At Thy Word, Lord

1 ... to be here this afternoon, to greet you all in the Name of the Lord Jesus Christ, and His great love and mercy to us. We're very... [Blank.spot.on.tape--Ed.] be a blessing to every one of you, is my sincere prayer.

Now, I want to say that this has been one of the nicest little meetings I ever had in my life. That's right. And I am so thrilled to get to be here, and trust that by God's grace and mercy, I get to be back again to be with you all sometime. And I have never in my life worked with any nicer group of people, in serving our Lord Jesus Christ, preaching the Gospel, believing for the things that He promised to give us. And it's been wonderful. Your faith should come abroad to all nations with such wonderful faith. And I am believing that you're just starting, maybe, here perhaps, a great revival, a great meeting.

This should never die, and--and you're just... With all the--the unity among the you people, you should never let this drop. You should just keep going, just keep on moving on. Don't get tired. If you feel a little slack, just keep moving anyhow. Just go right on anyhow. Believe it; just keep moving right along, believing God. And now, and I'm sure God will bless you.

2 Now, I want to say to the--to the ever who let us have the building here, this school, we certainly are very thankful that they, for the privilege that we have serving God here in this school. May it produce many, many students that'll do great things for the education and the benefit of the nation and the Kingdom of God. I trust that it will.

And you young folks here, we're glad you won your ball game the other night. So we're very happy for that.

And so we are... I'm grateful for this bunch of custodians. My son was just telling me, I don't get a chance to meet them, he says one of the nicest bunch of men, the custodians here in the--in the building. And for these ushers, my boy said, "Daddy, that's one of the nicest bunch of brethren that you've ever met." Said, "You..." And I'm so happy for that. And for all you people, every one of you, your faith, you've lend your faith in the time. Not one time have I had interruptions anywhere, just a solid bank of faith everywhere. See? That very seldom happens like that. Usually you could feel, maybe from here, come a lot of criticism, or hear of something like that, or somebody indifferent. But it hasn't been so here, it's just been one lovely unity of faith. And I'm... I just kinda hate to leave this afternoon; I really do. Right when we begin to see the nice... everybody ready and the Spirit of God moving among them then have to leave. That's the trouble with having itinerary.

3 Last but not least, it's for this wonderful bunch of ministers here. I tell you, they're really to be praised among you people to have good pastors like that. This little Brother Brewer here, the chairman of this committee, he has labored faithfully and hard. And that little fellow has been on my coat for the last two or three years. I just... There's no need of saying no, because if I said, "No," one time, he was there the next time, to see if I'd say, "yes."

I don't mean it quite this way, but there was an unjust judge one time, you know. He said, "Well..." it wasn't that way just to get rid of him, because that he was such a fine little brother, and always patient, no matter if you had to say, "No."

"That's--that's all right." Just little bunch of nerves like, you know, he'd be right back the next meeting, "Well, what about it now, Brother Branham?" See? And he went on down to, all around over the country, plumb down in to Florida, following along to hear the meetings. So God bless Brother Brewer. And these ministers, I never got the opportunity to shake their hand till just now. I just walked down the line shaking hands with a bunch of men who stood behind me like that. I feel guilty; I really do.

4 Now, I want to, while their having their big convention this summer, and if I can to get at least one or two nights in with those brothers, so we can set across the table from one another and talk. I just love to do it.

And coming from the--from the different places, I find letters coming in, and some of the nicest letters that I've ever got in my life, people just asking God's blessings on me and so forth, and then so nice from this congregation. And ministers likewise. It's been very nice.

And brethren and sisters, in--I do not want to be just anything, be indifferent. But in this type of serving the Lord, and I'm sure my brothers will understand, it's a--it's a thing that I kinda have to keep away to myself. You see? If I don't, I come in at night, and then I'll say, "I--I... Well, I'm just so... I just don't know what to do." And I maybe speak a little while and have a congregational prayer and walk out. See? You've got to stay right under that anointing.

5 I never could understand why our Lord, instead of, as the day was over, go down and talk over with a group of people, or in the cities, but He always go alone to Himself, out in the desert, way up away from the disciples and everything; to wonder why He did that. But I begin to understand now what He-what He did. He must... It's certain parts of our lives must be absolutely kept alone with God. And then I know that my brethren, and in years to come, in the great eternity, that I want to make an appointment with every one of you this afternoon.

And let's go over to the new world at that day and go down by Jacob's well, you know, where we can set down awhile. Don't have to worry about the little folks there; they ain't going to get hurt. Nothing there that can bother them. Down by the, maybe the river of Life, I know that's there, and the Tree of Life. And let's set down there on the bank with each one of you, just about a thousand years apiece. You see? It won't take me very long to do that. Then we'll just get up and roam around. We have no less time to be there than when we first started...?... all the time, we just got, just thousands of years will mean nothing there (You see?), just got forever. So won't it be wonderful.

I used to hear a little song amongst the--the brethren, who used to sing it in the churches, the Full Gospel churches, out... "There's going to be a meeting in the air, in the sweet sweet by and by." Oh, my.

6 Could there be time for a little bit of testimony right here? I, when I first come amongst the Pentecostal people and seen them dance on the floor, now, that was just too much for my self-styled Baptist ways, you know. So I said, "Looky here. Now, dancing belongs out, other type of people," I said, "not religious people." I hear the music go to playing, the people go to crying, and go to shouting, after while somebody'd start dancing. I said, "Say, I--I don't want to be critical, but I sure, I'd be afraid to say something against God, that wouldn't be right." I never did criticize anything like that. And I said, "Well, I... But you know, I can't get that." I said, "I wish I could see that in the Bible."

7 And one night I was having teaching on a chart, the second coming of Christ. And from Louisville, Kentucky, come a group of people over, and there was some young ladies, and they had, one of them was a piano player, and the other one had cymbals and a washboard. And my, they was making as much music out of that as a brass band, almost. And they was...

So I was teaching on the second coming and... So then a few days before that I'd been up to Salem, Indiana, where there were some Pentecostal people, just getting acquainted with them, and they were dancing, and going on. And I got to running a reference. I found out then that dancing, the first time I noticed it, Miriam begin to dance. I thought, "Well, that must be from God and the devil just patterned it off of it." You see? Well, then the next, I noticed that David danced when he saw the ark coming down the road. See?

And I thought, "My, that's wonderful." And I noticed the king had made a rashal vow one time. And he vowed that he'd sacrifice the first thing that come from his house. And here come his daughter Mir... And the daughter rejoicing, dancing. And I--I noticed how dancing was victory. And I thought, "Well, maybe I just hadn't got victory enough. Maybe that's what it is. Maybe just a little bit of self has to die out yet."

8 Wasn't long after that I was setting there and I just got through teaching on the second coming of Christ, and oh, the Spirit of God, just taking our time moving. And it was on a New Year's night. So I'd been teaching about two hours. So we... They was all sitting around, a great group of people in--in my tabernacle. So they was going to have a special and so this... I said, "I believe we got some folks from Louisville back there," that some of them, wrote a little note and put on there. And had one to play a special.

"Well," I said, "come ahead." And so these three or four little ladies got up and come up, and one got on the piano, and she started playing "There's going to be a meeting in the air." And when she started, just raised up, started this cymbals on this voice cord then hitting the tin can down there, like that. My, it got pretty good, you know, so I--I got...

9 I--I noticed there's a... Then after while there was a little girl jumped out on the floor there, and started dancing up-and-down, jumping around. I thought, "Oh, oh, right in my own church, here it is. Now--now I sure get... I'm ruined for this." So I kept watching her, and you know I kept hearing here at this, here real, that lady playing on that piano till I believe if there'd been three or four decks of keys she could've played them. And she was playing this, "God's Own Son will be the leading One at the meeting in the air."

And she'd no more than get half way out of that till she'd be started again. I thought, "Hmmm." And she just got real white in the face. And she--her eyes closed and playing like that.

I thought, "Say," I got to feeling pretty good, got to patting my foot with that girl. You know, I thought, "Well, maybe that's just my Methodist foot anyhow." So I started patting a little bit, you know. So, you know, it wasn't very long till I was out there with that girl, dancing. I got the victory.

Well, that's what it takes, isn't it, the victory? Just get away from self, and just let the Holy Spirit have the right of way. Say, "Well, it said decently and orderly." It'll be decently in order, just let it go (See?), the Holy Spirit.

10 Now, we're... I want to thank you all again for your kindness. And we're going to try if the Lord willing... I sent Billy down, awhile ago, and--and I told him, I said, "If there's people gathered in yet, why, you go down and give the folks some prayer cards. Maybe we can line up a little prayer line to pray for some the sick this afternoon." Usually my afternoon service to preach, but I just thought maybe I'd pray for some that's sick.

We got to drive a long ways, yet, this afternoon and tonight, getting home about midnight. And then just lay down long enough to get a little rest, and get up, and Tuesday evening I've got to begin in Hot Springs, Arkansas. And then, Wednesday in Shreveport, Louisiana. Sunday, begin in Phoenix, Arizona. And through that week, and through the following Sunday. And then on Monday, in the afternoon, I begin at the Apache Reservation, where one of the most mighty meetings I ever had in my early days was on the Apache Reservation. Thousands of Indians sitting there, and talk about healing, oh, I'll never forget one night. (I hope I'm not taking too much of the time.) But one night I got through... I got there and I was speaking to them.

11 Now, if there's anybody in the world that's got a raw deal out of this American terms, it's the Indian. That's right. After all, we are the foreigners. He's the American God-given privilege. That's right. And we just beat him up, and killed off his buffalo and run him back out there and put him on a place where thousands of them starve to death every year. If there ever was a stain on the American flag, it's the way they treat the Indians. That's it. It's not fair to send billions of dollars to Germany, and to England, and to Japan, to build them up so they can blow it back at us again. Charity begins at home. That's right. And our own people starving to death.

And I said to God one night there at the Bird Auditorium in Phoenix, if He'd heal... The first time I ever prayed for Indians, three Indian women, and God healed all of them. So I went back to the reservation. Remember that night? I couldn't... I spoke only one interpreter. And oh, my, you talk about a language you ought to hear that. And there's no sentence or nothing else, they just start real low and start screaming and drop back. You know, it's just terrible. So there's only one interpreter, and that was a--a woman, and she was about a half-breed, so she could speak pretty fair English and could speak the Apache.

12 So I noticed, it was the most beautiful sight. There's a little Assembly of God church there. And I stood out on a platform, and the Indians just sat by the thousands out there. The most beautiful sight, rode their ponies in, you know, and had little fires burning. And I was speaking to them.

And I said, "Now," I told them, I said, "I think that you got a raw deal, but I don't run the government; I'm just one of the government like you are. If I had my way, it would be different." Laying out there in little old tents and half of them dead with TB, and glaucoma, and everything. I said, "It's a--it's a disgrace, but I can't help that." But I said, "What I'm trying to bring to you tonight, is Somebody Who will give you a fair deal; that's Jesus Christ." That's right. I said, "He will never turn you down. He will never make a difference by your color, whatever it is. He will be just the same to you as He is to all." I said, "Now, of course, I can only speak these things and God speaks it back, confirms what I'm talking about then you believe the Lord." And so I said, "Anybody here that wants to be prayed for now." I said, "We have a line." I that's before we had order enough to give out prayer cards, so we just--just had to run them through the best we could. So I said. "Stand up." And usually, oh, my, it would be everywhere, but well, nobody stood up. An Indian is a very strange fellow. You have to watch him.

13 Billy Paul was giving out prayer cards here sometime ago down there to the Indians. I told him, I said, "Billy, don't give those prayer cards to somebody with a headache. Listen, we got one more night." And I said, "Give it to people that's dying with cancer, and something another, they can get them up there, let them be prayed for." I said, "They got to have a pick up in faith right away."

14 So they announced it at platform, so they started down through the tent. And the Indians all setting around the outside, like this. So Billy starts down through the meeting giving out prayer cards. And a fellow walked around, the Indian, pecked him on the back, said, "...?..."

And he said, Billy said, "Well now, daddy told me to give these out to people that's real sick." Said, "What's the matter with you chief?"

He said, "Me sick."

Said, "What, you sick? What's your, where you sick at, chief?"

He said, "Me sick." That's all.

But he said, "Go, set down, chief, I will give you a card in a few minutes if I can." So a little while, chief kept watching them cards getting down lower and lower. So the chief walked over and patted him on the back again, said, "Hmm."

He said, "What's the matter with you, chief?"

He said, "Me sick."

He said, "Where you sick at chief?"

He said, "Me sick." So he turned around and started off again, the chief followed him. He patted him on the back and he said, "Me sick."

Billy give him a prayer card, said, "Please write on there, 'me sick,' will you? 'Me sick.'" It's strange.

That night when after while there was brought some out of the, inside of the little Assembly of God church. So there was a lady there, was the pastor of that church. I forget what her name was. But anyhow they... Your Evangel packed the article of it. It's been about six years ago or seven. And when it come... The first one come through was a lady, great big strong-looking woman.

15 I stood by her just a little while until I felt the anointing of the Spirit. I said, "Now, what your trouble is, is venereal disease," not because she's immoral, but because she had to live so dirty. That's all. I said, "A venereal disease." And she turned and looked at me, and when the interpreter said that. How did I know that? See? So that kind of got her. Well, good woman, just the way she had to live in uncleanliness.

And then, and, after a bit the next come out was a man with a glaucoma of the eye. And so then several Indians kept looking at one another like that. And the next come out was a little boy, wouldn't raise his head up like that. I said, "Tell him to look up at me, I want to talk to him." And the mother, they're really rough. She just got the little fellow right by the top of the head like that, and jerked his little old head back and his poor little eyes, just crossed as they could be. I thought, "Well, that's--that's all right."

16 So I took the little fellow up in my arms like this; I prayed, "O heavenly Father, give grace now and power, that I might find favor with these people." And while I was praying I seen the little fellow standing before me. I just... He leaned his head over my shoulder; his eyes were straight.

So I said, "Now, all of you raise up your heads." And they did around. I said, "Before I take him off my shoulders now, I want to turn around and let you all look at him like that." And his little old eyes straight, and he was rubbing his eyes and looking like that. Then I begin to see them, they was smoking these big, long pipes and things, begin spitting, you know, and talking to one another.

Next come out was a--a little girl. And so she was deaf and dumb, a fever had run her deaf and dumb. After having prayer for her I got down and went [Brother Branham claps his hands--Ed.] like that, she turned around and looked at me. I said, "Can you hear me, honey?" And she looked around like that. I said, "Do you hear me?" I said, "Say, 'Mama, daddy.'" And she'd blabber off something there. I said, "Well, she'll talk better."

And the interpreter said, "Hmm, her talk heap good right now." I just couldn't--I just couldn't understand it.

17 Well, then that really started a rile. You... It looked like a stampede, I tell you, the dust flying everywhere. Everybody was in the prayer line then. And I'll never forget that night. I... There was so many... The--the white man couldn't keep the people off, like that. There's just walling on so greatly. And they filled a little line out, Brother Moore and a bunch of them there, holding the--the line like that. And then I said, "Let them come out of this building first. They'd started first."

And next come out was a poor old Indian mother, with two broom sticks cut off with...?... for crutches, some rags wrapped around the top. And she was trying to get to me, and a little Indian boy would getting around her. So Brother Jack couldn't make him understand, so he just picked him up and set him back in the line. So little fellow about seventeen, eighteen years old, Brother Moore is a little strong, stout Irish type fellow, just set him back in the line.

18 So the poor old thing she was coming. I watched her. She had her hair in braids hanging down, you know, and leather worked in her hair, and she had set it out like this. Arthritis, you know, and she'd move her foot, till she got right up close to me. She just about that high...?... and all stooped over, and she, her little back was bent down. And she stopped like this, and she raised her head, and looked up and them big old deep wrinkles, you know, and little trickles of tears running down through that old wrinkled face. And I thought, "Somebody's mother." Sure, somebody's mother. I thought, "God only knows what the old thing's went through with."

She looked up to me like that just as pathetic, her little black eyes rolled around looked at me, like that. She kind of smiled. Took one step, and put...?... hand and she straightened up and started walking on the platform like that, no prayer, or nothing, walked off of there, and everybody begin screaming.

19 Along towards daylight that morning, prayed all night... And about daylight, the next morning, I noticed, and I just pass them. You didn't have to tell them nothing no more, just--just put your hands on them, that's all they wanted you to do. So the next morning when they, it was getting along towards daylight, Brother Brown came up and said, "Brother Branham, you're about to faint now," said, "I've got to take you out."

I said, "Well, try to get the most of them through." I said, "What," I said to the interpreter, "what's worrying you? What's them people so wet for?" Their wet plumb up around the waist here.

Said, "Well, at first they thought it was false," but said, "now," said, "they--they're going out into the deserts and bringing their loved ones in," and said, "they're not going twenty miles down here to the ford they're just wading right across the Gila Bend River, right there coming across that way, wading the water."

20 And there was a--a next patient was an old man, and they had him on a board, not a stretcher like they bring patients here; it was a board, it had two limbs across it. And they had an old man laying there, gray, his legs across one limb, his arms across the other one like that, and he was shaking like that. And here stood a big fellow packing him like that. He was next in line, so he was standing packing him; he was shivering like that, and lips was real blue. And I said, "You speak English?"

He said, "Leetle."

And I said, "Aren't you afraid you'll take pneumonia, wet like that?"

Said, "Jesus Christ will take of me; I brought my daddy."

I said, "Well, that's very sweet." I said, "That your daddy?"

"Yep."

And I said, "Do you believe if I ask Jesus to heal him..."

"Yep."

I said, "Well, come on by." The other fellow behind him passed by. No, I believe it was a woman packing, maybe his sister behind him, man and a woman. So when he got by, I said, "You understand English, chief?" He didn't even make a move.

21 And I laid my hands on him. And I said, "Dear God, you know what this poor old man's went through in life, and I ask now that you'll make him well." I said, "May he get over this, recover, and be a normal, well man to give You praise, and he will always remember that You did it." I said, "Now, take him on, have faith."

And I called for the next one. Directly, I heard a big noise down below me, here the old man had the board on his own shoulders, going out waving to everybody like that...?... waving, you know, just simple faith.

When they heard I was a hunter, they--they want... They got a reservation. Every one wanted to saddle his pony and take me turkey hunting right then. So I'm going back now. I told them I'd be back. And to keep my promise, I go back. That'll be a week from this coming Monday. Be praying for me, and God--that God will help us there win thousands to Him.

22 Now, it's just about time to start the prayer line. And I'm... want to... Maybe I could find five minute's time. I was looking in the Scripture here a few moments ago, and I found a Scripture that I wanted to read, to speak on just a moment 'fore I read the other Scripture; that's Saint Luke the 5th chapter. Just listen closely for a few moments.

And it came to pass, as the people pressed upon him to hear the word of God, he stood by the lake of Gennesaret,

And saw two ships standing by the lake: but the fishermen was gone out... and were washing their nets.

And he entered into one which was Simon's, and he prayed him that he would thrust out a little from the land. And he sat down and taught the people out of the ship.

Now when he... left speaking, he said unto Simon, Launch out into the deep, and let down... for the draught.

And Simon answered and said unto him, Master, we've toiled all night, and... taken nothing: nevertheless at thy word we will let down the net.

23 Now, let's just pray just a moment. Now, Father, anoint these words that's been read, and may They sink deep into the hearts of these sick people, and all that's in the building, we ask in Christ's Name. Amen.

I'd like to take this just for a--a moment or two here, just a--for the--a--a little time. You're so good out here and respond so much to the ministry of preaching, till I just couldn't hardly leave without saying a word or two, like that.

So now, let's take it was the just beginning of His ministry. He'd just went out and performed a miracle and turned water into wine. How I'd like to beat on that just for a minute, to show what He will do in the resurrection. How it eventually would've been wine. It would've been wine, all right, and it went up through the vine, into the grape, out to the vat, soured, fermented, come on out and was wine. But He just bypassed every bit of that, and made it from water to wine. See?

That's the way He will do in the resurrection. I won't have to live to be a twenty-two or twenty-three years old at my best again. My, be an old man shaking, broke down like that. He will just change it. Amen. Just bypass all that. Mrs. Branham and Mr. Branham will not have to be constituted or anything involved in my birth. He will just call me from the dust, and I'll be just what I was at my best, so will you.

24 Every person in here will turn back to a young person again. When you got to be your... You take dad and mother setting out there, many of you. It hasn't been too long.

I'm looking at an old couple setting here now, many of you, hair turning gray. Wasn't long till you led her down to the altar. She was a beautiful young girl. You was a strapping young man. He... Holy wedlock, you was united together by God Almighty.

And first thing you know, it was... Oh, how strong, how she admired him as a beautiful young man and him a--her a pretty, young girl. But, first thing you know, you got up one morning, you said, "Mama, you know, there's coming little wrinkles under your eyes."

She said, "Dad, I just happened to notice the gray hair coming." What's happening? Death set in. Right. It's going to get you. God's ordained it so.

25 I asked a doctor the other day; I said, "I want to ask you something, doctor. Every time I eat, I renew my life. Is that right?"

"Yes, sir," he said.

I said, "When I was a young man, I kept eating, eating, and every time I get stronger, stronger. All at once I eat the same food; I'm getting older all the time. Why is that?" I said, "Figure that one out. I'm eating the same kind of food, putting the same new life in, but I'm withering away all the time." That's one of them. See? I said, "Why?"

God said so. No matter what it is. See, scientifically, that should not be believed. See? Scientifically, that's all against scientific, altogether. See? 'Cause if I renew my life, I'm getting new all the time. But, I'm renewing my life, and I got new to a certain age, and then I started getting old, taking the same new life in all the time. See?

26 So then, what is it? God ordains it. First thing you know, we'll come down to the end of the river someday, old and gray. Perhaps mine will come too, like that. But all that death done for you here, when you die, that settles it.

And then, in the resurrection you'll be the pattern that God made you, that young man and young woman. And you and mother will be in eternity, or in the great Millennium, young men and young women again forever. I can prove that by God's Word.

Next time, I'll do that in a camp meeting, the Lord willing. That's right.

Showed through Sarah and Abraham, and all the promises and everything leads right straight to that... We haven't got a thing to worry about, not a thing.

Hadn't been for the healing service, I'd get in on that this week (See?), to--to get that. We'll try it and see if you don't holler for healing...?...

So to get in on there where you see, it takes all the fear away. My, you just... There's nothing in the world can harm you. And oh, we're bound for the promised land. That's all there is to it. God can't take His Word back. He couldn't be God.

I might take mine back 'cause it ain't true. But His--His is true, and He can't take His back. And how beautiful.

27 Now, to think of Jesus right in the beginning of His ministry there, and how wonderful it was to see Him is His--how in His power He went forth and done signs and wonders. And here He is down by the Gennesaret, the lake there.

And I can imagine the stir around the people. They'd a meeting the evening or evening before. And so, great signs had taken place. So they say, "Say, you know that young evangelist that's a preaching here that's the Healer. Why, He's having a service down there at the bank this morning. I noticed all the women coming down off the hill, going down. The men left their plows in the field to go down hear Him talk. A little something about Him seems different."

28 I just imagine there is, don't you, brother? Yes, sir. And He was standing there, and the first thing you know, the press got so hard, the people pressed upon Him to hear the Word of God. Oh, I love to hear good preachers. I just love to hear them.

But, oh, I would sacrifice every bit of it, if I could hear Him just in one sermon. Wouldn't you? I'd like to hear Him when He stood there and said, "Come unto Me all ye that labor and heavy laden. I'll give you rest." I'd love to hear that. We'll never hear that, I guess; but we will hear this: "Well done, My good and faithful servant." That's the main thing. It's all over then.

And how He stood there, and He would speak to the people. And I can imagine seeing about three tired fisherman, or four, setting out there on a stump, or a chunk, they'd got up there.

Said, "Let's hear what this Fellow's got to say. We've heard Doctor Jones and all of them. Let's hear what He's got to say."

I can imagine Simon scratching his head and saying, "Say, you know what..." Just like any other sinner when he come to the church. He gets the very last seat he can (See?), set way back. You know that, brethren, in your church. So he begin to scratch his head, you know. And he said, "You know, there's something different about that Fellow." So he just picked up his chunk and moved it up a little closer.

29 Then Jesus begin to speak about the Kingdom and the coming of the end of the world, the powers of God, and the lovely things that He talked about. Said, "You know that Guy talks a little different from others; let's move up a little closer, James, you and John. So just kept moving up and after while, they was standing right by Him. And the press got so hard till Jesus said to--to Simon. He said... Got in Simon's boat, borrowed it from him a few minutes, and after He got through speaking to crowd, He said, "Simon, launch out now into the deep, and let down for the draught."

"Why," he said, "Lord, You know we're--we're fishermen here, we--we know all the calendar. We know when the waters are coming right. And we're fishermen, we was born here on this lake. And we've seined through this thing all night long, and we haven't even taken a--a fish. Why, the waters is just not right, the fish is some other part of the lake; there's just none out there." Now, he knew that in his heart. See?

30 Now, they were fishermen; they knowed all the signs; they made their living by fishing. They were commercial fishermen; their occupation was that. So they know all about the lake and when the waters was right. And they'd seined all night long and hadn't even taken a fish, and they taken nothing. And they were washed out there nets, and you all know what a discouragement that is, you that lives this close to the river, and fish all night and catch nothing.

But Jesus said, "Now, go out into the lake again, right where you was at, and let down for the draught. Let down and take up a whole net full of them."

Now, Peter knew there was no fish out there, 'cause he'd seined right through them same waters all night, out deep so many fathoms and up, and against the wind, through the wind, from the wind, and everything, and no fish at all. They'd throwed out their nets all night long and seined, right back. He said, "Now, you go out and down the net for a whole take up, the big draught."

Look. Peter said, "Lord, we've seined all night and taken nothing; but nevertheless, at Your Word I'll let down the net." There it is, if God said so, faith will put some fish there if there isn't any there. That's right. "At Thy Word, Lord, we're going to let down the net." That's right. Wished I could stay on that a little bit, but I can't.

31 Now, look, you may have seined through every doctors office there is in the country. You may have been in every hospital and every clinic there is around here. You may have went through prayer line after prayer line for people praying for the sick. But let's take this this afternoon, "At Thy Word, Lord, I'm going to let down the net right now. I'm going to believe right now. I'm going to settle it. I'm going to settle it once forever. Now He... I know, Jesus, that You're setting at the right hand of the Father, as a High Priest." A High Priest is to make intercessions upon confessions. And that's what Hebrews 3 says, 'He is the High Priest of our...' Profession and confession is the same translation. And there He is sitting at the right hand of the Father, making intercessions upon our confessions.

32 Now, He cannot heal you, or cannot save you, or do one thing for you, until first you accept it, and believe it, and confess it. That's right. You've got to confess it. Not, you got to feel it, you got to confess it. He's not the high Priest of your feelings; He's the high Priest of your confession (That's right.), what you confess.

Now, if you'll get prayed for, or set in this building this afternoon, the Holy Spirit would move in here and you'd feel His blessed Presence, and hear His Word going forth, saying, that He healed all and so forth like that, and seeing the power of God. Here it go forth, and knowing it's for everyone, and you'd walk out, say, "Well, I feel just as bad as I did we I went in." He couldn't do a thing for you.

And you say, "Well, I'm... I--I accept it now." And then in the morning you get up and say, "Well, I still got that headache; I still feel as bad I did." Then you've dropped right down. You'll never live above your confession. Let the saintliest person in this building right now, just make up in your mind that you're not a Christian any more, that's when you become not a Christian. See?

When you go out, and say, "Are you a Christian?"

"No, I used to be, but I--I'm not no more." You're fallen from grace right then. See? It's faith. See? It's either faith or unbelief. You're possessed with those two powers, either faith or unbelief. If you've got faith, you're saved because you are a believer. If you haven't got faith, it--you're a sinner.

33 I said here some time ago, preached in a Methodist church; I said, "Drinking whiskey is not a sin. Smoking cigarettes, committing adultery's not a sin."

The little old sanctified Methodist mother sitting there, and she said, "Then preacher, what is sin?"

I said, "Unbelief. That's sin. Smoking, drinking, gambling, committing adultery, and stealing, lying, and so forth is not sin; it's the attributes of sin. You do that because you're an unbeliever, and you don't..."

You say, "Well, I'm a Christian; I don't smoke, and I don't drink." You might not commit adultery, steal, tell lies, keep all the commandments, and still be a sinner. See? That's just attributes; it's a change of heart, what the Holy Spirit does in here makes the tree bear its fruit. Is that right? "By their fruits ye shall know them." You're a sinner because you are an unbeliever. You're a Christian because you're a believer.

34 Jesus Christ said this in Saint John 5:24. Think of the handful and two dozen of eggs if you want to read it when you go home. See? 5:24. "He (not methodist, Baptist, Pentecostal), he (personal pronoun) that hears My Word and believeth on Him that sent me hath Everlasting Life (present, you see?), and shall not come into condemnation but hath (past tense), passed from death unto Life." That's what He said. "He that eats My flesh and drinks My blood has Everlasting Life, and I'll raise him up at the last day." You believe that? That's what Christ said. So you see, it's faith, your faith. "Well," you say, "well, glory to God preacher, I don't believe in all this stuff, and I still..." No, if you've got real faith, it'll declare your works. You see? Your--your works will declare what your faith is.

A boy told me, here not long ago said, "If God judges me according to my--to my faith, I'm saved." He said, "If He's judging me according to my morals, I'm lost."

I said, "Your morals testify of your faith."

You can't never make nothing out of a grain of wheat but wheat. You'll never make it a cocklebur; it'll always be wheat. Because it was sowed wheat; it'll raise up wheat; it'll remain wheat. It may be disfigured to anything else, but it'll still be wheat. And if it's a cocklebur, it'll actually be a cocklebur; you'll never make wheat out of it. Is that right?

35 Well, the Christian, the believer, is sowed with the incorruptible Word of God, how can It produce anything else? See? That's it. When it gets in there, it... The Holy Spirit comes in on the Word of God that's sunk deep in your heart; It'll water It, and It'll grow out, and you'll just... Automatically, you won't desire... As I said last night you won't have to take the leaves off the tree; the new life pushes out and takes the old leaf off. It makes you live a different person.

Now, "At Thy Word Lord, I'll let down the net." And when he pulled the draught of fishes, he was astonished. And Jesus said to him, said "Don't fear from henceforth you'll catch men." Oh, "At Thy Word, Lord."

36 I think of Peter when the Lord told him, said, "Come," walking on the waters. Why, Peter never walked on water, never heard of anybody else ever walking on water. "I don't know how to walk on water, Lord, but at Thy Word, here I come." And he did. That's right.

The woman that... Oh, many times we just call off different things in the Scriptures if we had time, of the people who have things... Mary had never knowed about how a baby could be born a virgin birth, but she took God at His Word. "At Thy Word, Lord." She went testifying before anything happened; she testified it was going to happen because she took God at His Word.

And let's us this afternoon take God at His Word now, and here's what He said in His Word, "Whatsoever things," Mark 11:24, "whatsoever things you desire, when you pray, believe that you receive it, and it shall be given unto you." You'll have it. Now, isn't that simple?

Now, I love you, and I don't want there to be one single person in this building this afternoon who won't be healed. See? And I believe with all of my heart in holding my faith, as I was praying in the room awhile ago, before leaving, "God, please heal every person, or shake them so hard that they'll know at the judgment that I told the truth about this, (See?) that there won't be one feeble person left in the midst of the people." That's right.

Now, I see visions over the people, but I can't say that they're healed until He tells me their healed. And He can't tell till your faith actually acts. And your faith acting will bring God's Word to pass. You've got to believe it, accept it, testify it. Say, "I receive it now, Lord, and that settles it forever. No matter what I feel like, nothing about it; I'm going to believe it anyhow."

37 You remember when I had that stomach trouble, regurgitation, well, Mayo Brothers told me, I had not even one earthly chance, not one chance in ten million to live. And my stomach was nothing just one raw bloody ulcer. And I went to the table and sat down; I asked the blessing... They'd been giving me barley water and prune juice, and a cracker, a graham cracker, about two of them at supper, two at breakfast, and let me have it twice a day. I just read in there what God said. So I asked the blessing; my poor old father, I remember how he looked when I asked the blessing. I guess the first time that blessing was ever returned at our table. I said, "Just a minute, pop, I want to pray." And mom started crying.

And we had some beans, and corn bread, and onions for dinner. You know what it is, it's a good rib builder. So I--I said, after she said, mother said, "I will pour your barley juice."

I said, "Give me some beans."

And she said, "Oh, honey, the doctor says, 'No.'"

I said, "But God said, 'yes.'" See?

38 And I, she said, "Now, honey, now it's all right. I don't mind you being religious," but said, "you can't do that." Said, "Because now look there--there--there's reasons to thing."

I said, "There's no reasoning to God's Word; just say it just the way He said it. And if I die, I'm coming to Him believing His Word." See? That's right. I said, "I'm sick and tired of this." That's right. Been suffering for two years or more like that, and couldn't hardly stand up, weighed eighty pounds. I said, "I'm tired of it; I'm going to take God at His Word."

And she said, "Well, honey I ain't going to pass it to you."

I said, "I'll reach over and get it then." So I went to dealing out the beans in there, got me a big plate full, first time I'd had any solid food, a big piece of corn bread baked in the pone. You all know where you ever done that. Break out the corner of it like that, went to eating. Mmm, my, I was raised on that. So somebody else has had it too. So then, I...?... Yes, sir.

I got a big mouthful of it and went to chewing it, you know. Tasted good, and when I swallowed it, as soon as I swallowed it, it was just like a lump of fire hitting my stomach, and here it come back up. I held my hand over my mouth. I said, "Oh, no, huh-uh, huh-uh. You're going to stay right there." I swallowed it back; it come up again. I swallowed it back; it come up again. I swallowed it back. I said, "Now, you stay there, 'cause here's another one coming." I got another one like that, got me another mouthful. I kept on just like acid boiled my, my, I never... My stomach like a coal of fire... I was chewing you know, my eye's brightened...?...

39 And pop said, "How you feeling?"

I said, "Wonderful." Kept on chewing. Swallow it again, here it come. I'd hold my hand over. I said, "...?... Excuse me I was belching. It was ugly, was them beans coming up, so I just kept on eating like that. And when I left the table, mom went and called the doctor. And she said, "Why, he eat beans and corn bread." Said, "He's been reading the Bible." Said, "He says that God healed him."

"Why," he said, "that'll kill that boy." Said, "He will have acute indigestion and die." Said, "We'll have to pump that out of him in the next hour."

I thought, "Oh, that's what you think." So I went in the house, and I started through the house holding my stomach like this, you know?

And mama said, "You're sick as you can be."

I said, "Mother, I feel fine." I said, "Yes, just wonderful." And I went in, and when I got in the room I said,

I can, I will, I do believe;

I can, I will, I do believe;

I can, I will, I do believe,

That Jesus heals me now.

I'll take Him at His Word.

That's right. "At Thy Word, Lord. I'm believing it." I went in, I got so weak, and everything begin to swim around in front of me, I just kept walking through the floor, and saying,

I can, I will.

Mother said, "Billy, you're sick."

And I said, "No, ma'am, I'm so happy I can't hardly set still." I said,

Oh, I can, I will,

I do believe.

I went into my room; I said, "I'm going to read my Bible awhile." And I went in there, laid down across the bed, and oh, my, here we started. And I, "Huh--uh, no, no." I got up, went out the railroad tracks, kept walking day after... When supper time come, well, we were poor, had to have beans and corn bread again for supper. But when I set at the table, ask blessing again, pass more beans and corn bread, I give that stomach a good going over. And I... All that night, I didn't sleep ten minutes. Oh, my. I'd lay down and my heart would flutter and jump like that. I raised up and said,

I can, I will,

I do believe.

It started again. Next morning it was laying right there, and so I--I give them something else. And I kept on, kept on, kept on, walked down the street.

40 And I went back to work, and I was standing in a ditch, with my old pants like that, tamping the ditch like this. And, oh, so sick. Somebody come up and said, "Hello, Billy, how are you getting along?"

I said, "Just fine. Praise the Lord. Just feeling good." Shoveling some more, dirt, and tamp like that. Have to go down the street, and someone say, "How are you feeling, Mr. Branham?"

I'd say, "Just wonderful. The Lord healed me." Just as sick as I could be.

Somebody, "Why, you lie."

I said, "Oh, no. I was making confession of what He did. 'By His stripes, I was healed.' Hallelujah. Don't invite me to a T-bone steak, 'cause I'll take you up. All right.

And I never weighed in my life, over an hundred eighteen, or twenty pounds. And I weigh a hundred and sixty this afternoon. Praise God. Amazing grace, how sweet the sound, that saved a wretch like me.

41 I would go to the corners of the world, to the tropical jungles of the South, or the frozen regions of the Iceland, telling the Gospel of Jesus Christ. And I'll challenge any person, under any condition to take God at His Word, and see if It's right or not. Right. God's obligated to His Word.

Just say, "It's mine right now." That's it. No matter what the doctor says. The doctors would get mad. I have nothing against doctors. No, sir. 'Course, now we got a lot of doctors. The strange thing, I'll tell you something true. In my travel I found more believing doctors than I have preachers (That's right.), more believing doctors than I have preachers. And I'm... I found preachers, they don't believe in Divine healing. Oh, no. But a doctor, he will tell you, "Yes, yes, sir." I've seen patients, I've laid out. And they come back to life again. And other things. I've met many, many believing doctors, fine fellows. They're God's gift to the world. They give it us. What would we do without health, today, and without the sanitations and so forth? It's all right. It's God's provided way.

Oh, I know, you say, "I don't believe in that." Well, that's all right. That's all right. You... Your grandfather went to see your grandmother in an ox cart, but your son goes in a--almost a jet plane, doesn't he? See, science has come up. That's all right. We accept every bit of it. That's all true enough, and I like that. But, after all, it's God in all, through all, over all, exactly. God's the Healer. There never was one drop of medicine ever healed a person, and never will be.

42 Psalms 103:3, said, "I'm the Lord that healeth all thy diseases." Looky here. If I cut my hand (I've used this illustration.), cut my hand with a knife. We got the best doctors we ever had in all the ages. We got the best hospitals, the best medicine we ever had, and got more sin and unbelief than we ever had. That's right.

Notice. If I cut my hand, we haven't got one medicine that can heal that hand. You haven't got any decent, logical, right sensible doctor, that would tell you. Mayo's is the best clinic we got in the world, as far as I know of; and on an interview there, they said, "We don't claim to be healers, Brother Branham; we only claim to assist nature. There's one Healer; that's God." Right.

43 Now, if I cut my hand here with that knife, now, there isn't enough medicine in the world can heal that hand. There isn't one thing that they got that'll heal a knife cut. No, sir. Well, if they got anything that'll heal a--a knife cut, it would heal the knife cut in this desk. It would heal the knife cut that was in my coat. Well, if it'd heal a knife cut, it'd heal it on anything. Is that right? Water, if it's wet in this building, it'll be wet outside. See? If it'd heal a knife cut...

"Oh," you say, "Brother Branham, medicine is made for the human body, not for your coat and that desk."

All right. For instance, then I cut my hand, and I fall dead. And they take me down to the undertaker's establishment and embalm my body with a--a fluid that'll make me look natural for fifty years. We'll send and get Mayo's clinic, their best doctors. We'll send to John Hopkins. They'll come down and look at that hand; they'll sew that hand up, give me a shot of penicillin every day, and put sulfa drug in it, and all the salves and everything that can be got, and fifty years from today, that cut's just exactly like it was. Well, now if medicine heals the human body, why don't it heal it?

"Oh," you say, "Brother Branham, the life's gone out." Now, that's right. That's right. Which is the healer then, the medicine or the life? Life is the healer. If you'll tell me what life is, I'll tell Who God is. That's right. God. Life doesn't... Medicine don't build tissue. God builds tissue. Medicine can't build tissue. If they could do that, they could reproduce a man. That's right. But they can't do it.

44 So God said, "I'm the Lord that healeth all of thy diseases." That don't condemn the medicine. It just keeps it clean, while God's a healing it. A doctor can set your arm, that's been broke. But if God don't heal that arm, it'll--it'll be broke the rest of your life. He can set the bones in place, but God has to produce the calcium, and life in there to knit them bones together. Is that right? So a doctor didn't heal your arm. The doctor set your arm; God healed your arm. The dentist might pull a tooth out, but what about that socket it come out of? Let me see him heal him up. Can't do it. There's nothing to heal it with. He has to let God do it. Is that right? So God's the Healer. Amen.

God bless you. I'd stand here, I'd talk to you all afternoon. And--and God be with you. I love you with undying, Christian love. The warmest of Christian love, I send to each one of you, in the Name of Jesus Christ.

45 I started to...?... Maybe, I better not. Well, I will. Look. Many times, you hear on these radio programs, "Write us a card, give us a card." That's merely to get your address for soliciting. But, dear Christian friends, I'm not saying that. I'm saying it because I love you. If you need a prayer cloth or anything, send to me for it; it's absolutely free. Or any time I can do anything for you in that way, and it's not for your mailing address; I don't have any radio programs. I don't have anything to sell, any papers, or anything else. I just preach the Gospel to you. And it isn't my brothers here and things like that, they have their programs and things like that, support them in that. But for me, if I just be a favor to you, why, you know where I live at Jeffersonville, Indiana.

I used to tell the people, the rain never falls too hard, or the night never gets too dark, what I'd come to you. But I... So many I can't say that now (See?), because there's perhaps, there's a half dozen airplane tickets laying there now, when I get in tonight, to fly somewhere to pray for sick people. Beside the average calls will run sixty or seventy a day, and maybe more than that, just emergency calls to come, so you couldn't start to make it. You see? There's no way. But I do take every one of them sincerely before God and pray. That's right. The Lord bless you while we bow our heads.

46 Kind heavenly Father, may Thy grace and mercy ever rest upon this people. Bless these people, Lord, who has give a portion of their living this week, and this afternoon, Father, for a love offering for Thy unprofitable servant, dividing their living with me. God, I'm not worthy to receive it. I--I--I ask God, if it wasn't that I just had to have it, I would refuse it. Thou knowest all things. And I pray that You'll bless every one of them a hundredfold. For it's in the Scripture, "Insomuch as you have done unto the least (that would be me) of the little ones, you have did unto Me." And may they receive that type of reward, Lord, a double portion of blessing.

47 Bless these dear brothers, Your servants, these ministers, loyal in faith. God, may that each one of their churches just grow until they'll have to build new churches. Send thousands of blessed converts to them, Father, sinners coming their way and be saved. Bless their ministry, and may their prayers for the sick, when they... [Blank.spot.on.tape--Ed.] sick people, may every one of them get healed, Lord. May every one, give my brothers this afternoon, power to pray for the sick. Grant it, Lord.

And for these handkerchiefs, I ask, dear kind Father, as there's many here represented sickness. I pray that You'll heal everyone that these handkerchiefs represent. And when they're laid upon the sick and the afflicted, may the power of God come upon them, and they go free. Have mercy, Father. Forgive us of our sins.

Thank You for the great meeting that we just had. And I pray kind heavenly Father, that You'll give us the exceedingly abundantly this afternoon. And may Thy Holy Spirit come present now, and heal the sick and save the sinners, and we'll give Thee the praise in Jesus' Name. Amen.

48 I never thought of it getting so late. All right. We're going to call a prayer line. [Brother Branham speaks privately to someone--Ed.] Hard boy to keep up with. Well, what's, I never did ask you what cards... Well, what we have the J's then?

Let's begin with the J's today then. All right. Let's start and finish up those that we started on last night. Maybe if we get a chance, we can run through some more of them. But now, the prayer cards is merely just to get somebody up here. That don't have one thing to do with healing. There's more people healed setting out there without prayer cards, than there is here with prayer cards.

Who's got J-number-1? We started from 50 went out, last night. Who has got J-number-1? You lady? All right. Come right here. J-2, who has got that? J-2. Maybe we'll get a few of one, and then get to another letter. 2? All right.

[Blank.spot.on.tape--Ed.]

[Blank.spot.on.tape--Ed.]...?... [Blank.spot.on.tape--Ed.]

49 ... racial affair... [Blank.spot.on.tape--Ed.] Yes, ma'am. You're suffering with a nervous condition, aren't you? That's right. You're very upset about something, turning dark in between us. You are... You got a spiritual trouble too. That is true, isn't it? Some difficults you're having. You'll be all right. Just trust it to Him. And here's another thing that might help you. You're healed now. But here's another thing that might help you. You've got a--a sick loved one. And that's a father. Is that true? And he's bothered with a mental condition. Is that right? You're going to find him different when you go home because of your attitude.

Now, every person in here should believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, even now. Is that right? Every person should have faith and believe our dear loving Saviour. Believe that He is here. He's the same yesterday, today, and forever.

I believe the man here is a stranger to me too. Is that right, sir? I do not know you. I've never seen you. But our loving kind heavenly Father knows both of us. That is true. You're in desperate need, my friend. What your trouble is nervousness. You've got a whole lot of trouble. What it is, you're a married man; you've lost your job. And you're having mental troubles over that. You have two children too, don't you? Don't fear. It's going to be all right. Come here.

50 Kind heavenly Father, in the Name of Thy beloved Son Jesus Christ, bless this brother and restore him in Jesus' Name. He has a need, Father, and Thou will supply it. We ask in Christ's Name. Amen.

Look, my brother. Don't worry about that no more. Get it off your mind. Go happy, rejoicing; God will give you another job. Just have faith. Don't doubt. Believe with all your heart that Jesus Christ, the Son of God, is the same yesterday, today, and forever.

You want to get over that throat trouble, setting over there, sir? Yeah. You was healed just then. Stand up. I see It move over you. God bless you, you can go home...?...

Just have faith in God.

51 Lady, you want to get over that rupture, setting up there? Yes, setting there... You accept it right now, you could be healed, while you're sitting... The big lady there, God bless you. You can go be made whole.

Have faith in God. My, if you just only believe.

You want to get over the sinus? If you believe it with all your heart, setting up there, you can get over the sinus and be made well, if you accept it. Believe that Jesus Christ makes you whole. God bless you.

Oh, how wonderful. I just praise God for His Presence.

You're the patient, are you, lady? I don't know you. God knows you. Do you believe me to be His prophet? Now, that's just His preacher. See? You believe that to be true? Your operation didn't do you any good, did it? You just come from the hospital. You had a--something wrong in here. They operated in... It's a gallbladder operation, they had, gallstones. What they removed the stones from the bladder. You can't keep nothing on your stomach. You're real weak. Is that right? Jesus Christ will make you well. Do you believe that? Come here.

Kind heavenly Father, to this poor little dying woman, standing here, frail. And--and the doctors has done all they can do for her, and we thank Thee for what they've done. But, Father, they haven't--they haven't hit it yet.

Satan, you've hid from the doctor and from his knife; but you can't hide from God. Come out of her. In the Name of Jesus Christ, leave the woman, that she can live.

I wasn't yelling at you, lady. It was him. He was trying to hold. You're going to get all right. And you go on, just rejoice and be happy and thank God.

52 Excuse me, friends, if I yelled out loud. It wasn't I was yelling at you. Demons sometimes has to be forced. See? They don't want to move. That woman was... He was determined to take her life. There's something wrong with her. And I forget what it was; but anyhow, the doctor had operated, or something like that. I see him do it with all good faith. But he hadn't hit the spot. But you watch her now, see what happens. See? You'll get well.

Somebody just healed had a connection with you. Isn't that right? Some young man, awhile ago, or something... Oh, is that what it was? Seen it move in there some way. You all from a city called Lincoln, isn't it? Lincoln, Illinois?...?...

53 How do you do, lady? Do you believe me to be God's servant with all your heart? If Jesus Christ was standing here with this suit on, as far as He knew, He'd tell you He had already did it. But for your healing, He had already done it. But He'd tell you what--what your trouble was. And by that, might make you have faith, while He's setting at the right hand of the Father, but He sent me to do that. Do you believe that? Then I can, by doing so. You're--you're suffering with some kind of a--like a headache, it's migraine headaches. Isn't that right? You're extremely nervous. And you have some kind of a trouble in your bowels, colon trouble. Isn't that right? You've just had something that's happened in your home. No, it's a... You've had a cross-eyed child healed. Is that right? That was in this meeting. That's right. I see it on this same platform. Isn't that right? You have a wonderful faith, lady.

54 Just a minute. Here it comes again. You're not from the city though. You're from a--a country where there's lots of hills. It's--it's a--mountains, Colorado. Isn't that right? Yes, sir. Riggley, or something like that, I see the name as you come into the city, wrote on the side. Is that right? And your... I hear somebody calling you Kathleen (Is that right?) White? Is that right? Go home. Jesus Christ makes you... Amen.

I see where It's at now. There was something wrong with that lady about the intestines or something another. That man setting right there, with the blue-looking suit on, looking at me, you don't have a prayer card, do you, sir? The blue tie, setting there? You got bowel trouble, haven't you? You're going to get well now. God bless you.

Don't doubt, just have faith. Only believe. For all things are possible to them that believe. You believe that is right? Every one with one accord...

55 Howdy do? Are you the patient, lady? Excuse me. All right. We're strangers to one another, lady. As far as I know, I never seen you in my life. I know nothing about you. God knows that. You're a mighty young lady to be standing there sick. I want to ask you something. Do you believe me to be God's prophet? With all your heart? Then I can help you. If you... He told me, if I'd get the people to believe that. And they... And that... I said, "They won't believe it."

He said, "You'll tell them the secrets of their heart, then they'll believe it."

Now, Jesus Christ risen from the dead. Yes. There's nothing wrong with you...