God Has A Provided Way

1 Let us remain standing just a moment now before we pray. Has anybody a special request tonight that you'd like for God to answer for you? Just raise up your hand. Now, in your heart think of what you're asking for. All right. And here's two requests here. Now, let us bow our heads.

2 Our heavenly Father, we are approaching Thy throne of grace. Not by any means would we try to come any other way, because it's grace that we need, Lord. We could not stand at the throne of judgment. Jesus stood there for us. And now we stand at the throne of His grace with this blessed promise that if we ask anything in His Name it would be granted. We're so privileged people tonight to have this promise.

And, Father, You seen the hands, and I'm sure You know what was beneath them, the desire of the heart. Answer, Lord, according to Your riches in glory.

I pray for the meeting, for the sinner, the unbeliever, the ungodly. We pray for the sick and the afflicted, both here and everywhere; for ministering brethren across the country, who's holding up the precious rights of the Lord Jesus and His Word. Give us a great outpouring of His Spirit tonight, Lord, upon us, that when we leave, we might be able to say like those coming from Emmaus that night, "Did not our hearts burn within us as He talked to us along the way?" We ask this in Jesus' Name, Thy Son. Amen. You may be seated.

3 It's good to be here again tonight, and the last few minutes I've had the privilege of shaking hands with old friends, ministers that I've knowed times back. Brother Andrew Rasmussen, for one, and another was Brother Toms here, and brothers that I've met in different meetings. So happy to have them in here tonight with us to pray for the meeting. We had a glorious time last evening in our little gathering together.

And as I say again, I want to make an apology to our ministering brethren who are in that convention here. I didn't mean to move in here when you were having a convention, but I was just passing through this way. And Brother Eddie said, "Well, we just stop a night or two on the road out," hoping that someday, by great cooperation amongst all the ministers throughout the island here, we might have a big meeting somewhere.

I come over with Brother Eddie for his Indian friends. And we had a glorious time up to that Port Alberni, I believe it's called, and with our Indian friends, and also our white friends. Had a glorious time up there, and we're hoping to be back soon to see all again.

4 This is my eleventh straight meeting, and I'm really tired. And I've got to leave tomorrow now, after the service, to make it down to--got to go to, move down to Tucson, Arizona; from there to, maybe to Phoenix. I got to go then up on the Alaskan Highway for a little rest. I'm going up with a friend, Brother Eddie here and them. I got to be back up there around the first of August, and really on the move. And then coming back and going overseas, over to--to Tanganyika, and Uganda, and--and down into South Africa; and, oh, just make a world tour around, trying to be back again by next spring, if the Lord willing, and He wants me to continue on trying in evangelism to--for His glory.

5 I have promised to me, to start a nice big, new tent, trucks, trailers, and everything all paid for. Don't even have to take up offerings for it. Isn't that wonderful? So we, trusting that that... If that's His Divine will... We always want His will.

Then I aim to do what I've always promised: set the tent in a community where there's no revivals, and everybody--and everybody cooperating, and have a morning meeting just for minister brethren, talk to them, an afternoon meeting for instruction for the healing of the sick, and then the night service, an evangelistic service. And then let off every Sunday afternoon, and so forth, where the other churches are having meetings. We won't interrupt with the regular meeting of the community. And we always wanted to do that. And then stay for a while. Just... The people don't get the idea how to be healed. They don't understand it, and just the first time in. And then if we teach it, and go into it in studies and so forth, I'm sure it would help us all. I know it would help me, now always to get to talk about the Lord. And so I...

6 Brother Tom's here tonight. I'm sure he's been introduced, and everybody knows him around through Saskatchewan. He was one of my first sponsors when I come to Saskatchewan about fourteen, fifteen, years ago, I guess. My, brethren there, and...

I'm speaking in the wrong mike. What is it? The right church, but wrong pew, is that right? All right. So I see he's put it on the other side of the desk. Usually I get a little bit loud, you know, and so I... Keep me from deafening people in this building, why, I guess he set it over there. All right. We'll discard this one and take this one right on.

7 Now, how many loves Him with all your heart? Oh, that's just fine, just fine. Now, tomorrow afternoon, so it won't interfere with the services anywhere... Now, I don't know where the camp meeting's at. I just learned it just 'fore coming here, that the camp meeting was on. And so we'll have services tomorrow afternoon about two or three o'clock. I guess they've announced it. And--and you that are not at the camp meeting... It's just picking up those that's sick and afflicted and couldn't get to the camp meeting. That's the reason we're consecrating on praying for the sick. And now, then tomorrow afternoon the service is here. The Lord be with you and bless you.

8 Now, I want to read a Scripture found over in the book of Genesis and the 22nd verse and the... 22nd chapter, rather, and the 8th verse:

And Abraham said, My son, God will provide himself a lamb for the burnt offering: and they went both of them together.

And now over in the book of Saint John the 12th chapter and the 32nd verse, Jesus speaking:

And I, if I be lifted up from the earth, will draw all men unto me.

9 And now, so we won't be long in the service tonight... I--I don't mind keeping you through the week nights, because in the week nights you miss a day's work; I don't mind that. But don't miss Sunday school whatever you do; go to Sunday school. And some of you that's visiting, why, these pastors here would be glad to have you in their churches that's around here. Visit them in the morning. They will do you good to come hear them speak and to get acquainted with each other; for we've got an eternity to live together, and so let's get acquainted now.

And so remember now, I've always said, "It's a sin to send your children to Sunday school." Everybody knows that. Don't never, whatever you do, don't never send your children to Sunday school. It's wrong. Take them. That's right. Always take them. Just don't send them. You go for an example too. You take them to Sunday school. You go along with them. But just don't send them. That's wrong. Taking them is right, 'cause you're there with them.

10 And now, tomorrow afternoon we're going to try, if God willing, to pray for the sick and the afflicted, as many as we possibly can, or the group, unless it gets too big. As long as it's just a little group like this, why, we can easily do that. So if you got your sick people and want to bring them out for prayer tomorrow afternoon, we'd be glad to pray for them.

Now, I want you to invite the brethren who are your pastors also to come out and visit us tomorrow after Sunday school, if he possibly can.

11 Now, I want to draw from this Scripture reading out of Genesis the 22nd chapter, 8th verse: "God will provide for Himself a sacrifice." And then in Saint John 12:32, where I've got my note and so forth, and my Scriptures wrote out that I wanted to speak on: "I, if I be lifted up from the earth, will draw all men unto Me." I want to take a text from that, "God Has A Provided Way."

Now, you know, I'm so glad to know that there is a provided way. See, there's--there's only two ways of anything: that's the right way and the wrong way. And that's your way and God's way. You can't have your own way and be in God's way; and you can't be in God's way and have your own way. See? So it's one or the other. It's either your way or God's way. It's your thoughts or God's Word. See? You have to accept one. You can't take your own thinking. So man was borned a failure, and he's always been a failure. So why try to rely upon your own understanding? Why not take God's way of it, 'cause He always brings you out right.

12 And now when He provides a way and the people doesn't walk in that way, then it's not God's fault. For instance, a city here, they have semaphore, stop lights; and the city has provided those at dangerous intersections. Well, if that red light comes on and says, "Do not go now," and you run through that red light (See?), you haven't come the provided way. And you get a wreck, don't blame the city. They had the warning there. Don't blame the man that hit you. You did it yourself. See? And see, that's you using your way, or the provided way.

13 For instance, when we start home tomorrow, well, now, what if I said, "Let me see which direction I live in now. I live something east, and south, and so forth. I'm going to take right straight that way and make a short cut, 'cause I've got to hurry home. All right. I'm going to go right straight that way." I'd find myself out here in the Puget Sound somewhere, sunk down in the ocean, or I'd find myself off in some muddy field. I can't do that. If I do, I--I'll never get anywhere.

Well, the only way for me to do is get a road map, and there's a... The highways has been provided for me to travel. If I'll just take the road map and follow the road map, I--I'll get there. See? Just follow the markers, I'm bound to come there. It may take me wrong to my thinking, but the road has already been provided. And now, my thinking, if it's contrary to the way the road's provided, then let me not think of my thinking; let me go the way the signs point, and I'll arrive there.

That's the way it is with our road to heaven. We have our own thinking. But if we use that, we're going to find ourselves altogether wrong, all wrecked up somewhere. But if we'll take the way that God has marked out for us, we'll arrive there just as sure as anything, 'cause God has a way.

14 Now, let's go back to some of God's way and in simple form that people would know. Did you ever notice a little chicken trying to get to this earth? What does he do? On the inside of that shell he stands there and beats away at that shell until he gets hisself free. What is it? God's provided way. He had a bill. Before he was ever able to peep on the shell he had a bill, 'cause God provided him a bill to work in God's provided way. See?

Oh, He's a lovely Father. See, He makes everything just right. First He had to grow a bill on the bird, the fowl, that's borned inside of an egg. He's got to make a way for him to follow the provided way to get out. See how God does? He makes a provided way. The only thing we have to do is follow His instructions and we come out just exactly right, always, every time. Yes, sir. He picks his way out, because he's coming God's provided way.

15 I've often wondered, when I come up here in the fall of the year on a hunting trip... And I admire going up in the high mountains here and watching the ducks, just about swarming time, and the geese. Now, they come from the south, come up here and get in these marshy, mucky, swamps, and make them a nest, lay their eggs, and hatch their little ones.

Well, them little ducks that was raised on that pond, or lake, and he knows nothing else but that lake. He was born there last spring. He's lived there all summer long. He's got his livelihood. And somehow or another, when the long... And last of August or September, when there comes a snow up in the mountains, and that cold wind breezes down across that prairie country there where that little duck's at, he knows there's something fixing to happen.

Now, what does he do? They all begin to get together. And out in the middle of that pond will come a little drake that was born that spring on the pond. He will go right out in the middle of that pond, stick that little honker up in the air, and go, "Honk, honk. Honk, honk," and every duck on the pond will come right to him. See?

16 Now, God has provided an instinct--instinct in the duck to tell him that that thing's going to freeze over, and he will die there. So he cannot stay here; and he's never been nowhere but here. But God has another place for him to go to, so he... If he's got another place provided down in Louisiana and Texas in the rice fields, after he eat all the oats from you all he could, then he's going down now in the rice fields to--to live on the Texans, and down there.

Well, now, he's born here on this lake. He knows nothing about it, but he's got a God-given instinct, God's provided way that tells him that trouble is near, and he begins to feel the air.

17 And not only... If they have to swarm, one would go this way and one would go that way. God provided them a leader. It's a shame that human hasn't, with their Holy Spirit, got as much gumption as a duck has with instinct. I just can't tell...

Of course, the duck believes in his God's provision, but the man doesn't. See? We try to take some man-made achievement to get away from trouble, when God give us the Holy Ghost to get away from trouble. See? That's right. And now, when we feel trouble in the air, there's only one thing to do: that's listen to the Leader. And the Holy Ghost is the Leader. He was sent to lead the church.

18 And now, remember, this little duck has never been off that pond, but every duck in the pond knows that he's the leader. And when that little fellow, one morning that instinct rises in him in such a way he lets out another honk, leaves the pond, says, "good-bye," and every duck follows him.

He's up in the air. He don't know which way to go up there, but some kind of a God-provided way, he sets that little face towards Louisiana, and away he goes. And he gets there. Why? He trusts in God's provided way for him. That's the reason he can make it. He's trusted in God's provided way. Notice, how good it is.

19 Watch them geese, how they come up off of there and swarm. I just love to hear them in the fall of the year. They pass over Indiana just a honking away as they can go; one old leader right out there in front, with that nose struck right straight towards Louisiana, and away he goes: never been there before. He don't know what's down there.

Like the children of Israel led by that Pillar of Fire. They rose up out of Egypt. They had never been out that way before. But they went just as straight to the promised land, because they were following a Pillar of Fire, God's provided Leader. They stayed right in God's provided way.

Oh, it's too bad that we human beings miss it so much, because we don't know Who our Leader is. That's the only thing. We try to take some thought of our own. We always mire up somewhere and wreck up.

Now, ducks and geese go south, and they have a provided leader. God, if He's going to send you anywhere over a route, it's up to God to provide you a Leader to lead the way. Always. Yes, sir. God provides it. If you'll just watch nature; that was my first Bible, watching nature. If you'll notice it, you'll never miss God if you can watch nature.

20 I've had the privilege of traveling the world over, and in the temples of Buddha, and--and Mohammed, the Jains, and Sikhs, and whatmore. But every one of them has a philosophy. But they're based upon a premonition, and, oh, I don't know what all you could call it, reincarnation, and all kinds of things. But Christianity is based upon burial and resurrection. That's the principle.

Now, resurrection isn't replacement. Resurrection's bringing the same up that went down. Now, if this piece of paper falls, and goes down to the floor. Now, if I just take this piece of paper and put it in that one's place, that's not resurrection; that's replacement. But the resurrection is, bring up this same one that went down. That's resurrection.

21 Now, when anything serves God's purpose, has to stay in God's provided way. Let's take these flowers. They were put here to serve God's purpose. Now, you cut them off like that, you think it's the end of it. It isn't. God cares for His flowers. If you'll notice, a pretty flower... How I notice you Canadian people here, how you have these beautiful gardens and great pretty places of flowers.

Now, after while, they'll be young flowers, old flowers, middle-aged flowers. But there'll come a frost across the country one night: death. And it'll strike that flower, regardless of what age it is. Death's no respect of age, person, or ability. Death strikes all. What happens? The little fellow gives up his life. What happens then? The petals begin to drop off of it the next morning, it's going. Out of there drops a little seed, falls down to the ground.

Then along comes a funeral procession. You might not believe it, but God has a funeral procession for His flowers. Did you know that? Now, notice. After the frost strikes, then comes the fall rains. God sends the clouds across, and cries great big drops of water down, and buries that little seed.

See, we try to make it too complicated. That's what's the matter today... Way the church has always got off the beaten path, they've tried to made Him so complicated, like they have to be educated into it. You're not educated into Christ; you're born into Christ by the Spirit of...?...

22 Now, God sends the weepers and mourners forth, which is the water, and it drops down like great big tears and buries that little seed. Down beneath the ground it goes, as it packs it down. Then along comes the winter blizzard, sweeps across the country. The little petal's gone; the leaves drops off; the stalk's gone; the bulb's dried up; and the little seed freezes and bursts open. The pulp runs out of it.

Poor little flower, looks like the end of it. Oh, no, it's not the end of it. When that warm sun begins to come back around again, the earth moving itself in position of the sun, there's a germ of life somewhere in that dirt that no science has never been able to find. That flower lives again. Why? It served God's purpose in God's provided way, and He made a way for it to live again.

And if He made a way for a flower to live again that served His purpose, how much more has He made a way for a man or woman to live again who serves His purpose, walks in His provided way. So simple, just to look at.

23 Look at the tree, how the leaves come out there and hang out.

Just recently, the last few months, I lost my mother and--my godly old mother. And she was laying on the bed, going. And I--I'd been away up in Canada, up here in--in British Columbia, and I'd returned back. Mother was sick; I went to see her. They'd taken her out to the hospital. She said, "Billy, this is the end, son."

I said, "Oh, mom, my, that's not the end."

She said, "Yes, it is."

I wouldn't give it up. I kept praying, and she got worse all the time. God didn't speak a thing to me. I stood there. Many times have I made the remark in the pulpit, you people that know, many times I've said, "If my own mother was laying here dying, how could I tell her one thing unless God told me first. I can only say as God says say." There that thing come to pass, me praying over my mother.

24 My sister just newly received the Holy Ghost, and she, the only girl, oh, it worried her. I was out there one day and--to see her, and sister was there. Mother looked up at us. She said, "My first and my last." That was, I was the oldest; Delores was the youngest. There was nine boys and one girl, and the girl was last.

And so, mama said, "Billy," said, "you was the one who seen that I didn't need for anything to eat. You bought me my clothes and fed me after daddy gone." Said, "Delores, you've been sweet to me. You've come to me, and helped me do my washing, and clean up my house, and things when I didn't feel good."

And Delores and I looked at one another, and said, "Oh, mama, that's all right."

And I said, "Some of them has broke your heart, mama. Some of the boys drank, and it broke your heart."

She said, "Billy, it all goes to make up the human life." That mother couldn't forget, no matter what they'd done, just the same. So she said, "And, Billy, one thing again," said, "you was the one who led me to Christ, who means all in all to me now."

And I said, "Mama, I went to the church, and the church said that God was in His church, the priest said." And I said, "Then I understood that God was in His Word, and I've stayed with the Word. I've tried to teach you the Word."

And she said, "Now, is when it pays off."

25 Delores went home. She called me up, and she said, "Bill, I just can't stand to see mama go."

I said, "Delores, what makes you say a thing like that?"

She said, "I just can't stand to see mama go. It's the only mama we got, and the only one we'll ever have." And said, "Here you are fifty-three years old and me twenty-seven." Said, "How--how are we going to stand it, Bill? We've had her all this life."

I said, "Delores, look out the window where you're setting at your phone, to your left. What do you see? Is there a tree standing there, a great, big oak tree?"

She said, "Yes."

I said, "Two months ago all the leaves were pretty and green."

"Yes."

I said, "What color are they now, Delores?"

And she said, "They are brown, and they are red, yellow, and green."

I said, "What's the matter?"

She said, "The life is leaving the leaf."

I said, "Correctly." I said, "When was it its prettiest?"

She said, "Right now."

I said, "In its death... Amen. Precious in the sight of the Lord is the death of his saints, seeing them old saints come down to the end, to the last moment."

26 When mama couldn't speak no more, I said, "Mama," Okay if you can... I...?... I said, "as your preacher boy, I want to ask you, what does Christ mean to you?"

And she'd say, "All in all, All in all. He's dearer now then ever."

And when she couldn't speak no more, I'd say, "Mama, you can't speak no more. You're going now just in a few minutes. I want to commit your soul to God, standing here. Mama, if you can't speak to me now, if Christ still means everything to you, when you're now fixing to die, if you can't speak, bat your eyes." And she'd bat her eyes up and down--and went off to meet God.

Oh, my, my. Precious in the sight of the Lord, that beautiful testimony, when Satan standing there, say, "I'll make Bill and Delores and them turn their back upon You. Let me have her and torture her a little." But, oh, my, see that old saint holding right out up to that end and going to meet God, just like a leaf going.

27 I'm looking at a precious friend of mine setting over here, formerly a Jehovah Witness. And he's--name's Banks Wood, and he's my neighbor. And he come, not...

Sometime when he first come, he and his wife, they had a boy that had polio. And he was at the Texas meeting. First at Louisville, where he saw a girl (turning to chalk, or stone it was) was healed, running up and down steps, amazed all the doctors and everything. They brought their polioed boy to Texas. There's where the Angel of the Lord had His picture taken, the Pillar of Fire.

And then, after there I went to Norway and Sweden, come back. I was up into Ohio. They brought the boy up there, not knowing then.

One night the Holy Spirit spoke and said, "The little boy with the yellow shirt on back there is healed. THUS SAITH THE LORD." And that moment the Holy Spirit came down, straightened out that crooked leg, just perfect in...?... Is David in the--in the building tonight? No, he went home, didn't he? This is his father. Raise up your hand, Banks. His mother's setting here somewhere. Where are you, Sister Wood? There they are as a witness.

28 Well, they loved me so much till they just moved over, my neighbor to me. And a real Acts 2:4 neighbor they are too. They really are, both of them receiving the Holy Ghost. And all of his family, practically every one of them been readers in the Jehovah Witness, through the visions and powers of God, turned them every one to the baptism of the Holy Ghost.

His wife's people all being Methodist, good women, good men, and everything, and every one of her people, the whole group, has come in and received the baptism of the Holy Ghost, excepting of one. Watching God...

And Brother Banks and I likes to squirrel hunt. I don't know whether anybody... How many ever went squirrel hunting? Oh, my. What part of Kentucky are you from anyhow. See? And there's no hunting like it, nowhere at all. And we hunt squirrels with .22 rifle, fifty yard shot, eye shots. And we just don't get too many squirrels, but we have a great time when I go on vacation.

29 And one day down there, it was... The fall was real dry, two years ago, and we was camping out: hadn't took a bath in a couple weeks, and beard all over our face, and squirrel blood. We were a mess. But I was relaxing from meetings, kinda getting away back into nature. I always see God in His nature, watching His provided way. Notice.

And then it got so dry, when we'd step in the woods, them flat woods, one little break of the leaf... And you talk about Houdini at being a escape artist, he's an amateur the side of one of them squirrels. He's gone, like that. And to shoot a rifle shot, and then an eye, it's a hard thing to do.

So Brother Banks said, "You know, I know where there's a man that's got five hundred acres of woods all in the hollows." How many knows what a hollow is? All right. And that's down in the valley like, where the water runs through. Said, "We could get down there and walk." So we went down to see this man. He said, "The only thing is, that this man is an infidel, a very awful unbeliever."

30 Well, we went through fields and everything till we got back to his place. And when we got back to the place where this infidel, unbeliever lived, there he set out under the tree, him and another old man setting out there, with their hats pulled down, chewing tobacco and spitting, like that. So Brother Wood got out of the car, and goes over, and said, "Could I squirrel hunt on your place a little while?"

He said, "What's your name?"

He said, "Wood."

He said, "What Wood are you?"

And he said, "Banks."

He said, "Are you Jim Wood's boy?"

He said, "Yes." That was his father.

He said, "Well, any boy or any of Jim Wood's people is welcome anywhere on my place they want to come."

So he said. "I brought my pastor along. Could he hunt too?"

This old fellow spit and said, "Wood, you don't mean to tell me you got bad enough till you have to carry a preacher with you wherever you go."

31 And so I thought it was about time for me to get out of the car. So I got out of the car and walked around there. I said, "How do you do?"

He said, "And you're the preacher?"

I said, "Yes, sir."

And before Brother Wood got a chance to introduce me, why, he said, "You know, the trouble with you fellows," he said, "you're barking up the wrong tree." You know what a... Coon dog that barks up the wrong tree, he's a liar (See?), and the coon's got away, and he ain't barking at nothing. So he said, "You fellows are barking up the wrong tree so much."

I said, "What do you mean?"

He didn't believe there was such a thing as God, and he knowed nothing about it. "Well," I thought, "now, that old fellow isn't bad. He don't mean to be that way."

He said, "They talk about this, and they talk about that, and there's nothing to it. I've been right here, and I've never seen nothing that looks like it. I can look up that way, and I don't see nothing; look this way, don't see nothing." Said, "Why, they're..."

32 You see, the trouble of it is, it's just like people coming to one of the meetings; there's so many trees you can't see the woods. That's just it. See? So then, he set there, you know, a little while. And thought, "Lord, if You'll just help me now, maybe we can catch the old fellow for the Kingdom of God."

And there was a apple tree standing there, and the yellow jackets... How many knows what a yellow jacket is? He was... They was eating on the apples. And I reached down and picked up... I said, "Can I have one of these apples?"

Said, "Help yourself. Yellow jackets are eating them up." So I begin to rub it, like that. And he said, "There was one preacher one time here about three years ago, or four, that come over here to a little town called Acton." And said, "Acton's a little bitty place where they have a Methodist campground." Said, "This preacher come down from Indiana, and he had that place packed out full of people there for three nights."

33 And said, "Old lady (some name) up here on the hill had cancer in her stomach." And said, "She got so bad they couldn't put her on the bedpan no more. They had to use a draw sheet." And said, "Wife and I'd go up there twice a day and change her bed for her." Said, "Doctors give her up to die weeks before that," and said, "wasn't nothing could be done. She could hardly speak any more. Couldn't even keep warm water on her stomach."

And said, "Her sister went down to that meeting that night." And said, "This preacher, standing up there (never was in this country before in his life) looked back over the audience and said, 'This woman setting back here is named So-and-so. When she left home tonight, she put--took from a drawer of a dresser on the right hand side a little handkerchief with a blue figure in it, put it in her pocketbook. If... She's got a sick sister. She has a sick sister by the name of So-and-so that lives up here, and she's dying with cancer. THUS SAITH THE LORD, take this handkerchief and go lay it on your sister and she'll be healed.'"

34 And said, "The woman got up out of the chair from where she was setting, and went and laid that handkerchief on that woman." And he said, "Why, they... I thought they had the Salvation Army up there on top of the hill." Said, "I never heard so much screaming, about twelve o'clock that night."

Well, it was a bunch of them up there putting the handkerchief on the old lady, and she was healed, just according to the Word of the Lord: Got up, jumping all around, shouting, praising the Lord.

35 And said, "The next morning wife and I went up there." Said, "It was late, about midnight. We thought the old lady... We was looking for her to die any minute anyhow. We thought that was her children screaming, that she'd already passed away." And said, "We went up there the next morning. There was she and her husband setting at the table eating fried apple pies and drinking coffee." And said, "She does her own work and the neighbor's work."

I thought, "Oh, oh. That's why... I'm glad you said that."

And Brother Banks started to say, "Well, that..."

"Don't. See? Don't." I said, "Is that so?"

He said, "Yes, it's so."

I said, "You don't believe that?"

He said, "Go right up there and find out." See, he was preaching back to me then. You see, see? "Go right up there and find out. Her name's So-and-so. She lives right around the corner."

The other old man setting there said, "That's right." See?

And I said, "Do you mean that's the truth?"

Said, "Well, go find out for yourself."

I said, "My." I said, "What was that guy's name?"

Said, "I don't know." Said, "I forget it." Said, "Some preacher from up in Indiana," he said.

36 And I said, "Yes, sir." And I was eating on that apple, you know, and I said, "That's a good apple."

Said, "Oh, yeah." Said, "She's a dandy. We can off it every year."

I said, "How old is that tree?"

"Oh," he said, "we... I planted that tree there myself about fifty years ago, something like that." He was seventy-six, I think it was.

I said, "Yes, uh-huh." I said, "I want to ask you a question."

And he said, "Yes, sir." He'd just got through saying, "If that preacher ever comes back here, seemed like he had something on the ball." He said, "I'm going to ask him how did he know that woman was in that shape, and how did he know she was going to be made well?"

And I said, "You say you planted that tree there so long ago?"

"Yes."

I said, "I want to ask you a question. It's just about the middle of August; we haven't even had a cool night. Why is those leaves dropping off the tree?"

"Oh," he said, "the life has left them."

"Oh," I said. "Is that right? Well, what happened to the life?"

"Oh," he says, "it went down into the roots of the tree."

I said, "Why did it go down there?"

He said, "Well, if it doesn't, it'll die. The winter will kill it. The germ of life can't stay up in this tree here."

I said, "Oh. Well," I said, "what causes it to go down before there's any cold spell?"

"Well," he said, "it just goes down."

And I said, "Well, now..."

He said, "It's just nature. It just actually goes down."

37 I said, "Well, if I get a bucket of water and set it out here on that locust stump, will when fall of the year comes along, will that water go out of the bucket right down to the bottom of the stump, and next spring come back up, bringing up another bucket of water?"

He said, "No."

I said, "Then there's bound to be some Intelligence. That tree has no intelligence. It's a--it's a tree, a plant. There's got to be some kind of Intelligence to cause it to go down to hide its life, and then come back up to bring you another bunch of apples."

He said, "Well, you know what?" he said, "I hadn't thought of it just that way."

And I said, "I tell you, you think of that. And whenever you can find out the Intelligence that says to that tree, 'Drop your leaf. Hurry back down into the roots, and stay there, and next spring come back again.' When you find what Intelligence that directed that tree to do that, I'll tell you what Intelligence that told me that woman was dying with a cancer, and put the handkerchief on her. She'd be healed."

He said, "You're not that preacher?"

I said, "Yes, sir, I am. I'm Brother Branham."

He said, "That's the name."

38 That old man become a Christian, gave his heart to Christ. Last year Brother Wood and I were down there, and I drove over to see the old man. And his wife was setting on the back porch peeling apples off of the same tree. And I come up and talked to her. And she said, "Brother Branham, that simple little story led the old brother to Christ. He died in Christian faith a year ago."

Now, what was it? He found God's provided way. By looking the way He could provide a way of escape of death of that tree, he found a provided way that God had provided for him to live again.

39 Just watch God's provided way. God always makes a provided way; in this we must follow it. Now, God's made a provided way for the human race to escape the oncoming judgments. In the days of Noah God made a provided way.

But when God makes a way and man refuses to walk in it, then if they miss it, it's not God's fault; no more than it is the city's fault when you run a stop light. See? He's made a way.

And God, before He was going to destroy the world, He built... had a ark built. Not only that, but He provided a prophet with His Word to make a way for the people to escape. And all that believed and walked in God's provided way, by God's provided messenger to point them to God's provided way, they escaped the wrath and judgment of death.

God's got a Messenger tonight called the Holy Spirit. He is the Word. And the Word... He's a--He's the one that manifests the Word. But you must walk in that way. You must listen to the Messenger of God, which is His Word and walk in that way. It's a way prepared, to be--for the escape.

40 Job, one of the oldest Books of the Bible, written, they claim, before Genesis was written... And Job, being a righteous man, God-fearing man. And he knew there was a God somewhere, and he wanted to know if he could come to Him in the days of his distress. He said, "If I only knew where He lived, and I could go knock on His door and speak to Him, if I could only find a way, some way, that I could see God..."

And God spoke to him and made a provided way. And he wanted to find a go-between, something that could stand between a sinful man and a holy God, and put his hands on a holy God, and His hand on a sinful man, and breach the way between the two, making peace.

God came down in a whirlwind. Job girded up his loins. God had a provided way, and the Spirit of God come on the prophet. He saw the coming of Christ and said, "I know my Redeemer liveth, and at the last days He will stand on this earth. Though after the skin worms destroys this body, yet in my flesh shall I see God." Amen. See, God was showing him His provided way.

41 Job 14, he seen the trees. He said, "If a tree dies, there's hopes for it to live again. But a man dies, yet he gives up the ghost and wastes away. Where is he? His sons comes to mourn, to honor him, and he perceives it not. Oh, that Thou would hide me in the grave, keep me in the secret place till Thy wrath be past."

He could understand that a--that a flower died; it lived again. And a tree died; it lived again. But said, "A man layeth down, he giveth up the ghost. Don't see him coming back again." He put the seed in the earth. He seen it die, rot, bring forth another life. But a man's went into the dirt and he laid there.

So God was explaining to him that the reason that man laid there is because man had sinned and got out of God's provided way, original way. And the original way for man to live was by the Word of God.

42 God fortified His church with His Word. And when they got away from that Word, just one little move of it, it caused all of this. Every heartache, every sorrow, every disappointment, every graveyard, every old age, and every sickness, every disease, every affliction was caused because the human race just listened to reason instead of the Word. That caused the whole thing.

"Oh," you say, "well, it doesn't really make any difference."

It does make a difference. God, with His messenger, told Lot and his wife, and the children, "Don't even look back." And Lot's wife--with her own children and grandchildren burning in the judgments of God, a mother just turned her head slightly looked back, and she was cursed to a pillar of salt. You've got to keep every Word of it. "Man shall not live by bread alone," said Jesus, "but by every word that proceeds out of the mouth of God."

43 Job knew then that man had sinned. But then God showed him His coming provided way, where there would come One could lay His hand on a sinful man and a holy God, and breach the way. And he said, "I know my Redeemer liveth, and at the last days He will stand upon the earth. Though after the skin worms destroys this body, yet in my flesh I shall see God, whom I shall see for myself. Mine eyes shall behold and not another." Hallelujah. That Redeemer came just on time.

44 Israel's time came for deliverance. God provided a prophet with the original Word of the promise: God's provided way. Now, Israel was in bondage. Now, Moses missed it first. He was a military man. He thought, "I'll go out and kill a couple of them, they'd be afraid of me." See?

That's what man is always trying to do, to take--make his own achievement. But you can't. The way's already made. God made the way. See?

No matter what great smart Jew would've raised up and said, "You know what? We can beat our swords out, and we can whip this nation," that'd of never work. God had a way to do it, and God had promised them that He was going to do it.

45 And when God sent a man down, a prophet, who the Word comes to, he had the original Word of God. "I have heard the groans of My people and I remember My promise." Hallelujah. That God don't change. He stays with that Word, letter by letter. Not only that, but He had vindicated His prophet.

He came down. He had a Pillar of Fire over him, a vindicated him. He was God's... That was God proving that the man was right, because he's exactly with the Word. Oh, my. He preached the Word. God worked with him, confirming the Words with signs following.

Exactly what God told Moses to do, Moses done. Moses had a lot of impersonators. But in every case God always rode the tide above all the impersonators and brought it out right. Jesus said... The Bible speaks that, "In the last days as Jannes and Jambres withstood Moses, so will men stand up in the last days" impersonation: promised it.

46 But when Moses threw his rod down, and these fellows standing there with supersensory perception threw their rods down, done the same thing that Moses done... Only, Moses was following the line of God.

And what happened? There's nothing the man could do. He'd fulfilled his duty. When you do everything that you can do in the line of duty, then it's God's business to provide a way to...?... God will provide for Himself a sacrifice. See?

And Moses threw his rod down, and Aaron threw his down; and they turned into serpents. And here come the supersensory perceptionists, and throwed down their rods, and they turned. And then Moses could do nothing else. Then God provided a way. Their rods eat up the others. What happened to the rods? Did the snake get bigger, or what happened? Oh, God still has a provided way, and He's able to make a way when there's no other way. He is the way.

47 When the Egyptians would not believe them signs that Moses did... They wouldn't believe it. Then it brought death. And when man doesn't believe God's Word, it always separates him from God. When Eve failed to believe God's Word it separated her and Adam from God, 'cause the two were one.

Notice, when any person disbelieves God's Word... God's Word is God's provided Way. Nobody should add anything to It or take anything from It. It's got to be just the way It's written. Now, when anybody takes away from It or adds to It, why, he separates himself from God. He's separated then.

The Egyptians disbelieved that prophet's sign that he come down there and did in the presence of them all. Now, now, he's... That brings death. Death is separation. And when death was ready to strike, God made a provision to separate the believers from unbelievers, and that was by the blood.

48 The blood made a separation. The one that really believed come under the blood; the ones that didn't believe stayed from under the blood. And that's the same way it is today. Believers stays under the Blood. That's right. It's the only place to stay of safety. All right.

The Blood caused separation between believer and unbeliever because the Blood packs Life. The Blood... Life is in the Blood. So Life... Blood is in the Life. And the believer stays in the Blood, which brings him Life Eternal. And the unbeliever takes his creed and goes on. That's right. No way of getting away from it. All right.

49 After Moses led them out, he come to the Red Sea. Right in the path of duty, there the Red Sea cut them off. Moses needed a bridge. God provided a wind. Amen. So Moses didn't--wouldn't have used the bridge. He took God's provided way, and he walked forward towards the sea. And it opened up, and Moses and Israel went over on dry land, because they followed God's provided way.

Through the wilderness they come, the journey, heartaches and sorrows as they passed through. Moses got old, one hundred and twenty years old, and one day he was going to die. So he climbed up to the top of Mount Pisgah. And while he was up there viewing the promised land, death struck him, that faithful prophet of God, when there'd never been one lived like him. But death struck him. And when death struck him, he needed a place that he could die. God provided a rock, that same rock that had followed him through the wilderness. He climbed up on the rock and died. Then he needed pallbearers to bury him, and God provided Angels. And they come and packed him away somewhere in the earth.

What was it? God. If we'll walk in God's provided way, God will provide everything we have need of. God provides. No matter what the circumstances is, He provides.

50 Enoch, one day, who'd walked five hundred years before God and had a testimony he pleased Him... Amen. What a testimony. Five hundred years and had a testimony he pleased God, and one day he started taking an afternoon walk, and he needed a path. And God give him a highway. And he walked right out of here, right up Jacob's ladder, or the highway, going up home. See? God provided him a way to go home. Right.

51 Elijah, after he'd bawled out Jezebel so much... We need another one today. That's right. Bawled her out... How the... We need one today. How the people... Oh, it's a disgrace, to what the people does today. It's just... And all of them call themselves Christians. And some of these fashions that our modern women are wearing, some of these women with them water-head haircuts, you know. [Blank.spot.on.tape--Ed.]

I've seen leprosy, but I've never seen anything like that. That woman had red and blue eyes, brown stuff all over her face, one of them water-head haircuts. I felt so sorry for her. I was going to go up and say, "Sister, pardon me. What's wrong with you? I'm a missionary. You want me to pray for you? I pray for the sick." And while I was going up to the woman, two or three more come up the same way. I thought, "Goodness gracious. It surely couldn't be that bad." Horrible. Oh, my, my, my. What a disgrace. Yes.

And Elijah had bawled out them first ladies of the land, and so forth. And he'd got tired and wore out, was going home. Hallelujah. He crossed over the Jordan. And he needed a ladder. But God sent him horses of fire and a chariot of fire. He had... God had a provided way of taking his old tired prophet out of it. I'm so glad that He still remains God.

52 Joshua, after the death of Moses, come down to the river of Jordan. He needed a bridge also to cross. But God give him a power, a Spirit that stopped the river, and held it up there in the mountains till they walked across on dry land. Praise God.

Daniel, right in the stand of duty--standing there as a prophet before God, speaking the Word of God, and refused to bow his knee to any other thing. Right in the line of duty, was throwed into a lions' den with hungry angry lions. He needed a go-between. He needed a fence to fence him off from the lions. But God sent an Angel, God's provided way for him. Daniel wanted a fence maybe, but God sent a li--sent an Angel that provided the way for him. How wonderful God is, if we'll just walk in His provided way.

53 The Hebrew children needed a hose, a fire hose, down in the fiery furnace one day; also standing loyal, right in the line of duty. They needed a hose to put the fire out, but God sent them the fourth Man: startled the king. God's provided way.

The wise men from the east was looking for a Star of Jacob to rise. They were looking for a guide to take them to it. And they wanted a guide; and God sent them a star. He guided them right exactly to the little King.

I can hear the wife of Belzar saying, "Say, Belzar, where you going?"

"I'm going all the way to Jerusalem" Oh, my. That was in the east, way back over in India. Was over there recently; they still set the same way, the wise men in the streets by the three. And said, "I'm going out." Well, they had to have a compass to guide them.

You say, "Well, here, you forgot your compass."

"I'm not taking it this time. I'm going God's provided way." Amen. "I'm going the provided way." Led him right straight to the young King that was born.

54 One day the world wanted a Saviour. They needed a Saviour. God provided His Son. Jesus, a Saviour, made a Sacrifice. He was a go-between. He was to stand between the sinner and the punishment that God had put upon him; stand between death and life, hell and heaven. He was God's go-between, a Saviour.

After He was dead, buried, and rose again, the church needed a power to preach His Gospel. Now, He did not give them an education. He did not build them a school. He did not form them an organization, but He give them the Holy Ghost. That was God's provided Way.

55 God has a provided way. We try to make some other way, but God's got a provided way. It's always best to follow His way. "You shall receive power after you've got your Bachelor of Art. You shall receive power after you become a deacon."

"You shall receive power after this the Holy Ghost is come upon you. Then you shall be witnesses of Me in Jerusalem, Judaea, (and Victoria), and to the uttermost parts of the earth." Yes, sir.

After two thousand years of unbelieving, and falling away, and creeds, and doctrines, and dogmas being added to the church, they needed a sign to find out whether He still lived or not. Oh, my. God had a provided way, the proof of His resurrection, a sign that He had promised to Abraham's royal seed.

He promised to Abraham's royal seed that the same sign that Abraham seen (as we took last night), his royal seed would see the same sign. And we're living in the evening time when the prophet said, "It shall be Light in the evening time."

56 What is it? Civilization has traveled with the sun. The oldest civilization we have is India--or, I mean China. And then the civilization has traveled with the sun (and notice), and has come till we got to the West Coast.

Now, they can't go any further. If they go, they go back east again. And notice. "There come a day," said the prophet, "that it wouldn't be called night or day." It was a dismal day, foggy. You get it over here on the coast. You got enough light you can see how to get around, but it ain't like the original light, the sun that rises on a clear morning.

And as the s-u-n rises in the east and sets in the west, the Gospel of the S-o-n rose in the east and setting in the west. And now the same sun that rises in the east, s-u-n, is the same sun that sets in the west. And the same S-o-n (Hallelujah.) that, throw His Light of Gospel, and power, and His Messiahic sign to the eastern people... In the last days now the clouds has cleared back away from the church, and the S-o-n rises with healing in His wings, and brings forth the power, evidence of His resurrection, that He still remains the Son of God. "It shall be Light in the evening time," God's provided way, yes.

57 God has provided His way, Messiahic sign, to prove that He is, according to Hebrews 13:8, "Jesus Christ the same yesterday, today, and forever." His same provided way that He had for Abraham, same provided way He had for Abraham's natural seed, the same provided way He has for Abraham's royal seed...

We're living in the last days when churches has got formal, and creeds, and dogmas. And people has got formal; the revival over, and the people going back into all kinds of ways of living. They don't want to go to church no more. They stay home and watch television. They go out, and women dress themselves trying to pattern after Hollywood. And men, that's supposed to be rulers of their own house, permits their wives to wear shorts and smoke cigarettes, and call themselves Christians, and sing in choirs and things like that; when the whole thing's become full of filth and vomit.

58 But God said, "I will restore all the years that the palmerworm and cankerworm and all the other worms eat. I will restore, saith the Lord." That same church that was down yonder on the day of Pentecost that fell, and filled a church, that the Roman church finally (cankerworms into organizations, denominations) eat it down to a stump. But God said He would restore it in the last days.

Evening light shall shine. We need evening-time evangelism, with evening-time message, not a bunch of creeds. They had former and latter rain. The Hebrew word for "former" means "sowing rain," and then the reaping rain. Sowing... What have we got out of this revival? More members. What did we sow? Denominational seed. We reap a denominational crop.

The Baptists had a big slogan out: a million more in forty-four. Billy Graham, great revivalist... That's true. We appreciate them men. But what we need today, brother, is sow the Gospel seed of the Word of the power, resurrection of Christ, the living Being that's living with us, in us now, present tense. "He that believeth on Me, the works that I do shall he do also." Amen.

59 We're promised a messenger in the last days, Malachi 4 said, that would restore the faith of the children back to the fathers. The Pentecostal children now that's getting away from it, will bring them back to the original message of the original Pentecost. Hallelujah. I feel religious. Amen, amen. "I will restore." God has a provided way today. It's a restored Pentecost, back to the same things, the same signs, the same message. Amen. There you are.

60 What am I saying? God's provided way, walk in God's provided way. He has provided us a Messenger, the Holy Ghost. He's provided us a Word. And if any spirit speaks contrary to the Word it can't be the Holy Ghost, 'cause the Holy Ghost wrote the Word. "In the beginning was the Word, the Word was with God, and the Word was God. And the Word was made flesh and dwelt among us." Hebrews 4:12: "The Word of God is sharper than a two-edged sword (cuts all the worldly flesh off of you), and is a Discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart. I will restore, saith the Lord, A way... A highway and a way, and it shall be called the way of holiness, the unclean shall not walk in it." Hallelujah.

You can't walk with Hollywood and with the church at the same time. You can't walk with God and the world at the same time. You can't love God and mammon at the same time.

What we need today is not more organization, more membership; but we need a church cleaning from the pulpit to the janitor, and a good old fashion Saint Paul's revival, and the Bible Holy Ghost, and people back walking in God's provided way. Amen. God has a provided way. Let's walk in it.

God promised when He was here on earth, He promised, "The works that I do shall you also." Jesus promised before, "As it was in the days of Lot, Sodom, so shall it be at the coming of the Son of man." What is it? God's provided way.

61 A bunch of disciples was out on the sea one time. They'd watched a great meeting that day, and seen a man that could break bread, tear it off, and lay it down, and another loaf of bread growed on to it: laying it down till he fed five thousand. My. They said, "That's got to be God. Nothing else could do that but God." There He was.

They were out on the ship in the sea. They'd went off without it--went off without Him. There they was, tossed about, and they didn't know what way to go. The oars were broke; the ship was waterlogged; the sails were tore down; and they had no way to get away from the power of Satan that was gushing in on them.

62 I wonder today if we ain't went off on a tantrum too, in the revival, to build new places, and scatter out and build new, big buildings, and preaching that the coming of Christ is at hand. Our own works testify against us. Oh, my, and missionaries without shoes on their feet. What's the matter, brother? Something's wrong. Notice at the condition though the church has got into. But God promised out of that He would restore, He would bring back, He'd make a way.

63 These disciples out there, all hopes was gone. They'd done give up. Said, "Well, we just can't go no further. We're just going to die out here on this sea tonight." And there come Jesus walking on the water. And the sad part of it was, God had provided them a way of escape, and they was afraid of it. They said, "It looks spooky. Oh, He's a spirit." And they cried out for fear.

Jesus said, "Fear not. Be of a good cheer. It's I."

God has provided a way for the people today to see that we're living in the end time. Don't be scared of it; believe it.

64 Let us bow our heads just a moment now. God has a provided way, friend. It's marked out all along the road. It's narrow. "Broad is the way that leads to destruction; but narrow is the way that leads to Life, and there's just a few of them that'll find it."

Are you one here tonight that don't know that way, that don't know what it means to walk in the way of Life: you don't know Christ, you haven't been filled with the Spirit? I'm going to ask you, as His servant, with the sincerity of my heart: if you're here and don't know Him as your Saviour, will you raise up your hand and say, "Brother Branham (when you raise your hand, it'll testify for you), I want you to pray for me that I will walk in God's provided way."

You may be a member of a church. That don't mean one thing. Look, you say, "Well, I live a good, clean life." That still don't mean one thing to God. Who--who could be any cleaner, who could be any more holy speaking than those Pharisees was of that day? They were loyal man that we'd call God-fearing man. But Jesus said, "You are of your father the devil," because they didn't know their Messiah. If you don't know Him personally...

65 We send our children away to Bible school and colleges, and we learn them the Bible. What good does it do to know the Bible if you don't know the Author? The Bible doesn't say to know the Word. Satan knows the Word better than any student in the world. That don't make him saved. It's not by knowing the Word; it's knowing Him is Life: to know Him.

If you don't know Him, raise your hand, say, "Brother Branham, pray for me. I want to know Him. Sincerely, with all my heart, I want to know Him." Is there sinners here would raise up your hand and say, "Pray for me. I want to know Him. I want to walk in His way, God's provided way. I realize I've joined church, but if I was dying right now I'd be scared to death, I wouldn't be saved." God bless you. Is there another? "I want to know Him." God bless you, young lady. God bless you. God bless you, lady. That's good.

66 Brother Brent, God bless you, sir. I tell you, it takes a real man to admit he's wrong. When he's wrong, will admit it, I got plenty of hopes for that person. When a woman's wrong and will admit it, I got plenty of hopes for her. But when they're wrong and won't admit it... "He that hides his sin, or covers his sin, shall not prosper. He that confesses his sin shall have mercy." If you're wrong and know it, raise up your hand, say, "Pray for me, Brother Branham." God bless you, brother. Another, just before prayer? God bless you, lady. Yes, God bless you over here, and you, lady. God bless you. That's--that's real courage to do that.

Say, "Yes, Lord, I believe." I'm just watching for hands. He's watching too. Don't doubt; just believe. Just keep praying, watching the... Let it... Just think it all over now, if you were dying. Have you, sure you made up your mind, your decision's right?

67 Our heavenly Father, there's been some fifteen hands or more went up, best of my knowing. They are needy, Lord. They are willing to raise up their hands and say that, "I'm wrong. Pray for me."

Lord God, I'm going to quote Your Words to You. You said in the Gospel of Saint John the 5th chapter and the 24th verse, "He that heareth My Words, and believeth on Him that sent Me, hath Everlasting Life, and shall not come into the judgment; but's passed from death unto Life." That was Your promise, Lord.

Now, they raised up their hand, showing that there was a Spirit around them, their spirit, telling them that they are wrong. And they raised their hand to the Maker that created them, to recognize to Him that they were wrong. Father, from the depths of their heart that that was said, they passed from death to Life. You promised it. You said, "He that will confess Me before men, him will I confess before My Father and the holy Angels."

68 There is a provided Sacrifice. God has provided for our sickness, for our salvation. For all that we have need of, God has a provided way. He's Jehovah-jireh, "the Lord can provide for Himself a sacrifice." And He did. Let Your peace and mercy rest upon them, Father. They are Yours. They are what Jesus has give to You. He said, "no man can pluck them out of His hands." They are Yours.

They meant that. I believe, God, with all my heart they meant it. And I pray this prayer of faith for them that they might know that You are God, that You are not dead, that You were dead once and rose up on the third day. And two thousand years of criticism, and--and every way in the world to smut out Your Name, and to wipe the Bible away; It still stands today, and You're standing bearing record of it. There... "I'm alive forevermore, and have the keys of death and hell," said our Saviour.

69 Now, Lord, they are Yours. In this presence of this company, and this host of heaven, and the church of the living God, they are Yours. Keep them, Father. And in that great day, may we have the privilege of meeting one another again around that communion table on that evening of the Lord's supper, in the Kingdom again with Him.

May they find a good church, a good Full Gospel church, be baptized in Christian baptism. And then, Father, receive the Holy Ghost and live a godly life hereafter. Grant it, in Jesus' Name. Amen.

70 Now, just before I ask you to come here and stand around for prayer, how many sick people in here, or people that has a need of God, you don't have prayer cards? Raise up your hand then.

If the Word is preached, and the Lord confirmed the Word that was preached, working miracles and signs... Now, last night I went through the--to show you that Jesus, what His sign was as Messiah, brought it down through Abraham's day, and showed it closed off the Jewish dispensation, it closed off there with Abraham in his time, promised by Jesus to the royal seed of Abraham, which is the church, and at their time.

Told you that God can never make a decision... And called on the scene to do anything, He has to forever do it the same way. When God was called to save a man, if He'd said, "Stand on his head," that had to be forever that way. God saved a man by the shed blood of an innocent one, and it's always remained the same.

71 We've tried education, denomination, all kinds of programs, and they all fail and drive man further away from God and one another. But when we come under the shed Blood, Methodist, Baptist, Catholic, Presbyterian, and all can agree; because we're in God's provided way: fellowship by the Blood of Jesus Christ, the only common grounds of worship there is in fellowship.

We don't care if princes, judges, whatever it is, setting close when the Spirit falls, we're there to worship God, because we're not ashamed of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. For it's the power of God unto salvation, God's provided way for the sinner.

Jesus said, "He that believeth on Me the works that I do shall he do also." All of you here's been in the meetings before, and you know what I'm coming to. Now, I predict this: that the church is in the most critical condition it's ever been in.

72 Little did those Egyptian slaves know, when they stood on the bank after seeing a great revival that that prophet came down and brought to them, and they'd seen the mighty hand of God, and they'd been pro--protected and come out there; and dancing in the Spirit after they crossed through the Red Sea and seeing their enemies drowned behind them (all their habits, and things, like we'd call today, drowned behind them) the things that torment them; and Miriam dancing in the Spirit, and Moses singing in the Spirit, and so forth; little did they know that when they was only about ten days from the promised land, knowing that they were forty years away from it... Why? Because they refused to follow God. They wanted a law instead of grace. And they got it; so they could make their own way and have their own so-and-so. Man's always tried to do something by himself. And God let every one of them perish in the wilderness, and raised up a new generation and took them to the promised land.

73 Little did the Pentecostal church know of forty or fifty years ago, when you were dancing in the Spirit, them old, long-haired mothers with long dresses on, that their daughters would ever be Hollywood queens, as they try to be today.

Little did they know, when men of integrity, and godly men who would die for that Word, stand under gunfire and everything else, called "holy-roller," throwed in jail; stood on the street corner, run off of one corner, be on the other one, bringing the Gospel, that their sons would even permit such a thing to come; to bring your churches into a place like the rest of the denominations.

Now, they're wandering. For forty years they've been. But there's a new one coming up. "God will restore," saith God, somebody that will walk in the Spirit, bring the truth, and tell the truth. Joshua, Jehovah-Saviour, led them across Jordan.

74 Now, brother, sister, Christ lives today. He is not dead. If He's dead, then our religion's in vain. He rose again, is alive forevermore. He only come death because He could take away sin. It was Emmanuel.

When He went up the mountain, the bee of death humming around Him, knowing He was going to sting Him, little did they think that He was... Little did Satan believe He was a prophet. Why, that mockery, put a rag around His face, and spit in His face, and hit Him on the head with a reed, and said, "If you are a prophet, tell us who hit you?" See? "If thou art the Son of God, turn these stones to bread." See? Old Pharisee standing there said, "If he was a prophet, he'd know what kind of a woman that was washing his feet," like He didn't know. See?

75 When He seen Simon and called his name, and told him, "Your name is Simon. You're the son of Jonas," that predestinated seed of God come to life that quick. When Philip went and got Nathanael and brought him up there, He said, "Behold an Israelite indeed, in whom there's no guile."

He said, "Rabbi, when did You know me?"

Said, "Before Philip called you, when you were under the tree, I knew you."

He said, "Rabbi, You're the Son of God, the King of Israel." They knowed that was Messiahic sign. That's right. That was God's provided way for them to see Him.

76 That Angel down there at Sodom, that turned His back to the tent, and asked Abraham where was Sarah, his wife... And in the tent she was. And He said, "I'll visit you according to life." And Sarah laughed within herself. He said, "Why did Sarah laugh?" behind him.

Jesus said, "As it was in the days of Lot, so shall it be in the coming of the Son of man." Abraham come through all kinds of signs and things, but just before the fire there come that sign. Israel come through all kinds of signs. But before they were excommunicated from the Presence of God, they seen that Messiahic sign.

The church has come down through Lutheran, Baptist, Presbyterian, on down through Pilgrim Holiness, and Nazarenes, Pentecostals, to speaking in tongues; but here it is. They have... Something has to happen. He has to be the same God.

I have no education. I'm your brother. But I'm telling you the truth. And if I'm telling you the truth, God's got to back that truth up. And if it isn't the truth, God will have nothing to do with it. That's...

77 You all--we all know the Word of the Lord came to the prophets. The prophets was the Word of the Lord made manifest. Jesus was the Prophet, and that's the reason Deuteronomy said, "The Lord your God shall raise up a prophet." And when they seen Him doing that, they hadn't had a prophet for hundreds of years, but they knowed that was that prophet.

Look at that little old woman up there, a prostitute, in Saint John 4, as she stood up there that day. And Jesus came out, a Jew, and asked her for a drink. And the conversation went on for quite a lengthy spell. Jesus was trying to find where her trouble was.

And when He found where her trouble was, He said, "Go, get your husband, come here."

She said, "I have no husband."

He said, "Truth. You've had five, and the one you're living with now is not your husband."

Look at that little woman. She said, "Sir, I perceive that Thou art that Prophet."

Now, if you notice, the King James says "a prophet," but run your marginal reading--"that Prophet" that was to come. They asked John, "Are You that Prophet?" They knowed that Messiah was to be prophet.

She said, "Are You that Prophet that was to come? We know when Messiah, which is called Christ, when He comes, that'll be His sign. He will show us these things. But Who are You?"

Jesus said, "I'm He that speaks with you."

78 Brother, them Pharisees, high-scholared, denominational, gritted down, stood there and said, "It's a devil, Beelzebub, a fortuneteller."

He said, "I forgive you. But someday the Holy Ghost will come to do the same thing. One word against It will never be forgiven in this world, nor the world to come."

He said, "You search the Scriptures. They are the ones that testify of Me." He was God's Word made flesh. He's a manifestation. "If I do not the works of My Father, believe Me not. The Scriptures testify of Me. You think in them you have Eternal Life. They testify of Me." In other words, "They're the very things that says what I am."

79 Now, the very same Scriptures is saying the day we're living in, proving that we're in the evening time. And God's made a way of escape. Run to it as quick as you can. That escape is Jesus Christ, the Holy Ghost. By one Spirit we're all baptized into that.

And don't depend on... I believe in shouting, speaking in tongues and all that, but don't you depend on that. It's the Life that's in it. And that Life is what believes that Word. No matter if you spoke in tongues, and whatever you've done, and still doubt that Word, it ain't the Holy Ghost in you.

The Holy Ghost wrote the Word, and the Holy Ghost cannot deny His own Word. See? The Holy Ghost will punctuate every one of them sentences with "Amen, Amen," just exactly; line upon line, line upon line, the Holy Ghost will.

And the Holy Ghost was the One made the promise. Any man knows that the Bible said that, "Jesus Christ right now is a High Priest that can be touched by the feeling of our infirmities." Anyone knows that the Bible said, Hebrews 13:8, that, "Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever." If He's the same High Priest, He's got to act the same way if He's the same High Priest. Jesus said, "The works that I do, shall you do also." What kind of works did He do?

80 The Bible plainly shows that we're in the last day and the last sign. I'm fairly young yet; I'm fifty-three years old. Watch this: In the Name of the Lord, you'll never see nothing greater. I know you're looking for something great, but watch out. You got your eye... You're on the wrong track right there.

Read the first three chapters of Revelation. There wasn't too much promised to the Gentile church. That's right. Those things that you're reading, that's coming over there in Israel after the church is gone. So be careful, brother. It passes right over you, and you don't know it.

81 "Which one of the prophets did your fathers not stone because they didn't know their day? If you'd have knowed Me you'd have knowed My day." They didn't know John till he was dead, buried.

They didn't know Jesus till He dead, buried. They didn't know Saint Patrick. Joan of Arc, the Catholic church burnt her as a witch to the post, because the woman had power in prayer and saw visions. And they said she was a fortuneteller, a witch, and they burnt that woman, screaming for mercy. Oh, of course, you done penance two hundred years later, dug up them priests' body and throwed them... But it passed by you, and you didn't know it. Even the disciples said, "Why does the scribes say Elias must first come?"

Said, "Elias has already come and you didn't know it." Goes over your head and you don't know it. Don't miss it. The Holy Spirit, Christ is here.

Now, remember these two words before I leave you: the appearing of Christ and the coming of Christ is two different things. Christ is now appearing in the fullness of His power. His coming will be afterwards: His appearing before His coming. God be merciful.

82 Now, every person here be real reverent. I was talking, waiting, till I knowed His Presence was here. I'm going to ask Him, in the Name of Jesus Christ, to take us into His hands and to take our unbelief away from us. Take my fears, and doubts, and flusterations, God. Take the flusterations of this company away, that You might work the works that You promised in the last days. That we might go from here tonight, God, with our hearts burning within us, and see that the God that we have served, that we have shouted to, we have praised to, here He is showing Hisself alive among us. Grant it, Lord. In the Name of Jesus Christ, may it be so.

83 Now, if there'd be any doubt in anybody's heart, you come here and take my place. But if I've told the truth, God's obligated to back that truth up. Now, you that raised your hand, I'm going to ask you to do something in a minute.

But you that knows and believes that this I have told you is the truth, then you pray and say, "Lord, let me touch Your garment with my faith tonight." Now, if you'd touch me, it wouldn't do any good, no more than my brethren here, or anybody out there. But you touch Him one time.

Watch the Spirit. That's how we know Christ. Not by the way He dressed; not the way (as I said) as He groomed His hair, or His beard, by His speech, language, but they knowed His Life. Christ is a Life. "We know when Messiah cometh He will tell us these things. He's the same yesterday, today, and forever."

84 Just pray, sincerely. Don't be nervous. If you do, you'll never catch it. Just be simple. Just say, "Lord..." It's simplicity that they overlook. They make it so complicated till they... That's the reason they missed Jesus in the first place. Said, "Well did Isaiah speak: You got eyes, can't see; ears, and can't hear." See? Make you... Just realize that Christ, the Son of God, lives.

Now, you pray. And if God does what the Bible says He does, then the truth is, the Bible's right. But if He doesn't do it, then it isn't God; and we know that. Anyone knows that, that God is obligated to His Word. Don't you believe that? He's got to keep His Word. Now, you just pray now and believe with all your heart that God is going to grant it. And now, may He bring His Spirit, and speak to us, and confirm the Word. Now, watch real close.

85 Now, remember, how many in here, while you're silently praying, has seen the picture of that Angel of the Lord on that paper? Sure. I guess they've showed it here in the building. So help me, with this Bible here, and it over my heart, at the day of judgment I'll be judged and you'll be judged if we miss Christ. That same Light isn't a foot from where I'm standing right now.

Now, He said, "I come from God, and I go to God." That Light came down and was made flesh. It returned back from the resurrection into glory, and Paul on his road down to Damascus was smitten down by It.

Now, if that Light, that scientific world has proved that It's a supernatural Being, if that don't produce the same Life that It did when It was here in Christ; if It don't do the same thing in His church, then It isn't the same Life. If It does, It is the same Life.

86 Here. I want... Look here. There's a little woman setting right here, just ducked her head down just then. Faith, trying to believe, she's praying for her eyes. Her eyes are in bad shape. She's worried about it. She's looking right at me. She's not... She's a--from Norway. That's right. Have you a prayer card? You don't? You don't need one. Your eyes will get all right now. Your faith touched Him.

Have faith. Now, I'll just want--just take our time just a minute.

Go to that lady. Stand up just a minute, ever who the woman was. Where was she? See, it's a vision. It's like I dreamed something. Where was that woman? Now, I think it was right back in here. Was those things true, lady? What was said? Raise up your hand. Was you praying like that, and so forth?

How would I know what she was praying about, and what she was praying for, and all about it, and who she is, and where she is, and what happened, and so forth? How would I know it when the woman is a total stranger to me? I never seen her in my life, and we're total strangers.

Go to her after the service and ask her. Thank you. What did she do? That confirms the Scripture. "He's a High Priest that can be touched by the feeling of our infirmities."

87 Here. Here comes a man coming before me. The lifeline comes here. Setting here on the end of the row, suffering with a back trouble, you believe that God will make you well, with that back trouble, setting here? Believe that God will heal you? You do? You accept your healing? Mr. Sanders, do you believe that God is a great Healer?

I want to ask you something. Look here to me. Last evening you had a very strange feeling when you were here in the meeting. Something taken place. Now, tonight when it returns to you again... Now, you believe with all your heart; that trouble's gone from you. You believe?

88 Here, I don't know you. We're strangers. Don't you see that? Looky here, brethren. Looky there, right over this man here--yellow amber Light. The man's suffering. He's in bad shape. It's nervousness, about to have a breakdown. Just is a breakdown; that's all. You're a nice man, got a family, a bunch of children, about five children. That's right. Have you a prayer card? You don't need it. It's all over now, can go home, make a living for your children. Your faith makes you whole.

See this boy setting next to you? When I pointed my finger over there, he jumped. If you'll believe, that skin disease will leave you too, and you'll get well. You believe it? Have you a prayer card? You don't need it now. Your faith makes you whole.

89 Don't you believe with all your heart? Ask those people. I do not know them. They're just setting here in the meeting; but they got faith.

Here's a lady setting here looking right at me, right up here. She's suffering with a back trouble too. She'll believe... Miss Cobbles. I don't know you. Have you got a prayer card? You don't need it. Your faith saves you.

Is He the same yesterday, today, and forever? This is God's way; walk in it. What is it? The resurrected Jesus Christ. Forget all these creeds and things you're trying to hold to. Turn it loose. The Word is being made flesh among us. We see it's God's Word.

90 Do you love Him? Would you like to come offer your life to Him, as a life of service; even a dedicational service, to dedicate your life to Him again? Would you do it? While in His Presence, I want every person that's here, that wants to dedicate their life anew, and all you people that raised your hand awhile ago, come stand along here just a minute. I feel led to do this. And when I feel led, it's always the right thing. That's right. Oh, now, you'll see something happen.

Yes, we'll gather at the river,

The beautiful, the beautiful river;

Oh, gather with the saints at the river

That flows by the throne of God.

Yes, we'll (all of us) at the river,

The beautiful, the beautiful river;

We'll gather with the saints at the river

That flows by the throne of God.

Shall we gather at the river,

Where bright angels' feet have trod,

With...?...

Let's raise our hands now.

Yes, we'll gather at the river,

The beautiful, the beautiful river;

Gather with the saints at the river

That flows from the throne of God.

Let us bow our heads now. The organist will continue with that while we hum it in our hearts. [Brother Branham begins humming--Ed.]

.. silver spray...

Just continually humming now, thinking you're coming in the Presence of the Spirit of God that's here with you.

We'll gather at the river...

91 Heavenly Father, I walk up before this penitent group, the complete church outside of about ten or fifteen people stands on their feet, wanting to know You closer, walk with You, love You more. They're standing, Lord, singing: "Shall We Gather At The River." Yes, Lord, we'll gather there, and it won't be long.

When the time is fulfilled, then the Spirit of God, which is here right now, the great Holy Spirit moving around over the building, that sweetness of fellowship that draws us close to Him, letting us know that our sins be pardoned, our iniquity is gone... When we're ready to confess our wrongs, God is willing to forgive us.

92 Heavenly Father, as we see the day far spent now, and we seen You do something tonight like You did before Your crucifixion, that's the very works that You done before You were crucified. And here now we know by this, the promise of the Word that It promised it would do again, we know that You are risen from the dead and You're alive forevermore.

Two thousand years of criticism and twisting in theology, has never been able to warp it out of the Word of God. We see Christ come on the scene and do exactly the same thing that He did when He was here on earth. We know by this that He lives.

And we know by this that we are accepted, because the Angel that come to Abraham and to the elected group, not down into Sodom, but up at the elected group, performed this type of a sign. And we're so glad, God, that You let us know that we are that church that's come out and are separated; not down in Babylon no more, but are borned again and are made new creatures in Christ Jesus, waiting for His coming. We care not for the things of the world, for we are pilgrims and strangers. Our inheritance is of above where God sets on His throne.

93 We pray, heavenly Father, that You will take each penitent person that's standing here. And if I have found grace in Your sight, and we have preached the Gospel without compromising, just exactly the way the Word teaches it, and You have proved that it is the truth by Your visit with us tonight; God, forgive every sin. Take every coldness away from the people, and may the Holy Spirit, in the power of His resurrection of Christ, will move into every heart and warm those hearts. Fill it, Lord.

Right now let another Pentecost drop down upon this audience. Satan's defeated. May the power of God move into the hearts, and sanctify and fill every heart here in Divine power of the Holy Ghost. Grant it, Lord.

I offer this prayer to You, God. In the Name of Jesus Christ, grant it, Father. May Your grace, grace our (us) our gathering tonight and our blessings together with You, Lord, in heavenly places. Grant it, in Jesus' Name.

94 All that believe now with all your heart that God forgives you, and you promise that by the grace of God in the Presence of this Angel, the Holy Ghost that's here now, you promise from this night on you'll live for Him, you'll pray more, you'll sacrifice, you'll fast, you'll do everything in your power, by the grace of God, to live for Him. Raise up your hands and praise Him. Now, say, "Thank You, Lord, for giving me this faith to believe it." God bless you. Amen.