Preached on Monday, 21st May 1962 at the Stephen Mather High School in Chicago, Illinois, U.S.A. (1 hour and 18 minutes)
E-1 Thank you very much, Brother Carlson. You may be seated. So many--so many things to be said, and it's getting late. But I'm certainly happy to be here tonight in Chicago, and thank Brother Carlson, and Brother Boze for their kindness, and all the others, for inviting me here tonight to speak at this luncheon, or dinner for Brother Boze's going away in the mission fields. And I know what he goes through with there, because I missionary also; and was setting here with our brother from South Africa that was in our meetings there in--when we was last time in South Africa.
And as the precious doctor friend come up here and led that prayer for us, how, that... We all know what the feel of the jungle is when they get in there, and I think it's a worthy thing. You know, the--that we have churches on every corner, and hear the Gospel any way we want to hear it; those people there has never heard the Name of Jesus, many times.
E-2 So I'm fixing to go back again. I've never been satisfied at home, and I don't believe I can never be satisfied 'till I get back in the field again over there. And so, pray for me, and... About doors closing for me, I expect that, so I can... Thank you. If you keep praying for me. Just to pray that I'll--that I'll stay in the will of God. That's the main thing.
And now... And pray for brethren too. That's all right. If they don't see it, why... (I better turn on this side over here, if it'd be--be better.)
If someone can't see those things, why, we can't blame them. That's all right. If I couldn't see anything, 'course I wouldn't say anything about it. I'd just go ahead. First thing, I'd--I'd set down and look it up in the Scriptures and see if it was the Bible first, because that's where all truth comes from: the Bible.
E-3 Now, our oncoming services, if there happens to be someone here, we're going to South Carolina--North Carolina from here, then South Carolina; then to California, and Canada, and Alaska; then come back, and hope to go overseas from then on for a while.
Now, tonight I had several things here I wanted to speak on, but it's late. I'm not going to speak any longer than two o'clock. (I was just joking.) I will read some Scripture here, on some notes or comments and Scriptures I have written down, and just pass a few comments. And then we will--we will turn this service back to the brethren. Now, you will be praying for me, I'm--I'm sure. I depend on that, that you--that you pray for me.
E-4 Now, in the Gospel of Saint John, the 1st chapter, 35th verse, I want to read down to the 41st verse.
Then Jesus turned, and saw them following, and said unto them, What seek ye? And they said unto him, Rabbi, (which is to... be interpreted, Master,) where dwellest thou?
He said unto them, Come and see. And they came and seen where he dwelt, and abode with him that day: for it was about the tenth hour.
And he first found his own brother Simon, and said unto him, We have found the Messias, which is, being interpreted, the Christ.
E-5 Now, I want to thank you all for this present here, that I haven't yet opened. And--and--and then the other night Brother Carlson just went a little against my thoughts when he took an offering and turned it over to me. And I found a good place tonight for it. So thank you very kindly. I sure appreciate that. And I know that after it's come from your hands to mine, I have to be the steward of this welfare of God of this money. And I want to place it to the best place that I know, where something's being done for the Kingdom of God. Let's bow our heads just a moment.
E-6 Heavenly Father, there's been so many great things said tonight. I wonder if You have another message for the people, have something that would encourage them, or give them faith. We've heard from great warriors of the field. How I am honored to be in their presence tonight: men who love You, and women. How we thank You for the songs, and for the hearts, and the attentive of the people here at this late hour, and still waiting. They're hungering and thirsting, Lord.
Hear You speak forth in a language that I knew nothing about; hear a gallant soldier stand here, and interpret it. It encourages me, Father. I'm so thankful for all these things. Now, bless this people, Father, and bless Thy Word, and help Thy servant now. If there's a few things that might be said that would help someone, I pray that You'll use it now, in Jesus' Name. Amen.
E-7 I want to say that the greatest call there is in earth, to my opinion, is the mission field. Anyone who is a missionary is an apostle; for the word "apostle" means "one sent," and the word "missionary" is "one sent." So they're both the same word, or used the same. And why they ever preferred to call themselves missionaries I don't know, but it's a good word, or apostles.
E-8 Now, I want to take a text tonight from "Convinced And Then Concerned": those two words, to just pass a few comments, and quote a few Scriptures here, on first to be convinced, and then to be concerned.
Now, from our Scripture reading we have a very great setting. (Am I too close to the microphone? Is it banging in your ear?) We find today, that there is such a falling away. It seems to be that people are not interested like they used to be. They are falling away from the--the fundamental facts of the Bible. They are seem to be drifting. And I think all ministers who love the Word of God, and know that that's the only standard in which we can be assure that we're right... It's not upon a--some theory, but upon the Word of God. That's the only basis, as...
E-9 I don't want to say this sacrilegious, but in the south it was told that a colored brother once packed a Bible under his arm, and could not read. And his boss asked him, said, "Why do you pack it?"
He said, "Because I believe it." And he said, "I believe it from kiver to kiver, and the kiver also, for it's got 'Holy Bible.'" And he said, "I want to say another thing. I would rather be standing on that Bible than be standing in heaven."
I--I think he had something there. Both heavens and earth would pass away, so if you're standing in heaven, it might pass away. And earth, it will pass away and... But the Word will never pass away, so that's a good place to stand.
Here in Chicago, one night, I heard Brother Tommy Osborn, our gallant brother, say, "I believe this Word." He said, "If it wasn't sacrilegious, I'd put it down and stand on it, to show that I was standing there." I thought that was rather very cute.
E-10 Today we find, though, that people get away. They get away from the Word, get away from the interest. There seems to be not very much interest in it. We find that in amongst even our own people, the people, Full Gospel people, that we come to a spot that we are--we're over-fed. Now, a person gets over-fed gets drowsy, lazy. Our doctor friend there can sure tell you that. If you've overeaten... And I think we Pentecostal people have overeaten. We've seen so many great things, till it becomes common to us. You see?
E-11 And like it was told one time in England... There was a poet who had wrote the poems of the--how beautiful the sea was, and the sea gulls, and how it reflected its beauty of the sky in itself. And--and so, he was going to... Never seen the sea, but one day he was on his road down to the seashore. And on his road down he met an old, what we would call, an old salt, old sailor.
He said, "Oh, I am a poet. I've wrote of the sea." And said, "I'm--I've never seen it as yet. I've only written on what I've read about." And said, "I'm going down now to have my first experience. I want to smell the briny waters, and I--I want to hear the call of the sea gull as it--as it circles in the--the--the air; and see its frolicking waves, as it throws its whitecaps, and the blue skies reflect itself into the water."
And the old salt stood there, and puffed on his pipe a few times, and spit, said, "I don't see nothing so thrilling about it." Said, "I've been on it for fifty years. I was borned on it." Said, "I don't see nothing about it." See, he had saw it so much till it become common to him.
E-12 And I believe that tonight that that's a whole lot the matter with our churches in our Full Gospel ranks here in America: that we have seen so much of the goodness of God till it's become common to us. We just don't respect it like we should. We think we do, but I--I really believe that we should give more earnest heed to that which we have heard, lest any time we should let it slip. Now, I--I believe that that's true.
And when, maybe for instance, one single act of God here, probably you would walk out and say, "Well, that was all right." But that one act, maybe, in some jungle back there in South Africa, or Tanganyika, wherever it might be, Kenya, would cause maybe thousands to fall on their face, and give glory to God, just that one thing take place. So you can see where the great power of the pulling of the Spirit is to go where the Word is--is made manifest.
E-13 Now, we have sent missionaries into the foreign fields for years. I found the same thing when we come into South Africa, where I missionaried here with our brother. And what did we find? Mostly was reading, writing, and arithmetic. Now, I have great respect for--for Africa and for my Afrikaans, also brethren. But what it takes to make a man who don't even know which is right hand and left hand... How you going to tell him anything or lead him to Christ, about a tract that you might pass to him that he can't read. See? What he wants... He reads of a God or--and he knows about another god, and all kinds of gods. But what he wants is something in action, something he can see.
That's the reason the apostles was endued with power, because they were in a day of pagans, and different gods was being worshipped. And they wanted to see the manifestation of a truly living God, that could make Himself known.
E-14 Therefore, I feel that maybe the work is kind of quietening down for me here, as the Lord's sending me to the field there. Because in Durban, South Africa, at one altar call, when I seen a boy on the platform was healed... And a doctor (medical doctor) run at the platform and said, "I want to ask. What did you do to that boy?"
I said, "Doctor, I'm not reading their minds." I was telling him the things and so forth, as you know what takes place.
He said, "Well," said, "I put that boy on the stage right there about five minutes ago, and he was hideously cross-eyed."
And he come right through here, and I met him. And I said, "Now, the little fellow anyone can see is cross-eyed. I know nothing how to do it. If I was a doctor, and could perform an operation, I'd certainly do it for the little lad." But I said, "I'm not a doctor." And I--I said, "Now, by... Maybe by a Divine gift that might cause him to have faith, might cause him to have faith enough for his healing..."
E-15 And watching, after a few things had taken place, and--and that same sort of Divine revelation, or seeing visions... And no one could condemn that. Our Lord Jesus' ministry was made up of that. He said, "The works that I do shall you do also. And the Word of God," according to Hebrews 4:12, "is sharper than a two-edged sword, and a discerner of the thoughts of the heart." And--and the Word's made flesh when we receive it, and so forth.
E-16 So this little lad... It said, "I see you come from a Christian home, and the home where you go into your little..." What is it they call those little huts they live in? I forget now. [A brother answers, "Banga"--Ed.] What? "Banga." Said, "there was--there was a picture of Christ hangs at the right hand side of the wall."
And the little lad standing there he'd just eaten his diet, and his belly was all dirty, and where he'd let his food fall down on his little tummy. And--and he was looking around, and his little eyes setting together. And I said, "The baby, he's a Zulu." And I said, "But his father and mother are small." And the father and mother stood up, and that was correct.
And said, "Now, but the thing is that the little baby, when he was born, he was born cross-eyed." And the mother and father raised again out there; that was true.
I said, "The mother, when the baby was born, while the father was looking into its eyes, and noticed it, and took it back to the mother." Correctly, they raised up their hands.
I looked back, and the little boy was looking at me just as perfect as he could look. I said, "Well, I won't have to pray for the little boy because he's already healed. You can pass by."
E-17 And a little British doctor back there, he was certainly curious about that. He ran up there real quick, and he said...
Mr. Bosworth said, "Don't do that." Said, "We can't do that now." Said, "We don't want any trouble, 'cause they're separated, the tribes out there now." And many hundreds and hundreds and hundreds, and thousands of them was seated around that Durban racetrack, and many waiting to be prayed for.
And then, when he said that, this doctor said, "Well, here. I want..." Said, "Mr. Branham, what did you do to that boy?"
He said, "When he was standing there; he was cross-eyed; standing here, he isn't cross-eyed." He said, "Did you hypnotize that boy?"
I said, "Doctor, if hypnotism will straighten cross-eyes, don't you think you fellows better practice a little hypnotism?" I said, "You know better than that."
He said, "Sure, I believe there's a God." Said, "The lilies..." (you know how pretty your big lilies is there in Africa), said, "I believe that if there's a... God's in that lily or it couldn't live." But said, "Tangible enough to make a cross-eyed boy..."
I said, "Well, you'll just have to take my word for it. That's all I can tell you." I said, "There he is standing there, and I never touched him. And the Lord God, which is present now, made him to be perfectly whole, and there he stands. There's nothing can be said about it." I said, "Call the next one."
Just... He said, "Just a moment." He said, "Mr. Branham, I'm just a church member. If there is a God that's tangible enough to make that boy's eyes come straight on the platform, I want Him for my Saviour."
When I was leaving Durban about three weeks later, there was thousands out there waving good-bye. He jumped over the fence, run out there, and put his arms around me, and begin speaking in unknown tongues. And he said, "The Lord's called me to the mission field to be a medical missionary now."
E-18 See, that's what it takes. That's what we confront today. Reading and writing is all right. But what the people need is the power of the resurrection of Jesus Christ. Today we've been falling away too much in this country for that--from that. The church is fell from it, now, not concerned about it.
People don't seem to want it. They see many bogus things that goes along, sure. How many ever read the life of Martin Luther? I was reading in his life, and it said it wasn't a strange thing, so much, that Martin Luther could protest the Catholic church and get by with it; but the strange thing that he could hold his head above all the fanaticism that followed his revival, and still stay clean, and clear with the Word. That's it. See?
It's stay with the Word. That's the thing that leads you out, 'cause God is the Word. And--and we know that Christ is the Word.
E-19 But today, it's kindy... Instead of so much of getting people to the Word, and to God, and to the Bible; it's come join the church, support some radio program, or--or build some great buildings. You know how it is.
And you know what I believe the reason that this is? Is because that they haven't been convinced yet that it's God with us. I believe that. I believe that people really do that sincerely, and think that God is in programs of organizing churches, and making big denominations, and--and bringing more people in, and building finer buildings, and so forth like that--that that is God's program.
That isn't God's program. It never was. He never did commission us to do that, though as good as they are. He never did say, "Go into all the world and build schools." Yet we like them. They're all right. They're... He never did say, "Go build hospitals." Yet, thank God for every one of them. That's the other people's business; but the minister's is, "Preach the Gospel." And the Gospel come not in word only, but through power and manifestation of the Holy Ghost. That's the commission that to a missionary, and always a missionary is right. Yes.
E-20 Oh, the people believe, of course, that they believe those things. But they're... As my old southern mother used to tell me, "Your actions speaks louder than your words." That's right. When we see that people turn down the Gospel... How can you say you believe the Gospel, when you turn down the very thing you say you believe? It just don't work.
Now, Jesus said, "If you love Me, feed My sheep." That's it. Now, we don't want to feed them educational programs, and we don't want to feed them denominational weeds. But sheep eat sheep Food. That's what it takes to make a sheep fat, is sheep food. That's exact right. And sheep Food is the Gospel of preaching of the power of the resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ, bringing Him in Person to the people. He's not dead; He's alive, and alive forevermore. He's here tonight, and that's the Gospel.
E-21 Why was John so certain? Because that he knew that this was the Messiah? Because first, he was convinced that it was the Messiah. You cannot--you cannot do very much until you are convinced, and then you become concerned. But until you are convinced, you're not very concerned.
I'm sure tonight that people who would criticize Divine healing, that would criticize shouting, or any other thing that the Bible has, or the gifts of the Spirit... The reason that they criticize it, is because (or not concerned in it) is because they haven't been convinced yet that it's right.
But you let it happen to you once, and then you'll know what's the matter with these people. You'll see then, it's--it's ever... Someone said they don't believe in Divine healing. You just haven't been sick enough yet; that's all. That's one thing sure.
I find a lot of people that says that sickness is a blessing. Ask some doctor if it is. Why is it then, you go, if you got appendicitis and have the blessing cut out? I sure wouldn't want to do that. That's kind of against your own theory. Have the blessing cut out? I wouldn't want to do that. I'd just keep it and die. See? But sickness is no blessing. Sickness is a curse of the devil. And Jesus said it was. All right.
E-22 The reason that John was so concerned, is because he was convinced that the approaching time of the Messiah was at hand, because in the wilderness he had been told that he was to introduce this Messiah. And he was perfectly convinced that he was right, and was right on time. I like that. See?
If you're--know that you're perfectly convinced, then you're concerned about what you're talking about. How can a man preach the Gospel who's not really convinced that he's absolutely got the Truth? How could you do that? But when you are convinced that you know... And how can you be convinced, if it's not according to the Scripture? You must be convinced, and then you're concerned. That's what makes a--you concerned is because you are convinced.
E-23 He knew his time was at hand, and he knowed that his message was to preach repentance. And so, he was convinced, and therefore he was concerned of getting out his message before the appearing of the Messiah. Now, he wasn't concerned (John wasn't) in big buildings, or educational programs, which is all right. They had them. They had man who were taking care of that. They had the priest, and the rabbis, and the builders, and the intellectuals of that day. They could take care of that.
But to John, he was convinced that the Messiah was somewhere then, right there on earth. And he was convinced that they must repent and make straight the way for His coming. So he was concerned of getting out the message.
E-24 That ought to be the... If we believe of the coming Messiah is at hand, I think we ought to lay aside everything else, and be concerned of getting this message to the lands yonder as fast as you can do it. That's right. If we are convinced. But we preach that there's coming a Messiah and want to put a hundred million dollars in a building. And if the Messiah's coming, what good's that going to do? If we believe it...
See, the very... Our testimony, our action speaks louder than our words does. If I had a hundred million dollars, and I believed the Messiah is coming, I would support a missionary program that would sweep around the country right quick, and get a church ready for Him. I would do it. Therefore, I am convinced that the Messiah is coming soon, and I'm concerned about the Gospel getting everywhere that I can, and know that it can be gotten.
I'm interested in missionary programs. That's why I'm here tonight, to put my words of the Gospel with Brother Joseph, and these other missionaries; is to see that this Word gets out, 'cause it's got to go to every kindred, tribe, and nation before He comes. And He's waiting now for that. I don't believe His program's building buildings, or educational affairs in the church. I believe it's to get the Gospel there, for He's waiting for it. It's time past due. I believe this is the time to do it.
E-25 John knew it was time to be--to repent, ask repentance, and to make ready for a Messiah. And if it was time for repentance then, what about now? His coming was near. He was with them then. Now, look how close... Let's parallel this for just a moment now.
John was so sure that the Messiah's appearing was so close, or His coming was so close, that he said, "There's One standing among you now... There's One among you now that you know not, and He's the One that's going to baptize with the Holy Ghost and fire." Now, John didn't know Him as yet, but he knowed His coming was so close that He was already in the midst of the people.
E-26 Let me say that, friends. And my brethren, why do you condemn me? When Jesus Himself (How many times have I told you?) promised, "As it was in the days of Sodom so shall it be in the coming of the Son of man." Did He not promise this very thing that you call me a witch doctor or something about? Did not He promise that would happen? Then what?
We find out at Sodom when three Angels went down to preach the message... And there was three classes of people always: that's believers, unbelievers, and make-believers. That's... Them's always together, and they associate together. Somehow they--they're throwed together. Now, there were two of the Men that went down and preached to Sodom, to Lot. That was the nominal sleeping virgin, a representation of it. And they preached repentance, and never done that much of a miracle. They blinded the people. Of course, preaching the Gospel blinds the unbeliever. We realize that.
And a modern Billy Graham, like, come into this city here, and God's blessed him, and sent Him out as a messenger to the denominational world. And he doesn't pull punches. He places it right in there. Such... He's got a grip on that Word of--of repentance like no man I know of, hardly, to hear him preach. Well, why? That's his ministry. That's what he's supposed to do. But that certainly represented what those Men had down in there in confirmation of their ministry.
E-27 But One stayed behind. Now, Abraham represents the church that's not in Sodom, but's out of Sodom. The word "church" means "called out." And there's a group of people that's been called out of that kind of a life, out of those things, out of those organizations. Here they are: Episcopalians, Presbyterians, Catholics, me, a Baptist (was), and all these things. See, called out, elect, set aside, and they're away from the thing.
Now, watch what the Messenger came to them. He said, "Abraham..." Not Abram. A few days before there God met him and changed his name from Abram to Abraham, Sarai to Sarah. And He said, "Abraham, where is your wife, Sarah?"
And He said, "I'm going to visit you according to the time of life." In other words, "You're going to have this baby you've waited on for twenty-five years."
E-28 And Sarah in the tent, laughed within herself, and said, "Me, an old woman can have pleasure with my lord, and him old?" She was ninety, and he was a hundred. Just ask anybody; that's far beyond any reasons. She is twenty or thirty years past menopause, and his body as good as dead. Yet he staggered not at the promise of God through unbelief, but he believed God's Word, regardless.
Now, that's supposed to represent the church today. Through that promised son he brought a Royal Seed, which was Christ. And through there brought in a--making him a father of nations, which is the Gentile church, the royal seed of Abraham. And we claim to be the royal seed of Abraham, and see His Word confirmed before us, and then refuse to help it, or--or to support it, or--or even--even deny it? How can we be the Royal seed of Abraham and do a trick like that?
Look what happened. And He said... Sarah laughed and said, "Me, an old woman, and have pleasure with my lord again?"
E-29 Now, Jesus said... Now, we want first to find who that Man was. It don't give His Name. But Abraham, who talked with Him, called Him "God." The word was used, "Elohim." "Elohim" in the--the Hebrew, I think, is the "all-sufficient One," the--the great One, Elohim, the great Almighty God. And if Abraham, who met Him, called Him that... Now, what did that represent? That the formal world there, would be a Sodom and Gomorrah.
Now, remember, that was before the fire fell. We're promised fire this time. And before it happened a messengers went down, and preached to the church that was still in the formal conditions in Sodom. And the Bible said that the sins of the city even vexed the soul, righteous soul, of Lot daily.
But the One that came to the elected church performed that kind of a sign. And Jesus said, "As it was in the days of Sodom, so shall it be in the coming of the Son of man." And yet, they don't see it. I can't understand it. All right.
E-30 Remember, that today, because that you see the church moving up from one great thing to another great thing... And those people sometime draw a little fence. If Luther had never drawed a fence, he'd be Pentecostal today. The Pentecostal church today is the advanced Lutheran church. That's exactly right. Now, we draw fences.
If we would make our organizations, and end our doctrine with a comma, "We believe this, plus as much as God will give to us," that would be fine. But they end it with a period. "We believe this. And you believe it, or you don't come around us." So therefore, God... you just shut yourself off. Right.
We must be willing and open to receive God, and whatever God's got for us, with an open heart. We must receive it. And therefore, when the nations here turned down the Word of God, there's heathens yonder that's ready to receive It. And the Gospel will go from this intellectual nation to the heathen that don't know right hand from left. And that's what's taking place right now. That's exactly. It's a leaving.
E-31 Now, John was so sure that he was going to see the Messiah, till he said, "He's in our midst now." Now, watch.
Notice. There's a great big difference in the sign of Jesus appearing, and then Jesus coming. There's two different words, means two different things: the appearing of the Lord, and the coming of the Lord.
Now, the appearing of the Lord is now, when He's appearing in His people, His Spirit working among them, proving that it's Him with them, getting them ready for the rapture, for the coming of the Lord to catch away His--the Bride (See?): the appearing and the coming. All right. Now.
Now, the thing we have to do if we can believe it, and be concerned about it, first we've got to be convinced that it is God. Then when we're convinced, then we are concerned. I like that. All right.
E-32 John knew what He would be. He looked for Him, because God told him in the wilderness, "There'll be a sign following Him." And when John saw that sign, he knew that Messiah was standing there somewhere, and he watched it, where it went to. And he said, "There's the Lamb of God that takes away the sin of the world, for He that told me in the wilderness, 'Upon Whom thou shall see the Spirit descending and remaining on, He is the One that'll baptize with the Holy Ghost and fire.'"
E-33 Now, the Bible promises in this last days that these things that you see today would be happening. Then we see the appearing of the Messiah in the form of the Holy Spirit in the church. And if the life of a--of a pear tree was in a sycamore tree, it would bring the same--it'd bring pears, because the life in the tree would be, now, be pear tree life. No matter how big, how little, what form it's in, it would be the same, 'cause the life in it produces the fruit of it. And the fruit of the Spirit follows the Spirit, or the Spirit produces the fruit and the signs of the Gospel.
Jesus said, "These signs shall follow them that believe." They would do it. And to how long? "To all the world and unto every nation."
E-34 Andrew, as we read of him here a few moments ago in the coming of the Lord... Andrew, he was just an ordinary Hebrew that went over to see--hear John preach, and he was sure that this prophet knew what he was talking about. And then, on the scene one day came Jesus, and he heard John announce Him, and saying, "There He is. That's the One right there."
And Andrew, he said, "Now, the thing for me to do is to not criticize John, or--or take just that, but I'm going to go with Him and find out." I wish every person in Chicago would be that sincere.
Now, Andrew stayed with Him all night. Did you notice in that Scripture, he abode with Him all night. He stayed until he was convinced. And after he was convinced, then he was concerned about somebody else having the same thing he had.
E-35 But a man's got to be convinced first. And the only convincing thing is the manifestation, or the identity of the Gospel being identified in you. When you see that you have passed from death unto Life and become a new creature in Christ Jesus, that's the identity of the Holy Spirit. That's exactly right. How can the Holy Spirit write the Bible and turn around and deny what He wrote? See, He cannot do it. He's... That's--that's the identity of unbelief. That's the identity of unbelief. But the identity of belief, Jesus said, "These signs shall identify those who believe in me." Now. We know that that's God's Own Word. All right.
E-36 Andrew was concerned about his brother after he had stayed with Jesus all night. I'm afraid that... (wish we had more time), but I'm afraid that that's what's the matter with our churches today, brother, sister. We just don't stay long enough. We run in and shake hands with the pastor, put our name on the book, and go home--call ourself a church member with no burden for the lost at all.
We're not concerned about the missionary overseas. We're not concerned about the starving anywhere else. We got our tummies full, and we got a good, warm, nice church, and a fine intellectual pastor that would never say anything against the things that we're doing. So we're seem to be very well satisfied. See? Therefore, we're not concerned. We're not concerned about what goes on.
But if you was convinced that Jesus Christ raised from the dead, and will judge you for your sins, and that His coming is at hand, and this is the Holy Spirit identifying Himself, then you'd be concerned about other people too, and getting them to--just as concerned as Andrew was.
E-37 It was Jacob. He wasn't very concerned about how he had done his brother, until one night he wrestled all night. He was a little shyster, as I've often called him (excuse the expression). But he--he run always around his mammy. And Esau was--worked. And then he stole the birthrights from Esau and took off. And after while he wasn't concerned. He was prospering, doing all right.
But one night he come in contact with God. And he didn't let Him loose. He didn't say, "Oh, I feel it. Oh, I--I better get away from here." The difference between Jacob and many of the people today... The Holy Ghost will come down upon a sinner, and--or unbeliever, or critic, and try to convince him...
It would be like St. Augustine of Hippo. Instead of going on when he was there at Irenaeus' church, and receiving the Holy Ghost, he took off down to Africa, to Hippo, Africa, again. And he was the one that made the proclamation that it was all right to put Christians to death who didn't believe in the Roman church. And on the martyrology today stands sixty-eight million people who's been put to death by the church. See? Why? He had a opportunity to receive the Holy Ghost. He had an opportunity, but he wasn't convinced that it was the Holy Ghost. And you see where his concern went.
E-38 Judas had the same opportunity the rest of them did. But he wasn't convinced that that was the Messiah. So you see what happened. He wasn't concerned about it, about Him, because he wasn't thoroughly convinced whether He was right or not. Now. We must be convinced.
E-39 After Jacob had wrestled all night, instead of trying to war away that Man, Jacob held onto Him. Oh, I wish we had about a half hour on that, how that wrestling prince... He--he was able to hold on until he got what he was after. He held until... It took all night, but he stayed there. He wanted to be absolutely convinced. And when he stayed, until God changed his walking, he was convinced.
That's the trouble of it today. We don't stay long enough till we get our walking convinced. We don't walk like Christians. If we stay long enough with Him, He will make you walk different, talk different, live different, act different, sleep different, be different. And the reason is we don't stay long enough. We don't hold on. Jacob held on.
He said, "I'm not going to leave You until I'm thoroughly convinced." Amen. Then when you take a promise of God and hold on to that un--don't let Him loose, just stay there until you see God come on the scene, then you're convinced. And when you're convinced then you're concerned about others. There's something about it that makes you concerned.
Jacob sent forth cattle, and everything else, to meet his brother. He was concerned about the welfare of his brother, after he was convinced that there was a God, after he'd had some wrestling with Him himself. We need that.
E-40 Shamgar. Many of you never read it, just about one paragraph in the Bible: little sentence is all that's wrote about him. I think he was about the 13th judge of Israel: Shamgar.
In them days the Philistines would come in, when judges judged Israel. And the Philistines would come in about the time Israel got all their crops growed, everything put in the barn, everything all right. The Philistines would come right up the road and take it away from them, and their families would go hungry, and take it away. Man said anything, they'd kill him, go right on in, kill the women, ravish the girls, and so forth, take the food, go on back over in their own country, and live luxuriously (yeah) all the rest of the winter. If they let them live over there, they'd starve, practically.
Well, perhaps year after year these Philistines had visit. Poor little old Shamgar, he--he was standing out there one day, and about got his wheat all laid up, all threshed out, standing in the barn. And he heard something coming up the road. He'd just been looking, probably, at his wife, her sleeves out; his little girl, thin, peaked face from starvation. He was concerned about them.
E-41 And now, the first thing you know, coming up the road here was stomping. Looked out. What was coming to pass? There come up six hundred armored Philistines, coming up to take his whole summer's store away, take his food for the winter.
He knowed his wife would be starved out through the winter, his children might die. They would die from malnutrition. And he knowed there'd be something happen. He was concerned about his family.
Now, there's one thing that's got to be done to take care of this situation. He studied a minute. "Wait a minute. I am not a soldier. I know nothing how to use a sword or anything, and there's six hundred against me. How would I ever do it? I'm standing here with a pair of farmer's clothes on (like overalls, or something). And they're all well-trained warriors, great big helmets on, and breast plates and things, trained like one big army."
He stood there. He was concerned about his family. But after while he become convinced (Amen.) that he had a right. He was a Jew. He was circumcised. He was in the covenant with God through the promise that He give Abraham. Then he had a right that God would protect him from his enemies. The Spirit come upon him. He grabbed an ox goad; that's a little old thing they punch the ox along with. He took that ox goad and jumped out the door, and slew six hundred Philistines. What was it? He was convinced. Amen.
E-42 If this group of people here tonight could get that much convinced that the God that could make a woman here speak in tongues, and a man tell something like to foretell, or tell forth, and the power of God sweep in and take sinners and make Christians out of them... If we could be absolutely convinced that was God, there would be... sickness. There would be a revival strike Chicago. With this many people they'd have us all in jail before daylight, 'cause it'd burn this place up with the Gospel and testimony of the power of the resurrection. You'd be so concerned.
We've got to be convinced that this is God's Word. Don't take what some organization said about it; take what's THUS SAITH THE LORD. They could be wrong. This can't be wrong. And if that's contrary to this, then that's wrong and this is right. This Bible I'm pointing to, that's what's right.
E-43 God gave the promises. And when God gave the promise to--to Abraham, and to... He said he would possess the gate of his enemies. And so, Shamgar believed that. And look at the odds against him. God only needs one man. Just let Him get one man in his hand. The world will think he's crazy, but he will drive home the Gospel, when he's thoroughly convince that Jesus Christ remains the same yesterday, today, and forever. Under anything else he will stand true and go on, because he's thoroughly convinced that God is God.
If He ever was God, He's still God. If He isn't the God He was, He never was God. That's right. He's the infinite God, the all-powerful, almighty, omnipresent, omniscient, infinite. Oh, my. He's--He's God. He's the same God that opened the Red Sea. He's the same God that brought Daniel out of the lion's den, the same God that brought the Hebrew children from the fiery furnace. He's the same God that raised up Jesus Christ on Easter morning. He's the same God that fell on the day of Pentecost. He's the same God that raised Lazarus out of the grave. He's the same yesterday, today, and forever. And I'm convinced that this is the Holy Ghost.
Peter said on the day of Pentecost, "This is that." If this isn't that, I'll just keep this till that comes. For I believe this is that. I'm convinced that it's the Gospel, and the power and the demonstration of the resurrection, of the appearing of the Lord Jesus in this last day, making the church ready to be caught away in the Bride. Oh, my.
E-44 What if Shamgar had said, "Now, wait a minute. I've got to wait till... I see them coming, but I better go away to school a little while, and learn how to make a denominational creed duel--duel with them." No. If he had done that, that's all he would've knowed. So he would've never done the job with his dueling.
He just took God at His promise, that he would possess the gate of his enemy. And he stood there with that ox goad, what was in his hand, and chopped his way through to victory (Amen.) 'cause he was convinced that if God ever was God, He was still God.
Aren't you convinced tonight that the God that was in the Old Testament is the God of the New Testament, and the same God today? The Bible said in Hebrews 13:8, "Jesus Christ the same yesterday, today, and forever."
E-45 Moses esteemed the reproach of Christ greater riches than the treasures of Egypt. Therefore he sook--forsook a throne, took his choice with the poor, ignorant, illiterate slaves. Why? He esteemed the riches of Christ greater treasures, Eternal Life, than to have his glory in this world at that time.
Have all the glory they want, but what God wants today is men and women who isn't interested in great big fineries, and all these other things, and building a million more for some organization; but somebody that'll take the simple Word of God and preach It with all that's in them; and wait on God for the power of God to manifest Himself, and shows Himself the same God that He ever was. Amen.
If Shamgar had waited till he'd learned all the creeds and things, that's all he'd been able to meet the Philistines with. But he never waited. No, sir.
E-46 Oh, we send our missionaries today. Look at the difference in trying to send missionaries, even in our Pentecostal ranks. Why, some of our Pentecostal churches, or Pentecostal denominations, has to...
Our missionaries, before they leave to go overseas, has to stand before psychiatrists and get a mental examination. That's right. I've been right in the school when it was done. Have to stand before a mental test, to let a doctor tell you. And maybe the doctor's an unbeliever (See?): stand before a doctor, a psychiatrist, to get a mental test.
What we need today is not the mental test. The mental test is whether we'll believe the Word of God or not. If you don't believe the Word of God, then there's something wrong with you, sure enough. You may have all kinds of degrees: Ph.D's, D.D.D., and double L.D., whatever you might have, but if you don't believe the Word of God, you're an unbeliever. That's right.
E-47 Oh, ten years in school to learn to be a missionary: ten years, have to go to school to learn to be a missionary. Oh, my. That's terrible. Ten years to find out whether you can learn the language. What do you do when you try to speak the language? You gaum it up like some German did, over here six weeks, in trying to speak English. You don't know what he's talking about: same way. Some of them, they don't even have anything to learn by. How you going to know the language? What good's it going to do unless you got something to prove to them after you got there. You just become one of them, the same fix they're in. That's right.
We don't need to learn a language; we need to learn a heavenly language that's brought down from heaven by the power of the Holy Ghost, language of the Gospel: Jesus Christ the same yesterday, today, and forever.
How different these are today than they was on the day of Pentecost. They didn't put them through a psychic test. They didn't put them through a school. There's no sign of them ever being there. But they didn't have to wait ten years; they waited ten days. And they were all filled with the Holy Ghost. They stayed there until they was convinced that that was the promise.
E-48 What if they'd been there for seven days? Andrew might've said to Philip: "Say, don't you know what? He told us to come up here and wait. I believe we've already got it. Let's accept it by faith."
What if Peter would've said to John, "You know what? He told us to come up here. So we've already been here nine days. I--I believe we just ought to accept it and go on about our ministry." If they would, they'd have had no ministry.
But He said, "I'll send the promise." What is the promise? They could go back over and over in Isaiah 28:19, and said, "Precept must be upon precept; line upon line; here a little, and there a little. Hold fast that what's good. For with stammering lips and with other tongues will I speak to this people. And this is the sabbath that I said that they should hear." That's right.
Joel said in 2:28: "It shall come to pass in the last days," saith God, "I'll pour out My Spirit upon all flesh; your sons and your daughters shall prophesy. Upon My handmaids and maid servants will I pour out of My Spirit. Your old men will dream dreams; your young men shall see visions. How there'll be pillars of fire, and smoke and vapor; what the things would do to come to pass; but whosoever would call upon the Name of the Lord shall be saved."
E-49 They waited until God sent down the convincing power of the evidence that the Holy Ghost was there; a fire set upon each of them like licks of fire flaming upon them. When they got out into the street, they couldn't even speak their own language, and spoke in the language of those people standing out there listening to them. Amen.
They was convinced, and that's the reason they burnt the earth up in that day. And the Gospel went everywhere because they was fully convinced that it was the resurrected Christ, for they seen Him performing miracles among them as He promised He would do. They were convinced because the Word of God was made manifest in them. How different it is today with the Pentecostal. How different it was.
They never took them before a psychiatrist or something to see if they could really stand the mental test or not. They didn't do it. Here's the mental test: see how far they are along with This. Yes. Yes. Some of them people didn't even have enough education to write their name. That's right. They couldn't even write their name. But they were convinced, and they were concerned.
E-50 If they were convinced and had God in their heart, they'd have to be concerned, for Christ was so concerned about the sins of the world, that He gave His Life for it. And if that same Christ was in you, and then you're convinced that it is Christ, you'll be concerned too. That's right.
We're not concerned about take--taking the Gospel. A ministers, maybe the Lord called him into a little place where he can preach, or do some work for the Lord. If they don't pay him just well, somebody offers him a better charge over there, for the money's sake he will leave here where God sent him, and go over there where there's more money, not convinced yet it was God called him there.
If you're thoroughly convinced, if you have to eat corn-bread and drink branch water, you don't care that the other preachers can have three chicken meals a day and ride in an air-conditioned Cadillac. You don't care. For if you're convinced that it's the power of God unto salvation, and you're called to that Spirit that raised up Jesus from the dead, and you see Him working with you, then you're concerned about your brother's salvation.
Not give him a handshake, and put his name on a book; he's got to be borned again by the Spirit of God. He's got to have the power of Christ in his life that changes him from a dead man to a living creature, a lively stone, raised up, and joint heirs with Christ in the Kingdom, setting in heavenly places. You got to be convinced first.
E-51 You'd never come to a meeting and make fun of a meeting where the Holy Ghost was falling. You would until you're convinced. And then when you're convinced, then you become concerned. But now, wait till you get convinced, and then you will be concerned.
E-52 They didn't wait for an education. They didn't wait till they had a great school. They didn't wait till you give them some papers. They didn't wait for these things. They had Him. That's all they needed. And the people they were going to, they were thoroughly convinced that that's all the people needed. And I'm still convinced of the same thing.
We don't need all this here stuff that's so-called Christianity today, walking together, trying to unite together like the World Council of Churches. What the world... When unbelief, and unbelievers, and everything mixed up together in, how we ever go on? What we need is an old fashion, back woods, sky-blue, sin-killing religion... [Blank.spot.on.tape--Ed.]... Gospel power, and the Holy Ghost preached in the power of the resurrection. Get a dose of Saint Paul's revival and the Bible Holy Ghost, convincing the men. We need to see Christ come among us and perform, and do just exactly where He said, "He that believeth in Me, the works that I do shall he do also. More than this shall he do, 'cause I go to My Father."
E-53 Where is the doctor back here, where it was quoted awhile ago, "I am with you always, even to the end of the earth." And I'm convinced He's here. He said He would be here. "Where two or more are gathered in My Name, I'll be in their midst." If that isn't so, then the rest of it isn't so. It's all right, or it's all wrong.
I believe it's every Word right. I believe He's here now. I believe the same Holy Ghost that fell on the day of Pentecost is in Chicago tonight. I hold part of it in my heart, and I'm convinced that it's the same Holy Ghost, the same thing. That makes me concerned about getting this message to my brother or sister somewhere, my Baptist brother, my Methodist brother, my Catholic brother, wherever they are.
E-54 I'm convinced that this is God, and I'm convinced that Jesus is coming. I'm convinced that this is His first appearing in the form of the Holy Ghost in the last days, because the prophet said, "It shall be Light in the evening time." I'm convinced that the Scripture's fulfilled. I'm convinced. I am convinced that the world's on the threshold of destruction, the world order, cosmos. But I do... I'm convinced that the coming of the Lord is at hand. I'm convinced that what we have is the Holy Ghost.
I'm convinced that Chicago has been shook, not the cannon fodder out here, these buildings, and up and down the street these women dressed immorally, and these men carrying on, drunks and carry... I going to church, and taking old light bread, loaf bread, making kosher out of it; I don't believe in that stuff. Belching whiskey and stuff on their breath, and then go out and take communion and their name on some church book, and call themselves a Christian; I don't believe that.
I believe the church of Jesus Christ is a called out group that's been sanctified by the Blood of Jesus Christ, and set aside for service. I believe this thing that we see doing is the appearing of the Lord Jesus in our midst, as He said.
E-55 Remember, in the days of Sodom that was a Man standing there that could eat and drink. But it was God in the Man, showing that God would appear in the last days in the form of human flesh in His Church, which is His Bride. And they'd do the same things He did. Amen. I believe it.
They were convinced. They were convinced that all they needed was Jesus, and they were convinced that all the people needed was Jesus.
E-56 What do we do in Africa? Here sits an Afrikaans man here. We go over there and teach them fellows reading, writing, and arithmetic. What do we do? Send them down there, and what do they become? A two child fold--more child of hell than they was to start with. They got their own tribal sins, and when they come in they take the white man's sins. That's right. Makes him worse than he ever was... Out in the compounds, and so forth... That's right.
Why, he's a murderer; he becomes a raper; he's everything else. He drinks the white man's whiskey; he takes his own sins. When he's out in the tribe, if he done something like that, he'd be put to death for it. That's right. Why, he don't need education; he needs salvation. He needs the power of the resurrection to change that heart...?... Amen. That's right. Yes, sir.
E-57 He was convinced that that's all they needed, and they only needed Him. And they knowed that He would meet all their needs. They didn't have to have a identification card. They didn't have to have an organization behind them. They had Jesus, and He met all they had need of. I think if the church would forget a lot of this here stuff when a revival's coming to town... "What credentials? Who can back you up?" Christ is our backup. Christ is our Witness. We are His witnesses. That's all Chicago needs: not a great big cooperation with something. They need the power of Christ, the identification of the Holy Ghost to change men's hearts and make them new creatures. Convinced, and they're concerned in this age.
Others, all they needed was Christ. That's all they need today. You don't have to wait and go to school and take thirty-five years before you're ever... You're too old, hardly, then to get around. What are you going to do? Preach the Gospel. Yes, sir. Not education, don't go out and educate them; go out and save them, Jesus said. That's right.
E-58 Like Hudson Taylor, the great missionary, many of you know, to China. There was an Indian boy, or not a--a Chinese boy one day got up, got saved, and the Holy Spirit come upon him. He went to Mr. Taylor, and he said, "Mr. Taylor, what shall I do? What school shall I enter? What shall I do?" And he said, "Shall I take these years of schooling that--that the church requires and so forth?"
Mr. Taylor said, "Don't take your candle out and burn it halfway down before you find out whether it's burning or not." He said, "Go when it's first lit."
Oh, I'll say the same thing. You don't need to wait and see it tested and tested and tested, and take a lot of trials, and tribulations, and all this schooling, and get your Bachelor of Art, and your Ph. and D.D., and everything like that. If you haven't got all that, that's all right.
But if you haven't got that, go when--when it's lit. If you can't do no more then tell them it got lit, tell them how it got lit. That's all you have to do. God lit your little candle; go tell them how it got lit. Amen. Let them alone. Just tell them how the candle lit. Let them... Then God will take care of the rest of it. The thing of it is, is lighten that candle with the fire off the altar and God sanctions with the power of the Holy Ghost, and the resurrection of Christ.
E-59 Let them alone. Don't educate them. Don't try to teach all this stuff into them. You see what it's got us: bunch of half-baked infidels. That's right, denying God's Word with a form of godliness. It be better off not to hear about it at all. That's right. What we need is candles lit. What we need is lives lit, a-flame with the power and the resurrection of Christ, shining forth the same kind of a Light that He gave. I believe it.
Don't wait till you're half-burned out, trying to learn some language, or get favor with some organization. When He lights you, get going. Amen. Just tell them what kind of an experience you had when you got lit. Then maybe they'll get lit, light off of your Light. Yes, sir.
E-60 The blind man that was born blind, he's a good example for us all. Now, he was born blind. Jesus come by and made him--give him his sight. And here comes all the doctors of philosophy up, and--and all the doctors, and the priests of the temple come up, and the Pharisees. And they were trying to argue theology with him.
Now, he--he couldn't argue theology. He didn't know nothing about it. But, brother, he had one thing. He had an experience. Try to argue him out of that. Try to tell him he couldn't see. He would show you right quick he can see. That's right. He might not understand all the--the argument they had to put up, but he sure did cook them when he said, "It's a strange thing that this Man can open the eyes of a blind man, and yet you claim to be what you are, and don't know nothing about Him." I believe he had some good common sense, if he didn't have a lot of theology baked into him, or something like that. He sure did.
He said, "Whether He's sinner or not, I don't know. But this one thing I do know. Where I was once blind, I can now see."
E-61 Well, you can say I'm crazy if you want to. You can say I'm out of the will of the Lord if you want to. But just one thing: where I once was a sinner, I've been saved. Where I was once gloomy and glum, I'm happy in the Lord Jesus. I know there's something happened to me.
Like a colored sister said one time in a meeting. She said, "I want you all to know one thing." Said, "I'm not what I want to be, and I'm not what I ought to be. But there's one thing sure; I'm not what I used to be."
I tell you. That's a good thing. You know when you're passed from death unto Life, when God takes a hold of you and shakes you till your life changes; and changes everything there is in you, and makes you a new creature. Amen. That's what we need, some lighted candles. Yes, sir.
E-62 Yeah, he could see. That's one thing. You couldn't argue him out of that. You--you might've told him one thing or another. He might not have understood all the doctrine of the temple, and so forth, but he had a--a good testimony, a good experience, more than they could produce.
With all their theology yet they could not produce one case at any time, a man born blind would ever see. So they couldn't argue that down. So they had to let him go on. So they just picked him up, and throwed him out of the building. That was their attitude then. It's the same thing today they're...?... to this.
E-63 Right here in Chicago, Dwight Moody, the great evangelist that did have a great revival here one time in Chicago... You know, he was an uneducated man. They didn't... hated him too. Why, sure, they did. He had no education at all.
And he went over to London, England, to speak to the cockneys whose... Oh, my. Everything has to be just so-and-so. And Mr. Moody, standing before thousands of them one night, started to read the Bible. And he'd practiced on a word to try to pronounce it right, and he mispronounced it. He rubbed his head and went again. He tried again, and mispronounced it again. Looked over there, and all them fellows, you know, was just about to burst out in a big laugh. He tried it again; he missed it again. Closed up the Bible, and looked up towards heaven, and said, "God, I don't know what it means, but You reveal it to me."
Brother, he got something, and he shook the whole country around, everywhere. Yes, sir. He might not have been able to pronounce the word, but God give him the power that the Word meant. I'd rather have that anyhow. Yeah. God gave him something that shook England. That's right. We need some of that tonight that he had then. He couldn't pronounce his words right, but he--he sure had... The--the--the God come on the scene that had said the Word, that had wrote the Word. Yes, sir.
E-64 Now, like old Buddy Robinson, many of you remember him? Why, he was--he was so concerned about the people. Why? He was convinced. I was reading of Uncle Buddy (We called him Uncle Buddy.), the old pillar of the Nazarene church. I was reading his book here not long ago.
He had an old mule, called him Ellie. And he practiced--wanted to practice sanctification. And he believed that we should abstain from sin. And he said he was plowing his corn, and he couldn't make Ellie walk the straight line. And he got mad at Ellie, 'cause she wouldn't walk the straight line. And he found out Buddy wasn't walking the straight line either.
So then, he come to find out she tramped his corn down. And he got so angry with the old mule he jerked her around and around a few times. And his temper got up, and he run out there and bit her on the ear just as hard as he could. The old mule ran off a piece and stopped. He went over, and set on a little pile of rocks.
E-65 He said he got setting there, and, "Am I not a sight, out here preaching sanctification with mule hair in my teeth from biting the mule's ear?" You know, Uncle Buddy had a sense of humor.
He said, "Ellie?" He said she reeled her big, brown eyes around. Said, "I'm sorry I done that. Forgive me."
Said, "Old Ellie looked at me as if to say, 'No, I won't forgive you, 'cause if you don't get more religion than you got now, you do me that way again.'" And so that's about the way it is. No need joining up with him. He might as well just stay away...?...
He couldn't talk very good. His speech was bad. But, brother, he was convinced that Jesus Christ was the Son of God. He was convinced that He suffered without the gates that He might sanctify the people with His own Blood. And he was concerned about the people in his day 'cause he was convinced. Yes, sir.
E-66 One time we was having a revival in the country. There was an old country fellow come in, pair of overalls on. Made an altar call one night, and he come up to the altar. He got down. He said, "You mean that this Holy Ghost is for me?"
And so he said, "All right. Here I come." He said, "I want It." He got down and prayed a little while. Looked up, said, "I ain't getting nowhere."
And he got down there and prayed; about two o'clock in the morning here he come. He had it. He changed.
Now, he didn't have no education. He didn't have nothing but an old Ford truck and an experience. I'm going to tell you what he did. He was convinced that it was God. He was concerned about his community. And that old boy with that experience and a Ford truck got twenty other people saved during the revival. All he had was an experience and a Ford truck, and he was convinced that it was right. We got more than that tonight. I wonder if we can be concerned about it, just as that farmer was: convinced.
E-67 Samson? Oh, sure. Samson one day... He was convinced that God was God. He was convinced that God was with him when he could hold his seven locks back there, and knowed it was the promise that God give him. He was concerned about his people. He didn't have a thing to fight with but the jawbone of a mule, but he slayed a thousand Philistines. Why? He was convinced, and then he was concerned.
David, with a slingshot... But what was the matter? He was convinced that God was God. He was concerned about his father's sheep. And he didn't have very much to fight with, but he was convinced and concerned. So he went after his father's sheep, and he brought it back. Yes, sir.
E-68 Now. We could stay here for an hour or more, but we're not going to do it. I want to say one thing. How about Brother Boze here? He's not underwritten. That's right. He isn't underwritten. He isn't sponsored by anybody. But he's convinced that those people need the Gospel, and he's concerned about it. Therefore, he's trying to take the Gospel to them. I think if he's concerned, we ought to be concerned too. Don't you think so?
If he's convinced that they need it, and we're all convinced, and brother doctor come up here's convinced, these other missionaries are convinced, then if we're convinced, we ought to be concerned. Don't you think so? We ought to be concerned.
E-69 Reminds me of a little cartoon I seen not long ago in a paper. (In closing I might say this.) That cartoon inside a newspaper (our home's just across the river), the Courier Journal, and there was a--a picture of a father and mother, been out drinking all night. And on Sunday morning it was up about nine o'clock. And they had pictures of Christ all over the house and Bibles in the drawer. And--and around where they had been laying there, sleeping all night, cigarettes were laying on the floor, and everything else, and bottles setting up; a little boy got up and washed his face, and eat his breakfast, and got ready, and knocking at the door. And said, "Which one of you all going to take me to Sunday school?" That's right. No one concerned.
E-70 I think we should be concerned. I think we ought to support Brother Boze, and any other missionary with all we've got. The first thing we have to do, is be convinced that Jesus is coming. This is His program. We ought to be concerned about our brother, whether he's black, yellow, brown, or white. We ought to be concerned about those people over there. And if we cannot go, we ought to dig down, and do everything we can to support those that God has called to go. Let us bow our heads.
Remember while the music's playing, and you're humming, are you convinced? Are you convinced that God is here? Can you are convinced that this is the Holy Spirit? Are you concerned? Look at the millions in sin and shame are dying.
E-72 Heavenly Father, we're thinking of Isaiah, of which the poet wrote this beautiful song. He'd been leaning on the good king's shoulder for a long time, but God took the support out from under him. Then he went to the altar. God, sometimes you have to take the support from under us, let the world turn us down, sometimes our friends. Then we get down.
Then he seen the Cherubims flying through the building. He seen he was living amongst unclean people, with unclean lips. He didn't see it 'till God spoke. Oh, God, speak.
E-73 Father, we dedicate ourselves to You tonight in the service. We--we sincerely call with all of our hearts for the voice of God to speak us. Try us now, Lord. Purge us. Let us go through a purgatory right now, where we can cleanse our souls from unbelief, separate ourselves from creeds and fashions of this world.
We realize we haven't got much longer to go. It's at the door. We see Israel a--a nation. We see as it was in the days of Israel, very much parallel to this nation: how that they'd come in, and took the country away from another people, and drove the occupants out, as we did. We see they had great men at the beginning. They had a Joshua, then they had a David. Then they had a Solomon. But finally they got a Ahab with a Jezebel to rule him.
Father, we had a--a Washington and a Lincoln. But I wonder where we're going to. O God, we need Elijah today. I pray, Father, that You'll speak to us quickly. Bless our hearts together, interpret Your will to us, Lord, that we might know what to do.
E-74 Bless these ministers here, Lord, many of them coming from different walks, different organizations, denominations. God, when they return back there, may they be a light that cannot be put out; neither can it be hid under some creed. But may they shine the Light of God that's been lit up in their hearts by the Holy Spirit.
Bless every one. We're wait upon Thee. Bless our precious and lovely little brother. I can think of about three years ago setting out here on this peninsula, his little arms around me crying. And You spoke to us there, Lord. And now, he just can't be satisfied here no more. He's got to go. God, be with him. Be with Brother Joseph. Protect him and bless him. Give him souls, Lord.
God, bless those young men. When I see them ride on those bicycles, some of them out in there without even shoes on their feet. Then we think we sacrifice. Their hearts are burning for their people, because they're convinced and they're concerned.
God, help us to all be concerned together to see the Kingdom of God come. And may we continue to believe what Jesus told us, that He prayed that we might all be one in Him. Bless our efforts in trying to bring this prayer to pass. We ask in Jesus' Name. Amen.
churchages.net » English » Sermons » William Branham » What shall I do with Jesus called Christ? (63-1124M)
Preached on Sunday morning, 24th November 1963 at the Branham Tabernacle in Jeffersonville, Indiana, U.S.A. (2 hours and 16 minutes)
1 Lord bless you, Brother Vayle... Morning, friends. I'm always late. Billy was telling me I had this morning--I got around thirty private interviews, and I've had two of them, so... I believe two or three. So I just can't get to everybody. You know, people waiting, and been waiting on the list for months and months. And the Lord's been doing some great things in there. Oh, He's--He's our God, isn't He?
2 Now, I'm sure this morning, that we're all aware of the great sadness that's happened to this nation--of the loss of our President, Mr. Kennedy. Though I disagreed with the man in his politics and in his religion... But yet he doesn't deserve to die like that. No. And leave those little children behind, and no daddy. And a mother that's... Mrs. Kennedy, though I certainly wouldn't agree with her, and her ways, and things maybe... But, remember, she's a mother. She just lost her babies, and she lost her husband. And he fell right in her lap, and her own husband's blood poured out over her lap. That's awful.
Did you ever think... Sometimes we think she sets a pace for the nation, and styles, and things. That may be so too. But did you know, Mrs. Kennedy never did hear one of these messages I preach about that. If she might hear one of them messages, she might do different. And some of our sisters that hear it, and still won't cope with it. See, see, see? She was raised a Catholic; that's all she knows. Nothing against that (See?), she... That's a system. Nothing against the people, the Catholic people, that's a system, the Catholic system, just like Presbyterian, Methodist, or any of the rest of them (See?), or Pentecostal, any of it. It's the system, not the people.
Mr. Kennedy, I think, done a--a good job of being President. And my heart goes out for his wife. And I feel real sad about it, that even our own nation would--the hoodlums, and so forth, in our nation would do a thing like that.
5 If you can't disagree with a person right, and take your own stand and... No reason to kill another man just because of things like that. And them little children know, said... One little fellow said, "Now, I don't have nobody to play with me no more. daddy's gone." See? So always thought that would be my state, someday. It's almost happened several times, as you know. I've been shot... In foreign nations when they've had to hold their bodies over me to keep me from being shot at a distance.
So if a man dies like that... But that's the price that's paid, that goes with the glory of different things. See? I think we average about every fourth President (one out of four) is assassinated. And I feel very bad about it. A shame that we'd have such a person in America that would do a thing like that.
And now--yet, as I said, I--I disagreed with his politics. I'm... I don't--didn't agree with his ideas of what he was trying to do. But you see, he's another man. And I didn't agree with his system of religion. I--I certainly didn't agree with that. But yet, he--he was raised that way. That's--that's what it was. As I said, maybe if he'd heard something different, it might've been different.
8 We have a--a thing here we do that whenever one of our people dies or something, even though out... I think as a--as a American church, as a body of Americans... The American people voted Mr. Kennedy in for President. And that was... That's the reason that we're a democracy. I didn't vote for Mr. Kennedy. I voted for Mr. Nixon, 'cause I knowed Mr. Nixon personally. And I--I liked him and I--and I voted for him personally, because I liked him. But the peoples of this country (Americans) my fellow citizens of this nation, elected Mr. Kennedy. And the way they did it, well, that's up between them and God, but that's that much.
9 But I think for the sake of this mother, a human being, a mother of children, Mrs. Kennedy, couldn't we just stand a moment for prayer for her?
Lord Jesus, we human beings, we have a feeling for one another. And we are sorry, Lord, that our President was shot down the way he was in cold-blood murder. And we're so sorry that our nation has come to this spot: That such people like that are--are in our nation; that would kill a human being in cold-blooded murder, like they shot that colored brother not long ago, and just shot him right down in cold-blood of race prejudice.
And we're so sorry that such people exist among us, Lord. We--our weakness has brought this about. And we pray for Mrs. Kennedy, that wife of this--the President. And know that them little babies looking upon their--their father, that left them a few days before that a happy man, and scuffled, and played with them on the floor. And now they have no father. And for that woman that--his wife, that he--her own husband fell right in her lap and his blood ran out upon her dress. Just bearing her baby...
12 And yet, Lord, we might believe the woman being in the wrong, of the--the--the way that she has set a pace in the nation of her dressing and so forth, but that--that could be to the American people in whole. They--that's what they want. So we--we pray for her this morning that You'll help her. And may there be a time in this deep bereavement that she'll find what is Truth: Jesus Christ. Grant it, Lord, the One Who only can give peace and comfort in the hour of trouble.
And help us, Lord, to continue to be with all of our hearts, a shining light that... We don't know what time or what influence we might be having upon somebody else. And let us shine forth the Light of Christ until He comes. And then the great Shepherd of the flock, Who knows all justice, will bring every sin into recompense, and He'll know just how to do it. And till then, we commit ourselves into Your hands, for Your love and mercy upon us. In Jesus' Name. Amen.
14 Yes, I don't think no man deserves to die like that. Now, Mr. Lincoln didn't deserve to die like that; Mr. McKinley didn't deserve to die like that; Huey Long didn't deserve to die like that; none of them fellows. I don't believe in that, it's murders. That's bad. Our boys didn't fight overseas for something like that; our flag wasn't raised for something like that; we're not American citizens for something like that. No. Although our nation is warped and twisted with sin, that's what--what does these things. That's sin.
15 Now, today we got... I'm going to teach Sunday school, and a couple of things that I would like to make mention it to the church. And that is, the first thing, I'd like to you forgive me for holding you all so long on Sunday mornings when I have these messages. And then I, if the Lord will... The reason I do this is because that I--I'm here in among my people and I--I teach doctrines just as strong as I know how. I don't teach these doctrines out the other places. I just stand on the main fundamental of the Gospel. But these doctrines that's strong, I--I don't teach them out in--in other places. And then, here it takes me hours sometimes, two or three hours, to get through my Message. And I hold you here sometimes, twelve-thirty, one o'clock. And that's just minor what I used to do. I'd stay all night nearly, sometimes. Well, I've went... We started in many a time at eight o'clock and go home the next morning at two or three (That's right.), from the meetings.
16 But, I--I--I'm going to try to, when I come with you again, to just... A--a little--a sermon instead of so much teaching of this, unless I notify you ahead of time that it will be something; 'cause I got the Seven Trumpets, I believe, coming up which ties right in on the Sixth Seal. When the Sixth Seal sounded all Seven Trumpets went off at once. You see? And so we, I'd like to get that to the church before His coming if--or my going or whatever it might be, if I can.
Now, if we do that, then we'll notify you ahead of time. And maybe then as we see this morning, the halls jammed, and the walls, and around... We'll try--we got a place now, we might be able to get up here. It seats about three thousand people. And it's a nice auditorium of a school right above us here. And the Seven Trumpets, we'll try to preach them up there at that school. And that'll get plenty a seating room (You see?), so we can get the people in.
18 We want to report at the New York... We just had a wonderful time. The--the Morris Auditorium there... We just had to turn the people away each night. They was jammed in. The fire... The man that owned the place... Fire Marshal would've closed the place down if we let them stand jammed in like that. And then we had to turn them out. And people out on the street, walking up and down the street, praying that somebody would get tired and get up, and go out so that they could get in and get a seat. See? Just one person, they just wait out there for the one person to get in. And one that's next one at the door, and then you let one in like that when somebody get up and go out--had to go home early. Well, they'd come in and share that much of it. See, they'd come. It's very fine--fine bunch of people. And I believe the world... The Christian church is hungering for God.
19 Now, I'm--I'm--I'm trusting that... (Thank you, brother.) I'm--I'm trusting that--that God will grant us this opportunity where we can come together and have those last Seven Trumpets. I like to be led to do those things, so that you'll know.
Then at the Business Men's breakfast... Usually, their chapter there, I think they said they had anywhere from fifty up to a hundred at their breakfast. And that morning they sold seventeen hundred tickets and let the rest of the place stand up. Packed the place out; and every corridor, and around the walls, and up and down the steps was standing with people. And some high ranking ministers, a couple of priests and--and so forth were there to hear the message. And--and so, I understand... I believe it helped a little. It might've done some--some more--better than what we would really think it would be.
21 Now, then tonight the... We're going to have the message tonight, the Lord willing, on a--on a subject of--of how, about your conditions with Christ. And now that'll--it'll be short. We want to start... I want to be on the platforms at seven-thirty, if... What time do you usually start, at seven-thirty? Oh... Seven, and I'll be on the platform by seven-thirty, and that ought to get me off by eight-thirty if the Lord's willing, 'cause I--I just--I'm just going to be as quick as I can and I'm going to start practicing.
22 Then another thing is, might be some strangers here, the people laugh... 'Cause I try to get away from here, but I can't do it. It's kinda... I hope it don't sound sacrilegious, but my mother used to say when people get together like that, it's just like sorghum molasses on a cold morning. You know, it's thick and runs slow. And so, that's about the way it is. I run slow in these messages because the--the sweetness of the sugarcane of God, you know, kinda thickens us up together. And I--I--I don't--wouldn't want it no other way. I--I want it just that way, where... I remember, we used to stand and sing that song:
And I--I trust that that'll always be our--our goal here. Many of those old saints has fell asleep since then, but we're still joined in heart. And I think that vision that morning of seeing them over there, and the blessed and glory of the young statues of man and womanhood still look like they did, you know, when they was here on earth. I think they're waiting our coming. Someday we will join them, God being willing.
24 Now, I--I... And remember the services, the song services will begin at seven o'clock tonight instead of seven-thirty. And then, next week, I'm at Shreveport, Louisiana, and there at the Life Tabernacle at Shreveport, Louisiana. And I think they're trying to get the auditorium across the street. Brother Moore called last night, said that it's a annual convention and they're expecting a great host of people.
25 I want to give a little testimony just before I read the Scriptures. A--a lady was setting here the other day that was... Tell you what the influence is of somebody praying for another. I just happened to look down and seeing another lady, I just... Margie Cox, Brother Rodney Cox's wife setting here... And last week, I believe it was, when we were here, the Holy Spirit was giving discernment across the buildings. You know how people talk. And I... She was setting... She's setting right here now. But she was just beyond there somewhere and I--I looked over and there was a lady that--that was called, that had the sugar diabetes. And Margie was... And in the vision was Margie. And Margie was standing there; and yet I looked down, I seen her, and it was a... And I thought... Now, I looked to see this other woman, and Margie was in the vision, but the Light was over the woman.
So I--I watched. And I thought, "Well, if I called Margie they'd say, 'Sure, that's...' Sure, somebody know them, say, "Well, he--he--her husband is just one of his--his bosom friends. They live together, sleep together, hunt together, and--and everything. Sure, that's--he'd know of that." But Margie didn't know that. But I called the other lady which was a--I believe was a sister out of Chicago, as I learned later.
27 But then come, that in her--the factory, they're giving diabetic test. And--and she had diabetes. And so, she was on her road day before yesterday to the clinic for it. And--and so when she mentioned it, then I called her memory of this, and I said, "Come here, Sister Margie." and told her about how she'd been getting numb in her hands and--and how the--the real bad feeling... The little lady works day and night, almost, up there to... A loyal little mother to help her husband to pay for their home that they're trying to build. And--and her--and her little sister Nellie, and Charlie (That's the brother of Rodney.) his wife, and all of them working together at them factory's there, just as hard as they can go, and standing the reproach. They let their hair grow out and taking makeup off, things like that when we become Christians. I believe in giving credit where credit is deserved. And I certainly have a warm place in my heart for those two young women.
And then took her by the hand and prayed for her. And she went up, and they couldn't find a trace of the diabetes nowhere. It's gone; that's all. A lady set right in here some where, that was called. And it was a sister by the name of Bruce; I don't see her this morning, but she was always... She's a very much of a woman to pray, and this woman come in, and, the last time I was here, and there was no--no prayer cards give or nothing, so there wouldn't be nobody--no prayer line, so they just...
29 The Holy Spirit just called over the audience. And this little Mrs. Bruce, she was--was healed once herself with cancer and she's--and she just always got a burden on her heart for somebody else and she was just praying. And there was a lady from Louisville that was dying: cancer in the throat. And while she was praying, the Holy Spirit goes right to that woman, calls her, and whatever It did, tell her who she was--told her, rather, who she was, and what her trouble was, and about her having cancer; and said she would--it would be all right. And the little lady went home. A couple days after that she just started choking to death nearly. Just her throat swelled way up. She give a big cough, and the cancer jumped out. And she's perfect. See?
30 What happened (You see?), the lump itself is a malignancy that's got a life in it. See? Cancer... That comes from the--the word, the medical term of "crab," which means got a lot of legs; like the--the crab you get from the sea and--and it sucks your blood from you. And this malignant growth in her throat had a... It was--that's what it was doing. You see, I'm not dealing with the growth. I'm dealing with the life that's in the growth. See? The life that's in the growth is what we're dealing with. See, "In My Name they shall cast out devils." And the word "devil" is "tormentor," like of the body; and this was a devil.
31 And then when the life went out of the growth, of course, that let the growth begin to swell. Just like a little dog that's run over on the street... Something like that, let it lay there in the sun for a few days and--and it gets twice it's size. Well, that's what was making the little woman get worse. Many times I've explained it: If you get worse, that's the very sign that you're healed. You. See? And so, it was just getting worse all the time, and choking her 'cause it was swelling. And the... But it had let loose; the life was out of it. And her coughing like that (You see?)... [Brother Branham coughs--Ed.]--like that--sprung, pulled it loose from the rest of her flesh. And the dead substance, just the body (with no life in it, the cancer gone) jumped out (See?)--fled out.
32 So that's what... The body went out then. That wasn't the devil went out. That was the house that he lived in. He went out because the woman's faith in what was told her... Knowing that Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever, that's what killed the cancer, took the life out. Now, she might've went back to the doctor, and the doctor said, "Nonsense, the--the--the thing is just there the same as it always was." But that was right, the growth was there, but not--the life wasn't there. See?
33 Now, what if that'd been somewhere, where it could not have--have passed out? Is that the picture? [Brother Neville talks with Brother Branham--Ed.] Here's a picture of the growth from Mrs. Baker, from Springville, Indiana, that passed after prayer. That's a picture of it. See, that's the body that the devil lived in. Just like you live in... This body you live in, it might be little, big, red-headed, black-headed, whatever it is. See? The devil either lives in this body, or Christ lives in that body. Well, then when the life goes out of it, your body's still here on earth. See? But the life isn't there. When the life went out, the body was still there. And then it tore loose from her body and was cast out; the body went out. But if it's in a place it can't pass out, then your heart has to pick up that dead substance and purify the blood each time it beats. It causes fever and everything else because it's an infection. You see? And your heart has to... I think the heart purifies the blood as it passes. Is that right, Sister Dauch? I think that's right. The heart as it beats, it purifies... (a nurse, you know, and another one setting here in front of her)... Picks up the... And that's what causes fever from an infection. It picks up the infection and--and runs up a fever.
34 Now, the people... You see, it's your faith; it's never your feelings. It's never whether it's so; or if my hand isn't straight... That doesn't have one thing to do with it. It's my faith that does that. See? Right before us we see the image of a perfect healed person by faith. And then we just make step by step till you step right into that person, and just walk right on with it. See? There you are. That--that's what does it. Your faith, not your feelings; your faith does it. But thanks and praise be to God.
35 Now, just a moment of prayer... And we got a subject here that we want to give a consideration to, and a little time, that the Lord would deal with us according to this. And now... And then if some of you has to go this morning and won't be in the evening service, the Lord willing, I--I want to be here again... The family's coming back Christmas week. And now, the Sunday after Christmas, the Lord willing, I want to preach my Christmas message here at the Tabernacle, Sunday after Christmas. The Lord willing, the text will be, "A Tramp On The Street." So let us bow our heads now, and offer prayer 'fore we read the text.
36 Lord Jesus, be Thou near us just at this time. And we know that it's difficult in our small church, and many stand. And--and we're here not because of the comfort of the place, that gives us physically comfort, because it is not comfortable. And we're not here to be seen, but we're here because that we feeled Your Presence. And we know that You're here. And we're here for correction. And we're here, knowing that we're in the house of God, and that we feel good to be here, no matter how discomfortable it is, the standing and--and setting crowded up. But we are here because that we--we feel that God is here.
And the same way that boy must've felt that night, when Paul preached all night long... What a long message; from probably the going down of the sun until the rising of the sun the next morning. And a young fellow setting way up high, he fell off and they thought he was gone, and Paul laid his body over him. And the Spirit of God that was on the messenger brought back the spirit of life into the boy's body. And he said, "He'll be all right." And the young man lived.
He was interested in what Paul was saying. And God, we're interested this morning what the Holy Spirit might say to our hearts. And we pray that You'll break the Bread of Life to each one of us that when we leave here today, that we'll not leave this building the same people we were when we come in. May the Christians be closer to You; may the sinners turn today; may the sick be healed; and may the Kingdom of God come nigh unto us, or even to be in us. For we ask it in Jesus Christ's Name, as we wait on His Spirit to give us the Words. Amen.
39 Now, let's read some of the Scripture which is... God's Word's always right. And now... And each one I see, you're very kind to the ones that's standing. I see somebody raise up and set down, and give somebody else a seat. That's very fine. I wish we had more room, but we just haven't got it and--at this time.
And Jesus stood before the governor: and the governor asked him, saying, Art thou the King of the Jews?
Therefore when they were gathered together, Pilate said unto them, Whom will ye that I release unto... you? Barabbas, or Jesus which is called Christ?
And he was set down on the judgment seat, his wife sent unto him, saying, Have... nothing to do with this just man: for I have suffered many things this day in a dream because of him.
The governor answered and said unto them, whether of these twain will ye that I release unto you?... (Just think of that.)... They said, Barabbas.
Pilate said unto them, What shall I do then with Jesus which is called Christ?... What shall I do then with Jesus which is called Christ? And they all say unto him, Let him be crucified.
Then Pilate saw that he could prevail nothing, but that rather a tumult was made, he took water, and washed his hands before the multitude, saying, I am innocent of the blood of this just person: see ye to it.
40 What a sad picture. I call a text of this, if you'd want to letter it that way or call it that; and maybe the tape would want to be titled this: "What Shall I Do With Jesus Called Christ?" And the subject I want to use, after that being the text; I want to use the subject: With Jesus On Your Hands. With Jesus on your hands, what will you do?
41 Our scene starts this morning in the judgment hall where Pilate, the governor had been called on the scene to--to act and--and make a judgment. It was early in the morning, awhile before the daylight, and he had been disturbed out of his sleep and--and had been called out to hear the--the case of this Man.
It was a time of the crucifixion of our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ. He had--He had done nothing as they could find any, and He had--He'd answered everything. It was just the hour that it had to be that way.
There's nothing that can happen without there's something behind it to cause it that way. There's got to be some reason for everything that takes place. Because it's--it's motivated, of course, by the--the spirit that's in beings, and in human beings, and so forth. There--there's a motive--a motive of it and an objective, and there's got to be a reason. And it--the reason this had to happen to this greatest Man that ever lived on the earth or ever could live...
The reason it happened this way, because it was time for it to happen. See? It must be thus, and there was no way to escape it. It--it had to be that time. And Jesus had come to the earth just exactly the way that God's Word had predicted He would come. He did just exactly what the Word said He would do. He lived the life just exactly, and God made known or manifested the Seed of that time.
43 Now, remember, God... The Bible begins in Genesis and goes to Revelation. And now, here's the lesson that I--I want you to understand, that... See, in each generation it's been spoke in the Bible of a certain thing happening: through each generation. Like Daniel saw the--interpret the dream of Nebuchadnezzar: How the Gentile kingdoms would come in, and how they would go down, and how they would go out. And each one of those people in them races, and those nations that... Gentile powers that control--has control of the world, has done just exactly the way that the vision said they would do.
44 When Nebuchadnezzar (the head of gold) was taken, then the Medes-o-Persias came in; and the nature of them according to the--the nature of the material and according to what the prophet said, just exactly... Nebuchadnezzar, the head of gold, which is the greatest and first of the kingdom. Then the Medes-o-Persia being silver. And then on down into the--the thighs of--of being of brass. And each metal gets harder and harder (gold being the softest), and it ends up in iron, which is the hardest of all of that, is iron. Now, each one of those kingdoms come down just exactly by nature the way that the prophet said that they would do. And what was he doing? He was sowing a seed for the nations to watch, and each time that when that kingdom was issued in, it had to do according to what that Word said.
45 And then, Messiah was to come on the scene. And when Christ come on the scene, He had to answer those Words of God that was to be fulfilled, that the prophet spoke of, of what He would do. Moses said, "He'll be a--He'll be a prophet likened unto me." And if you'd have--we had time to type that back and show just how, that in that tremendous time, when Israel was in captivity by Egypt, of how that Moses was borned a odd, peculiar child, and how that he--he come up and was raised up, and how that he was hid in the bulrushes; and how that he become a leader, went into the mountains and got the law and came back down, and was not only a leader, but he was a priest, and a king, and a governor. All those things; and how that just typed up Christ exactly. And Moses said, "The Lord your God shall raise up a prophet like me." See?
46 Now, when Christ was born, Israel was again in captivity by the Roman Empire. And what was He? Borned a peculiar Child and odd; how He was raised up, how He went up into the mountains and came down, and said, "You've heard them say them of old times, 'Thou shalt not steal.' You heard them say, 'Thou shalt not commit adultery,' but I say, whosoever looketh upon a woman to lust after her, has committed adultery a-ready." A Law-Giver (See?); and a King, a Priest, a Prophet, just exactly like him. So all these things had to be fulfilled, and when that space, laying there for the Life of the Messiah, when that was perfectly vindicated...
47 When the Word has been spoken for this certain generation, there's going to be somebody rise on the scene that'll fulfill that Word, because God has spoke It. It's a vindication of the Spoken Word. And Jesus met every qualification and was the Word vindicated as Messiah. Exactly. There's also Words spoken in the Bible for the last day. Those Words have to come to Life.
48 And we find here that, when in the days of our Lord, the church had already rejected Him before He come to Pilate's judgment hall. They had turned Him down from the very day that His ministry started to prophesying and telling them a Truth about the Word. Then they could not understand that how that Him being a man could know what was in the people's hearts. Little did they know that the Word is God. "And the Word," the Bible said, "is a Discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart."
And they wanted to call Him an evil spirit. And He said, "I'll forgive you for that, but when the Holy Spirit comes to do the same thing, to speak a word against It will never be forgiven." And all these things that He prophesied to be in this day, something has to bring that to Life. But when It's brought to Life, It'll be so much different than the people thinks It is till it'll--it'll only be the elected will see It. Always, just the elected is the only thing that'll see It, because It is elected and ordained to see It.
50 Therefore, It cannot... No other way. Jesus said, "You can't come to Me. No man can come except My Father draws him; and all that He has give Me will come to Me." See, see? So there was no way... He said, "You got eyes and you can't see; ears, you can't hear." Said, "Well did Isaiah prophesy of you." See? Isaiah's prophecy spring it up, being made manifest. Don't forget that (here or a tape listener), that God's Word must be manifested. God's obligated to see that It does it.
Just as John the Baptist was foreordained to forerun the coming of Christ, they had to be some man rise up to take that place. That Word has to be fulfilled.
52 Then when Jesus come as the anointed Messiah, and done just exactly what the Word of God said He would do... And yet, the Jews were looking for something else: A king coming with a rod of iron in his hand (which was way in the future). But He fulfilled every Word. There one day in Capernaum when He picked up the Scripture and read; did you notice, He just read part of that Scripture and then He laid the Book down, and said, "Today, this is fulfilled."
53 When He was to preach the year of jubilee... Now, why didn't He read the rest of It? Because It pertains to His other coming. They had no need of knowing that. That's for the age that when He will come in. But the age that He was in... That's the reason He could say, "This Scripture is fulfilled today in your eyes. Right here, you see It: to preach the acceptable season, and bind up the brokenhearted, and heal the sick." That's what He come for. The rest of It was--was to bring judgment to the Gentiles and so forth, so that comes next. See, the Gentile had to reject Him first.
54 Now, at the crucifixion, where we are today on the subject of Jesus On Your Hands... God's Word had been thoroughly a-vindicated, been proven over and over that He was the answer to God's Word. Where that the Scribes... You see? God has already got It laid out. Let the ministry study It. But you see, they take somebody else's word about It, some group of men.
They're so blinded to the Truth, that when the Truth is presented, they fail to see It. But you see, God is just. He's got It wrote out there. He's got It wrote out right here in the Book, what's going to happen today. So It will be fulfilled. But others that's not ordained to see It will never see It. See they've--they got it all mixed up; and that's the way they had it then. They'd never knowed that It was Him.
56 And by the signs, He was the Messenger of that time. Nobody could deny it. His prophet spoke of it; he said: "I've got to decrease but He will increase. I'm not worthy to unloose His shoes, but He's standing among you now," said John. "And He will come. And the axe is laid to the root of the tree, and the trees that doesn't bring forth fruit will be taken out of the forest, that--or out of the vineyard or the--or the orchard. It won't be there no more."
57 Now, we find that those things happened just exactly the Way that He said. He could discern their thoughts in their heart. He was a prophet. Everything that He foretold, just happened exactly the way He said it. "I go up to Jerusalem. There I be delivered into the hands of sinful men. And they shall evilly mistreat Him, and He'll be crucified, and on the third day He'll rise up again." But said, "See that you tell no man this." And He blinded it from them that they didn't understand it until that was fulfilled.
58 See, many times that He lets us become blind until the hour that we have need of it. He lets us become blind to the things that we see today, for this is the hour we have need of it to vindicate the day that we're in. See? Our fathers didn't know these things. The Bible said that they wouldn't know them. It hid them up. And in--in the last days it would be revealed to the Sons of God. Make... They'd be manifested, to be shown His glory and His praises upon the earth.
And all that Daniel said about the last days, and how that, "they that know their God will do exploits." And there's so many Scriptures tying in this day that we're living in. And how that these evil, deceiving times would be on the earth. And just exactly what we're having now fulfills it.
59 They--they had--they'd been given a chance to see Him and--but they rejected their very Messiah. And today it's the same thing; the very same thing. We are given the opportunity because God cannot judge without first having--being justified for His judgment. Now, if you told a--a certain person going down the road a speeding, you'd stop him, say, "There's a--a hole in the road down there. If you continue that speed, you'll be killed."
And they'd say, "Nonsense, I know what I'm doing." Then you see, the blood can't be upon you, because you have thoroughly warned them. Well, God does the same thing by His Word. He thoroughly warns the people of oncoming judgment, and shows His signs and wonders that's predicted in the Bible for that age. He shows them, and the people just walk right over It. It's not easy for a person to go to hell. A man fights his way to hell. The first lie you ever told, you know it was wrong. The first cigarette you ever smoked, you knowed was wrong. The first evil you did, you knowed was wrong. But in your conscience told you it was wrong, but you continually run through the red light, run over the barricades. You're reckless; you want to do it anyhow; show you're some big guy. See? But remember, you fight your way to hell. It's not easy to go to hell.
61 You have to reject Truth. Before you have the wreck you have to run the red light. Before you run--have the wreck you have to, down there in the road, you have to... The warnings has being put up. But you--you got your own way about it, man has today. And he knows more than anybody else, and he won't listen to the--the signs and warnings of--of the oncoming judgment and... Those who reject Christ...
62 Now, notice. And what they had accepted in the stead of this Christ... Now, think of the church of that day, the blindness of them. They had rejected a public murderer, Barabbas. A man who'd been proven to be a murderer and was really waiting his judgment. And he--he had been proven to--to be a murderer and was a bad man. And just because that--that the Life of Jesus... Which He--He challenged them. He said, "Which one of you can accuse Me of sin? (Sin is unbelief.) If I do not the works of My Father then believe Me not. If I haven't told you the Truth of the Scripture... And the Scripture has spoke for Me Itself. Search the Scriptures," He said, "for in Them you think you have Eternal Life, and They are the Ones that testify of Me in this age."
63 But they said, "He makes himself God. He makes himself something..." He made nothing. God made Him God. He was God. He was a fulfilling of the Scripture. He never made Hisself anything. God made Him what He was. And then it's because it was the hour for that Word to be fulfilled. So--but they couldn't see It because It was against their denominational ideas, what they'd built up about the Christ. And it was too blinded from the Word.
64 Now, and besides that, to get rid of this Fellow, they had to accept a murderer, a public menace to... It was an indebtiment to society; an indebtiment to them: a murderer. Had to accept that because--to--to reject Christ... And before any man or woman can accept wrong they have to reject right. There's something about nature, got a law to it, that you have to reject the right thing before you can receive the wrong thing. As I've just quoted, to--to keep from telling a lie... You--you told a lie against your better judgment. You told a lie against your conscience. You told a lie against what your mother or parents taught you to do. Or even nature itself teaches you shouldn't do it. So therefore, you--to reject Truth, you have to accept a--a--a lie. And you have to reject Truth before you can accept the lie. See?
65 So that's the way these fellows had done. They had rejected the Truth, and He was the Truth. "I am the Way, the Truth, and the Life. In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. And the Word was made flesh and manifested before us." In I Timothy 3:16, "Without controversy, great is the mystery of godliness for God was manifested in the flesh," handled with our hands... God, Jehovah... It's--it's astounding.
It's startling to think that the God, Who put the--the--the solar system into space, that made stars that's a thousand times bigger than this world... And if one of those stars would start to the earth at ten thousand miles an hour, why, it would take it a hundred million years to get here, it's so far away. And two little stars setting, look like a inch apart from here, they're further apart than we far are from them. And yet, there's not one of them but what holds its place. And that great galaxy... Oh, my. The massness and the vastness of God, Who could make those things... Each one has to hold the other one. That's the reason it stays the way it is. If they got out of cater the whole system would fall.
And that's what happened in Eden, when Eve got out of cater with the commandments of God. The whole race fell. That's what's the trouble today. We shouldn't be broke up in organizations and denominations and so forth. We should be sons and daughters of God holding the great galaxy of the world together...
68 In New York, last week, I was listening at a message quoted or said by Einstein the great scientist, that--the what is called the brain of the--of the time. And I was heard that. Then I went to hear Norman Vincent Peale on his psychology, about how that people should do or walk, and project themselves into psychology. Then I... On Einstein, he was speaking of a galaxy that was out between the system there, out from stars. And if a person could travel at the speed, I believe he said, of light. Now, I think, what is that? eighty-six thousand... A hundred--hundred and eighty-six thousand miles per second that light travels. And I break that down in five minutes, how many millions and billions of miles you'd be... And a hundred and twenty million years of light-time it would take you to get to that galaxy. And then a hundred and twenty or a hundred and fifty million years--hundred and fifty millions over and a hundred and fifty million back.
And they hit something that stumped them. And they... After going out there and coming back... You'd actually, take you three million years to make the trip--three hundred million years: three hundred million years to make the trip. And when you come back to the earth, actually you only been gone fifty years. You break into eternity. There's no end to it.
70 And to think that the God, Who made all of that and set it in order, and spoke of it, come down and was made flesh among us to redeem us. And would so honor us with His august Presence, that He--He would stand here on this sinful earth in the last days and prove His Word to be so, because He's obligated to that Word. Amen. The sovereignty and the justice of that great One, Who holds those things in His hand.
71 Notice, the nations... The--the church has to turn His Word down first. Then after the church turns It down, and called Him a Beelzebub or an evil spirit, then It was brought before the government, so that the whole race had to be condemned. Now, we find Jesus this morning before a--a governor, Pilate, a Roman, to be tried. And we find that the church turned Him down first because that they didn't believe His Message, because they didn't know the Word.
72 Jesus told them, "If you would have--would've heard Moses, you'd believe My Word, because he's the one that spoke of Me." See? There's the Word that the prophet... Which the--the Lord comes to the prophet, and the prophet spoke the Word for the hour to come. And here It was identified. And said, "You say you know Moses and he is your guide. You don't know Moses. Do... You don't know his Word." In other words, he said, "I am the Word. I am the identified Word that Moses spoke would come, and you condemn Me." (See?) for their traditions. See? The church condemned Him.
73 Now, we find Him now before Pilate, and thoroughly approved to--identified to the time--or the church, by the messenger of the time. They had been given a chance to see and believe, but rejected it. Why did they reject it? Many of them wanted to believe that, but their traditions, not the people, but their traditions...
74 Now, you see, like Nicodemus came by night, and he said, "Master, we know that You're a teacher comes from God. We know that Thou comest from God. No man can do these things that You do, except God be with Him. We..." Who's we he's talking of? The church, the Pharisees, the leaders of that day. "We know. We're a thoroughly convinced that You're that Person." Why then couldn't they do it? Because their system... (I want that to soak real deep, 'cause that's what I'm getting to. See?) The system that they'd already joined themselves into was the one that they couldn't move, though they did see that That was Messiah. But the system that they was connected with, would not let them accept It. Do you--you understand? Now, I want to ask, from this visible audience, how many understands what I'm speaking of? Raise your hands. All right. Now, a system... They believed it and they knowed it was.
75 How I'd like to say that same thing today. We see what's supposed to be here today, and we see it, but the system won't let them accept it. They're so indocumated with the system. See it isn't the person; it is the system. Just as I have spoke of the President that was just assassinated. Not the man, far as I know, he was a good man; he never done anything evil as I know of. But it's the system. It isn't the people; it's the system.
It wasn't the Jews; it was their system. That system condemned Him, because it didn't tolerate with their system. Do you understand? Now, the same things takes place for now. And they chose this public enemy, a murderer. But the issue now has involved the government. So the government has to pronounce this sentence; because to take a life, it must come before the government. They wasn't allowed to do that because they were under the--the rulership of Rome. And they couldn't take a life no matter how much their church said, "We got to do it." Why, they--they couldn't do it without first, Rome give them the sanction to it. So it has to be brought before the government. Now, the government's involved in the thing. Now, if that isn't a picture of today, I don't see what. See? Just exactly.
77 The church turns it down. Now, it's the government involved. The time had come where the nation of all--whole had to come. The issue was made. The showdown was at hand. The whole nation had rejected Him, and the--bringing down the wrath of God upon them. And before the... Even the church had rejected Him. That'd bring the wrath upon the church. But now, the nation has rejected Him, to bring the wrath upon all. And today, the world has rejected Him to bring judgment to the entire world. All nations must be judged.
78 And we know that that happened in the time of the great Roman general Titus. He besieged Jerusalem and then finally just... They eat one another's children, eat the bark off the tree and the grass off the ground, and--and then Titus rode right in and just tore down the walls and burnt the city, and the blood run out and down the streets like that, where he'd murdered them in there. And it... They had to... Before a just God could let a people that He had chosen to come under such a thing as that, there--there has to be a just reason. He's just. His--His laws demand His justice. And a law without penalty is not law.
If I'd say (made a law here in the city), "It's a--a fine to run a red light," and then there's no penalty to it; you'd just keep on running red lights. But there's got to be a penalty. And the penalty of God's law, to reject His program is death. And there had to be a death. So it had to be paid.
80 We stand in a similar trial, this morning, the world over. A trial... All denominations has turned down the Word. I know this sounds very harsh, and I want the ministers who's listening, here present and those on tape also to try to understand this now, that I try to make it plain. But I'm holding my point or making my point here in saying, that we are standing today in another Pilate's judgment hall.
You say, "If I'd have stood there, I'd have spoke out for Jesus Christ and..." Well, what are you doing about It now? That's the thing. See? "No matter how much the church had turned Him down, I'd have stood by His side." You've got the opportunity (Uh-huh, uh-huh). They--they turned Him down.
82 Now, He's tried today, or just has been tried, or--and on trial for a world system to be formed of what's called The Council of churches, to--to--to form in--in the--in the World Council of Church. Now, and what have they done? They have voted that they will absolutely unite themselves together and have a council of churches. And in this council of churches... That all churches must belong to this council, or if they don't, you're not even allowed to preach. You're not even allowed to have a prayer for the sick. And your church could be used for anything they want to use it for. If they want to store boxes in it, or ammunition, or whatever they want to do, you have no control of it at all. You either belong to The Council of Churches or you don't belong at all. And that's the system, that's being formed here in the United States, that fulfills the Scripture to the dot. It fulfills what the Lord spoke to me in 1933. See? And we're standing at that time this morning. And Jesus Christ, the Word, is at trial today, as it was on the crucifixion. And now, He's on our hands. He's on the hands of the world. The Word's been clearly identified around the world. See? And He stands in--and--and on trial. All denominations turned Him down. And now, He's tried as a--in the council of the churches. And they reject Him again and choose rather as they did then.
83 You see, the nature in history repeats itself because nature continues the same. Trees still continue to grow; and vegetables come up and flowers. And the world turns just as it always is; it's nature. And the nature of each age produces again, and reproduces the--the reflection of what a--a--a nature it was before then.
And today, we find ourselves again standing on that same place. Now, Jesus was the Word (St. John, the first chapter). We all believe that. He was the Word, and because He was the Word... (Please understand.) He was the Word and He had to be against the system. And they did not--they did not reject Him because of His miracles. They did not... They said... He said, "Which can accuse Me?"
84 Said, "We don't condemn him for these things." (See?) "We condemn him because him being a man, makes hisself God." And their own Scripture said that He would be God. And Isaiah the great prophet who wrote a sixty-six Books of Isaiah, and starts off with the... At the first, like the beginning; and in the middle of the Book come John the Baptist; and ends up in the millennium reign. And sixty-six Books in the Bible like there's sixty-six chapters in Isaiah. It's remarkable it falls that way. This Isaiah 9 and 6, He said:
... unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given:... and his name shall be called... Counseller, Prince of Peace, Mighty God, The everlasting Father, Wonderful.
And the blind traditions or systems could not see that That was God. By their own prophet (that who the Word came to) that said that He would be God... The blind systems... So they had rejected the Word and desired a murderer instead, Barabbas.
86 And today, the Word, being clearly for this day, has been vindicated. It's been made real. It's been shown to be the Truth. And at the last days, as Jesus said, "As it was in the days of Sodom and so forth, so shall it be at the coming of the Son of man." The very God Himself Who was the Word, predicted the end-time and what would happen. And the Lights would break forth in the evening time. And how that Malachi 4, He would send forth these things and prove them. And it's been brought to the place of a decision. And the churches has turned it down.
87 And what have the churches desired? A murderer of the Word; one who takes a system. If the system is contrary to the Word, then it's a murderer to the Word. And they desired a denomination tradition in the stead of the true Word being manifested, and proved that It's God amongst the people: by science, through pictures, a Light, the same Angel of the Lord, the Pillar of Fire; the same One that lived on earth in the--in the body of Jesus Christ is come upon His people in the last day, where science has took the picture of It. The church has seen Its works. It's thoroughly identified by tapes and everything, around and around the world, and personally ministered. And still in all of that their systems are desiring a council of churches to condemn the Truth, desiring a murderer that would shut off, or stop, or sell out; and it'll do it. They'll stop such a thing, and the council of churches will have to do it. There's the mark of the beast: antichrist--against the Word, which is Christ.
88 But not their... They think it's tradition. They think that their traditions is of God. See? But it won't stand up with the Word and neither does God vindicate it to be right. Jesus stood up with the Word, but not with their council, but with the Word; and the Word proved that He was God. And It proves today that It's God, because It lives the same Life, It does the same thing among us that It did back there and predicted.
So what do they do? They accept something that... They have accepted already the very system that'll crucify that. And the crucifixion of free interdenominational is at hand. That's right.
90 Now, that doesn't contrary to Scriptures. It's with the Scriptures. "And they formed a image unto the beast." Uniting the world denominations in one Protestant, forming the mark of the beast, the image of the beast according to Revelations 13:8. "And they made an image unto the beast." The beast is Rome. We all know that. But always it's been Rome for all... How can it be... How can it be Russia when the Bible says Rome? See? The people just get the wrong impression. See? How can it be some other thing, when it's predicted it has to come out of Rome?
91 Go back to Daniel again, the iron and clay in the feet. The iron never ceased from the knees down to the end. And anyone knows that Russia wasn't even known of then. It was Rome. The red dragon was Rome. It's always Rome. And that iron never changed to something else, from Rome to something else; it remained Rome. And the beast is Rome.
92 And the Rome had a religious system whose deadly head was--or deadly wound killed him in his head, but he was revived again from pagan Rome to papal Rome. And now they're to make an image to it, out of the beast that comes up out of Revelations 13.
Did you ever notice, this nation is numbered thirteen? And appears... I don't say it that this is... It--it's strange though that it would happen mathematically. And makes it just exactly in order with the Scripture. It's found in the 13th chapter of Revelations: this nation.
All the other beasts come up out of water, which is thickness and multitudes of people, the Bible said. But this little beast come up out of the earth where there was no people. Yet, he was a lamb: freedom of religion, then he spake like a dragon and united himself with the power, and done all that the dragon did before him. Exactly. So there you are. It's--it's just got to be that way; no other way of getting around it.
94 And here we are today, forming a system--a system... We can't wait till some... We tried to make everybody become a Lutheran and couldn't do it, try to make them all become a Baptist; we couldn't do it. All become a Methodist, or all a Pentecostal; we couldn't do it. So... To order to do this (the time is so short) they have formed a council, a head, a image to the beast. That's exactly what they've done. And what is it? The crucifixion of the Word again is at hand. It's on trial and will soon come to the floor.
95 Notice, the manifested Word... From the denomination... It manifests the Word difference from the denomination. What is this? What is this system? It's a satellite to Rome. Did the Bible say it would be that? Yes, sir. Revelation 17, they saw Rome raise up itself in an ecclesiastical system of a woman. A woman... The church is always represented by a woman, 'cause the Bride of Christ is a woman. Eve was the one fell. She's the one to be redeemed. And the church is what--is a woman that's redeemed.
96 And this woman set upon the beast with seven heads, and we know about the seven hills and so forth, as the Bible said it would be. There's no mistake; there's no chance for a mistake. See?
And notice, then we find out that she was a mother of harlots. See? And mother and daughter unites together again in friendship, where once the daughter run away from the mother, to try to live decent; for her mother was so lowdown and ornery till the girl left home. But now since she's begin to get a little age she--and doing so many evil things herself. She sees her mother; she thinks her mother was right so she's forming a system of her own. See? Exactly.
97 Uniting denominational, Protestantism fulfills exactly what the Scripture said of Revelations 17. "All whose names were not written in the Lamb's Book of Life was--belong to her." One or the other. You're either beast or the image of the beast. The Bible said so. And Jesus spoke of this, not as Communism. But in Matthew the 24th chapter, beginning with the 21st to the 26th verse, He predicted that the spirit in this system would be so much like the real thing till it would deceive the very elected, if it was possible. The elected whose names are put on the Lamb's Book of Life before the foundation of the world... And frankly, it got them so tied up until He said if He didn't cut the work short for their sake, there'd be no flesh saved upon the earth.
98 And we've only got... This is--this is '64, isn't it? And I think they claim about seventeen years is off of that, so... according to the calendar. And we got sixty-four--1964, which will make (what is that) thirty six years left to the 21st century. And every two thousand years the world has come to the end of it's world system, religious system, to the end of all systems. And God had to step in. He did in the days of Noah; first two thousand years. The second two thousand years, the system come back to where our text calls this morning. And He sent again His Word. He sent His Word by a prophet: Noah's time--prophet Noah. And the people rejected It for their system. He sent His Word again in the time of Jesus, the Word manifested in the Fullness. The people rejected It.
99 And now, it's 1964, leaving thirty-six years until, the even two thousand more years; and the Word's been brought forth and the system has rejected It. How close are we? Maybe later than we think. See? At anytime it could happen. Maybe it's already happened for all we know, as I spoke the last Sunday being here. The last name might've been on that Book; when it is, there's no more coming in. The world will move on just as it was, but the church is sealed. Notice now, as we go on here.
100 Their names... Now, he will not deceive those whose names are written on... What is it? It's got to be a system. See? And just think. To belong to that denomination in that system, what do you do then? Where have you done? You're sealed away (See?) from the Word to a murderous system that takes away... Of having a form of godliness but denying the power thereof. It's the mark of the beast. Exactly.
101 See, it's the beast over there, what he did; and here's the image, the same thing. And the beast was so great, that formed that great universal church at Nicaea (See?), that they made all the--all the world come to that, to that one system. And they thought it was so great, "Nobody was able to make war with it," said the Bible, until they made a image unto the beast. And brought all Protestants into the Council of Churches, which formed a system, that you were not even thought of as a Christian or anything else unless you belong to that system.
102 There's the difference between the mark and the beast and the sealing of God. God sealed by His Word. You believe the Word is? Now, you say, "Is that right, Brother Branham?" Yes, sir.
Now, I--I know you Sabbatarians or Seventh-day Adventists say, the keeping the Sabbath Day. But that--that is... Not--not to be nasty with you, but that's absolutely unscriptural. Ephesians 4:30 says:
... grieve not the holy Spirit of God, whereby you are sealed unto the day of your redemption. (See?)
104 Now, the Holy Spirit is the Word. God is not three. He's the same God in three dispensations, three offices. God the Father, over the law; God the Son in grace; and God the Holy Ghost (as you call It)--the same God, in the Holy Ghost dispensation. God the Father was the Word; God the Son was the Word; and God the Holy Ghost is the Word. See? It's just three offices. After you...?... And the Holy Ghost seals you; therefore, you're sealed by the Word.
Now, you say, "Well, I'm sealed by..." Well, then it identifies itself. See? It proves. You can't belong to a system, and be sealed with the system and the Word. See? 'Cause it's contrary, one to the other. You can't do it. All right.
106 Now, we find out, that the big machine mechanics... The mechanics of the big machine, that is to... The machine, it's got... (Automobile), it's got pistons, valves, and carburetor and so forth. That's the--that's the mechanics. I'd like to say something to the church right here, brings to my memory.
106 See, that's what's... I believe we're so close to the end I--I'm going to say something now. See, see? The--the mechanics... There's so many people trying to explain the mechanics when you don't know it. See? The only thing you... You know what? You should know it. The mechanics is known. Now, what if Moses... What if somebody would have said, "Noah, I want you to explain the--the mechanics of how the ark float. How that..." He couldn't do it. You don't have to know the mechanics; just the dynamics of it. See, the dynamics is what you want to know. How will...
Somebody come up to Israel, and said, "Say, Moses, I want to understand, how could you create animals with your own word?"
108 "Explain to me how that you made flies come upon the earth, when they wasn't any--that many flies on the earth." See? Moses couldn't explained it himself. You don't have to... How'd you make the east wind come and blow a hole across the Red Sea, and we all followed you on dry land? Explain the mechanics of that. What--what--what was the--the--the system that you used, Moses? What--tell me the scientific research of what atom you let loose." See?
See, he--he didn't know it. He... Well, he didn't know the mechanics; he just knowed the dynamics. And--and that's the way I can't tell you how I'm living. I can't tell you how you're living, but you're living. I can't tell how your heart and your food goes in and makes blood, and takes the--the strength of that food and--and goes into that third wall of the intestinal tract, and turns it back to a blood life, and sends it back up through you. I--I can't explain that, but it does it. See, it does it. I--I can't explain it. I don't know the mechanics. It's the dynamics.
110 Now, Moses might've knowed the mechanics but it wasn't nobody else's place to understand it but Moses. They knowed it worked and that satisfies. Why can't the people be satisfied that way today? See? Everybody couldn't be a Moses. There was just one Moses. They just knowed it was of God. They seen it was of God. And they followed on, and done fine until they begin to question it, and wanted to raise up somebody else to do the same thing (Korah, Dathan). And when they got somebody to bring some carnal impersonations in, finally God said, "Separate yourself. Don't get into that organizational system. (See?) Step out of it. I'm going to swallow it up." And He opened the earth and swallowed it. See?
111 You don't know... You don't have to know the mechanics. Just know the dynamics, the thing that pulsates it, that makes it true. And see if it hits the target that the Bible promised it would hit in this day. See? It's the Word again. Back to the Word.
112 Now, the big machine is setting up now, and ready to move. The mechanics is already there. They've already got the mechanical system of an organization that's going to bring upon the earth a peace, they say. They got a--like a U.N. The nations are united together. It's a uniting time. I just preached on it recently. They're--they're uniting together to bring what? A world peace. They did that in the League of Nations. They've always done it, and it never works. It can't work. The U.N. is nothing but a big rubber balloon that's carried about by every nation's wind of doctrine. It'll bust and blow up at anything. It can't work; neither can the Council of Churches work. It's an organization by man, contrary to the system--with their system contrary to the Word of God. And it can't work.
113 How can two walk together unless they be agreed? You can't do it. And how can the Christian church... will have to... The--the Pentecostals, the Assemblies of God, and the--the great other churches of the--of the Pentecostal kingdom, and of the Full Gospel people... How can they forfeit their evangelical teachings, the very principles that they've stood on? And where they was raised up to come out of those organizations and condemn it. And they have to forfeit their evangelical doctrine to walk with man, who disagree upon the principles of the Bible, and Divine healing, and the power, of God, and Jesus Christ. How can two walk together except they be agreed?
114 There you are. That's the hour that we have arrived at. And that's the big machine that's set up. Now, they've got the mechanics. The only thing they have to have is Satan in there with the dynamics to force the marking of the beast. When she's forced down, then the dynamics is working. The mechanics is there. They've already got them.
115 Let me say something too. This uniting time--you see churches uniting nations uniting... It's a uniting time of God and His Bride too. And I say this with reverence and respect. I believe that the Bride of Christ is called; I believe She's sealed in the Kingdom of God. I believe the mechanics is there. They're waiting for the Dynamics, that'll take Her off the earth into glory in the rapture. I believe it with all my heart. Yes, sir. We don't know how He's going to do it. but He's going to do it. He is the Dynamics. We just become members of the machine of His Body, forming ourself into His Image, and see Him uniting Himself with us in His works, with His love gifts, as He hands them to us just before the wedding supper. And we're waiting, watching for that.
116 Their big church is to be united... The Dynamics of this church will be a refilling of the Holy Spirit, that we have worked in a small measure while the Headstone is coming down to unite with the Body. But when that Head and Body unites together the full power of the Holy Ghost would raise Her up just exactly like... Even the dead, that's dead in Christ for hundreds of years ago, will rise in the beauty of His holiness and take a flight through the skies. The Dynamics is the Holy Spirit.
117 And now, the dynamics of this great regime that they got built... This big machine will work someday in the uniting council of the World Council of Churches, which will make a forcing to... But remember... You say, "When that happens..." It's going to be too late then for you. You're already in it. Whether you want to be or not, you're already there. See?
Notice, you've already got that spirit upon you... In the day when the--when the--the winds of the Spirit is blowing from east, north, west, and south, persuading people out of it, and showing the people... That's the reason I've been so against that system. I seen there was something there of darkness. As I seen them women the way they wore that stuff on their face, as I told you last Sunday, I knowed there was something coming.
Why was I always against that stuff? I didn't know it; I know it now. Why was I always against organized religion? It was because I see it now. It's the mark of the beast. See? I never said that till just the last--last couple weeks. See? Now, after the church politics, then what happens, after the Word's been truly vindicated? Now, look, it's finally got to a place there's got to be a settlement.
120 Their next move now was... What was the Jews' next move after the church turned It down? (church turned the Word down) They wanted nothing to do with It. "It was a evil spirit." It knowed the thoughts that was in their heart. "It was evil." Yet, It was the Word. The works that He did testified of Him, vindicated Who He was. They didn't want nothing to do with It. Then the next thing, comes to a government. And this is a church government because the whole nations is involved. There was a heathen nation controlling over a religious nation. Now, it's a all thing is religion. So it has to come to a world religion. Oh, my. A blind man could see that. And what does a blind man say when he sees this? When he sees it, he'll come out of his blindness.
121 Notice, there when this world council comes together... What will we do with this Jesus called Christ? They certainly don't want nothing to do with It. So there's only one thing to do then: exactly what they did then. They'll crucify It. Certainly. Shut it up; it can't be no more; it won't be allowed to do it. The force of the religion of the nations won't let them do it no more. Such ministry that goes on here and things like that will be absolutely closed out. You can't do it without a sanction from the headquarters, the head of the church. See? A image unto the beast. All right, we're here. That's all. We--we--we've arrived, and truly vindicated.
122 Next move is to crucify. Same as now, causing all who don't join with them, will be shut out and not be allowed to preach. You see? That crucifies afresh the vindicated Word of promise. Stops it. You're not allowed to have it no more. "No more healing services. No more prayer for the sick." No, sir. You can't do it. No matter... "This other..." No, sir. You'll come through the Council of Churches or you don't have it at all.
Now, you can see why I'm against denomination religion because it is the mark of the beast. Rome is the head of it, the first one. That's exactly right. And it causes all to take it by joining the daughters; that is the image. The mother of it made the same thing. Where was Rome first organized? What was the first organized religion in the world? The Roman Catholic. Anybody got a word that says it isn't so, just let me hear it. It's not here. The first organization, the first church was ever organized was at Nicaea, Rome. Yes, sir. And that's exactly what they did.
124 And what did Luther do after his death? They did the same thing they done at Nicaea, Rome. What did they do after Wesley? What did they do after all the great moves that's come up? They did the same thing: made daughters, unto the harlot. Just exactly, perfect...
125 Like by the same, we find out here... I had a little Scripture wrote down here. Maybe I'd better omit that. But... And--and watch, they had to... The organizing of the church has got the same system together today. Only thing they need is the dynamics of it. Just something to set it in force and it's coming to a showdown right away.
The Catholic church and the Protestant churches will become friends. I've told you that all--every--every since--for the last thirty something years; they will unite together. And you see exactly what they're doing now. The--the Protestant will never become Catholic, but they'll be associated brotherhood: a mark of the beast; likened unto the beast.
127 Like by the same means that the mother Eve corrupted the whole world to a physical death, the mother Eve... (Listen.) Mother Eve corrupted the whole human race by physical death. How? By rejecting the Word and accepting something almost like It. She caused all physical death because she left the true Word, and believed the true Word all but just a little bit. One little disagreement with the full Word of God caused every heartache, every death, and everything that's ever been on the earth. Eve done it, the mother of death. Now, you see where we're coming? The mother of death... Notice, she just disbelieved the Word. She said, "God has said."
"Yes, that's--that's it's... In--in a way that's right. But see now, that--that isn't the all of it. See, you'll--you'll have your eyes opened; you'll be..."
But God has said. And that settles it, the Word. See, it started with just a little misconstruing of the Word. And the same thing, it's ending the same way.
129 Notice, a daughter is a product of a mother and father by union. Now, here's something shocking. But death (physical), physical death is the uniting of mother Eve and Satan together by disbelieving God's Word. They united and brought in the--the product of death. She... the... Death is a product of uniting Satan and Eve together.
Eve had the Word. Satan's against the Word. And look. Almost ninety-nine and ninety-nine hundredths of It, Satan admitted was right. So close, the Bible said, "In the last days would deceive the very elected if it was possible." See how it comes in? How it's always been? How it's going out? The same way: united of unbelief in all the full Word of God. You got it? That's what brought death is uniting unbelief with the Word. Unbelief: just a little bitty part of it, little bitty, teeny bit, one hundredth of one percent. But It must be one-hundred percent. That's all.
131 Notice, God's daughter, the church, the Bride, is also a product of God and His Word uniting, the Holy Spirit uniting in a body of flesh; It produced the Son of God, a product of the righteousness of God. And in the last day as we're told, as it was in the days of Sodom, the Bride will be united by the Word of God made manifest in the flesh, a Holy Spirit sealing them into God and sealing unbelief out on the outside.
132 As I said, if the life of Beethoven was in you, you'd live like Beethoven. If the life of Hitler was in you, you'd live like Hitler. And when the Life of Christ is in you, you'll live like Christ. And the works of Christ you do. And that'll be... If Christ lived today He'd do exactly what the Word said He'd do today. And if the Word said that, "He is the same yesterday, today, and forever," why can't this blind ecclesiastical world see the time that they're living. See?
133 Eve caused all physical death by trying to inject some heresy of Satan into the Word. And that's the same thing that happened to the church at Nicaea, Rome, by taking dogmas instead of the Word. That's the same thing in the Methodist, Baptist, Presbyterian; as the Light springs forth in each age, and they turn It down. That's the reason the Lutheran died when Wesley rose up. It was another age. The Word come forth and they had to accept It or die. That's the reason that the Pentecostals are dying now, because the age is here. The Word has been made manifest, the eagle time, the time of the Word to return back to restore the faith of the fathers back to the children again. And they're so united they turn It down and they ain't nothing but spiritual death. That always...
134 God's Body united as His Bride, being One... Him and Christ together, as the Spirit working in the flesh of the church like It worked in the flesh of Jesus Christ, 'cause It's part of His Body, not twain, but One. They are One. A husband and wife's no longer two, but one. And Christ and His Body is One. And the same Spirit was in Christ is in His Bride, in His Body, that unites them together with all the Word. And God living in there Himself manifested.
135 And the antichrist is to say, "Oh, I believe in Christ. I believe in the Gospel. I believe in these things, but you know..." There you are.
"But you know the days of miracles is past; there is no such as that." See? There you are. "Oh, I don't believe you have to be baptized in the Name of Jesus Christ."
But the Bible said you did. Now, I want some theologian to disagree with that. See? Yeah. See? It's got to be. You say, "Well baptism don't make any difference." Well then, why was it written? Why did it make a difference to Paul? Why did it make a difference to all the rest of them? You're either baptized...
The Bible said, "You have a name that you live and you're dead." 'Cause there's not another name given under heaven... Why will you preach in It, pray in It, everything else, but when you come to the pool you reject It? (Uh-huh)
I said, "If a man come to you, and then said he was baptized in the name of the Rose of Sharon, the Lily of the Valley, and the Morning Star. Would you say he's all right?
I said, "All right, now you did exactly... You place... If you called those names, you did the same thing he did, when he said, 'Rose of Sharon, Lily of the Valley, and Morning Star,' because that's a title; and Father, Son, and Holy Ghost is a title." See?
I said, "That's exactly what He meant do. But what is... not--not... He didn't say, 'call these words.' Baptize them in the Name: Name." (Oh, my.) I said, "Father, Son, and Holy Ghost is titles. The Name of the Father, Son... The Name of the Father, Son, and the Holy Ghost." See? I said, "What did Peter say It Was? What did the rest of them say It was? What is It? The Lord Jesus Christ is the Name of the Father, Son, Holy Ghost." He's got about thirty thousand natives he has to rebaptized again now. See? All right. But that's right.
140 Paul said, "If an angel from heaven..." Paul told those people that wasn't baptized in the Name of Jesus Christ (Acts 19:5), that in order to receive the Holy Ghost they had to come... Though they were shouting and praising God and doing great things, he said they had to come back and be rebaptized again in the Name of Jesus Christ, after John the Baptist had baptized them. They had to come back and be rebaptized. And he said in Galatians 1:8, "If a angel from heaven teaches any other thing than I've taught you, let him be accursed." Yes, sir. So we have to stay right with that Word, every Word of It. See?
141 Notice... Oh, don't have no flaws; be absolutely sure. If there's anything doubting in your mind you better straighten it up now. Don't wait till then; it's too late. Don't wait till you take the mark so deep you'll never see it any more. You'll be blind. He blinded Israel that He might manifest His Word. He's doing the same thing to the Gentiles, 'cause here--here you are, walking right into it just the same as they did then.
142 Notice, Eve rejected and forfeited her rights, after she had seen the Word vindicated by God (what He had done). She rejected It and forfeited her rights, the same thing they had done at Nicaea, Rome, and the same thing they're doing now at the Council of Churches, just exactly. Brethren, there's from Genesis to Revelations the same thing. That's what Israel done. That's what Pilate done. That's what the whole thing done, always, from Eve till now, same thing. They reject the vindicated Word and take a dogma instead. That forms death, spiritual death: dead. The Word's still preached to the dead. Exactly. Won't be through the millennium now. See, they're--they're already preached to. May be getting It right now. See?
143 Cain's sons, which was a product of unbelief of the Word of God... Cain's sons scoffed at prophet Noah's message. You notice that? With God's Word he had brought the--the predicted judgment, and had vivid signs--vindicated signs that the time was at the end. And Cain's sons scoffed at It. So as they do now. So did--they did in the days of Jesus. So they did all through the ages; it's always been. They scoff and make fun of It. He said, "In the last days there'll come scoffers say, 'There's no difference in the time, since our fathers fell asleep...'" You. See?
So did the sons of the devil, through the religious system, at the Word made manifest in the time of Jesus Christ. Look. Religious systems of Jewish people, Sister Rose. Jewish people who should've knowed better, but their system caused them to reject and scoff at the Word of God that they claimed they believed made manifest. Not one Word out of the way. They did the same thing.
145 Same as they do today in the religious system in this big machine that they've got set up now, will absolutely--has turned down the promises at the end time; with the end time Message, and the end time Sign, the end time everything that's supposed to be, as God predicted it, Word by Word. It's on tape of... If they shoot me down, or whatever they might do, they'll never stop that Message. See? It'll go on just the same. See? It's already out; it's taped. And it's gone. See? They could never... It's--It's the Word of the end right now, thoroughly vindicated and proved over, and over, and over; by signs, wonders, by mechanics, by--by--by Dynamics, by--by science, by the church, by God Himself has proved that it's the hour, both by the Word and by signs and wonders.
146 A Message approved of God, among you, by signs and wonders of the hour, a Message that Jesus Christ is not dead, but a living just the same as He ever was and sending forth... And It exactly fulfills Malachi 4, and all the other Scriptures that Jesus said would be in the last days; is totally fulfilled both scientifically and by the world... The magazines packed big pictures of circles of Light (that was predicted here), and Angels of God which has come down (that they know nothing about), and all over everywhere, It's proven world-over.
Next is crucifixion, and we're facing it. And Jesus said then, "What shall I say? Save Me Father from this hour?" But no. "Thy will be done (See?) on earth as it is in heaven."
That's what the church says today from it's heart: "Me join with something like...?" No, Lord. (mmm-nah.) "Thy will be done as it is in heaven."
149 Notice, after promised Word for the age that was vindicated, they turned It down. They done the same today. (And I'm coming down to the close now.) And as He came then clearly identifying Himself to be the Word, and it come to the showdown where they must choose the Word or take the system, it's come to the same thing today: must choose the Word or take the system. And they have took the system. Now, what does that do? (in closing) He's on the hands of the world. Right.
150 Now, my text. That's a long ways to build around, but now I just got started. You see? Uh-huh. (Don't get up; I was just teasing.) Look. Here's my text. We know it... That's laying the backgrounds. We got it all laying in one streak here now. Let's set it right down home and see what it looks like, put her under the glass.
Jesus is on the hands of the people. He's on the hands of the church. What will you do with this Jesus that's called the anointed Word? The "Christ" means the "anointed Word." "What will you do with this Jesus? Pilate said, "What shall I do with It?" What--what's my move? What can I do with this Jesus that's called Christ?"
What did the world call out? What did the church can out? "Crucify It. Stop It. We don't want It no more."
153 I'm going to ask you something. Can you imagine the guilt on Oswald's hands this morning, the one that murdered the President? Can you imagine what his judgment will be, if he's proven to be the one that did it? Can you--could you imagine any mercy be left for him? The blood of the President of the United States is on his hands. Do you think the Federal Court... No matter how much he pleaded, "I didn't mean to do it." That won't excuse him a bit. He'll perish. Why? He's got the President's blood on his hands.
Could you imagine his feelings? Would you want that on your hands? Well, what about the Blood of Jesus Christ then? You think you'll be excused. After it's thoroughly a-vindicated, how you going to escape it? His Blood's on your hands: guilty. Sinner, where are you going from here? What are you going to do after the meeting this morning?
155 Do you think... You say, "Well, I intended... I didn't mean to be bad." Oswald might say the same thing. If the justice of our Supreme Court will call for justice, it'll call... It's--it's our--it's the absolute of the nation. The whole nation's tied to that Supreme Court and there can be nothing left. He's committed the crime. He has to pay for it. No matter how much he didn't mean, how his intentions was, or nothing about it, he's going to pay for it anyhow.
If our Supreme Court and its justice demands a recompense of reward, how much more will you find yourself at the judgment bar of God, when you come with the Blood of Jesus Christ on your hands. What will I do with this Jesus, called the Anointed Word? You've heard It. You know It's the Truth. It's thoroughly a-vindicated.
156 A murderer? Would you desire a denominational murderer of the Word, than the innocent Christ? Would you crucify? Would you--would you dare to take Barabbas? Could you call for Barabbas? How dare anyone to do that, to call for Barabbas, the murdered of the Word, than to take the Word Itself, which is Life. And It's on your hands.
When I heard of the murder of President Kennedy, this Message fell on my heart. I thought, "What will that man do?" No way out of it now. He might've woke up by this time and realized what lays ahead.
158 You're going to wake sometime, here, or on the tape, wherever you're at. You're going to wake sometime, sinner, and realize that there is a Blood on your hand, and the Blood of the Son of God, and you're guilty of murdering Him. Your sin murdered Him, your unbelief in His Word; your failing to see His Identification grieved away the Holy Spirit. And what can you do, but stand at the judgment of God, knowing what's going to happen to you. Yes, the blood of John Kennedy on the hands of Oswald will be a minor thing, than the Blood of Jesus Christ on your hands when you stand before God.
159 "What will I do with this Jesus called Christ?" Pilate said. He had been placed on his hands. And the Blood of Jesus Christ is placed again on the hands of this congregation. It's placed on the hands of this nation, and around this world, where these tapes has been and the things that's been vindicated and proved of God. Now, what will we do with this Jesus that's called the same yesterday, today, and forever? What will we do with this Jesus?
Are you ready to take your place at His side? Pilate... And at the same thing Pilate did, there remains three things you can do with Him. Pilate tried all three, and he missed it. Three schemes that you might try to work, but it'll never work. Pilate tried to get Him off of his hands. But when once placed on your hands, it's on your hands. Pilate tried three different ways and failed.
161 We must face the facts that He's on our hands. We seen Him in His Word. We see Him a-vindicate Hisself. We know that He's the same yesterday, today, and forever. Is that right? Then I'm not only talking to this congregation here this morning, 'cause I'm only talking to six, seven hundred people maybe. But I'm talking to millions in this tape that'll go around the world. See? He's on your hands in tape-land, wherever you are. You know It's the Truth. if you don't, then you're blind. You can't see the Word, neither can you see God in the Word, and He's on your hands. Now, what are you going to do with Him?.
162 Pilate tried to get rid of Him, but we have to face the facts. Pilate had to face it. He knowed; he had heard. Well, you say, "I never did see any..." You've heard it anyhow. You're hearing it now. See? He wanted Jesus to do a miracle or trick for him, but He wasn't playing tricks. He was only doing as God told Him to do.
You've heard. Faith cometh by hearing. You have faith and get away from--to get this off your hands. But he have to face the facts anyhow. He did and so do we have to face the facts. He's fully identified. Think, with the blood of a man on your hands...
164 Man has to watch when he's got another man's blood on his hands. Look at an airplane, a pilot of a plane, when he runs that plane out, he checks every instrument. Why? He's got the blood of somebody on his hands. Every little instrument that can be checked, he checks it. When he gets out and turns the plane around he--he--he rev's up the--the--the motor (the engine) and see that it's warmed up. And throw the throttle all the way on it to see that if the blast will--will--if it'll be able to--to--to compare, or throw the propeller to--with enough air to take it off the ground. You've stood, many of you, in a plane or set down there and it'll... The whole plane shake off the ground nearly. He's giving it all it's got to see if there's anything out of line. If it will, it'll spit and conk out. But he checks it again; if he has to set there a moment till he checks it again. If they hold his time a little, he checks it again.
165 How the church ought to be checking it again, and again, and again, and again. We're waiting for His coming. We're waking--we're waiting for the takeoff. We better check it with the Word, not what somebody said. Be sure you know yourself, as a personal experience with Christ. Check it again, and again, and again. Why? He's got the blood of men upon his hands. He better check.
166 How about a doctor before an operation? We got a couple doctors setting here this morning. Notice, that a doctor, what he'll do before he goes to surgery. He wants a X-ray. He wants to check the blood; he wants to check the heart. He wants to see if you got any cold 'fore he gives the anesthetic. He checks every instrument; he boils them thoroughly to see there's no germs on it. He does everything. He checks over, and over, and over, and over again. Why? He's got the blood of a man on his hand. He wants to be dead sure that everything's just as right, as it can be right.
167 What about you? What about you, sinner? What do you feeled about it, to have the blood of a man on your hand? Responsibility like a pilot and he checks, the doctor and he checks and what else more. So many scientific... When you got the blood of a man on your hands, what you'll do... When a judge is going to pronounce sentence, look how he'll reads those books over, and over, and over and over and over, till every little thing that he can see... Before he pronounces sentence. 'Cause he's got the blood of a man on his hands. There must be something here to justify that. See?
168 How about us, when we seen it thoroughly identified that He's the same yesterday, today, and forever. He's here. He's on our hands. He's on our hands. He's on your hands. What are you going to do with Him? What will I do with this Jesus, that's the Anointed Christ? "What does He do? How you know It's Him?" The promise of this day, the day that we're living in; there's so much of the Scripture say, so many inches of It is supposed to be fulfilled. These last inches of this last day, there's some things setting here that's supposed to happen, and here it is. What is It? The same anointed Christ, the anointed Word. What are you going to do with it? Are you going to sell it off to the denomination?
169 Now, what did Pilate do? Pilate tried to wash Him off of his hands by saying... The first thing Pilate did was try to wash Him off at his hands by saying, "Oh, he's okay. He's all right." See?
You say, "Oh, poor Pilate." Pilate? A lot of them justify him? No, no, no. He was on his hands. He had heard the Message; he'd seen the Word; and He was on his hands. And so is He on your hands. That's right.
171 If that ain't the--the--the answer of so many today. "Oh, there's nothing wrong with the Word. I guess It's okay. The Bible's all right, but we believe the church. Our denomination don't agree with It." See, see? There's one class of people trying to wash Him off his hand. "I find no fault in the Word. It was okay for the apostles in their day; but we live in another day. We don't live in the apostles' day; so therefore, I don't have to do like the apostles did. I don't have to be baptized the way they were; I live in another day. I don't have to have the things that they had; I live in another day. The Holy Ghost was just given for that bunch."
172 Hebrews 13:8 puts Him back on your hands again and no escape. He's thoroughly a-vindicated. He's the same yesterday, today, and forever. You have no escape. You can't pass Him off to some other age. Hebrews 13:8 condemns your thoughts, and puts Him right back on your hands again. So Jesus is on your hands just like on Pilate's was.
Pilate was a pagan. His wife was a pagan. But God, to make it just, sent that woman in there, and said, "Don't you have nothing to do with this just Man." She said, "I suffered this day..." (which was morning, it was over the night. One twenty-four hours is considered a day.) "I suffered some dreams tonight of that just Man. Don't you have nothing to do with it."
Now, he said, "Well, then if that be so, I'll just wash Him off my hands." But he couldn't do it. Neither can you. Once you hear the Truth you've got to accept It or deny It. No way... Yes, sir. You have to do it... Warnings of the Lord...
175 The Jews screamed out, "Let his blood be upon us, for we would believe our priest, our denominational system, before we'd believe him." There you are. See the classes today? But all must face God's issue. You've all got to do it anyhow. Pagan or whatever you might be; unbeliever, Methodist, Baptist, Presbyterian, lukewarm, cold, hot, and whatever you might be; you got to face the issue just the same whether you want to or not. It's on your hands. That's exactly?
176 Now, then there are those who try Pilate's other scheme to dodge the issue; pass Him on to some other Caesar. See? Pilate said, "Now, wait a minute. I--I--I--I don't want nothing to do with it. I--I--I--I... Now, He's a just Man. I--I--I don't want nothing to do with Him. Oh, I--I--I believe what I've heard; I never seen Him do a miracle. There's too many witnesses for Him. I--I--I believe He's a just man; He's a good man." (See?) "But I--but I--I--I--I don't want nothing to do with it myself. Now, I--I--I just... Well, I'll just wash Him off of my hands; bring me some water. You all bear me record here." Yeah, but God was bearing record too.
177 He was on his hands; and so is He on your hands. See? You know what I'm talking about (See?), not only you, but this tape. He's on your hands. What you going to do with Him, this Jesus, called Christ? Christ is the anointed Word. See? What you going to do with It? It's the Message of the hour. The day is here, thoroughly approved by the Bible and by God. What you going to do with It? How you going to dodge the issue now? How you going to get by with it? He's on your hands. Oswald's case will be a minor one to yours.
178 No minister, or whoever you may be... Them Jews were priests, and rabbis, teachers, holy men, but He was on their hands just the same. He was the Word, the issue of God for that day, and they failed to see it. Just the elected saw It, the Ones that believed It.
Now, all must face the issue. In every age, it's been so every time. Through the age of Eve and Adam, on down to the age of Noah, on down to the time of Daniel, and Belteshazzar, and Nebuchadnezzar, on down into Christ's time, on down into this very hour we're living, it's been the same: The issue of the Word's come forth. Not their creed, or not the denomination, not the dogma, but the issue of the Word has been against those things. (That's all.) Now, It's on the hands now.
180 Then those who try Pilate's other scheme to rid Him, by passing Him off to somebody else... Pilate said, "Now, you know what? I'll just get Him off my hand. I'll wash Him off my hands with this water. So I'll just... I've got to do something with Him. So what will I do? I'll send Him over to the headquarters with the bishop." Yeah. That's what they try to do today. See? They sent Him to a Caesar. That didn't take Him off Pilate's hands, take Him off of nobody's hand. What did it do? It backfired on him. Comes right back to the individual.
181 You say, "Well, I would--I would do it. I would accept it if my denomination would accept it." Your denomination is in the Council of Churches, condemned. How they going to receive it? It backfires right back to you. It ain't what your denomination says; it's what do you say? They've rejected it. Now, what are you going to do with it? That's the next thing. See? That don't take Him off your hands. He's thoroughly a-vindicated. He's thoroughly identified: the Word of this hour, the promise of this hour. Not the promise of Luther's hour; that was it then. That was the Word in the reformer's age; as you all, who's heard the Seven Seals...
182 When the reformer's age went out (the beast with the face like a man), organization issued. But this is the face of the eagle (the beast that went to make the challenge of today). And who would dare to say that wasn't the inspired Word of God, when He foretold It here, and sent out yonder to Arizona, and brought it right back, even with science and everything else, and proved it so. This Book's already opened (That's right) just waiting for the Seventh Seal to be identified with the coming of Christ.
183 All right, He's on your hands. You got to do something with Him. Don't take Him off. Yes, sir. In this category I'd like to say... Passing Him on to somebody else... "If my denomination would accept it, Brother Branham, I'd--I'd accept it. But see, my mother belonged to this church." She lived in her age; that ain't you. It's you now. Look what she had to come out of to do what she was. What about you?
All right, look. You say, "My mother was a Pentecostal. She did so until she come out of the organization." But I'm trying to talk to you now. What about you? See? In this category we find many educated. Now, I know I'm going to hurt feelings here, but I don't do it intentionally. If I do, then I--I should be down at the altar repenting. I'm saying this in godly love.
185 Jesus, when He stood there (and them Pharisees) had to say, "You are of your father, the devil, and his works you'll do." Yet call for peace and mercy for them at the cross, that crucified Him. See, He wasn't angry with them. He said, "You generation of snakes." See, see? Everything... He cursed them to everything He could (See?) and then prayed for them at the cross. See?
It wasn't He wanted to do that; it wasn't that. But they had to see the mistake they were making. And I'm saying the same thing today in this category of passing the buck on to somebody else. Or something we call it in the army: passing the dollar on to somebody else. We are trying to pass it on like Adam and Eve did. Eve tried... Adam said, "The woman You give me." And that was no excuse for him. See? The woman said, "The serpent beguiled me. She... He was the one that had that sexual affair with me. He--he beguiled me. He did this." That didn't keep it away at all. They went right on to the judgment just the same. Yes, sir.
187 All right, you can't pass it one day; you can't say, "If my denomination would believe This. I--I do too, but I've been in this denomination..." That ain't got one thing to do with it. The Jews had the same thing, so do you.
And now many in this... We find, fine cultured men in this category. Now, listen close. See, culture, what we call culture today, is what Satan produced to Eve: a little wisdom. Said, "Your eyes are not open yet; you don't understand all of It." She knowed the Word and that was all... She seen God vindicating that Word and that ought've been fine. He was keeping her in Eternal Life as long as she stayed with that Word. When she broke that Word... She had the promise of God that she would die the day that she broke It. And when she broke It, she died. That's right.
189 We got the vindicated Word of God here, vindicating, proving by the Spirit that He's received us and give us the baptism of the Holy Ghost. We're baptized into the Name of Jesus Christ. The same Gospel, the same signs, the same wonders, the same ministry, even the same Pillar of Fire visible before us, showing the signs and wonders, there's not an excuse nowhere. And that's exactly what the Bible said would take place in the last days; and a call from Malachi 4, to restore the faith of the children back to the fathers again. And right after that the wicked walk--or the righteous walked out upon the ashes of the wicked; the whole world was to be burned.
And the atoms are hanging over yonder, the bombs in the rack. You see what Germany done as soon as they found out the--the President was assassinated? They throwed their army together real quick because that was the only thing that was holding Russia from bombing there; and they hit... Kennedy just sent them word, that the hour they do that he'd sweep them off the earth right out of Germany. See? And they thought they could take it over, but it wasn't the hour yet. See?
191 We find smart educated preachers, evangelists, trying to pass it on to somebody else. See? Why? Why didn't Pilate say, "Well, wait a minute. This man... This wife's come told me, and I've heard many testimonies of Thee. You know, I--I'm interested. I'd like to find out, what can I do to have Eternal Life, sir? You're on my hands. What can I do?" Well, he'd say--he'd say... He said, "Are you the Messiah? Are--are you the--the King of the Jews?"
He answered him, but he couldn't receive it. Why? It would lower his prestige, so he thought he'd send up to the state presbyter, and see what he did about it.
It's the same thing now; the issue comes forth again. What will you do with It, the Word? What do you have to do? Ask the presbyter, or the bishop, or somebody if you can change your motive of baptism; if you can get it, do this, or do this; you see, so... "Certainly, you're not." You pass right back to you. If you do, you'd be kicked out. See?
195 It would lower the prestige of the people. Yes, they--they think... And the denominational council wouldn't stand... Like--like Pilate passing it to Caesar, they wouldn't stand for it. Caesar put it back into Pilate's hand. So they try to pass Him on to their--to their denominational heads, and it don't work. This trick has never worked; and it won't work. It didn't work for Pilate; it won't work for you; it won't work for nobody else.
196 Now, secondly, the thing you can do is... Thirdly, rather, is to accept Him or reject Him. You can't wash Him off your hands. You can't pass Him on to some other system or some other something else. You've got to face the issue. So what can you do? Like Pilate, stood with the same thing, he said, "Give me some water. I'll wash it off my hands to prove..." When he returned back he still had to pass the judgment; didn't excuse him. He tried to say, "Well, if I can't get him off my hands, I'll put him on Caesar's hands." And it backfired, right back to him. It does to you too as an individual.
What are you going to do? Not what mother did, what papa did, what the pastor does, what Brother Branham does, what another... It's on your hands. What are you going to do about it with this Jesus called Christ, 'cause you got Blood on your hands? And It's the Blood of God. Now, what are you going to do? Be guilty of the crucifixion. See?
You can crucify Him, accept your creed or whatever you want to, or say, "Well, I'll just pass it on off. I won't have nothing to do with none of this church stuff." You can't do that; He's on your hands. That's right. You can't do it. "I'll just forget the whole thing." You can't do it; it's still on your hands. "Well, I'll just say, 'My pastor taught me this.'" It backfires, right back; it's to you. You know it. Now, you can either receive Him or you can reject Him, just either way you want to do it. (Watch) It has to come to one of them.
199 Now, watch. As Jesus said to these Pharisees, He said, "As your... (the blind Pharisees)? See? He would said the same thing today. "You blind religious teachers, you can discern the time of Communism. You're so fighting that, and know that God raised the very thing up to destroy you." (See? Not knowing the Scriptures. See?) "You--you can discern that the Communism's going to take the world. You can see that. You can discern that.
All of our subjects is on Communism: "Beat Communism out." I hear it till I get sick a-listening at it. I'm against it too. Certainly I'm against it. But I'm more against the man or the woman that rejects Jesus Christ, the Word. Or whether you be a preacher, or whatever you are, you're a more an indebtiment to the Christ than that Communist is. He's ignorant and knows nothing about it. You're supposed to know. See?
201 You can discern the time of Communism, but you can't discern the sign of the day you're living in. Jesus told them Pharisees, said, "You hypocrites." Said, "You go out and look at the skies, and say the sun is red and lowering; tomorrow will be foul; and if the sky's clear, you say tomorrow will be a clear day." Said, "You can discern the signs of the time--or the signs of the skies and the weather. But the Signs and the time you don't know." There He was, the Messiah; and rejecting It. And we always talking about Communism and some of this stuff; but the sign of the time we don't get it. See? We overlook that, omit that. Uniting together right now in unbelief and they receive it, but fail to understand and see the sign of the time, that the Bible said would be. Have you got It? (I'm have to close real quick now, it's getting late.) See? As their fathers did, so do they. Same thing today.
202 Now, the decision has been reached. It's got to be reached; you've got to reach it some way. See? Crucifixion of the Word again, or what are you going to do? Crucifixion of the Word is at hand. Crucify and stop the vindicated Word for--for the denominational sake (like Pilate did, trying to pass off to somebody)... Now, what will you, as an individual, do with the anointed Word, which is called the Christ, the same yesterday... The same Christ that anointed the Word in the days of Noah, the same Christ that... That Tree that was in the garden of Eden that Eve left eating off of this Tree of Life to take the tree of wisdom... He... She left the Tree of Life to take the tree of death. Noah's time did the same thing. In the days of the prophets they did the same thing. In the days of Christ they did the same thing. And here they are today. For each one speaking of his time; and when that thing was fulfilled, each time they took their denominational reasons and so forth, and the wisdom of the world, instead of the anointed Word of Christ. What will you do as an individual?
203 Pilate never got Him off of his hands. I'm--I'm closing; so be real quiet just a moment. Pilate never got Him off of his hands. Neither will you in the way that he did, trying any of these schemes. He never did it. You know what happened to Pilate? He lost his mind. He got so, all he could hear was that crucifixion. All he could hear was a rage and that he finally went insane.
And they got a legend way up in Norway (or not, I beg your pardon)--up in Switzerland, where I've been up there a missionary. They claim thousands gather there from the world over on Good Friday; a hole of water where Pilate committed suicide. He finally dashed himself to death in this pool of water, and they claim that every Good Friday at three o'clock in the afternoon the water turns blue. It boils up from where Pilate's body laid. He rejected It; there's still blood on his hands. He--He reject... He refused the water. You can't wash Him off your hands. There's no water, no fuller's soap that can cleanse It. He's on your hands. What will you do with Him?
Here's the only thing that you can do. If you cannot wash Him off your hands, you can't pass Him on to something else, you can't just mythically pass it by, there's no way in the world. The only thing you can do is accept It in your heart. That's the way to get rid of Him. Take Him off your hands and put Him in your heart. Or leave Him on your hands and stand the judgment. That's the only thing that you can do.
206 Pilate's end was a terrible one. The Word says that these who will keep Him on their hands (I was going to read it.), but it said, "They cried to the rocks and the mountains. They prayed but their prayers were too late. (See?) They cried, 'Hide us from the face of Him that sets upon the throne and from the wrath of the Lamb that is to... the ram... The Life of the Lamb that's come. For the great day of judgment has happened and who shall be able to stand?'"
What do you think Oswald's going to do now, when he walks out before the Supreme Court and see those angry eyes of the--that jury and all setting there? He knows what's going to happen. It'll be either a gas chamber, or a rope hanging there, or something. He's got to face it.
208 But what if you walk out there with the Blood on your hands of rejecting, and know that hell lays before you, eternal destruction. Crying for the rocks and the mountains, but prayed for the prayers were too late. In Hebrews 10...
... if we sin wilfully... (Sin is unbelief.)... If we unbelieve wilfully after... we have received the truth, the knowledge of the truth... (You don't have to receive It, just know about It. You don't have to have It, you just... No, no. See? Didn't say after we receive the Truth.)... if we sin wilfully after we have received the knowledge that it is the truth, there remaineth no more sacrifice for sins,
209 If we disbelieve It wilfully after the Truth has been presented to us, there will be no more mercy. No more mercy will be granted. Pastor, listening to this tape, what about it? Member of the church, listening to this tape, what about it? What are you going to do, if we disbelieve it wilfully? Can't wash it off your hands. You can't pass it on to the headquarters; it's going to backfire right back to you. You've heard it. What about you? How are you going to stand in that day? He is either on your hands or in your heart, one or the other. God help us.
210 If--if you can just imagine an assassination, and what's bound to be going through that man's heart... What has he done? He woke up too late after he'd already done it. Look, he had the opportunity. He was borned a free American. He was an American. But he wanted to sell his birthrights to become a Russian, and it backfired. He married a Russian girl. Now, he's a free thinker of the Communistic party of Cuba. Free thinking, "I do my own thinking." You ain't got no thought coming. What will you do with Jesus called Christ? You ain't no free thinker. There's no free thinking. Let the mind that was in the Christ be in you.
211 Let's pray. Think these thoughts; if there be any praise, if there be any virtue, think on this. In our midst this morning, and in this tape also, I'm speaking. If you are here present this morning, and you know that you're not right with God, and you're not borned of His Spirit, and God has... You say, "Well, I made a confession." That ain't what I'm talking about. Has God accepted it? You can say, "Yes, I--I made a confession and so forth. Yes, I believe."
So did Pilate: "I made a confession surely. What will I do with this just man?" You can't wash Him off your hands like that. No, no. What will you do with Him? If you're not a borned again Christian, with the Holy Spirit living in you enriching your life, then why don't you take It now? You'll never wash this off your hands. You'll never hear the last of this message. It'll ring through until you bring the Message into your heart, that Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever.
213 In this visible audience this morning, will there be those here who realize that--that they're wrong, and would raise up your hands. We have no room for an altar call, the place is so packed. But just say, "Pray for me, Brother Branham. God help me." God bless you; I see your hand. It's... I want to now, right here. I want before God, to Him to know that I'm guilty and I realize I'm guilty. I--I want Him off my hands; I want Him in my heart. Raise your hand, say, "Pray for me, Brother Branham." The Lord bless you. I see in this number of people here, maybe forty, fifty hands up here.
214 Have you sinned so far, till your heart is so calloused, that you don't--can't even hear It no more? Once as a little boy or a little girl you heard it and you had a desire to do it, but you put it off; and you just calloused and calloused, those cuts and pulls. Is it so far gone that you can't hear it no more? Are you standing where... have your... at the place, where like Oswald stands this morning, that you know... (See? Umph.) How can you do it? Would there be another before we close, and I'll offer prayer, just anywhere in the building that never raised your hand, say, "Brother Branham, just since you said the last words, I--I feel that..."
215 Anybody outside, in the corridors, around the windows; anywhere, doesn't matter, just... God bless you, young lady. God bless you, sir, and you. I got you. He's on... God bless you, lady. Someone else? God bless you, lady. God bless you here. God bless you over there, little boy, little girl. Yes, the Lord bless you. Back there, sir. Now, just... Let's just think of it, now. I want you to do this, while we softly sing this, "Jesus Is Calling." And I want you just to say, "Lord, be merciful to me a sinner, or a pretender. I'm a church member, Lord, but I--I--I want You. I want You. Help me. I--I'll serve You. I promise it right now; I've raised my hand, that I want You. Now, You raise my heart, that I receive You; and I'll receive You into my heart."
(Right now, hear Him. Say, "Lord, I'm guilty. Your Blood's on my hands. I'm a sinner. I don't want it on there no more. I can't wash it off; I've tried it for years. I'm not going to turn You away like Pilate did and try to send You to somebody else. I want You to come into my heart right now, Lord. I receive You. I see You standing right before me like an image standing there; by faith I'm walking right into You, knowing that You forgive me. And I'm... You're going to be in my heart from this on.)
217 Heavenly Father, the little message is ended. And now, the decisions... The court's is set this morning. Angels are gathered into the room. The great Holy Spirit here giving vindications that Jesus still lives. He was the Fountain of Eternal Life. The grave couldn't hold Him, neither could hell keep Him. He ascended up, loose from hell, loose from the grave; and He stands among us today. And our creeds and denominations has bound many of our people, Lord. Sin has bound them, but today they want to be free. They stand like Pilate. And instead of trying to pass Him on to somebody else, they've raised their hands, "Come into my heart, Lord Jesus. I'll not wash You away from me no more. I can't do it. You're still on my hands. I just wash and wash, and You wouldn't come off. But now I receive You. I want You in my life. And I receive You into my life. Lord, receive me into Your Kingdom by the pardoning of my sins, and give me faith to believe that you receive me, Father." Grant it, through Jesus Christ's Name, we pray.
218 And now, as you have our heads bowed... "Faith, by faith, and God, You help me to be honest. But knowing that You promised, 'That he that will come to Me I will in no wise turn him out, and I'll give him Eternal Life and I'll raise him up at the last days. He that will confess Me before man, him will I confess before My Father and the holy Angels. He that heareth..." The real true interpretation of St. John 5:24, there is, "He that understandeth, that receiveth My Word. He that receiveth My Word and believeth on Him that sent Me, has Everlasting Life, and will not be called to the judgment."
You won't come to the judgment bar like Oswald will; but you've passed with a free pardon from death unto Life.
"Lord, I don't know how; I don't know why, but--but I believe it's happened. I believe that in my heart, my unbelief is gone. I can freely say, 'Amen,' to every Word that You say. And I accept It right now. I have believe it."
220 Now, with your heads bowed... You that believed that, that raised your hands a few moments ago... And by faith you see the Image of Christ standing there, which you should be in. You're walking now by faith, believe that your sins are pardoned. And from this day on, you're ready for Christian baptism, and you're ready now to walk in Christ. Would you as a testimony to Him raise your hands back, say, "By faith I believe it with all my heart." God bless you. That's fine. "I now accept it. I--I accept; nothing I can do." God bless you. Looked like every one that I seen, "I now accept."
221 See, you're no good. You never was no good. You can't be no good, but Jesus died for no good people. "What do I have to do, Brother Branham?" Just accept what He did. Just accept what He did for you. And now, by believing it and accepting it... Now, I believe the pastor... The pool will be open. Baptism will be in order. If you want to be baptized, if you have took the titles Father, Son, and Holy Ghost, you're truly... I say this with reverence and respect, but to my way of seeing it, you are not baptized. You're not, for you haven't carried out what He said.
He said, "Baptize them in the Name of the Father, Son, and Holy Ghost." If you just had those titles called over you... He never said, "Go call these titles, go call these names." It never was done in the Bible. It never was done that way. It was baptize the way Jesus said, "In the Name of the Father, Son, and Holy Ghost," which is Jesus Christ.
223 Peter with the keys said the same thing; every other apostle; the whole church until the early Nicaea Council when Roman Catholic church organized, accepted titles instead of Name. You're either baptized into the Roman dogmas of denomination, or baptized in the Name of Jesus Christ: one or the other. It's on your hands; you can't wash it off. It's there. You've accepted It, now. I'll ask you, as the--as the organist and the pianist turn to the famous old hymn,
225 The water will be ready in a few minutes. If you can't take the baptism now, we'll baptize again tonight. Think of it all afternoon: On your hands, get it off. The only way you can do, is washed in the Blood of Jesus Christ who is... See? Yes sir. Remember it now, as we bow our heads and look to Him now.
The decision's in your heart now. He's on trial. The Word is ready for crucifixion. Christ is on trial. What will you do with Jesus called Christ?
227 Now, bowing our hearts to it. [Brother Branham begins humming--Ed.] Think deeply, friends. Might be your name is the last one that goes on the Book. We're at the end time. Now, think real deeply; are you... Is there anyone here who's turned Him away? Remember, It may never come again. Pilate didn't have no other chance. He tried his best to get saved, and he couldn't do it; it was on his hands. And what will you do with the anointed Word for this day called the Christ?