[25] And, behold, there was a man in Jerusalem, whose name was Simeon; and the same man was just and devout, waiting for the consolation of Israel: and the Holy Ghost was upon him. [26] And it was revealed unto him by the Holy Ghost, that he should not see death, before he had seen the Lord's Christ. 9Luke 2:25-26)
201 Now, how she must have felt, that day of the dedication, or the coming for the circumcision of the Baby, when there she was walking up with this little Baby in her arms, like that. And all the women keeping their distance, all with fine needle work, to dedicate their babies and have them circumcised, and nearly all of them pulling a lamb. But she had two turtle doves, cleansing for her own purification. The little Baby wrapped in swaddling cloth, made out of the yoke off of the back of an ox’s neck, yoke, the wrapping on the back of an ox. That was just swaddling cloth in the manger. They had nothing for Him. They was too poor. And here she stood.
202 No doubt, all the women kept their distance from the little virgin. Said, “You see, she’s got an illegitimate child.” See how God makes things so radical-looking. Oh, my! He just pulls the wool right over Satan’s eyes. “How filthy! How dirty! Adultery. That’s what she is. She’s an adulteress.” That didn’t stop that beat in little Mary’s heart. They kept their distance from Him.
203 They’re still doing the same thing, call Him now, “Holy-roller, or fanatic,” or something.
Mary knew Whose Baby that was. She just kept on, just the same.
204 But, oh, shouldn’t they have noticed when, Simeon, sitting back in the room, he had been promised? He went around, prophesying. He said, “The Lord appeared to me.” And said, “I’ll not see death…” And he was eighty-something then. “I’m not going to see death before I see His salvation.”
205 “Oh, Simeon, you’re old, son. Your—your…Old fellow has kind of got his head, you know, he’s a little…Just let him alone. He’s harmless. He won’t hurt nobody.”
206 But Simeon had the Word of the Lord, said, “I saw the Spirit of God descend upon me. I stood and looked at Him. He told me, ‘Simeon, you been a righteous man. And you’re not going…I’m going to make you a testimony out there.’” Uh-huh. That’s all.
“What are You going to do that for, Lord?”
“That’s My business.”
207 My opinion is, that He can sure pour the coal to them, on that Day. “You had a witness. Why didn’t you listen to it?”
208 There is old blind Ann, sitting in the temple, praying. The Lord revealed to her, “Simeon is right.” Amen. She couldn’t see daylight from dark, but she could see farther than many people today that’s got good eyes. She saw, in the Spirit, the coming Messiah was at hand, the Spirit moving in her heart.
209 See what a little bitty Church there was? Zacharias, Elisabeth, Mary, John, Ann, and Simeon; six out of the millions. Like in the days of Noah. Six of them. God dealt with every one of them. They was all in harmony. They all got together. Amen.
62-1223 - The Reproach For The Cause Of The Word Rev. William Marrion Branham
[31] And thou shalt make the robe of the ephod all of blue. [32] And there shall be an hole in the top of it, in the midst thereof: it shall have a binding of woven work round about the hole of it, as it were the hole of an habergeon, that it be not rent. [33] And beneath upon the hem of it thou shalt make pomegranates of blue, and of purple, and of scarlet, round about the hem thereof; and bells of gold between them round about: [34] A golden bell and a pomegranate, a golden bell and a pomegranate, upon the hem of the robe round about. [35] And it shall be upon Aaron to minister: and his sound shall be heard when he goeth in unto the holy place before the LORD, and when he cometh out, that he die not. (Exodus 28:31-35)
32... In the Old Testament, the high priest went in once a year, once a year, and that, bearing the blood before him. He was anointed. Oh, I like to study that, how he was anointed with the—with the anointing oil. I believe David cried, “How sweet it is for brethren to dwell together in unity. It’s like the precious anointing oil that was on the—the beard of Aaron, it run all the way to the hems of his garment.”
Oil makes things run easy, soft. You know, when a man gets really anointed and ready for God, he’s just flexible. You know when he’s not, he sets back real stiff, you know…
33 The high priest, once a year, went in one time a year with the Blood before him and worshipped in the Shekinah Glory, all anointed. (Oh, I love that.) Anointed, walking…And he had garments on that had a pomegranate and a bell. And he had to walk with that in such a step, that played, “Holy, holy, holy unto the Lord. Holy, holy, holy unto the Lord,” packing the Blood before him as he went.
What a beautiful picture of the church today. Walking into the…And you know the reason he made them bells? The people on the outside didn’t know whether he was alive or not unless he was making some noise. I’m telling you, brother…mmmmm. Our dead church, that don’t make any noise. Ah, something’s happened. Yes, sir. They haven’t entered into that holy of holy. God is—everywhere you find God, you find a lot of noise. It’s exactly right. When Jesus went into Jerusalem, they broke down palms; them Galilean peasants begin to sing, “Hosanna, to Him that cometh in the Name of the Lord.”
Some of those Pharisees said, “Oh, that makes chills go up my back. That’s sacrilegious. Oh don’t you do…Make them hold their peace.”
Jesus said, “If they hold their peace, the rocks will immediately cry out.” Something has to take place when Christ comes in.
60-0630 - God's Provided Approach To Divine Fellowship Rev. William Marrion Branham
[16] And he saw that there was no man, and wondered that there was no intercessor: therefore his arm brought salvation unto him; and his righteousness, it sustained him. [17] For he put on righteousness as a breastplate, and an helmet of salvation upon his head; and he put on the garments of vengeance for clothing, and was clad with zeal as a cloke. [18] According to their deeds, accordingly he will repay, fury to his adversaries, recompence to his enemies; to the islands he will repay recompence. [19] So shall they fear the name of the LORD from the west, and his glory from the rising of the sun. When the enemy shall come in like a flood, the Spirit of the LORD shall lift up a standard against him. (Isaiah 59:16-19)
70... Unbelief doesn’t stop God, it doesn’t hinder Him. I don’t care how much the world unbelieves, It’s still going to happen. Unbelief doesn’t do nothing but condemns the unbeliever. The unbelief will send the unbeliever to Hell. It’ll rob him of every blessing God promised to him, but it doesn’t hinder God from going right on with the believer. See, unbelief doesn’t stop God, it only stops the unbeliever.
71 You say, “I…The sun ain’t going to shine tomorrow, I’m going to stop it.” You try it. See? All right, you can’t do it. God has set it in order and said it would shine, and it’s going to shine, that’s all, He said it would. Might be some clouds under it, but it’s still shining just the same. And you can’t stop God with that. He, what…
72 How does He make His Word known to the people? First, God knowing that there would be unbelievers…Now watch the wisdom of God; knowing there would be unbelievers, and how the majority would be unbelievers. He, by foreknowledge, predestinated a seed for every age, that would believe It. Now if you’ll notice in there, for, each age goes right on with His Word, everything right on time, nothing hinders God. He goes right on, and every click is moving just exactly right. We think, sometimes, it’s not going to work right. But don’t you worry, His clock is timed just exactly to the split instant, and everything’s working just exactly right.
73 When I look around sometime and see these Rickys and Rickettas that we got today, and on the streets, and how everything’s going on, I think, “O God!”
74 “Wait a minute,” He says, see, “My timepiece is turning just exactly right. I’ve got to put you upon the same basis I did the first man, them days. And I put you on the same basis of Luther, and on the same basis of Wesley.” Because, you see, sin wasn’t known then like it is now. And when we got more knowledge now than we had then, and when the enemy comes in like a flood, the Spirit of God raises a standard against it. See? And now today, we’ve got more knowledge, more understanding, so the rivers of unbelief is flowing in hard, but God raises a standard against it. But, remember, He’s always…The reason that He—He predestinated these things to happen. He foretold them by His prophets they would happen. And when the righteous see these things confirmed, then they know It’s right. Regardless of what anyone else says, they know It’s right.
64-0816 - Proving His Word Rev. William Marrion Branham
[1] Arise, shine; for thy light is come, and the glory of the LORD is risen upon thee. [2] For, behold, the darkness shall cover the earth, and gross darkness the people: but the LORD shall arise upon thee, and his glory shall be seen upon thee. (Isaiah 60:1-2)
40 It seems like that gross darkness has settled upon the people till they think the only thing there is to do is to go to church and be a pretty good person, put your name on the book, and some little mysterious thing, “God will twist the key when you die, and change that spirit in you, to Him.” You’re mistaken. When you die, that spirit that’s on you, that’s the way you’ll forever be. And remember, the Pharisees, Sadducees, and so forth, was very religious people.
41 God is a jealous God. He is jealous, and he wants His wife pure. He wants her a virgin, chaste. Nothing in the world into her, at all; altogether His Word, part of Him. We must be a part of the Word. Not a part of the creed; a part of the Word! Not a part of the church; a part of the Bride! Church is condemned, we know that she goes to outer darkness, but the Bride goes up.
42 Now if people could only wake up for a few moments and realize what the great thing is. It’s pride that does that. It’s people who—who wants to go like the rest of the world. You can’t do that. You’re not of the world. Do you think a woman laying in her casket will want to know whether she had her hair waterdo-ed, or whatever you want to call it? Do you think she would pay attention to how she was dressed if she was laying in a casket, or some man? They wouldn’t do it.
43 And that’s the reason, today, there is so much stuff that we have to copy after the neighbors, or some Hollywood star, or some fashion, or something like that, is because that we haven’t died yet to Christ and His Word. What’s the matter with the churches? We’re in darkness, groping in darkness. Said, “There would be gross darkness upon the people.” A gross darkness on the people now!
44 What does it all mean? It means this, that when the world…What made the moon fade out, was because that the—the sun…the earth got in the shadow of the sun, that was reflecting itself on the earth. The world got in the shadow. That’s what’s the matter with the church. That’s what’s the matter with the Presbyterian, Methodist, Pentecostals. That’s what’s the matter with all of us. The world shuts out the Light that we’re supposed to be reflecting, swings itself around and gets into It, and, as they pass one another, it throws darkness over it.
45 And the world has come into the church, in the—in the name of denomination, the name of some creed, and “we’re religious and all this and all this,” but yet it denies the resurrecting power of Christ to vindicate His Word that’s prophesied for this day. There can only be Light through the Word of God. We know that. God, in the beginning, said, “Let there be light,” and there was light, vindication of His Word that He had spoken.
[16] And he came to Nazareth, where he had been brought up: and, as his custom was, he went into the synagogue on the sabbath day, and stood up for to read. [17] And there was delivered unto him the book of the prophet Esaias. And when he had opened the book, he found the place where it was written, [18] The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he hath anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor; he hath sent me to heal the brokenhearted, to preach deliverance to the captives, and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty them that are bruised, [19] To preach the acceptable year of the Lord. [20] And he closed the book, and he gave it again to the minister, and sat down. And the eyes of all them that were in the synagogue were fastened on him. [21] And he began to say unto them, This day is this scripture fulfilled in your ears. [22] And all bare him witness, and wondered at the gracious words which proceeded out of his mouth. And they said, Is not this Joseph's son? [23] And he said unto them, Ye will surely say unto me this proverb, Physician, heal thyself: whatsoever we have heard done in Capernaum, do also here in thy country. (Luke 4:16-23)
He thirsted like we did. He knowed how to do without.
187 He was sick like we are. He said, “Won’t they say to Me the old parable, ‘Physician, heal yourself’?” But His great powers wasn’t for Himself. He had the power to do it, but He couldn’t use it on Himself. No. 188 Somebody said to me, the other day, said, “Brother Branham, before anything happens, you know all about what’s going to happen to you.”
189 I said, “The gift is not for me. I cannot use it for myself.” It’s for you. You’re the one that gets the benefit, not me. I’m just a public servant of God, to you.
190 The preacher is a public servant. He just holds himself there. Like a lily of the field, the bumble bee flies in, get his part. The honey bee flies and gets his. The bypasser gets his, and everything. He toils, day and night, to keep his radiance. And the Gospel minister does the same thing; walks in the line of God. Holds his testimony true, that the world might partake of him, see, Mr. Pastor Lily. He’s a good one. Jesus said, “Consider him. Solomon is not like him.” That’s right. Dr. Lily, I guess you all know him. See?
191 “Consider the lilies of the field, how they toil and spin, neither. I say, and, yet, Solomon, all of his glory…” A lily has to struggle, day and night, to get the radiance to keep his garments, to keep the perfume and things going. And others…He just opens up hisself, and they come by and take it out of him. The bee and the fly, and everything, comes by, good or bad, just takes from him.
192 That’s the way the servant is, of Christ, the Christian servant; opens himself up, “Just take from me, world.” There’s nothing for himself. It’s for the others. That’s what Christ become when He become kinfolks to us. He become man, that the world might partake of His righteousness, see, and be made sons of God.
60-1002 - The Kinsman Redeemer Rev. William Marrion Branham
[1] The Spirit of the Lord GOD is upon me; because the LORD hath anointed me to preach good tidings unto the meek; he hath sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to them that are bound; [2] To proclaim the acceptable year of the LORD, and the day of vengeance of our God; to comfort all that mourn; [3] To appoint unto them that mourn in Zion, to give unto them beauty for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning, the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness; that they might be called trees of righteousness, the planting of the LORD, that he might be glorified. (Isaiah 61:1-3)
228 Minister, member, good man, moral man, whatever you are, and you know that God taken cigarettes from you. Women, you know He has taken shorts, and—and short hair, and everything, from…You know He did that. But then if you turn around and do despite, and count that Blood of the covenant, as It was, “an unholy thing,” Who has sanctified you and brought you this far!
229 Like the spies, if they come right up here to the borderland, and looked over, and said, “Well, I know it’s there, but the obstacle is too great. We look like grasshoppers,” they perished in the wilderness. Borderline believers!
230 Don’t just come this far, say, “I believe the Message.” You obey the messenger. Come into Christ! You say, “Well, I believe every Word said, Brother Branham.” That’s good, but that’s just—that’s just being able to read.
231 Take the Message, take It into your heart, that you must have the Token, the very Life that was in Christ be in you. “When I see That, I will pass over you.”
232 As we see the great end-time signs on earth today, we know that that’s right. Now look, I’ve waited for this, for a long, long time, for this Message to you. See? And you’ve seen the end-time signs. And I’ve preached It to you, and showed It to you, by everything that Christ said. Is that right? [Congregation says, “Amen.”—Ed.] You’ll admit that? [“Amen.”] We’re at the end time. I don’t see nothing left.
233 You say, “What about the mark of the beast?” Those who reject the Holy Spirit is already marked by the beast. The punishment will come later. See?
234 In Israel, when the trumpet sounded in the Jubilee year, every man…You notice Christ, in reading that? He just read half of it, ’cause just half of it was applied to that time. See? “He sent Me to bind up the brokenhearted, preach deliverance,” and so forth, see, but, He, “and the acceptable year of the Lord.” The rest of it, He never—He never read that; He laid the Scroll down, for that’s for this day. See? He just read part of it, part was His day.
235 Now this is what He is going to do today. This is what He is speaking, through His anointed Spirit, to the church today: Now is the hour. Now is the time. Receive It, people. Receive It!
[20] And he said, Thou canst not see my face: for there shall no man see me, and live. [21] And the LORD said, Behold, there is a place by me, and thou shalt stand upon a rock: [22] And it shall come to pass, while my glory passeth by, that I will put thee in a clift of the rock, and will cover thee with my hand while I pass by: [23] And I will take away mine hand, and thou shalt see my back parts: but my face shall not be seen. (Exodus 33:20-23)
126 Thomas said unto Him, “Lord, show us the Father.” It’ll satisfy him.
127 He said, “I been so long with you, and you don’t know Me?” Said, “When you see Me, you’ve seen the Father. And why say, ‘Show us the Father’?”
128 Now, the Oneness took it, the oneness group of people, and try to make Father, Son, and Holy Ghost, just one office and one place, and like your finger, one. That’s wrong. God could not…Jesus could not been His Own father. If He was, then He was a…Well, how could He been His Own father?
129 And if God is a man, separated from the Holy Ghost, He had two fathers. For the Bible said, that, “The Holy Ghost overshadowed Mary and she conceived.” And the Bible said, in Matthew 1:18, that, “that thing which is conceived in her is of the Holy Ghost.” Then which is His father, the Holy Ghost or God? Both, the same Spirit, or He had an illegitimate birth by two spirits.
That’s a Catholic dogma, and it never was a Bible teaching. Martin Luther brought it out, with a lot of other Catholicism that’s in Lutheran church. Wesley followed on with it. And it’s still going on, but it’s an error. It’s not the Truth. Never was it, never was it a Bible Doctrine. Never was it a commandment in the Bible, to teach three Gods.
There is one God. Jesus said, “Hear ye, O Israel, I’m the Lord your God, one God,” not three Gods.
130 In Africa, they baptize once for the Father, once for the Son, and once for the Holy Ghost. And then the poor Jew comes around, say, “Which one of them is your God? Which one is, the Father, Son, or Holy Ghost?” They’re, all three, One. The Bible said they were One.
131 Jesus was a house that God lived in. The Bible said that—that, First Timothy 3:16, “Without controversy,” (that’s, “argument”) “great is the mystery of godliness. For God was manifested in the flesh, seen of Angels, received on…preached, believed on, and received up into Glory.” God was. The Bible said, “His Name shall be called Emmanuel, which is by interpretation, ‘God with us.’” The Bible said, that, “Jesus, in Him dwelt the fullness of the Godhead bodily.”
132 As we had it the other night: God, in the beginning, was Spirit. And then, from God, went out the Logos, or the theophany, which was a form of a man, called the Son of God, prefigured. He came in earth, in a body of flesh, even before He came in Jesus Christ. Now swallow that one once, brother. I’ll prove it to you.
133 When—when Moses saw Him. He said, “Let me see Your form, Lord.” And God hid him in the rock. And when He passed by, he said, “It was the back part of a man.” That was that Theophany. That’s exactly.
Then, that Theophany had to be made flesh. Not another Person, but the same Person had to become flesh, to take the sting out of death.
Like a bee when he stings, it leaves the stinger. And he never left that…He could put a sting in human flesh because it’s sin. But, brother, when he stung that Emmanuel’s flesh, he lost his stinger. Yes, sir. He can buzz but he ain’t got no stinger no more.
57-0901E - Hebrews, Chapter Four Rev. William Marrion Branham
[29] And it came to pass, when Moses came down from mount Sinai with the two tables of testimony in Moses' hand, when he came down from the mount, that Moses wist not that the skin of his face shone while he talked with him. [30] And when Aaron and all the children of Israel saw Moses, behold, the skin of his face shone; and they were afraid to come nigh him. [31] And Moses called unto them; and Aaron and all the rulers of the congregation returned unto him: and Moses talked with them. [32] And afterward all the children of Israel came nigh: and he gave them in commandment all that the LORD had spoken with him in mount Sinai. [33] And till Moses had done speaking with them, he put a vail on his face. (Exodus 34:29-33)
148 Now the natural veil. God, the Word, veiled in human flesh. What was it? God was veiled in Moses. God was in Moses, veiled, and the Presence of God was in him. He was so perfect with that Word in him like that, till he had to veil his face. And it was a vindicated prophet that unfolded the Word and told them, “Thou shalt not! Thou shall! And thou shall not!” See?
149 To give His Word to that generation, He veiled Himself in a human being, or the Word would have blinded even the called-out. See? Even the people that was out there, they could not stand to see that. In—in Exodus we find that, they said, “Let Moses speak, not God.” See why the Pillar of Fire don’t appear too much? See?
150 God said, “I—I—I’ll do that. I’ll raise them up a Prophet.” Amen! “I’ll raise them up one.” And He came just exactly. “I’ll raise, and He’ll have, be the Word.”
151 He said, “If they want to see what the Word is…” Said, “Now, Moses, I appeared to you yonder, the burning bush.” Said, “I’m going to come down and set that mountain afire.” Said, “They’ll see that you’ve told the truth. I’ll appear here in the—in the—the same burning way. I’ll appear here and prove to the people, I’ll vindicate your ministry.” That’s what He told Moses here, so many words.
152 Notice, He said, “Now I’m going to—I’m going to glorify you before the people.” Said, “Now, you told them that I met you out there in a burning bush; now I’m going to come down, same Fire, and I’m going to let the people see that you never lied about It.” You can scientifically prove It, even, if you want to. See? “I’m going to come right down and let them know.”
153 And when He begin to thunder, when Jehovah started thundering, the people said, “No! No! No! Don’t let Jehovah speak; we’ll—we’ll die.”
154 See, He had to be veiled, so God veiled Himself in Moses and give Moses the Word. And Moses come down and spoke the Word of the Lord, in a veil over his face. That right? Jehovah veiled in a form of a prophet, ’cause it would’ve absolutely…And God said He wouldn’t speak to them anymore like that. He would only speak to them by a prophet. That’s the only way He would ever speak from then on. That’s the only way He’s ever spoke. That’s right. Never any other way. He don’t lie.
64-0614M - The Unveiling Of God Rev. William Marrion Branham
[47] Whosoever cometh to me, and heareth my sayings, and doeth them, I will shew you to whom he is like: [48] He is like a man which built an house, and digged deep, and laid the foundation on a rock: and when the flood arose, the stream beat vehemently upon that house, and could not shake it: for it was founded upon a rock. [49] But he that heareth, and doeth not, is like a man that without a foundation built an house upon the earth; against which the stream did beat vehemently, and immediately it fell; and the ruin of that house was great. (Luke 6:47- 49)
235 Not long ago, in London, England; taking a little walk. And England is, the British Isles, are so covered with people! In England, you can’t hardly find a place, hardly, but what’s got a house on it, and they’re raising their…Like in Germany, and so forth, there they’re the old countries, and the grounds are wore out, and they got a little garden. In Germany and places like that, you don’t find, in the back yard, some nice mowed grass and a lot of trees. You find tomatoes and beans and potatoes, something to eat. They have to. And the grounds are so taken up till…
236 The little limey soldier that was taking me around, we went up over top the hill, Brother Baxter and I, and this boy. We come to a place that was a beautiful spot. There were trees, and the green grass, and everything. I thought, “Isn’t that a pretty place!” I said to this limey, I said, “Sir, I—I would like to ask you a question. I see that your island here is so covered. Why would a large space here, for several acres, a beautiful spot with trees and a valley, and everything like that, why would you leave that, and no one would ever build a house here?”
237 He said, “Reverend, I—I want to say this. About two hundred years ago, there was an epidemic of blackwater fever, broke out here in England.” And said, “They had no serum, and the people died like flies.” He said, “The wagons, they tell me, come day and night. They couldn’t even bury them. The clergymen would just come out here, once in a while, raise up his hands and pray, and go back. They throwed them all in this valley here. They couldn’t even bury them.” Said, “They died, and they died, till thousands times thousands, of children, grownups, teen-agers and everything, died. And they just took them out there, and then they just took and sprayed dirt over the top of them when the plague had ceased.”
238 And he said, “You know what?” He said, “From that day, to this, the Englishman is so sure he’ll not plant his foundations on where a thing like that once was. He’ll not plant his foundation upon things like…He’ll never set his house on a place where death laid like that.” And I stood there a little bit, and I thought. No need telling him, he wouldn’t understand it.
239 But how, in the world, that a person will face so sincerely, till, if black fever, two hundred years ago, laid on that ground, but you are so suspicious, and so concerned about you got to live a little longer, and you might take black fever if you ever planted your house there, and then you will plant your Eternal destination upon some man-made creed that died hundreds of years ago, upon some theology, theology of some church that’s been laying on a shelf for hundreds of years, not a thing, not a move of God in them, and everything else, and you will stick your name and creed, and everything, right on there, and go on living. Listen, friend, don’t you do that.
240 “Upon this rock I will build My Church, and the gates of hell can’t prevail against It. The works that I do, shall you also. Lo, I am with you, even in you, always, to the end of the world; Jesus Christ, the same yesterday, today, and forever.”
241 God is a God of reality. Don’t just take a creed. Don’t just take a sensation. Take a reality! Take a real God, something that God is, a God of reality. That gives you assurance. It gives you hope. It gives you faith. It gives you the Spirit. It gives you signs. It gives you wonders. It does in you just like it did in Christ. Because, that was His purpose of coming, to bring God to man, and made God and man one.
60-0626 - The Unfailing Realities Of The Living God Rev. William Marrion Branham
[4] For since the beginning of the world men have not heard, nor perceived by the ear, neither hath the eye seen, O God, beside thee, what he hath prepared for him that waiteth for him. [5] Thou meetest him that rejoiceth and worketh righteousness, those that remember thee in thy ways: behold, thou art wroth; for we have sinned: in those is continuance, and we shall be saved. [6] But we are all as an unclean thing, and all our righteousnesses are as filthy rags; and we all do fade as a leaf; and our iniquities, like the wind, have taken us away. [7] And there is none that calleth upon thy name, that stirreth up himself to take hold of thee: for thou hast hid thy face from us, and hast consumed us, because of our iniquities. [8] But now, O LORD, thou art our father; we are the clay, and thou our potter; and we all are the work of thy hand. (Isaiah 64:4-8)
299 And I know, that day when I walked into that hospital, when I had my great challenge. I seen my wife die; me calling for her life. “And what have I done but stand on the street corner and preach, and pray for the sick?”
And then Satan said, “Well, He won’t answer your prayer.”
300 I seen her die, but I know that in her was that resurrection power. Them bones shall rise again.
301 I seen my little baby lay there. And I lay my hand on, say, “God, don’t take it.”
302 Look like He pulled the curtain down, said, “I won’t even hear you no more.”
303 Satan said, “There it is. Just one word…” He knowed better than tell me there was no God, ’cause I knowed that. But he said He don’t love me, He don’t care for me. See? Every reason thing, said, “You’re just a young man, yet twenty years old. There lays your wife laying down here in a morgue. And here is your baby going there. And—and just…You said He was a great Healer, and He’s all this. And, look, what does He do? One word, He wouldn’t even have to speak it, just look down there and say. Just nod His head, that’s all would take place, and it’d be healed. But, you see, He don’t love you. He don’t care for you. Letting your baby die right there now, and even refuse to hear your prayer in this dark hour.”
304 Everything he said was absolutely the truth. “So what have you done? Work all day long, till you couldn’t hardly stand up. And then sit up all night, till twelve and one o’clock. Standing on the street corners, preaching. Making calls to hospital. Just come in and sit down, a chair, sit there and sleep an hour or two, and go back to work again. Next night, the same thing. And here you are, about twenty-one, twenty-two years old. Every friend, every young lady, every young man that you ever associated with, called you a crazy crank. What have you done? You made a fool out of yourself. Don’t you see it?” I was just about ready to agree with him.
305 And Something down in me, that was that quickening power. I said “The Lord gave, and the Lord taken away. Blessed be the Name of the Lord.”
When all my hopes give way,
Then He’s all my hope and stay.
For on Christ, the…
[Blank spot on tape—Ed.]…sinking sand.
Oh, He shall come with triumph sound,
Then may I then be in—in Him be found,
Wrapped in the robes of His righteousness.
306 Not in my own; I don’t have any. Mine is filthy, dirty rags. I’d hate to try to go to Heaven on my preaching. Hate to try to go to Heaven on my visions. I’m going to Heaven because I hold His grace in my heart. His grace, that’s why I’m going. That’s how we go.
65-0410 - The Easter Seal Rev. William Marrion Branham
