Healing And What Sickness Is

1 ...?... Thank you, Brother Baxter. Good evening, audience...?... Very happy to be here again this afternoon to speak to...?... we pray for the sick...?... all around on time...?... make life's burden's a little lighter, by making it here a little more pleasant... [Blank.spot.on.tape--Ed.]

I wish to read some out of the Bible... [Blank.spot.on.tape--Ed.] Brother Baxter has just been reading the first service. [Blank.spot.on.tape--Ed.] Reading out of Joshua...?... the 6th verse.

Be strong and of... good courage: for unto this people shall thou divide... the inheritance, the land, which I sware unto their fathers to give them.

Only be thou strong... very courageous... [Blank.spot.on.tape--Ed.]

May the Lord add...?... to the Word...?... pray...?...

2 Our heavenly Father, we thank You tonight for the privilege that we have of gathering together. We thank Thee for our nation, that we still have freedom of speech and the right to worship God according to the dictates of our conscience...?... Long may our land be blessed with freedom's holy light...?...

Father, tonight as we've gathered together to pray for sick people, we pray that You'll meet with us, and will help us to encourage the people to give them faith in Thy Word and Thy Spirit a-present tense now to deliver us from the afflictions that has been put upon the people.

Bless all the ministers, Father, everywhere, especially these tonight who are needy, all the people. If there be any unbelievers with us, may they too become believers on Thy Son, Jesus.

3 We think of one time we were aliens, cut off from God without mercy. And Christ died in our stead, the Innocent for guilty. And now, we are the sons and daughters of God. And it does not yet appear what we shall be, but we know we'll have a body like His own glorious body, for we shall see Him as He is, free from sickness, free from pain. God, that glorious day of redemption is coming; for all nature is groaning for that day.

Now, we're on the very threshold of the door to break forth into that great golden age that all the prophets has spoke of. Signs and wonders has been wrought by Thy servants throughout the land to turn the people back to a knowledge of the Presence of Jehovah God in our midst. Bless us tonight. Bless all the sufferers. And anoint Thy servant, Lord, to pray for the sick, and anoint the sick to believe You. For we ask it in the Name of Thy beloved Child, Jesus Christ. Amen.

4 I would just take a few more moments of your time. A little later on in the services... The reason we're not trying to make the first so long like this...?...

There's no one who ever will know, I guess, this side of... after we get to glory, what a life, what that takes out of you, and you're...?... wrestling with supernatural powers...?... The very life itself leaves me. Sometimes in the meeting I lose anywhere from eight, ten, fifteen pounds. And that's in a service. And that's how I come to detect and know where those spirit...?... are. That's... It's something like a strength of both sides.

5 And so long as we're getting acquainted, then down towards the last of meeting, I just throw my whole soul right into it. And it's trying to get every one prayed for that we possibly can. While these services are going on...?... for many wants to come up to be prayed for. It's your faith in God that heals you. And you must have faith. And at one thing, is the way of approach to faith, and a way of approach to God. There's always an approach, a provided approach to...

God has in two ways of all things, that's a right way and a wrong way. And your way and my way is the wrong way. God's way is always the right way. No matter how unright it seems to us, yet God's ways are true and right. They're past understanding. But God works in mysterious ways, His wonders to perform.

6 Now, you can only come through faith, faith, not in my faith, but in your faith, the individual faith. I might have faith in Jesus to be saved. There's been a many does not have faith to be saved. You cannot be saved until we have faith. I have faith in healing. Maybe you do not have faith in healing. Well, then it isn't for you.

Someone asked me not long ago, said, "Brother Branham..." He's a minister of a church who does not believe in Divine healing. I would not criticize any churches. Many people believe...?... Everybody has a right, just like you have the right. Just believe anything that we want... And so he taught...?... If you do not believe in Divine healing, then... If I was to have that... If I didn't believe in It, I wouldn't be here. I'd be doing something else.

7 But the minister said to me, said, "Brother Branham, if you... If God has met you and give you that to pray for the sick," said, "you could go out here to the hospital, and say, 'All you sick people, rise up, follow me out.' And if you're truly a man sent from God," said, "every one of them would have to follow you out there." Said...

I said, "Well, brother, were you called of God to preach the Gospel of the saving grace of Christ?"

He said, "I was."

I said then, "Now, you go down here to the saloon, tell all those drunk people and all, 'Come on, follow me out. You're all saved."

He said, "I could if they'd believe me."

I said, "So could I, if they would believe me."

So there it is, if you believe. It's only by faith we believe. Now, signs and wonders are done. Truly, they are prophetic gifts and so forth. Many people might not want to believe that.

8 He said... That man said, "I do not believe it."

I said, "It wasn't for you. It was for believers. That's who it is meant for, not for unbelievers, but to those who believe." These signs shall follow them that believe. And that's what Divine healing is based upon. Sometimes God does permit special things to happen...?... the faith of believer... We all believe in a measure. But maybe some have a little more faith than others.

A few nights, while I'm in the preliminary part of the services while we're waiting for the crowds to gather, I take the privilege of doing just a little speaking, so in--in order to let the people kinda understand what is the operation of the Divine gift.

9 Now, the ministers and so forth, they comb over and over and over things. But yet, I feel like it's not...?... to the people. And now, some of them, that makes them have to hold over a little while. I--I'm sorry to have to do that. But I would rather you hold over just a little while, and stay a longer in the meeting and really get healed, than to run through something and not know what you're doing. Go on out and then you be criticizing the meetings and so forth. That's...

If you were down here at Mayo's clinic there, or a psychiatrist or some of them, they told you to stay there a month, you'd stay...?... But that's all right. But this is where we're trying to get to the people... And anyone...

10 Divine healing's in reach of every person, and every person that is a Christian has a right to pray for the sick. That's right. If there's any among you sick, call the elders. That's the deacons in your church. See? And then if they confess their faults one to another, and pray one for the other... Right there you are.

And ask any man, any person... You don't have to wait till some Divine healing service comes into the city. That's not God's program. If you're sick, get some good Christian to help you pray, till you have faith in that prayer. That's it. And that's all. Call your pastor. That's what he's for, to come and pray with you. And if he's a godly man...

'Course I believe that all true ministers are godly men. That's right. They're all born again Christians. They're godly people. That's true. And every one of them has a perfect right...

11 Now, there may be things that God has added to the church, which stimulate faith. But now, when I'm gone, healing isn't gone. Healing ought to be more than it was 'fore we come here. See, see? That's the purpose, is to get the people in their mind in the spirit of the latter days...

We're in the latter day. You believe that? We are. The world is in the spirit of the latter days. But the church is not in the latter day Spirit yet. See? In other words, we may be in a portion, but God wants His church so in the Spirit, till they'll just fit in just anywhere God were to lead them to.

The latter days or rending of the world... My, my. Look at the places: eating, drinking, marrying, giving in marriage, and all the immorals there is in the world. The devil sent down his troops in the latter day spirit.

But we ministers haven't got the church yet in that Spirit. And we must be in that condition in order to be caught away in the rapture when He come back...?... [Blank.spot.on.tape--Ed.]

12 That's why... I remember one time down in a museum. I'm a great lover of art and nature. I saw a picture, and I was wondering how much that picture cost. And it had a value on it, the original picture... Today I seen a picture in the city here. "Christ, The Unseen Guest at the House." I went in and they was pricing it. And it was just a photograph off of the original masterpiece... And the masterpiece was valued way in the thousands and thousands of dollars. The artist said, "Why, the man who..."

So I said, "It taken a man his lifetime to paint that picture."

And before any picture can be painted, before it's painted, any masterpiece, first it has to go through the hall of critics, pass all these critics. And then if it passes those critics, then it's hung in a hall of fame.

13 [Blank.spot.on.tape--Ed.]...?... revival sweeping the nation, everywhere. That's in the Pentecostal church in the world...?... over a millions conversions...?... worrying about...?... the baptism of... the little not long... [Blank.spot.on.tape--Ed.] The people begin to laugh at them. [Blank.spot.on.tape--Ed.]

[There is a double recording which makes it difficult to understand--Ed.]...?... out of that, I never come out. They put me out...?... I had brothers and sisters, birds of a feather. He said, anyhow, you know, doves scattered and don't have no fellowship one with the other. And the old scavenger will eat anything, but the dove watches his diet. See?

14 Now, notice closely. The little church is kicked off in an alley, called holy-roller, fanatics. But all down through there, God was painting a picture to gaze at it. One of these mornings, He's going to hang It in the hall of fame too. That's right. And all of those who laughed and made fun, will see her when she goes out...?... [Blank.spot.on.tape--Ed.] Aren't you glad you're numbered with them tonight?

I'm happy to be here and to have people who believe in God, and believe in--in His miraculous works, and His second coming again...

Now, I hope to speak to you upon a--a little something here to help you along, and that is concerning Divine healing. If you do not approach Divine healing right, you will fail to receive your healing. And many many times, people want to be so tranquilized, they want this, that, or the other. And they burst through kinda like...?... [Blank.spot.on.tape--Ed.]...?...

15 Ask the person...?... to set down. The person who won't settle down...?... We're in no hurry. Ask them if they're...?... That's what's the matter with world today...?... We're too much of a rush...?...

Business Men, take a inventory of yourself before God. Sometime when the meeting goes over a hour or a hour and thirty minutes, "Oh, my. What kind of a meeting." Yes, sir...?... Remember how long you...?... be here. You remember you're the cancer...?... for that. If we haven't got faith enough for healing of our bodies, how you going to go in the rapture? 'Cause this mortal must take on immortality... [Blank.spot.on.tape--Ed.] And signs and wonders are being done and all of the people that's getting faith to believe...?... [Blank.spot.on.tape--Ed.] tribulation of souls.

16 [Blank.spot.on.tape--Ed.]...?... for the type of the church. And nobody knows. As soon as these was gone the tribulation was on. And that was for...?... The...?... will never... [Blank.spot.on.tape--Ed.]... a rapture...?... also. Now, you approach Divine healing... The first thing, what is Satan?...?... you all about. You need to go on listening...?... [Blank.spot.on.tape--Ed.]

And I said, "Oh, my." If he'd have had me walk if I was a little old stubby handed boy out playing marbles, 'cause here I am coming into...?... [Blank.spot.on.tape--Ed.]...?...

I have his boys setting there if you're in the back almost as large as I am. [Blank.spot.on.tape--Ed.]... just seemed like it's been yesterday. I hope...?... God... I'd think, "Well, maybe the boys won't...?... first thing they're gone. [Blank.spot.on.tape--Ed.] And yet we're taught when we're...?...

17 [Blank.spot.on.tape--Ed.]...?... Then I think, "Did God make us to die like this?" God made us to live forever. Sin brought on death. So remember, sickness is a--is the substance of death, 'cause sin... Sin is the first. Sin brought sickness. Without sin, there is no more sickness. Because sickness... But first I want you to know, is of the devil. Now, it's an old fashion thought that I'm going to speak of here in a moment. But now, some of you modern people with modern ideas might different with this. But I'm not taking my thoughts in teaching upon modern theory; I'm teaching it upon the Word of God. And the Word calls these things spirits. "When the deaf and dumb spirit went out of the man, he could speak and hear." Is that right?

The doctor says that his nerves died in his ears. Well, he's deaf. Like this man over there on the other side of the platform is deaf. What does that? Why, the nerves never died all over him. Why, the nerves just died in his ears, or made him deaf. Well, what makes that deafness like that? Why did the nerve die?

Now, a doctor can only work upon what he can see or feel. That's the only thing that a doctor... He can look through a glass, or he could through a fluoroscope, X-ray pictures, or he could feel it with his hands, feel a growth, or whatever it is. Now, that's what he has to work on. But when it comes to the nerves, or if there's any...?... there, he knows the nerve is dead. But what killed it? There's the mix-up. See?

18 Now, I figure it upon the authority of the Word of God, it was a spirit which cannot be seen. Now, here it is. Listen closely now. And if you people, for a night or two, will bear with me, and then the other people come in, you encouraged them. See? And...?... the vision.

Now, watch closely. Now, here's my hand. I'm going to put a transparent band around it, say like that. Why, my hand would begin to come dead; circulation's cut off. All right, I can't use that hand after while. I go to the doctor. The doctor looks, and he'd say, "Now, Mr. Branham, the only thing that I know that the nerves in your hand is dead."

Well, I'd say, "Doctor, what killed it?"

Well, he'd said, "I don't see no reason at all. Why, I looked, and it--it just goes up so far and it's dead. I don't know, something had happened there."

Well, he--if he couldn't see it or feel it, and he'd cut in there, "I don't see no reason."

19 Well, the--the nerves just don't operate beyond this line; they just died from there. Now, but the hand's dead. Now, what's happened? Now, I'm going to take that like the ear of a person, or the eye, or wherever it may be, any part of the body. To my thought of this and to, I believe, the Bible doctrine, Satan's bound that thing there. And there it has no circulation. Now, if I take this band off of here, I do not amputate the fingers and so forth.

But here's the main. You have... 'Fore you can find the cure, you have to find the cause. See? But here's the cause. And then Satan... And we know that--that to remove that... Now, that hand wouldn't be well right now, but it would be different. And the circulation will begin to circulate. It'll begin to hurt, and burn, and feel a little different. And after while, a few days, the hand will be all right. If you give nature a chance, it'll function correctly.

20 Now, disease germs... That's just the power of Satan when it's bound a person. And when that spirit is cast off of there, nature will take care for itself. That person will go to hearing. They'll go... Or whatever is wrong with them, they'll get well.

Now, in my work for my Master, I deal with spirits altogether, nothing natural. It's altogether spirits. And dear friends, I'll have to face this at the judgment bar of God. I want to go to heaven. I got a wife in heaven; I got a baby in heaven. I got loved ones there. Above all, I've got One Who died for me: Jesus. He means just as much to me as He does to any of you out there.

I can't help what critics say. I can only state what I know is the truth. And if you'll be truthful and sincere, God will bless it. God wants you to be truthful and sincere.

21 Now, let's just find out what diseases are. I guess the number one enemy today, of course, is heart trouble. But that's not a germ disease altogether. But the number one enemy in the germs are cancers, second is tuberculosis. Cancer's one of the major things. Let's speak of that just a moment.

But in here in this way, I don't get a chance to turn around. And I'm not turning my back to you, but I--I... It's just natural to talk in the face of this microphone.

22 But notice. A germ... What is a germ? Now, we take a cancer, what is it first? Why, it's a growth, tumor, cataract, goiter? They're growths. Is that right? And they become malignant and cancers. Well, a growth is a multiplication of cells. And let's dig down below that now. Below that growth is a--is a growth, a group of cells. Then it goes down to the germ. Well, what is a germ? A germ is a teeny little cell, teeny little thing that can only be seen, not with the natural eye, but through microscopes, glasses. But below that then; it's got life. It moves. It's got the life in it. What's below that in that germ? It becomes spirit.

And there's only two resources that spirits can come from: that's either from God or the devil. There's no halfway between them. There's no halfway Christian. Did you ever see a drunk sober man? Did you ever see a black white bird? You never seen a sinner saint. You're either a Christian or you're a sinner. That's what I like about you full Gospel people: you put the line down, and you're--you're on one side or the other. If you're borned again... If I'm borned a human, I'm a human. When you're born a Christian, you're a Christian.

23 Now, that germ, let me just take this a little farther. Do you realize that you came from one little germ? Is that right? Now, it's...?... You came from one germ. There was a time when you wasn't nothing. Sir, you setting here, you there, any of you, myself, was one little germ. Well, the--the germ of life comes from the male sex. We know that.

Here, for instance, we can have a... Well, just like spring. Birds make their nests, and they lay their eggs. An old mother bird could make her nest and lay it full of eggs. And she could lay that nest full of eggs without being with the male bird too. And she could get on them, and warm those eggs, and hover them, and stay there till she got so poor, till she couldn't get off the nest. And not one of those eggs would hatch. They would lay right there and rot in the nest (Is that right?), because they haven't been with the mate. She hasn't been with the male bird; and therefore, they're not fertile.

That reminds me a whole lot of these old cold formal churches. You just hug them around, and twist them around, and try to pat them into the church, a nest full of rotten eggs, 'cause they haven't been with the Male, Christ Jesus. They're not believers in the first place. That's right.

24 What we need today is a good old fashion cleaning out, and getting right with God. That's exactly right. To bring--to bring it back--people back to a living faith in God, there to say it's right or it's wrong. God grant the day when men and women will be what they claim to be. That's right. It's...

Now, notice. But when the--the male... See, God foreordained that. That's the way with... We reason we believe that Jesus was of a virgin birth. You hear a lot in the full Gospel churches argue concerning that.

Look, I believe that Mary was a virgin. She knew nothing about any man. But Jehovah God overshadowed her, and created in her womb a Blood Cell, which was by Himself a created power. And from that Blood Cell came the Man Christ Jesus. And He was the Blood of His Father by a virgin birth. And it's... That's the Blood that I'm preaching about tonight, that both saves and heals, that unadulterated Blood of the Son of God.

And friends, if you don't believe that, then you can't be saved. No other way, but through the Blood of Jesus Christ which is the Blood of His Father God, unadulterated, no--no sex mixed into it at all. It was a created birth. You believe that? That's the true Gospel, friends.

Now, let's...