, "Well, the Messiah is coming pretty soon. I'm just forerunning Him."
But He said, "I am He."
That put her in action right now. She went into action. You couldn't stop her. It's like a house on fire (as I said the other night) in a high wind. You couldn't stop her. Down into the city she went.
"Come see a man who told me the things I've done. Isn't this the Messiah?" She was in action. What did she do? She come up first, humbled herself.
"Bring me a drink."
Said, "Why, our fathers drank from this well," and so forth, and...
And He said, "Well, I'll give you water to drink. You don't come here..."
She said, "Sir, sir, give me that water," see. She was humble about it. And then when she humbled herself, then Jesus showed her the sign of the Messiah, and that put her into action. She was ready to go then. She was ready to tell everybody she came in contact with, see.
John 4:7 There cometh a woman of Samaria to draw water: Jesus saith unto her, Give me to drink.
John 4:10 Jesus answered and said unto her, If thou knewest the gift of God, and who it is that saith to thee, Give me to drink; thou wouldest have asked of him, and he would have given thee living water.
John 4:12 Art thou greater than our father Jacob, which gave us the well, and drank thereof himself, and his children, and his cattle?
John 4:15 The woman saith unto him, Sir, give me this water, that I thirst not, neither come hither to draw.
John 4:25 The woman saith unto him, I know that Messias cometh, which is called Christ: when he is come, he will tell us all things.
John 4:26 Jesus saith unto her, I that speak unto thee am he.
John 4:29 Come, see a man, which told me all things that ever I did: is not this the Christ?
58 Actually, on the traditions of the Eastern country, them men would have never listened to that woman. A woman like that ain't got no voice amongst the people. She certainly hasn't. She can't say nothing. But you try to stop her! She was in action. She had to tell somebody. "Come out here and see for yourself. The man told me what I'd done. Isn't that what we've been looking for? Isn't that what the scripture says, that the Messiah, when He comes, He'll do this?" She was in action because she got humble, and God got into her.
John 4:29 Come, see a man, which told me all things that ever I did: is not this the Christ?
59 Peter, when he took his word, when he seined all night being a fisherman out there, and he come in discouraged. No fish. Any good fisherman knows what that is, with no fish. Then the first thing, he'd washed his nets, laid them out upon the bank, and was letting them dry.
And Jesus came down, and asked to borrow his boat. He preached. Then He said, "Simon, launch out into the deep and let down for the drought. Go right back where you seined all night. Go right back where you toiled hour after hour, and let down for a great drought of fish, a great taking."
Luke 5:4 Now when he had left speaking, he said unto Simon, Launch out into the deep, and let down your nets for a draught.
60 Now look. He said, "Lord, we've toiled all night and have taken nothing. But at thy word, Lord, I'm going to let down the net." At thy word, that's it. Take God at his Word. And when he let down the net, he enclosed such a great drought of fishes, until the net began to break.
That put him in action. Yes, sir. Jesus' influence on him put him into action, and he dropped the net. And Jesus said, "Fear not. From henceforth ye shall catch men."
Luke 5:5 And Simon answering said unto him, Master, we have toiled all the night, and have taken nothing: nevertheless at thy word I will let down the net.
Luke 5:6 And when they had this done, they enclosed a great multitude of fishes: and their net brake.
Luke 5:10 And so was also James, and John, the sons of Zebedee, which were partners with Simon. And Jesus said unto Simon, Fear not; from henceforth thou shalt catch men.
61 The blind man, when he was healed sitting at the (gate) or sitting in the street, and the Pharisees said anybody professing or having anything to do with Jesus would be put out of the temple. They come, asked the father and mother. They said, "He's of age. Ask him."
He said, "A man called Jesus healed me."
Said, "This man is a sinner. He don't belong to our groups. We don't know from whence He come. Give God praise."
And he said, " Now, whether he's a sinner or not, I don't know." He said, "But this one thing I do know. Wherein I was blind, I can now see." And said, "The funny thing is to me, that you're supposed to be the spiritual leaders of this hour. And this man opened my eyes, and yet you don't know where He come from."
What did he do? He got in action. That's right. It put him into action because that he spread his fame abroad, throughout all the country.
John 9:1 And as Jesus passed by, he saw a man which was blind from his birth.
John 9:11 He answered and said, A man that is called Jesus made clay, and anointed mine eyes, and said unto me, Go to the pool of Siloam, and wash: and I went and washed, and I received sight.
John 9:18 But the Jews did not believe concerning him, that he had been blind, and received his sight, until they called the parents of him that had received his sight.
John 9:22 These words spake his parents, because they feared the Jews: for the Jews had agreed already, that if any man did confess that he was Christ, he should be put out of the synagogue.
John 9:24 Then again called they the man that was blind, and said unto him, Give God the praise: we know that this man is a sinner.
John 9:25 He answered and said, Whether he be a sinner or no, I know not: one thing I know, that, whereas I was blind, now I see.
John 9:30 The man answered and said unto them, Why herein is a marvellous thing, that ye know not from whence he is, and yet he hath opened mine eyes.
62 The people at the day of Pentecost, when Jesus told them to wait up there, and there'd be ... come down... And when the Holy Ghost came down upon them, at the day of Pentecost, when they were influenced by the Word of God made manifest... Now remember, Jesus said, "Wait at Jerusalem until you're endued with power from on high."
They waited, not eight days, not nine days. They waited ten days, until the promise was made manifest, and the Holy Ghost fell, and divided itself in tongues of fire, set upon each of them. And while they were influenced by the Holy Ghost, they went into action, staggering like drunk men, screaming, speaking in tongues. Out into the street they went.
They said, "These men are full of new wine."
Peter stood up, and he said, "This is that which was spoken of by the prophet Joel. 'It'll come to pass in the last days...'"
What did it do? It put him into action.
Luke 24:49 And, behold, I send the promise of my Father upon you: but tarry ye in the city of Jerusalem, until ye be endued with power from on high.
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.
Acts 2:13 Others mocking said, These men are full of new wine.
Acts 2:14 But Peter, standing up with the eleven, lifted up his voice, and said unto them, Ye men of Judaea, and all ye that dwell at Jerusalem, be this known unto you, and hearken to my words:
63 It'll put you into action. If you haven't got it, it will put you into action when you see the Word of God fulfilled. What we've seen in these last days ought to put us into action. It should do it, if we would just do it with reverence, and humility.
The pillar of fire before Paul put him into action. And today, when we see that same pillar of fire---by science, by its results, by what it promised, making the Word in these last days come to pass exactly---it should put us in action. That's the sign that's been given. "As it was in the days of Sodom [just before Sodom burned], so shall it be in the coming of the Son of man." He'll be manifested again, the same yesterday, today, and forever.
It ought to put every member of the body of Christ into action, getting everything in he can, because this is the last hour. It's the last call. Last call. Word by word, it's been fulfilled. It should certainly put us into action.
Luke 17:28 Likewise also as it was in the days of Lot; they did eat, they drank, they bought, they sold, they planted, they builded;
Luke 17:29 But the same day that Lot went out of Sodom it rained fire and brimstone from heaven, and destroyed them all.
Luke 17:30 Even thus shall it be in the day when the Son of man is revealed.
Acts 9:3 And as he journeyed, he came near Damascus: and suddenly there shined round about him a light from heaven:
Hebrews 13:8 Jesus Christ the same yesterday, and to day, and for ever.
64 We, like the prophet, have seen the outcome of self-exalted denominationals lose their place in Christ, lose their hope on his Word, accepting creeds. And we've seen what happened to them when they did that. They spiritually died. We see what happened to the Lutheran when they refused Wesley's call. We see what happened to the Methodists, when they refused the Pentecostal call. Now what about the Pentecostals, see? We've seen self-exalted men like that of Uzziah, who tried to take the place of an anointed office...
The office of a man in the church is anointed. Not appointed; it's anointed. The church, the pastor, the evangelist, the prophet, the apostle must be the anointed office of God; not elected by man. Men tried to elect that office one time. They cast lots for it, for... Matthias never done nothing, for God chose Paul. And he did something because he was anointed.
And we've seen these offices like this: ... "this is holy bishop So-and-so, this is state So-and-so man, this is So-and-so man." It never amounts to nothing. But when God comes in and takes over, then we see the anointing of the Holy Spirit vindicate the Word of God.
2 Chronicles 26:16 But when he was strong, his heart was lifted up to his destruction: for he transgressed against the LORD his God, and went into the temple of the LORD to burn incense upon the altar of incense.
Acts 2:26 Therefore did my heart rejoice, and my tongue was glad; moreover also my flesh shall rest in hope:
65 Now, the effects of the vision on the prophet---what did it do to this man who was born a prophet? Remember, he wrote the entire Bible. There's sixty-six books of Isaiah, and sixty-six books of the Bible. It starts out like in Genesis. The middle of the book comes, the New Testament, John the Baptist. And ends up over in the millennium. Great prophet. One of the greatest prophets we ever had was Isaiah, and he was born to be.
But when he stood in the presence of God, what did it cause the
prophet to do? The prophet said, "Woe is me! for I am a man of unclean lips." To come into the presence of God, and see a truly anointed vessel of God, it caused the prophet to confess that he was a sinner. It ought to do us that way. It ought ... the anointed presence of God.
When he seen that in crying, the post shaking, and these angels going back and forth proving they was before God, and they were the servants of God anointed, and then he cried out he was a sinner.
Isaiah 6:3 And one cried unto another, and said, Holy, holy, holy, is the LORD of hosts: the whole earth is full of his glory.
Isaiah 6:5 Then said I, Woe is me! for I am undone; because I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips: for mine eyes have seen the King, the LORD of hosts.
66 What happened? Then, when he was ready (now listen in closing), he was ready to confess that he was a sinner---"Woe is me! for I'm a man of unclean lips and I dwell among people of unclean lips. Woe is me!"---then the angel took the tongs, and taking the coal off the altar, held it in his hands, and come and cleansed him with it. Then come the cleansing, after his confession.
Now if a prophet---called, vindicated to be a prophet of God, in the presence of God, seeing his littleness---was ready to confess that he was a sinner, what ought you and I to do? But you know what we do? Turn our head, walk away and laugh. That's where we're standing. The cleansing time.
Look, Isaiah...
67 I want you to notice something else. God did not use books and theological terms to cleanse his servant; He used fire. He never used creeds to clean his servant; He took fire off the altar. And if God ever cleans a man today, it's got to be the Holy Ghost fire that cleanses a man---not reading a book, and doing this, or some other book by So-and-so.
A certain great minister here in California said, the other day, he had the book of the year. I differ with him. The book of the year is the Bible, always been. The book of the year is God's book, always.
Isaiah 6:6 Then flew one of the seraphims unto me, having a live coal in his hand, which he had taken with the tongs from off the altar:
68 God used fire to cleanse his servants.
Then followed, after he humbly confessed that he was wrong, and then come the cleansing. And after the cleansing, then come the commissioning, see. That's what's the matter. Some have tried to get commissioned before we get cleansed. We'll say, "Well, I follow this." We got to follow God. Them angels did one thing: lived in the presence of God---humble, reverent, and in action before God. Then followed the commission, after the confession and cleansing. It was then that the clean Isaiah cried, "Here am I. Send me."
Isaiah 6:8 Also I heard the voice of the Lord, saying, Whom shall I send, and who will go for us? Then said I, Here am I; send me.
69 Oh, brother, sister, if there ever was a time that the Isaiahs ought to come down to the house of God for cleansing, if there ever was a time that the church member ought to really come and confess his sin, if there ever was a time for the backslider...
Just think, in the night that Sodom burned, wonder how many people walked away from the message of those angels? Wonder how many people wasn't concerned enough to hear the voice? And they perished that same night, and will never be no more, only their punishment in hell.
70 As it was in the days of Noah, how many people laughed at him, and made fun of him? They come up there just to hear, say, "We'll go up and hear the old crank pop off again, just to have some fun." Get up, walk away, wouldn't even listen to him preach ... all kinds of things. And they perished in the judgments he was preaching.
Amos, that little preacher, known from nowhere, a prophet anointed, come up and looked down in Samaria that time, his bald head shining, his gray beard... When he come up across and looked down, them holy eyes of his narrowed as he looked upon that city. Not like tourists that come from all over the world, because the priests, all of them had sinned. And false prophets was telling them it was all right. He walked down there with no cooperation for his revival. He walked down there without anything, and screamed out. He said, "The very God that you claim to serve will destroy you."
Matthew 24:37 But as the days of Noe were, so shall also the coming of the Son of man be.
Luke 17:26 And as it was in the days of Noe, so shall it be also in the days of the Son of man.
71 And I say, "Thus saith the Lord, the God that America claims to serve will destroy her." You take that for whatever you wish. What we need is, "Down to the altar, Isaiah."
And God said, "Who'll go for Me?"
Isaiah said, "Here am I. Send me."
I think of that song,
When the coal of fire had touched the prophet,
Making him as pure as pure can be,
When the voice of God said, "Who'll go for us?"
Then he answered "Master, here am I, send me."
Isaiah 6:8 Also I heard the voice of the Lord, saying, Whom shall I send, and who will go for us? Then said I, Here am I; send me.
72 First, he had to humble himself and be cleansed, and get ready, like he'd seen a prepared servant. Look at Uzziah, how he was prepared. But he failed. Don't put your... Say, "Well, I know Dr. So-and-so is a good man. I know Brother So-and-so..." They might be, but don't look at that. Look up here, see. Here's a way ... God's got a way to prepare.
How did he do it? On the day of Pentecost, Peter told them what to do. He wrote a prescription for them, and it's always remained the same. Don't tamper with it. You'll kill your patient. They said, "What can we do to be saved?"
He said, "Repent, everyone of you. Be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost. For the promise is unto you, and to your children, and to them that's far off, even as many as the Lord our God shall call."
That's right here, tonight. If God's still calling, that's the prescription. You can still receive the same Holy Ghost that they received there, just... You can receive the same thing tonight. Just follow through. That's all you do. Yes. Then you can say,
When the coal of fire had touched the prophet,
Making him as pure as pure could be,
When the voice of God said, "Who'll go for us?"
Then he answered, "Master, here, send me."
(Let's sing it.)
Speak, my Lord, speak, my Lord,
Speak, and I'll be quick to answer Thee;
Speak, my Lord, speak, my Lord,
Speak, and I will answer, "Lord send me."
Acts 2:37 Now when they heard this, they were pricked in their heart, and said unto Peter and to the rest of the apostles, Men and brethren, what shall we do?
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.
73 (Listen here, brother.)
There's millions now in sin and shame are dying;
Oh, listen to their sad and bitter cry;
Hasten, brother, hasten to their rescue;
Now quickly answer, "Master, here am I.
Oh, speak, my Lord, speak, my Lord,
Speak, and I'll be quick to answer Thee;
Oh, speak, my Lord, speak, my Lord,
Speak, and I will answer, "Lord, send me.
(Let's bow our heads.)
...........................
Making him as pure as pure can be,
When the voice of God said, "Who'll go for us?"
Then he answered, "Master, here, send me."
(Do you want to be humble and cleansed?)
Speak, my Lord, speak, my Lord,
Speak, and I'll be quick to answer Thee;
Speak, my Lord, Speak, my Lord,
Speak, and I will answer, "Lord, send me."
74 While they're playing now, is there one Isaiah in here tonight, or a hundred, that wants to go---wants the cleansing of God in your life? You that don't know Christ as your Saviour, you're invited now to the altar. Is He speaking to your heart? I'm not very much on persuading. I think the Holy Spirit itself does the persuading. But if you're here, and you're without Christ... Now, remember, you will answer at the day of the judgment for what you do with this tonight.
Now, if you want to come, I'm here to pray with you. In Christ's name, I offer you the opportunity to come seek God, if happily you might find Him. Young people, old people, and middle-aged, church members, whoever you are: if the fire of God by the Holy Ghost hasn't cleansed you in your heart, until the place that you believe every word of this Bible, and Christ is the living witness in your heart, that He's raised from the dead, then I'm inviting you to the altar. Come here, and let us pray with you.
Believing all of you then, upon your own action, that you are saved,
75 then is there a backslider in here that would come? I'm asking you as a servant of Christ, if you'll walk down here and let us pray with you. I don't say He'll take you back (I believe He will), won't you come try it now! If He's talking to you, come. Those without the baptism of the Holy Spirit: I presume there's not any here that doesn't, and that isn't backslid. Everyone, then, must be prayed up, Christians and prayed up.
And then, if you are prayed up, and you haven't got the baptism, and you'd like God to give it to you, it's your opportunity. There's one man in here that doesn't have it. Bless his humble heart. I trust it's another Isaiah.
Now, raise your heads a minute. Just one man down here at the altar, one I trust to be an Isaiah. Now He's here. You believe He's here?
76 Now I'm going to tell you what you've done. You've done the horriblest thing you ever done. At least two or three hundred people here ought to be at the altar. Let me show you in the name of the Lord, that I'm right on what I'm saying.
Look. Some of you people in here, praying, here... Here sits a lady sitting here with a white coat on, little white jacket, looking right at me. I can't ... she is a Christian, but she's praying for an infirmity. She has arthritis. Do you believe that God can make you well, and heal you? Then you can have it.
The next man, sitting next to you there, has something wrong with his ears. Do you believe God can heal your ear trouble, sir, and make you well? Yes. Raise up your hand if you believe.
Now, please be reverent just a moment.
77 The man right next to him is suffering with a heart trouble. Do you believe that God can heal you, sir, of the heart trouble? I don't know you. You're a stranger to me. Is that right? You're a stranger. Well, listen. If God would tell me who you are, would it help you? Can you hear me all right? Your name is Mr. Blackwood. Do you believe He can tell me where you're from? You're from Riverbank, California. If that's right, stand up on your feet. I never seen him in my life. All right. God bless you, sir. Your faith made you well.
That lady sitting right next to you there's got nervous trouble. You want to be healed of your nervousness? Raise up your hand if you do. Lay your hand over on her, mister, and she'll be healed.
The lady sitting next to you, now, has sugar diabetes---with the red dress on. She wants to be prayed for, too. See, she wants to be prayed for. Have faith.
78 Here's a lady sitting way back here. She's ready for an operation, if she can just... Oh, God. She's got a fallen womb. Her name is Miss Maxwell. Believe, raise up, accept your healing, Miss Maxwell. You don't have a prayer card, do you? You don't have a prayer card? All right. You don't need one. Raise up your hand, if that's right. I don't know you. If that's right, wave your hand if we're strangers, one to another. Wave your hand like this. What did she touch? She never touched me.
Mr. Stewart, would you want to be healed, too, nervousness; and believe that God will make you well? I'm a stranger to you, but that's who you are. And you're suffering with a nervousness. You can't hardly hold yourself together. Stand up on your feet and accept your healing, in the name of Jesus Christ.
79 Here's a lady sitting back behind you, there. She's got a nervousness too. She's got something wrong with the muscles in her body. She's going to miss it if... Mrs. Newell, stand up if that's your name. If that's who you are, believe. Do you believe? Sure.
Here's a lady sitting right here. She's got heart trouble, and high blood pressure. Do you believe that's right, sister? Stand up, if that's right. The lady in, sitting next to you there, She's got trouble in her chest. If that's right, stand up. Tell the lady next to her, she's got growths on her face, those tumors-like. If she wants them healed, tell her to stand up and accept it.
80 Now there's a group of you in here ought to be at this altar, seeking the Holy Ghost. That's thus saith the Lord. You see what I mean? Once more, I'm going to make this call. That's the vindication that I'm telling you the truth. God's speaking to people in here, and you're a little bit in doubt. Will you be honest enough to put up your hand and say, "Yes, Brother Branham, I've always been just a little shaky. I want more of God. I know there's something I'm lacking in here, in order to have, to profess the baptism of the Holy Ghost."
Raise up your hand. Will you do that? Just be honest with yourself. The Holy Ghost is never wrong. Why don't you come up here and settle that doubt? Come. I'll be quick to
Speak, my Lord, speak, my Lord,
Speak, and I'll be quick to answer Thee;
81 See, I'm not telling you nothing wrong, friends. It's the Holy Spirit calling. There's hundreds in here. If you believe me to be a prophet... Now, remember, I'm telling you in the name of the Lord, you've been deceived. Come up.
When the coal of fire had touched the prophet,
Making him as pure as pure can be,
When the voice of God said, "Who'll go for us?"
Then he answered, "Master, here, send me."
Won't you say the same thing? Then rise, raise up your hands,
Speak, my Lord, Oh, speak, my Lord,
Speak, and I'll be quick to answer Thee;
Speak, my Lord, ...............
What's He doing? Answer Him, then, if He's speaking. If there's a little doubt somewhere, you're not sure, now, don't take no chance.
.................Lord, send me."
Oh, speak, my Lord. (He's speaking,
come on)... Lord,
Speak, and I'll be quick............
82 Now folks, I'm not prone to fanaticism, I'm not prone to saying things wrong. I feel led, when I say what I do
.......................my Lord,
Speak, and I will answer.............
You say, "What will the people say about it?" It's what's God going to say about it.
..................Lord, send me.
Speak, my Lord, ................
Speak, and I'll be quick to answer Thee;
Speak, my Lord, Oh, speak, my Lord,
Speak, and I will answer, "Lord, send me."
There's millions now in sin and shame are dying;
Oh, listen to their sad and bitter cry;
Hasten, brother, hasten to their rescue;
Oh, quickly answer, "Master, here am I."
Oh, speak, my..................
83 Now, every person in here, we want to get ready for a great healing service tomorrow. Also, I want each one of you ministers to get around these people that's seeking for the Holy Ghost. Don't just stop at five minutes. Stay there until. How long? Until the Holy Ghost comes.
...............speak, my Lord,
Oh, speak, and I'll...............
Now let the audience, now, put your hand over on somebody else, and lay your hand over on one another, on somebody, you that's going to pray. That's representing these people up here.
.....................my Lord,
Now the aisles are packed full, the altar's packed full, about one hundred fifty, two hundred people.
.................speak, my Lord,
Speak, and I will answer............
84 Now, start praying. "Lord, send me. Speak, my Lord. Lord, send me." Heal these, Lord, in Jesus Christ's name. Grant it. O God, grant the prayers of these people. Don't turn loose, stay right there until it happens. Stay until you hear the cry of God. Stand until the cherubims are shaking you, the Holy Ghost has got the coal of fire off the altar of God, laying it upon your lips.
Speak, my Lord, speak, my Lord...