Uvideli sme Jeho hviezdu a prišli sme sa Mu pokloniť

UVIDELI SME JEHO HVIEZDU A PRIŠLI SME SA MU POKLONIŤ (WE HAVE SEEN HIS STAR AND HAVE COME TO WORSHIP HIM), 63-1216, Ramada Inn, Ramada Inn, Tucson, AZ, 99 min

1Považujem to za veľké privilégium, že som dnes večer tu na tomto príjemnom zhromaždení kresťanských ľudí, a že mám tú príležitosť hovoriť vám o našom požehnanom Pánovi Ježišovi, pre ktorého sme tu všetci, aby sme si Ho uctili.

2Je pekné byť s bratom Tonym a bratom Williamsom, dvoma prezidentmi tejto kapituly v Tucsone a tiež vo Phoenixe. Mali sme tam minulú sobotu ráno zhromaždenie, a istotne to bol chválebný čas tam v Ramada Inn. A očakávame, že tam budeme mať skvelý čas od devätnásteho tohto mesiaca, kedy budem mať to privilégium ísť tam na predĺženú bohoslužbu. Myslím, že mám štyri večery, počnúc od devätnásteho. A myslím, že tá medzinárodná konferencia obchodníkov sa začína dvadsiateho druhého, dvadsiateho tretieho. Budem tam do dvadsiateho druhého a potom mám jeden alebo dva večery, myslím, na tej konferencii. A tak toto je pre mňa veľké privilégium, že mám tú príležitosť zhromaždiť sa s kresťanmi z rôznych častí krajiny, aby som vyjadril svoje pocity a lásku voči Kristovi a aby sme mali spolu chválebné obecenstvo. A je mi ľúto, že som nemal tú možnosť vychutnať si to úžasné jedlo, ktoré viem, že tu máte. Ale myslím, že...

3Bol som tu na rozhovoroch, modlil som sa za chorých a snažil som sa nejako počas tej cesty pomôcť. A toto je chorý svet, v ktorom žijeme, je tu toľko choroby a problémov. Ale uprostred toho všetkého je to nádherná vec, že máme Niekoho, na koho sa môžeme obrátiť ponad všetky tieto veci, a tlačiť sa ďalej.

4Čo ak by neboli skutočné Vianoce? Ak by neboli skutočné Vianoce, no, potom by veci neboli tak, ako dnes večer sú. Ak by neboli skutočné Vianoce, nebolo by žiadne spasenie. A teraz, kedy znovu čelíme Vianociam, je príliš veľká škoda, že sme to zmenili, ten skutočný význam, ktorým je narodenie Ježiša až do... no, vyzerá to že Santa Klaus zaujal miesto Krista cez Vianoce a nejaká fikcia Kriss Kringla, ktorý ide dolu komínom s vrecom hračiek na chrbte, ktorý stihne navštíviť celý svet za jeden večer. A ja neviem, čo si o tom vy myslíte, je to v poriadku, ak to tak chcete hovoriť svojim deťom; ale ja som bol skrze Písmo učený, že „Nebudeš klamať.“ A potom jedného dňa sa ťa opýtajú, „Je tento Ježiš to isté ako Santa Klaus?“, keď zistia, že nakoniec neexistuje žiaden Santa Klaus. Takže si myslím, že je to tak najlepšie, aspoň ja. To nemusí byť váš nápad. Ja vám nehovorím, ako máte vychovávať svoje deti. Ale ja... Ale ak vás prichytia pri tom, ako ohľadom toho klamete, potom budete musieť niekedy inokedy vysvetľovať, že možno aj toto a tamto je tiež klamstvo. Takže radšej im len povedzte pravdu, priamu pravdu, a potom budú vedieť, čo máte na mysli. Bez ohľadu na to, ako zle to zvonku vyzerá a čo tam oni vonku robia, to by nám nemalo prekážať v tom, aby sme z Vianoc robili to, čo majú byť. Vidíte?

5Myslím, že svetlo lepšie svieti v temnote. Čím tmavšia je, tým viac to svetlo svieti, niekedy to môže byť len malé svetlo. Kde je veľa svetla, tam to nie je až tak povšimnuté. Ale čím tmavšie tam je, to malé svetlo tam bude o to silnejšie svietiť. A pamätajte, že nie je žiadna temnota v prítomnosti svetla. Svetlo je o toľko mocnejšie ako temnota, že ona ani nedokáže obstáť v jeho prítomnosti. Temnota nedokáže obstáť, keď slnko začne svietiť, lebo slnko je o toľko väčšie, to slnečné svetlo, že ono len vytláča tú temnotu von a ona už viac neexistuje.

6A tento temný svet sa jedného dňa celý obráti na svetlo. Keď znovu príde Ježiš Kristus – to Slnko spravodlivosti – potom už nebude viac temnoty. A dovtedy, ako sa pozeráme von na čas noci a vidíme, ako svieti mesiac...

7Ten mesiac a slnko sú manžel a manželka, môžeme to tak povedať. A v neprítomnosti slnka, mesiac odráža svetlo slnka na zem a dáva jej menšie svetlo, aby sme sa vedeli zorientovať počas svetla mesiaca, až kým nevyjde slnko. A potom sa slnko a mesiac stanú jedno, slnečné svetlo a mesačné svetlo je nakoniec to isté.

8Taká by mala byť Cirkev Pána Ježiša Krista, odrážajúc Jeho Svetlo, zatiaľ čo On je na zemi neprítomný vo fyzickom tele, tá cirkev by mala byť odrazom Ježiša Krista v týchto temných hodinách. Keď sú na ulici Santa Klaus a všetky tie pozlátka, mali by sme vykríknuť, „Toto je narodenie Ježiša Krista a nie návšteva sv. Mikuláša!“ Žijeme v hrozných temných časoch a práve vtedy by malo naše svetlo skutočne svietiť.

9No, pred tým, ako prečítame Božie Slovo, som zvedavý, či si dokážeme uctiť Jeho Slovo. Ako si uctíme Jeho Slovo? Uctíme Jeho Slovo tým, že Ho budeme čítať a potom Mu veriť. No, mali by sme to prečítať, „Viera prichádza skrze počutie.“ A potom, ako to uctíme tým, že to budeme čítať, potom by sme Ho mali uctiť tým, že budeme veriť tomu, čo sme prečítali.

10A tak, aby sme urobili to prvé uctenie, zatiaľ čo budeme čítať Jeho Slovo, postavme sa na svoje nohy, zatiaľ čo prečítam kúsok Písma. Stojíme pri uctievaní čítaním Jeho Slova. Budem čítať o tom, o čom chcem dnes večer krátko hovoriť. Bude to z knihy sv. Matúša, taký vianočný príbeh. V 2. kapitole sv. Matúša čítame toto:

A keď sa narodil Ježiš v Judskom Betleheme za dní kráľa Herodesa, tu hľa, mudrci od východu slnca prišli do Jeruzalema

a hovorili: Kde je ten narodený kráľ židovský? Lebo sme videli jeho hviezdu na východe slnca a prišli sme sa mu pokloniť.

Ale keď to počul kráľ Herodes, zľakol sa i celý Jeruzalem s ním.

A svolal všetkých najvyšších kňazov a učiteľov ľudu a vypytoval sa ich, kde sa má Kristus narodiť.

A oni mu riekli: V Judskom Betleheme, lebo tak je napísané skrze proroka:

A ty, Betleheme, zem Júdova, nijako nie si najmenším medzi vojvodami Júdovými, lebo z teba mi vyjde vodca, ktorý bude pásť môj ľud, Izraela.

Vtedy Herodes povolal tajne mudrcov a dôkladne sa ich vypýtal na čas hviezdy, ktorá sa im ukazovala.

11No, skloňme teraz na chvíľu svoje hlavy, zatiaľ čo budeme hovoriť k Autorovi tohto Slova.

12Všemocný Bože, ďakujeme Ti dnes večer z hĺbky našich sŕdc za tú lásku Kristovu, ktorú si vylial do našich sŕdc v týchto posledných dňoch skrze Ducha Svätého. Ďakujeme Ti, lebo máme to privilégium zhromaždiť sa spolu a uctievať Teba a mať toto požehnané uistenie, že jedného dňa si Ty prídeš pre Tvoju cirkev. Ďakujeme Ti za to, že môžeme byť nositeľmi svetla v tomto veku a byť tu pripravení zamanifestovať to zasľúbené Slovo na tento vek, v ktorom teraz žijeme, vediac, že na začiatku si Ty udelil Svoje Slovo. Vediac koniec pred začiatkom, v každom veku si Ty pridelil Svoje Slovo pre ten vek. Nejako, my nevieme, ako sa to presne stalo, ale v každom jednom z tých vekov, keď sa pozrieme naspäť na Tvoje Slovo a vidíme, že v tom veku prišlo pomazanie, ktoré naplnilo to Slovo. A v dňoch, v ktorých teraz žijeme, je tam pridelené Slovo, zasľúbenie pre tento vek. Veríme, že Duch Svätý je tu teraz na zemi a snaží sa nájsť srdcia, aby zamanifestoval a uskutočnil a prinavrátil to Slovo, ktoré bolo prorokované na tento deň a túto hodinu.

13Ako sa pozrieme naspäť, nejakých tisíc deväťsto rokov dozadu, bolo prorokované Slovo od záhrady Eden, ohľadom Spasiteľa, ktorý má prísť, a On mal byť Ten, ktorý príde a vyplní každé Slovo, ktoré bolo prorokované: Jeho život potvrdil Božie Slovo, lebo On bol tým Slovom. Tá plnosť Božia v Ňom prebývala. On bol tou odpoveďou a plnosťou toho, čo všetci tí proroci povedali. A dnes večer sa tu znovu približujeme k uctievaniu Jeho narodenín.

14A, Pane, je nám ľúto, že dokonca aj náš národ sa zamotal do nejakého fiktívneho príbehu niekoho, ktorý mal byť nejakým bájkovým mýtom. Ale, Pane, my vieme, že ten pravdivý veriaci vie, že to nie je pravda a že to len robí nepriateľ, aby zmiatol ľudskú myseľ a odviedol od pravdivého a živého Boha.

15Bože, modlíme sa, aby, ako sa dostaneme k tomuto vianočnému príbehu, bola dnes večer Jeho Prítomnosť s nami. A udeľ to, Pane Ježišu, ak by tu v tejto budove bol nejaký biznismen alebo žena, ktorý Ho ešte neprijal ako svojho Spasiteľa, nech je toto ten večer, kedy sa ich srdce stane tou kolískou, ktorá bude dnes večer, takpovediac, kolísať toho odmietnutého a ohrdnutého Ježiša, Mesiáša Božieho. Nech odtiaľto odídu dnes večer tak, že sa bude nad nimi vznášať tá Ranná Hviezda, a bude osvecovať ich cestu, až kým jedného dňa neprekročia Jordán skrze Svetlo tohto Jediného. Udeľ to, Otče, lebo o to prosíme v Jeho Mene a pre Jeho Slávu. Amen.

Môžete si sadnúť.

16Zvyčajne zvyknem kázať pomerne dlho; dnes večer by som sa ani nesnažil kázať, lebo som zachrípnutý. Ale rád by som podal určitú drámu tohto vianočného príbehu. A niet pochýb, že to budete mnohokrát počuť, ako bude toto isté miesto Písma čítané, pôjde to do vašich rádií, do vašich televízií, do vašich cirkví, cez vašich oddaných pastorov, vás biznismenov, a tak ďalej, všetci budú počuť tento vianočný príbeh alebo teda budú hovoriť o tomto vianočnom príbehu.

17Ale teraz by som k tomu chcel pristúpiť trochu inak, ako som to robil minulú nedeľu na zhromaždení biznismenov vo Phoenixe, že prečo sa Ježiš narodil v Betleheme. A nemohlo byť žiadne iné miesto, kde sa mohol narodiť, lebo to hovorilo o Jeho Mene a o tom, kým On bol. A zistili sme cez Písmo, že on, Betlehem, je Dom Božieho Chleba, a On bol tým Božím Chlebom Života. A nebol žiaden spôsob, ako... A to nám dáva vedieť, kým sme, znovuzrodení kresťania, ktorí sú znovu narodení do Betlehema. Kristus je potom Božím Betlehemom, Jeho Domom Chleba Večného Života.

18No, dnes večer k tomu pristúpime trochu inak. Vezmem si dnešný text, ak Pán dá, a nazvem to, Uvideli sme Jeho hviezdu a prišli sme sa Mu pokloniť [„prišli sme Ho uctievať“ – podľa angl. prekladu kráľa Jakuba – pozn.prekl].

19Títo mudrci... Máme tú vedomosť a hovoria nám to tradície, že boli títo traja mudrci, ale jednako nevieme, či to bola pravda. Biblia nehovorí, že boli „traja“. Avšak mal som to privilégium kázať v Indii, odkiaľ údajne pochádzali, a tam cestujú po troch. My ich stále vidíme. Len nedávno som bol v Indii. A tam ich vidíte čupieť na ulici počas dňa, hlavy s turbanmi im do seba navzájom narážajú, a sedia tam, akoby snívali. Nikdy si priamo nesadnú, len si čupnú. A myslím, že to je ten dôvod, prečo tam boli traja mudrci, lebo oni zvykli cestovať v troch.

20A povedali, „Videli sme Jeho Hviezdou na východe a prišli sme sem, aby sme sa Mu poklonili, uctili Ho.“ Inými slovami, „Videli sme Jeho znamenie na tento vek,“ v ktorom žili. Tak to bolo prorokované.

21Vidíte, ja verím, že Slovo Božie je večné, lebo „Na počiatku bolo Slovo, to Slovo bolo u Boha a to Slovo bol Boh. A to Slovo sa stalo telom a prebývalo medzi nami.“ A tak to Slovo sa nikdy nemôže zmeniť. Ono je večné. Je to Sám Boh v tlačenej forme, je to Biblia, Božie Slovo.

22On musí súdiť cirkev podľa nejakého štandardu. A On ju nemôže súdiť podľa nejakého systému, ktorý sme my vytvorili, lebo všetky naše systémy sú vytvorené človekom. A museli by ste byť súdení. A tak, ak nechcete nesúhlasiť a povedať, „Nie, verím, že tam sa mýliš, brat Branham, ja verím tomu nášmu.“ Alebo niekto druhý by povedal, „Nie, to naše je ono!“ Potom ktoré je to správne, keď je tam deväťsto alebo koľko rôznych systémov? A tak Boh by nemohol súdiť cirkev cez deväťsto alebo tak nejako rôznych rozdielov v systémoch.

23Ale bude len Jeden. On povedal, že bude „súdiť svet podľa Krista, Ježiša Krista.“ A Kristus je to Slovo, preto budeme stáť na súde skrze Božie Slovo.

24No, Boh nikdy nerobí nič bez toho, aby najprv ukázal znamenie. On nie je vinný toho, že by niečo urobil pred tým, ako by to vyhlásil skrze Svoje znamenie.

25A títo mudrci povedali, „Videli sme Jeho hviezdu na východe,“ oni boli na východe, keď to videli, čo bolo v Babylone, čo bolo na východe Jeruzalema; a oni boli na západe o dva roky neskôr a povedali, „prišli sme Ho sem uctievať.“

26Kresťanská tradícia nám hovorí, že oni prišli k malému bábätku, ktoré ležalo vo válove, títo mudrci. Tak to nebolo. Písmo tak nehovorí. Písmo hovorí, že „Oni prišli ku mladému dieťaťu,“ nie k nemluvňaťu. Herodes zabil deti, ktoré mali dva roky alebo menej. Vidíte? A sledujte, kam museli cestovať ťavou, aby sa tam dostali, trvalo im to dva roky, aby ukončili tú cestu, aby sa dostali cez rieku Tigris a ďalej. „Videli sme Jeho hviezdu,“ keď boli na východe, „a prišli sme na západ, aby sme Ho uctievali.“

27Všimnite si teraz, Vianoce sa zmenili. Ten skutočný deň Vianoc, my... o tom by sa dalo diskutovať, lebo nevieme to. Ten spôsob, akým berieme Vianoce, ak ste to niekedy študovali, my berieme poňatie rímsko-katolíckej cirkvi o tom, kedy Vianoce vlastne sú. V skutočnosti, Kristus sa nemohol narodiť dvadsiateho piateho decembra, aby to sedelo s Písmami, lebo v tom čase by bol v Judei sneh vo výške 9 metrov, takže oni... nemohli tam byť pastieri na kopci, a tak ďalej, to by bolo v protiklade s prírodou. On prišiel podľa prírody.

28Pretože, Boh má zákon, a tie zákony sa nemôžu meniť. Slnko zapadá a vy nemôžete povedať, „No, ono nevyjde.“ Ono jednako vyjde. Leto, zima, a tak ďalej, sú to Božie zákony, ktoré On dal na poriadok. A každý jeden z nich funguje dokonale.

29No, On sa mohol narodiť napríklad v apríli alebo máji. Keďže On bol Baránok, a všetko dokázalo, že On bude Baránkom. To je ten dôvod, prečo sa narodil vo válove, v stodole a nie v dome; lebo baránky sa rodia vonku v stodolách v slame a podobne, nie v dome. A keď On bol vzatý na ukrižovanie, bol odvedený. Pamätajte, ovce bývajú vedené. Keď ideme do bitúnku, tam majú kozu alebo ovcu, niečo, čo vie viesť; tá ovca tam nepôjde sama, musí byť vedená. Z každého pohľadu tým On bol, tak v prírode sa musel narodiť tam, kde sa rodia baránky. A to je v apríli, čiže vtedy sa musel narodiť.

30Ale potom, keď kresťanstvo priviedli do rímsko-katolicizmu a zmiešalo sa to v Nicei, potom tam museli mať boha slnka, Jupitera, boha slnka Ríma, jeho narodeniny boli niekedy medzi... asi zhruba dvadsiateho piateho dňa decembra. Pretože rímsky cirkus sa začal dvadsiateho prvého a trval do dvadsiateho piateho, čo bola oslava narodenín boha slnka. A tak spojenie rímskeho pohanstva ku kresťanstvu... Oni pritom povedali, „Ustanovme to ako narodeniny Syna Božieho, a potom sa na tom zhodneme.“ Vidíte, vždy to bolo o tom, aby sa urobil kompromis na pravde, každý jedenkrát to tak bolo.

31A dnes zisťujeme, že tam vtrhli do všetkého, všetky naše sviatky sú znečistené. Naša Veľká Noc, už to nie je o vzkriesení Krista, už to je len o nejakom králikovi alebo novom klobúku alebo podobne, nejaká ružová kačica; nemá to nič spoločné so vzkriesením Krista o nič viac, ako má Santa Klaus niečo spoločné s narodením Ježiša Krista. Ale to je ten svet! A ten komerčný svet to tak zamotal a dostal do takého zmätku, že sa niet čo diviť, že Boh to má plné právo spáliť. A On to urobí, On sľúbil, že to urobí. A ten neporiadok sa musí dostať do poriadku. Nie je pre to žiadna nádej, je to preč.

32A teraz, v tejto hodine temnoty, ako o tom hovorím, v ktorej teraz žijeme, kresťania by stále mali držať to Svetlo, že existuje určitá pravda ohľadom Vianoc, že to je narodenie Ježiša Krista, Syna Božieho. To rozdvojené svetlo do tej tmavej, zamračenej a nahnevanej oblohy, to ukazuje, že môže byť svetlo v temnote. To dokazuje, že v čase temnoty môže byť svetlo.

33Toto, čo dnes večer hovorím, sa môže zdať byť trochu nezvyčajné, a zvlášť tieto poznámky a miesta Písma, ktoré som si tu zapísal, na ktoré sa budem odvolávať, mnohé z nich sú z Písma, a tak ďalej. No, je to trochu nezvyčajné. Ale chcem, aby ste toto držali na mysli: Boh je nezvyčajný, Boh robí nezvyčajné veci. To je to, čo nám dnes robí problém, my sa tak usadíme v tých zvyčajných veciach, že keď sa stane niečo nezvyčajné, zrazu sme úplne mimo toho a nevieme, čo sa stalo. Boh robí nezvyčajné veci. A ktokoľvek, kto kedy čítal Bibliu, vie, že Boh robí nezvyčajné veci.

34A pamätajte, toto je všetko vopred pripravené Bohom Samým, toto narodenie Jeho Syna. A keď sa to išlo stať a aké to malo byť a kedy to bolo, všetko to bolo vopred prihotovené Samým Bohom.

35Všimli ste si, že to muselo byť práve v čase tohto vraždiaceho kráľa Heroda, ktorý nebol nikým iným, len vrahom, zabíjal všetky tie malé deti, aby bolo naplnené to, o čom hovoril Pán skrze Svojho proroka, hovoriac, „V Ráme, Ráchel plače za svojimi deťmi, lebo už ich niet.“ Vidíte, to musel byť ten vražedný kráľ, aby sa vyplnilo to proroctvo, ktoré bolo predpovedané stovky rokov pred tým. Ale keď Boh hovorí Slovo skrze Svojho proroka, musí sa to stať, ak to je Božie Slovo. Bez ohľadu na to, ako dlho to trvá, aj tak sa to stane, lebo je to Semeno. Ježiš povedal, že Slovo Božie je Semeno, to je semeno, ktoré zasial rozsievač. A tak to musí priniesť to ovocie vo svojom správnom období. A tento kráľ, vrah tam musel byť v tom čase, aby zabil tie deti.

36A ďalšia vec, ktorú si všímame, je, že práve v tom čase museli zdvihnúť ľuďom dane. Tým, že to urobil, tak donútil Jozefa a jeho ženu (jeho zasnúbenú ženu, Máriu) aby sa vrátili naspäť do Betlehema.

37Boh vie, ako robiť veci. On dokonca nechá, aby Ho skutky nepriateľa chválili. My si niekedy myslíme, že musíme urobiť „toto a tamto“, aby hodinky tikali presne tak a tak. Božie hodinky tikajú dokonale a Ježiš tam bude priamo na čas. On nebude ani o sekundu neskôr. Všetko sa stane presne tak, ako Boh povedal, že sa to stane. A tak, či to urobíme alebo to neurobíme, ono sa to stane jednako s takou istotou, lebo Boh to predpovedal, a tak to bude.

38No, a teraz zisťujeme, že tieto dane, ktoré Herodes ustanovil, že tí ľudia, ktorí boli odcestovaní od miesta svojho narodenia, sa budú musieť vrátiť. On si myslel, že tam robil niečo veľkolepé, keď to urobil; ale nevedel pri tom, že to fungovalo presne v harmónii s Jehovom. Koľkí kňazi tam v tom čase pravdepodobne preklínali Heroda a to v Mene Pánovom! Koľkí z nich sa postavili a pravdepodobne tajne hovorili, „Ó, tento Riman, čo za... Ak by sme sa ho len mohli zmocniť, urobili by sme s ním to a to,“ nevediac, že to všetko fungovalo presne podľa Božieho plánu.

39Niekedy dnes preklíname komunizmus a všetky tieto veci. A ja nehovorím, že si to nezaslúžia. Ale ak by ste len poznali pravdu, ono to všetko funguje podľa Božej ruky, a robí to presne to, čo On povedal, že to bude robiť. On musí vyzdvihnúť niečo, čo vezme Babylon z tejto zeme, a On má ten nástroj vo Svojich rukách. Vy len čítajte Písmo, rovno tam je napísané, čo On povedal, že urobí.

40A ak by tí kazatelia toho dňa len čítali a študovali Slovo, vedeli by, čo sa musí stať.

41No, teraz si všímame toto veľké zdaňovanie, kedy kráľ vydal toto svoje nariadenie, svoj rozkaz, že všetci ľudia sa museli vrátiť naspäť na svoje miesto narodenia. No, teraz to môže vyzerať ako hrozná vec, taká malá chudobná žena v takom stave, v akom bola, ťažká a tehotná s dieťaťom, a musela by sa vydať na takú dlhú cestu. Dnes by sme ju radšej ani sanitkou nebrali. Ale ona to musela urobiť. Ak ste niekedy boli v Palestíne, ona tam musela prechádzať cez tie drsné žulové balvany a ponad ne, všetko na chrbte malej mulice. Bez ohľadu na to, aké zlé to bolo, ako kruto to vyzeralo, také boli kráľove príkazy a každý to musel urobiť, mladý či starý, pripravený či nepripravený, jednako to museli urobiť.

42A my si niekedy myslíme, že naše bremená... Možno to tu len tak vložím, myslíme si, že naše bremená sú niekedy také ťažké, že nie je na svete nič také ako to. Ale viete, že všetky tie veci sú pre vás dobré? Všetky sú na to, aby ťa formovali a vytvárali. Proroci a mudrci boli formovaní na zadnej strane púšte na horúcom vrelom slnku cez pokušenia a skúšky a prenasledovania. A tieto veci, ktoré my dnes máme, nám sa nestalo nič, čo by sa nestalo iným kresťanom predtým. Niektorí iní Kresťania museli stáť v hodine temnoty, ako je táto, a museli byť hádzaní levom, aby to bolo na ich svedectvo.

43A potom sa tvárime, že sme niečo, len z takej prestíže, niečo, čo si myslíme, že sme, „No! Nuž, ja patrím k tomu a tomu, k takejto a takejto cirkvi. Obávam sa, že by som priniesol hanbu, ak...“

44Nebojte sa svojho svedectva pre Ježiša Krista! Vydajte svoje Svetlo! Postavte sa za svoje presvedčenie, že „On je tým Synom Božím a toto nie je návšteva Kringla, Krissa Kringla, ale je to narodenie Ježiša Krista, ktoré oslavujeme.“ Vidíte? Teraz zisťujeme, aké veci to spôsobilo.

45Či ste niekedy videli, ako sa opravoval zvon, ten slávny zvon vo veži kostola, ako to muselo mať určitý presný zvuk? Vidíte, ak zazvoníte tým zvonom, každé to zvonenie vydá určitý zvuk. A vyžaduje si to určité materiály, ktoré tam musia byť, toľkoto mosadze, toľkoto ocele, toľkoto rudy, všetko to musí ísť do toho zvonu. Ak je to len samá mosadz, tak to nebude znieť správne. Musí to mať všetky tie správne druhy materiálov, aby to vydávalo ten správny tón. A ten človek, ktorý to vylial a vytvoril tú formu, on presne vie, čo do tej kupoly musí ísť, čo si to vyžaduje, aby všetky tie kovy vydali ten správny zvuk.

46Boh je našou veľkou kupolou. Boh je ten.. On je tou veľkou pecou, kde na nás dáva všetky tie veci a skúšky a prenasledovania a podobne, aby nás vyformoval, aby sme ako svedectvo mohli po dlhý čas zvoniť a vydávať určitú notu, ktorú On chce, aby znela v určitý deň.

47Sme stvorení rôzne. Každý sme utvorený inak. Vidíme inak. Ale všetci vidíme tú jednu vec, ktorou je Ježiš Kristus. Dívajme sa na Neho. A ten jediný spôsob, ako Ho môžete vidieť... Ak sa vám zdá, že by bol v protiklade so Svojím Slovom, tak potom sa nepozeráte na Neho, lebo to je On Sám. Takže, ak vidíte nejaké vyznanie alebo nejakú určitú denomináciu, o ktorej si myslíte, že „Ja tam patrím a to stačí.“ Ak to nehľadí na to Slovo, potom sa od toho odvráťte. Pozrite sa na to Slovo! A to je to, čo hľadáme, Krista, tú manifestáciu Božieho Slova. On je tým potvrdením Božieho Slova.

48No, teraz všetky tieto veci, ktoré sa stali tomu páru, všetky vyzerali zvláštne. Ale môže sa im to zdať zvláštne, ale všetko to spolu fungovalo správne.

49No, čo sa týka toho Jozefovho sna, rád by som o tom na chvíľu hovoril. Mám tu zapísané to miesto Písma. Boh vždy, počas všetkých vekov, hovoril k Svojim ľuďom a zjavoval sa im cez sny.

50No, sny nie sú uistením. Nie každý sen je od Boha. Je mnoho ľudí, ktorí majú sny, všetci majú rôzne druhy snov. A večer idete do postele, dáte si večeru, idete do postele, môže sa vám niečo snívať. Môžete mať horúčku a môžete mať všetky možné druhy nočnej mory, a tak ďalej, to všetko nie je Boh. Ale jednako, Boh koná so Svojimi ľuďmi skrze sny.

51Skoro zisťujeme, že Jakobov syn bol prorok. A prorok rozumel snom. No, ak je sen vyložený, potom sa stáva videním, je to proroctvo.

52No, zisťujeme, že dokonca pred tým, kráľ Nabuchodonozor a ešte dokonca Daniel, a ešte predtým, že Boh konal so Svojimi ľuďmi skrze sny, duchovné sny. Ja v ne verím. Teraz ich máme. Koľkokrát som mohol svedčiť o tom, že stovky ľudí mali určité sny, a správne som ich vyložil a stalo sa to presne tak!

53Ale sen je trochu fiktívna vec. Raz sa ma pri jednom vypočúvaní opýtali ohľadom snov. A sen je vtedy, keď... tak nám to je povedané, že keď ste vo svojom podvedomí. Človek má svoje prvé vedomie a v tom prvom vedomí je päť zmyslov, ktoré sú aktívne, sú to zrak, chuť, hmat, čuch a sluch. Ale keď idete spať, týchto päť zmyslov nie je aktívnych, a potom je to len vaše podvedomie, ktoré je ďaleko od vás, a potom tam len snívate. Ale keď sa vrátite a zobudíte sa... Bez pochýb, možno je tu len jedna osoba, alebo možno ani jedna osoba, ktorá by mala sen niekedy v živote, ktorý by si stále pamätala. Tam niekde bola nejaká časť vo vás, že keď ste sa znovu vrátili ku svojim zmyslom, stále si to pamätáte. Možno to bolo pred rokmi, ale ja si pamätám sny, keď som bol ešte malý chlapec, stále si ich pamätám, potom tam musí byť niekde nejaká časť mňa... No, to sú sny, takže vidíte, vy ste úplne mimo svojich zmyslov. Potom sa to vracia a poviete si ten sen, ak to je od Boha...

54Mohol by existovať vykladač snov. Biblia povedala, „Ak by medzi vami bol niekto, kto je duchovný, prorok, Ja, Pán, sa mu dám poznať v snoch a budem k nemu hovoriť skrze videnia.“

55Teraz zisťujeme, že Jozef, syn Jakoba, bol ten typ človeka. Ten, pri ktorom niekto mohol mať sen a on ho vedel vyložiť. Mohol vykladať sny a videl videnia. Všetko je to skutok Ducha.

56No, teraz tiež zisťujeme, že keď sa človek narodí na to, aby bol vidiaci alebo videl videnia, potom ste... do toho musíte byť povolaní Bohom.

57Všimnite si, tu je vaše podvedomie, to prirodzené, a tu je vaše vedomie. Vy musíte vyjsť zo svojich zmyslov, z tých piatich zmyslov do spánku, do svojho podvedomia a potom sa vrátiť naspäť. To je sen.

58Ale vidiaci, pre neho sú obe vedomia pohromade. Vy nevyjdete mimo tých piatich zmyslov, vy ste stále v tých piatich zmysloch a postavíte sa a pozriete sa priamo na to, čo sa deje. Vidíte, vy nikdy neopustíte svoje zmysly. Ste priamo tam, viete, kde ste a čo robíte, hovoríte svoje slová. No, to je predurčený dar. „Dary a povolania sú bez pokánia.“ Vidíte, Boh to robí. Vy nejdete spať; stojíte s oboma očami otvorenými a hľadíte a vidíte priamo to, na čo sa pozeráte. Vidíte? A to je, samozrejme, to videnie Božie.

59Dnes spíme. To je ten problém s dnešným svetom, že on spí. A toľkí z nás tak radi spia. Ale poviem len toto, v nebi nebudú žiadne postele. Nebudeme spať, keď pôjdeme do neba, lebo tam nie je žiadna noc. Nebude tam noci, takže nebudeme potrebovať spať, keď sa dostaneme do neba, takže tam nebudú žiadne postele.

60Ale všimnite si, Boh môže využiť každú časť nás, keď je naše vedomie obrátené na Neho. Všetko, čím sme, keď je to všetko kompletne odovzdané do rúk Božích a obrátené pre Jeho službu, On nás môže použiť v snoch, môže si nás použiť v reči, môže si použiť všetky naše zmysly. Veríte tomu? Vidíte, keď na tom tak sme, všetko je to obrátené na Neho, On to môže použiť. Keď je celá naša bytosť obrátená, potom Kresťania môžu mať tento deň tie duchovné sny, ktoré niečo znamenajú a predpovedajú im veci. Vieme, že to je pravda.

61Keď je duchovný sen vyložený, správne vyložený, vtedy to je to isté ako videnie. Ale čo je videnie? Videnie je predpoveď budúcich udalostí; predpovedá tú vec pred tým, ako sa stane. A to je ten spôsob, ako Boh vždy potvrdzoval, či to bolo pravdivé alebo nie, či ten človek (to bolo v Starom Zákone), ktorý mal byť prorokom, to, čo on povedal, sa aj stalo. Vtedy vedeli; ak tento muž povedal toto a neustále sa to presne tak stávalo... No, ten človek nemôže len tak položiť na neho ruku, alebo zatriasť ním a dať nejaký dar; on je s tým darom narodený, je to v ňom, keď sa narodí, pred tým, ako sa narodí.

62Pozrite sa na proroka Izaiáša, ktorý prorokoval o Jánovi asi sedemsto dvanásť rokov pred tým, ako sa narodil, a povedal, že on bude ten „hlas volajúceho na púšti.“

63Pozrite sa na Jeremiáša, pred tým, ako bol ešte len počatý v lone svojej matky, keď tam ešte ani nebol, Boh povedal, „Poznal som ťa a posvätil som ťa a ustanovil som ťa za proroka národom.“ Vidíte? „Dary a povolania sú bez pokánia.“

64A vy môžete len byť... To môže fungovať, len keď tam je niečo, s čím by to mohlo fungovať. Ak je tam pravá ruka, ktorá môže pracovať, a vy máte tú pravú ruku, tak len nechajte, nech pracuje pre Kráľovstvo Božie. Ak máte oči, aby ste videli, potom vidzte tie správne veci; pery, hlas, aby ste hovorili, hovorte tie správne veci. Čokoľvek to je, robte tie správne veci. A obráťte to všetko k Bohu na Jeho Slávu.

65Teraz zisťujeme, že tá predpoveď predpovedá budúce udalosti pred tým, ako sa stanú. Aj keď sa to zdá byť zvláštne, Všemohúci Boh to predpovedal, že bude dieťa Ježiš, a zjavil to vo sne, čo sa bude diať. No, ten Boh, takýmto druhoradým spôsobom zjavil Jozefovi skrze sen Jeho vlastného Syna. Biblia povedala, že On to tak urobil. Tak veru. No, Jozef bol dobrý muž, bol synom Dávidovým a bol zasnúbený s Máriou.

66No, rád by som toto podal ďalej, pred tým, ako budeme pokračovať. „Zasnúbenie“ na východe bolo to isté ako manželstvo, zásnuby. Hneď, ako boli zasnúbení, boli aj zosobášení. Keď bol medzi nimi vykonaný ten svätý sľub, prečítajte si Deuteronomium 22:23, a zistíte, kedy táto žena a muž súhlasili, že sa zosobášia (aj keď ešte nevzali ten svätý sľub, až o niekoľko mesiacov neskôr), ak čo i len porušili ten sľub, už boli vinní z cudzoložstva. Tak veru. Keď boli zobratí, boli na tom tak ako v manželstve. Zákon im nedal ešte právo žiť spolu ako manžel a manželka, ale pred Bohom, keď si to sľúbili, ich slová boli zapečatené v Božom Kráľovstve. A porušiť také niečo bolo spáchanie cudzoložstva. A teraz bol Jozef „zasnúbený“ s Máriou. Ak by ste vy, bratia kazatelia, toto naozaj dobre študovali, veľa by sa vám vyjasnilo v prípadoch ohľadom manželstva a rozvodu, lebo dnes je to naozaj ťažké medzi ľudmi. Všimnite si Jozefa, jej manžela, keď bol spravodlivým človekom, teraz zisťujeme, že toto sa nemohlo porušiť.

67Ona mu to musela povedať. Táto mladá panna, jeho nádherná mladá židovská družka, ona sa stala... Všetci sme tu dospelí, aspoň pokiaľ vidím. Ona sa mala stať matkou. A keď s ňou Jozef išiel, on si to bezpochyby všimol, že po tom, ako bol s ňou zasnúbený, on zistil, že ona sa mala stať matkou. No, on bol len človekom, Biblia povedala, že tým bol. Ona mu musela povedať o svojej nevine. Táto milá žena, môžem ju počuť, ako hovorí, „Jozef, môj milovaný priateľ, môj milovaný manžel, ja som v tomto nevinná.“ A ona mu musela povedať o návšteve toho veľkého Archanjela, keď k nej prišiel ten Archanjel Gabriel a navštívil ju s týmito veľkými znameniami, o ktorých mu ona povedala, že sa stanú.

68A potom si tiež všimnete, že po tom, ako sa jej toto stalo, ona bola tak nadšená z posolstva toho Anjela, že sa vydala do kraja Judey; z Nazaretu, odkiaľ pochádzala, z mesta Nazaret, veľmi hriešne malé mesto.

69A keď tam prišla, jej sesternica Alžbeta sa tiež mala stať matkou (už šesť mesiacov), ktorá bola pred tým nazvaná neplodnou.

70Jej manžel Zachariáš bol kňazom v chráme. A jedného dňa, keď povznášal obeť, čo bolo horiace kadidlo, ako sa tam ľudia vonku modlili. Gabriel, ktorý bol teraz Anjel Pánov; On nebol nikým videný, ani sa nikdy pred tým nevidelo nič nadprirodzené, dlhé a dlhé roky, stovky rokov. Ale tu stál Anjel po pravej strane toho oltára a povedal mu, že jeho žena počne a porodí dieťa, a dajú mu meno Ján. A všetci ten príbeh poznáme.

71A potom, keď tiež Gabriel o šesť mesiacov neskôr navštívil Máriu v Nazarete a povedal jej o tejto udalosti jej sesternice Alžbety. A v tom, ako mala Mária toto tajomstvo vo svojom srdci, keď vedela, čo sa má stať, rýchlo sa ponáhľala do kopcov, aby sa stretla so svojou sesternicou.

72A keď sa Alžbeta schovala, lebo sa nechcela ukázať pred ľuďmi v takom stave, v akom bola, ukrývala sa šesť mesiacov. No, podľa môjho porozumenia Písma, ona sa obávala, že to dieťa už v sebe nemalo život. A bolo to dosť nezvyčajné, že by sa to bábätko vo vnútri nehýbalo, boli to aspoň tri alebo štyri mesiace. Ale teraz to bolo už šesť mesiacov, a to dieťa sa vôbec nepohlo. A tak, keď sa Alžbeta a Mária stretli, oni sa bezpochyby objali ako sesternice a boli veľmi rady, že sa stretli. A pomyslime len na to, ako povedali... Môžem počuť Alžbetu, ako hovorí Márii, „Ó, drahá, vyzeráš tak pekne.“

A Mária hovorí, „Vieš, viem, že ty sa máš stať matkou.“

73„Áno, trochu ma to trápilo, je to už šesť mesiacov a moje bábätko sa ešte nepohlo.“

74„Ó, ale mám ti niečo povedať, už to viac neviem vydržať!“

75Vieš, je na tom niečo, že keď sa dostaneš do kontaktu s Bohom, nemôžeš o tom mlčať. Musíš o tom niečo povedať, ak si naozaj skutočne obrátený. Je mi jedno, kde si, musíš to niekde vyjadriť.

76A môžem počuť, ako hovorí, „Vieš, mám tiež niečo do povedania. Ja tiež budem mať dieťa!“

77„Ó,“ povedala Alžbeta, „Tak potom predpokladám, že... Prečo si nás nepozvala na svadbu teba a Jozefa, keď ste sa už konečne vzali? Viem, že ste už boli zasnúbení, ale prečo ste ma nepozvali na svadbu?“

„Ó, my ešte nie sme zosobášení.“

„A čakáte dieťa?“

„Áno!“

„No, Mária, veľmi tomu nerozumiem.“

78„Vieš, zjavil sa mi Anjel Pánov, Gabriel, a povedal mi o tom. On bol ten, ktorý mi povedal, že sa budeš skrývať. On bol ten, ktorý mi o tom povedal. A tiež povedal, že Duch Svätý ma zatôni; a že to Sväté, čo sa vo mne narodí, bude Syn Boží. A nazvem Jeho Meno JEŽIŠ, lebo On spasí ľudí z ich hriechov.“

79A to bol ten prvýkrát, kedy bolo to nádherné Meno vyslovené ľudskými perami; malý Ján, ktorý bol mŕtvy v lone svojej matky, tam skákal od radosti a prijal Ducha Svätého, mŕtvy v lone svojej matky. Ak dokáže moc vypovedania Mena Ježiša Krista priviesť mŕtve dieťa do života v lone svojej matky, čo by to malo urobiť s cirkvou, ktorá tvrdí, že slúži Jemu a je zrodená z Jeho Ducha? Ako bola Alžbeta zarazená, tak sa pozerala na Máriu a povedala, „Odkiaľ prichádza matka môjho Pána, matka môjho Pána? Lebo len čo sa do mojich uší dostal tento pozdrav, moje bábätko v lone skákalo od radosti.“ Ján sa narodil z lona svojej matky plný Ducha Svätého skrze Meno Ježiša Krista! Čo za dieťa to len bude?

Bez pochyby to povedala Jozefovi.

80No, vidíme, ako bol Jozef len človek, trochu sa zamýšľal, „Vieš, ja viem, že ak by bola pristihnutá pri cudzoložstve, to prvé, čo sa jej stane, že bude ukameňovaná. Ona nemôže...“

81Oni tak nemôžu žiť. Biblia povedala, že „Ak sa žena, ktorá je zasnúbená a je v meste a je znásilnená nejakým mužom a nevykríkne proti tomu, tak budú obaja ukameňovaní a zabití. Ale ak je na vidieku alebo na poli a vykríkne a nikto ju nepočuje, potom bude zabitý ten muž a ona ostane žiť.“ Tento trest je opísaný v Deuteronomiu 22, čo som vám pred chvíľou hovoril, aby ste si to prečítali.

82No, všimnite si teraz, zisťujeme, že ona sa mala stať matkou, bez sobášu. A tak sa zdalo, že Mária sa ho snažila využiť na to, aby bol jej štítom pred vysmievačmi a posmievačmi a Jozef mal byť jej štítom; nech by len ďalej išli a jednako sa zosobášili a on by bol jej štítom; ale nemal pre ňu byť manželom v rodinnom vzťahu, ale mal byť len pre jej ochranu.

83On jej chcel veriť, naozaj tomu verím. On jej chcel uveriť, ale jej príbeh bol príliš nezvyčajný. Bolo naozaj ťažké jej uveriť.

84A odpustite mi. Tak isto je to dnes! Príbeh Moci Ducha Svätého, ktorý je dnes na zemi v cirkvi, je tak nezvyčajný pre organizačnú a denominačnú myseľ; až to oni chcú veriť, ale je to príliš nezvyčajné, je to príliš fantastické. Ale je to Pravda! Biblia povedala, že to takto bude a tak to je. Mnohí ľudia sú zaviazaní v nejakom vyznaní, a naozaj tomu chcú veriť, ale je to pre nich tak nezvyčajné, že to ledva dokážu urobiť. On nevie, čo má robiť. On bol len v zahanbení ako Jozef.

85Biblia hovorí, „Zatiaľ čo rozmýšľal nad týmito vecami,“ vidíte, on bol dobrý človek, a on nechcel, aby bolo poškvrnené jeho vlastné meno; ale jednako vedel, že ak tá žena bola na tom tak, tak si ju nemohol vziať, ona mala byť matkou cez iného muža. „A jednako,“ on povedal, „tá nevinná malá žena, jej život bol čistý ako ľalia a ja jej chcem veriť, ale neviem, čo mám robiť.“

86„Zatiaľ čo uvažoval nad týmito vecami, rozmýšľal, že ju súkromne prepustí. On povedal, 'Nebudem okolo toho robiť rozruch.'“ No, pamätajte, on ešte nikdy nevzal prísahu, ale už bol zasnúbený. Ale tajne by ju prepustil. „A zatiaľ čo rozmýšľal nad týmito vecami, ako by ju 'tajne prepustil,'“ to bolo to najlepšie, čo mu prichádzalo na myseľ. Vidíte, on bol spravodlivým človekom, dobrým človekom.

87Brat, sestra, dovoľte mi povedať toto: Ak ste spravodliví, úprimní vo svojom srdci, potom je Boh povinný vám tu vec zjaviť.

88Jozef, jej manžel, keďže bol spravodlivým človekom, on sa zamýšľal nad týmito vecami. Bolo to tak nezvyčajné, ako som povedal, on to ledva dokázal pochopiť. „Ako by sa toto mohlo stať?“ Ale on si bezpochyby sadol a modlil sa za to, študoval to v Písmach. „Ako by sa takéto niečo mohlo stať?“ Zatiaľ čo to študoval, Anjel Pánov sa mu zjavil vo sne. On nebol prorok. A na zemi v tých dňoch nebolo žiadneho proroka, nikoho, kto by ku nemu mohol prísť s TAK HOVORÍ PÁN, a tak Pán na to išiel tým druhoradým spôsobom. To je ten dôvod, prečo Boh vzal Svojho vlastného Syna a dal Ho človeku vo sne; a umiestnil Ho do Egypta a vyviedol Ho znovu naspäť; ukryl Ho, a tí múdri išli iným smerom. Nebol na zemi žiaden prorok a tak On prišiel druhoradým spôsobom – vo sne. Ale boli ľudia, ktorí neboli narodení, aby boli vidiacimi, ale boli dobrými ľudmi, a keď takí boli, Boh sa im zjavil v ich podvedomí a zjavil Samého Seba.

89Ak sa len poddáte Bohu, Boh má veľa spôsobov, akými sa vám môže zjaviť. Vidíte? Nemusí to byť prorok, nemusí to byť učiteľ, nemusí to byť učiteľ nedeľnej školy, ale existujú spôsoby, akými sa vám Boh môže zjaviť; vidíte. Už či sú to sny, môže to byť aj inak, ak sa len poddáte, ako to urobil Jozef.

90Bezpochyby povedal, „Ó, veľký Jehova, Bože, prišiel som cez pokolenie Dávida. A ja som spravodlivý človek; dúfam, že som, dôverujem v to, čo si Ty povedal, že to je Pravda. A tu moja milovaná, s ktorou som sa zasnúbil, musím ju prepustiť, inak by som bol vinný zo spáchania cudzoložstva. A ona má byť matkou, ale ja ju ešte nepoznám ako ženu. Čo znamenajú tieto veci, Pane?“

91Vidíte, on nebol prorok, takže On ku nemu nemohol tak hovoriť. On ho musel priviesť do spánku a poslať k nemu Anjela Pánovho vo sne. Amen. Anjel Pánov ku nemu prišiel vo sne a dotkol sa ho a povedal, „Jozef, ty, syn Dávidov, neboj sa vziať si Máriu, svoju ženu, lebo to, čo je v nej počaté, je z Ducha Svätého.“ Tu to máte, „To, čo je v nej, nie je od nejakého muža, ale je to Duch Svätý, ktorý to urobil. Tá žena povedala pravdu. Tento nezvyčajný príbeh, táto nezvyčajná vec, ktorá sa stala, Jozef, ktorá ťa takto úplne zmiatla, je to z Ducha Svätého.“

92Ó, ten istý Boh žije aj dnes večer! Stále máte podvedomie. A vy máte... Vy, Kresťania, ak sa vám táto vec, ktorú vidíte, zdá byť nezvyčajná, ak je to stále v zhode so Slovom, potom môže Boh zjaviť nezvyčajné veci mnohými spôsobmi.

93A tak On povedal Jozefovi, „Ty, synu Dávidov, neboj sa vziať k sebe Máriu, svoju manželku.“ Pamätajte, už bola jeho manželka. „Vezmi ku sebe Máriu, svoju manželku, lebo to, čo je v nej počaté, je od Svätého Ducha.“

94No, potom Boh poslal Svojho Anjela a zjavil to, Jeho zjavenie toho sna prišlo ku Jozefovi; on vedel, že v tom nebolo žiadne tajomstvo. Anjel k nemu prišiel vo sne. On videl Anjela vo svojom sne.

95Prorok (alebo vidiaci), on nezaspí, on vidí, ako tam ten Anjel stojí. Ostatní ľudia len zaspia, ale on vidí toho Anjela.

96A ten Anjel povedal, „No, Jozef, nie je to žiadna hádanka, nie je nikto, kto by ti to mohol vyložiť. A tak ja ti to poviem. Ja to pre teba urobím skutočným, lebo nie je nikto, kto by to urobil skutočným. Neboj sa vziať si Máriu, svoju ženu, lebo to, čo je v nej počaté, je od Svätého Ducha.“

97A potom, keď sa Jozef zobudil zo spánku, ako len jeho srdce muselo byť plné znovuzrodenej viery. To tajomstvo, ktoré ho trápilo, to niečo, čomu chcel veriť, čo si trúfal veriť, ale bolo to tak nezvyčajné, ale jednako mu to bolo zjavené vo sne. V jeho živote povstala nová viera. Ó! On mal vieru v Boha. A potom mal vieru vo svoju ženu; oboje, aj vieru v Boha aj lásku pre svoju ženu, lásku pre tú, ktorú miloval. Nebolo tam viac otázok, nebolo tam viacej debaty. On vedel, že to bol Anjel Pánov. On vedel, že Boh mu to zjavil presne tak, ako to bolo v Jeho mysli, takže všetky otázky boli preč.

98A keď Boh, akýmkoľvek spôsobom, akým to chce urobiť, ti zjaví tú otázku, ktorú máš na mysli, už nie je viac pochýb, už nie je ohľadom toho viac otázok. Je to zjavenie.

99Keď vidíte niečo tu v Písme, poviete, „No, ja verím, že toto bolo len pre apoštolov. Verím, že Ježiš to urobil v dávnych dňoch.“

100Ale Biblia povedala, „On je ten istý včera, dnes i naveky, je to ten istý Ježiš.“ Takže ak je toto pre vás otázka, a vy nad tým uvažujete, nemôžete na to prísť, a vidíte, ako sa to deje, a divíte sa; potom, ak budete úprimní, Anjel Pánov vám to nejakým spôsobom zjaví. A potom to už viac nie je otázka, potom je to pravda. Ó! A potom môžete kričať, „Ó, som tak vďačný!“

101Viem si predstaviť, ako sa Jozef cítil, keď sa to stalo, bolo to všetko tak... to tajomstvo skončilo. A potom, keď sa toto stalo, tak sa zrazu radoval, lebo bol šťastný. Zisťujeme, že hneď na to sa s ňou oženil. Ó, potom tam už nebolo viac otázok. On si vzal Máriu za ženu; nepoznal ju ešte ako ženu, dokiaľ nemali to Dieťa. Bol z toho šťastný! Bol rád, že mohol byť Máriiným štítom. Bol rád, že mohol za ňu niesť pohanenie.

102Keď môže byť človeku zjavené, že Ježiš Kristus je ten istý včera, dnes i naveky; bez ohľadu na to, koľko vyznaní sa ho snaží obrátiť naspäť, ty si rád, že môžeš byť tým štítom. Si rád, že môžeš byť štítom. Nech si hovoria, čo chcú, ty tam máš svoj veľký silný štít, ktorým môžeš odrážať tie ohnivé šípy.

103Dúfam, že nehovorím príliš hlasno pre tých tam. Ale nech to tiež počujú, mali by to počuť. Všimnite si... Tak veru.

104Ste radi, že môžete byť tým štítom. Si rohožkou, čokoľvek máš byť, na tom nezáleží; bolo ti to zjavené Pánom. Pán ti to ukázal skrze Svoje Slovo, je to pravda; a potom ti to potvrdil a znovu ti to oživil. Povieš, „Tu to je! Ó, nič sa nejde...“

105Žiaden človek nemá nikdy právo kázať Evanjelium, pokiaľ sa nestretol tvárou v tvár s Bohom. Tak veru. Žiaden človek by nemal byť za kazateľňou bez toho, aby prijal Ducha Svätého. Ježiš poveril Svojich učeníkov, „Už viac nekážte, ale počkajte v Jeruzaleme, až kým nie ste obdarovaní Mocou z Výsosti.“ Sledujte, čo urobil Duch Svätý, keď prišiel. A Duch Svätý je Boh.

106Duch Svätý je Otec Ježiša Krista. Matúš, 2. kapitola a 21. verš hovorí, „Mária, Jeho matka, keď bola zasnúbená Jozefovi, bola nájdená tehotná s Dieťaťom z Ducha Svätého.“ Ten Duch Svätý je Otcom Ježiša Krista.

107A keď prichádza Duch Svätý a zjavuje Slovo a oživuje Ho presne tak, ako má byť, potom je to pre teba zjavenie, ty to vidíš a je to odkryté, je to zasľúbené na túto hodinu.

108Jozef to videl, že to bolo vyplnené Izaiášove proroctvo. Izaiáš 9, „Dieťa sa nám narodilo, Syn nám je daný. Bude sa volať 'Radca, Knieža Pokoja, Mocný Boh, Večný Otec.' A Jeho Kráľovstvu nebude konca.“ On vedel, kto to bude, pretože on videl celú tú vec, keď mu o tom povedal Anjel Pánov, že, „To, čo je v nej počaté, je od Ducha Svätého.“ „Panna počne a porodí syna.“ No, to bolo veľké tajomstvo, veľký znak, ktorý dal Boh celému svetu, super znak, že to bol Jeho Syn.

109No, všimnite si teraz, ako pokračujeme. Nebudem pokračovať príliš dlho, posnažím sa. Všimnite si, keď nachádzame, ako ideme ďalej, kedy Ježiš... No, pomyslite na to, ak... Tie malé deti tu tomu nebudú rozumieť, ale niečo tu poviem aspoň na to, aby to porozumeli tí dospelí.

110Keď bol Ježiš stvorený v Márii, vtedy nastalo prenasledovanie. Tak veru. To je pravda. Vtedy sa začalo prenasledovanie.

111A tak isto je to vo vás. Galaťanom 1 alebo Galaťanom 4:19 hovorí, že, „Keď je Kristus (nádeja slávy) vyformovaný vo vás..“ Kristus je vyformovaný vo vás, keď vy zomierate a Kristus prichádza do Života. Sledujte, ako sa začína prenasledovanie, sledujte, ako sa všade začínajú problémy, sledujte, ako diabol začne vystrájať, keď sa vo vás formuje Kristus.

112A keď sa Kristus formoval v Márii, rýchlo vyšiel príkaz od kráľa, „Všetci ľudia!“ Len čo ona... Kristus sa práve stával Dieťatkom v plnej veľkosti, bol pripravený narodiť sa, a vtedy nastalo to veľké prenasledovanie.

113No, to Dieťatko bolo v jej lone stvorené už dlho pred tým. Ale tu prichádzali tie posledné dni, prichádzalo to do kompletnosti, keď sa tá plnosť Božstva, kedy sa tá plnosť Krista mala zamanifestovať medzi Jeho ľuďmi. On to povedal. On to zasľúbil vo Svojom Slove. Ale keď sa tá plnosť, vidíte, ako sa tam dejú nezvyčajné veci, ktoré On zasľúbil. To je ten dôvod, prečo tieto naše veľké sociálne spôsoby života a podobné veci, to nedokážu porozumieť, je to pre nich bláznovstvom. No, sledujte teraz, oni tvoria Radu Cirkví, vidíte. Presne v tom čase, kedy sa cirkev začína dostávať na svoje nohy, kedy sa začína diať to nadprirodzené, teraz sa všetci schádzajú do skupiny a snažia sa to zastaviť. Presne tak, ako to bolo vtedy.

114Ako som povedal včera večer vo Phoenixe, Filištíni sa usadili v Betleheme, aby ľudia nemohli prísť, pokiaľ by neprešli cez Radu cirkví. Ó, oni ich budú viesť ku cisterne; nie ku čerstvým vodám Betlehema, samozrejme, že nie. No, všimnime si toto.

115Potom, v čase, keď kráľ vydal svoj príkaz, presne vtedy bol formovaný Kristus. No, vezmime si toto ešte na chvíľu, sledujme to ešte pred tým, ako zakončíme.

Vidím Jozefa, ako hovorí, „Mária, drahá, ten krutý kráľ!“

116Ale ona povedala, „Počuj, drahý. Pamätaj, Duch Svätý mi povedal, že 'Jeho Meno sa bude volať JEŽIŠ a On zachráni ľud od ich hriechov,' Jeho ľudí od ich hriechov. No, Jozef, drahý, bez ohľadu na to, čo sa stane a čo povie kráľ, ja som schopná. Môžem sa posadiť na malú mulicu. Je to niekoľko míľ okolo týchto skalnatých hôr, a tak ďalej. Ale ak sa nám podarí nájsť čo i len trochu pomoci, budú mnohí na ceste, lebo my tu nie sme jediná rodina. Sú tu aj iní, ktorí trpia to isté, čo my, a sú tam aj iní na ceste. A môžeme ísť ďalej s davom až hore kopcom a potom do Betlehema.“ Lebo vychádzali z Nazaretu cez horu.

117No, teraz zisťujeme, že on musel mať malého osla a musel ho nakŕmiť extra dávkou slamy a ovsa v ten deň, lebo tá malá pani bola celkom ťažká. A tak on ju posadil na tú malú mulicu, dal tam vrece vody a niekoľko koláčov; vzal toho malého osla a vzal palicu do ruky.

118A ako sa vydali na cestu, tá malá mulica sa začala potácať a padať. Ó, pozrime sa na to, čo nesie tento mladý muž! Pozrime sa na jeho bremeno, čo to bolo. On niesol Krista na Jeho miesto narodenia. A tu, táto mladá žena, ktorá tam sedela v bolestiach, pripravená porodiť, držala sa oťaží tohto malého osla a hovorila s ním, ako išli po ceste.

119Vidím ich všetkých, ako sa zastavili a ako jej dal odpočinúť a povedal, „Drahá, si unavená?“

120„Nie, drahý, som v poriadku, som v poriadku. Nechcel by si sa chvíľu viesť ty?“

„Nie, drahá, ty len seď.“

121A zosadil ju z toho malého osla a dal im chvíľu odpočinok, potom jej dal trochu vody, trochu sendviču. A posadil ju naspäť na toho osla.

122Nakoniec, začalo sa stmievať. Cestovatelia po ceste začali cestovať rýchlejšie a išli ďalej. A ona musela dýchať ten prach z tých koní a vozov, a tak ďalej, ktorý sa tam vznášal. Lebo oni museli cestovať naozaj pomaly vzhľadom na jej stav. Čo za krutá vec to bola poslať matku niekam v takom stave! Ale viem si len predstaviť teraz v tej malej dráme, ako začali vystupovať na kopec. Betlehem sa začínal... trochu ako údolie na západnej strane hory, v Betleheme, tá hora, odkiaľ vychádzal malý chodník.

123Môžem ich teraz vidieť, ako opisujem túto drámu. Stmieva sa. A Jozef putuje, cíti svoju palicu a snaží sa ísť čo najlepšími skratkami, ako sa len dá. Kde sa chodník točil takto, kadiaľ mal ten voz ísť, oni najskôr prešli krížom, aby ušetrili čas a dostal sa so svojou malou ženou preč od toho prachu. Začali vychádzať hviezdy.

124A po chvíli, on vystúpil na vrch toho kopca. A znovu sa pozreli na to mesto, kde sa obaja narodili, tam v Betleheme, videli tam svetlá toho mesta. Mnohí tam boli, mnoho miest tam bolo preplnených, boli tam vonku ľudia, ktorí spali na zemi, vonku na poli. A možno po prvýkrát prišla Jozefovi na myseľ otázka, „Čo urobím, ak sa mi nepodarí nájsť nejaké ubytovanie, lebo to dieťa sa môže narodiť už dnes večer. Ona je v bolestiach už celý deň. A tak, čo ak sa to dieťa narodí už dnes večer?“

125Ako tam stál a hľadel naprieč údolím, jeho oči sa pozerali do strán a videl tam zvláštny pohľad. Viete, zvyčajne je to priamo v čase problémov, kedy sa dejú tie nadprirodzené veci. On sa tam pozrel a uvidel Hviezdu. Nikdy si nespomínal, že by niekedy predtým videl takú veľkú. Vyzerala tak nízko a visela priamo nad Betlehemom. Pozrel sa hore, otočil sa a pomohol Márii vyjsť na skalu, aby si trochu odpočinula. Obrátil sa, aby jej povedal, „Drahá, všimla si si niekedy...“ A mohol dokonca vidieť odraz tej hviezdy v jej pekných čiernych očiach, ako tam sedela a pozerala sa s úsmevom. Povedal, „Drahá, nie je to zvláštne?“

126Ona povedala, „Jozef, drahý, ja som sa na to pozerala, odkedy zašlo slnko. Sledovala som to. Nejakým spôsobom som sa dnes večer cítila naozaj zvláštne, ako by sa niečo malo stať.“ No, tak to zvyčajne je, viete, máte ten zvláštny pocit.

127A začala sledovať tú Hviezdu a Jozef... Tá malá mulica si musela odpočinúť a nadýchať sa. Tá hviezda sa správala zvláštne. Nesprávala sa ako tie ostatné hviezdy. Zdalo sa, že sa hýbe. Čakala na niečo a sledovala, kým sa niečo stane. No, zanechajme tu teraz náš mladý pár na chvíľu na tejto skale.

128Prenesme sa v mysliach a poďme o stovky míľ ďalej na východ ku tým mudrcom, až na východ do Indie. V ten večer, ako to mali vo zvyku, keď tá hviezda.... keď zapadlo slnko a vyšli hviezdy, oni vyšli na horu, mali tam takú vežu alebo niečo, z čoho mohli pozorovať. A vystúpili tam, aby chválili alebo aby študovali. A určovali čas podľa hviezd. A študovali udalosti a vyšli tam a študovali pád mocí a národov a kolaps krajín, a tak ďalej, rôznych kráľovstiev. A rozmýšľali o tom a rozprávali sa o tom. A poznali každú jednu z tých hviezd. Poznali ich tak, ako my poznáme Bibliu. Každý pohyb, ktorý urobili, niečo znamenal.

129A vy viete, že Boh vždy vyhlasuje Svoje skutky na nebi pred tým, ako to robí na zemi. Kazatelia to vedia.

130Boli tam, sledovali hviezdy, lebo vedeli, že akákoľvek zmena nastane, hneď si to pozrú a vyhľadajú v Písmach, aby zistili, čo to bolo. „Hovoríš v 'Písmach'?“ Áno, Písmach. Oni boli mágovia. Ale boli mohamedáni, boli mohamedáni. V skutočnosti pochádzali od starých Médo-peržanov. Odtiaľ pochádzajú mohamedáni. Všetci to vieme.

131A počúvajte, oni tam mali majstra. A ak si to chcete prečítať, je to Daniel 2:43. Daniel, prorok, bol ich učiteľom, keď boli dolu v Babylone. Tak veru. Daniel bol hlavným prorokom. A on ich naučil všetky tie veci Božie, lebo bol nad nimi postavený. A povedal im, že „Jedného dňa bude z tej hory odtrhnutý Kameň,“ pamätajte, že je tam povedané, „bez rúk. A rozdrtí tie pohanské kráľovstvá sveta a všetky kráľovstvá a Sám narastie a pokryje zem.“

132A teraz, toto neboli neveriaci, títo mágovia. Nie veru. Oni boli veriaci. Oni verili v jedného pravdivého Boha. Vieme, že to je pravda, Biblia tak povedala. A ak si to chcete prečítať, prečítajte si to v Skutkoch 10:35, kde sa hovorí, že „Boh nehľadí na národ, ale ctí si tých, ktorí sa Ho boja a činia spravodlivo.“ No, oni neboli priamo v línii Pravdy, ale verili v toho istého Boha, v ktorého veríme my. Mohamedáni veria v toho istého Boha, v ktorého veríme my.

133Mnohokrát som videl, ako ten mohamedánsky kňaz vzal túto veľkú vec tu a udrel na taký veľký gong a povedal, „Existuje jeden pravdivý a živý Boh a Mohamed je Jeho prorokom.“ My veríme v toho pravdivého a živého Boha a Ježiš je Jeho Syn. Vidíte? Povedal, „Nech je to ďaleko od Boha, aby mal nejakého syna.“ On si myslí, že to musel byť len Duch, a tak povedal, „Existuje jeden pravdivý a živý Boh a Mohamed je Jeho prorok.“ Oni stále veria v toho jediného pravdivého Boha. Sú to Izmaelove deti.

134No, všimnime si teraz, ako tam boli, ako títo mohamedáni študovali... Vtedy sa im hovorilo mágovia, oni sledovali tie hviezdy. Zapaľovali oheň v noci, bol to posvätný oheň. A oni pristupovali ku svojmu Bohu skrze tieto sväté ohne, ako horeli počas noci. A sledovali a uctievali. A každú noc sa vyšplhali tam hore, až kým nezašlo slnko, a študovali tieto veci. Rovnako, ako sa my schádzame na konferenciách a študujeme Bibliu a Slovo za Slovom. A oni poznali každý jeden pohyb tých hviezd.

135A jedného večera, čo tam boli, študovali. A niet divu, že to bolo zarážajúce, keď sa medzi nimi zjavil návštevník, cudzinec, oni takú hviezdu nikdy pred tým nevideli. Nevedeli, čo s tým, niet divu, že boli zarazení. Viem si predstaviť, ako to sledovali celú noc. Nevedeli, čo s tým majú robiť. Ó, bolo to niečo cudzie. V tej veľkej konštelácii našli, ako tam visí hviezda, a to bol zvláštny cudzí jav. Nikdy pred tým nič také nevideli. A tak rýchlo začali kopať v Písmach, aby zistili, o čom to celé je. Samozrejme, v tom, čo oni sami napísali, nemohli nič nájsť. Ale vrátili sa do knihy Daniela a zistili, „Prichádza Kameň, povstane Hviezda Jákobova,“ oni vedeli, že niečo sa tam má stať. Všetci sa museli modliť a išli spať; ako o tom debatovali. A muselo sa im v ten večer snívať o tom, ako sa narodil na zemi Kráľ kráľov.

136Ako nám bolo nedávno povedané v jednom ústrižku z novín ohľadom tých mágov, ako keď sa tam zoradili tie tri hviezdy a stala sa z nich jedna hviezda, že to bol vtedy Mesiáš na zemi. A bolo tam niekoľko Židov, ktorí mali svoje vzdelanie v astronómii. A tak, keď to videli, vedeli, že sa niekde narodil Ježiš. Aj keď nevedeli, kde to bolo, museli vyraziť a zistiť, čo robiť, kam majú ísť. Každý chcel ísť, každý jeden. Ale oni vždy berú, ako som to nedávno povedal, traja sú svedok, museli ísť traja ako svedkovia a vrátiť sa a povedať im, či to je pravda. A tak, čo urobili? Pozbierali svoj majetok, naložili svoje dary a všetko a išli Mu to priniesť.

137Zaujímalo by ma dnes večer, brat, či sa aj my niekedy snažíme zistiť, koľko môžeme získať, a či naozaj dávame toľko, koľko by sme mali dávať Kristovi. Vidíte, nie vzdelávať sa, ako veľmi môžeme byť chytrí, ako dokážeme preľstiť toho druhého, ale ako môžeme dať všetko, čo máme, Jemu.

138„Bože, daj mi sen, inak tomu neuverím,“ počul som to niektorých ľudí takto povedať.

139„Ja neverím v Božské uzdravenie.“ Nedávno som toto ukazoval jednému človeku. On povedal, „Je mi jedno, koľko doktorov sa pod to podpíše, je mi jedno, koľkí to povedia, a či to alebo tamto,“ povedal, „Ja tomu neverím! Ja tomu neverím!“

Povedal som, „Istotne nie. To nebolo určené pre teba.“

140Božské uzdravenie nebolo poslané neveriacim. Bolo poslané veriacim. Kristus je pre veriacich. Duch Svätý je pre nich na to, aby Mu verili; nie pre neveriacich, pre nich to nebolo určené. Pre nich je to kameň úrazu a vždy to tak bude. Nie je to pre neveriacich. Je to pre tých, ktorí veria! To je to.

141No, teraz zisťujeme, že títo ľudia, oni boli veriaci, oni to chceli zistiť. Naložili všetko, čo mali, aby sa vydali na cestu. Chceli zistiť, či toto bola pravda alebo nie. Mali pred sebou dlhú cestu, a tak dali dokopy svoje majetky a všetko pripravili, zlato, kadidlo a myrhu a čokoľvek mali, čokoľvek, čo bolo treba, aby sa dozvedeli o tomto Kráľovi. Vydali sa na cestu so svojimi darmi.

142A všimnite si, aby našli tohto Kráľa, išli podľa nebeského Bohom-daného znaku, nie podľa nejakej ľudskej teológie. Oni to videli v Slove. Malo to tam byť a oni nasledovali to nebeské znamenie.

143Ak by len človek mohol mať tú odvahu, ktorú mali oni! Ak by len mohli mať to porozumenie, ktoré mali oni! Keď nám Boh niečo dáva a ak to je v Písme, tak sa toho držte!

144Človek hovorí, „Nie je nič také ako krst Duchom Svätým.“ Existuje krst Duchom Svätým! Ale s tebou je to presne tak, ako to bolo na deň Letníc, tak isto je to aj dnes, Božské uzdravenie, Moc Božia! Nikto to nedokáže vysvetliť v Biblii, „Bolo to vzaté preč.“ Môžem vám ukázať, kde to Boh dáva cirkvi! Ukážte mi, kedy to od nej berie? Nie je to tam!

145Lebo, „On je ten istý včera, dnes i naveky. A to zasľúbenie je...“ A Peter povedal na deň Letníc, „Čiňte pokánie, každý jeden z vás a buďte pokrstení na Meno Ježiša Krista na odpustenie vašich hriechov a príjmete dar Ducha Svätého. Lebo toto zasľúbenie je dané vám a vašim deťom a tým, ktorí sú široko ďaleko, toľkým, koľkých Pán náš Boh povolá.“ Tých, ktorých On povolá! To meno Ducha Svätého je dnes večer to isté, ako bolo vtedy, pre to úprimné srdce. Ak to ne... Je to pre teba príliš nezvyčajné veriť Bohu?

146Ako Pavol povedal Agrippovi, „Ó, Agrippa, či by si poprel to, čo povedali proroci?“

147Poprel by si to, čo povedal Sám Ježiš, to, o čom samá Biblia hovorí (ktorou je Kristus, to pomazané Slovo)? A ak to Slovo prebýva vo vás, potom si pomazanou osobou s tým Slovom. „Vy prebývate vo Mne a Moje Slovo vo vás, potom proste, o čokoľvek chcete, a bude vám to dané.“ To je Kristus vo vás, ktorý pomazáva to Slovo pre tento vek, v ktoromkoľvek veku, v ktorom žijete. Boh rozdelil Svoje Slovo do vekov. A každý jeden krát, keď prichádza ten správny čas, tie cirkvi sa dostanú do rozpakov a Boh niekoho posvätí, pošle to dolu a spôsobuje, že to Slovo sa správa presne tak, ako On povedal, že sa bude správať. Presne tak. A existuje Slovo, ktoré je prorokované na tento deň. Boh čaká, kým nájde niekoho, pre koho to nie je nezvyčajné, kto môže byť pomazaný Duchom Svätým, aby dokázal, že Ježiš Kristus je ten istý včera, dnes i naveky, aby bol tým svietiacim svetlom, aby zaslepil oči neveriaceho. A oni sa tomu budú rúhať a bude na nich privedená spravodlivosť; lebo Boží zákon je spravodlivý a súd môže prísť len skrze Jeho spravodlivosť. A potom môže On odsúdiť ten svet a poslať ho do ohnivých plameňov tak, ako to urobili Sodomitom. Všimnite si teraz.

148No, zisťujeme, že oni na tej ceste nasledovali Bohom-dané Znamenie. Oni to sledovali. Nikdy nebrali slovo niekoho iného. Oni nezišli tam dolu a nezačali sa radiť s nejakým biskupom alebo niečím podobným. Boh im dal Znamenie. Oni to tam videli. Bola to Pravda a oni išli za tým. Ukazovalo to cestu. Bolo to to, čo to Písmo predpovedalo. Oni vedeli, že toto prichádza, a nasledovali to. A čo to bolo? Vidím, ako odchádzajú a mávajú zbohom, „Jedného dňa sa vrátime, bratia, a prinesieme vám to posolstvo, lebo vieme, že je pravdivé.“ A oni to nasledovali dolu horami, dolu po rieke Tigris, dolu po tých planinách, deň čo deň, mesiac čo mesiac, tak usilovne, ako len mohli, a sledovali tú Hviezdu.

149Pravdepodobne niekedy počas dňa si ľahli na odpočinok a zaspali, obrátili sa a hovorili jeden druhému, „Ó, to musí byť ohromné, keď sa tam dostaneme; tá nebeská Žiara, to nebeské Svetlo, toto Svetlo, ktoré vidíme, toto Nadprirodzené!“

150Amen! Myslíte si, že som celý bez seba? Nie som. Všimnite si túto nebeskú Žiaru, toto Svetlo, ktoré sledujeme!

151No, pamätajte, nikto iný to nevidel. Prešlo to mimo tohto a tamtoho observatória, dolu mág po mágovi. Ale bolo to poslané pre nich. Verím, že oni to videli, lebo Biblia povedala, že to uvidia. Nikto iný to nevidel.

152Nikto iný nevidel to Svetlo, ktoré videl Pavol, tú vec, ktorá ho udrela a zhodila na zem na ceste do Damašku. Ale bolo to dané Pavlovi.

153Nikto nevidel Ducha Svätého prichádzať ako Svetlo z Neba, ako Holubicu, jedine Ján. On to videl, on nesie ten záznam. On to videl rovnako, ako to tí ostatní nevideli. On to videl, lebo To hľadal.

Tí mágovia to vyhliadali!

154A keď to hľadáš, keď si pripravený prijať ten skutočný vianočný Dar, ten skutočný vianočný dar, Boží Dar Krista, Ducha Svätého. Keď to hľadáš, vtedy to uvidíš. Je to to nebeské Svetlo, ktoré je poslané od Boha z Neba, aby nieslo svedectvo o Ježišovi Kristovi.

155 No, oni nebrali ohľad na slovo nikoho iného. Počas dňa ani nevedeli oddychovať. Povedali, „Ó, ja sa neviem dočkať. Neviem, o koľko ďalej sa dostaneme. Pravdepodobne pôjdeme do Jeruzalema alebo do Zeme Svätých, Palestíny, lebo tam povedalo proroctvo, že sa narodí. A tak skôr či neskôr to nájdeme.“ Príde noc a začne sa stmievať.

156Pamätajte, to Svetlo svieti len v tme. Len vtedy môže byť rozpoznané. Ak sme niekedy žili v temnom čase, kedy sa človek a vyznania oddialili od Božieho Slova, to je dnešok, kedy sa tieto denominácie zamotali do všetkého možného a je z toho Rada Cirkví a podobne, ľudia, ktorí sa spájajú s rôznymi druhmi neveriacich. Biblia povedala, „Ako môžu dvaja kráčať spolu, pokiaľ sa nezhodnú?“ A naše cirkvi idú do takej zmiešaniny! Istotne, oni sú slepí. Ale je to práve v tej temnej hodine, kedy prichádza Svetlo. Vtedy to Svetlo začne svietiť.

157A oni To pozorovali. A keď prišla noc, radovali sa a povedali, „Len nás veď ďalej na západ, len nás veď ku tomu dokonalému Svetlu.“ Ó, a išli dolu riekou cez všetky tie piesočnaté kopce a cez to všetko, išli ďalej, lebo sa snažili nájsť tú Pravdu.

158A pozrite, Betlehem bol priamo v línii s Judeou, odkedy sa... A Jeruzalem bol v línii s Betlehemom, keď tam stáli. Všimnite si. Ó, čo za symbol, ak to dokážete uchopiť. Tu je Betlehem a Jeruzalem je tam hore. A odkiaľ prichádzali tí mágovia, oni museli ísť najprv do Jeruzalema pred tým, ako by išli do Betlehema. Rozumiete tomu? To veľké, svojské denominačné stredisko (tak veru), Jeruzalem, kde sa schádzali všetky tie denominácie. Tá veľká Rada sa tam zhromaždila, viete. A tak, keď títo muži prišli do toho mesta, pomysleli si, „Tuto to je! Ak o tom niekto bude vedieť, to vysvetlí toto veľké tajomné Svetlo, sú tam všetci tí veľkňazi, sú tam doktori Božstva, sú tam ľudia s PhD, LLD titulmi a podobne, oni o tom určite budú niečo vedieť. Ó, brat, Jeruzalem je na obzore! Tu to je, budeme to mať.“ A vydali sa do ulíc!

„Kam idete?“

„Máme veľkolepú správu!“

„Čo to je?“

159„Kde je Ten, ktorý sa narodil ako Kráľ Židov? O čom je celé toto tajomné Svetlo? Kto je On?“ A hore dolu ulicami, títo bohatí ľudia na tých nádherne odiatych ťavách so zlatom a myrhou, išli po uliciach a dolu každým údolím a kričali, „Kde je? Kde je? Kde je?“ Ale on zistil, že nedostali odpoveď.

160Ten veľký výkrik dnes, „Komunizmus je na nás!“ Ó, každé rádio vysielanie, všetko to kritizuje komunizmus. Lenže komunizmus viete rozpoznať; ale to znamenie času, to rozpoznať neviete.

161Ježiš povedal, „Môžete rozpoznať tvár oblohy; ale to znamenie času, to rozpoznať neviete.“

162Vždy hovoria, že, „Komunizmus! Komunizmus!“ Radšej by ste mali zistiť, čo ešte iné s tým ide.

163V akom čase to žijeme? Aké je to znamenie, ktoré Boh povedal, že sa ukáže pred tým, ako sa toto stane? Čo to On povedal? Izrael je na svojom mieste tam, ten figový strom sa znovu prinavracia. Pozrite sa na to, ako to všetko zapadá. Ale cirkev v tom laodicejskom stave s Ježišom vonku ako vyhnancom zo Svojej vlastnej cirkvi; rovnako, ako bol Dávid nad Betlehemom ako vyhnanec zo svojho vlastného ľudu. Vyhnanec! A Kristus, Biblia povedala, že v posledných dňoch On bude vyhnancom spomedzi Svojho ľudu. Je to tam v Zjavení v 3. kapitole, laodicejský vek, v ktorom žijeme, „Kristus je vonku, klope a snaží sa dostať dnu,“ ako utečenec od Svojich vlastných ľudí.

164Ako to bolo vtedy, kedy tí vojaci vzali svoje meče a Dávid vykríkol o čerstvý pohár vody a oni sa presekali cez pätnásť míľ mužov, aby mu priniesli pohár vody. A Dávid to vylial na zem ako obeť, ako obeť vody.

165Áno, dnešní vojaci, Ježiš chce ten dobrý nápoj starej, dobrej, letničnej vody. Tieto odstáte letničné vody sa Mu hnusia. Vezmite to Slovo Božie a potiahnite to, presekajte to cez všetky tieto vyznania a podobne, až kým sa nedostanete do toho miesta, kde sa preňho nachádza čerstvá voda, to pravdivé uctievanie a skutočné srdce, do ktorého môže On vyliať Svoje Slovo, aby v tom dni žilo. On to bude mať. On povedal, že prinavráti tú vieru ľudí späť k ich otcom; tú vieru detí. Malachiáš 4 nám hovorí, že sa to tak stane a tak to bude. Nebojte sa, bude to tam. Boh tak povedal, tak je to celé o tom. Hodiny tikajú. Tak veru. Ale dnes vidíme, že to, čo sa dnes deje...

166Prečo prichádza komunizmus? Prečo sa svet pohlcuje? Čo je to s tým jedným percentom Ruska? Všetko je to komunizmus. Deväťdesiatdeväť percent je stále kresťanské. Jedno percento je Rusko, ktoré ovláda zvyšok sveta, takmer, východný svet. Komunizmus. Prečo? Ako to, že to dokáže? Biblia povedala, že to tak bude; On má tú odpoveď.

167Ale teraz vidíte, že sa snažíme bojovať proti tomu a tamtomu. A práve tá vec, ktorú nám Boh poslal, aby sme sledovali, práve to nevidíme.

168Oni sa tam snažili zistiť, čo za gombíky by mali nosiť na oblečení a kedy bude najbližšia konferencia, kto by mal byť hlavný kazateľ, a tak ďalej, niečo v tom zmysle.

169A tu boli tí mudrci, ktorí sledovali to nebeské Svetlo, ako prichádzali a hovorili, „Keď sa dostanem do Jeruzalema, oni mi povedia, čo je to za toto tajomné Svetlo, ktoré je nad nami a vedie nás.“ A išli hore a dolu ulicami a hovorili, „Kde je On? Kde sa narodil ten Kráľ Židov? Videli sme Jeho Hviezdu na východe. Prišli sme Ho uctievať. Máme tu zlato, kadidlo, všetko tu máme pre Neho. Kde On je? Kde je?“

170Oni povedali, „Kde je kto? Čo?“ Tak je to aj dnes. „Ó, dnes sa nič také nedeje,“ povedali.

„Ó, keď zapadne slnko, vtedy uvidíme to tajomné Svetlo.“

„Ja som to nikdy nevidel.“

„Zavolajte toho muža na veži!“

„Videl si nejaké tajomné Svetlo?“

„O čom to hovoríš?“

„Že či si videl nejaké tajomné...?“

171„Nie! Čo je s tebou?“ Vidíte, oni na to nemali odpoveď.

172A nemajú ju ani dnes! Oni nevedia, o čom sú tieto veci, tam, kde by o tom mali vedieť, tieto veľké hlavy cirkví by si mali byť toho vedomé. Ale Boh vždy funguje v menšine a je to tak pokorné, že to prejde priamo ponad ich hlavy, kedy o tom nevedia. Ale On jednako tak vypĺňa Svoje Slovo. Tak veru. My sami sa v týchto veľkých veciach zamotávame a nedokážeme sa pohnúť. (Bože, odsekni nás od týchto vecí, aby sme videli, v akej hodine žijeme.) Ak Boh musí znovu pracovať cez sen, On ti to môže zjaviť. Istotne môže. Žijeme v tých posledných dňoch. Počúvajte teraz. Ó!

173Oni nemali odpoveď na to tajomné Svetlo, oni to nemali vo svojom stredisku. A rovnako to nemajú ani dnes. A tak, čo oni urobili? Oni volali po Božom Slove. V tom je to. Oni povedali, „Vyhľadajme si to v Božom Slove a zistime, kde sú tieto veci.“ A oni volali po Božom Slove, tí mágovia boli chytrejší ako mnohí ľudia dnes. Tí mágovia to videli, podľa Slova Božieho, že to nemali a ani to nedostanú. Amen. Oni zistili, že to ani nebolo to mesto, to ani nebolo to miesto. On sa mal narodiť v judskom Betleheme. Amen. Z tých najmenších, z toho najskromnejšieho, najmenšieho, najminiatúrnejšieho miesta; nič veľké a štýlové. Tí mudrci to okamžite uvideli. Božie Slovo zjavilo, že oni to nemali a ani to nedostanú, tak sa vyslobodili z toho zmätku. Ak by sme len my mohli urobiť to isté! Boli varovaní v sne a vyslobodili sa z toho zmätku. A tak to opustili. Pre nich to bolo „haleluja“! Opustili to.

174A po tom, čo sa dostali z toho zmätku, potom sa znovu zjavilo to nadprirodzené. Tam to je. Potom, čo sa vyslobodili z tých vecí. Po tom, čo sa dostali von z toho veľkého zamiešania, ktoré tam bolo, kde sa hádali, naťahovali a podobne, mali tam to svoje veľké stredisko so svojím veľkým veľkňazom a doktormi Božstva a všetkých tých, ktorí sa tam prechádzali so svojimi PhD titulmi a veľkými turbanmi, oni sami nedokázali uvidieť tú Hviezdu. Prechádzali sa tam so svojimi klobúkmi... Také veci zaslepujú mnohých ľudí; veľké mená a veľkí ľudia, ktorí prechádzajú okolo.

175Veľa z nich povedalo, „No, nič také neexistuje. Už štyristo rokov sme nič také nepočuli. Čo sa deje s týmito šialencami? Pošlite ich naspäť do Indie, odkiaľ prišli.“

176„Nuž, čo? Slovo Božie, čo s tým? On povedal, 'Ty, Betlehem z Judey, či nie si ty ten najmenší spomedzi Júdu? Ale z teba vyjde...' Ó, my sme na nesprávnom mieste,“ povedali. „My sa nebudeme pridávať k týmto veciam.“

177A tak otočili svoje ťavy a išli preč. Nech ich Boh žehná. Išli odtiaľ preč. Ale len čo odtiaľ odišli, znova sa zjavilo to Svetlo. To Nadprirodzeno sa znovu začalo pohybovať. Ó! Oni vtedy začali nasledovať to Nadprirodzeno, tí Mágovia sa dostali preč od toho systému. A po tom, čo sa z toho dostali, vtedy sa im znovu zjavilo to Nadprirodzené Svetlo z Neba.

178Pokiaľ ste zviazaní so skupinou neveriacich, ktorí týmto veciam neveria, potom budete navždy slepí ako netopier. Odrežte sa od všetkého toho; už či to je matka, otec, sestra, brat, denominácia, čokoľvek to je. „Ten, kto neopustí svojich vlastných, aby išiel ku Mne, ten nie je hoden volať sa Mojím. Ten, ktorý položí svoju ruku na pluh a začne robiť a pozrie sa späť, ten nie je hodný toho, aby žal.“ Brat, sestra, dovoľte mi povedať, že existuje skutočné, pravdivé kresťanské Svetlo, ktoré dnes večer svieti, je to Ježiš Kristus, Ten istý včera, dnes i naveky. Držte sa od všetkého! A On je tým Slovom. On je vždy tým Slovom. Božie Slovo je dokonale správne. Ono nepodlieha žiadnemu súkromnému výkladu.

Poviete, „To znamená toto.“

179To znamená to, čo to hovorí. Biblia povedala, „To nepodlieha žiadnemu súkromnému výkladu.“ Ak to hovorí, že „čierne je čierne a biele je biele,“ presne tak to je. Je to ultimátum. Je to absolút. A každý človek, ktorý je zrodený z Ducha Božieho, je ku tomu priviazaný a nič ho od toho neoddelí. On je priviazaný ku tomu Slovu, lebo to je Kristus, Kristus je Slovo. A Kristus nemôže ohľadom Svojho Slova klamať, lebo On je tým Slovom.

Poviete, „No, ja viem, že On povedal to a to, ale...!“

180Nie je tam žiadne „ale“ a nič také. On povedal, že to tak je, a tak to je. A ani On to nemôže zmeniť. On to nemôže. On je nemenný. On povedal, „Nebo a zem pominú, ale Moje Slová nikdy nepominú, nikdy nezlyhajú.“ Bude to priamo tam vo svojom období. Bude tam niekto, pri kom to bude svietiť.“ Tak veru.

181A Boh vypovedal to Slovo, že Syn tam bude, a tam bol On, aby to rozsvietil. Tam bol ten nebeský Návštevník; a oni to sledovali a prišli priamo ku tomu. A tak opustili to vyznanie a znovu začali s tým Nadprirodzeným a išli preč. Ako sa len radovali! „Oni,“ Biblia povedala, „oni sa radovali s prenáramnou radosťou, keď uvideli, ako sa to Svetlo znovu vrátilo.“

182Ó, brat a sestra, aké pekné by to bolo, keby každý jeden z vás, každý jeden z nás, my, ja, každý jeden by sme dali nabok všetky tieto vianočné trblietky, prestali s tým vymieňaním darčekov a všetkými týmito svetskými nezmyslami; a len dali nabok našu pýchu a všetko to zadupali a povedali, „Pane Ježišu, veď ma do toho dokonalého Svetla.“ Sledujte, ako sa deje to Nadprirodzeno. Duch Svätý sa vráti fenomenálnym spôsobom. Vidíte?

183Oni vyrazili a nasledovali to Nadprirodzeno. A čo tam zanechali? Oni nasledovali to nebeské znamenie toho dňa, pamätajte na to, to nebeské, Bohom-dané znamenie. Či všetci z vás veria, že to je pravda? To bol nebeský, Bohom-daný znak. Oni nasledovali ten Znak, kým nezistili, že to bolo Slovo, ktoré sa stalo Telom. Či veríte, že to bolo Slovo, ktoré sa stalo Telom? To nebeské Znamenie, ktoré bolo na ten deň zasľúbené, ich priviedlo ku Slovu, ktoré sa stalo Telom.

184Brat, sestra, On urobí dnes večer to isté. To veľké Znamenie z Neba, ktoré máme, ten Duch Svätý, ktorý žije medzi nami, nasledujte to. Niečo sa pohybuje v tvojom srdci, „Ja viem, že by som to mal prijať. Viem, že by som mal robiť viac, ako len pridať sa do cirkvi.“

185„Mám dobrý biznis, viem, že sa tomu darí.“ Brat, či vieš, že v jednom z týchto dní ťa môže chytiť infarkt o štvrtej ráno a budeš tu musieť zanechať ten biznis? Kam pôjdeš potom?

186 [Prázdne miesto na páske – pozn.prekl.] ...potvrdené v tvojom vlastnom tele, ty si ten človek, ktorý sa narodil z Ducha Svätého. Či by sa ti to nepáčilo? Či by to nebol ten najväčší vianočný darček, aký by mohol hocikto dostať? Ten dar Večného Života. „Boh tak miloval svet, že dal Svojho jednorodeného Syna, aby každý, kto verí v Neho, nezomrel, ale mal večný Život.“

187„Uvideli sme Jeho Hviezdu na východe a prišli sme sa Mu pokloniť.“

188Civilizácia putovala so slnkom z východu a prišla až na západ. My sme teraz na západnom pobreží, východ a západ sa stretli, už nemôžeme ísť ďalej. Tá najstaršia civilizácia je Čína, tá je na úplne opačnej strane sveta. Pamätajte, išlo to...

189A hriech cestoval s civilizáciou. A my sme... Viem, že je ťažké to takto povedať. Ale, brat, sestra, dokonca aj tie myšlienky a úmysly ľudského srdca, človek, ktorý je pomazaný Duchom, tam vie stáť a videli ste to na druhých. Stojte a sledujete tú osobu, len nechajte, nech povedia slovo alebo dve, vidíte, ako sa to tam vznáša; môžete vidieť, ako zacítia pri sebe to pomazanie. Každá myšlienka, ktorú človek má, je neustále zlá. Je to presne tak, ako to bolo vo dňoch Noeho, až kým on smútil, že Boh vôbec stvoril nejakého človeka. On povedal, „Ja vyhladím človeka z tváre zeme.“ A znovu sme sa navrátili do toho času. Všimnite si to.

190Ale On má malú cirkev, ktorú chce vziať. On má tisíc, ktorí ležia a spia na zemi; prvá hodina, druhá hodina, tretia hodina, štvrtá, piata, šiesta. A toto je siedma hodina. Pamätajte, to je ten čas, kedy On príde, v tej siedmej hodine. A v tej hodine, On našiel múdre panny a panny, ktoré mali olej vo svojich nádobách. Olej je symbolom Ducha Svätého. Ak si to dnes večer vo svojej lampe nenašiel, môj brat a sestra, prečo to neprijmeš teraz ako ten najväčší Boží vianočný dar.

191Viete, dnes máme veľký darček, zabalíme ho, zaplatíme tri doláre, len aby sme ho mohli zabaliť, a dáme okolo toho samé trblietky. A mnohokrát si myslíte, aký to je úžasný darček. A jedna žena nedávno stála pri obchode, boli dve a rozprávali sa. Jedna hovorila, že daruje svojmu otcovi... Povedala, „Čo,“ rozprávala sa so svojou sestrou, „čo ty daruješ ockovi?“

192Povedala, „Ja mu darujem balíček kariet a krabičku cigariet.“

193Ona povedala, „Ja som mu dala malú whiskey,“ povedala, „zabalím to.“ Vidíte, tie trblietky, ktoré sú zvonku, tie nehovoria o tom, čo je vo vnútri. Vidíte?

194Ale Boh má pre vás dnes večer Vianočný Dar. On Ho zabalil do jaslí. To, čo bolo zvonku, nestálo za veľa, ale To, čo je vo vnútri, je Večný Život. Či nedovolíte, aby váš život dnes večer zasiahol tento jav Ducha Svätého a priviedol vás do Večného Života?

Skloňme teraz na chvíľu svoje hlavy.

195V tichosti tejto chvíle, toto málo, čo ak by som vôbec mohol nazvať vianočným posolstvom, jedným z nich. Ak naozaj veríte, že to je pravda, a nikdy ste nenašli to večné Svetlo, potom nechajte, nech vás ten veľký Duch Svätý privedie ku tomu Svetlu, len to vypovedzte vo svojom srdci teraz a povedzte, „Pane Ježišu, ja chcem nájsť to Svetlo. Je mi jedno, čo ktokoľvek hovorí, to som ja, ja som ten, ja chcem nájsť to Svetlo.“ Či nepozdvihnete teraz svoje ruky, zatiaľ čo máme sklonené svoje hlavy? Pozdvihni svoju ruku a povedz, „Modli sa za mňa, brat Branham, ja chcem naozaj nájsť to Svetlo.“ Nech ťa Boh žehná, pani. Nech ťa Boh žehná. Teba tiež nech Boh žehná, pani. Nech ťa Boh žehná, pane. Ďalší, pozdvihnite svoje ruky a povedzte, „Ja chcem, ja chcem, ja naozaj chcem ten Boží vianočný dar.“ Boh nech ťa požehná, pane. Boh nech ťa požehná, pani. Ďalší, povedzte, „Chcem Boží vianočný dar. Pošli mi to, Pane. Je mi jedno, čo to je. Ak to prichádza v jasliach, ak to prichádza v stodole, je mi jedno, ako hanebne to vyzerá pre svet, ako hanebne budem vyzerať pre tento svet.“ Viete, Božie veľké dary vždy spôsobili, že človek sa správal zvláštne.

196Pozrite sa na Mojžiša, ten veľký teológ, veľký učenec, ale jedného dňa sa stretol so Svetlom na zadnej strane púšte. Dal dolu svoju obuv. Človek, ktorý mal osemdesiat rokov a brada mu visela až po pás, vzal svoju ženu a dieťa na mulicu a išiel do Egypta. Tam, kde mal celú armádu, ktorú mohol jedného dňa prevziať, a on zlyhal – teraz sa vracia len s krivou palicou a ide do Egypta, aby dobyl ten národ. Prečo? On našiel to Svetlo, to Nadprirodzeno.

197A tá malá vec, ktorá dnes večer hýbe vaším srdcom, to je to Nadprirodzeno, to je to Svetlo dňa. Či nedovolíte, aby vás to priviedlo ku Ježišovi Kristovi, ktorý je Ten jediný, kto vám môže dať Život? Je tu ešte niekto, kto nezdvihol svoje ruky, či by povedal, „Pamätaj na mňa, brat Branham, teraz v modlitbe“? Nech ťa Boh žehná. Ešte niekto? Nech ťa Boh žehná. Ešte niekto? Nech ťa Boh žehná. Nech ťa Boh žehná, mladý muž. Niekto iný? Nech ťa Boh žehná, mladý muž. Ešte niekto?

198Povedzte, „Ja chcem nasledovať, chcem nasledovať tú Rannú Hviezdu, Krista, chcem to nasledovať a nájsť svojho Ježiša v tento deň. Chcem sa dostať preč od tohto všetkého, týchto vianočných trblietok a vecí, lebo jedného dňa to bude spálené v neuhasiteľnom ohni.“ A všetci tí, ktorí to tolerujú, tí budú spálení s tým. Ten svet, ten hriešnik, všetko to zanikne so svetom. Tí svet-milujúci ľudia zahynú so svetom. A ak v tebe stále zostáva nejaká láska pre svet a chceš sa kompletne zapredať dnes večer Ježišovi Kristovi a Jeho Slovu, zodvihni svoju ruku. Znovu, ktokoľvek ešte nezdvihol... Nech ťa Boh žehná. Nech ťa Boh žehná. Ja to len hovorím. Nech ťa Boh žehná, pani.

199Vy ani neviete, v jednu chvíľu môže niekto zdvihnúť svoju ruku. Poviete, „Aký rozdiel to robí, brat Branham?“ Robí to rozdiel medzi smrťou a Životom.

200Ak tá ruka išla hore takto a naozaj ste to tak mysleli, niečo je pri vás. Čo to je? To je to Svetlo, o ktorom hovorím. To je to Svetlo, ktoré vám hovorí, „Mýlil som sa. Je vo mne nejaký svet. Už to viac nechcem. Zodvihnem ruky.“ To je svedectvo.

201Pamätajte, viete, čo je zodvihnutá ruka? V každom jazyku pod nebom, zdvihnutá ruka znamená vzdanie sa, znak kapitulácie. Keď zodvihnete svoje ruky, akákoľvek armáda, kdekoľvek, keď zodvihne ruky, to je medzinárodne znamenie kapitulácie.

202Koľkí z vás dnes večer, priamo v tejto citácii, koľkí z vás zodvihnú svoju ruku a povedia, „Vydávam všetko, Pane. Vydávam všetko. Skončil som. Vzdávam sa.“ Nech ťa Boh žehná, nech ťa Boh žehná. Tak veru. To je v poriadku. Ó!

203Rád by som, keby prišla klaviristka ku klavíru, zatiaľ čo sa modlíme.

204Nebeský Otče, uvedomujem si, že sa píše, „Tí, ktorí uverili, boli pokrstení.“ To je všetko, čo je potrebné, Pane. Ak oni veria v Teba, niečo sa stane. Oni sú Tvoji, oni sú trofeje tejto malej služby Božieho Slova; tá Prítomnosť Ježiša Krista je dnes večer medzi touto milou skupinou ľudí, ktorí tu sú zhromaždení na tomto malom bankete. Ale dnes večer vieme, že Ty si tu. Nejako, nejakým spôsobom, možno sme to nevideli svojimi vlastnými očami, ale cítili sme to naším druhým zmyslom, náš zmysel citu, ten zmysel cítenia v našom srdci, naše vedomie. Naša duša ku nám prehovorila a povedala, „My sme v Prítomnosti Ježiša Krista: ten najväčší vianočný darček, ten prvý skutočný vianočný dar od Boha človeku.“

205A jednako, zo všetkých tých darov, ktoré sme získali, mnohí z nás nikdy neprijali ten najväčší Dar. Modlíme sa, Bože, dnes večer za týchto ľudí, aby zodvihli svoje ruky, oni chcú toto všepostačujúce. Oni sa naklonili tým smerom, Otče.

206Mnohí z rabínov to tiež urobili, mnoho z tých veľkých učiteľov toho dňa sa nakláňali tým smerom, ale báli sa vykročiť a kompletne sa vydať a uveriť tomu; a akceptovať to Posolstvo, to Svetlo tej hodiny, to potvrdené Slovo. Mnohí to urobili.

207Pane, je tu dnes večer mnoho, dvadsať alebo tridsať v tejto malej skupine ľudí. Ak som to podcenil alebo precenil, odpusť mi. Ale, Pane Bože, možno toľko, viac alebo menej, zodvihlo svoje ruky. Oni sú pripravení vydať sa. Bože, daj im Ježiša, daj im Ducha Svätého do ich života. Nech je toto tá najväčšia hodina ich života. Nech idú dnes večer domov, ako išiel Jozef, a nech rozmýšľajú vo svojich srdciach nad týmito vecami, „Prečo som zodvihol svoju ruku? Čo spôsobilo, že som to urobil? Ako som sa do toho dostal? Jednako, tvrdil som, že som kresťan už roky, ale niečo mi povedalo, aby som zodvihol ruku.“ Členovia cirkvi, dokonca aj kazatelia zodvihli svoje ruky, Pane. Modlím sa, aby si im udelil to požehnanie. Udeľ to.

208A nech príde Anjel Pánov a povie, „Neboj sa, lebo toto je to Svetlo dňa. Toto je to Svetlo tej hodiny. Tie večerné Svetlá svietia. Ten prorok povedal, že to bude Svetlo v čase večera, rovno pred tým, ako zapadne slnko.“ A, Pane, my vidíme ten západ času, čoskoro sa to zleje do večnosti. Udeľ, Pane, aby každý jeden z nich dnes večer našiel Ježiša. Lebo o to prosím v Jeho Mene. Amen.

209Pozdvihnime svoje ruky ako znak vydávania sa, takto, a povstaňme na svoje nohy.

210O niečo vás poprosím. Vy, ktorí ste pred chvíľou zdvihli svoje ruky, ja som sa za vás modlil. To je všetko, čo dokážem, modliť sa. Budem za vás veriť. Verím, že to, o čo som prosil, On mi to dá, lebo On zasľúbil, že to tak urobí. On nemôže klamať. On nemôže klamať. To jediné, čo to drží od toho, aby sa to stalo, je moja... je moja nevera. Ja verím za vás, že to tak naozaj myslíte. A Boh vám dá Ducha Svätého. On vám Ho dá, lebo ste o Neho prosili a chcete sa Mu vydať.

211A ak ste to urobili, poviem vám, čo urobím. Chcem, aby ste išli do nejakej dobrej cirkvi, ktorá verí v krst Duchom Svätým, choďte tam. Len tam choďte. A ak ste v takom druhu cirkvi, choďte ku pastorovi a povedzte mu, „Nedávno som zodvihol svoje ruky na jednom malom zhromaždení.“ Ani mu nemusíte povedať, kde to bolo. Povedzte, „Zodvihol som svoje ruky. Chcem, aby si sa so mnou modlil, pastor. Hľadám krst Duchom Svätým. Chcem to. Musím to mať. Musím to mať, aby som mohol žiť. Ja to jednoducho musím mať! Videl som to Svetlo.“ Ó, nech vám to Boh udelí. Či to urobíte v tejto chvíli?

212A teraz, zatiaľ čo tu všetci ste, zaspievajme, „Vydávam všetko, vydávam všetko. Všetko Kristovi, môjmu Spasiteľovi, vydávam všetko.“ No, zodvihnime teraz svoje ruky a zavrime svoje oči, ako spievame.

Vydávam všetko,

vydávam všetko.

Všetko Tebe, môj požehnaný Spasiteľ,

všetko vydávam.

Vydávam všetko,

vydávam všetko.

Všetko Tebe, môj požehnaný Spasiteľ,

všetko vydávam.

213Či to tak naozaj myslíte? Povedzte, „Amen.“ [Zhromaždenie hovorí, „Amen.“ - pozn.prekl.] Chcem, aby ste teraz urobili niečo naozaj milé. Niekto pri vás stojí, načiahnite ruku a povedzte, „Brat, naozaj to tak myslím. Modli sa za mňa.“ Urobme to teraz všetci spoločne. [Brat Branham hovorí ku tým na pódiu, „Brat, naozaj to tak myslím. Modli sa za mňa. Nech ťa Boh žehná. Nech ťa Boh žehná.“] To je dobré. To je v poriadku. Ó, či sa pri tom necítite dobre? Ja som to tak naozaj myslel.

214Teraz, ak to naozaj zo svojho srdca tak myslíme, vydajme teraz svoje všetko, všetku našu vôľu, všetky naše cesty, všetko, čo máme, vydajme to Kristovi, pozdvihnime svoje ruky znovu a spievajme:

Vydávam všetko,

vydávam všetko.

Všetko Tebe, môj požehnaný Spasiteľ,

všetko vydávam.

215Skloňme teraz svoje hlavy a spievajme. [Brat Branham začína hmkať, Vydávam všetko – pozn.prekl.] Zaostrite teraz svoju myseľ na Neho. „Ja...“ Želám vám tie najšťastnejšie Vianoce, aby Boh zoslal Svoju Hviezdu z východu, ktorá povstala na východe pred tisíc deväťsto rokmi, a nech vás vedie ku tomu Slovu, ktoré sa stalo Telom. [Brat Branham ďalej hmká, Vydávam všetko.]

Vydávam všetko,

vydávam všetko. (Vystrime ruky hore ku Bohu)

Všetko Tebe, môj požehnaný Spasiteľ,

všetko...

Nech ťa Boh žehná, Tony.

UVIDELI SME JEHO HVIEZDU A PRIŠLI SME SA MU POKLONIŤ (WE HAVE SEEN HIS STAR AND HAVE COME TO WORSHIP HIM), 63-1216, Ramada Inn, Ramada Inn, Tucson, AZ, 99 min

1 I deem this a great privilege to be here this evening, at this fine gathering of Christian people, to have this opportunity to speak to you of our blessed Lord Jesus, Who we're all here in honor of, to honor Him.

2It's nice to be with Brother Tony and Brother Williams, the--the two presidents, of the chapter here at--at--at Tucson and also at Phoenix. We had the service up there last Saturday morning, certainly had a grand time there in that Ramada Inn up there. And we expect to have another great time there, beginning the nineteenth of this month, where it's my privilege to go back for an extended service. We have, I believe, it's four nights, beginning the nineteenth. And I think the Business Men's International Convention begins on the twenty-second, twenty-third. I'm there until the twenty-second, and then I have a--a night or two, I think, in the--in their convention. So, this is a grand privilege for me to have the opportunity to gather with the Christians around different parts of the country, to express my feeling and love towards Christ, with them, and have the grand fellowship together. And now I'm sorry I didn't get here to enjoy this fine meal that I know you have. But I think...

3 I been out here on interviews, praying for the sick, and trying to help somebody along the road. And this is a sick, old world we're living in, so much sickness and trouble. But in the midst of all of this, isn't it a wonderful thing that we have Someone that we can look up to, above these things, press beyond this.

4What if there wasn't a real Christmas? If there had not been a real Christmas, well, things wouldn't be the way they are tonight. If there wasn't a Christmas, there wouldn't have been no salvation. And now that we're facing Christmas, again, it's too bad that we have changed it, the real meaning of it, being the birth of Jesus, until just, well, it look like that Santa Claus has taken the place of Christ in Christmas, and some fiction of a Kriss Kringle coming down a chimney, with a sack of toys on his back, that visits the whole world in one night. And I don't know what you think about it, it's all right if you want to tell your children that; but I was taught, thought the Scripture said, "Thou shalt not lie." And then someday they're going to ask you, "Is this Jesus the same thing that Santa Claus is?" when they find out there's no Santa Claus. So, I best think it's best, myself. That might not be your idea. I'm not telling you how to raise your children. But I... If they catch you lying on that, then they're going to say someday that maybe this Other is a lie, also. So just tell them the truth, straight truth, and then they'll know how to, what you mean. So, no matter how bad the outside looks, and what they're doing out there, that should not bother us from making Christmas what it should be. See?

5 I think that the light shines the best in the darkness. Darker it is, the better the light shines, sometimes just a small light. Where there's much light, it's not noticed. But the darker it gets, that small light will shine that much stronger. And remember that there's no darkness can exist in the presence of light. Light is so much more powerful than darkness, until it cannot stand in its presence. Darkness cannot stand when the sun starts to shine, because the sun is so much greater, the sunlight, that it just presses the darkness out, and it's no more.

6And this dark world, someday, is going to turn to all light. When Jesus Christ the Sun of righteousness shall come again, then we'll have no more darkness. Until that time, just as we look out at nighttime and see the moon shining...

7 The moon and the sun is husband and wife, as to say. And in the absence of the sun, the moon reflects the light of the sun, to the earth, giving it a lesser light, that we can see how to get around by the moonlight until the sun rises. And then the sun and moon becomes one, the same, sunlight and moonlight is all the same.

8That's what the Church of the Lord Jesus Christ should be, reflecting the Light of Him while He is absent from the earth in a physical body, the Church should be the reflection of Jesus Christ in these dark hours. When Santa Claus and tinsel all over the street, we should scream out, "It's the birth of Jesus Christ, and not the visit of Saint Nicholas!" We're living in an awful dark time, and that's when our light should really shine.

9 Now, before we read God's Word, I wonder this, that if we will honor His Word. How do we honor His Word? We honor His Word by reading It and then believing It. Now, we should read It, "Faith cometh by hearing." And then if we honor It by reading It, then we honor Him by believing what we have read.

10So now, to do the first honor, while we read His Word, let us stand to our feet while I'm going to read a portion of Scripture. We stand in honor of the reading of His Word. I'm going to read where I want to speak from tonight, for just a few moments. It's going to be from the Book of Saint Matthew, the Christmas story. In the 2nd chapter of Saint Matthew, we read this.

Now when Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judaea in... days of Herod the king, behold, there came wise men from the east to Jerusalem,

Saying, Where is he... born King of the Jews? for we have seen his star in the east, and are come to worship him.

When Herod the king had heard these things, he was troubled, and all Jerusalem with him.

And when he had gathered all the chief priests and the scribes... people together, he demanded of them where Christ should be born.

And they said unto him, In Bethlehem of Judaea: for thus it is written by the prophets,

And thou Bethlehem, of the land of Juda, art thou not least among the princes of Juda: for out of thee shall come a Governor, that shall rule my people Israel.

Then Herod, when he had privately called the wise men, enquired of them diligently what time the star appeared.

11 Now let us bow our heads just a moment, while we speak to the Author of this Word.

12Almighty God, we thank Thee tonight from the very depths of our hearts for the love of Christ that's been shed abroad in our hearts, in these last days, by the Holy Spirit. We thank Thee because that we have the privilege of assembling ourselves together and worshipping Thee, and having this blessed assurance, that, someday You're coming for Your Church. We thank Thee, to be the Light-bearers of this age, to be here ready to manifest the promised Word for the age that we're now living in, knowing that in the beginning You allotted out Your Word. Knowing the end from the beginning, each age, You allotted Your Word to that age. Somehow, we don't know how it ever happened, but in each one of those ages, as we look back upon Thy Word, and we see that there was an anointing come in that age, that fulfilled that Word. And in the days that we are now living in, there is an allotted Word, a promise for this age. We believe that the Holy Spirit is here on earth now, trying to find hearts, to manifest and to bring to pass, by vindicating the Word that's now prophesied for this day and hour.

13 As we look back, some nineteen hundred years ago, there had been a Word prophesied since the Garden of Eden, of a Saviour coming, and there was One come and fulfilled every Word that was prophesied. His life vindicated God's Word, because He was the Word. The fulness of God dwelt within Him. He was the--the Answer and the Fulness of all the prophets had said. And now tonight we are here approaching, again, the celebration of His birthday.

14And, Lord, we're so sorry to know that even our nation has wrapped theirself in some kind of a--a fictitious story of someone that was supposed to have been some mythical myth. But, Lord, we know that the true believer knows that that is wrong, and it's only done of the enemy, to beset people's mind from the true and living God.

15 God, we pray that His Presence will be with us tonight as we get into the Christmas story. And grant, Lord Jesus, if there would be some businessman or woman here in the--the building tonight, that has not yet accepted Him as their Saviour, may this be the night that their own heart will become a manger that will cradle, tonight, as it was then, the rejected and despised Jesus, the Messiah of God. May they go away from here, tonight, with the Morning Star hanging over them, lighting up their way till they can cross Jordan someday by the Light of this One. Grant it, Father, for we ask it in His Name and for His glory. Amen.

You may be seated.

16 Usually that I'm a little long in speaking; I would not try to preach tonight, because I'm hoarse. But I'd like to give a little drama of this Christmas story. And there's no doubt, but what you'll hear it many times, and this same Scripture read, will come on your radios, into your televisions, and--and at your churches, your fine loyal pastors of you businessmen, and so forth, will--will hear the Christmas story, and will tell the Christmas story, rather.

17And now I would like to approach it a little different than what I did last Saturday at the Business Men's Chapter of Phoenix, on why Jesus was born in Bethlehem. And there could not been any other place He could have been born, see, because it spoke His Name and what He was. And we found that out through the Scripture, that He, Bethlehem, is the House of God's Bread, and He was Gods Bread of Life. And there was no way... And it gives us to know then that we, all borned-again Christians, are borned in Bethlehem. Christ is God's Bethlehem, His House of Bread of Eternal Life.

18 Now, tonight, we're going to approach it from a different way. I'm going to take my text tonight, the Lord willing, We Have Seen His Star And Have Come To Worship Him.

19These wise men. We have an idea here that, and we're told by tradition, that there were three wise men, yet we don't know that to be true. The Bible doesn't say there were "three." However, I've had the privilege of ministering in India, from where they come from, and they travel by three's. That's, we still see them. Just not long ago I was in India. And here you see them kind of squatted on the street with their, in the daytime, with their heads bumped against each other, with their turbans, sitting there kind of like in a daydream. They never sit right down, they just squat down. And that's the reason, I think, that we believe there were three wise men, because they travel in three's.

20And they said, "We have seen His Star in the East and have come to worship Him." In other words, "We have seen His sign for this age," that they were living in. It was prophesied so.

21 See, I believe that the Word of God is Eternal, for, "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us." So the Word can never be changed, It's Eternal. It's God Himself in--in print form, is the Bible, God's Word.

22He's got to judge the church by some standard. And He can not judge it by the standard of any system that we have made, because every one of our systems are man-made. And it has to be judged. Then if--if you would want to disagree and say, "No, I believe you're wrong there, Brother Branham. I believe ours." Or the other fellow would say, "Well, ours is." Then which one is right, when there's nine hundred and something different systems of it? So God could not judge the church by nine hundred and something different differences in systems.

23But there will be One. He said He would "judge the world by Christ, Jesus Christ." And Christ is the Word, therefore we will stand the judgment by the Word of God.

24 Now, God never does anything without first showing a sign. He's not guilty of ever doing anything but first--first declaring it by His sign.

25And these wise men said, "We have seen His Star in the East," they were in the East when they saw It, which was in Babylon, which was east of Jerusalem; and they were in the West, two years later, saying, "and have come to worship Him."

26Christian tradition has us coming to a little baby, laying in a manger, the wise men. That isn't so. The Scripture is contrary to that. The Scripture says, "They came to a young child," not an infant. Herod slew all the children from two-year-old down. See, and watch where they had to travel by camel to get there, taken them right on two years to make the journey, coming down through, by the Tigris River and across. "We have seen His Star," when they were in the East, "and have come west to worship Him."

27 Now notice, Christmas now has changed. Now, the real day of Christmas, we... that would be disputed, because we do not know it. The way we take Christmas, if you ever studied it, we are taking the--the Roman Catholic church's conception of when Christmas was. Actually, Christ could not have been born on the twenty-fifth day of December, and be according with the Scriptures, because there's thirty foot of snow in Judaea in that time, see, so they... it could not been shepherds out on the hills, and so forth, and it'd be contrary then to all nature. He came like nature.

28Because, God has a law, and those laws can't be changed. The sun goes down, you can't say, "Well, it won't rise." It does rise. Summer, winters, and so forth, it's God's laws that He's set in order. And they, every one, work perfect.

29 Now, but, He was perhaps born in April or May, one. When, He was a Lamb, and every other thing proved He would be a Lamb. That's the reason He was born in a manger, in a barn, and not in a house; because lambs are borned outside in the barns, in straw and stuff, and not in the house. When He was taken to the crucifixion, He was led away. You remember, you lead the sheep. We go to the slaughterhouse down here, they got a goat or something that leads the sheep; the sheep won't go hisself, he's got to be led. In every way, He was, so then in nature He had to be born when lambs are born. And that's in April, see, that's about when He was born.

30 But then when Christianity was brought into Romanism and mixed at Nicaea, then they had the sun-god, Jupiter, the sun-god of Rome, his birthday was on the... between the... about the twenty-fifth day of December. Because, the Roman circus started on the twenty-first and lasted till the twenty-fifth, which was in celebration of the sun-god's birthday. So blending Romanism paganism to--to Christianity, they said, "Let's make it the Son-of-God's birthday, and then we can all agree upon it." See, it's always been on systems of compromising to the Truth, every time, has always been.

31 So today we find out that in there they've injected everything, all of our holidays are polluted. Our Easter, it's no more the resurrection of Christ, it's a some kind of an Easter rabbit, or a new hat, or--or something, or a little pink duck; has nothing to do with the resurrection of Christ, no more than Santa Claus has anything to do with the birth of Jesus Christ. But it's the world! And the commercial world has got everything in such a tangle and mess until, no wonder, God is justified to burn the thing up. And He's going to do it, He promised He would do it. And it has to get in this mess in order... There's no hopes for it, it's gone.

32And now, but in the hour of this darkness, as I say, that we live in, still Christians should be holding forth that Light, that there is a Truth to Christmas, that it is the birth of Jesus Christ, the Son of God. The zigzag, forked lightning into a dark, cloudy, angry skies, shows there can be light in darkness. It proves that there can be light in the time of darkness.

33 This that I'm speaking of tonight, might seem just a little bit unusual, and especially of these notes and Scriptures I have written here, which I will refer to, as many of them takes down the Scriptures, and so forth. Now, it's a little unusual. But, I want you to always bear this in mind: God is unusual, God does unusual things. That's the trouble with us today, we get so set in the usual things, that, when something unusual takes place, then we--we--we're all out of it, we don't know what's happened. God does the unusual. And any man that's ever read the Bible, knows that God always does the unusual.

34And, remember, this is all prearranged by God Himself, this birth of His Son. And when it was to take place, and how it was, and when it was, was all prearranged by God Himself.

35 Did you notice, it had to be just at this time when this murderous king, Herod, nothing but a murderer, killed all those little children, that it might be fulfilled which was spoke of the Lord by the prophet, saying, "In Rama, Rachel reaping, weeping for her children, and they were not." See, there had to be a murderous king to fulfill that prophecy that was spoke many hundred years beforehand. But, when God speaks a Word by His prophet, It has to come to pass if It's God's Word. No matter how long It lingers, It'll still come to pass because It's a Seed. Jesus said that the Word of God is a Seed that a Sower sowed. So It must bear Its fruit in Its seasons. And now this murderous king had to be at that time, to kill those children.

36 Another thing we want to notice is, just at that very time, that he had to raise taxes on the people. And, in doing that, that forced Joseph and his wife (his espoused wife, Mary) to be forced back into Bethlehem.

37God knows how to do things. He'll even make the works of the enemy praise Him. When, we think sometimes it's all "we got to do this and do that" to make the clock tick just right. God's timepiece is ticking perfectly, and Jesus will be here right on time. He won't be one second behind. Everything will happen just exactly the way God said it would. So, whether we do it or whether we do not do it, it will be here just the same, 'cause God has spoke it, and it will be so.

38 Now we find out, that the taxes, that this Herod said that all the people that were strayed from their birthplace, must return back. That, he thought he was doing something great there, when he done this; and not knowing that he was working exactly in harmony with Jehovah. How many of the priests probably cursed Herod at that time, in the Name of the Lord! How many stood up, probably secretly, and said, "Oh, this Roman, what a... If we could get a hold of him, we'd do so-and-so, and so," not knowing it was working exactly according to God's plan.

39Sometimes, today, we curse Communism and all these things. Which, I guess, it deserves it. But if you only knew the truth, it's working exactly in God's hand, to do just exactly what He said it would do. He's got to raise up something to take Babylon off the earth, and He's got the instrument in His hands. You just read the Scripture, it's written right there what He said He would do.

40And if those ministers of that day had just read and studied that Word, they knowed that had to happen.

41 Now we notice then that on this great taxation, the king gave forth his rule, or his order, that all people would turn to their birthplace, regardless. Now, it looks like a horrible thing, that poor little woman, in that place that she was in, heavy with child, and would have to take that long journey. Today, we would hardly think of taking her in an ambulance. And she had to. If you was ever in Palestine, and see where she had to come through that rugged, granite boulders, up through there, on the back of a little mule. No matter how bad it was, and how cruel it seemed, that was the king's orders, everybody must do it, young or old, prepared or not prepared, they had to do it, anyhow.

42 And sometimes we think that, our burdens. I might inject this right here, that, we think our burdens are so heavy sometimes, that there's nothing like it in the world. Do you know all those things are good for you? They are all to mold you, make you. Prophets and sages was molded on the backside of the desert, in the hot, blazing sun, through tribulations and trials, and persecutions. And these things that we have today, there's nothing happened to us that hasn't happened to other Christians, before. Other Christians has had to stand in the hour of darkness like this, and even be fed to lions, for their testimony.

43 And then we take down, on a little prestige, or somebody that we think we are, "Well! Well, I belong to So-and-so, this certain church you know. I'm afraid I'll bring reproach if I..."

44Don't be afraid of your testimony for Jesus Christ! Shed forth your Light! Stand for your convictions, that "He is the Son of God. And this is not a night of visit of Kringle, Kriss Kringle, but it's the birth of Jesus Christ that we're celebrating." See? Now we find those things that it's done.

45 Did you ever see them when they was fixing to mold a bell, some famous bell for a church chime or something, that had to give a certain ding? You see, if you're ringing a chime, it takes a certain range for each bell. And it takes certain materials to go in there, so much brass, so much steel, and so much of other ores, to go into this bell. If it's just straight brass, it won't ring right. It's got to have all kinds of materials throwed into it, to make it ring the right kind of a tone. And the man who has put the mold up, and set the mold, he knows exactly what it takes to go in that cupola, what it takes to go into that--that metal, to make that bell ring that tone.

46 God is our great Cupola. God is the... He is the great Refiner's Furnace, that where He has to put these things upon us, and trials, and persecutions and things, to mold it together, to make our testimony ring for a certain time, and a certain note that He wants rang out in a certain day.

47We're made different. We're all made different. We see different. But we all see one thing, that's Jesus Christ. Let's look at Him. And the only way you can see Him... If He looks contrary to this Word, you're not looking at Him, for That is Him. So, if you see a creed or see some certain denomination that you just think, "I belong to that, and that's enough." If it doesn't look at that Word, then look away from it. Look to that Word! And that's what we're looking for, Christ, the manifestation of God's Word, He is the vindication of God's Word.

48 Now, all these great things, and happened down there to--to this little couple, it seems strange. But, it might seem strange to them, but it all was working together good.

49Now Joseph's dream, I'd like to speak of that just a moment. I've got the Scripture written here for it. God has, at all times, all ages, spoke to His people, and revealed Himself by dreams.

50Now, dreams are not an assurance. Every dream is not from God. Now, there's many people that has dreams, and they have all kinds of dreams. And you go to bed at night, and eat a big supper and go to bed, and you might dream anything. You might have a fever, and you might have all kinds of nightmares, and so forth, that isn't God. But, yet, God does deal with people through dreams.

51 We find Joseph early, Jacob's son, that how he was a prophet. And a prophet understood dreams. Now, if a dream is interpreted, then it becomes a vision, it's a prophecy.

52Now we find out even before that, king Nebuchadnezzar, and back into Daniel, and way all back, that God dealt with the people through dreams, spiritual dreams. I believe in them. We have them now. How many times could I have to testify, hundreds of people that's had dreams, and correctly interpreted it, it happened just exactly!

53 But a dream is kind of a--a fictitious thing. Now, one time under an examination, I was asked about dreams. And now a dream is when, we are told, you're in your subconscience. Now a person has a first conscience, and in this first conscience your five senses are active, see, taste, feel, smell, and hear. But when you go to sleep, these five con-... senses are not active, and then you're over here in a subconscience, which sets way away from you, and then you're over there, dreaming. But when you return back and wake up... Doubtless, but what there's not one person, not even a person here, but what has had a dream sometime in your life, that you still remember. Then there was some part of you, somewhere, that when you come back to your senses again, you still remember it. Maybe it was years ago. I remember dreams that I had when I was a little boy, I still remember them; then there's bound to be something, some part of me, was somewhere. Now, that's dreams, so, you see, you're way off from your senses. Then when it comes back and you tell your dream, if it's of God...

54 There could be an interpreter of dreams. The Bible said, "If there be one among you, who is spiritual, a prophet, I the Lord will make Myself known to him in dreams, and will speak to him through visions."

55Now we find out that Joseph, the son of Jacob, was that type of a man. That, they'd dream dreams, and then he'd interpret it. He could interpret dreams, and he saw visions. It's all an act of the Spirit.

56 Now we find also, in this, that when a man is born to be a seer, or see visions, you--you're... you have to be called of that, by God.

57Notice, here is your subconscience, natural, and here is your first conscience. Now you have to go out of your senses, five senses, into sleep, to go into the subconscience, then come back to it. That's a dream.

58But a seer, both consciences are right together. You don't go out of this five senses, you're still in the five senses, stand right straight and look what's taking place. See, you never leave your senses. You're right there, know where you're at and what you're doing, speaking your words. Now, that is a--a predestinated gift. "Gifts and callings are without repentance." See, God does that. You do not go to sleep; you're standing with both eyes open, looking right straight and seeing what you're looking at. See? And what a--a vision is, is of God, of course.

59 We sleep today. That's the trouble with the world today, it's sleeping. And so many people just love to sleep. But I, I'll say this, there's no beds in Heaven. We won't sleep when we get to Heaven, because there's no night there. There's no night, so you won't have to sleep when you get to Heaven, 'cause there's no beds there.

60But notice, when our--our conscience, God can use every part of us if it's converted to Him. Everything that we are, when it's given completely into the hands of God, and converted to His service, He can use us in dreams, He can use us in speech, He can use us in all senses. And everything that we are, is converted to God, then God can use it. Do you believe that? See, when we are, everything is converted to Him, He can use it. When our whole being is converted, then Christians can have, this day, spiritual dreams that can mean something, that can foretell them of things. We know that that's the truth.

61 A spiritual dream is interpreted, rightly interpreted, is the same as a vision. And what is a vision? A vision is the forecast of future events; it foretells the thing before it happens. And that's the way God always vindicated whether it was true or not, or whether the man (that was in the Old Testament) was supposed to be a prophet, what he said come to pass. Then they knowed; if this man said this, and it kept constantly coming to pass. Now, that man cannot just be hands layed on him, or shook up, and give a--a gift; he is born with that gift, born in him when he's born, before he's born.

62 Look at the prophet Isaiah, prophesied of John, seven hundred and twelve years before he was born, said he was "the voice of one crying in the wilderness."

63Look at Jeremiah, before he even was conceived in his mother's womb, while he was yet there, God said, "I knew you, and sanctified you, and ordained you a prophet to the nations." See? "Gifts and callings are without repentance."

64And you can only be, that can only work when there's something there for it to work with. Like if there's a right hand to work, and you got a right hand, then let it work for the Kingdom of God. If you got eyes to see, then see the right things; lips, voice to speak, speak the right things. Whatever it is, do the right things. And convert all you've got, to God, to His glory.

65 Now, we find out that the forecast foretells future events before they happen. Strange as it seems, that Almighty God foretold, and took the welfare of the Baby, Jesus, and revealed it by a dream, what to do. Now that God, in this secondarily way, to His Own Son, revealed it to Joseph by a dream. The Bible said He did. Yes, sir. Now, Joseph was a good man, he was the son of David, and he was espoused to Mary.

66Now I'd like to pass this on, before we go further. "Espousing," in the East, was the same as marriage, is betrothal. As soon as they--as they were espoused, they were married. When that sacred vow between them was taken, read Deuteronomy 22:23, and you'll find out that when this woman and man agreed to be married (yet they did not take the vows for months later), if they even broke that vow, they were guilty of adultery. That's right. When they was espoused, they were just the same as marriage. The law had not given them rights to live together as husband and wife yet, but before God, when they promised one another, their words were sealed in God's Kingdom. And, to break that, was just committing adultery. And now Joseph was "espoused" to Mary. If minister brothers, if you'd study that right good, it'd clear you up on this marriage-and-divorce case that's so--so hard and different amongst the people today. Now notice Joseph, her husband, being a just man, see, now we find out that this could not be broken.

67 She told, must have told him. This young virgin, beautiful, young Jewish maid, she become... We're all adults here, as far as I can see. She become to be mother. And Joseph going with her, noticed this, no doubt, after he was espoused to her, he found out that she was to be mother. Now, he was a just man, the Bible said he was. She must have told him of her innocence. The lovely woman, I can hear her, just as it were to say, "Joseph, my beloved friend, my beloved husband, I am innocent of this." And she must have told him of the visit, with her and the great Archangel, that the Archangel had come to her, Gabriel, and had visit her with these great signs that He had told her about, that what was going to happen.

68 And then we notice she, too, after she had this visitation, she was so elated by the Angel's message, that she took up into the hilly country of Judaea; from Nazareth, where she was a native, of the city of Nazareth, a very mean, little city.

69And when she got up there, her cousin Elisabeth was also (already six months) to be mother, who had been called barren.

70Her husband, Zacharias, was a priest at the temple. And one day while he was waving the offerings, which was the burning incense, rather, over the prayers of the people that was being said outside. Gabriel, the Angel of the Lord; now, He hadn't been seen, nor nothing been seen of anything Supernatural, for years and years, and hundreds of years. But here stood that Angel at the right-hand side of the altar, and told him that his wife would conceive and bear a child, and he was going to call his name "John." And we all know the story.

71And then when Gabriel also, six months later, visit Mary in Nazareth, and told her about the event of her cousin, Elisabeth. And then quickly, Mary having this great secret in her heart, that what was going to take place, she hurried up into the hills to see her cousin.

72 And when Elisabeth had hid herself, because she didn't want to appear out before men in the condition she was, and she had hid herself for six months. Now, according to my understanding of the Scripture, she was worried, the baby had no life to that time. And it was way subnormal for a baby not to move within, oh, at least three months, or four, of time. But now it was six months, and the baby had never moved. So when Elisabeth and Mary met each other, they, no doubt, hugged each other, embraced each other, as cousins, and--and were so happy to see each other. And let's just think of what they said. I can hear Elisabeth say to Mary, "Oh, darling, you look so pretty."

And Mary said, "You know, I know that you're to be mother."

73"Yes, it's kind of bothered me, and it's six months and my baby has not moved yet."

74"Oh, but I've got something to tell you, I just can't hold it any longer!"

75 You know, there's something about when you get in contact with God, you can't keep still about it. You just got to say something about it, that is, if you got a real, true conversion. I don't care where you are, you've got to express it somewhere.

76And I can hear her say, "You know, I've got something to tell you. I'm going to have a baby, too!"

77"Oh," said Elisabeth, "I suppose then... Why didn't you invite us to the wedding, you and Joseph, when you were finally married? I know you were espoused, but why didn't you invite me to the wedding?"

"Oh, we're not married yet."

"And you're going to have a baby?"

"Yes!"

"Well, Mary, I--I--I don't quite understand."

78"You know, the Angel of the Lord appeared to me, Gabriel. He was the One that told me that you were to be confined. He was the One told me. And He said the Holy Ghost was going to overshadow me; and that Holy Thing would be born of me, would be the Son of God. And I shall 'call His Name "JESUS," for He'll save His people from their sins.'"

79 And the first time that that wonderful Name was ever spoke by human lips; little John, being dead in his mother's womb, leaped for joy, and received the Holy Ghost, dead in his mother's womb. If--if the power of the speaking of the Name of Jesus Christ will bring a dead baby to life in a mother's womb, what ought it to do to a church that claims to be His servant, born of His Spirit? As Elisabeth was so startled, as she looked at Mary, she said, "Whence cometh the mother of my Lord, the mother of my Lord? For as soon as thy salutation come to my ears, my baby leaped in the womb, for joy." John was born, from his mother's womb, full of the Holy Ghost, by the Name of Jesus Christ! What type of a baby should this be?

No doubt that she rehearsed this to Joseph.

80 Now see, Joseph, being a just man, he kind of wondered, "You know, now I know if she's caught in adultery, the first thing is going to happen to her, she's going to be stoned. She cannot..."

81They cannot live that way. The Bible said that, "If a damsel that's espoused, is in the city, and has been ravished by a man, and if she doesn't cry out, then both of them are stoned together, they're killed. But if she's in the country, and in the field, and she cries out and nobody can hear her, the man is to be killed, she is to live." Now then, the penalty of that, that's Deuteronomy 22, where I asked you to read a while ago.

82 Now notice now, in this, we find that she was to be mother, not married. So, to Joseph, it seemed like that Mary was trying to get him to be her shield from the scoffers and scorners, see, Joseph was to be her shield; go ahead and marry her, anyhow, and be her shield, but not to be a husband to her in the--the of family relation, but it was to be... he was to be a--a shield for her.

83He wanted to believe her, I--I really believe that. He wanted to believe her, but her story was so unusual. It was hard to, for that believer, to believe.

84 And you pardon me, men. And so is it today! The story of the Power of the Holy Ghost upon the earth today, in the Church, is so unusual to the organization and the denominational mind; till that they want to believe It, but It's too unusual, It's too fantastic. But it's the Truth! The Bible said it would be this way, and here It is. Many men tied up in some creed, really wants to believe That, but It's so unusual he just can't hardly do it. He--he--he don't know what to do. He's just in a--in a predicament like Joseph was.

85 The Bible said, "While he was thinking on these things," see, he was a good man, and he didn't want his own name marred; and yet he knowed, if that woman was that way, that he couldn't marry her, she was to be mother by another man. "And yet," he said, "that innocent, little woman, her life has been like a pure as a lily, and I want to believe her, but I--I don't know what to do."

86"While he thought on these things, he was minded then to put her away privately. He said, 'I won't cause any great disturbance about it.'" Now remember, he had never took the oath yet, but he was espoused. But he'd put her away privately. "And while he was thinking on these things, 'put her away privately,'" see, it come to the best of his knowledge. See, he was a just man, and a good man.

87Brother, sister, let me say this. If you are just, if you are honest in your heart, then God is obligated to reveal the thing to you.

88 Joseph, her husband, being a just man, he pondered on the things. It was so unusual, as I said, he--he could hardly comprehend that. "How could those things be?" But he, no doubt, sat down, prayed over it, studied it in the Scriptures. "How could these things be?" While he was studying, the Angel of the Lord appeared to him, in a dream. He wasn't a prophet. And there wasn't a prophet on the earth in those days, no one who could come to him with THUS SAITH THE LORD, so the Lord took the secondarily way. That's the reason God took the welfare of His Own Son, to a man, by a dream; and put Him in Egypt, and brought Him back out; and hid Him, from the wise men, or the wise men went another way. There was no prophet in the land, so He took secondarily, the dream. But there was men who wasn't born to be a seer, but they were good men, and, when they did, God visit them in their subconscience, and revealed Himself.

89If you'll just yield yourself to God, God has got many ways that He can reveal Hisself to you. See? Might not, you might not be a prophet, you might not be a teacher, you might not be a Sunday school teacher, you might not be a preacher, but there's ways that God can reveal Himself to you, you see. Whether it might be dreams, it might be in some other way, if you'll just submit yourself like Joseph did.

90 No doubt he said, "O Great Jehovah, God, I--I come through the lineage of David. And I--I'm a righteous man; I hope I am, I'm trusting in what You said to be the Truth. And my beloved, little sweetheart here, that I have, I'm espoused to. I, to put her away otherwise, I--I'm guilty of committing adultery. And she's to be mother, and I don't know her as a wife. What is these things, Lord?"

91See, he was not a prophet, so He couldn't speak to him that way. So He--He let him get to sleep, and sent the Angel of the Lord to him, in a dream. Amen. The Angel of the Lord came to him, in a dream, and touched him, and said, "Joseph, thou son of David, fear not to take unto thee Mary thy wife, for That which is conceived in her is of the Holy Ghost." There you are, "That which is in her, is not some man, the Holy Ghost has done this. The woman has told the truth. This unusual story, this unusual thing that's happened, Joseph, that's got you all tore up, it's of the Holy Ghost."

92 Oh, that same God still lives tonight! You still have subconscience. And you have... You Christians, if the thing seems unusual to you, that you see that, if it's still right exactly with the Word, then God can reveal the unusual things in many ways.

93So He told Joseph, "Thou son of David, fear not to take unto thee thy Mary, thy wife." Remember, already his wife. "Take unto thee Mary, thy wife, for That which is conceived in her is of the Holy Ghost."

94Now, then God sent His Angel, and revealed it, His revelation of the dream come to Joseph; he knowed, there was no mystery in it. The Angel came to him in a dream. He saw the Angel in his dream.

95 Now, a prophet, or seer, doesn't go to sleep, he sees the Angel standing here. The other man just goes to sleep, and he sees the Angel.

96And the Angel said, "Now, Joseph, there ain't no riddle, there's nobody there can interpret it for you. So, I'm going to tell you about it. I'm going to make it real to you, 'cause there's nobody there can make it real. Now don't fear to take Mary, thy wife, for That which is conceived in her is of the Holy Ghost."

97Then when Joseph rose from his sleep, oh, how his heart must have been full of newborn faith. That mystery that had bothered him, that something that he wanted to believe, but that something that he dared to believe, it was so unusual, yet was made known to him by a dream. New faith sprung up into his life. Oh, my! He had faith in God. He had faith in his wife, then; both faith in God, and love for his wife, and love in the one that he loved. There's no more question, no more question about it. He knew that was the Angel of the Lord. He knew that God had revealed to him just exactly the question that was in his mind, so all questions was gone.

98 And when God, in any way that He desires to do it, reveals to you the question that's in your mind, there's no more doubt, there's no more question about it. It's a revelation.

99When you see something here in the Scripture, you say, "Well, now, I believe that was just for the apostles. I believe Jesus did that in the days gone by."

100But the Bible said, "He's the same yesterday, today, and forever, just the same Jesus." Then if that seems to be a question to you, and you ponder over it, you can't make it out, and you see the thing happen, and you wonder about it; then the Angel of the Lord, in some way, if you'll be sincere, will reveal it to you. And then it's no more a question, it's the truth then. Oh! And then you can scream and shout, "Oh, I'm so thankful!"

101 I can imagine how Joseph felt when that taken place, it was all... the mystery was all over then. Then, and when this was done, he was found rejoicing, because he was happy. Now we find out that, right away, he married her. Oh, he was no more question then. He took to him Mary, the wife; and knew her not, as a wife, until the Child. Happy about it! He was glad to be Mary's shield. He was glad to bear her reproach.

102When a man can be revealed that Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever; no matter how many creeds try to turn it back, you're glad to be a shield. You're happy to be a shield. Let them say whatever, you got a big shield up there to knock the fiery darts off.

103I hope I don't get too loud for them out there. Let them hear It, too, they ought to. Notice. Yes, sir.

104 You're happy to be a shield. You're a doormat, whatever wants to be, it doesn't matter; it's been revealed to you by the Lord. The Lord has showed it to you by His Word, it's the truth; and then confirmed it to you, to make it live again. You say, "There it is! My, nothing is going to..."

105No man even has the right to preach the Gospel until he's come face to face with God. That's right. No man should be in the pulpit without receiving the baptism of the Holy Ghost. Jesus commissioned His disciples, "Not to preach anymore, but wait in the city of Jerusalem until you're endued with Power from on High." Watch what the Holy Ghost did when It come. And the Holy Ghost is God.

106 The Holy Ghost is the Father of Jesus Christ. Matthew, the 2nd chapter and the 20th verse, says that, "Mary, His mother, when she was espoused to Joseph, she was found with a Child of the Holy Ghost." The Holy Ghost is the Father of Jesus Christ.

107And when the Holy Ghost comes and reveals the Word, and makes It live just exact, then It's a revelation to you, you see It, It's unfolded, It's promised for the hour.

108Joseph seen that, that that was Isaiah's prophecy fulfilled. Isaiah 9, "Unto us a Son is born, a Child is given. He shall be called, 'The Counsellor, Prince of Peace, Mighty God, Everlasting Father.' And of His Kingdom there shall be no end." He knew Who that would be, because he--he saw the whole thing when the Angel of the Lord told him this, that "That which is conceived in her is of the Holy Ghost." "A virgin shall conceive and shall bear a Son." Now, that was a great mystery, the super sign that God give to all the world, a super sign that That was His Son.

109 Now, notice as we go on now. I won't take too long, try not to. Notice when we find, going on, when Jesus... Now I think if... The little children here won't, understand, but I got to say something here so the adults will...

110When Christ Jesus was being formed in Mary, that's when the persecution set in. That's right. That's right. That's when her persecution started.

111And it's the same thing in you. Galatians 1, or Galatians 4:19, says that, "When Christ (the hope of Glory) formed, formed in you." Christ is being formed in you, when you are dying and Christ is coming to Life. Watch the persecution set in, watch trouble start on every hand, watch the Devil go on a rampage, certainly, when Christ is being formed in you.

112 And when Christ was being formed in Mary, quickly come the king's commandment, "All you people!" Just as she was... The Christ was becoming a full Baby, ready to be delivered, right then the great persecution.

113Now the--the baby's been formed for a long time, along, in the womb. But this is coming the last days, when the completeness, when the fulness of the Godhead, when the fulness of Christ, is to be manifested among His people. He said so, He promised it in His Word. And when that fulness, you see, there is unusual things begin to happen, that He promised. That's the reason our great social lives and things can't understand that, It's foolishness to them. Now watch, they're forming a Council of Churches, see. Just the time when the Church is begin to get to Its feet, where the Supernatural is begin to work, now they've all went into a group, and now they're going to try to stop this stuff. Just exactly like it was then.

114 As I said last Saturday, at Phoenix, the Philistines are garrisoned at Bethlehem, that the people will not be able to come, 'less they come through that Council of Churches. Oh, they'll take them to a stagnated cistern; not to the fresh waters of Bethlehem, of course not. Now we notice.

115Then, when the king gave his commandment, just when the Christ was being formed. Now let's take them just a moment, let's watch them, carry them just a little bit before we close.

I can see Joseph say, "Mary, darling, that cruel king!"

116But she'd say, "Listen, dear. Remember, the Holy Ghost told me that 'His Name shall be called "JESUS," and He shall save His people from their sins,' His people from their sins. Now, Joseph, dear, no matter what takes place, and what the king says, I am able. I can set up on the little mule. It's several miles up around these rocky mountains, and so forth. And if we happen to need a little help, there'll be many in the journey, 'cause we're not the only family. There's others that suffered the same thing we have, so there's others along the road. And we can kind of go along with the rest of the crowd as they go up the hill, and--and go up into Bethlehem." For, from Nazareth, they come up across the mountain.

117 Now we find out that he must have got the little donkey, and--and fed him an extra bunch of hay and some oats that day, because the little lady was pretty heavy. So he sets her up on the little mule, and puts a bag of water and a few little biscuits; and gets the little donkey, and gets his stick in the hand.

118And up the road they start, over, the little mule is staggering and falling. Oh, look what that little fellow is packing! Look at his burden, what it is! He's bearing the Christ to His birthplace. And here, this little woman sitting up on there, in pain, to be delivered, holding to the mane of the little mule, and speaking to him as she goes along the road.

119I can see them, all day, they'd stop and he would rest her, and, "Dear, are you--are you very tired?"

120"No, dear, I'm all right. I'm all right. Well, would you want to ride a while?"

"No, dear, you set there."

121And he'd set her off the little donkey, and let her rest a while, then give her a drink of water, and a little sandwich. And set her back up on the mule.

122 Finally, it begin to get dark. Travelers along the road, much more able to travel faster, and they'd come on by. And she had to breathe the dust of the rest of them upon horses and carriages, and so forth, that could go over it. Because, she had to travel real slow, on the account of her condition. What a cruel thing to send that mother up there in that condition! But I can just imagine now, in the little drama, as they come up to the top of the hill. Bethlehem sets in a... kind of like a valley, and on the--the west side of the mountain, of--of Bethlehem, the mountain where the little trail comes up.

123I just can see them now, in a drama I'm saying. It gets dark. And Joseph is feeling with his staff, along, as he takes every shortcut he can. Where the path wound around this way, where the carriage had to go, well, he probably cut through to try to save time, get out of the dust, with his little wife. The stars begin to come out.

124 And, after a while, he comes up to the top of the hill. And, or, once again they look over into the city where they were both born, over in Bethlehem, the lights of the city. Many was there, places was crowded, people on the outside, sleeping on the ground, out along in the fields. And the question, perhaps the first time, then struck Joseph's mind. "What will I do if I can't find a place, 'cause that Baby might be born tonight. She's been in pain all day. So, now, what if that Baby is to be born tonight?"

125 As he stood there looking down across the valley, wondering, his eyes happened to look over sideways, and he saw a strange sight. You know, it's usually right in time of trouble, when Supernatural things happen. He looked over there and he saw a Star. He had never remembered seeing one so big. It looked so low, and It was hanging right over Bethlehem. He looked up, and he turned, after he had helped Mary up on a rock to rest a little while. He turned around to say to her, "Dear, did you ever notice..." And he could even see Its reflection in her pretty, black eyes, as she sat and looked, smiling. Said, "Dear, isn't That strange?"

126She said, "Joseph, honey, I have watched That since the sun went down. I been watching that Star. Somehow or another, I feel real strange tonight, that something is fixing to happen." Well, it's usually that way, you know, you have that strange feeling.

127And she begin to watch the Star, and Joseph; the, little mule taking his rest, breathing. And they watched the Star. It had an odd action to It. It didn't act like the rest of the stars. It seemed to be restless, moving. It was waiting for something, watching for something to happen. Now let's leave our little couple setting here on this, on this rock, for a minute.

128 Let's get in our minds and go, way hundreds of miles, way into the East, the Magi, way up in the East, in India. That night, as it was their custom, they all, when a star... sun went down, the stars came out, they went up on a mountain, they got in a tower, kind of like an observation tower. And they got up there to--to worship, and to study. And they--they kept time by the stars. And they studied events, and--and they'd go up there and they'd study the--the fall of powers, and of nations, and the collapse of--of--of nations, and so forth, of kingdoms. And how they would, they would think about it and talk about it. And they knowed them stars, every one of them. They knowed them like we know the Bible. Every move they made, meant something.

129 And, you know God always declares His doings in the heavens before He does on earth, anyhow. Ministers know that.

130There they was, watching the stars, because they know that any shift, immediately they search right back through the Scriptures to find out what it was. "You say, 'Scriptures'?" Yes, Scriptures. They were Magi. But they were Mohammedans, what's come to be Mohammedan. They were really from the old Medes-o-Persians. That's where the Mohammedans come from. We all know that.

131 And, listen, they had a master down there. And if you want to read it, it's--it's Daniel 2:43. Daniel, the prophet, was their master when they were down in Babylon. That's exactly. Daniel was their master prophet. And he had taught them all the things of God, 'cause he was a master over them. And he told them that "there would be a Stone cut out of the mountain someday," you remember him telling it, "without hands. And it would smash the Gentile kingdoms to the world, see, all kingdoms, and itself would grow and cover the earth."

132 And, now, these was not unbelievers, these Magi. No, sir. They were believers. They believed in one true God. We know that's the truth, the Bible said so. And if you want to read it, you read in Acts 10:35, where It said that "God is no respect of nation, but honor those who fear Him and do righteous." Now, yet, they wasn't exactly in line of Truth, but they believed the same God that we believe. The Mohammedans believe the same God we believe.

133 I've stood, a many a time, see that Mohammedan priest take that great big thing there, and hit this great big bong out there, and say, "There's one true and living God, and Mohammed is His prophet." We believe there's one true and living God, and Jesus is His Son. See? He says, "Far be it from God having a Son." He thinks it had to be a spirit, you see, so he--he said, "There's one true and living God, and Mohammed is His prophet." They still believe in that one true God. Is Ishmael's children.

134 Now we notice as they were, as these Mohammedans studied these, those Mohammedans yet, they just called Magi, and they watched those stars. They burnt fire at night, it was a sacred fire. And they attended their God, by this sacred fires, as it burned at night. And they watched and they worshipped. And every night they climbed up here as soon as the sun went down, and they studied these things. Just like we get together at conferences and study the Bible, and Word by Word. And they knowed every move of them stars.

135 And one night while they were up there, studying. And no wonder it was most alarming when a Visitor appeared among them, a Stranger, they had never seen that Star before. They didn't know what about This, no wonder they was alarmed. I'd imagine, all night long they watched It. They didn't know what to do about It. My, It, It was a Stranger. In that great constellation there, they had found a Star hanging right here, that It was a Stranger, a phenomena. They had never seen anything like that. So, quickly they begin to dig back in the Scriptures to see what's this all about. Course, they could find nothing in their own writing. But they went back to Daniel, and found out, "There's coming a Stone. Star of Jacob will rise," that they knew there was something taking place. They must have all had prayer, and went to sleep; discussing It, together. And they must have dreamed that night that the King of kings was borned on earth.

136 For, we are told in a recent newspaper clipping, of the Magi there, that when those three stars lined up and made one star, that the Messiah was then on earth. And they were actually Jews up there, study, get their education in astronomy. So then when they--when they seen that, they knowed that Jesus was born somewhere. That they didn't know where it was, but they must have drew straws to find out what to do, just how, who was going to go. Everybody wanted to go, everybody. But they always take, as I said a while ago, three is a witness, to witness, to come back and tell them if it's the truth. So what did they do? They loaded up their wealth, they loaded up their gifts, and everything, to take to Him.

137 I just wonder tonight, brother, sister, if we sometime, we're always trying to see how much we can get ourself, when we ought to be giving what we got, to Christ. See, not learning how smart we can be, and how we can outwit the other fellow, but how all that we've got we can surrender to Him.

138"God give me a dream, I wouldn't even believe it," I heard some people say.

139"I don't believe in Divine healing." I was showing a fellow the other day about it. He said, "I don't care how many doctors would signs their names, I don't care how many you say, and what would be, or whatever more," said, "I don't believe it! I don't believe it!"

I said, "Certainly not. It was not for you."

140Divine healing was not sent to unbelievers. It was sent to believers. Christ is to believers. The Holy Ghost is to them that believe, only; not for unbelievers, wasn't intended for them. It's a blind stumbling block to them, always will be, always was. It's not to unbelievers. It's to them that believe! That's it.

141 Now we find that these fellows, they was believers, they wanted to find out. They loaded up everything they had, to take off. They wanted to find out what this is, true. Now, they had a long journey, so they all pitched in their riches together, and--and everything, get ready, with gold, frankincense, and myrrh, and whatever they had, to take to find out this King. They started their journey with their gifts.

142And, notice, to find this King, they went by a Heavenly, God-given Sign, not by some man's theology. They had seen It in the Word. It was supposed to be there, and they followed the Heavenly Sign.

143 If man could only have the audacity that they had! If they could only have the--the understanding that they had! When God gives us something, if It's Scripture, hold to It!

144Man say, "There's no such a thing as the baptism of the Holy Ghost." There is a baptism of the Holy Ghost! You're just exactly the way It was on the Day of Pentecost, so does It come today, Divine healing, the Power of God! No one can unex-... can explain it in the Bible, "It's been taken way." I can show you where God give It to the Church! You show me the Scripture where He took It away? Not there!

145 For, "He's the same yesterday, today, and forever. For the promise is..." And Peter said on the Day of Pentecost, "Repent, every one of you, and be baptized in the Name of Jesus Christ, for the remission of sins, and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost. For the promise is unto you, and to your children, and to them that's far off, even as many as the Lord our God shall call." As many as ever called! The same Holy Ghost, tonight, is just the same as It was then, to the honest heart. If it doesn't... Is it too unusual for you to believe God?

146As Paul said to Agrippa, "Oh, Agrippa, would you, would you deny what the prophets have said?"

147 Would you deny what Jesus said, Himself, what the Bible Itself speaks out (which is Christ, the anointed Word)? And if the Word abides in you, then you're anointed person with the Word. "Ye abide in Me, and My Word in you, then ask what you will, it'll be done for you." That's Christ in you, anointing the Word for this age, whatever age they lived in. God divided His--His Word to ages. And every time it comes that time, the churches are all scrupled up, and God anoints somebody, sends It down and makes that Word act just exactly the way He said It did. Exactly. And there's a Word prophesied for this day. God is waiting to find somebody It's not too unusual to, that they can be anointed with the Holy Ghost, to prove that Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever, to be a shining light, to blind the eyes of the unbeliever. And they would blaspheme It, would bring justice upon them; for God's Law is just, and judgment can only come by His justice. And then He can condemn the world, and send it away into a flame of fire, like He did the Sodomites. Now notice.

148 Now we find, on the journey, they followed the God-given Sign. They watched. They never took anybody's word. They didn't go down and consult any bishop, or anything else. God gave them a Sign. They seen It here, It was the Truth, and they took out after It. It led the way. It was the One that the Scripture predicted to. They knowed that this was coming, and they followed it. And what was it? I can see them leaving, waving good-bye, "We'll be back one day, brethren, bring you the message, for we know It's true." And they followed It, down across the mountains, down across the Tigris River, down through the plains, days in and outs, months in and out, hard as they could go, watching that Star.

149 In the daytime, probably, they'd lay down and rest, and sleep, turn over, talk to one another, "Oh, it must be wonderful when we get there; this Heavenly Beam, this Heavenly Light, this Light that we see, this Supernatural!"

150Amen! You think I'm beside myself? I'm not. Notice this Heavenly Beam, this Light that we're watching!

151Now remember, nobody else saw It, It crossed over observatory after observatory, down by Magi after Magi. But It was sent for them. I believe they saw It, because the Bible said they did. Nobody else saw It.

152 Nobody saw the Light that Paul saw, the same Thing. It struck him down, on the road up to Damascus. But It was given to Paul.

153Nobody saw the Holy Ghost coming like a Light out of Heaven, a Dove, but John. He saw It, he bare record. He saw It, the rest of them didn't. He did, for he was looking for It.

The Magi were looking for It!

154And when you are looking for It, when you are ready to receive the real Christmas Present, the real Christmas Gift, God's Christ-Gift, the Holy Spirit. You're looking for It, you'll see It. It's a Heavenly Light sent down from God, out of Heaven, to bear record of Jesus Christ.

155Now, they didn't take anybody else's word. In the daytime, it was restless. They said, "Oh, I just can't wait. I don't know how much longer we'll go. We'll probably go to--to Jerusalem, or down to the Holy Lands, Palestine, 'cause that's where the prophecy said that this One is to be born at. So we'll find It, sooner or later." Nighttime come and the darkness begin to settle in.

156 Remember, the Light only shines in darkness. That's the only way It's recognized. If we ever lived in a dark time, when man and creed has got people away from God's Word, it's today, when these denominations has tied them up in all kinds of stuff but the Word of God. Insomuch, they'd be blind enough to walk into a Council of Churches, things like that, connecting themselves together with all kinds of unbelievers. When, the Bible said, "How can two walk together 'less they be agreed?" And our churches going into such a conglomeration as that! Sure, they're blind. But it's at that dark hour when the Light comes forth. That's when the Light shines.

157And they watched It. And when the night come, they rejoice and say, "Just keep leading, westward leading, still proceeding, guide us to that perfect Light." On, down across the rivers they went, down through the sandbars and everywhere, as they went, just wanting to find out the very Truth.

158 And, look, Bethlehem was exactly in line with Judaea from where they... And Jerusalem was in line with Bethlehem from where they were standing. Notice. Oh, what a symbol, if you can catch it. Here is Bethlehem, and Jerusalem is up here. And from where the Magi was coming, they had to come to Jerusalem first, before coming to Bethlehem. Do you get it? That great, big, self-styled, denominational headquarters, (yes, sir) Jerusalem, where all the denominations met together. The great Council met there, you know. So when these men, they came, and they come to this city, and they thought, "There it is! If anybody will know about It, can explain this great mystery Light to us, there's all the high priests. There's the doctors of Divinity, there is the Ph.D., LL.D., and all this up there, they'll know everything about It. Oh, brethren, Jerusalem is in sight! Here we go, we'll have it." Right into the streets they bursted!

"Where you going?"

"We got a great message."

"What is it?"

159 "Where is He that's born King of the Jews? What's this mystery Light up here about? Who, where is He?" Up and down the streets, these rich men, and fine cladded camels, and gold and frankincense, up through every street, down through every alley, screaming, "Where is He? Where is He? Where is He?" But he found out that they didn't have the answer.

160The great cry today, "Communism is on us!" Oh, every radio broadcast, is always knocking Communism. You can discern Communism; but the sign of the time, you can't discern.

161Jesus said, "You can discern the face of the sky; but the sign of the time, you can't discern."

162Always talking about "Communism! Communism!" You better find out there's something else goes with it.

163 What time are we living in? What is the sign God said He would show last, before it come to pass? What was the things He said? Israel in her place over yonder, the fig tree restoring herself back again. Look at everything just exactly setting in line. And the church in the Laodicean condition, with Jesus on the outside, a fugitive to His own church; just as David was up above Bethlehem, a fugitive from his own people. A fugitive! And Christ, the Bible said, in the last days, was a fugitive to His own people. There in Revelation, the 3rd chapter, in the Laodicea age that we're living in, "Christ is on the outside, knocking, trying to get in," a fugitive to His own people.

164 Was then that those warriors grabbed them swords, and David cried out for a fresh drink of water, and they cut their way through fifteen miles of men, to get him a drink of water. And David poured it out upon the ground, as a sacrifice, a drink-offering.

165Yes, warriors today, Jesus wants a drink of good, old pentecostal, fresh water. These denominational, stagnated waters is sickening to Him. Take the Word of God, and pull It, and cut through all these creeds and things, till we can hit that place where there's a fresh drink for Him; a real, true worship, a genuine heart, where He can pour down His, make His Word live in this day. He'll have it. He said He would "Restore the Faith of the people back to the fathers; Faith of the children." Malachi 4 tells us it'll come, and it will be there. Don't you worry, it'll be right there. God has done said so, so that's all. The clock is ticking right on. Yes, sir. But today we see that those great, today that we see...

166 Why is Communism coming? Why is the world being swallowed up? Why could one percent of Russia? That's all is Communism. Ninety-nine percent is still Christian. One percent of Russia, controlling the rest of the world, almost, the Eastern world. Communism. Why? Why could it do it? The Bible said it would; He's got the answer.

167But you see now we're trying to fight this and that. And the very Thing that God sent for us to watch, we don't see It.

168They were take... in there, trying to find out what kind of buttons they should wear on their clothes, and the next conference, who should be their main speaker, and so forth, something on the order of that.

169 And here was the wise men watching their Heavenly Light, coming down, said, "When I get to Jerusalem, they'll tell me what this Heavenly, mystic Light is above us, that's leading us." And up and down the street they went, "Where is He? Where is He born, King of the Jews? We saw His Star in the East. We've come to worship Him. We got gold, frankincense, we got everything for Him. Where is He? Where is He?"

170They said, "Where is Who? What?" That's the way it is today. "Oh, there's no such a thing as that happens today," they said.

"Oh, when the sun goes down, we see a mystic Light."

"I never did see It."

"Call the man on the tower."

"Did you see any kind of a mystic Light?"

"What'd you say?"

"You see any mystic...?"

171"No! What's the matter with you?" See, they didn't have the answer.

172 They haven't got it today! They don't know what these things are, where they ought to know it, where the great heads of churches ought to be aware of these things. But God always works in the minority, and so humble that it goes right over top of them, they don't know it. But yet He fulfills His Word like that. That's it. We get our own selves twisted up in these great big things, and we can't move. (God, cut us free from them things, that we can see what hour we're living in.) If God has to work through a dream again, He can reveal it to you. Sure, He can. We're living at the last days. Now listen. Oh!

173 They had not the answer of the mysterious Light, they didn't have it at the headquarters. Neither do they have it today. So what did they do? They called for the Word of God. That's the idea. They said, "Let's look up in the Word of God, and find out where these things are." And when they called for the Word of God, the Magi was smarter than a lot of people today. The Magi saw, according to the Word of God, that they didn't have it, and wasn't going to get it. Amen. They found out that that wasn't even the city, that wasn't even the place. He was to be born in Bethlehem of Judaea. Amen. Of the least, the humblest among all of them, the little, bitty, tiny place, not the big self-styled. The wise men seen right quick. The Word of God revealed it, that they didn't have it and wasn't going to get it, so they got out of that mess. If we could just do the same! Warned in a dream, out of that mess they went. So, they left it. Hallelujah, for them. They left it.

174 After they got out of that mess, then the Supernatural appeared again. There it is. After they got cut loose from those things. After they got out of all that conglomeration up there, fussing, arguing, and everything, got in there where all the big headquarters was, and all the big high priest, and doctors of Divinity, all of them walking around with their Ph.D., and their great, big, high turban hat on, they couldn't have seen the Star, for that. Walking that... Such things as that blinds a lot of people; big names, and big people walking around.

175A lot of them said, "Well, there is no such a thing as that. Four hundred years, we never heard of such a thing. What's the matter with them crazy people? Send them on back up in India where they belong."

176 "Well, what? The Word of God, what about That? He said, 'Thou Bethlehem of Judaea, art thou not the least among all the princes of Juda? But out of thee shall come... ' Oh, we're in the wrong place," they said. "We won't join up with any of this stuff."

177So, they turned their camels and got away from it. God bless them. Out of there they went. And as soon as they got away from it, there the Light appeared again. The Supernatural begin to move in them again. Oh, my! They begin to follow the Supernatural then, the Magi got out of their system. So after they go out of that, the Supernatural Light from Heaven appeared to them again.

178Long as you're tied up with a bunch of unbelievers that don't believe these things, you'll never be able, you'll be as blind as a bat. Cut yourself away from everything; if it's mother, father, sister, brother, denomination, or whatever it is. "He that won't forsake his own, and come after Me, is not even worthy to be called Mine. He that puts his hand on the plow, and starts, and even turns to look back, is not worthy of plowing." Brother, sister, let me tell you, there is a genuine, true Christian Light shining tonight, It's Jesus Christ, the same yesterday, today and forever. Cut loose from everything! And He is the Word. He's always the Word. God's Word is perfectly right. It's of no private interpretation.

You say, "It means this."

179 It means just what It says. The Bible said, "It's of no private interpretation." If It says, if It says, "black is black, and white is white," that's just what it is. It's the Ultimate. It's the Absolute. And every man that's born of the Spirit of God is tied to That, no matter, nothing will separate him from It. He's tied to that Word, because it's Christ. Christ is the Word. And Christ cannot lie about His Word, for He is the Word.

You said, "Well, I know He said That, but!"

180There ain't no "but" and nothing about It. He just said It was that way, and that's what It is. And He cannot change It. He can't. He's unchangeable. He said, "Heavens and earth will pass away, but My Words shall never pass away, never fail." It'll be right there in Its season. It'll, there'll be somebody there that'll make It shine." That's right.

181And God spoke that Word, this Son would be there, and there He was, to make It shine. There was that Heavenly Visitor; and they was watching It, and come right straight to It. So they left the old creed, and started on the Supernatural again, and away they went. How they rejoiced! "They," the Bible said, "they rejoiced with exceeding great joy when they saw that Light come again."

182 Oh, brother, sister, how nice it would be if each one of you, if each one of us, us, me, if each one of us could lay aside all this here Christmas tinsel, see, quit all this swapping gifts, one with another, all of this nonsense of the world; and just take off our pride and lay it down, and stomp the thing under foot, say, "Lord Jesus, guide me to that perfect Light." Watch something Supernatural happen. The Holy Spirit will come in a phenomenal way. See?

183 On they went, following the Supernatural. And what did they leave? They followed the Heavenly Sign of that day, now remember, the Heavenly, God-given Sign. Do all of you believe that that's true? That was a Heavenly, God-given Sign. They followed that Sign till they found the Word made flesh. Do you believe He was the Word made flesh? The Heavenly Sign, promised of that day, led them to the Word made flesh.

184Brother, sister, He'll do the same tonight. This great Sign from Heaven, that we have, the Holy Spirit living among us, follow It. Something is moving in your heart, "I know I ought to receive That. I know I ought to do more than join church."

185"I got a good business, I--I know it's flourishing." Brother, do you know one of these days a heart attack might take you at four in the morning, and you have to leave that business? Then where you going after that?

186 [Blank.spot.on.tape--Ed.]... vindicated in your own flesh, you are the person that's borned of the Holy Spirit. Wouldn't you love to have that? Wouldn't that be the greatest Christmas present that anybody could get? The gift of Eternal Life. "God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting Life."

187"We have seen His Star in the East and have come to worship Him."

188 Civilization has traveled with the sun, from the East, coming west. We're on the West Coast now, East and West has met, we can't go no further. The oldest civilization is China, plumb back the other side of the world. Remember, it's gone...

189And sin has traveled with civilization. And we're... I know it's hard to say this. But, brother, sister, even the thoughts and intents of man's heart, a man anointed of the Spirit can stand, and you've watched it and seen it on others. You stand and watch a person, just let them say a word or two, you can see right there them bugs flying; see, they--they catch that anointing with them. Every thought of man is continually evil. It's just like it was in the days of Noah, till it even grieved God that He ever made man, He said, "I will destroy man from the face of the earth." And we've come back to that time yet, again. Notice.

190 But He has a little Church that He wants to take. He's got many thousands laying, sleeping in the earth; first watch, second watch, third, fourth, fifth, sixth. And this is the seventh watch. Remember, that's when He come, in the seventh watch. And in that watch, He found wise virgins, and virgins that had the Oil out of their lamp. Oil is the symbol of the Holy Spirit. If you haven't found That in your lamp tonight, my brother, sister, why don't you take That, God's greatest Christmas Present.

191 You know, today we get a great, big present, we wrap it up, and take three dollars to wrap it up, put all kinds of tinsel on it. And many times you think it's a great present. And a woman standing in a store the other day, two of them, talking, one said she was going to get her daddy... Said, "What," talking to her sister, said, "what are you going to get daddy?"

192Said, "I'm going to get him a deck of cards, and--and a carton of cigarettes."

193She said, "I got him a fifth of whiskey, and," said, "I'm going to wrap it up." See, the tinsel on the outside isn't, doesn't declare what's on the inside. See?

194But God has got a Christmas Present for you tonight. He wrapped It in a manger. The outside wasn't very much, but, oh, the Inside is Eternal Life. Won't you let this phenomena of the Holy Spirit strike your life tonight, and lead you to the Eternal Light?

Let us bow our heads just a moment.

195 In the quietness of this moment, this little chopped up, if I'd call it a Christmas message, one of them. If you really believe it to be the Truth, and you've never yet found that Eternal Light, you've never let the great Holy Spirit lead you to that Light, would you speak just now in your heart, and say, "Lord Jesus, I want to find that Light. I don't care what anybody else says, it's me, I'm the one, I want to find that Light." Would you raise your hands now, while you have your heads bowed? Raise your hand, say, "Pray for me, Brother Branham, I truly want to find that Light." God bless you, lady. God bless you. And God bless you, lady. God bless you, sir. Another, raise your hand, say, "I want, I want to, I want God's Christmas Present." God bless you, sir. God bless you, lady. Another, say, "I want God's Christmas Present. Send It to me, Lord, I don't care what It is. If It comes in a manger, if It comes in a barn, I don't care how disgraceful It looks to the world, how disgraceful I have to look to the world." You know, God's great gifts always make man act strange.

196 Look at Moses, a great theologian, great scholar, but one day he met a Light on the backside of the desert. He took off his shoes. A man eighty years old, and whiskers hanging down to his waistline, put his wife and his baby on a mule, and went down to Egypt. Where he had a whole army to take over for him one day, and he failed; now he goes back with just a crooked stick, going down to Egypt, to take over the nation. Why? He had found that Light, that Supernatural.

197 And that little Thing that's twisting at your heart tonight, that's the Supernatural, that's the Light of the day. Won't you let It lead you to Jesus Christ, Which can only give you Life? Is there one that hasn't raised their hands, would say, "Remember me, Brother Branham, in prayer now"? God bless you. Another? Bless you. Another, someone? God bless you. God bless you, young man. Another? God bless you, young fellow. Will another?

198Say, "I want to follow, I want to follow the Morning Star, Christ. I want to follow and find my Jesus this day. I want to get away from all this here Christmas tinsel and things, because someday it's going to be burnt with unquenchable fire." And all those who are intolerating with it, will be burned with it. The world, the sinner, will punished be, they will perish with the world. The worldly-loving people will perish with the world. And if you have, though, still the love of the world in you, and you want to sell yourself completely tonight to Jesus Christ and His Word, raise your hand. Again now, anybody that hasn't raised. God bless you. Bless you. I just say that. God bless you, lady.

199 You don't know, one minute somebody might raise up their hand. Say, "What difference does that make, Brother Branham?" Difference between death and Life.

200If that hand went up like that, and you really meant that, there's Something by you. What is It? That's that Light I'm talking about. That's that Light that tells you. "I been wrong. There's world in me. I don't want it anymore. I'll raise up my hands." That's a testimony.

201Remember what, you know what a raised up hand is? In every language under Heaven, a raised hand is a surrender, a sign of surrender. When you raise your hands, any army, anywhere you raise your hand, it's a--it's an international sign of surrender.

202How many tonight, right in this quotation now, will raise your hand, say, "I surrender all, Lord. I surrender. I'm--I'm through. I surrender." God bless you. God bless you. That's right. That's fine. Oh, my.

203I wonder if the pianist there would step to the piano while we're praying.

204 Heavenly Father, I realize It said, "As many as believed was baptized." That's all is necessary, Lord. If they believe You, something's got to happen. They are Yours, they're trophies of this little service of the Word of God; the Presence of Jesus Christ here at this fine group of people tonight, gathered in here, this little banquet. But tonight we know that You're here. Somehow, maybe, we might not seen It just with our eyes, but we felt It with our other sense, our sense of feeling, the sense of feeling in our heart, our conscience. Our soul spoke to us, and said, "We're in the Presence of Jesus Christ: the greatest Christmas Gift, the first real Christmas Gift from God to man."

205And, yet, of all the gifts that we have received, many of us has never received that great Gift yet. We pray, God, for them tonight as they raise their hands, they want this all-sufficient. They've leaned that way, Father. May...

206The rabbis did, too, many of the great teachers of that day leaned That way, but they were afraid to step out and make that all-one-time surrender, and believe It; and accept the Message, and the Light of the hour, the vindicated Word. There was many who did it.

207 Lord, there's many here tonight, twenty or thirty in this little group of people. If I've underestimated, or over, forgive me. But, Lord God, maybe that many, more or less, has raised their hands. They're ready to surrender. God, give them Jesus, give them the Holy Spirit in their life. May this be the greatest hour of their life. May they go home tonight, like Joseph, pondering these things in their heart, "Why did I raise my hand? What made me do that? How did I come to do that? Yet, I've claimed to be a Christian for years, but Something told me to raise my hand." Church members, even ministers, raised their hands, Lord. I pray that You'll grant this blessing to them. Grant it.

208And may the Angel of the Lord come, and say, "Fear not, this is the Light of the day. This is the Light of the hour. The evening Lights are shining." The prophet said, "It'll be Light in the evening time, just before the sun sets." And, Lord, we see the sunset of time, it'll soon blend into Eternity. Grant, Lord, that each one of them will find Jesus tonight. For I asked it in His Name. Amen.

209 Let's just raise our hands in a form of surrender, like this, as we stand to our feet.

210I'm going to ask you something. You that raised your hands a while ago, I--I prayed for you. That's all I know how to do, is pray. I'm going to believe for you. I believe that what I asked, He gives me, because He promised He would. He can't lie. He can't lie. The only thing--thing keeps it from happening is my... would be my unbelief. I'm believing for you, that you really meant that. And God is going to give you the Holy Spirit. He's going to give It to you, cause you asked for It, you want to make a surrender.

211And if you did that, I tell you what I want you to do. I want you to find some good church who believes in the baptism of the Holy Ghost, go there. Go there. And if you're in that kind of a church, go to your pastor, tell him, say, "I raised my hands the other night, in a little meeting." You don't even have to tell him where it was at. Say, "I raised my hands, I want you to pray with me, pastor. I--I--I'm seeking the baptism of the Holy Ghost. I want It. I must have It. I must have It, to live. I just must have It! I've seen the Light." Oh, God grant It to you. Will you do it now?

212 And now as everyone in here, as we're going to sing, "I surrender, I surrender all. All to Christ, my Saviour, I surrender all." Well, let us raise our hands now, and close our eyes, as we sing.

I surrender all,

All to Thee, my blessed Saviour,

I surrender all.

I surrender all,

All to Thee, my blessed Saviour,

I surrender all.

213Do you mean it? Say, "Amen." [Congregation says, "Amen."--Ed.] Now I want you to do something real sweetly now. Somebody standing by you, reach over to their hand, and say, "Brother, I meant that. Pray for me." Let's do that, all together, do it right now.

[Brother Branham speaks to those on the platform--Ed.] Brother, I meant that. Pray for me. God bless you. God bless... me.

That's good. That's fine. Oh, don't it make you feel good? I meant that.

214 Now if really from our heart, we mean it, we surrender everything, our own will, our own ways, everything that we have, we surrender to Christ, let's raise our hands again and sing.

I surrender all,

All to Thee, my blessed Saviour,

I surrender all.

215Let's bow our heads now, and sing. [Brother Branham begins humming, I Surrender All--Ed.] Now just get your mind on Him. "I..." I'm wishing you the very merriest of Christmas, that God will send His Star from the East, that rose in the East, nineteen hundred years ago, and will guide you to the Word made flesh. [Brother Branham continues humming, I Surrender All.]

I surrender all,

I surrender (arms up to God),

All to Thee, my blessed Saviour,

I...

God bless you, Tony.