Zavolanie Ježiša na scénu
Nuž, pozrite sa, Boh je inakší ako my. Ak - ak by sme vám niečo povedali, aby ste to urobili a vy by ste tomu neverili, nuž dobre, povedali by sme si: "Nechajme ich tak. Oni nemusia tomu veriť." Ale nie tak je to s Bohom, naším Otcom. On bude stále robiť niečo ďalšie, aby vás priviedol do viery. On sa snaží dodržať Svoje Slovo a On Svoje Slovo dodrží. Nuž a dôvod kvôli čomu On robí tieto veci, ktoré robí, je ten, že On zasľúbil, že im to bude robiť. Nie preto, že by to musel robiť; ale On zasľúbil, že to bude robiť a spoliehame na to, že On stále dodržuje Svoje Slovo.
A tak každý jeden z vás, keď máte niekoho nemocného, koho milujete a tak ďalej, ak oni nemôžu ... ako toto dievčatko tu, ono je príliš mladé a nachádza sa v takomto stave; keď len veríte, položte svoje ruky na to dieťa, v priebehu zhromaždenia. Ostatní, ktorí majú svojich milovaných a vo svojich srdciach o nich premýšľate; predneste ich v modlitbe vierou rovno pred Boha. Nuž, a, preto, potom môžete veriť. Keď sa niečo stane, vy ...
Vy sa sami nemôžete priviesť do viery. To je niečo, to je určitá kvalita, ktorá je vo vás. "Viera je podstatou," nie len nejaká zdanlivá predstava. "Je to podstata vecí, na ktoré sa nadejete, istota o veci, v ktoré veríte a nevidíte ich." A všetko, celá Kresťanská zbroj teraz, pamätajte, je skrze vieru. Všetko nadprirodzené, láska, radosť, pokoj, dlho-zhovievavosť, dobrota, pokora, trpezlivosť, to sú všetko neviditeľné veci. To je celá kresťanská výzbroj. Kresťan stále hľadí na veci ktoré nevidí, pretože on hľadí na zasľúbenie.
1Čítame Slovo Pánovo. V Matúšovom Evanjeliu, ôsma kapitola, počnúc od 23. verša, čítame toto.
... a hľa, veliká búrka povstala na mori, takže vlny pokrývali loď a on spal.
A pristúpiac jeho učeníci zobudili ho a hovorili: Pane zachráň nás, hynieme!
A on im povedal: Čo sa bojíte, ľudia malej viery? Vtedy vstal, pohrozil vetrom a moru, a nastalo veliké ticho.
A ľudia sa divili a vraveli: Jaký je toto človek, že ho aj vetry i more poslúchajú?
2Skloňme naše hlavy k modlitbe.
3Náš Nebeský Otče, sme tak šťastní, dnes večer, že vieme, že Tento veľký, ktorý spôsobil to, že Ho vetry i more poslúchalo, je s nami. Sme vďační, že ešte i dnes máme toto veľké svedectvo Jeho života, vediac, že On je Večný, a nikdy nemôže zomrieť. On žije naveky a ukázal nám, synom ľudským, v týchto posledných dňoch, svoju veľkú milosť. Sme núdzni ľudia, Pane, nachádzame sa v takých potrebách, že nikto iný by nemohol uspokojiť naše potreby, okrem Teba. A tak očakávame dnes večer na Teba, že prídeš sem do nášho zhromaždenia a dáš sa nám poznať, cez odpustenie našich hriechov, vzrast našej viery, Pane, a uzdravovanie našich nemocných a postihnutých. A keď sa budeme rozchádzať do svojich domov, dnes večer, nech by sme boli šťastní a mohli hovoriť ako tí z Emaus: "Či nehoreli v nás naše srdcia keď ku nám hovoril na ceste?" Lebo to prosíme v Jeho Mene. Amen.
Môžete si sadnúť.
4Ja som stále ako Zacheus; tieto veci sú stále pre mňa príliš nízke. Prv ako sa budeme modliť za chorých , chcem teraz ešte v krátkosti ku vám hovoriť. Ďakujem vám za dobrú spoluprácu a vieru v Duchu, minulý večer, zatiaľ čo sme hovorili, dúfame že toto bude veľké vyliatie Jeho požehnania.
5Stále majte na mysli, že kvôli čomu sme tu, snažiť sa rozmnožovať našu vieru v Jeho prítomnosť, aby ste mohli obdržať to, o čo prosíte. Potom, skrze vieru, veríte.
6Nuž, pamätajte, že za každé spásonosné požehnanie bolo už zaplatené výkupné. Cena je splatená a je len jediný spôsob, ako to budete môcť kedykoľvek obdržať a to veriť tomu a prijať to. "On je Najvyšším Kňazom nášho priznania." List Židom tam hovorí, list Židom, hovorí: "On je najvyšším Kňazom nášho vyznania." Vyznať, priznať, to je vlastne to isté. Tak my ... On je Najvyšším Kňazom nášho vyznania a tak teda On nič nemôže pre nás urobiť, až kým prv nevyznáme, že On to učinil. A potom, keď to vyznáme, potom je On Najvyšším Kňazom, prostredníkom, aby na tom mohol pracovať a dať to do poriadku . A tak sa modlíme, spoliehajúc sa dnes večer na Boha, na Jeho dobrotu a milosrdenstvo, že On nám dnes večer udelí zo Svojej hojnej milosti. A teraz, pamätajte, vy to musíte prijať.
7A tak prv ako odídeme budeme sa modliť za chorých, klásť na nich ruky, ale prajem si, aby ste mali dostatok viery, aby to nebolo potrebné. Prajem si, aby ste sa len načiahli a mohli povedať: "Pane Ježišu, ja Ti verím. Ja ..." On verí Slovu.
8Nuž, pozrite sa, Boh je inakší ako my. Ak - ak by sme vám niečo povedali, aby ste to urobili a vy by ste tomu neverili, nuž dobre, povedali by sme si: "Nechajme ich tak. Oni nemusia tomu veriť." Ale nie tak je to s Bohom, naším Otcom. On bude stále robiť niečo ďalšie, aby vás priviedol do viery. On sa snaží dodržať Svoje Slovo a On Svoje Slovo dodrží.
9Nuž a dôvod kvôli čomu On robí tieto veci, ktoré robí, je ten, že On zasľúbil, že im to bude robiť. Nie preto, že by to musel robiť; ale On zasľúbil, že to bude robiť a spoliehame na to, že On stále dodržuje Svoje Slovo.
10A tak každý jeden z vás, keď máte niekoho nemocného, koho milujete a tak ďalej, ak oni nemôžu ... ako toto dievčatko tu, ono je príliš mladé a nachádza sa v takomto stave; keď len veríte, položte svoje ruky na to dieťa, v priebehu zhromaždenia. Ostatní, ktorí majú svojich milovaných a vo svojich srdciach o nich premýšľate; predneste ich v modlitbe vierou rovno pred Boha. Nuž, a, preto, potom môžete veriť. Keď sa niečo stane, vy ...
11Vy sa sami nemôžete priviesť do viery. To je niečo, to je určitá kvalita, ktorá je vo vás. "Viera je podstatou," nie len nejaká zdanlivá predstava. "Je to podstata vecí, na ktoré sa nadejete, istota o veci, v ktoré veríte a nevidíte ich." A všetko, celá Kresťanská zbroj teraz, pamätajte, je skrze vieru. Všetko nadprirodzené, láska, radosť, pokoj, dlho-zhovievavosť, dobrota, pokora, trpezlivosť, to sú všetko neviditeľné veci. To je celá kresťanská výzbroj. Kresťan stále hľadí na veci ktoré nevidí, pretože on hľadí na zasľúbenie.
12Tu pred nejakým časom, je tomu už viac rokov, bol som zavolaný na miesto, raz v nemocnici, aby som sa modlil za chlapca, ktorý zomieral na čierny záškrt. Mnohokrát som to už spomínal, pretože to bol pre mňa neobyčajný prípad. Ten otec bol skôr už v pokročilom veku, aj matka. A tomu mladíkovi bolo tuším okolo štrnásť rokov a bol ich jediným dieťaťom. A zomieral na čierny záškrt a niečo sa stalo s jeho srdcom. Bol v bezvedomí. A oni boli ... On len, och, on sotva že žil; Zabudol som, čo to bolo s jeho srdcom; dýchal veľmi slabo.
13A ten otecko neprestával chodiť do zhromaždenia a prosiť, keď videl usporiadateľa či kohokoľvek. "Príď, pomodli sa! Príď, pomodli sa! To vystačí, len príď do nemocnici a pomodli sa."
Usporiadateľ povedal: "Prineste ho na zhromaždenie."
14Povedal, Nemôžeme ho preniesť z nemocnice. On zomiera." A povedal: "Keby len brat Branham prišiel a poprosil Boha, Boh to učiní."
Pomyslel som si: "Čo za viera!"
15Išiel som do nemocnice a doktori mi nedovolili ísť ku nemu. Hovorili: "Nie, vy ste ženatý človek, máte deti." Billy Paul bol vtedy malý. Povedali mi: "Nemôžete ísť ku nemu." povedali: "pretože vy máte dieťa."
16A ja som povedal: "Nuž, poznávam že sám doktor je katolík." povedal som: "Ak by kňaz chcel dať posledné pomazanie tomu chlapcovi, ak by on bol katolík, dovolili by ste mu ku nemu vojsť?"
17On povedal: "To je iné. Kňaz nemá deti." Rozumiete? Povedal: "Vy by ste mohli preniesť bacil na svoje dieťa."
18A ja som povedal: "Ale, pozrite sa, pane. Dovoľte mi vziať na seba tú zodpovednosť. Podpíšem vám papier. Vezmem na seba tú zodpovednosť. Ak by som nemal dostatok viery vojsť tam, tak potom by som sa tam vôbec nesnažil dostať." A povedal som potom: "Ale to bude na moju zodpovednosť." Povedal som: "Predstavte si teraz, ak by ten chlapec bol katolík a zomieral by; či by ste za každú cenu bránili kňazovi v tom, aby mu dal posledné cirkevné pomazanie:"
On povedal: "Nie to by som nerobil."
19Povedal som: "Ja pre týchto ľudí znamenám toľko ako katolícky kňaz pre katolíkov ."
20A on povedal: "V poriadku," a nakoniec súhlasil. Obliekol ma ako Ku Klux Klan, do rôznych, do všetkých možných handier a vzal ma ku tomu zomierajúcemu chlapcovi.
21Matka a otec kľačali na druhej strane. A ja som sa pomodlil len prostú krátku modlitbu: "Pane Ježišu, spolieham na Teba, že pozdvihneš tohto chlapca, na základe viery tohto otca a matky," a položil som svoje ruky na toho malého chlapca. On bol v bezvedomí za tri, okolo tri dni, tak sa mi vidí a sotva že dýchal. Vstal som a povedal: "Amen." Pomodlil som sa za chvíľu a vstal som.
22A ten starý otec objal svoju ženu a povedal: "Pomysli na to, drahá, náš chlapec je uzdravený!" Žiadny znak uzdravenia, ani trochu. A oni sa len objímali a ďakovali Pánovi.
23A tá sestrička, také dieťa, slečna, skôr, bolo jej okolo osemnásť, dvadsať rokov. Mala pásku ako zdravotná sestra a ... alebo, alebo to bola nejaká praktikantka. A ona povedala: "Pane, ľutujem, ale vy tomu nerozumiete." Povedala: "Ten chlapec zomiera."
On povedal: "Oh, nie. Ten chlapec bude žiť." Ten otec to povedal.
24A ona povedala: "Ako sa takto môžete zachovávať a váš ... viete že váš chlapec zomiera, pod takouto falošnou predstavou, pod ktorú ste sa dostali?"
On povedal: "To nie je falošná predstava." On ...
25Ona riekla: "Pozrite sa." Nuž môžem .. Možno že tu teraz niekde sedí nejaký doktor. Ja toho neviem veľa o medicíne a tých rôznych medicínskych inštrumentoch. Oni mu tam urobili nejaký kardiogram a jeho srdce bilo strašne slabo. Bolo to nižšie než dlhšie. Doktor povedal ... Tá zdravotná sestra zopakovala to čo povedal doktor, povedala že on ... "Že nie je známe z histórii, že keď srdce bilo už tak slabo, že by sa niekedy ešte bola obnovila jeho činnosť."
26Nikdy nezabudnem na výraz toho starého človeka. Otcovsky ako kamarát prikročil ku tej mladej zdravotnej sestre a položil jej ruku na rameno. Povedal: "Sestra," povedal: "pozrite sa, vy sa dívate na tento graf. Povedal: "To je všetko čo viete, pozrieť sa na to. Ale," on povedal: "Ja sa dívam na Božie zasľúbenie."
27Ten chlapec je teraz misionárom v Afrike, má tri deti. Vidíte? Vidíte? To záleží na tom na čo sa dívate, vidíte. On veril.
28Nuž, to je tá istá viera: "Ak len prídeš a položíš Svoje ruky na moje dieťa. Ak povieš slovo , môj sluha ..." Vidíte, to je niečo čo vy máte. Vy - vy ...
29Potom to nebolo - nebolo to žiadne predstieranie niečoho. Ten starý chlapík tomu veril. On mal Niečo čoho sa uchytil.
30Tá žena sa dotkla Jeho rúcha. "Ak sa len budem môcť dotknúť Jeho rúcha!" To je ono. Vy sa musíte pevne uchopiť tejto viery, dole vo svojom srdci. Je to tak, ako keď poviete ...
31Viete, vy muži, Ak ste - ak ste tým správnym druhom manžela, neexistuje na svete žena, ktorú by ste milovali tak ako svoju ženu. Môžu byť iné ženy, môžu byť krajšie. Môžu byť ženy, ktoré by - ktoré by boli krajšie a tak ďalej. Ale niečo, ak vy skutočne milujete svoju ženu, je tam niečo, že vy si nevšímate ako ona vyzerá. Vy ju milujete. A vy - vy neviete prečo, ale ju milujete. A, ženy, vy postupujete tak isto ohľadne svojich mužov. Vy, vy ich milujete. A vy mladé dievčatá tak isto ohľadne svojich chlapcov; chlapci ku svojim dievčatám. Ak ste stretli tú osobu, o ktorej viete, že ju milujte, je tam vo vnútri niečo a vy viete, že ich milujete.
32Nuž, tak isto je to s vierou. Vy viete, že to sa stane. Neexistuje žiadny tieň, nezáleží na tom, koľko ľudí by hovorilo opak; vy stále veríte v to isté, pretože to je opravdivá, skutočná opravdivá viera. Nuž majte to dnes večer, zatiaľ čo hovoríme na túto tému.
33Hovoril som tak mnoho, už dlhý čas čo mám zhromaždenia a nemal so prestávku skoro od vianoc. A som trochu zachrípnutý, meniacim sa počasím i časom i tak ďalej.
34Chcem hovoriť dnes večer na tému: "prebuď Ježiša," alebo: Zavolanie Ježiša na scénu.
35Z nášho Písma, ktoré sme si prečítali, zisťujeme že tam bolo veľké zhromaždenie. Ježiš prechádzal okolo, činil veľké zázraky, stále činil dobre a stále činil to, čo sa Bohu páčilo. On sa stále páčil Bohu, ale nepáčil sa Sebe samému, tak hovorí Biblia. A spozorovali sme, že On sa dal dokonale poznať, Kto On je, skrze Svoje skutky. Jeho skutky dokázali Kto On je.
36A moc vychádzala z Neho. Vyučoval podobenstvá, celý deň a moc vychádzala z Neho. A On ... mal prejsť cez more, prejsť, na druhú stranu. Súc tým čím bol, On - On vedel že tam, na druhej strane, je dôležitá práca. A on bol veľmi unavený. Moc vychádzala z Neho po celý deň, keď sa Ho ľudia dotýkali svoju vierou, aby Mu verili a tak ďalej. A On ..
37Moc Ho opustila a bol unavený. Tak odišiel dozadu do lodi a ľahol si na vankúš, hovorí nám Písmo, aby si trochu oddýchol, zatiaľ čo sa loď plavila na druhú stranu mora, plavila sa cez Galilejské more, bola príležitosť oddýchnuť si.
38Jeho učeníci sa chopili vesiel, napli plachty, práve tak ako to robia námorníci, oni ... To bolo ich, (mnohých z nich) to bolo ich povolanie. Oni boli rybári tam na tom jazere a vedeli ako ovládať tie člny. A oni boli znovu pri svojom remesle, prežívali práve krásny čas radosti, výročný čas, možno že sa rozprávali o tých veciach, ktoré sa odohrali v ten deň.
39Viete, je na tom niečo zvláštne, že keď vidíme nášho Pána Ježiša robiť niečo a keď môžeme vedieť, že je to On, že nič iného to nemôže robiť iba On, my proste jednoducho ... Keď sa spolu stretneme, my proste ... Každý chce vydať svedectvo. Každý chce niečo povedať a oni sa chcú o tom rozprávať. Môžete mať vo svojej cirkvi prebudenie; pastor môže kázať podivuhodné posolstvo, alebo evanjelista, alebo ktorýkoľvek iný; alebo môžete vidieť, že sa dejú určité veci, alebo niečo v susedstve, niekto bol uzdravený. Susedia sa zídu dokopy a rozprávajú o tom. "Aké podivuhodné! Boli ste tam? Mali by ste to vidieť. To bola najveľkolepejšia vec." Na skutkoch Božích je niečo, čo rozochvieva ľudské srdce viac ako keď sa stane čokoľvek iného. Je ... Je to proste nezabudnuteľné prežitie, keď prídeme do kontaktu s Pánom Ježišom a vidíme to čo On činí, také veľké a zvláštne sú Jeho cesty.
40Nuž a my sme si tu všimli, že oni sa radovali zo skutkov, ktoré sa stali toho dňa v tom prebudení a možno ja by som nás mohol prirovnať dnes večer do toho.
41Nuž, my sme práve svedkami jedného z najväčších prebudení, verím tomu, ktoré vôbec svet videl, v týchto posledných desiatych, pätnástych rokoch. To bolo prebudenie, nie len také ako vo dňoch Billy Sundeya, alebo vo dňoch Welshského prebudenia, alebo vo dňoch Wesleyovho prebudenia, alebo Moodyho prebudenia, či prebudenia Billy Sundayho. To bola záležitosť svetového rozsahu, po celom svete. Veľké uzdravovacie zhromaždenia a veľké ohne prebudenia boli zapálené prakticky na každom vrchu po svete. Práve dnes večer, po Afrických krajinách, tam v Číne a v Japonsku, sa káže toto Evanjelium a ľudia sú uzdravovaní práve v tejto chvíli, dookola po celom svete. Je to jedno z najväčších prebudení, pretože, verím, že je to jedno z posledných prebudení, ktoré tento svet uvidí, prebudenie svetového rozsahu.
42Ale teraz v týchto posledných niekoľkých rokoch, to uhaslo. Nepozorujete v ľuďoch to nadšenie, ktoré tam zvyklo byť.
43Pamätám sa, keď som mával tú príležitosť, skrze Ducha Svätého, raziť cestu toho prebudenia ktoré začalo, keď sa Anjel Pánov zjavil nad riekou a povedal to, je od vtedy už toľko rokov. A videl som ako sa to dialo a videl som ako to všade privádzalo srdcia kazateľov do ohňa, prepukali prebudenia. Prečo, mohli ste len prosto vojsť do zhromaždenia a ľudia proste povstávali zo svojich lehátok a nosidiel a odchádzali preč uzdravení. Nemuseli ste dokonca povedať ani jedno slovo. Proste - proste len tam byť , a to stačilo.
44Pamätám sa na jeden večer vo Vandalii, v Illinois. Išiel som do zhromaždenia, nebol som tam dlhšia ako päť minút a nebolo tam nikde naokolo žiadnej slabej osoby. Invalidné kreslá boli vytisnuté von na hromadu. Slepí videli a hluchí a nemí hovorili a - a to proste len ... Duch Pánov bol prítomný a On ich proste všetkých uzdravil. Nuž, keď trvá prebudenie vtedy môžete niečo robiť. Ale nech vyhasne ten oheň prebudenia, potom sotva môžete ... Ľudia sú naďalej kresťania, ale oni nie sú oživení do toho Ducha, do tej veľkej atmosféry, ktorá niečo robí.
45Je to práve tak ako pri kutí železa, v kováčskej dielni. Musíte to železo najprv rozpáliť, predtým ako ho budete chcieť rozklepať na nákove. Ak to neurobíte, nikdy ho nevyrovnáte.
46A to je to čo ku tomu treba, aby sme mali prebudenie, to je každý pod žiarou Ducha Svätého a to privádza dole moc Božiu a hnutie prebudenia. Potom nasledujú modlitebné zhromaždenia, deň a noc, každú minútu, všade. Prečo, ľudia by ani neopustili svoje miesta!
47Pamätám sa na to v Jonesboro, v Arkanssase, keď som rozpočal svoje ... asi moje tretie zhromaždenie. Prv v Saint Louis a potom v Corningu, a potom dole v Jonesbore. Noviny písali: "Dvadsaťosem-tisíc ľudí na zhromaždení." Dvadsať alebo tridsať míľ od mesta boli postavené stany. V takom malom meste ako Jonesboro nebolo možné zohnať nejakú budovu do, ktorej by sa to bolo spratalo. A ľudia prichádzali z míľových vzdialeností, s lampami v rúchách, idúci cez džungle, nasadali na autobus a prichádzali
48Sedel som jedného večera vonku v tej pustatine, modlil som sa predtým ako malo začať zhromaždenie a videl som ako tam prichádzali mladé panie so svojimi topánkami a ponožkami pod pažou. Potom prv ako prišli na miesto, zastali oprášili prach zo svojich nôh a navliekli si ponožky a obuli topánky a vošli do zhromaždenia.
49A videl som ich ako kládli svoje nemocné deti pod staré bavlnárske káry a zostávali tam deň i noc; držali nad nimi noviny alebo plachty, zatiaľ čo pršalo, či dul silný vietor; neopúšťali svoje miesta, čakali aby sa len mohli dostať do vnútra.
50Tam kde slepí videli, hluchí počuli. A táto služba, dnes večer, je stovky míľ ďalej, ale tie ohne prebudenia uhasli.
51Bolo vidno ľudí, ktorí tam prišli a povedali ... Ukáž len svojím prstom a povedz: "Dobre, brat, veríš?" To stačilo, aby sa z toho dostal a odišiel. To bolo všetko čo muselo byť urobené. Oni verili. To prebudenie bolo v pohybe.
52Nuž, títo učeníci to videli a určitou amatérskou formou oni prežívali tú radosť, (zatiaľ čo Ježiš odpočíval), z toho čo videli, čo sa stalo v ten deň.
53A myslím, že prebudenie o ktorom hovorím sa správa podobne ako toto, že my teraz práve žijeme v čase utíšenia sa, zatiaľ čo On odpočíva, možno medzi zhromaždeniami, alebo týmto prebudením a Jeho príchodom. A my sa radujeme z vecí ktoré sme videli v priebehu tohto prebudenia, veľké a zázračné skutky. Nezáleží na tom čo hovorí svet, my sme jednako videli, že to sa stalo! Je to konštatovanie, sú to fakty, to sa stalo.
54Oni sa museli chytiť tej príležitosti, zatiaľ čo plavba prebiehala celkom v poriadku, aby hovorili o Ňom, o Jeho skutkoch, o tom na čo si uplatňoval nárok, o Jeho Mesiášstve. Mnohí z nich mohli ... z tých učeníkov, mohli hovoriť jeden druhému o skutkoch ktoré videli.
55Práve tak ako to my robíme, počas prebudenia v Shreveporte, počas prebudenia v nejakom inom meste, budeme o tom hovoriť.
56A teraz sa oni takto rozprávali. Možno to bol Šimon, ako sme to hovorili minulý večer, ktorý povedal: "Nuž, keď mi Andrej o Ňom povedal, bol som tak trochu nedôverčivý. Ale keď mi On povedal, že kto som a kto je môj otec, to odňalo odo mňa všetku pochybnosť. Potom som tomu veril."
57Možno že Filip povedal, alebo niekto iný; mohlo to byť tak, že Andrej niečo povedal. Minulý večer sme hovorili o tej panej pri studni. Možno, že sa rozprávali o nej, oni mohli povedať niečo takéto: " Bratia, viete, bolo to pre mňa neobyčajné, keď som odišiel aby som zaobstaral niečo na jedenie. A prišli sme naspäť a stáli sme tam za kríkmi a videli sme Ho, ako sa rozpráva s tou ženou, ktorá mala zlú povesť . Mysleli sme si , vo svojich srdciach, 'Čo ak by tu prišiel niektorý z kňazov a videl by to, nášho Majstra ako sa rozpráva so ženou takého kalibru, čo by o Ňom povedali?' A potom, pamätáme sa ako sme poznali, mali sme v Neho dôveru, že to malo určitý účel, že sa On s ňou rozprával.
muža, aby išla a priviedla svojho muža, zatiaľ čo ona povedala že nemá muža. Pamätáte, ako sme sa prekvapene pozreli jeden na druhého, pomysleli sme na tú všetku dôveru, ktorú sme v Neho mali a tu sa to zrazu náhle všetko zosypalo?
62Čo za atóm On tam uvoľnil, bratia, pečená ryba, pečený chlieb, obišiel rast? A vedeli sme že On je stvoriteľ, ale tu On stvoril už pečenú rybu a pečený chlieb.
63Ján by mohol povedať niečo také. On povedal: "Viete, keď som bol malý chlapec, bývali sme tam dole pri Jerichu. Pamätám sa, ako moja židovská matka ma kolísavala aby som popoludní ešte spal; aby som si trochu zdriemol popoludní. Zvykol som sa jej dívať do očí a ona mi rozprávala Biblické príbehy."
64A, viete, je to dobré pre každú matku aby to robila svojim deťom. "Vychovávať deti takým spôsobom ako majú byť." Bude to lepšie ako im zapnúť televízor aby pozerali niečo tu z toho čo dávajú v televízore. Boli by ste na tom lepšie keby ste im čítali Biblické príbehy, pretože to zanecháva určitý vplyv na jeho detskej mysli.
65A teraz hovoril: "On zvykol ... Ona mi zvykla rozprávať ten príbeh o Sunamitke, ako znovu dostala naspäť svojho chlapca živého, skrze proroka Eliáša. Páčilo sa mi to. Potom mi zvykla rozprávať o našom ľude, ako vyšiel z Egypta. A my sme bývali práve pri Jordáne. A ona ukazovala tam na druhú stranu rieky a hovoril, 'Ján, oni táborili práve tam na druhej strane. A štyridsať rokov boli na púšti a Boh ich kŕmil mannou. Ich rúch sa vôbec nezodrali. A Boh im dával čerstvý chlieb, každé ráno.'
69A potom možno diskutovali o postojoch niektorých ľudí; niektorí verili, niektorí neverili; a potom o Jeho postoji ku ľuďom.
70Nuž, vy viete, že v týchto posledných dňoch sa Kresťanstvo tak veľmi zmenilo. Teraz musíte zaobchádzať s ľuďmi ako s deckami, nasľubovať im toho, dať im všetko možné, aby ste z nich urobiť veriacich, aby chodili do zhromaždenia a sľúbiť im, že budú mať lepších spoločníkov i všetko možné. To nie je Kresťanstvo.
71Kresťanstvo nie je maznať sa. Kresťanstvo je drsné. Tak veru. To je - to je - ... Kresťanstvo to nie je skleníková rastlina.
72Skleníková rastlina, to je väčšinou skrížená rastlina. Po celý čas ju musíte postrekovať, aby ste odohnali preč od nej hmyz. To je kvôli tomu, že je tak slabá. A tak to musíte robiť s mnohými kresťanmi, postrekovať ich množstvom sľubov.
73Vy, vy to nepotrebujete. Skutočná opravdivá, zdravá rastlina nepotrebuje žiadne postreky. Hmyz na ňu nejde.
74Je to práve tak ako dnes, keď sa človek snaží všetko vziať a prevrátiť to. Boh, na počiatku, On povedal: "Nech každé semeno rodí ovocie podľa svojho druhu."
75Čítal som tu v Readers Digest, kde oni vzali to, čo teraz nazývame krížené zrno a tým dostanú krajšie klasy, skutočne, veľké krásne klasy; ale nie je to dobré, je to na nič. A oni vypestujú lepšie paradajky, ale to nemá skoro ani chuť ako paradajka. Oni vypestovali ... majú teraz kurča, ktoré dokonca nemá ani krídla. Kríženie! Vidíte?
76A teraz, pamätajte, môžete mať krížené zrno, ale vy nemôžete to semeno znovu zasadiť. Ono nebude ďalej rodiť. Ono zomrie. Prečo? Ono nemá v sebe žiadny život. Zakaždým ho musíte krížiť. Ak by sa nekrížilo, to by sa proste nemohlo rozmnožovať. To ukazuje že vývoj, podľa ľudských ideí, je zlý.
77Môžete vziať kobylu a osla a skrížiť ich spolu a dostanete mula, ale mul sa sám nemôže znovu ďalej plodiť. Tomu je koniec. To je všetko. On je odpísaný.
78A oni teraz hovoria, že za ďalších dvadsať rokov, ak nezachovajú týchto ľudí od toho aby jedli tieto skrížené produkty, ako kukurica, pšenica a produkty, ktoré oni krížia - to že mení postavu žien. Oni nebudú schopné mať deti, za dvadsať rokov od teraz. To hubí generáciu. To nemá v sebe ten materiál.
79Človek je už nie taký, aký býval. Pozrite sa dnes na mužov. Loptové hry bývali tvrdé. A teraz oni nosia prilby; zabije sa ich na tucet, každý rok, udrie sa na hlavu ako morské prasa a hneď je po ňom; pri zápasoch i všade. Človek je zostavený z kusu blata. A to je kvôli tým skríženým veciam, to znečistilo celý systém nášho života, celé naše hospodárstvo.
80A teraz, to kríženie sa dostalo tiež do cirkvi. Namiesto toho aby sme mali skutočných drsných Biblických veriacich, oni to skrížili skrze denominácie. A oni musia: "Ja mám toto, ja mám tamto a ja patrím do toho, ja patrím do tamtoho." To je skrížený produkt a taká vec sa sama nemôže ďalej rozmnožovať.
81My znovu potrebujeme Knihu Skutkov. Ale tá jediná cesta, ako to budete môcť urobiť, je dostať sa späť do Biblii a von z tohoto skríženého náboženstva.
82To čo je krížené, potrebuje zvláštnu starostlivosť! Nie vieru! Len množstvo poprašovania, maznania sa, mimoriadnej starostlivosti. Opýtam sa: "Si kresťan?" "Ja som Metodista." "Si kresťan?" "Ja som presbyterián. Ja som letničný." To neznamená ani toľko, pred Bohom. [Brat Branham pukol na prstoch – pozn.prekl.]
83Ty si kresťan, preto že si sa narodil z Ducha Kristovho a Slovo Božie žije v tebe.
84Viete, vždy mám radosť zo skríženého (čistokrvného) koňa. Viete, on má rozum. Môžete ho naučiť vecí, urobíte to pre neho a on sa to naučí. Ale vezmite starého mula, nemôžete s ním nič urobiť. On je stále len starým oslom s dlhými ušami. On tam sedí a vy môžete ku nemu hovoriť, on natrčí svoje uši a: "Hi? Hi? Hi?" Vidíte, to je proste kríženec.
85Pripomína mi to veľa takzvaných kresťanov s oslom kríženým náboženstvom. Poviete im: "Ježiš Kristus je ten istý včera, dnes i naveky." Oni povedia: "Ja tomu neverím." Vidíte? A tak ho nikdy nič nemôžete naučiť. Denominácia, ona je aj tak mŕtva. "Moja cirkev to verí takto. A moja cirkev to verí takto." Ale Božie Slovo hovorí, že On je ten istý včera, dnes i naveky! Nemám rád krížené Kresťanstvo.
86Mám rád čistokrvného koňa. On vie kto bol jeho otec, kto bola jeho matka, kto bol jeho starý otec i stará matka. On pozná celé svoje pokolenie až dozadu.
87Tak je to s čistokrvným kresťanom, on vie Kto je jeho Otec. On prišiel od Boha; On je Slovo Božie, On je taký istý aký vždy bol. On je skutočný čistokrvný produkt Boží, Slovo Božie je v ňom, Ježiš Kristus manifestujúci Seba Samého.
88Ale čo sa týka neveriacich ... Ježiš sa chcel jedného dňa striasť tých rôznych parazitov; On mal príliš mnoho tých, ktorí Ho nasledovali. Mal svojich učeníkov. Potom mal tých sedemdesiatych (kazateľské združenie) a potom mal tisícové zhromaždenie. A potom On učinil takýto výrok, povedal: "Ak nebudete jesť (krv), jesť telo Syna človeka a piť Jeho krv, nemáte v sebe života."
89Nuž čo si myslíte, že by povedal nejaký doktor, ktorý by tam sedel v zhromaždení? Čo si myslíte, čo by povedal podľa nášho názoru, nejaký logicky mysliaci človek? On to nikdy nevysvetlil. On to nemusel vysvetliť. "Čo to", povedal by ten doktor: "Preč od tohto človeka. On je blázon. On ... Budeme vampíri. Piť krv človeka a jesť jeho telo?"
90A to zhromaždenie, môžem si predstaviť, ako ten kňaz hovorí: "Toto je čas. Kde sme sa to dostali. Ideme preč! Viacej už neprídeme ani na jedno zhromaždenie." A Odišli preč. Potom, odstránil všetkých preč od Seba.
91Potom sa otočil dookola a povedal tým sedemdesiatym, povedal: "A čo keby ste videli Syna človeka vystupovať hore do neba, tam kde bol prv?"
92Nuž, tí sedemdesiati povedali: "Syna človeka vystupovať hore odkiaľ On prišiel?"Ako to, my sme boli pri Jeho kolíske, kde sa narodil. Poznáme Jeho matku. Videli sme tie šaty, tie plienky do ktorých bol zavinutý. On sa narodil tam dole v Betleheme v Judsku. Bol privedený tu hore do Nazaretu. Jeho bratia, Jeho sestry, všetci sú tu s nami. A potom On povie: "Tento Syn človeka vystupovať hore?" Nuž, On to nevysvetlil, On to proste povedal. Nuž, oni si to nemohli vysvetliť, nemohli do vpratať do svojho rozumu. "Dobre," povedali si: "kde sme sa to tu dostali," a tak odišli preč. To bolo príliš mnoho aby to oni mohli zniesť.
93Oni stále mali tie isté skupiny. Je to tak. My ich stále máme.
94Všimnime si. On sa potom otočil ... Pamätajte, tým učeníkom to tiež nikto nevysvetlil, ale oni mali vieru. Potom sa Ježiš otočil a pozrel sa na tých dvanástich a povedal: "Vy tiež chcete odísť?"
95Potom Peter vyslovil tie pozoruhodné slová: "Pane, kde by sme išli? Veď my sme plne presvedčení, my vieme, že Ty máš Slovo Života a jedine Ty." Vidíte? Oni nemohli vysvetliť, ako budú jesť Jeho telo a piť Jeho krv. Oni nemohli porozumieť, ako On bude vystupovať hore, tam odkiaľ prišiel, keď On sa narodil v Betleheme. Oni to nevedeli. Ale, hľaďte, viera nepozná žiadne sklamanie. Ona je zakotvená. Ona tam zostáva, nezáleží na tom, čo hovorí niekto iný. Ona tam zostáva. Oni boli určení do toho Života a on ... oni tam zostali.
96Nuž tieto rozdielne druhy. Jedni verili. Jedni povedali: "Nikdy tak nehovoril človek ako tento." Jedni neverili a povedali: "Oh to je ... Strašne sa na tom pohoršili."
97Jedni povedali: "Nikdy tak nehovoril človek, ako tento Človek. Je pri Ňom niečo zvláštne. To čo povie, je schopný dokázať." Nuž, oni povedali toto, viete, oni povedali: "On nehovorí ako kňaz. On nehovorí ako rabbi. Ale čo On povedal, Boh to podoprel. On potvrdil to, čo On povedal." Ó!
98Musel to byť mladý Ján, ktorý potom povedal: "Predstavte si to! On je práve teraz s nami. Čo za potešenie to musí byť! Čo za bezpečnosť!" Čo za bezpečnosť to má byť pre nás!
99Som misionár, pochodil som po celom svete. A videl som všetky možné druhy náboženstiev a všetkých možných bohov, ktorých oni majú, pohanských bohov; Mohamedánov, Budhistov a Sikhov, Džinistov, oh, i rôzne iné a kmeňových pohanských bohov. Ale, každý jeden z nich, ani jedno z tých náboženstiev nie je správne, okrem Kresťanstva. Ani jedno z nich, ich zakladatelia sú mŕtvi, oni majú hrob, kde je on pochovaný. Ale Kresťanstvo je to jediné správne, pretože náš Zakladateľ zomrel, bol pochovaný, ale znovu vstal a my môžeme dokázať, že On žije.
100Pri hrobe Mohameda, za posledných takmer dve tisíc rokov, je biely kôň, ktorého po určitých hodinách zamieňajú na stráži, čakajú, že Mohamed vstane z mŕtvych a vysadne na neho a pôjde dobyť svet.
101Ale Ježiš už vstal z mŕtvych, je tomu už dvetisíc rokov a je s nami dnes večer. A potom, keď vidíme tú temnosť a vidíme čas konca, tak ako je to teraz, prichádzajúc do času v ktorom žijeme, zatiaľ čo sa plavíme životom ku slávnemu cieľu, kde je rozbúrené more a tá nádoba môže kedykoľvek stroskotať. Tieto malé svetlá môžu takto puknúť. [Brat Branham pukol na prstoch – pozn.prekl.] Alebo, nemusíme už dnes večer vôbec opustiť túto budovu, nikto z nás. Nevieme kedy môže prísť smrť.
102A čo za bezpečný pocit to musel byť, pre tých učeníkov, keď vedeli že samotný Stvoriteľ, ktorý sa dokonale preukázal, že On je tou Osobou, sa plavil s nimi.
103A čo myslíte aké je to požehnanie, aká blahoslavená nádej to je, aká istota, v tejto temnej hodine na konci svetových dejín, vedieť, že Stvoriteľ sa plaví s nami životom ku slávnemu cieľu, bezpečne schovaný vo vnútri! Bomby, či čokoľvek môže prísť, nech sa ženú, práskajú, fučia, nech si robia čo chcú, mne to nič nerobí, ja sa plavím so Stvoriteľom. Ó čo za bezpečnosť, zatiaľ čo sa plavíme tými vodami!
104Nuž a zatiaľ čo hovorili, rozprávali sa o Ňom, o tom aké veľké veci On učinil. Po tých hodoch prebudenia, Ježiš pravdepodobne odpočíval, ako to robí teraz, ako som povedal, medzi tými prebudeniami. A my ...On sa tak jasne preukázal, že kto On je. Tí ľudia vedeli kto On je; ... tých, ktorí boli zaslepení, ale tí ktorí sa držali Písma. Pretože oni vedeli že Písmo, Slovo Božie, bolo dané, udelené, každej generácii; a to zasľúbenie na ten vek sa muselo vyplniť. A On vyplnil presne to, čo sa očakávalo že sa má vyplniť, v čase Mesiáša. On splnil všetky podmienky. Potom my ... on si bol istý, že On bol tým Mužom.
105Ale, vidíte, On bol tak prostý. On sa neobliekal ako kňaz. On nemal .. žiadne vzdelanie, to čo my nazývame vzdelaním. Nemáme o Ňom žiadny záznam, že by dokonca chodil do školy. Ale pri Ňom bolo niečo iné.
106A potom On ich zavolal, keď nemohli porozumieť a povedal: "Skúmajte Písma, pretože si myslíte že v nich máte večný život a oni sú to ktoré svedčia o Mne. Oni vám povedia, kto som."
107A teraz, pamätajte, oni to všetko mali vo svojich srdciach a premýšľali o týchto veciach. A zatiaľ, čo sa plavili po mori, oni mohli byť ako deti, zatiaľ čo On bol s nimi v lodi.
108Nuž, priateľu, čo to má s nami urobiť! Ten istý preukázaný Ježiš Kristus, ten istý Stvoriteľ, ten istý Boh, je s nami dnes večer. Ó čo za bezpečnosť to je, čo za pocit, vedieť že tu je Jeho prítomnosť.
109A teraz sme zistili, že práve vtedy, keď oni prežívali tie nádherné chvíle, zrazu náhle nastali problémy. Loď sa začala kolísať, plachty sa začali nadúvať, voda sa naberala do člnu. Všetka nádej na prežitie zrazu pominula.
110Nuž, nie je to divné, presne tak ako je to teraz, tak ako keď my teraz prichádzame ku koncu, či je to nie divné? Môžeme hovoriť o tom aký je On veľký; môžeme povedať aký je veľký, v našom zbore, keď dávame svedectvo; hovoríme nášmu (zamestnancovi) zamestnávateľovi o tom, aký je On veľký; hovoríme to ľuďom na ulici, že aký je On veľký; a, keď nadídu na nás problémy, sme celí zmätení. Vidíte? My proste ... Vidíte? Tie veci, ktoré sme Ho videli robiť, tie veci o ktorých vieme že on činí; a nech len nejaká malá nemoc, alebo nejaký malý problém doľahne na náš dom, hľaďte čo sa stane; všetko je rozmetané na kusy, všetka nádej je preč.
111Hoci Ho oni videli činiť tak mnoho vecí; na všetko zabudli, .keď nadišli tie problémy.
112Tak ako teraz, videli sme toto veľké prebudenie, máme históriu o iných veľkých prebudeniach, máme Jeho prítomnosť, poznáme tieto veci a keď sa niekedy dostaneme do ťažkostí, nevieme si pomôcť. Ony ...
113Napríklad ako teraz, my teraz máme problémy v našich zboroch. Máme denominačné problémy, spory v našich cirkvách. Nevieme, čo sa bude diať. Vidíme že sa tam formuje nejaká veľká vec. Všetci z nás, ktorí veríme v Bibliu, vidíme že niečo sa chystá. Nie je nikoho, kto by to nevedel.
114A všetky cirkvi budú privedené do tej ekumenickej Rady Cirkví. Potom, keď to urobíte, zapredáte svoje veľké Biblické, evanjelické učenie. A Letniční s tým sympatizujú, idú rovno do toho, tak ako sviňa idúca na porážku. Je to tak. Ekumenická rada, mnohí veľkí Letniční vodcovia s nimi súhlasia. Hovorím vám, nikdy nestrkajte svoj krk do niečoho takého. To je presne to, čo hovorí Biblia, že sa stane. Je šelma a znamenie a presne všetko to zapadá do seba. A vidíme to a divíme sa, čo z toho bude.
115Nastali problémy. A oni zabudli, že práve Ten o ktorom sa rozprávali, že ten Stvoriteľ je s nimi v člne.
A vy si teraz poviete: "Keby som to mohol zbadať!"
116Nuž, pamätaj, my Ho stále máme, pretože On je Slovo, vždy. V Jánovi 1.1., ako sme hovorili minulý večer: "On bol Slovo; a to Slovo sa stalo telom a prebývalo medzi nami." A my stále máme Jeho Slovo, ktoré nás keruje do Jeho myšlienok a Jeho skutkov na tento deň. Vidíte? Nie do myšlienok Mojžiša, ktoré on mal vo svojich dňoch, nie do myšlienok učeníkov, nie do myšlienok Luthera, alebo Wesleya, alebo Letničného veku, alebo niektorého z nich. My tu máme Bibliu, ktorá nám hovorí o tom, čo sa má stať teraz. Vidíte? My vidíme v Biblii Letničné prebudenie, Luteránov a všetky tie cirkevné veky. Videli sme ich. Ale my tu tiež máme Písmo, ktoré nám hovorí čo sa má stať teraz. A to je Boh, Boh vykladá svoje vlastné Slovo pre tento vek, v ktorom žijeme. On je Svojim vlastným vykladačom. A, jednako sa necháme zmiasť. Nenechajte sa zmiasť.
117Jeho učeníci sa občas dostanú do telesných problémov, ktoré nevedia vyliečiť, ako sú choroby, rakovina a tak ďalej, že doktori nemôžu, nevedia čo s tým robiť. My, tak ako oni, zabúdame Kto je v lodi.
118Oni mali vedieť, že On pozná všetky tie veci. On vedel, že sa im to prihodí. On bol ... On vedel všetko, tak On vedel, že toto sa stane. Že to sa im prihodí. Prečo On dovolil aby sa to stalo? Keď vošiel do tej lodi, On vedel čo sa stane.
119On vedel, že my sa musíme stretnúť s touto situáciou a On nám to tu predpovedal v Biblii, že sa to stane takýmto spôsobom.
Nuž čo On robil? Skúšal ich vieru.
120Prečo by On nechal nejakú fajn, prostú, ženu, ktorá je matkou, sedieť v invalidnom vozíku, ako toto? Prečo by On tu nechal nejakého pekného mladého človeka, týchto mladých mužov sedieť tu v invalidných kreslách, dámy, či iných? Čo by On? ... No oni, hoci sú chromí, jednako môžu žiť svoj prostý život. Ale môže tu niekto sedieť, kto je chorý na srdce a ak ťa Boh neuzdraví, môžeš ešte do rána zomrieť. Je to tak. On vedel čo sa stane. Možno, že to sa stalo nato aby to vyskúšalo našu vieru. Kvôli tomu sa to stalo im. On to tak povedal. Vidíte? Tak isto teraz.
121On dokázal Kto On je skrze slová a znamenia, ktoré ... On dokázal medzi nimi, že On je tým potvrdeným, pomazaným Mesiášom, ktorý mal prísť.
122A On dokázal medzi nami skrze krst Duchom Svätým a prinavrátením vecí, ktoré zasľúbil na tento deň. On dokázal, že je tu. On dokázal, že On je ten istý včera, dnes i naveky. A vidíte ako ľahko sa necháme zmiasť na hocijakej drobnosti? Nikdy by sme nemali dovoliť aby sa to stalo. Nie.
123On povedal: "Ak Ja nečiním skutky, ktoré sú napísané o Mne, tak Mi potom neverte." A ak Cirkev, ak Duch Svätý dnes, nerobí tie veci na ktoré sa očakávalo, že bude robiť v tejto hodine, potom neverte Posolstvu; máte právo neveriť Mu.
124Ale On zasľúbil, že tieto veci, ktoré On práve teraz robí, sa budú diať práve v tomto čase. A tak to má spôsobiť, že sa budeme cítiť tak bezpeční, že povieme: "Idem do zhromaždenia. Veľký Duch Svätý, (viem o tom), je tam a zjavuje tajnosti ľudských sŕdc." To je presne to, čo povedal, že bude robiť, keď sa zjaví v týchto posledných dňoch. Ježiš Kristus povedal, On sám, že to je presne to, čo On bude robiť.
125A On povedal: "Svet bude v takom stave, ako to bolo vo dňoch Sodomy." To práve teraz je v takom stave. On povedal: "Cirkvi budú porozdeľované tak ako to bolo vtedy," Lót, vlažný, dole v Babylone, či v Sodome a Sodomiti. On povedal: "Abrahám, vyvolení, vyvolaná skupina," a On poslal posla do tej vyvolenej skupiny. A On poslal dvoch poslov tam dole ku ním, reprezentujúc každého jedného. A to je presne to, čo On urobil, ešte aj každé meno, každý skutok, každý pohyb, všetko tak dokonale, každý znak, každá manifestácia, proste presne to isté. On povedal, že to sa stane.
126Nuž čoho sa obávame? Čo to prichádza na nás? On nás skúša, díva sa, čo s tým budeme robiť. Všimnite si.
127On im povedal, riekol: "Nuž, ak nemôžete veriť Mne, verte tým skutkom, ktoré činím; oni svedčia Kto som." Oni to mali vedieť, ale nevedeli. Oni ...
128On bol Boh, Ktorý stvoril, Stvoriteľ vetrov a mora. Keď On mohol stvoriť vetry a more, či nemohol ďalej spôsobiť aby oni poslúchali Jeho Slovo? Keď On všetko stvoril, či nemohol učiniť aby Ho to všetko poslúchalo? Pamätajme tiež, On stvoril naše telá, oni tak isto budú musieť poslúchať Jeho Slovo. "Dobre," vy si poviete: "keby som si len toho mohol byť istý." Dobre, my sme si toho istí. On je tu aby to tak dokázal. Oni to musia poslúchať. Pamätajte, On má ..
129Keď zosneme, nezostane z nás nič, okrem možno za lyžicu popolu, On zasľúbil že vzbudí ten popol. On zasľúbil, že to vzbudí. To telo Ho musí poslúchať. A preto keď zomrieme, sme si istí že budeme vzbudení, pretože to On zasľúbil že to urobí. A Jeho zasľúbenie je Jeho Slovo a my tomu veríme. Veríte vo vzkriesenie tela? [Zhromaždenie: "Amen." - pozn.prekl] Samozrejme. Ak nie, nie ste kresťania. Tak my veríme, že On nás vzbudí v posledný deň. On zasľúbil, že to urobí. A čo to je? To je Jeho Slovo. Toho sa držíme celou svojou bytosťou, práve toho Slova.
130A potom, keď to príde do takého času, že budeme vidieť, že Slovo sa stotožnilo, že je s nami; potom budeme ako Jeho učeníci, v inom prípade, keď boli vonku na mori a znovu sa skoro potápali, pri inej príležitosti. A videli Ježiša ako prichádza ku ním, kráčajúc po vode a preľakli sa. Povedali: "To je strašidlo. To je prízrak." Báli sa, že je to duch a kričali od strachu. Tá jediná vec, ktorá im mohla pomôcť, oni boli z toho vyľakaní.
131A tak je to i dnes, práve tá vec, ktorá ľuďom môže pomôcť, oni sa jej boja. On povedal: "Nebojte sa. To som Ja." On hovorí. Ako by ste vedeli, že to je On? On sa preukázal Svojím Slovom. Takým spôsobom sa On preukázal prvý krát. To je spôsob, ako sa On stále preukazuje, skrze Svoje Slovo. Všimnite si.
132Potom, keď títo učeníci sa našli na konci, niektorému z nich muselo svitnúť, že Stvoriteľ je stále s nimi.
133Dúfam, že to svitá aj nám, dnes večer, pretože Židom 13. 8. hovorí, že On je ten istý.
134Čo oni potom urobili? Prebudili Ježiša. "Choď vzbudiť Ježiša. Vzbuď Ho, zavolaj Ho na scénu!" Je to veľmi ľahké zavolať Ho. Oni videli, videli tak mnoho vecí, ktoré Boh učinil a Jeho preukázanie sa Slovom. Tak isto my. A nebolo to ťažké zavolať Ho ku činu.
135Oni Ho prebudili a povedali: "Či nedbáš že hynieme?"
Vy si hovoríte: "Ako si toho môžeme byť istý? Môžeme to dokázať?"
136Ján 14. 12. Ježiš povedal: "Ten kto verí vo Mňa, skutky, ktoré Ja činím aj on bude činiť." To je isté. Naša viera privádza Krista do našej prítomnosti.
137On povedal v Lukášovi v 17. kapitole: " V posledných dňoch, keď sa zjaví Syn človeka, bude čas ako za dní Sodomy a Gomory." Vidíme, že to sa deje.
138On povedal, prv ako nadišiel ten čas, v Malachiášovi 4., že: "Vyjde Posolstvo, ktoré prinavráti ľudí späť do tej originálnej viery, ktorá raz bola daná ľuďom." Od počiatku to bolo v Božom pláne. A potom bezbožní budú popolom a spravodliví budú šliapať po nich svojimi nohami.
139Vidíme všetky tieto zasľúbenia. On teraz čaká práve na teba, teba, teba, každého jedného z vás, aby ste Ho zavolali na scénu. Zavolať Ho na scénu! To je to, kde On chce byť, zavolaný na scénu do činnosti. Všimnite si, keď Ho zavoláte na scénu ... Tak potom povieme: "Zobuďme Ho." Zavolajme ho teda, aby potvrdil Svoje Slovo a to, čo zasľúbil, že bude robiť. Ako On ... poznáme v zjavení Ježiša Krista v posledných dňoch, bude to ako to bolo vo dňoch Sodomy. On zasľúbil dať cirkvi to zjavenie, keď sa On zjaví. Tak nepochybujte a nebojte sa, On je ten istý včera, dnes i naveky.
140Počul som raz jednu ženu, keď som hovoril o Ňom, aký je veľký. Ona povedala: "Mám jednu vec proti vášmu učeniu, pán Branham."
141Povedal som: "Nuž, ďakujem vám, ak máte len jednu vec." Riekol som: "Dúfam, že Boh tiež nenájde nič viacej." A ona povedala: "Nuž, príliš mnoho sa chváliš Ježišom."
142Povedal som: "Dúfam, že je to tá jediná vec, ktorú máš proti mne." A povedal som: "Nechválim sa s Ním zadosť."
143Ona riekla: "Ale áno, chváliš." Povedala: "Ty Ho zbožňuješ." To bola žena, ktorá neverila, že Ježiš bol Boh. Ona bola z Kresťanskej Vedy. A povedala: "Ty Ho zbožňuješ. Robíš Ho Bohom."
144Povedal som: "On je buď Boh, alebo je potom ten najväčší zvoditeľ akého kedy svet poznal." Povedal som: "On ..."
145Riekla. "Nuž, môžem ti dokázať, skrze tvoju Bibliu, že On nebol. On bol len prorok."
Povedal som: "On bol prorok, skutočne, ale On bol tiež Boh."
Ona povedala: "On bol človek a bol smrteľný."
Povedal som: "To je tiež pravda."
146Ona riekla: "Na ceste, keď išiel vzbudiť Lazára z hrobu, Sv. Ján 11. kapitola, tam stojí, Biblia hovorí, že Ježiš zaplakal."
Povedal som: "To je pravda."
147Ona riekla: "Nuž, to dokazuje, že On nemohol byť Bohom a plakať."
148Povedal som: "Ó, pani moja, to je tvoj argument?" Povedal som: "To je slabé." Ona povedala ... Povedal som: "To je pravda, On bol Človek, keď plakal; ale keď uviedol Svoje malé telo do pohybu, potiahol Svoje malé ramená dozadu a povedal, 'Lazár, vyjdi von,' a človek, ktorý už bol štyri dni mŕtvy a hnil v hrobe, postavil sa na nohy a znovu ožil, to bol viac ako človek. To bol Boh."
149On bol človek, tu vonku v tom člne tej noci, keď bol vonku na mori, keď desať tisíc diablov sa sprisahalo, že Ho potopia. Ten malý starý čln sa zmietal ako štopeľ z fľaše, na rozbúrenom mori. On bol človek, ktorý bol unavený a spal. Ale Keď Ho oni zobudili a zavolali Ho na scénu, položil jednu nohu na sťažeň a povedal: "Mlč, umĺkni," a vietor a vlny Ho poslúchli. To bol viac ako človek. To bol Boh.
150On bol človek, keď išiel dole z vrchu, hladný, hľadajúci na strome niečo na zjedenie. On bol človek, keď bol hladný. Ale keď vzal tých päť chlebov a dve ryby a nakŕmil päť tisícový zástup, to bol viac ako človek. To bol Boh v tom človeku.
151Každá osoba, ktorá kedy mala nejakú cenu, to boli tí, ktorí tomu verili. Skutočne. Básnici i mnohí ďalší tomu verili, že Boh bol v Kristovi, mieriac so Sebou svet.
152A teraz Kristus je v Cirkvi, mieriac ľudí s Bohom. On zasľúbil že, to bude robiť. Je to napísané, že: "On je ten istý včera, dnes i naveky." Veríte tomu? [Zhromaždenie hovorí: "Amen." - pozn.prekl.] Ja tomu verím z celého svojho srdca, že On teraz len čaká aby bol zavolaný na scénu. Nuž a to jediné, čo Ho môže zavolať na scénu, závisí na nás aby sme Ho v sebe prebudili, zavolali Ho na scénu.
153On bol tým najväčším darom aký Boh kedy dal svetu. "Boh tak miloval svet, že dal Svojho jednorodeného Syna; aby každý kto verí v Neho nezahynul, ale mal Večný Život." Hľaďte na Boha a Jeho dar. Nuž a ľudia používali Boží dar.
154Raz, jedna prostá žena, ona verila tomu, že On je Boh zamanifestovaný v tele. A ona si povedala: "Ak sa len dotknem Jeho rúcha, budem uzdravená."
155Nuž, ona sa dotkla Jeho rúcha. A On sa otočil dookola a povedal: "Kto sa Ma dotkol? Vidíte, cnosť, moc, vyšla zo Mňa." Ona sa dotkla Jeho rúcha. To bol spôsob ako použila Boží dar. Vidíte? On z toho oslabol.
Ale keď išiel z domu Lazára ...
156 Pamätajte, Sv. Ján 5. 19., Ježiš povedal: "Amen, amen vám hovorím, že Syn nemôže robiť nič sám od seba, iba to, čo vidí činiť Svojho Otca." Pamätajte, Ježiš Kristus nikdy neučinil ani jeden zázrak, neurobil nič nadprirodzeným spôsobom, až kým prv nevidel videnie toho, čo robiť. Koľkí veríte že je to pravda? [Zhromaždenie volá: "Amen." - pozn.prekl.] Sv. Ján 5. kapitola: "Amen, nie to čo počujem, nie to čo Mi niekto povie; čo vidím robiť Otca, to podobne činí aj Syn." Nuž, ak to nie je pravda, potom ani ostatné Písma nie sú pravda. "Amen, amen, vám hovorím, že Syn nemôže robiť nič Sám od Seba, iba to, čo vidí činiť Svojho Otca, lebo čokoľvek On činí, to podobne činí aj Syn. Môj Otec pracuje až do teraz, i Ja pracujem." Inými slovami, On konal a urobil len to, čo Mu Boh kázal.
157Nuž, pamätajte, keď On odišiel z Lazárovho domu, On už bol preč niekoľko dní. Lazár ochorel a oni poslali pre Neho. On nešiel. O dva dni neskoršie, Lazar bol ešte viacej chorý. Tak oni znovu pre neho poslali, On stále nešiel. A potom keď prišiel ten príhodný čas, Otec Mu ukázal čo sa stane, že Lazár zomrel. A On sa otočil, keď Lazár zomrel a povedal: "Lazár zomrel a radujem sa pre vás, že som tam nebol." Oni by chceli aby sa bol za neho modlil a tak ďalej. On urobil len to čo Mu Boh povedal, čo videl, vo videní. Vidíte, On mal videnie ohľadne toho čo robiť. "Ale idem aby som ho zobudil." Hm! No prosím.
158Pozorujte ako Mu Marta prichádza naproti. Ona povedala: "Pane, keby si tu bol býval, môj brat by nebol zomrel. Ale aj teraz viem, že všetko za čokoľvek by si požiadal Boha, dá ti Boh." Vidíte?
159On vedel, čo ide urobiť. Pozorujte Ho pri Lazárovom hrobe, On povedal: "Otče, ďakujem Ti, že si Ma počul, ale Ja som to povedal len pre zástup stojaci okolo."
161Nuž, On tam nepovedal ani slovo o tom, že by bol zoslabol. To bol Boh, ktorý používal Svoj dar. A keď ľudia používali Boží dar, to bolo iné.
162Pretože, On bol Slovo. "A Slovo je ostrejšie ako dvojsečný meč," hovorí Biblia: "a schopné rozoznať myšlienky a úmysly srdca." To dokazuje, že Boh je v strede ľudí. Tak veru. Verme tomu. On je hotový, podľa Svojho Slova, aby bol zavolaný na scénu, dnes večer.
163Koľko je tu nemocných a takých, čo majú nejaké potreby, zodvihnite ruky. Nech vidíme vaše ruky, koľko je tu nemocných a takých, čo majú nejaké potreby, všade. Nuž, to jedno na čo On čaká, aby bol zavolaný na scénu. Poproste Ho len.
164Nuž, čo ak by On tu stál s týmto úborom, ktorý mi dal a vy by ste prišli pred Neho a povedali: "Pane, Ježišu, chcem aby si ma uzdravil," viete čo by vám povedal? "Ja som to už urobil."
166Ja neviem, čo ste vy už tu v Baton Ruge mali. Všetko možné sa ženie krajinou, napodobňovania a iné. Viem, že to musí byť práve tak. Ale ak príde nejaký človek a povie vám, že má moc uzdraviť vás, je klamár. Jedine Boh môže uzdraviť. "Ja som Pán Boh, ktorý uzdravujem všetky tvoje nemoci." On sa nebude s nikým deliť o Svoju chválu. Neexistuje taký človek, ktorý má moc uzdravovať.
167Ale sú ľudia, ktorí majú dary, aby manifestovali Boha. Váš pastor ... [Brat Branham zakašľal. - pozn.prekl.] Prepáčte. On môže vziať Boha, skrze dar ... Učiteľ, on môže vyložiť Slovo, tak že To musíš vidieť. ak len máš oči ktoré vidia, vtedy to uvidíš. Je ďalší, možno nejaký iný dar. Ale to je vždy dar, ktorý manifestuje prítomnosť Božiu a cez to vy sami musíte tomu veriť.
168Môže tu ku oltáru prísť nejaký hriešnik, ako mladý muž alebo žena, vo veku štrnástych rokov a môžu vám tu prinášať jesť a vy budete kričať ku Pánovi, až do svojich deväťdesiatych rokov a vôbec nebudete spasený. Ale vy prv musíte prijať to, čo On pre vás urobil. Vidíte? Vy sami to musíte prijať. A potom, keď to prijmete, potom je On Veľkňazom, prostredníkom, primlúvajúci sa na základe vášho vyznania, toho čo veríte.
169Nuž a tak isto je to s darom. Zakladá sa to na odsunutí vášho vlastného rozumu a potom uvidíte čo On káže robiť.
170Videl som ľudí, ako prichádzali na pódium, vyskakovali hore dole a vykrikovali , a hovorili: "Ó, brat Branham, ja mám všetku vieru na svete." Čo tu teda potom robíš? Vidíte? To je - to je emócia a nie viera.
171Opravdivá viera nepozná žiadnu porážku. Už je to dokonané. Už je potom. Boh to tak povedal a tým to hasne, vy vidíte. "Boh tak povedal!" Nuž to je tá istá vec, zakaždým. Keď vy skutočne tomu veríte, to sa Ho dotýka.
172Nuž tá prostá žena, ktorá sa dotkla Jeho rúcha, ona povedala: "Ak sa len dotknem Jeho rúcha, budem uzdravená," a urobila to. A keď vykonala to, čo si vyžadovala po nej jej viera: "dotknúť sa toho," On to pocítil, vidíte a otočil sa a prehovoril ku nej.
173Nuž, On je ten istý včera, dnes i naveky. Ak vy len budete veriť Kristovi, veriť Jemu. Nech sa vaša viera dotkne Jeho rúcha. A On, práve teraz, je tým Veľkňazom, ktorý môže byť dotknutý skrze cítenie s našimi slabosťami. Všetci to vieme. A ak je On ten istý včera, dnes i naveky, On sa musí správať dnes tak, ako sa správal včera, ak je On ten istý Veľkňaz. Nuž, či tomu veríte? Majte len vieru v Boha.
174Ak by som vám povedal klamstvo, potom by sa Boh za tým nepostavil. Ak som vám povedal pravdu, On sa za tým postaví. On je zaviazaný postaviť sa za pravdou.
175Ježiš povedal: "Ja mám svedectvo." A to svedectvo je Božie Slovo, samozrejme. On povedal: "Tam tie Písma svedčia o Mne. Ak oni nesvedčia o Mne, potom Mi neverte." Vidíte?
176A ak to Písmo nesvedčí o tom čo som vám teraz povedal, že: "On je ten istý včera, dnes i naveky," potom tomu Písmu neverte. Pretože to Písmo hovorí že On je a On zasľúbil tieto veci na tento posledný vek. Pamätajte, práve na konci židovského veku, to je kde sa On zjavil ako Mesiáš. Na konci veku samaritánov, On urobil to isté. A teraz je koniec pohanského veku. On je ten istý včera, dnes i naveky.
177Prebuďte Ho vo svojom svedomí, zavolajte Ho na scénu, zatiaľ čo skloníme naše hlavy.
178Nebeský Otče, postačí nám teraz len jedno slovo od Teba. To bude všetko, čo potrebujeme, len slovo od Teba. Nech by tí ľudia mohli jasne zrozumieť, že cieľom, toho čo sa snažíme robiť, Pane, je to aby mohli obdržať dobrodenie Pána Ježiša, ktorého milujú a ktorému slúžia. Nech to učinia dnes večer Pane, pretože Tvoja smrť nebola márna. Ty si bol ranený pre naše prestúpenie, zdrtený pre naše neprávosti, kázeň nášho pokoja bola vzložená na Teba. Jeho sinavicou sme uzdravení. Prosím, Bože, aby všetci ktorí sú tu v božskej prítomnosti, porozumeli toto a obdržali to videnie a boli uzdravení na chválu Božiu. Skrze meno Ježiša Krista, oddávam sa s tým zhromaždením, na Jeho chválu a česť. Amen.
179Nuž, buďte skutočne úctiví ešte za niekoľko minút. Nuž, len jedno slovo od Neho bude znamenať viac, než všetko čo by som ja mohol povedať, pretože to je On, ktorý to činí. On je ten jediný. On je ten ktorý to činí a my spoliehame na to, že Pán Ježiš udelí teraz tie veci pre vás, pre každého jedného.
180Nuž, pozrime sa, koľko je hodín? Nevedel som, že je už toľko. Povedal som vám, že skončíme na čas. Ako to teraz urobíme, nemáme dosť času aby sme vyvolávali modlitebnú radu. Volajme to rovno zo zhromaždenia.
181Nuž vezmime len Písmo, ešte na chvíľu. Nuž, Biblia zasľubuje, v tomto poslednom dni, že znovu sa bude opakovať Sodoma a Gomora. Koľkí tomu teraz veria, zodvihnite ruky? Biblia to dokazuje.
182Nuž a potom, čo to bolo pri Sodome a Gomore? To bol Boh vo forme ľudskej bytosti. A to, podľa čoho to Abrahám poznal bolo, že On povedal: "Prečo sa smiala Sára tam v stane, za chrbtom?" Ó, prečo ona o tom pochybovala, o tých slovách, ktoré On povedal, že to tak bude?" On mohol vidieť to, čo si Sára myslela, tam vzadu za Ním. Len povedzte či to nebolo tak.
183Nuž, to nebolo pre cirkev Babylonu, či cirkev Sodomy. Nie, nie. To nebolo pre tých ľudí tam v denominačných kruhoch. Nie veru, nikdy to ku ním neprišlo. Oni mali svojho posla. Vidíte?
184Ale tá vyvolená Cirkev, super Semeno Abraháma, ktorí považovali za možné veriť Slovu bez ohľadu na okolnosti: "Abrahám nazýval veci, ktoré neboli ako keby boli." Boh tak povedal a on tomu veril. Nuž, priateľu, ja viem, že Boh je zaviazaný ku tomu Slovu, aby ho dodržal.
185Nuž chcem aby ste, kdekoľvek sa nachádzate v tejto budove, aby ste úctivo sedeli ešte nejaký čas, tam kde ste. A verte, verte len z celého svojho srdca.
186Nuž, ak by som vás mohol uzdraviť, ak by som mohol uzdraviť toto dievčatko, kvôli ktorému sa mi stíska srdce, ak by som mohol uzdraviť týchto núdznych, ktorí tam ležia, plazil by som sa odtiaľto až na severný pól, ak by som to mohol urobiť. Ktokoľvek, kto má nejaký ľudský súcit ... Ale nie som schopný nič pre nich urobiť. Možno niekto z vás bude žiť už len krátky čas, s rakovinou. Ak by som vás mohol uzdraviť a neurobil by som to, nepatrilo by sa mi stáť tu na pódiu. Nuž, ja to nemôžem urobiť. Moje srdce cíti s vami. Urobil by som to, keby som mohol, ale nemôžem. Nieto takého človeka, ktorý by to mohol urobiť. Je to tak. Ale, vy viete, Ježiš to už urobil. Vidíte? A On sa len snaží dostať vás do toho aby ste tomu verili. Ale vy...
187Je mi ľúto tých ľudí. Je tak mnoho vecí, ktoré ich zaslepujú, takto alebo takto, až, úbohí ľudia sú takmer ako ovce bez pastiera. Nevedia čo robiť. Jeden povie toto a druhý povie tamto. Nemyslite na to, čo hovoria ľudia. "Dni zázrakov pominuli. Neexistuje niečo také ako krst Duchom Svätým."
188A, pamätajte, Peter povedal, v deň letníc: "Toto zasľúbenie je pre vás a pre vaše deti a pre tých, ktorí sú na široko-ďaleko, ktorých a koľkýchkoľvek si povolá Pán náš Boh." Vidíte?
189Ježiš zasľúbil, že tieto veci sa budú diať v týchto posledných dňoch, že Boh sa navráti vo forme ľudského tela, tak ako vy a ja tu dnes večer a bude činiť tie isté veci tesne pred tým, ako svet bude zničený. A svet bude ako Sodoma. Vidíte? Nuž a my máme stav Sodomy. Skutočne. Každý postoj, každá osoba, všetko práve presne pasuje.
190Nuž, či sa môže chopiť toho naša viera? Či Ho nemôžeme zavolať na scénu? Zavolajme Ho na scénu. Vaša viera je tá jediná vec, ktorá to môže urobiť. A tak verte teraz z celého svojho srdca, každý jeden z vás.
191A chcem sa vás niečo opýtať. Bez modlitebných kariet, bez toho aby niekto prišiel sem hore, ak ten veľký Duch Svätý príde sem dole skrze vaše pomazanie a pomazanie na mne a dokáže, že Ježiš Kristus pracuje medzi nami, čo viacej by On mohol urobiť? Nie je v Biblii žiadneho ďalšieho zasľúbenia ponad to. To je najväčšie zasľúbenie. Koľkí o tom vedia? Skutočne. To je - to je posledná vec pre cirkevný vek.
192Židia, v čase obdobia súženia a na ... tam oni boli znovu navštívení, ale s Pohanskou cirkvou to tak nie je.
193Toto je posledná vec zasľúbená pohanom. Je to pravda. Vidíte, to boli pohania tam v Sodome, ktorá mala byť spálená. A to, tu je Nevesta, ktorá je Kráľovským Semenom Abraháma, to je Nevesta vyvolaná von z pomedzi pohanov. To je ich posledný znak.
194Poznačte si to do svojej knihy. Ja som starý človek. Ale len si to poznačte a dávajte pozor či sa to stane alebo nie. Vidíte, ste teraz na konci. Kedy? Ja neviem. Ja očakávam na Neho dnes. Ak tu nebude dnes, budem Ho očakávať zajtra. Ak tu nebude zajtra, budem očakávať na Neho napozajtre. Ak tu nebude v tomto roku, budem očakávať na Neho v nasledujúcom roku. Ja viem že On prichádza. Nepoznám tú minútu alebo hodinu, ale viem že všetko je vyplnené, pripravené ku Vytrhnutiu. Cirkev je vyvolaná von. To bude tajomný odchod; proste zmizne a to bude všetko.
195A svet beží ďalej tak isto, ľudia kážu, ľudia si myslia že dožívajú spasenia, presne tak isto ako to bolo vo dňoch Noeho, a tak ďalej. Noe vošiel do korábu a ľudia pokračovali stále ďalej v tom čo robili, a svet sa točí stále tak isto. Uvedomte si to! A, Naveky stratení, mysliac si že sú spasení.
196Niekedy v týchto dňoch, chystám sa priniesť veľký stan do tohto kraju a rozložiť ho tu, tak môžeme mať popoludňajšie zhromaždenia a lekcie, aby ste tak mohli lepšie porozumieť tie veci. Dáme všetkých našich bratov do kopy aby sme mohli mať tie zhromaždenia.
197Nuž, ak Ježiš Kristus vyplní Svoje zasľúbenie, potom sme zaviazaní veriť Mu. Chcem aby ste všetci, každý jeden z vás mali len prostú detskú vieru, aby ste Mu verili.
198A teraz skloňte svoje hlavy a začnite sa modliť a povedzte: "Pane Ježišu, nuž ja viem, že tento človek ma nepozná. A ja sa nachádzam v potrebe. A bolo nám povedané, že Ty si Veľkňazom, ktorý dokážeš súcitiť s našimi slabosťami. Keby si mu len dovolil ... Keby som sa Ťa mohol dotknúť, hovor len cez neho, Pane, to ja poznám jeho ... poznám, že to si Ty. Ja viem, že on ma nepozná."
199A tam v publiku, je to proste zmiešané obecenstvo s veriacimi, neveriacimi, zdanlivými veriacim, hriešnikmi, svätými a všetko dokopy.
200Nuž, vy musíte veriť. Nuž ak On toto bude robiť z tohto obecenstva tu, chcem aby ste každý jeden z vás tu, povedali: "Brat Branham, ja viem že to musí byť On, ktorý hľadí na zhromaždenie ako to robil vtedy." Chcem aby ste, ak skutočne budete veriť, chcem aby ste zodvihli svoje ruky a povedali: "Pane, ja to prijmem z celého svojho srdca, verím že to je Ježiš Kristus, podľa Svojho zasľúbenia." Po celej budove. Nech vás Boh žehná. To je nádherné. Och, aká je to škoda, že nemáme aspoň mesiac aby sme tu mohli byť. Vidíte, len ... Ja som pre vás nový. Vidíte, je to ťažko. Vy len zotrvávajte vo viere.
201Nuž, to je Svetlo. Boh je Svetlo, poznáme ten Ohnivý Stĺp. A teraz sa len modlite a dotknite sa Toho a Pán Ježiš nech odpovie.
202A teraz beriem tu každého ducha pod moju kontrolu, v mene Ježiša Krista, na Jeho chválu. A teraz buďte skutočne úctiví. Modlite sa. Buďte skutočne úctiví.
203Nuž, tu To je. Rovno tu predo mnou sedí nejaká pani. Má sklonenú svoju hlavu a modlí sa za svoje vlastné utrpenie. Ak chceš zodvihni teraz hlavu, ona je tu rovno predo mnou. Veríš z celého svojho srdca? Veríš, že Boh môže uzdraviť tvoju cukrovku a učiniť ťa zdravou? Nuž, to je to čo máš, cukrovku. Ja ťa nepoznám. Ty si mi úplne neznáma. Ale veríš mi, že som Jeho sluha? Ak - ak sme si cudzí jeden druhému, zodvihni svoju ruku, takto, aby to ľudia videli. Vidíte? V poriadku. Vidíte, tu je tá pani. A trápi ju cukrovka. A veríš, že Boh mi môže povedať kto si? Spôsobí to, že budeš veriť? Ty si pani Martinová. Ak je to pravda, zodvihni ruku. Vidíte? Maj len vieru. Nepochybuj. Maj vieru.
204Nuž čoho sa ona dotkla? Chcem sa to opýtať obecenstva. Čoho sa ona dotkla? Tam je žena, ktorá má pozdvihnutú pravú ruku a ja tiež, pred Bohom. Vidíte? Ona sa dotkla Niečoho. Len prostá obyčajná žena. Ak ... skutočne, povedať vám pravdu... A teraz, vidíte či je toto ... To ju prekvapilo. Ona nevedela že má až toľko viery. Viera to nie je niečo, čo si vyrobíte; to je niečo čo máte. Ona sa prekvapila. Dokonca práve teraz, tá žena sa cíti inak než ako sa cítila pred pár minútami. Ona vie, že sa s ňou niečo stalo.
205Aha tu, vidíte to Svetlo? Vidíte To tu rovno nad tou ženou, rovno tu vzadu? Ona trpí na ... Má sklonenú svoju hlavu. Modlí sa. Ale ona trpí na bolesti chrbta. Ak bude veriť z celého svojho srdca, môže byť uzdravená od tých bolestí v chrbtici. Skutočne.
206Zbaví sa toho, je to tak isté ako čokoľvek iné. Jej modlitba stále pokračuje. Pane pomôž mi. Pani deVilesová, to si ty. To je milosť. Tá žena sa modlila, dokonca ani nemyslela, dokonca ma ani nepočula nič hovoriť. Nuž opýtajte sa jej, či ma pozná. To je jej meno a to je jej nemoc.
207Tak čoho sa dotkla? To je potvrdenie Ježiša Krista, Slova, ktoré rozoznáva myšlienky ktoré sú v srdci.
208Veríte? Majte len vieru. Modlite sa, kdekoľvek. Verte len. A to vystačí. Verte len, verte len, hovorím vám Pravdu. Nuž, ja nie som On. Ja som len Jeho sluha, len Jeho sluha.
209Ak by ste len mali dostatok viery ... nemôžem ho zavolať. Viem aká je jeho nemoc, ale ... Počkajte len nachvíľu; možno sa to zmení. Samozrejme nie je to nemožné, ale ty sa musíš pohnúť von z tej podpery. On za seba nemôže veriť. Musíte veriť za neho.
210Pani trpí na obličky. Ona nie je odtiaľto. Ona je z Mississippi. Ak bude veriť z celého svojho srdca, Boh uzdraví jej nemocné obličky. Pani Palmerová, ak budeš veriť z celého svojho srdca, môžeš byť z toho uzdravená. Opustilo ťa to ... Úplne sa to zmenilo; je to preč od nej. Maj vieru v Boha, nepochybuj.
211Hneď vedľa nej sedí nejaká pani. Ona trpí na zápal kĺbov. Veríš mi, že som Boží prorok, pani? Veríš? Veríš, že ak mi Boh povie kto si, že ti to pomôže veriť? Tvoje meno je pani Meadowá. Veríš teraz z celého svojho srdca, môžeš byť tiež uzdravená.
212Chytilo sa to horieť a oheň prešiel na tú pani vedľa nej. Ona tiež tam sedí. Ide To rovno za radom. Pani, ktorá tam sedí, ona trpí na ... Vedľa nej, trpí na cukrovku. Chceli, aby išla do nemocnice, ale ona to odmietla. Ona má syna, za ktorého sa tiež modlí. Ten syn tu nie je, ale veríš, že Boh mi môže povedať, čo je s tým synom? On je chorý na srdce. Ver a On ťa uzdraví. Veríš, že Boh mi môže povedať kto si? Pani Duffleeová, D-u-f-f-l-e-e-o-v-á. Presne tak. Je to tak, zodvihni ruku. Ó, tvoja ruka je hore. V poriadku. A teraz, ver a môžeš byť tiež zdravá.
213Veríte, že to je to isté čo?...Veríte, že Ježiš Kristus je tu teraz prítomný? [Zhromaždenie hovorí: "Amen." - pozn.prekl.] Koľkí to prijímajú? ["Amen:" - pozn.prekl.] Ó, čo za bezpečnosť! Vidíte?
214Čo ste urobili? Vy ste Ho prebudili. Priviedli ste Ho na scénu. On je tu na scéne. Nehrá to žiadnu roľu, čo hovoria tie člny. Pamätajte, On môže povedať: "Umĺkni, buď ticho."
215Veríte tomu z celého svojho srdca? [Zhromaždenie radostne volá: "Amen." - pozn.prekl.] Ak tomu veríte, povstaňte na svoje nohy a prijmite to. Povstaňte a povedzte: "Verím tomu z celého svojho srdca." Postavte sa rovno na svoje nohy. "Ja teraz verím." To je presne to, bez ohľadu na vaše ťažkosti, povstaňte, oddajte Mu chválu.
216Nebeský Otče, prinášame Ti toto zhromaždenie. Oni sú si vedomí, že Ty si tu, Pane. Nech každý diabol, nevera, nech to opustí svoje državie a nech Ježiš Kristus uzdraví toto zhromaždenie.
217Satan, odíď preč z tohto zhromaždenia! V mene Ježiša Krista sa ti staviame na odpor.
1 We read the Word of the Lord. In Matthew's Gospel, the--the 8th chapter, beginning with the 23rd verse, we read this.
And when he was entered into a ship, his disciples followed him.
... behold, there arose a great tempest in the sea, insomuch that the ship was covered with the waves: but he was asleep.
And his disciples came to him, and woke him, saying, Lord, save us: we perish.
And he said unto them, Why are ye fearful, O ye of little faith? Then he arose, and rebuked the winds and the sea; and there was a great calm.
But the man marvelled, saying, What manner of man is this, that even the winds and the seas obey him!
2 Let us bow our heads now for prayer.
3Our Heavenly Father, we are so happy tonight to know that this great One Who makes the winds and the sea to obey Him is with us. We are grateful that we have this great witness of His living yet today, and knowing that He is Eternal, and He can never die. He is alive forevermore, and has showed forth His great mercy to us, the children of man in these days. We are a needy people, Lord, so needy that no one else could meet our needs but You. So we're looking for You tonight to come into our gathering here, and to make Yourself known to us, by forgiving our sins, increasing our faith, Lord, and healing our sickness and afflictions. And when we go to our homes, tonight, may we be happy, saying like those from Emmaus, "Did not our hearts burn within us as He talked to us along the way?" For we ask it in His Name. Amen.
You may be seated.
4 I'm almost like Zacchaeus; these things are always too short for me. I want to speak to you just for a few moments now before we pray for the sick. Thanking you for your fine cooperation, and believing in Spirit, last night, while we were speaking, trusting that it'll be a great outpouring of His blessings.
5Always remember what we're here for, is to try to increase your faith in His Presence, that you might receive that which you ask for. Then, by faith, you believe.
6Now, remember, ever redemptive blessing has already been purchased. The price is paid, there is only one way that you'll ever be able to receive it, is to believe it and to accept it. "He's the High Priest of our confession." The Hebrew says there, the Hebrew letter, says, "He's the High Priest of our profession." To profess, and confess, is the same thing, of course. So we... He's the High Priest of our confession, therefore He cannot do anything for us until first we confess that He has done it. And then when we confess it, then He is the High Priest, a mediator, to go to work on that and make it right. So we pray, trusting in God tonight, in His kindness and mercy, that He will give to us His abundance of grace, tonight. And now, remember, you must accept it.
7 Now we're going to pray for the sick before we leave, laying hands upon them, but I wish that you could have faith enough you don't have to have that. I wish you could just reach up and say, "Lord Jesus, I believe You. I--I..." He believes the Word.
8Now, see, God is different from we are. If--if we would say something for you to do, and you didn't believe it, well, we'd say, "Let them alone. They don't have to believe it." But that's not God our Father. He constantly will do something else to make you believe. He is trying to keep His Word, and He will keep His Word.
9Now the reason He is doing the things that He's doing now, is because that He promised to do them. Not that He has to do it; but He promised to do it, and that's our confidence that He always keeps His promise.
10 Now each one of you, when you have sick, loved ones, and so forth, set, if they can't... like the little girl here, she is too young, and she is in that condition she is; just when you believe, lay your hands upon the child while the service is going on. Others, that has loved ones, in your heart you're thinking of them; by faith lift them right up before God, in prayer. Now, and, therefore, then believe. When something happens, you...
11You can't make yourself believe. You, it's something, it's a quality that's in you. "Faith is the substance," not just a make-imaginary. "It is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things that you believe, and you don't see." And all, the whole Christian armor now, remember, is by faith. All supernatural, love, joy, peace, long-suffering, goodness, meekness, patience, that's all unseen things. That's the whole Christian armor. The Christian always looks at things that he does not see, because he's looking at a promise.
12 Here sometime ago, many years, I was called on a scene, one time, in a hospital, to pray for a boy that was dying, with black diphtheria. I've quoted this many times, 'cause it's a very outstanding case to me. The father was rather an aged man, and mother. And this young man was about fourteen years old, I guess, and he was their only child. And he was dying, with black diphtheria, and something happened to his heart. He was unconscious. And they were just... He just, oh, just--just barely living; I forget what his--his heartbeat was; respiration was very low.
13And the old father kept visiting the meeting, and begging, seeing the manager, and everybody. "Come, pray! Come, pray! That's all, just come to the hospital and pray."
The manager said, "Bring him to the meeting."
14Said "We can't move him from the hospital. He's dying." And said, "If Brother Branham would just come, ask God, God will grant it."
I thought, "What a faith!"
15 I went to the hospital, and the doctors wouldn't let me in. They said, "No, you're a married man, you have children." Billy Paul was small then. Said, "You cannot go in," said, "because you have a child."
16And I said, "Now, I've understood that the doctor himself was Catholic." I said, "If the priest wanted to give the last rites to the child, if he's Catholic, would you permit him to go in?"
17Said, "That's different. The priest has no children." See? Said, "You would pack the germ to your child."
18And I said, "But, look, sir. Let me take the responsibility. I'll sign a paper. I'll take the responsibility. If I haven't got faith enough to go in there then for that, I have no business going in, the first place." I said then, "But I'll take the responsibility." And I said, "Think of it now, if that boy was Catholic, and he was dying; and would you, by any means, keep the priest from giving him the last rites of the church?"
He said, "No, I wouldn't do that."
19I said, "I mean just as much to them as the priest does to a Catholic."
20 And he said, "All right," and he finally agreed. He dressed me up like a Ku Klux Klan, of some sort, all this kind of stuff over me, and--and took me in there to this little boy, dying.
21The mother and father knelt on the other side. And I prayed just a simple little prayer, "Lord Jesus, I trust You to raise up this boy, on the fa-... basis of the faith of this father and mother," and laid my hands upon the little fellow. He had been unconscious for three, about three days, I believe, and just barely breathing. And I got up, said, "Amen." Prayed about a moment, and got up.
22And the old father took the mother in his arms, and said, "Think of it, honey, our boy is healed!" No sign of it at all. And they were just hugging each other, and thanking the Lord.
23And the little nurse, little child, a young lady, rather, she was probably about eighteen, twenty years old. She had her nurse's band, and she... or, she was a graduate nurse. And she said, "Sir, I'm afraid you don't understand." She said, "The boy is dying."
He said, "Oh, no. The boy is going to live." The father did.
24And said, "How can you act like that, and your... you know your boy is dying, under such a false impression as you've been given?"
Said, "That's no false impression." He...
25 She said, "Look." Now I might... There might be a doctor sitting present. I don't know this about medicine, and instruments of medical terms. They give him a some sort of a cardiogram, and his heart was so low. It had been low that long. The doctor said... The nurse repeated the doctor, said he... "That's never been known in history, if a heart ever get that low, for it to ever revive again."
26I'll never forget the old man's look. Old fatherly-like fellow walked up and put his hand upon the little nurse's shoulder. He said, "Sister," he said, "see, you are looking at that chart." Said, "That's all you know, is to look at that. But," said, "I'm looking at a Divine promise."
27The boy is a missionary in Africa now, got three children. See? See? It depends on what you're looking at, see. He believed.
28 Now, that's the same faith, "If You'll come lay Your hands upon my child. If You'll speak the word, my servant..." See, that's something that you have. You--you...
29Then it wasn't--wasn't putting on an act. The old fellow believed that. He had got a hold of Something.
30The woman that touched His garment. "If I must just touch His garment!" That's it. You must grasp a hold of that faith, down in your heart. It's just like you say...
31You know, you man, if you're--if you're the right kind of a husband, there is no woman in the world that you love like your wife. There might be other women might be more fairer. There might be women that would--would be a--a--a prettier women, and so forth. But something, if you really love your wife, there is something in there that you don't notice what she looks like. You love her. And you--you don't know why, but you love her. And, women, you the same to your husband. You, you love. And you young girls to your boyfriends; boyfriends to girlfriend. If you've met that person that you know you love, there is something in there you know you love them.
32Well, that's the same thing it is about faith. You know it's going to happen. There's not a shadow, no matter how many would say contrary; you still believe the same thing, because that's genuine, real genuine faith. Now have that tonight, while we speak on this subject.
33I spoke so much, and been in the meetings so long now, I haven't had a letup, hardly, since Christmas. And I'm a little hoarse in my throat, from changing weather, and time, and so forth.
34I am want to speak to you tonight on the subject of, "awake Jesus," or: Calling Jesus On the Scene.
35 From our Scripture reading, we find that there had been a great meeting. Jesus had been going about, doing great wonders, always doing good, and also doing what was pleasing to God. He always pleased God, but He didn't please Hisself, the Bible said. And we find out that He was thoroughly made Hisself known, Who He was, by His works. His works identified Who He was.
36And virtue had gone from Him. He had been teaching parables, all day, and virtue had gone out of Him. And He had... was going to cross the sea, across, over on the other side. By being what He was, He--He knew there was a great job ahead, on the other side. And He was very tired. Virtue had gone out of Him, all day long, as the people had touched Him by their faith, to believe Him, and so forth. And He had...
37The virtue had left Him, and He was tired. So He went back in the back of the ship and laid down on a pillow, the Scripture tells us, to take a little rest while the ship was crossing the sea, crossing the Sea of Galilee, an opportunity for a little rest.
38His disciples picked up their oars, and hoisted the sails, and just as seamen would do. They, that's what their, many of them, their occupation. They were fishermen there on the sea, and--and they knowed how to control these boats. And they was back at their occupation, just having a great time of rejoicing, a jubilee time, perhaps talking about the things that had happened that day.
39 You know, there is something about it, that when we see our Lord Jesus do things, and can know that it's Him, that nothing else could do it but Him, we just simply... When we get together, we just... Everybody wants to testify. Everybody wants to say something, and they want to talk about it. You can have a revival at your church; the pastor can speak a marvelous message, or the evangelist, or whoever it might be; or you can see some certain thing take place, or something in the neighborhood, someone was healed. The neighbors get together and talk about it. "How marvelous! Was you there? You should have seen it. It was the most outstanding thing." There is something about the works of God that thrills man's heart more than anything else that happens. There's... It's just an unforgettable experiences when we come in contact with the Lord Jesus and see the things that He does, so great and marvelous is His ways.
40 Now we find out that they were rejoicing over the works that had been done in that day's revival, and perhaps I would liken us, tonight, in the same manner.
41Now we have just witnessed one of the greatest revivals, I believe, that the world has ever seen, in these last ten, fifteen years. It's been a--a revival, not just like the days of Billy Sunday, or the days of the Welsh revival, or the days of--of Wesleyan revival, or the Moody revival, or Billy Sunday revival. It's been a worldwide- sweeping affair, around the world. Great healing services and great revival fires has burnt on practically every hill there is in the world. Right tonight, way over in the lands of Africa, down in China and Japan, this Gospel is being preached, and people are being healed right this very minute, around and around the world. It's been one of the greatest revivals, because, I believe, it's one of the last revivals this world will see, a world-sweeping revival.
42 But now, in the last few years, it's quietened down. You don't notice the enthusiasm in the people, that used to be.
43I remember of having the privilege, by the Holy Spirit, to spear-head that revival that started, when that Angel of the Lord appeared on the river and said that, about many years ago. And to see it happen, and see it set ministers' hearts afire, everywhere, revivals broke out. Why, you could just simply walk into a building, and the people just get up out of their cots and stretchers, and walk away, healed. You didn't even have to say one word. Just--just being there, that's all it taken.
44 I remember one night in Vandalia, Illinois. I walked into the meeting, and had no more been in the meeting over five minutes, and there wasn't a feeble person around the place, anywhere. Wheel chairs pushed out and piled up. Blind was seeing, and deaf and dumb speaking, and--and just simply it... the Spirit of the Lord was present, and He just healed the whole group of them. Now that's when you can do something, when revival is going. But let that revival fire die down, then you can hardly... The people are still Christians, but they're not revived into that Spirit, that great atmosphere that does something.
45It's just like in a forge, in a blacksmith shop. You've got to get the iron hot before you go to pounding it on the anvil. If you don't, you'll never straighten it out.
46And that's what it takes to have a revival, is everybody under the heat of the Holy Spirit that's brought down the powers of God and a revival moving. Then there is prayer meetings going, day and night, every minute, everywhere. Why, the people wouldn't even leave the grounds!
47 I remember in Jonesboro, Arkansas, when I first started my... about my third meeting. First in St. Louis, and then at Corning, and then down to Jonesboro. The paper stated, "Twenty-eight thousand people in the meeting." For twenty or thirty miles from the city, was just tents set up. You couldn't get a farmhouse to stay in, the little city of Jonesboro. And people coming from miles, packing lanterns, walking through the jungles, catch a--a bus and come.
48I sat out in the wilderness one evening, praying before the service started, and I seen young ladies coming with their shoes and stockings under their arm. Then before they get down there, stop and brush off the dust from their feet, and put on their stockings and--and--and shoes, and--and go into the meeting.
49And I seen them lay their sick children under old cotton trucks, and stay there day and night; hold papers and canvas over them, while it was raining, storm a blowing; not leave their place, waiting just to get inside the building.
50There is where the blind was seeing, the deaf was hearing. And the ministry, tonight, is a hundred miles beyond that, but the revival fires has died down.
51See the people walk up there and say... Just point your finger, and say, "Well, do you believe, brother?" That's all, he was out and gone. That's all that had to be done. They believed. The revival was a moving.
52 Now, these disciples had seen that, and in an amateur form they were living the joy, while Jesus was resting, of what they had seen done that day.
53And I think the revival is doing something like that, that we're now just living in a quietening time, while He's resting maybe between the meetings, or the revival and His Coming. And we are rejoicing over the things that we have seen down during the time of this revival, great and wonderful works. No matter what the world says, we still seen it done! It's a statement, it's the facts, it was done.
54They must have took an opportunity, while the sails was going along pretty well, to talk about Him, about His acts, about His claims, about His Messiahship. Many of them might have... of these disciples, might have spoke of what they had seen done, one to another.
55Just like we do, during the time of the revival at Shreveport, during the time of the revival at--at some other town, we'll talk about it.
56 Now that's the way they were doing. Maybe it was Simon, as we talked about last night, saying, "Well, when Andrew told me about Him, I was just a little bit skeptic. But when He told me who I was and who my father was, that took all the guess out of me. I--I believed it then."
57It might have been that Philip might have said, some of the other one; it might have been Andrew said. We talked about the lady at the well, last night. Might have been talking about her, when they said something like this, "Brethren, you know, when my strange time was, when I--we went away to get some victuals. And we come back and we was standing outside the bushes, and seen Him talking to this ill-famed woman. We thought, in our hearts, 'What if some of the priests would come up and see this, our Master talking to a woman of this caliber, what would they say about Him?' And then we remember how we knew, that had confidence in Him, that it was for some purpose that He was talking to her.
58"And then when He told her, 'Go get your husband and come here.' And she said, 'I have no husband.' How our hearts jumped, 'cause we thought there is one time there's a failure. Jesus had told the woman that she had, go get her 'husband,' when she had no husband. You remember the look that we had on each other's face as we marvelled, to think that all the confidence we had in Him, and here it was dropped all of a sudden?
59"Then we find, immediately He spoke up and said, 'You've told the truth, for you've had five husbands, and the one you have now is not yours.'"
60"Then when she recognized Him then as the Messiah, the Messiah of God, and said there, that, 'We know that Messiah is coming. You must be a Prophet, for we know, when the Messiah cometh, He is going to do this.' And the testimony in that city, that woman's testimony had bearing on the people of the city.
61 "Then it might have been young John that said, 'You know, I'll tell you what made it real to me, that day when He broke the bread. Now, we was all hungry, and He had went out into the wilderness, and we couldn't find Him, and there we met Him. And all the multitudes came around, and, the first thing you know, we find Him saying, 'Send them away to the city, to get some food.' And--and He told us to 'feed them' then. And He got those five biscuits and two little fish, and He broke that bread. And I noticed His hand when He would reach back for another piece of bread, that biscuit was growed out again. And then when He reached back, put it out in a plate, then reached back, that fish was growed out again. Not only the regular fish, but it was a cooked fish, see, already growed back again."
62What kind of an atom did He turn loose, brethren, cooked fish, cooked bread, bypass the growing? And we knowed He was the creator, but here He is making creation of already cooked fish and cooked bread.
63 John might have said something like this. He said, "You know, when I was a little boy, we lived down by Jericho. I remember my Jewish mother used to rock me to sleep in the afternoon; take my afternoon nap. I used to look up in her eyes, and she would tell me Bible stories."
64And, you know, that's a good thing for any mother to do to her child. "Bring up a child in the way it should go." It would be better than turning on the television and watch some of these here things that goes on on the television. You'd be better off if you read him a Bible story, 'cause it's impressing his little mind.
65 Now said, "He used... She used to tell me about the--the story of the Shunammite woman receiving her little boy back to life, by the prophet Elijah. I liked that. Then she used to tell me about our people coming up out of Egypt. And we was right on the Jordan River. And she would point across the river, and say, 'John, they camped just on the other side. And they were forty years in that wilderness, and God fed them manna. Their clothes never wore out. And God gave them bread, fresh, every morning.'"
66"And how my little, childish heart, I used to say, 'Mama, has God got lot of big ovens up there in the skies, and He bakes all this bread, and gets His Angels ready to bring down the morning bread and lay it out on the...?'"
67"'No,' she would say. 'John, you're too young to understand. See, God doesn't have ovens in the sky. He don't need ovens. We have to have ovens. But God doesn't need it, because He's the Creator. See, He just speaks, and the bread laid out on the... He is the Creator.'"
68"And, brethren, when I stood there today and watched Him take that piece of bread and tear that off, and when He reached back for another piece, it was created, I knowed we wasn't following--following a false prophet. That was the Creator, Himself, in Man." And the...
69 Then they might have discussed the attitude of some of the people; some believed, some did not; and then His attitude towards the people.
70Now, you know, Christianity has changed so much, in these last days. Now you've got to baby a person, promise them a whole lot, give them a whole lot, to make them believe, come to church, and promise them that they'll have better associates and everything. That's not Christianity.
71Christianity is not babied. Christianity is rugged. Right. It's a--it's a--a... Christianity is not a hotbed plant.
72A hotbed plant is a hybrid plant, mostly. You have to spray it all the time, keep the bugs off of it. That's because of its weakness. And that's the way you have to do a lot of Christians, kind of spray them with a--a lot of promises.
73You, you don't need it. A real genuine healthy plant don't need any spraying. The bugs stay off of it.
74 It's just like, today, that man trying to take things and pervert them. God, in the beginning, He said, "Let every seed bring forth of its kind."
75I was reading in Reader's Digest here, where they--they're taking what we call a hybrid corn, and it makes a prettier ear, sure, great big fine ear; but it is no good, nothing to it. And they make a better tomato, it don't even taste like a tomato. and make, got a chicken now that don't even have wings. Hybreeding! See?
76And now, remember, you might have hybrid corn, but you can't plant that seed back. It won't produce again. It'll die. Why? It don't have no life in it. You have to hybreed it each time. If it wouldn't, it'd just keep on multiplying. That shows that evolution, according to man's ideas, is wrong.
77 You can take a--a mare horse and a jack, and breed them together and get a mule, but a mule cannot breed itself back again. It's finished. That's all. He is finished.
78And they say now, that in another twenty years, if they don't keep these people from eating this hybrid stuff, like of a corn and wheat and stuff that they're hybreeding, that, "It's changing the--the posture of women. They won't be able to have babies, in twenty years from now. It's killing the generation." It hasn't got the stuff in it.
79Man is not made like they used to be. Look at man today. Why, they, used to be, ball games was rough. Now they have to wear helmets; they kill a dozen every year, hitting on their heads like a guinea, he dies right now; fights and everything. Man is made up out of a bunch of muck. It's, and it's because of hybrid stuff, and it's polluted the whole system of--of our living, our whole economy.
80 And--and--and that hybreeding has got into the church, too. Instead of having a real rugged bunch of Bible believers, they've hybrid it by a denominations. And they have to, "I got this, I got that; and I belong to this, and I belong to that." It's hybrid, and the thing can't produce itself again.
81We need a Book of Acts again. But the only way you'll do it is get back to the Bible, and away from some of this hybrid religion.
82Hybreeding, have to be babied! No faith! Just a bunch of--of powder puffs, just sissified, babied into it. "I'm..." I say, are you a Christian? "I'm Methodist." Are you a Christian? "I'm Presbyterian. I'm Pentecostal." That don't mean that, to God. [Brother Branham snaps his finger--Ed.]
83You're a Christian because you are born in the Spirit of Christ, and the Word of God lives in you.
84 You know, I always enjoy a high-bred horse... You know, he has got sense. You can--you can teach him things, do things for him, and he'll learn. But you take an old mule, you can't do nothing to him. He's just a big old long-eared donkey. He sits there, and, you could talk to him, he'll stick his ears out, and, "Huh? Huh? Huh?" See, that, he's just a hybrid.
85Puts in mind, a lot of these so-called Christians, hybrid, donkey religion. You tell them Jesus Christ the same yesterday, today, and forever; say, "I don't believe It." See? And so you can't never teach him nothing. How can you teach him; he's gone, anyhow. "My church believes It this way. Mine believes It that way." But God's Word says He's the same yesterday, today, and forever! I like not a hybrid Christian.
86I like a--like a pedigreed horse. He knows who his papa was, who his mama was, who his grandpa and grandma was. He knows all the generations all the way back.
87So does a pedigreed Christian, he knows Who his Father is. He come from God; He is the Word of God, He's the same as He ever was. He's a real pedigreed product of God, the Word of God is in him, Jesus Christ manifesting Himself.
88 Bunch of unbelievers! Jesus wanted to shake off a bunch of parasites one day, He had too many following Him. He had His disciples. Then, He had the seventy, the ministerial association. Then, He had the congregation, by the thousands. And then He made this statement, He said, "Except you eat the Blood... eat the flesh of the Son of man, and drink His Blood, you have no Life in you."
89Now what do you think a medical doctor would say, sitting out in the congregation? What do you think a sensible-thinking man would, what we call sensible thinking? He never explained it. He didn't have to explain it. Why, the doctor would say, "Get away from that Fellow. He is crazy. He... We'll be human vampires. Drinking the Blood of a Man, eating His flesh?"
90 And the congregation, I'd imagine the priest said, "This is the time. Here is where we come in. Out we go! We'll never attend another one of the meetings." Away they went. Then, He got all of them away from Him.
91Then He turned around and He said to the seventy, He said "What will you say when you see the Son of man ascending up into Heaven from whence He come?"
92Now, them seventy said, "The Son of man ascending up from whence He come? Why, He has had us at the very manger where He was born. We know His mother. We seen the clothes, the swaddling cloth He was wrapped in. He was born down there in Bethlehem of Judaea. He was brought up over here in Nazareth. There is His brothers, His sisters, and all of them with us. And then He said, 'This Son of man ascended up?'" Now, He didn't explain it, He just said it. Now, they couldn't explain it, they couldn't fix it out in their mind. "Well," they said, "here is where we come in," so they went out. That's as much as they could stand.
93They still have the same groups. That's right. We still have them. We notice.
94 Then He turned. Remember, those disciples couldn't explain that, either, but they had faith. Then Jesus turned and looked to the twelve, and said, "Will you go also?"
95Then Peter made those notable words, "Lord, where would we go? For we are fully persuaded, we know that You have the Word of Life, and You alone." See? They couldn't explain how they was going to eat His flesh and drink His Blood. They couldn't understand how He was going to ascend up from where He come down from, when He was born in Bethlehem. They couldn't. But, see, faith don't know no failure. It's anchored. It stays there, no matter what anything said. It stayed there. They were ordained to this Life. And He's... They stayed there.
96 Now those different kinds. Some believed. Some said, "A man never spoke like this." Some didn't believe, and they said, "Oh, that, might have discussed that."
97Some said, "A man never spoke like this Man. There is something strange about Him. What He says, He is able to back up." Well, they did say that, you know, said, "He don't talk like a priest. He doesn't talk like a rabbi. For what He says, God backs it up, He vindicates what He said." Oh, my!
98It must have been young John, then, said, "Think of it! We have Him with us right now. What a comfort that must be! What a security!" What a security it ought to be to us!
99 I'm a missionary, round and around the world. And I've seen all kinds of religions and all kinds of gods that they have, the heathen gods; the Mohammedan, the Buddha, and the Sikh, Jain, oh, whatevermore, and the heathen gods of the tribesmen. But, every one of them, there is none of them right but Christianity. Every one of them, their founders are dead, and they've got the grave where he was buried. But Christianity is the only one is right, because our Founder died, buried, but rose again, and we can prove that He's alive.
100At the grave of Mohammed, for the past two thousand years, nearly, been a white horse, change guards every so many hours, waiting for Mohammed to rise up from the dead and ride down the world and conquer it.
101 But Jesus is already up from the dead, been up for two thousand years, and is with us tonight. And then when we see the darkness, and see the end of time, the way it is now, coming up to the hours that we're living, while we're sailing life's solemn main, where the stormy seas, and--and the vessel can wreck at any time. These little lights can snap out like that. [Brother Branham snaps his finger--Ed.] Or, we might never leave this building tonight, none of us. We don't know what time death's a coming.
102And what a secure feeling it must have been, to those disciples, to know that the very Creator, that had thoroughly identified Himself to be that Person, was sailing with them.
103And what a blessed thought it is, what a blessed hope it is, what an assurance it is, in this dark hour at the end of world's history, to know the Creator is sailing life's solemn main with us, safely tucked in! Bombs, whatever may come, let them ride, burst, blow, whatever they want to, it makes no difference to me, I'm sailing with the Creator. What a security, while sailing these waters!
104 Now while speaking, talking of Him, about what great things He had done. After revival feasting, Jesus was probably resting like He is, I said, between the revivals. And we... they had been so clearly identified to Who He was. The people knew Who He was, of those who He was blinding. But those who had a hold on the Scripture, because they knowed that the Scripture... God's Word has been given, a lot, to each generation, and that promise of that age has to be fulfilled. And He fulfilled exactly what was supposed to be done in the time of the Messiah. He met every qualification. Then we... he was assured that He was the Man.
105But, you see, He was so common. He didn't dress like a priest. He had, no, not an education as--as what we would call education. We have no record of Him even going to school. But there was something about Him that was different.
106And then He invited them, when they couldn't understand, said, "Search the Scriptures, for in Them you think you have Eternal Life, and that's the thing that testifies of Me. They tell you Who I am."
107 And now, remember, they had all had this in their heart and was thinking of these things. And while sailing around on the sea, how they could be like children, as long as He was in the ship with them.
108Now, friend, what that ought to do to us! The same identified Jesus Christ, the same Creator, the same God, is with us tonight. What a secure it--it is, what a feeling, to know that His Presence is here.
109Now we find, right when they was having this great time, all of a sudden, trouble arose. The ship rocked, the sails blew off, the water filled the boat. All hopes of survival was gone.
110Now, isn't it strange, just like it is now, as we're coming down to the end now, isn't it strange? We can talk about how great He is; we can tell how great He is, in our church when we testify; we tell our--our employees, employers, how great He is; we tell the people on the street how great that He is; and, when trouble strikes, we're flusterated. See? We just... See? The things that we seen Him do, the things that we know He does; and just let a little sickness, or a little trouble strike the home, watch what happens; all gone to pieces, all--all hopes is gone.
111Though they had seen Him do so many things; all forgotten when trouble strikes.
112 Like now, we have seen this great revival, we have history of other great revivals, we have His Presence, we know these things, and sometimes trouble sets in that we can't remedy. They...
113For instance like now, we have trouble in our churches now. We have denominational troubles, arguments in our churches. We don't know what's going to take place. We see a great thing forming up there. All of us believers in the Bible see something is fixing to take place. There is nobody but what knows that.
114And all the churches are going to be brought into that ecumenical Council of Churches. Then, when you do that, you're going to forfeit your great evangelical teaching of the Bible. And the Pentecostals are sympathizing with it, going right into it, like a hog going to its slaughter, that's right, ecumenical council. Many great Pentecostal leaders agreeing with them. I'm telling you, don't you never stick your neck in a thing like that. That's exactly what the Bible said would come to pass. There is the beast and the mark, and, perfectly, everything set right in order, and we see this and we wonder what's going to be the outcome of it.
115 Trouble set in. And they forgot that the very One that they were talking about, the very Creator, was in the boat with them.
Now you say, "If I could think that!"
116Well, remember, we still have Him, 'cause He is the Word, always. In John 1:1, as we spoke last night, "He was the Word; and the Word was made flesh and dwelt among us." And we still have His Word that directs us to His thoughts and His doings for this day. See? The... Not the thoughts Moses had in his day, not the thoughts of the disciples, not the thoughts of Luther, or Wesley, or the Pentecostal age, or any of those. We have the Bible here that tells us of what's going to happen now. See? We see the Pentecostal revival in the Bible, the Lutheran, and all those church ages. We saw them. But we also have the Scripture here telling us what it's going to be now. And that's God, God interpreting His Own Word for this age that we're living in. He is His Own interpreter. And, yet, we get flusterated. Don't be flusterated.
117 His disciples sometimes get in physical troubles that they can't remedy, such as sickness, cancer, so forth, that the doctors can't, don't know what to do about it. We, like them, forget Who is in the ship.
118They should have known that He knowed all these things. He knew they were going to happen. He was the... He knew all things, so He knew this was going to happen. It going to happen to them. Why was He letting it happen? When He got in that ship, He knew that was going to happen.
119He knows that we had to meet this condition, and He has foretold us here in the Bible it'd be that way.
Now what was He doing? Testing their faith.
120 Why would He let a--a--a fine, little, mother-looking woman sit in a wheel chair, like that? Why would He let a fine young fellows here, these young man sitting here in these wheel chairs, ladies, and so forth? Why would He? And, still, they might be crippled, just live an ordinary life. But there may be some sitting here with heart trouble, and, if God don't heal you, you may be dead before morning. That's right. He knowed it was going to happen. Maybe it's done to give our faith a test. That's why it was done for them. He said so. See? Same now.
121He had proven Who He was, by the Words and signs that He had proved among them, that He was the vindicated, anointed Messiah that was to come.
122And He's proved among us, by the Baptism of the Holy Ghost and the return of the things that He promised in this day, that He would do. He has proved that He's here. He proves that He's the same yesterday, today, and forever. And see how easy we can get flusterated at any little thing? We should never let it happen. No.
123He said, "If I do not the works that's written of Me, then don't believe Me." And if the Church, if the Holy Spirit today, isn't doing the things that it was supposed to do for this hour, then don't believe the Message; you got a right to disbelieve It.
124 But He promised that these things that He's doing right now will be taking place right at this time. So it ought to make us feel so secured, say, "I'm going up to the meeting. The great Holy Spirit, I understand, is up there revealing the secrets of the hearts of the people." That's exactly what He said He would do when He would be revealed in the last days. Jesus Christ said, Himself, that that's exactly what He would do.
125And He said, "The world would be in the condition like it was in the days of Sodom." That's just where it's at now. He said, "The churches would be separated, just like they was then," Lot, the lukewarm, down in Babylon, or down in Sodom, and the Sodomites. He said, "Abraham, the elected, called-out group," and He sent a messenger to the elected group. And He sent two messengers down to them, representing each one. And that's just what He's done, even to every name, every action, every move, everything just perfectly, every sign, every manifestation, just exactly the same. He said it would happen.
126Now what are we scared about? What's these things on us for? He is trying us, see what we'll do about it. Notice.
127 He told them, said, "Now, if you can't believe Me, believe the works that I do; they testify Who I am." They should have known it, but they didn't. They...
128He was God, Who created, the Creator of the winds and the sea. If He could create the winds and the sea, could He not more make them obey His Word? If He created everything, can't He make everything obey? Let us remember, also, He created our bodies, they also will have to obey His Word. "Well," you say, "if I could just be sure of that." Well, we are sure of it. He is here to prove it so. They have to obey it. Remember. He has got...
129When we are laying, nothing but maybe a spoonful of ashes, He promised to raise up that ashes. He promised to raise it up. The body has to obey Him. And that's when we die, we rest assure that we'll be raised up, because He promised He would do it. And His promise is His Word, and we believe. You believe in the resurrection of the body? [Congregation says, "Amen."--Ed.] Sure. If you're not, you're not a Christian. So we believe that He'll raise us up at the last days. He promised to do it. And what is that? That's His Word. That's where we stake everything that we got, right on that Word.
130 And then when it comes to the time that we see the Word being identified, to be with us; then we're like the disciples, in another case when they was out on the sea, and--and they was about to sink again, in another occasion. And they seen Jesus come walking on the water, and they got scared. They said, "It's--it's a spook. It's scary." Afraid it was a spirit, and they cried out with fear. The only thing that could help them, they was a scared of it.
131And so is it today, the very only thing that can help people, they're afraid of it. He said, "Fear not. It's I." He speaks. How would you know it was Him? He is identified by His Word. That's the way He's identified the first time. That's the way He's identified every time, by His Word. Notice.
132 After these discip-... disciples found themselves at the end, it must have dawned on some of them that the Creator was still with them.
133I hope it does that to us, tonight, for Hebrews 13:8 says He's the same.
134Then what did they do? They awakened Jesus. "Go wake-a Jesus. Wake Him, call Him on the scene!" He is very easy called. They had seen, seen so many things that God had done, and--and--and the Words a vindicating Him. So have we. And He was not hard to be called into action.
135They woke Him up, and said, "Do You... carest Thou not that we perish?"
You say, "How can we be sure of this? Can we prove it?"
136John 14:12, Jesus said, "He that believeth on Me, the works that I do shall he do also." That's exactly. Our faith bringing Christ in our presence.
137 He said in--in Luke, 17th chapter, "In the last days when the Son of man is being revealed, it'd be a time like Sodom and Gomorrah." We see that happening.
138He said, before that time taken place, in Malachi 4, that, "There would be a Message go forth that would restore the people back to the original Faith that was once delivered to the people." Always God's program to do that. And then the wicked would be ashes, and the righteous would walk out upon their feet.
139We see all these promised. He is waiting right now for you, you, you, every one of you, to call Him on the scene. Calling Him the scene! That's where He wants to be, called on the scene of action. Notice when you call Him on the scene, so then we'd say, "Let us wake Him." Then, call Him to confirm His Word and the--the thing that He promised to do, the way He would. We would know, in the revelation of Jesus Christ in the last days, will be like it was in the days of Sodom. He promised that revelation to the Church, when He would be revealed. So don't doubt and fear, He is the same yesterday, today, and forever.
140 I heard a woman, one time, when I was talking about Him being so great. She said, "There is one thing I have against your teaching, Mr. Branham."
141I said, "Well, thank you, if you only have one thing." I said, "I--I hope God only finds it that way." And she said, "Well, you brag too much on Jesus."
142I said, "I hope that's the only thing is against me." And--and I said, "I don't brag enough on Him."
143She said, "Oh, yes, you do." Said, "You make Him Divine." It was a woman that didn't believe that Jesus was Divine. She was a Christian Science. And said, "You make Him--you make Him Divine, make Him God."
144I said, "He is either God, or the greatest deceiver the world ever knowed." I said, "He..."
145Said, "Well, I can prove to you, by your Bible, that He wasn't. He was just merely a prophet."
I said, "He was a prophet, truly, but He was God, also."
Said, "He was a man and He was mortal."
I said, "That's true, also."
146She said, "On the road down to raise Lazarus from the grave, Saint John the 11th chapter, said, the Bible said, 'Jesus wept.'"
I said, "That's true."
147She said, "Well, that proves that He couldn't be Divine, and weeping."
148 I said, "Oh, my, lady, is that your argument?" I said, "That's a weak one." She said... I said, "True, He was a Man when He was weeping; but when He put His little body in motion, pulled His little shoulders back and said, 'Lazarus, come forth,' and a man that had been dead four days, and was rottening in the grave, stood on his feet and lived again, that was more than a man. That was God."
149 He was a man, out here in this boat that night, when He was out on the sea, where ten thousand devils of the sea swore they would drown Him. That little old boat tossed about like a bottle stopper out there on the stormy sea. He was a man, tired, sleeping. But when they awakened Him and called Him on the scene, He put one foot upon the brail and looked up, and said, "Peace, be still," and the winds and the waves obeyed Him. That was more than a man. That was God.
150He was a man when He come down off the mountain, hungry, looking on a tree to find something to eat. He was a man when He was hungry. But when He taken five biscuits and two fish, and fed five thousand, that was more than a man. That was God in that man.
151Every person that's ever amounted to a hill of beans, has been people who believed that. Right. Poets and whatmore believed that, that God was in Christ, reconciling Himself to the world.
152 And now Christ is in the Church, reconciling the people to God. He promised to do it. It has been written, that, "He is the same yesterday, today, and forever." You believe that? [Congregation says, "Amen."--Ed.] I believe it with all my heart, that He's just waiting now to be called on the scene. Now the only thing can call Him on the scene, is for us to awaken Him in ourselves, call Him on the scene.
153 He was the greatest gift that God ever give the world. "God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son; whosoever believeth in Him will not perish; have Eternal Life." Watch God and His gift. Now, the people used God's gift.
154A little woman, one time, she believed that, that He was the manifestation of God in flesh. And she said, "If I touch His garment, I--I--I'll be made whole."
155Now, she touched His garment. And He turned around, and said, "Who touched Me? See, virtue, strength, has gone from Me." She touched His garment. That was her using God's gift. See? He got weak from that.
But when He went away from the home of Lazarus...
156Remember, Saint John 5:19, Jesus said, "Verily, verily, I say unto you, the Son can do nothing in Himself, but what He sees the Father doing." Remember, Jesus Christ never performed one miracle, never did anything in the way of the supernatural, until first He saw a vision on what to do. How many believes that to be the truth? [Congregation says, "Amen."--Ed.] Saint John 5, "Verily, not what I hear, not what somebody tells Me; what I see the Father doing, that doeth the Son likewise." Now if that isn't so, then the rest of the Scripture isn't so. "Verily, verily, I say unto you, the Son can do nothing in Himself; but what He sees the Father doing, that doeth the Son. The Father worketh, and I worketh hitherto." In other words, He just acted out, done what God told Him to do.
157 Now, remember, when He went away from the home of Lazarus, He was gone several days. Lazarus got sick, and they sent for Him. He didn't go. Two days later, Lazarus got sicker. So they sent for Him again, He still didn't go. Then when the appropriated time, the Father had showed Him would happen, Lazarus died. And He turned, when Lazarus died, said, "Lazarus is dead, and I'm glad for your sake I wasn't there." They'd be wanting Him to pray for him, and so forth. He just done what God told Him to do, what He saw, a vision. See, He had seen a vision on what to do. "But I go wake him." Hum! There you are.
158Watch Martha coming to see Him. She said, "Lord, if Thou would have been here, my brother would not have died. But even now, whatever You ask God, God will give it to You." See?
159He knowed what He was going to do. Watch Him at the grave of Lazarus. He said, "Father, I thank Thee, Thou hast heard Me already, but I just said it for these who stand by."
160"Lazarus, come forth!" And Lazarus raised from the dead.
161Now, He never said a thing about getting weak there. That was God using His gift. And the people using God's gift was different.
162For, He was the Word. "And the Word is sharper than a two-edged sword," says the Bible, "and discerns the thoughts and intents of the heart." That proves that God is in the midst of the people. Yes. Let us believe it. He is ready, according to His Word, to be called on the scene, tonight.
163 How many is here sick and needy, raise up your hands. Let's see your hands, how many is sick and needy, anywhere. Well, the only thing He is waiting for is to be called on the scene. Just ask Him.
164Now what if He was standing here with this suit that He gave me, and you come up in front of Him and said, "Lord Jesus, I want You to heal me," you know what He'd say? "I've already done it."
165"He was wounded for our transgressions; with His stripes we were healed." He can't do it the second time. So, see, He has already done it. You have to believe it. There is nothing you can do, meritorial to anything, to--to earn your salvation or healing. There is nothing you can do about it. It's a free gift of God. See, it's grace, a free gift. If I give you a million dollars and you straighten up my tie; I didn't give it to you; you done something for it. See? God's gifts is free. The only thing you have to do is believe it, that He has purchased this for you, you. He... It's already purchased. He did it for you. And there is not a man in the world...
166 I don't know what you've had here in Baton Rouge. Everything is drifting the country, impersonations and that. We know that's just got to be that way. But when a man comes in and tell you he has power to heal you, he is lying. God alone can heal. "I'm the Lord thy God who heals all thy diseases." He'll not share His glory with anybody. There is no man has power to heal.
167But there is man who has gifts, to manifest God. Your pastor... [Brother Branham coughs--Ed.] Pardon me. He can take God, by a gift of--of... A teacher, he can explain the Word so you're bound to see It. If you got any eyes to see with, you'll see it. There is another one, maybe some other gift. But there is always a gift that manifests the Presence of God, and, through there, you yourself have to believe it.
168 A sinner might come here to the altar as a young man or woman, at the age of fourteen years old, and they would bring you your meals here, and you would cry to the Lord, until you were ninety years old, you would never be saved. But you've got to first accept what He done for you. See? You've got to accept it, yourself. Then when you accept it, then He is the High Priest, mediator, to make intercessions upon your confession of what you believe.
169Now that's the same thing by a gift this way. It's getting your own mind away from you, and then see what He says do.
170 I see people come to the platform, they jump up-and-down and scream, and say, "Oh, Brother Branham, I got all faith in the world." What are you doing up here, then? See? That's--that's emotion, and not faith.
171Genuine faith knows no defeat. It's already done. It's already over. God said so, and that finishes it, you see. "God said so!" Now it's the same thing, any time. When you really believe it, that touches Him.
172Now that little woman that touched His garment, she said, "If I but just only touch His garment, I'll be made whole," and she did it. And when she carried out what her faith wanted her to do, "touch it," He felt it, see, and He turned around and spoke to her.
173Now, He is the same yesterday, today, and forever. If you will just only believe Christ, believe! Let your faith touch His garment. And He, right now, is the High Priest that can be touched by the feeling of our infirmities. We all know that. And if He's the same yesterday, today, and forever, He'll have to act today as He did yesterday if He's the same High Priest. Now won't you believe it? Just have faith in God.
174 If I have told you a lie, then God won't back it up. But I've told you the Truth, He'll--He'll back It. He is obligated to back the Truth up.
175Jesus said, "I have a witness." And the witness is God's Word, of course. Said, "There the Scriptures testify of Me. If they don't testify of Me, then don't believe it." See?
176And if the Scriptures doesn't testify of what I'm telling you now, that, "He's the same yesterday, today, and forever," then don't believe the Scripture. Because, the Scripture said He was, and He promised these things for this last age. Remember, just at the end of the Jewish age, that's how He reveal Hisself, Messiah. The end of the--the age of the Samaritans, He did the same. Now it's the end of the Gentile age. He's the same yesterday, today, and forever.
177Awaken Him in your conscience, call Him on the scene, while we bow our heads.
178 Heavenly Father, just a word from You now will be a sufficient. It'll be all that we need, just a word from You. May the people clearly understand what the achievement, what we are trying to do, Lord, is to--is to let them get the benefits of the Lord Jesus that they love and serve. May they do it tonight, Lord. Because, Your death was not in vain. You were "wounded for our transgressions, bruised for our iniquity." "The chastisement of our peace was upon Him, and with His stripes we were healed." I pray, God, that every one in here, in Divine Presence, will understand this and will get the vision, and will be healed for the glory of God. Through Jesus Christ's Name, I present myself with this congregation, to His honor and glory. Amen.
179 Now be real reverent, just for a few minutes. Now just a word from Him will mean more than all I could say, or all anyone else could say, because it's Him a doing it. He is the one. He is the doer, and we are trusting that the--the Lord Jesus will grant these things to you now, each one.
180Now let's see what time. I didn't know it was that. I tell you, to get out here on time, what we're supposed to, we haven't the time to bring up this line. Let's call it right from the audience.
181 Now let's just take the Scripture, just a minute. Now the Bible promises, in this day, that the repeat of Sodom and Gomorrah will be repeated. How many believe that now, raise up your hand? The Bible identifies that now.
182And then what was that at Sodom and Gomorrah? It was God in the form of human being. And the way that Abraham knowed it, is when He said, "Why did Sarah laugh in the tent, behind? Or, why did she doubt it, the words that He had spoke to be so?" He could perceive what Sarah was thinking, behind Him. Now you just see if that wasn't.
183Now, that wasn't to the church of Babylon, or the church of Sodom. No, no. That wasn't to them people down there in the denominational ranks. No, sir, never goes to them. They got their messenger. See?
184But to the elected Church, the super Seed of Abraham that's supposed to believe the Word regardless of what circumstances is, "Abraham called those things which were not as though they were." God said so, and he believed it. Now, friend, I--I know that God is obligated to this Word, to keep It.
185 Now I want you, wherever you are in the building, to set reverent for a few moments, wherever you are. And believe, just believe with all your heart.
186Now if I could heal you, if I could heal this little girl that my heart goes out for, if I could heal that little thing laying there, I--I--I would--I would crawl from here to the North Pole, if I could, to do it, or anybody that's got any human feeling. But I could no more do that than nothing. Maybe some of you there won't live but a little bit, with a cancer. If I could heal you, I'd be... I wouldn't be fit to stand in this platform if I could do it and wouldn't do it. Now, I couldn't. My heart goes for you. I'd do it if I could, but I can't. There is no other man can do it. That's right. But, you see, Jesus has already done it. See? And He is only trying to get you to believe that. But you...
187 I feel sorry for the people. There's been so many things that's just blinded them, this way and that way, till, poor people, like sheep without a shepherd, hardly. They don't know what to do. One says this and one says that. Don't think what man has said. "Days of miracles is passed. There is no such thing as the baptism of the Holy Ghost."
188And, remember, Peter said, on the Day of Pentecost, "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." See?
189Jesus promised these things would happen in the last days, that God would return in the form of human flesh, like you and I here tonight, and would work that same thing just before the world would be destroyed. And the world would be like a Sodom. See? Now we got the Sodom condition right; every position, every person, everything setting just exactly right.
190Now can't our faith come to that? Can't we call Him on the scene? Call Him on the scene. Your faith is the only thing can do it. Now you believe with all your heart, each one of you now.
191 And I want to ask you something. Without any prayer cards,... -out anybody up here, if that great Holy Spirit will come down here, and by the anointing of you and the anointing on me, and will identify that Jesus Christ is working in among us like this, what more could He do? There is not another promise in the Bible, above that. That's the supreme promise. How many knows that? Sure, it is. It's the--it's the last thing to the church age.
192The Jews, in time of the Tribulation period, and on the... there they have a--a visit back there, but not to the Gentile church.
193This is the last thing promised to the Gentile. It's true. See, it was the Gentiles down there in Sodom, was going to be burned. And that, here is the--the Bride, which was the Royal Seed of Abraham, being the Bride called out from amongst the Gentile. That's their ending sign, all of it.
194 Mark it in your book. I'm an old man. But just mark it in your book and see if it comes to pass, or not. See, you're at the end now. When? I don't know. I'm looking for Him today. If He isn't here today, I'll be looking for Him tomorrow. If He isn't there tomorrow, I'll be looking the next day. If He isn't here this year, I'll be looking next year for Him. I know He is coming. I don't know the minute or hour, but I know everything is fulfilled, ready for the Rapture. The Church is called out. It'll be a secret going; just vanish, and that'll be all.
195And the world go right on just the same, people preaching, and people thinking they're getting saved, just exactly like they did in the days of Noah, so forth. Noah entered in the ark, and people went right on, and the world turning just the same. Think of it! And, Eternally lost, thinking they're saved.
196 Some of these days I'm going to bring a big tent in this country, and pitch it up here, so we can have afternoon services, and instructions, so you can understand these things better. Get all our brethren together so we can have services.
197Now if Jesus Christ fulfills His promise, then we are obligated to believe Him. I want you all, each one of you, just to have just simple child-like faith, to believe Him.
198Now as you just kind of start with your heads bowed, and start praying, saying, "Lord Jesus, now I know that this man doesn't know me. And I am needy. And we're told that You're a High Priest that can be touched by the feeling of our infirmities. If You will just let him... If I can touch You, just speak through him, Lord, that I'll, I know his... know it's You. I know he doesn't know me."
199And that's out there in the audience, just a mixed up audience; of belief, unbelief, make-belief; sinners, saint, and all together.
200 Now you must believe. Now if He will do this from this audience here, I want each one of you in here, say, "Brother Branham, I--I know that's--that's has to be Him that's looking upon the congregation as He did then." I want you, if you really will believe, I want you to raise your hand, say, "Lord, I'll accept it with all my heart, that I believe it's Christ Jesus, according to His promise." All over the building. God bless you. That's fine. Oh, it's just too bad we haven't got a month to be around here. See, just let... I'm new to you. See, it's hard. You just keep believing.
201Now, it's a Light. God is Light, we know that, Pillar of Fire. And now you just pray and touch It, and may the Lord Jesus answer.
202Now I take every spirit in here under my control, in the Name of Jesus Christ, for His glory. Now be real reverent. Pray. Be real reverent.
203 Now, here It is. There is a lady right here in front of me. She has got her head down, and she is praying for her own affliction. If you want to raise your head now, she is right here in front of me. Do you believe with all your heart? Do you believe that God can heal that diabetes and make you well? Now, that's what you have, diabetes. I do not know you. You're a total stranger to me. But do you believe me to be His servant? If--if we are strangers to one another, raise up your hand, like that, so the people will see. See? All right. See, here is the lady. And now she is suffering with a diabetic condition. And you believe that God can tell me who you are? Would it make you believe? You're Mrs. Martin. If that's right, raise your hand. See? You just have faith. Don't doubt. Have faith.
204Now what did she touch? I want to ask the audience. What did she touch? There is a woman with her right hand up, and mine, too, before God. See? She touched Something. Just a simple little woman, it actually, to tell you the truth, now you see if this is the truth, it surprised her. She didn't know she had that much faith. Faith is not something you manufacture; it's something you have. See? She was surprised. Even right now the woman feels different than what she did a few minutes ago. She knows something has happened to her.
205 Here, don't you see that Light? Right. See It right here over this woman right here, right back here? She is suffering with a... She has got her head down. She is praying. But she is suffering with trouble with her back. If she'll believe with all of her heart, she can be healed of that back trouble. Sure.
206She is going to miss it, as certain as anything. See, her prayer is still moving on. Lord, help me. Mrs. DeVille, it's you. That's grace. The woman was praying, wasn't even thinking, don't even hear me say nothing. Now you ask her if she knows me. That's who she is, and that's what her trouble.
207So what did she touch? That's the vindication of Jesus Christ, the Word, discerns the thoughts that's in the heart.
208 Do you believe? Just have faith. Pray, anywhere. Just believe. That's all you have to do. Just believe, just believe I've told you the Truth. Now, I'm not He. I'm just His servant, just His servant.
209If you'd just have faith enough! I can't call him. I know what his trouble, but, see, just wait a while and maybe it'll change. Certainly not impossible, but you got to move out of that bracket. He can't believe for himself. Got to believe for him.
210A lady suffering with kidney trouble. She isn't from here. She is from Mississippi. She'll believe with all of her heart, God will heal the kidney trouble. Mrs. Palmer, if you'll believe with all your heart, you can be healed of it. It's left you. Turned Light over her. It's gone from her. Have faith in God. Don't doubt.
211 There is a lady sitting right next to her. She is suffering with arthritis. Do you believe me to be God's prophet, lady? You do? Do you believe if God will tell me who you are, will that help you to believe? Your name is Mrs. Meadow. You believe with all your heart now, you can be healed, too.
212That caught fire to a lady next to her. She is sitting there, also. There It going, right down the line. A lady sitting there, she is suffering with... Next to her, suffering with a diabetes, a sugar diabetes. They want her to go at the hospital, but she refuses to do it. She's got a son she is praying for, also. That son isn't here, but do you believe God can tell me what's wrong with that son? He's got heart trouble. You believe, and He'll heal you. Do you believe God can tell me who you are? Mrs. Dufflee, D-u, double f, l, double e. Kind of... That's right. Is that right, raise up your hand, with your hands up. All right. Now you believe, and you can be made well, too.
213 Do you believe that that's the same thing that that... You believe that Jesus Christ's Presence is here now? [Congregation says, "Amen."--Ed.] How many accepts that? ["Amen."] Oh, what a security! What a security! See?
214What did you do? You awakened Him. You brought Him on the scene. Here He is on the scene. That don't make any difference what the boats are saying. Remember, He can say, "Peace, be still."
215Do you believe it with all your heart? [Congregation rejoices and says, "Amen."--Ed.] If you do, stand up on your feet and accept it. Stand up and say, "I believe it with all my heart." Raise right up to your feet. "I now believe." That's right, no matter what's your trouble, stand up, give Him Praise.
216Heavenly Father, we bring to You this audience. They are conscious that You're here, Lord.
May every devil, unbelief, may it leave its hold, and may Jesus Christ heal all of you.
217Satan, come out of this audience! In the Name of Jesus Christ, you are resented.
1Čítame Slovo Pánovo. V Matúšovom Evanjeliu, ôsma kapitola, počnúc od 23. verša, čítame toto.
... a hľa, veliká búrka povstala na mori, takže vlny pokrývali loď a on spal.
A pristúpiac jeho učeníci zobudili ho a hovorili: Pane zachráň nás, hynieme!
A on im povedal: Čo sa bojíte, ľudia malej viery? Vtedy vstal, pohrozil vetrom a moru, a nastalo veliké ticho.
A ľudia sa divili a vraveli: Jaký je toto človek, že ho aj vetry i more poslúchajú?
2Skloňme naše hlavy k modlitbe.
3Náš Nebeský Otče, sme tak šťastní, dnes večer, že vieme, že Tento veľký, ktorý spôsobil to, že Ho vetry i more poslúchalo, je s nami. Sme vďační, že ešte i dnes máme toto veľké svedectvo Jeho života, vediac, že On je Večný, a nikdy nemôže zomrieť. On žije naveky a ukázal nám, synom ľudským, v týchto posledných dňoch, svoju veľkú milosť. Sme núdzni ľudia, Pane, nachádzame sa v takých potrebách, že nikto iný by nemohol uspokojiť naše potreby, okrem Teba. A tak očakávame dnes večer na Teba, že prídeš sem do nášho zhromaždenia a dáš sa nám poznať, cez odpustenie našich hriechov, vzrast našej viery, Pane, a uzdravovanie našich nemocných a postihnutých. A keď sa budeme rozchádzať do svojich domov, dnes večer, nech by sme boli šťastní a mohli hovoriť ako tí z Emaus: "Či nehoreli v nás naše srdcia keď ku nám hovoril na ceste?" Lebo to prosíme v Jeho Mene. Amen.
Môžete si sadnúť.
4Ja som stále ako Zacheus; tieto veci sú stále pre mňa príliš nízke. Prv ako sa budeme modliť za chorých , chcem teraz ešte v krátkosti ku vám hovoriť. Ďakujem vám za dobrú spoluprácu a vieru v Duchu, minulý večer, zatiaľ čo sme hovorili, dúfame že toto bude veľké vyliatie Jeho požehnania.
5Stále majte na mysli, že kvôli čomu sme tu, snažiť sa rozmnožovať našu vieru v Jeho prítomnosť, aby ste mohli obdržať to, o čo prosíte. Potom, skrze vieru, veríte.
6Nuž, pamätajte, že za každé spásonosné požehnanie bolo už zaplatené výkupné. Cena je splatená a je len jediný spôsob, ako to budete môcť kedykoľvek obdržať a to veriť tomu a prijať to. "On je Najvyšším Kňazom nášho priznania." List Židom tam hovorí, list Židom, hovorí: "On je najvyšším Kňazom nášho vyznania." Vyznať, priznať, to je vlastne to isté. Tak my ... On je Najvyšším Kňazom nášho vyznania a tak teda On nič nemôže pre nás urobiť, až kým prv nevyznáme, že On to učinil. A potom, keď to vyznáme, potom je On Najvyšším Kňazom, prostredníkom, aby na tom mohol pracovať a dať to do poriadku . A tak sa modlíme, spoliehajúc sa dnes večer na Boha, na Jeho dobrotu a milosrdenstvo, že On nám dnes večer udelí zo Svojej hojnej milosti. A teraz, pamätajte, vy to musíte prijať.
7A tak prv ako odídeme budeme sa modliť za chorých, klásť na nich ruky, ale prajem si, aby ste mali dostatok viery, aby to nebolo potrebné. Prajem si, aby ste sa len načiahli a mohli povedať: "Pane Ježišu, ja Ti verím. Ja ..." On verí Slovu.
8Nuž, pozrite sa, Boh je inakší ako my. Ak - ak by sme vám niečo povedali, aby ste to urobili a vy by ste tomu neverili, nuž dobre, povedali by sme si: "Nechajme ich tak. Oni nemusia tomu veriť." Ale nie tak je to s Bohom, naším Otcom. On bude stále robiť niečo ďalšie, aby vás priviedol do viery. On sa snaží dodržať Svoje Slovo a On Svoje Slovo dodrží.
9Nuž a dôvod kvôli čomu On robí tieto veci, ktoré robí, je ten, že On zasľúbil, že im to bude robiť. Nie preto, že by to musel robiť; ale On zasľúbil, že to bude robiť a spoliehame na to, že On stále dodržuje Svoje Slovo.
10A tak každý jeden z vás, keď máte niekoho nemocného, koho milujete a tak ďalej, ak oni nemôžu ... ako toto dievčatko tu, ono je príliš mladé a nachádza sa v takomto stave; keď len veríte, položte svoje ruky na to dieťa, v priebehu zhromaždenia. Ostatní, ktorí majú svojich milovaných a vo svojich srdciach o nich premýšľate; predneste ich v modlitbe vierou rovno pred Boha. Nuž, a, preto, potom môžete veriť. Keď sa niečo stane, vy ...
11Vy sa sami nemôžete priviesť do viery. To je niečo, to je určitá kvalita, ktorá je vo vás. "Viera je podstatou," nie len nejaká zdanlivá predstava. "Je to podstata vecí, na ktoré sa nadejete, istota o veci, v ktoré veríte a nevidíte ich." A všetko, celá Kresťanská zbroj teraz, pamätajte, je skrze vieru. Všetko nadprirodzené, láska, radosť, pokoj, dlho-zhovievavosť, dobrota, pokora, trpezlivosť, to sú všetko neviditeľné veci. To je celá kresťanská výzbroj. Kresťan stále hľadí na veci ktoré nevidí, pretože on hľadí na zasľúbenie.
12Tu pred nejakým časom, je tomu už viac rokov, bol som zavolaný na miesto, raz v nemocnici, aby som sa modlil za chlapca, ktorý zomieral na čierny záškrt. Mnohokrát som to už spomínal, pretože to bol pre mňa neobyčajný prípad. Ten otec bol skôr už v pokročilom veku, aj matka. A tomu mladíkovi bolo tuším okolo štrnásť rokov a bol ich jediným dieťaťom. A zomieral na čierny záškrt a niečo sa stalo s jeho srdcom. Bol v bezvedomí. A oni boli ... On len, och, on sotva že žil; Zabudol som, čo to bolo s jeho srdcom; dýchal veľmi slabo.
13A ten otecko neprestával chodiť do zhromaždenia a prosiť, keď videl usporiadateľa či kohokoľvek. "Príď, pomodli sa! Príď, pomodli sa! To vystačí, len príď do nemocnici a pomodli sa."
Usporiadateľ povedal: "Prineste ho na zhromaždenie."
14Povedal, Nemôžeme ho preniesť z nemocnice. On zomiera." A povedal: "Keby len brat Branham prišiel a poprosil Boha, Boh to učiní."
Pomyslel som si: "Čo za viera!"
15Išiel som do nemocnice a doktori mi nedovolili ísť ku nemu. Hovorili: "Nie, vy ste ženatý človek, máte deti." Billy Paul bol vtedy malý. Povedali mi: "Nemôžete ísť ku nemu." povedali: "pretože vy máte dieťa."
16A ja som povedal: "Nuž, poznávam že sám doktor je katolík." povedal som: "Ak by kňaz chcel dať posledné pomazanie tomu chlapcovi, ak by on bol katolík, dovolili by ste mu ku nemu vojsť?"
17On povedal: "To je iné. Kňaz nemá deti." Rozumiete? Povedal: "Vy by ste mohli preniesť bacil na svoje dieťa."
18A ja som povedal: "Ale, pozrite sa, pane. Dovoľte mi vziať na seba tú zodpovednosť. Podpíšem vám papier. Vezmem na seba tú zodpovednosť. Ak by som nemal dostatok viery vojsť tam, tak potom by som sa tam vôbec nesnažil dostať." A povedal som potom: "Ale to bude na moju zodpovednosť." Povedal som: "Predstavte si teraz, ak by ten chlapec bol katolík a zomieral by; či by ste za každú cenu bránili kňazovi v tom, aby mu dal posledné cirkevné pomazanie:"
On povedal: "Nie to by som nerobil."
19Povedal som: "Ja pre týchto ľudí znamenám toľko ako katolícky kňaz pre katolíkov ."
20A on povedal: "V poriadku," a nakoniec súhlasil. Obliekol ma ako Ku Klux Klan, do rôznych, do všetkých možných handier a vzal ma ku tomu zomierajúcemu chlapcovi.
21Matka a otec kľačali na druhej strane. A ja som sa pomodlil len prostú krátku modlitbu: "Pane Ježišu, spolieham na Teba, že pozdvihneš tohto chlapca, na základe viery tohto otca a matky," a položil som svoje ruky na toho malého chlapca. On bol v bezvedomí za tri, okolo tri dni, tak sa mi vidí a sotva že dýchal. Vstal som a povedal: "Amen." Pomodlil som sa za chvíľu a vstal som.
22A ten starý otec objal svoju ženu a povedal: "Pomysli na to, drahá, náš chlapec je uzdravený!" Žiadny znak uzdravenia, ani trochu. A oni sa len objímali a ďakovali Pánovi.
23A tá sestrička, také dieťa, slečna, skôr, bolo jej okolo osemnásť, dvadsať rokov. Mala pásku ako zdravotná sestra a ... alebo, alebo to bola nejaká praktikantka. A ona povedala: "Pane, ľutujem, ale vy tomu nerozumiete." Povedala: "Ten chlapec zomiera."
On povedal: "Oh, nie. Ten chlapec bude žiť." Ten otec to povedal.
24A ona povedala: "Ako sa takto môžete zachovávať a váš ... viete že váš chlapec zomiera, pod takouto falošnou predstavou, pod ktorú ste sa dostali?"
On povedal: "To nie je falošná predstava." On ...
25Ona riekla: "Pozrite sa." Nuž môžem .. Možno že tu teraz niekde sedí nejaký doktor. Ja toho neviem veľa o medicíne a tých rôznych medicínskych inštrumentoch. Oni mu tam urobili nejaký kardiogram a jeho srdce bilo strašne slabo. Bolo to nižšie než dlhšie. Doktor povedal ... Tá zdravotná sestra zopakovala to čo povedal doktor, povedala že on ... "Že nie je známe z histórii, že keď srdce bilo už tak slabo, že by sa niekedy ešte bola obnovila jeho činnosť."
26Nikdy nezabudnem na výraz toho starého človeka. Otcovsky ako kamarát prikročil ku tej mladej zdravotnej sestre a položil jej ruku na rameno. Povedal: "Sestra," povedal: "pozrite sa, vy sa dívate na tento graf. Povedal: "To je všetko čo viete, pozrieť sa na to. Ale," on povedal: "Ja sa dívam na Božie zasľúbenie."
27Ten chlapec je teraz misionárom v Afrike, má tri deti. Vidíte? Vidíte? To záleží na tom na čo sa dívate, vidíte. On veril.
28Nuž, to je tá istá viera: "Ak len prídeš a položíš Svoje ruky na moje dieťa. Ak povieš slovo , môj sluha ..." Vidíte, to je niečo čo vy máte. Vy - vy ...
29Potom to nebolo - nebolo to žiadne predstieranie niečoho. Ten starý chlapík tomu veril. On mal Niečo čoho sa uchytil.
30Tá žena sa dotkla Jeho rúcha. "Ak sa len budem môcť dotknúť Jeho rúcha!" To je ono. Vy sa musíte pevne uchopiť tejto viery, dole vo svojom srdci. Je to tak, ako keď poviete ...
31Viete, vy muži, Ak ste - ak ste tým správnym druhom manžela, neexistuje na svete žena, ktorú by ste milovali tak ako svoju ženu. Môžu byť iné ženy, môžu byť krajšie. Môžu byť ženy, ktoré by - ktoré by boli krajšie a tak ďalej. Ale niečo, ak vy skutočne milujete svoju ženu, je tam niečo, že vy si nevšímate ako ona vyzerá. Vy ju milujete. A vy - vy neviete prečo, ale ju milujete. A, ženy, vy postupujete tak isto ohľadne svojich mužov. Vy, vy ich milujete. A vy mladé dievčatá tak isto ohľadne svojich chlapcov; chlapci ku svojim dievčatám. Ak ste stretli tú osobu, o ktorej viete, že ju milujte, je tam vo vnútri niečo a vy viete, že ich milujete.
32Nuž, tak isto je to s vierou. Vy viete, že to sa stane. Neexistuje žiadny tieň, nezáleží na tom, koľko ľudí by hovorilo opak; vy stále veríte v to isté, pretože to je opravdivá, skutočná opravdivá viera. Nuž majte to dnes večer, zatiaľ čo hovoríme na túto tému.
33Hovoril som tak mnoho, už dlhý čas čo mám zhromaždenia a nemal so prestávku skoro od vianoc. A som trochu zachrípnutý, meniacim sa počasím i časom i tak ďalej.
34Chcem hovoriť dnes večer na tému: "prebuď Ježiša," alebo: Zavolanie Ježiša na scénu.
35Z nášho Písma, ktoré sme si prečítali, zisťujeme že tam bolo veľké zhromaždenie. Ježiš prechádzal okolo, činil veľké zázraky, stále činil dobre a stále činil to, čo sa Bohu páčilo. On sa stále páčil Bohu, ale nepáčil sa Sebe samému, tak hovorí Biblia. A spozorovali sme, že On sa dal dokonale poznať, Kto On je, skrze Svoje skutky. Jeho skutky dokázali Kto On je.
36A moc vychádzala z Neho. Vyučoval podobenstvá, celý deň a moc vychádzala z Neho. A On ... mal prejsť cez more, prejsť, na druhú stranu. Súc tým čím bol, On - On vedel že tam, na druhej strane, je dôležitá práca. A on bol veľmi unavený. Moc vychádzala z Neho po celý deň, keď sa Ho ľudia dotýkali svoju vierou, aby Mu verili a tak ďalej. A On ..
37Moc Ho opustila a bol unavený. Tak odišiel dozadu do lodi a ľahol si na vankúš, hovorí nám Písmo, aby si trochu oddýchol, zatiaľ čo sa loď plavila na druhú stranu mora, plavila sa cez Galilejské more, bola príležitosť oddýchnuť si.
38Jeho učeníci sa chopili vesiel, napli plachty, práve tak ako to robia námorníci, oni ... To bolo ich, (mnohých z nich) to bolo ich povolanie. Oni boli rybári tam na tom jazere a vedeli ako ovládať tie člny. A oni boli znovu pri svojom remesle, prežívali práve krásny čas radosti, výročný čas, možno že sa rozprávali o tých veciach, ktoré sa odohrali v ten deň.
39Viete, je na tom niečo zvláštne, že keď vidíme nášho Pána Ježiša robiť niečo a keď môžeme vedieť, že je to On, že nič iného to nemôže robiť iba On, my proste jednoducho ... Keď sa spolu stretneme, my proste ... Každý chce vydať svedectvo. Každý chce niečo povedať a oni sa chcú o tom rozprávať. Môžete mať vo svojej cirkvi prebudenie; pastor môže kázať podivuhodné posolstvo, alebo evanjelista, alebo ktorýkoľvek iný; alebo môžete vidieť, že sa dejú určité veci, alebo niečo v susedstve, niekto bol uzdravený. Susedia sa zídu dokopy a rozprávajú o tom. "Aké podivuhodné! Boli ste tam? Mali by ste to vidieť. To bola najveľkolepejšia vec." Na skutkoch Božích je niečo, čo rozochvieva ľudské srdce viac ako keď sa stane čokoľvek iného. Je ... Je to proste nezabudnuteľné prežitie, keď prídeme do kontaktu s Pánom Ježišom a vidíme to čo On činí, také veľké a zvláštne sú Jeho cesty.
40Nuž a my sme si tu všimli, že oni sa radovali zo skutkov, ktoré sa stali toho dňa v tom prebudení a možno ja by som nás mohol prirovnať dnes večer do toho.
41Nuž, my sme práve svedkami jedného z najväčších prebudení, verím tomu, ktoré vôbec svet videl, v týchto posledných desiatych, pätnástych rokoch. To bolo prebudenie, nie len také ako vo dňoch Billy Sundeya, alebo vo dňoch Welshského prebudenia, alebo vo dňoch Wesleyovho prebudenia, alebo Moodyho prebudenia, či prebudenia Billy Sundayho. To bola záležitosť svetového rozsahu, po celom svete. Veľké uzdravovacie zhromaždenia a veľké ohne prebudenia boli zapálené prakticky na každom vrchu po svete. Práve dnes večer, po Afrických krajinách, tam v Číne a v Japonsku, sa káže toto Evanjelium a ľudia sú uzdravovaní práve v tejto chvíli, dookola po celom svete. Je to jedno z najväčších prebudení, pretože, verím, že je to jedno z posledných prebudení, ktoré tento svet uvidí, prebudenie svetového rozsahu.
42Ale teraz v týchto posledných niekoľkých rokoch, to uhaslo. Nepozorujete v ľuďoch to nadšenie, ktoré tam zvyklo byť.
43Pamätám sa, keď som mával tú príležitosť, skrze Ducha Svätého, raziť cestu toho prebudenia ktoré začalo, keď sa Anjel Pánov zjavil nad riekou a povedal to, je od vtedy už toľko rokov. A videl som ako sa to dialo a videl som ako to všade privádzalo srdcia kazateľov do ohňa, prepukali prebudenia. Prečo, mohli ste len prosto vojsť do zhromaždenia a ľudia proste povstávali zo svojich lehátok a nosidiel a odchádzali preč uzdravení. Nemuseli ste dokonca povedať ani jedno slovo. Proste - proste len tam byť , a to stačilo.
44Pamätám sa na jeden večer vo Vandalii, v Illinois. Išiel som do zhromaždenia, nebol som tam dlhšia ako päť minút a nebolo tam nikde naokolo žiadnej slabej osoby. Invalidné kreslá boli vytisnuté von na hromadu. Slepí videli a hluchí a nemí hovorili a - a to proste len ... Duch Pánov bol prítomný a On ich proste všetkých uzdravil. Nuž, keď trvá prebudenie vtedy môžete niečo robiť. Ale nech vyhasne ten oheň prebudenia, potom sotva môžete ... Ľudia sú naďalej kresťania, ale oni nie sú oživení do toho Ducha, do tej veľkej atmosféry, ktorá niečo robí.
45Je to práve tak ako pri kutí železa, v kováčskej dielni. Musíte to železo najprv rozpáliť, predtým ako ho budete chcieť rozklepať na nákove. Ak to neurobíte, nikdy ho nevyrovnáte.
46A to je to čo ku tomu treba, aby sme mali prebudenie, to je každý pod žiarou Ducha Svätého a to privádza dole moc Božiu a hnutie prebudenia. Potom nasledujú modlitebné zhromaždenia, deň a noc, každú minútu, všade. Prečo, ľudia by ani neopustili svoje miesta!
47Pamätám sa na to v Jonesboro, v Arkanssase, keď som rozpočal svoje ... asi moje tretie zhromaždenie. Prv v Saint Louis a potom v Corningu, a potom dole v Jonesbore. Noviny písali: "Dvadsaťosem-tisíc ľudí na zhromaždení." Dvadsať alebo tridsať míľ od mesta boli postavené stany. V takom malom meste ako Jonesboro nebolo možné zohnať nejakú budovu do, ktorej by sa to bolo spratalo. A ľudia prichádzali z míľových vzdialeností, s lampami v rúchách, idúci cez džungle, nasadali na autobus a prichádzali
48Sedel som jedného večera vonku v tej pustatine, modlil som sa predtým ako malo začať zhromaždenie a videl som ako tam prichádzali mladé panie so svojimi topánkami a ponožkami pod pažou. Potom prv ako prišli na miesto, zastali oprášili prach zo svojich nôh a navliekli si ponožky a obuli topánky a vošli do zhromaždenia.
49A videl som ich ako kládli svoje nemocné deti pod staré bavlnárske káry a zostávali tam deň i noc; držali nad nimi noviny alebo plachty, zatiaľ čo pršalo, či dul silný vietor; neopúšťali svoje miesta, čakali aby sa len mohli dostať do vnútra.
50Tam kde slepí videli, hluchí počuli. A táto služba, dnes večer, je stovky míľ ďalej, ale tie ohne prebudenia uhasli.
51Bolo vidno ľudí, ktorí tam prišli a povedali ... Ukáž len svojím prstom a povedz: "Dobre, brat, veríš?" To stačilo, aby sa z toho dostal a odišiel. To bolo všetko čo muselo byť urobené. Oni verili. To prebudenie bolo v pohybe.
52Nuž, títo učeníci to videli a určitou amatérskou formou oni prežívali tú radosť, (zatiaľ čo Ježiš odpočíval), z toho čo videli, čo sa stalo v ten deň.
53A myslím, že prebudenie o ktorom hovorím sa správa podobne ako toto, že my teraz práve žijeme v čase utíšenia sa, zatiaľ čo On odpočíva, možno medzi zhromaždeniami, alebo týmto prebudením a Jeho príchodom. A my sa radujeme z vecí ktoré sme videli v priebehu tohto prebudenia, veľké a zázračné skutky. Nezáleží na tom čo hovorí svet, my sme jednako videli, že to sa stalo! Je to konštatovanie, sú to fakty, to sa stalo.
54Oni sa museli chytiť tej príležitosti, zatiaľ čo plavba prebiehala celkom v poriadku, aby hovorili o Ňom, o Jeho skutkoch, o tom na čo si uplatňoval nárok, o Jeho Mesiášstve. Mnohí z nich mohli ... z tých učeníkov, mohli hovoriť jeden druhému o skutkoch ktoré videli.
55Práve tak ako to my robíme, počas prebudenia v Shreveporte, počas prebudenia v nejakom inom meste, budeme o tom hovoriť.
56A teraz sa oni takto rozprávali. Možno to bol Šimon, ako sme to hovorili minulý večer, ktorý povedal: "Nuž, keď mi Andrej o Ňom povedal, bol som tak trochu nedôverčivý. Ale keď mi On povedal, že kto som a kto je môj otec, to odňalo odo mňa všetku pochybnosť. Potom som tomu veril."
57Možno že Filip povedal, alebo niekto iný; mohlo to byť tak, že Andrej niečo povedal. Minulý večer sme hovorili o tej panej pri studni. Možno, že sa rozprávali o nej, oni mohli povedať niečo takéto: " Bratia, viete, bolo to pre mňa neobyčajné, keď som odišiel aby som zaobstaral niečo na jedenie. A prišli sme naspäť a stáli sme tam za kríkmi a videli sme Ho, ako sa rozpráva s tou ženou, ktorá mala zlú povesť . Mysleli sme si , vo svojich srdciach, 'Čo ak by tu prišiel niektorý z kňazov a videl by to, nášho Majstra ako sa rozpráva so ženou takého kalibru, čo by o Ňom povedali?' A potom, pamätáme sa ako sme poznali, mali sme v Neho dôveru, že to malo určitý účel, že sa On s ňou rozprával.
muža, aby išla a priviedla svojho muža, zatiaľ čo ona povedala že nemá muža. Pamätáte, ako sme sa prekvapene pozreli jeden na druhého, pomysleli sme na tú všetku dôveru, ktorú sme v Neho mali a tu sa to zrazu náhle všetko zosypalo?
62Čo za atóm On tam uvoľnil, bratia, pečená ryba, pečený chlieb, obišiel rast? A vedeli sme že On je stvoriteľ, ale tu On stvoril už pečenú rybu a pečený chlieb.
63Ján by mohol povedať niečo také. On povedal: "Viete, keď som bol malý chlapec, bývali sme tam dole pri Jerichu. Pamätám sa, ako moja židovská matka ma kolísavala aby som popoludní ešte spal; aby som si trochu zdriemol popoludní. Zvykol som sa jej dívať do očí a ona mi rozprávala Biblické príbehy."
64A, viete, je to dobré pre každú matku aby to robila svojim deťom. "Vychovávať deti takým spôsobom ako majú byť." Bude to lepšie ako im zapnúť televízor aby pozerali niečo tu z toho čo dávajú v televízore. Boli by ste na tom lepšie keby ste im čítali Biblické príbehy, pretože to zanecháva určitý vplyv na jeho detskej mysli.
65A teraz hovoril: "On zvykol ... Ona mi zvykla rozprávať ten príbeh o Sunamitke, ako znovu dostala naspäť svojho chlapca živého, skrze proroka Eliáša. Páčilo sa mi to. Potom mi zvykla rozprávať o našom ľude, ako vyšiel z Egypta. A my sme bývali práve pri Jordáne. A ona ukazovala tam na druhú stranu rieky a hovoril, 'Ján, oni táborili práve tam na druhej strane. A štyridsať rokov boli na púšti a Boh ich kŕmil mannou. Ich rúch sa vôbec nezodrali. A Boh im dával čerstvý chlieb, každé ráno.'
69A potom možno diskutovali o postojoch niektorých ľudí; niektorí verili, niektorí neverili; a potom o Jeho postoji ku ľuďom.
70Nuž, vy viete, že v týchto posledných dňoch sa Kresťanstvo tak veľmi zmenilo. Teraz musíte zaobchádzať s ľuďmi ako s deckami, nasľubovať im toho, dať im všetko možné, aby ste z nich urobiť veriacich, aby chodili do zhromaždenia a sľúbiť im, že budú mať lepších spoločníkov i všetko možné. To nie je Kresťanstvo.
71Kresťanstvo nie je maznať sa. Kresťanstvo je drsné. Tak veru. To je - to je - ... Kresťanstvo to nie je skleníková rastlina.
72Skleníková rastlina, to je väčšinou skrížená rastlina. Po celý čas ju musíte postrekovať, aby ste odohnali preč od nej hmyz. To je kvôli tomu, že je tak slabá. A tak to musíte robiť s mnohými kresťanmi, postrekovať ich množstvom sľubov.
73Vy, vy to nepotrebujete. Skutočná opravdivá, zdravá rastlina nepotrebuje žiadne postreky. Hmyz na ňu nejde.
74Je to práve tak ako dnes, keď sa človek snaží všetko vziať a prevrátiť to. Boh, na počiatku, On povedal: "Nech každé semeno rodí ovocie podľa svojho druhu."
75Čítal som tu v Readers Digest, kde oni vzali to, čo teraz nazývame krížené zrno a tým dostanú krajšie klasy, skutočne, veľké krásne klasy; ale nie je to dobré, je to na nič. A oni vypestujú lepšie paradajky, ale to nemá skoro ani chuť ako paradajka. Oni vypestovali ... majú teraz kurča, ktoré dokonca nemá ani krídla. Kríženie! Vidíte?
76A teraz, pamätajte, môžete mať krížené zrno, ale vy nemôžete to semeno znovu zasadiť. Ono nebude ďalej rodiť. Ono zomrie. Prečo? Ono nemá v sebe žiadny život. Zakaždým ho musíte krížiť. Ak by sa nekrížilo, to by sa proste nemohlo rozmnožovať. To ukazuje že vývoj, podľa ľudských ideí, je zlý.
77Môžete vziať kobylu a osla a skrížiť ich spolu a dostanete mula, ale mul sa sám nemôže znovu ďalej plodiť. Tomu je koniec. To je všetko. On je odpísaný.
78A oni teraz hovoria, že za ďalších dvadsať rokov, ak nezachovajú týchto ľudí od toho aby jedli tieto skrížené produkty, ako kukurica, pšenica a produkty, ktoré oni krížia - to že mení postavu žien. Oni nebudú schopné mať deti, za dvadsať rokov od teraz. To hubí generáciu. To nemá v sebe ten materiál.
79Človek je už nie taký, aký býval. Pozrite sa dnes na mužov. Loptové hry bývali tvrdé. A teraz oni nosia prilby; zabije sa ich na tucet, každý rok, udrie sa na hlavu ako morské prasa a hneď je po ňom; pri zápasoch i všade. Človek je zostavený z kusu blata. A to je kvôli tým skríženým veciam, to znečistilo celý systém nášho života, celé naše hospodárstvo.
80A teraz, to kríženie sa dostalo tiež do cirkvi. Namiesto toho aby sme mali skutočných drsných Biblických veriacich, oni to skrížili skrze denominácie. A oni musia: "Ja mám toto, ja mám tamto a ja patrím do toho, ja patrím do tamtoho." To je skrížený produkt a taká vec sa sama nemôže ďalej rozmnožovať.
81My znovu potrebujeme Knihu Skutkov. Ale tá jediná cesta, ako to budete môcť urobiť, je dostať sa späť do Biblii a von z tohoto skríženého náboženstva.
82To čo je krížené, potrebuje zvláštnu starostlivosť! Nie vieru! Len množstvo poprašovania, maznania sa, mimoriadnej starostlivosti. Opýtam sa: "Si kresťan?" "Ja som Metodista." "Si kresťan?" "Ja som presbyterián. Ja som letničný." To neznamená ani toľko, pred Bohom. [Brat Branham pukol na prstoch – pozn.prekl.]
83Ty si kresťan, preto že si sa narodil z Ducha Kristovho a Slovo Božie žije v tebe.
84Viete, vždy mám radosť zo skríženého (čistokrvného) koňa. Viete, on má rozum. Môžete ho naučiť vecí, urobíte to pre neho a on sa to naučí. Ale vezmite starého mula, nemôžete s ním nič urobiť. On je stále len starým oslom s dlhými ušami. On tam sedí a vy môžete ku nemu hovoriť, on natrčí svoje uši a: "Hi? Hi? Hi?" Vidíte, to je proste kríženec.
85Pripomína mi to veľa takzvaných kresťanov s oslom kríženým náboženstvom. Poviete im: "Ježiš Kristus je ten istý včera, dnes i naveky." Oni povedia: "Ja tomu neverím." Vidíte? A tak ho nikdy nič nemôžete naučiť. Denominácia, ona je aj tak mŕtva. "Moja cirkev to verí takto. A moja cirkev to verí takto." Ale Božie Slovo hovorí, že On je ten istý včera, dnes i naveky! Nemám rád krížené Kresťanstvo.
86Mám rád čistokrvného koňa. On vie kto bol jeho otec, kto bola jeho matka, kto bol jeho starý otec i stará matka. On pozná celé svoje pokolenie až dozadu.
87Tak je to s čistokrvným kresťanom, on vie Kto je jeho Otec. On prišiel od Boha; On je Slovo Božie, On je taký istý aký vždy bol. On je skutočný čistokrvný produkt Boží, Slovo Božie je v ňom, Ježiš Kristus manifestujúci Seba Samého.
88Ale čo sa týka neveriacich ... Ježiš sa chcel jedného dňa striasť tých rôznych parazitov; On mal príliš mnoho tých, ktorí Ho nasledovali. Mal svojich učeníkov. Potom mal tých sedemdesiatych (kazateľské združenie) a potom mal tisícové zhromaždenie. A potom On učinil takýto výrok, povedal: "Ak nebudete jesť (krv), jesť telo Syna človeka a piť Jeho krv, nemáte v sebe života."
89Nuž čo si myslíte, že by povedal nejaký doktor, ktorý by tam sedel v zhromaždení? Čo si myslíte, čo by povedal podľa nášho názoru, nejaký logicky mysliaci človek? On to nikdy nevysvetlil. On to nemusel vysvetliť. "Čo to", povedal by ten doktor: "Preč od tohto človeka. On je blázon. On ... Budeme vampíri. Piť krv človeka a jesť jeho telo?"
90A to zhromaždenie, môžem si predstaviť, ako ten kňaz hovorí: "Toto je čas. Kde sme sa to dostali. Ideme preč! Viacej už neprídeme ani na jedno zhromaždenie." A Odišli preč. Potom, odstránil všetkých preč od Seba.
91Potom sa otočil dookola a povedal tým sedemdesiatym, povedal: "A čo keby ste videli Syna človeka vystupovať hore do neba, tam kde bol prv?"
92Nuž, tí sedemdesiati povedali: "Syna človeka vystupovať hore odkiaľ On prišiel?"Ako to, my sme boli pri Jeho kolíske, kde sa narodil. Poznáme Jeho matku. Videli sme tie šaty, tie plienky do ktorých bol zavinutý. On sa narodil tam dole v Betleheme v Judsku. Bol privedený tu hore do Nazaretu. Jeho bratia, Jeho sestry, všetci sú tu s nami. A potom On povie: "Tento Syn človeka vystupovať hore?" Nuž, On to nevysvetlil, On to proste povedal. Nuž, oni si to nemohli vysvetliť, nemohli do vpratať do svojho rozumu. "Dobre," povedali si: "kde sme sa to tu dostali," a tak odišli preč. To bolo príliš mnoho aby to oni mohli zniesť.
93Oni stále mali tie isté skupiny. Je to tak. My ich stále máme.
94Všimnime si. On sa potom otočil ... Pamätajte, tým učeníkom to tiež nikto nevysvetlil, ale oni mali vieru. Potom sa Ježiš otočil a pozrel sa na tých dvanástich a povedal: "Vy tiež chcete odísť?"
95Potom Peter vyslovil tie pozoruhodné slová: "Pane, kde by sme išli? Veď my sme plne presvedčení, my vieme, že Ty máš Slovo Života a jedine Ty." Vidíte? Oni nemohli vysvetliť, ako budú jesť Jeho telo a piť Jeho krv. Oni nemohli porozumieť, ako On bude vystupovať hore, tam odkiaľ prišiel, keď On sa narodil v Betleheme. Oni to nevedeli. Ale, hľaďte, viera nepozná žiadne sklamanie. Ona je zakotvená. Ona tam zostáva, nezáleží na tom, čo hovorí niekto iný. Ona tam zostáva. Oni boli určení do toho Života a on ... oni tam zostali.
96Nuž tieto rozdielne druhy. Jedni verili. Jedni povedali: "Nikdy tak nehovoril človek ako tento." Jedni neverili a povedali: "Oh to je ... Strašne sa na tom pohoršili."
97Jedni povedali: "Nikdy tak nehovoril človek, ako tento Človek. Je pri Ňom niečo zvláštne. To čo povie, je schopný dokázať." Nuž, oni povedali toto, viete, oni povedali: "On nehovorí ako kňaz. On nehovorí ako rabbi. Ale čo On povedal, Boh to podoprel. On potvrdil to, čo On povedal." Ó!
98Musel to byť mladý Ján, ktorý potom povedal: "Predstavte si to! On je práve teraz s nami. Čo za potešenie to musí byť! Čo za bezpečnosť!" Čo za bezpečnosť to má byť pre nás!
99Som misionár, pochodil som po celom svete. A videl som všetky možné druhy náboženstiev a všetkých možných bohov, ktorých oni majú, pohanských bohov; Mohamedánov, Budhistov a Sikhov, Džinistov, oh, i rôzne iné a kmeňových pohanských bohov. Ale, každý jeden z nich, ani jedno z tých náboženstiev nie je správne, okrem Kresťanstva. Ani jedno z nich, ich zakladatelia sú mŕtvi, oni majú hrob, kde je on pochovaný. Ale Kresťanstvo je to jediné správne, pretože náš Zakladateľ zomrel, bol pochovaný, ale znovu vstal a my môžeme dokázať, že On žije.
100Pri hrobe Mohameda, za posledných takmer dve tisíc rokov, je biely kôň, ktorého po určitých hodinách zamieňajú na stráži, čakajú, že Mohamed vstane z mŕtvych a vysadne na neho a pôjde dobyť svet.
101Ale Ježiš už vstal z mŕtvych, je tomu už dvetisíc rokov a je s nami dnes večer. A potom, keď vidíme tú temnosť a vidíme čas konca, tak ako je to teraz, prichádzajúc do času v ktorom žijeme, zatiaľ čo sa plavíme životom ku slávnemu cieľu, kde je rozbúrené more a tá nádoba môže kedykoľvek stroskotať. Tieto malé svetlá môžu takto puknúť. [Brat Branham pukol na prstoch – pozn.prekl.] Alebo, nemusíme už dnes večer vôbec opustiť túto budovu, nikto z nás. Nevieme kedy môže prísť smrť.
102A čo za bezpečný pocit to musel byť, pre tých učeníkov, keď vedeli že samotný Stvoriteľ, ktorý sa dokonale preukázal, že On je tou Osobou, sa plavil s nimi.
103A čo myslíte aké je to požehnanie, aká blahoslavená nádej to je, aká istota, v tejto temnej hodine na konci svetových dejín, vedieť, že Stvoriteľ sa plaví s nami životom ku slávnemu cieľu, bezpečne schovaný vo vnútri! Bomby, či čokoľvek môže prísť, nech sa ženú, práskajú, fučia, nech si robia čo chcú, mne to nič nerobí, ja sa plavím so Stvoriteľom. Ó čo za bezpečnosť, zatiaľ čo sa plavíme tými vodami!
104Nuž a zatiaľ čo hovorili, rozprávali sa o Ňom, o tom aké veľké veci On učinil. Po tých hodoch prebudenia, Ježiš pravdepodobne odpočíval, ako to robí teraz, ako som povedal, medzi tými prebudeniami. A my ...On sa tak jasne preukázal, že kto On je. Tí ľudia vedeli kto On je; ... tých, ktorí boli zaslepení, ale tí ktorí sa držali Písma. Pretože oni vedeli že Písmo, Slovo Božie, bolo dané, udelené, každej generácii; a to zasľúbenie na ten vek sa muselo vyplniť. A On vyplnil presne to, čo sa očakávalo že sa má vyplniť, v čase Mesiáša. On splnil všetky podmienky. Potom my ... on si bol istý, že On bol tým Mužom.
105Ale, vidíte, On bol tak prostý. On sa neobliekal ako kňaz. On nemal .. žiadne vzdelanie, to čo my nazývame vzdelaním. Nemáme o Ňom žiadny záznam, že by dokonca chodil do školy. Ale pri Ňom bolo niečo iné.
106A potom On ich zavolal, keď nemohli porozumieť a povedal: "Skúmajte Písma, pretože si myslíte že v nich máte večný život a oni sú to ktoré svedčia o Mne. Oni vám povedia, kto som."
107A teraz, pamätajte, oni to všetko mali vo svojich srdciach a premýšľali o týchto veciach. A zatiaľ, čo sa plavili po mori, oni mohli byť ako deti, zatiaľ čo On bol s nimi v lodi.
108Nuž, priateľu, čo to má s nami urobiť! Ten istý preukázaný Ježiš Kristus, ten istý Stvoriteľ, ten istý Boh, je s nami dnes večer. Ó čo za bezpečnosť to je, čo za pocit, vedieť že tu je Jeho prítomnosť.
109A teraz sme zistili, že práve vtedy, keď oni prežívali tie nádherné chvíle, zrazu náhle nastali problémy. Loď sa začala kolísať, plachty sa začali nadúvať, voda sa naberala do člnu. Všetka nádej na prežitie zrazu pominula.
110Nuž, nie je to divné, presne tak ako je to teraz, tak ako keď my teraz prichádzame ku koncu, či je to nie divné? Môžeme hovoriť o tom aký je On veľký; môžeme povedať aký je veľký, v našom zbore, keď dávame svedectvo; hovoríme nášmu (zamestnancovi) zamestnávateľovi o tom, aký je On veľký; hovoríme to ľuďom na ulici, že aký je On veľký; a, keď nadídu na nás problémy, sme celí zmätení. Vidíte? My proste ... Vidíte? Tie veci, ktoré sme Ho videli robiť, tie veci o ktorých vieme že on činí; a nech len nejaká malá nemoc, alebo nejaký malý problém doľahne na náš dom, hľaďte čo sa stane; všetko je rozmetané na kusy, všetka nádej je preč.
111Hoci Ho oni videli činiť tak mnoho vecí; na všetko zabudli, .keď nadišli tie problémy.
112Tak ako teraz, videli sme toto veľké prebudenie, máme históriu o iných veľkých prebudeniach, máme Jeho prítomnosť, poznáme tieto veci a keď sa niekedy dostaneme do ťažkostí, nevieme si pomôcť. Ony ...
113Napríklad ako teraz, my teraz máme problémy v našich zboroch. Máme denominačné problémy, spory v našich cirkvách. Nevieme, čo sa bude diať. Vidíme že sa tam formuje nejaká veľká vec. Všetci z nás, ktorí veríme v Bibliu, vidíme že niečo sa chystá. Nie je nikoho, kto by to nevedel.
114A všetky cirkvi budú privedené do tej ekumenickej Rady Cirkví. Potom, keď to urobíte, zapredáte svoje veľké Biblické, evanjelické učenie. A Letniční s tým sympatizujú, idú rovno do toho, tak ako sviňa idúca na porážku. Je to tak. Ekumenická rada, mnohí veľkí Letniční vodcovia s nimi súhlasia. Hovorím vám, nikdy nestrkajte svoj krk do niečoho takého. To je presne to, čo hovorí Biblia, že sa stane. Je šelma a znamenie a presne všetko to zapadá do seba. A vidíme to a divíme sa, čo z toho bude.
115Nastali problémy. A oni zabudli, že práve Ten o ktorom sa rozprávali, že ten Stvoriteľ je s nimi v člne.
A vy si teraz poviete: "Keby som to mohol zbadať!"
116Nuž, pamätaj, my Ho stále máme, pretože On je Slovo, vždy. V Jánovi 1.1., ako sme hovorili minulý večer: "On bol Slovo; a to Slovo sa stalo telom a prebývalo medzi nami." A my stále máme Jeho Slovo, ktoré nás keruje do Jeho myšlienok a Jeho skutkov na tento deň. Vidíte? Nie do myšlienok Mojžiša, ktoré on mal vo svojich dňoch, nie do myšlienok učeníkov, nie do myšlienok Luthera, alebo Wesleya, alebo Letničného veku, alebo niektorého z nich. My tu máme Bibliu, ktorá nám hovorí o tom, čo sa má stať teraz. Vidíte? My vidíme v Biblii Letničné prebudenie, Luteránov a všetky tie cirkevné veky. Videli sme ich. Ale my tu tiež máme Písmo, ktoré nám hovorí čo sa má stať teraz. A to je Boh, Boh vykladá svoje vlastné Slovo pre tento vek, v ktorom žijeme. On je Svojim vlastným vykladačom. A, jednako sa necháme zmiasť. Nenechajte sa zmiasť.
117Jeho učeníci sa občas dostanú do telesných problémov, ktoré nevedia vyliečiť, ako sú choroby, rakovina a tak ďalej, že doktori nemôžu, nevedia čo s tým robiť. My, tak ako oni, zabúdame Kto je v lodi.
118Oni mali vedieť, že On pozná všetky tie veci. On vedel, že sa im to prihodí. On bol ... On vedel všetko, tak On vedel, že toto sa stane. Že to sa im prihodí. Prečo On dovolil aby sa to stalo? Keď vošiel do tej lodi, On vedel čo sa stane.
119On vedel, že my sa musíme stretnúť s touto situáciou a On nám to tu predpovedal v Biblii, že sa to stane takýmto spôsobom.
Nuž čo On robil? Skúšal ich vieru.
120Prečo by On nechal nejakú fajn, prostú, ženu, ktorá je matkou, sedieť v invalidnom vozíku, ako toto? Prečo by On tu nechal nejakého pekného mladého človeka, týchto mladých mužov sedieť tu v invalidných kreslách, dámy, či iných? Čo by On? ... No oni, hoci sú chromí, jednako môžu žiť svoj prostý život. Ale môže tu niekto sedieť, kto je chorý na srdce a ak ťa Boh neuzdraví, môžeš ešte do rána zomrieť. Je to tak. On vedel čo sa stane. Možno, že to sa stalo nato aby to vyskúšalo našu vieru. Kvôli tomu sa to stalo im. On to tak povedal. Vidíte? Tak isto teraz.
121On dokázal Kto On je skrze slová a znamenia, ktoré ... On dokázal medzi nimi, že On je tým potvrdeným, pomazaným Mesiášom, ktorý mal prísť.
122A On dokázal medzi nami skrze krst Duchom Svätým a prinavrátením vecí, ktoré zasľúbil na tento deň. On dokázal, že je tu. On dokázal, že On je ten istý včera, dnes i naveky. A vidíte ako ľahko sa necháme zmiasť na hocijakej drobnosti? Nikdy by sme nemali dovoliť aby sa to stalo. Nie.
123On povedal: "Ak Ja nečiním skutky, ktoré sú napísané o Mne, tak Mi potom neverte." A ak Cirkev, ak Duch Svätý dnes, nerobí tie veci na ktoré sa očakávalo, že bude robiť v tejto hodine, potom neverte Posolstvu; máte právo neveriť Mu.
124Ale On zasľúbil, že tieto veci, ktoré On práve teraz robí, sa budú diať práve v tomto čase. A tak to má spôsobiť, že sa budeme cítiť tak bezpeční, že povieme: "Idem do zhromaždenia. Veľký Duch Svätý, (viem o tom), je tam a zjavuje tajnosti ľudských sŕdc." To je presne to, čo povedal, že bude robiť, keď sa zjaví v týchto posledných dňoch. Ježiš Kristus povedal, On sám, že to je presne to, čo On bude robiť.
125A On povedal: "Svet bude v takom stave, ako to bolo vo dňoch Sodomy." To práve teraz je v takom stave. On povedal: "Cirkvi budú porozdeľované tak ako to bolo vtedy," Lót, vlažný, dole v Babylone, či v Sodome a Sodomiti. On povedal: "Abrahám, vyvolení, vyvolaná skupina," a On poslal posla do tej vyvolenej skupiny. A On poslal dvoch poslov tam dole ku ním, reprezentujúc každého jedného. A to je presne to, čo On urobil, ešte aj každé meno, každý skutok, každý pohyb, všetko tak dokonale, každý znak, každá manifestácia, proste presne to isté. On povedal, že to sa stane.
126Nuž čoho sa obávame? Čo to prichádza na nás? On nás skúša, díva sa, čo s tým budeme robiť. Všimnite si.
127On im povedal, riekol: "Nuž, ak nemôžete veriť Mne, verte tým skutkom, ktoré činím; oni svedčia Kto som." Oni to mali vedieť, ale nevedeli. Oni ...
128On bol Boh, Ktorý stvoril, Stvoriteľ vetrov a mora. Keď On mohol stvoriť vetry a more, či nemohol ďalej spôsobiť aby oni poslúchali Jeho Slovo? Keď On všetko stvoril, či nemohol učiniť aby Ho to všetko poslúchalo? Pamätajme tiež, On stvoril naše telá, oni tak isto budú musieť poslúchať Jeho Slovo. "Dobre," vy si poviete: "keby som si len toho mohol byť istý." Dobre, my sme si toho istí. On je tu aby to tak dokázal. Oni to musia poslúchať. Pamätajte, On má ..
129Keď zosneme, nezostane z nás nič, okrem možno za lyžicu popolu, On zasľúbil že vzbudí ten popol. On zasľúbil, že to vzbudí. To telo Ho musí poslúchať. A preto keď zomrieme, sme si istí že budeme vzbudení, pretože to On zasľúbil že to urobí. A Jeho zasľúbenie je Jeho Slovo a my tomu veríme. Veríte vo vzkriesenie tela? [Zhromaždenie: "Amen." - pozn.prekl] Samozrejme. Ak nie, nie ste kresťania. Tak my veríme, že On nás vzbudí v posledný deň. On zasľúbil, že to urobí. A čo to je? To je Jeho Slovo. Toho sa držíme celou svojou bytosťou, práve toho Slova.
130A potom, keď to príde do takého času, že budeme vidieť, že Slovo sa stotožnilo, že je s nami; potom budeme ako Jeho učeníci, v inom prípade, keď boli vonku na mori a znovu sa skoro potápali, pri inej príležitosti. A videli Ježiša ako prichádza ku ním, kráčajúc po vode a preľakli sa. Povedali: "To je strašidlo. To je prízrak." Báli sa, že je to duch a kričali od strachu. Tá jediná vec, ktorá im mohla pomôcť, oni boli z toho vyľakaní.
131A tak je to i dnes, práve tá vec, ktorá ľuďom môže pomôcť, oni sa jej boja. On povedal: "Nebojte sa. To som Ja." On hovorí. Ako by ste vedeli, že to je On? On sa preukázal Svojím Slovom. Takým spôsobom sa On preukázal prvý krát. To je spôsob, ako sa On stále preukazuje, skrze Svoje Slovo. Všimnite si.
132Potom, keď títo učeníci sa našli na konci, niektorému z nich muselo svitnúť, že Stvoriteľ je stále s nimi.
133Dúfam, že to svitá aj nám, dnes večer, pretože Židom 13. 8. hovorí, že On je ten istý.
134Čo oni potom urobili? Prebudili Ježiša. "Choď vzbudiť Ježiša. Vzbuď Ho, zavolaj Ho na scénu!" Je to veľmi ľahké zavolať Ho. Oni videli, videli tak mnoho vecí, ktoré Boh učinil a Jeho preukázanie sa Slovom. Tak isto my. A nebolo to ťažké zavolať Ho ku činu.
135Oni Ho prebudili a povedali: "Či nedbáš že hynieme?"
Vy si hovoríte: "Ako si toho môžeme byť istý? Môžeme to dokázať?"
136Ján 14. 12. Ježiš povedal: "Ten kto verí vo Mňa, skutky, ktoré Ja činím aj on bude činiť." To je isté. Naša viera privádza Krista do našej prítomnosti.
137On povedal v Lukášovi v 17. kapitole: " V posledných dňoch, keď sa zjaví Syn človeka, bude čas ako za dní Sodomy a Gomory." Vidíme, že to sa deje.
138On povedal, prv ako nadišiel ten čas, v Malachiášovi 4., že: "Vyjde Posolstvo, ktoré prinavráti ľudí späť do tej originálnej viery, ktorá raz bola daná ľuďom." Od počiatku to bolo v Božom pláne. A potom bezbožní budú popolom a spravodliví budú šliapať po nich svojimi nohami.
139Vidíme všetky tieto zasľúbenia. On teraz čaká práve na teba, teba, teba, každého jedného z vás, aby ste Ho zavolali na scénu. Zavolať Ho na scénu! To je to, kde On chce byť, zavolaný na scénu do činnosti. Všimnite si, keď Ho zavoláte na scénu ... Tak potom povieme: "Zobuďme Ho." Zavolajme ho teda, aby potvrdil Svoje Slovo a to, čo zasľúbil, že bude robiť. Ako On ... poznáme v zjavení Ježiša Krista v posledných dňoch, bude to ako to bolo vo dňoch Sodomy. On zasľúbil dať cirkvi to zjavenie, keď sa On zjaví. Tak nepochybujte a nebojte sa, On je ten istý včera, dnes i naveky.
140Počul som raz jednu ženu, keď som hovoril o Ňom, aký je veľký. Ona povedala: "Mám jednu vec proti vášmu učeniu, pán Branham."
141Povedal som: "Nuž, ďakujem vám, ak máte len jednu vec." Riekol som: "Dúfam, že Boh tiež nenájde nič viacej." A ona povedala: "Nuž, príliš mnoho sa chváliš Ježišom."
142Povedal som: "Dúfam, že je to tá jediná vec, ktorú máš proti mne." A povedal som: "Nechválim sa s Ním zadosť."
143Ona riekla: "Ale áno, chváliš." Povedala: "Ty Ho zbožňuješ." To bola žena, ktorá neverila, že Ježiš bol Boh. Ona bola z Kresťanskej Vedy. A povedala: "Ty Ho zbožňuješ. Robíš Ho Bohom."
144Povedal som: "On je buď Boh, alebo je potom ten najväčší zvoditeľ akého kedy svet poznal." Povedal som: "On ..."
145Riekla. "Nuž, môžem ti dokázať, skrze tvoju Bibliu, že On nebol. On bol len prorok."
Povedal som: "On bol prorok, skutočne, ale On bol tiež Boh."
Ona povedala: "On bol človek a bol smrteľný."
Povedal som: "To je tiež pravda."
146Ona riekla: "Na ceste, keď išiel vzbudiť Lazára z hrobu, Sv. Ján 11. kapitola, tam stojí, Biblia hovorí, že Ježiš zaplakal."
Povedal som: "To je pravda."
147Ona riekla: "Nuž, to dokazuje, že On nemohol byť Bohom a plakať."
148Povedal som: "Ó, pani moja, to je tvoj argument?" Povedal som: "To je slabé." Ona povedala ... Povedal som: "To je pravda, On bol Človek, keď plakal; ale keď uviedol Svoje malé telo do pohybu, potiahol Svoje malé ramená dozadu a povedal, 'Lazár, vyjdi von,' a človek, ktorý už bol štyri dni mŕtvy a hnil v hrobe, postavil sa na nohy a znovu ožil, to bol viac ako človek. To bol Boh."
149On bol človek, tu vonku v tom člne tej noci, keď bol vonku na mori, keď desať tisíc diablov sa sprisahalo, že Ho potopia. Ten malý starý čln sa zmietal ako štopeľ z fľaše, na rozbúrenom mori. On bol človek, ktorý bol unavený a spal. Ale Keď Ho oni zobudili a zavolali Ho na scénu, položil jednu nohu na sťažeň a povedal: "Mlč, umĺkni," a vietor a vlny Ho poslúchli. To bol viac ako človek. To bol Boh.
150On bol človek, keď išiel dole z vrchu, hladný, hľadajúci na strome niečo na zjedenie. On bol človek, keď bol hladný. Ale keď vzal tých päť chlebov a dve ryby a nakŕmil päť tisícový zástup, to bol viac ako človek. To bol Boh v tom človeku.
151Každá osoba, ktorá kedy mala nejakú cenu, to boli tí, ktorí tomu verili. Skutočne. Básnici i mnohí ďalší tomu verili, že Boh bol v Kristovi, mieriac so Sebou svet.
152A teraz Kristus je v Cirkvi, mieriac ľudí s Bohom. On zasľúbil že, to bude robiť. Je to napísané, že: "On je ten istý včera, dnes i naveky." Veríte tomu? [Zhromaždenie hovorí: "Amen." - pozn.prekl.] Ja tomu verím z celého svojho srdca, že On teraz len čaká aby bol zavolaný na scénu. Nuž a to jediné, čo Ho môže zavolať na scénu, závisí na nás aby sme Ho v sebe prebudili, zavolali Ho na scénu.
153On bol tým najväčším darom aký Boh kedy dal svetu. "Boh tak miloval svet, že dal Svojho jednorodeného Syna; aby každý kto verí v Neho nezahynul, ale mal Večný Život." Hľaďte na Boha a Jeho dar. Nuž a ľudia používali Boží dar.
154Raz, jedna prostá žena, ona verila tomu, že On je Boh zamanifestovaný v tele. A ona si povedala: "Ak sa len dotknem Jeho rúcha, budem uzdravená."
155Nuž, ona sa dotkla Jeho rúcha. A On sa otočil dookola a povedal: "Kto sa Ma dotkol? Vidíte, cnosť, moc, vyšla zo Mňa." Ona sa dotkla Jeho rúcha. To bol spôsob ako použila Boží dar. Vidíte? On z toho oslabol.
Ale keď išiel z domu Lazára ...
156 Pamätajte, Sv. Ján 5. 19., Ježiš povedal: "Amen, amen vám hovorím, že Syn nemôže robiť nič sám od seba, iba to, čo vidí činiť Svojho Otca." Pamätajte, Ježiš Kristus nikdy neučinil ani jeden zázrak, neurobil nič nadprirodzeným spôsobom, až kým prv nevidel videnie toho, čo robiť. Koľkí veríte že je to pravda? [Zhromaždenie volá: "Amen." - pozn.prekl.] Sv. Ján 5. kapitola: "Amen, nie to čo počujem, nie to čo Mi niekto povie; čo vidím robiť Otca, to podobne činí aj Syn." Nuž, ak to nie je pravda, potom ani ostatné Písma nie sú pravda. "Amen, amen, vám hovorím, že Syn nemôže robiť nič Sám od Seba, iba to, čo vidí činiť Svojho Otca, lebo čokoľvek On činí, to podobne činí aj Syn. Môj Otec pracuje až do teraz, i Ja pracujem." Inými slovami, On konal a urobil len to, čo Mu Boh kázal.
157Nuž, pamätajte, keď On odišiel z Lazárovho domu, On už bol preč niekoľko dní. Lazár ochorel a oni poslali pre Neho. On nešiel. O dva dni neskoršie, Lazar bol ešte viacej chorý. Tak oni znovu pre neho poslali, On stále nešiel. A potom keď prišiel ten príhodný čas, Otec Mu ukázal čo sa stane, že Lazár zomrel. A On sa otočil, keď Lazár zomrel a povedal: "Lazár zomrel a radujem sa pre vás, že som tam nebol." Oni by chceli aby sa bol za neho modlil a tak ďalej. On urobil len to čo Mu Boh povedal, čo videl, vo videní. Vidíte, On mal videnie ohľadne toho čo robiť. "Ale idem aby som ho zobudil." Hm! No prosím.
158Pozorujte ako Mu Marta prichádza naproti. Ona povedala: "Pane, keby si tu bol býval, môj brat by nebol zomrel. Ale aj teraz viem, že všetko za čokoľvek by si požiadal Boha, dá ti Boh." Vidíte?
159On vedel, čo ide urobiť. Pozorujte Ho pri Lazárovom hrobe, On povedal: "Otče, ďakujem Ti, že si Ma počul, ale Ja som to povedal len pre zástup stojaci okolo."
161Nuž, On tam nepovedal ani slovo o tom, že by bol zoslabol. To bol Boh, ktorý používal Svoj dar. A keď ľudia používali Boží dar, to bolo iné.
162Pretože, On bol Slovo. "A Slovo je ostrejšie ako dvojsečný meč," hovorí Biblia: "a schopné rozoznať myšlienky a úmysly srdca." To dokazuje, že Boh je v strede ľudí. Tak veru. Verme tomu. On je hotový, podľa Svojho Slova, aby bol zavolaný na scénu, dnes večer.
163Koľko je tu nemocných a takých, čo majú nejaké potreby, zodvihnite ruky. Nech vidíme vaše ruky, koľko je tu nemocných a takých, čo majú nejaké potreby, všade. Nuž, to jedno na čo On čaká, aby bol zavolaný na scénu. Poproste Ho len.
164Nuž, čo ak by On tu stál s týmto úborom, ktorý mi dal a vy by ste prišli pred Neho a povedali: "Pane, Ježišu, chcem aby si ma uzdravil," viete čo by vám povedal? "Ja som to už urobil."
166Ja neviem, čo ste vy už tu v Baton Ruge mali. Všetko možné sa ženie krajinou, napodobňovania a iné. Viem, že to musí byť práve tak. Ale ak príde nejaký človek a povie vám, že má moc uzdraviť vás, je klamár. Jedine Boh môže uzdraviť. "Ja som Pán Boh, ktorý uzdravujem všetky tvoje nemoci." On sa nebude s nikým deliť o Svoju chválu. Neexistuje taký človek, ktorý má moc uzdravovať.
167Ale sú ľudia, ktorí majú dary, aby manifestovali Boha. Váš pastor ... [Brat Branham zakašľal. - pozn.prekl.] Prepáčte. On môže vziať Boha, skrze dar ... Učiteľ, on môže vyložiť Slovo, tak že To musíš vidieť. ak len máš oči ktoré vidia, vtedy to uvidíš. Je ďalší, možno nejaký iný dar. Ale to je vždy dar, ktorý manifestuje prítomnosť Božiu a cez to vy sami musíte tomu veriť.
168Môže tu ku oltáru prísť nejaký hriešnik, ako mladý muž alebo žena, vo veku štrnástych rokov a môžu vám tu prinášať jesť a vy budete kričať ku Pánovi, až do svojich deväťdesiatych rokov a vôbec nebudete spasený. Ale vy prv musíte prijať to, čo On pre vás urobil. Vidíte? Vy sami to musíte prijať. A potom, keď to prijmete, potom je On Veľkňazom, prostredníkom, primlúvajúci sa na základe vášho vyznania, toho čo veríte.
169Nuž a tak isto je to s darom. Zakladá sa to na odsunutí vášho vlastného rozumu a potom uvidíte čo On káže robiť.
170Videl som ľudí, ako prichádzali na pódium, vyskakovali hore dole a vykrikovali , a hovorili: "Ó, brat Branham, ja mám všetku vieru na svete." Čo tu teda potom robíš? Vidíte? To je - to je emócia a nie viera.
171Opravdivá viera nepozná žiadnu porážku. Už je to dokonané. Už je potom. Boh to tak povedal a tým to hasne, vy vidíte. "Boh tak povedal!" Nuž to je tá istá vec, zakaždým. Keď vy skutočne tomu veríte, to sa Ho dotýka.
172Nuž tá prostá žena, ktorá sa dotkla Jeho rúcha, ona povedala: "Ak sa len dotknem Jeho rúcha, budem uzdravená," a urobila to. A keď vykonala to, čo si vyžadovala po nej jej viera: "dotknúť sa toho," On to pocítil, vidíte a otočil sa a prehovoril ku nej.
173Nuž, On je ten istý včera, dnes i naveky. Ak vy len budete veriť Kristovi, veriť Jemu. Nech sa vaša viera dotkne Jeho rúcha. A On, práve teraz, je tým Veľkňazom, ktorý môže byť dotknutý skrze cítenie s našimi slabosťami. Všetci to vieme. A ak je On ten istý včera, dnes i naveky, On sa musí správať dnes tak, ako sa správal včera, ak je On ten istý Veľkňaz. Nuž, či tomu veríte? Majte len vieru v Boha.
174Ak by som vám povedal klamstvo, potom by sa Boh za tým nepostavil. Ak som vám povedal pravdu, On sa za tým postaví. On je zaviazaný postaviť sa za pravdou.
175Ježiš povedal: "Ja mám svedectvo." A to svedectvo je Božie Slovo, samozrejme. On povedal: "Tam tie Písma svedčia o Mne. Ak oni nesvedčia o Mne, potom Mi neverte." Vidíte?
176A ak to Písmo nesvedčí o tom čo som vám teraz povedal, že: "On je ten istý včera, dnes i naveky," potom tomu Písmu neverte. Pretože to Písmo hovorí že On je a On zasľúbil tieto veci na tento posledný vek. Pamätajte, práve na konci židovského veku, to je kde sa On zjavil ako Mesiáš. Na konci veku samaritánov, On urobil to isté. A teraz je koniec pohanského veku. On je ten istý včera, dnes i naveky.
177Prebuďte Ho vo svojom svedomí, zavolajte Ho na scénu, zatiaľ čo skloníme naše hlavy.
178Nebeský Otče, postačí nám teraz len jedno slovo od Teba. To bude všetko, čo potrebujeme, len slovo od Teba. Nech by tí ľudia mohli jasne zrozumieť, že cieľom, toho čo sa snažíme robiť, Pane, je to aby mohli obdržať dobrodenie Pána Ježiša, ktorého milujú a ktorému slúžia. Nech to učinia dnes večer Pane, pretože Tvoja smrť nebola márna. Ty si bol ranený pre naše prestúpenie, zdrtený pre naše neprávosti, kázeň nášho pokoja bola vzložená na Teba. Jeho sinavicou sme uzdravení. Prosím, Bože, aby všetci ktorí sú tu v božskej prítomnosti, porozumeli toto a obdržali to videnie a boli uzdravení na chválu Božiu. Skrze meno Ježiša Krista, oddávam sa s tým zhromaždením, na Jeho chválu a česť. Amen.
179Nuž, buďte skutočne úctiví ešte za niekoľko minút. Nuž, len jedno slovo od Neho bude znamenať viac, než všetko čo by som ja mohol povedať, pretože to je On, ktorý to činí. On je ten jediný. On je ten ktorý to činí a my spoliehame na to, že Pán Ježiš udelí teraz tie veci pre vás, pre každého jedného.
180Nuž, pozrime sa, koľko je hodín? Nevedel som, že je už toľko. Povedal som vám, že skončíme na čas. Ako to teraz urobíme, nemáme dosť času aby sme vyvolávali modlitebnú radu. Volajme to rovno zo zhromaždenia.
181Nuž vezmime len Písmo, ešte na chvíľu. Nuž, Biblia zasľubuje, v tomto poslednom dni, že znovu sa bude opakovať Sodoma a Gomora. Koľkí tomu teraz veria, zodvihnite ruky? Biblia to dokazuje.
182Nuž a potom, čo to bolo pri Sodome a Gomore? To bol Boh vo forme ľudskej bytosti. A to, podľa čoho to Abrahám poznal bolo, že On povedal: "Prečo sa smiala Sára tam v stane, za chrbtom?" Ó, prečo ona o tom pochybovala, o tých slovách, ktoré On povedal, že to tak bude?" On mohol vidieť to, čo si Sára myslela, tam vzadu za Ním. Len povedzte či to nebolo tak.
183Nuž, to nebolo pre cirkev Babylonu, či cirkev Sodomy. Nie, nie. To nebolo pre tých ľudí tam v denominačných kruhoch. Nie veru, nikdy to ku ním neprišlo. Oni mali svojho posla. Vidíte?
184Ale tá vyvolená Cirkev, super Semeno Abraháma, ktorí považovali za možné veriť Slovu bez ohľadu na okolnosti: "Abrahám nazýval veci, ktoré neboli ako keby boli." Boh tak povedal a on tomu veril. Nuž, priateľu, ja viem, že Boh je zaviazaný ku tomu Slovu, aby ho dodržal.
185Nuž chcem aby ste, kdekoľvek sa nachádzate v tejto budove, aby ste úctivo sedeli ešte nejaký čas, tam kde ste. A verte, verte len z celého svojho srdca.
186Nuž, ak by som vás mohol uzdraviť, ak by som mohol uzdraviť toto dievčatko, kvôli ktorému sa mi stíska srdce, ak by som mohol uzdraviť týchto núdznych, ktorí tam ležia, plazil by som sa odtiaľto až na severný pól, ak by som to mohol urobiť. Ktokoľvek, kto má nejaký ľudský súcit ... Ale nie som schopný nič pre nich urobiť. Možno niekto z vás bude žiť už len krátky čas, s rakovinou. Ak by som vás mohol uzdraviť a neurobil by som to, nepatrilo by sa mi stáť tu na pódiu. Nuž, ja to nemôžem urobiť. Moje srdce cíti s vami. Urobil by som to, keby som mohol, ale nemôžem. Nieto takého človeka, ktorý by to mohol urobiť. Je to tak. Ale, vy viete, Ježiš to už urobil. Vidíte? A On sa len snaží dostať vás do toho aby ste tomu verili. Ale vy...
187Je mi ľúto tých ľudí. Je tak mnoho vecí, ktoré ich zaslepujú, takto alebo takto, až, úbohí ľudia sú takmer ako ovce bez pastiera. Nevedia čo robiť. Jeden povie toto a druhý povie tamto. Nemyslite na to, čo hovoria ľudia. "Dni zázrakov pominuli. Neexistuje niečo také ako krst Duchom Svätým."
188A, pamätajte, Peter povedal, v deň letníc: "Toto zasľúbenie je pre vás a pre vaše deti a pre tých, ktorí sú na široko-ďaleko, ktorých a koľkýchkoľvek si povolá Pán náš Boh." Vidíte?
189Ježiš zasľúbil, že tieto veci sa budú diať v týchto posledných dňoch, že Boh sa navráti vo forme ľudského tela, tak ako vy a ja tu dnes večer a bude činiť tie isté veci tesne pred tým, ako svet bude zničený. A svet bude ako Sodoma. Vidíte? Nuž a my máme stav Sodomy. Skutočne. Každý postoj, každá osoba, všetko práve presne pasuje.
190Nuž, či sa môže chopiť toho naša viera? Či Ho nemôžeme zavolať na scénu? Zavolajme Ho na scénu. Vaša viera je tá jediná vec, ktorá to môže urobiť. A tak verte teraz z celého svojho srdca, každý jeden z vás.
191A chcem sa vás niečo opýtať. Bez modlitebných kariet, bez toho aby niekto prišiel sem hore, ak ten veľký Duch Svätý príde sem dole skrze vaše pomazanie a pomazanie na mne a dokáže, že Ježiš Kristus pracuje medzi nami, čo viacej by On mohol urobiť? Nie je v Biblii žiadneho ďalšieho zasľúbenia ponad to. To je najväčšie zasľúbenie. Koľkí o tom vedia? Skutočne. To je - to je posledná vec pre cirkevný vek.
192Židia, v čase obdobia súženia a na ... tam oni boli znovu navštívení, ale s Pohanskou cirkvou to tak nie je.
193Toto je posledná vec zasľúbená pohanom. Je to pravda. Vidíte, to boli pohania tam v Sodome, ktorá mala byť spálená. A to, tu je Nevesta, ktorá je Kráľovským Semenom Abraháma, to je Nevesta vyvolaná von z pomedzi pohanov. To je ich posledný znak.
194Poznačte si to do svojej knihy. Ja som starý človek. Ale len si to poznačte a dávajte pozor či sa to stane alebo nie. Vidíte, ste teraz na konci. Kedy? Ja neviem. Ja očakávam na Neho dnes. Ak tu nebude dnes, budem Ho očakávať zajtra. Ak tu nebude zajtra, budem očakávať na Neho napozajtre. Ak tu nebude v tomto roku, budem očakávať na Neho v nasledujúcom roku. Ja viem že On prichádza. Nepoznám tú minútu alebo hodinu, ale viem že všetko je vyplnené, pripravené ku Vytrhnutiu. Cirkev je vyvolaná von. To bude tajomný odchod; proste zmizne a to bude všetko.
195A svet beží ďalej tak isto, ľudia kážu, ľudia si myslia že dožívajú spasenia, presne tak isto ako to bolo vo dňoch Noeho, a tak ďalej. Noe vošiel do korábu a ľudia pokračovali stále ďalej v tom čo robili, a svet sa točí stále tak isto. Uvedomte si to! A, Naveky stratení, mysliac si že sú spasení.
196Niekedy v týchto dňoch, chystám sa priniesť veľký stan do tohto kraju a rozložiť ho tu, tak môžeme mať popoludňajšie zhromaždenia a lekcie, aby ste tak mohli lepšie porozumieť tie veci. Dáme všetkých našich bratov do kopy aby sme mohli mať tie zhromaždenia.
197Nuž, ak Ježiš Kristus vyplní Svoje zasľúbenie, potom sme zaviazaní veriť Mu. Chcem aby ste všetci, každý jeden z vás mali len prostú detskú vieru, aby ste Mu verili.
198A teraz skloňte svoje hlavy a začnite sa modliť a povedzte: "Pane Ježišu, nuž ja viem, že tento človek ma nepozná. A ja sa nachádzam v potrebe. A bolo nám povedané, že Ty si Veľkňazom, ktorý dokážeš súcitiť s našimi slabosťami. Keby si mu len dovolil ... Keby som sa Ťa mohol dotknúť, hovor len cez neho, Pane, to ja poznám jeho ... poznám, že to si Ty. Ja viem, že on ma nepozná."
199A tam v publiku, je to proste zmiešané obecenstvo s veriacimi, neveriacimi, zdanlivými veriacim, hriešnikmi, svätými a všetko dokopy.
200Nuž, vy musíte veriť. Nuž ak On toto bude robiť z tohto obecenstva tu, chcem aby ste každý jeden z vás tu, povedali: "Brat Branham, ja viem že to musí byť On, ktorý hľadí na zhromaždenie ako to robil vtedy." Chcem aby ste, ak skutočne budete veriť, chcem aby ste zodvihli svoje ruky a povedali: "Pane, ja to prijmem z celého svojho srdca, verím že to je Ježiš Kristus, podľa Svojho zasľúbenia." Po celej budove. Nech vás Boh žehná. To je nádherné. Och, aká je to škoda, že nemáme aspoň mesiac aby sme tu mohli byť. Vidíte, len ... Ja som pre vás nový. Vidíte, je to ťažko. Vy len zotrvávajte vo viere.
201Nuž, to je Svetlo. Boh je Svetlo, poznáme ten Ohnivý Stĺp. A teraz sa len modlite a dotknite sa Toho a Pán Ježiš nech odpovie.
202A teraz beriem tu každého ducha pod moju kontrolu, v mene Ježiša Krista, na Jeho chválu. A teraz buďte skutočne úctiví. Modlite sa. Buďte skutočne úctiví.
203Nuž, tu To je. Rovno tu predo mnou sedí nejaká pani. Má sklonenú svoju hlavu a modlí sa za svoje vlastné utrpenie. Ak chceš zodvihni teraz hlavu, ona je tu rovno predo mnou. Veríš z celého svojho srdca? Veríš, že Boh môže uzdraviť tvoju cukrovku a učiniť ťa zdravou? Nuž, to je to čo máš, cukrovku. Ja ťa nepoznám. Ty si mi úplne neznáma. Ale veríš mi, že som Jeho sluha? Ak - ak sme si cudzí jeden druhému, zodvihni svoju ruku, takto, aby to ľudia videli. Vidíte? V poriadku. Vidíte, tu je tá pani. A trápi ju cukrovka. A veríš, že Boh mi môže povedať kto si? Spôsobí to, že budeš veriť? Ty si pani Martinová. Ak je to pravda, zodvihni ruku. Vidíte? Maj len vieru. Nepochybuj. Maj vieru.
204Nuž čoho sa ona dotkla? Chcem sa to opýtať obecenstva. Čoho sa ona dotkla? Tam je žena, ktorá má pozdvihnutú pravú ruku a ja tiež, pred Bohom. Vidíte? Ona sa dotkla Niečoho. Len prostá obyčajná žena. Ak ... skutočne, povedať vám pravdu... A teraz, vidíte či je toto ... To ju prekvapilo. Ona nevedela že má až toľko viery. Viera to nie je niečo, čo si vyrobíte; to je niečo čo máte. Ona sa prekvapila. Dokonca práve teraz, tá žena sa cíti inak než ako sa cítila pred pár minútami. Ona vie, že sa s ňou niečo stalo.
205Aha tu, vidíte to Svetlo? Vidíte To tu rovno nad tou ženou, rovno tu vzadu? Ona trpí na ... Má sklonenú svoju hlavu. Modlí sa. Ale ona trpí na bolesti chrbta. Ak bude veriť z celého svojho srdca, môže byť uzdravená od tých bolestí v chrbtici. Skutočne.
206Zbaví sa toho, je to tak isté ako čokoľvek iné. Jej modlitba stále pokračuje. Pane pomôž mi. Pani deVilesová, to si ty. To je milosť. Tá žena sa modlila, dokonca ani nemyslela, dokonca ma ani nepočula nič hovoriť. Nuž opýtajte sa jej, či ma pozná. To je jej meno a to je jej nemoc.
207Tak čoho sa dotkla? To je potvrdenie Ježiša Krista, Slova, ktoré rozoznáva myšlienky ktoré sú v srdci.
208Veríte? Majte len vieru. Modlite sa, kdekoľvek. Verte len. A to vystačí. Verte len, verte len, hovorím vám Pravdu. Nuž, ja nie som On. Ja som len Jeho sluha, len Jeho sluha.
209Ak by ste len mali dostatok viery ... nemôžem ho zavolať. Viem aká je jeho nemoc, ale ... Počkajte len nachvíľu; možno sa to zmení. Samozrejme nie je to nemožné, ale ty sa musíš pohnúť von z tej podpery. On za seba nemôže veriť. Musíte veriť za neho.
210Pani trpí na obličky. Ona nie je odtiaľto. Ona je z Mississippi. Ak bude veriť z celého svojho srdca, Boh uzdraví jej nemocné obličky. Pani Palmerová, ak budeš veriť z celého svojho srdca, môžeš byť z toho uzdravená. Opustilo ťa to ... Úplne sa to zmenilo; je to preč od nej. Maj vieru v Boha, nepochybuj.
211Hneď vedľa nej sedí nejaká pani. Ona trpí na zápal kĺbov. Veríš mi, že som Boží prorok, pani? Veríš? Veríš, že ak mi Boh povie kto si, že ti to pomôže veriť? Tvoje meno je pani Meadowá. Veríš teraz z celého svojho srdca, môžeš byť tiež uzdravená.
212Chytilo sa to horieť a oheň prešiel na tú pani vedľa nej. Ona tiež tam sedí. Ide To rovno za radom. Pani, ktorá tam sedí, ona trpí na ... Vedľa nej, trpí na cukrovku. Chceli, aby išla do nemocnice, ale ona to odmietla. Ona má syna, za ktorého sa tiež modlí. Ten syn tu nie je, ale veríš, že Boh mi môže povedať, čo je s tým synom? On je chorý na srdce. Ver a On ťa uzdraví. Veríš, že Boh mi môže povedať kto si? Pani Duffleeová, D-u-f-f-l-e-e-o-v-á. Presne tak. Je to tak, zodvihni ruku. Ó, tvoja ruka je hore. V poriadku. A teraz, ver a môžeš byť tiež zdravá.
213Veríte, že to je to isté čo?...Veríte, že Ježiš Kristus je tu teraz prítomný? [Zhromaždenie hovorí: "Amen." - pozn.prekl.] Koľkí to prijímajú? ["Amen:" - pozn.prekl.] Ó, čo za bezpečnosť! Vidíte?
214Čo ste urobili? Vy ste Ho prebudili. Priviedli ste Ho na scénu. On je tu na scéne. Nehrá to žiadnu roľu, čo hovoria tie člny. Pamätajte, On môže povedať: "Umĺkni, buď ticho."
215Veríte tomu z celého svojho srdca? [Zhromaždenie radostne volá: "Amen." - pozn.prekl.] Ak tomu veríte, povstaňte na svoje nohy a prijmite to. Povstaňte a povedzte: "Verím tomu z celého svojho srdca." Postavte sa rovno na svoje nohy. "Ja teraz verím." To je presne to, bez ohľadu na vaše ťažkosti, povstaňte, oddajte Mu chválu.
216Nebeský Otče, prinášame Ti toto zhromaždenie. Oni sú si vedomí, že Ty si tu, Pane. Nech každý diabol, nevera, nech to opustí svoje državie a nech Ježiš Kristus uzdraví toto zhromaždenie.
217Satan, odíď preč z tohto zhromaždenia! V mene Ježiša Krista sa ti staviame na odpor.
1 We read the Word of the Lord. In Matthew's Gospel, the--the 8th chapter, beginning with the 23rd verse, we read this.
And when he was entered into a ship, his disciples followed him.
... behold, there arose a great tempest in the sea, insomuch that the ship was covered with the waves: but he was asleep.
And his disciples came to him, and woke him, saying, Lord, save us: we perish.
And he said unto them, Why are ye fearful, O ye of little faith? Then he arose, and rebuked the winds and the sea; and there was a great calm.
But the man marvelled, saying, What manner of man is this, that even the winds and the seas obey him!
2 Let us bow our heads now for prayer.
3Our Heavenly Father, we are so happy tonight to know that this great One Who makes the winds and the sea to obey Him is with us. We are grateful that we have this great witness of His living yet today, and knowing that He is Eternal, and He can never die. He is alive forevermore, and has showed forth His great mercy to us, the children of man in these days. We are a needy people, Lord, so needy that no one else could meet our needs but You. So we're looking for You tonight to come into our gathering here, and to make Yourself known to us, by forgiving our sins, increasing our faith, Lord, and healing our sickness and afflictions. And when we go to our homes, tonight, may we be happy, saying like those from Emmaus, "Did not our hearts burn within us as He talked to us along the way?" For we ask it in His Name. Amen.
You may be seated.
4 I'm almost like Zacchaeus; these things are always too short for me. I want to speak to you just for a few moments now before we pray for the sick. Thanking you for your fine cooperation, and believing in Spirit, last night, while we were speaking, trusting that it'll be a great outpouring of His blessings.
5Always remember what we're here for, is to try to increase your faith in His Presence, that you might receive that which you ask for. Then, by faith, you believe.
6Now, remember, ever redemptive blessing has already been purchased. The price is paid, there is only one way that you'll ever be able to receive it, is to believe it and to accept it. "He's the High Priest of our confession." The Hebrew says there, the Hebrew letter, says, "He's the High Priest of our profession." To profess, and confess, is the same thing, of course. So we... He's the High Priest of our confession, therefore He cannot do anything for us until first we confess that He has done it. And then when we confess it, then He is the High Priest, a mediator, to go to work on that and make it right. So we pray, trusting in God tonight, in His kindness and mercy, that He will give to us His abundance of grace, tonight. And now, remember, you must accept it.
7 Now we're going to pray for the sick before we leave, laying hands upon them, but I wish that you could have faith enough you don't have to have that. I wish you could just reach up and say, "Lord Jesus, I believe You. I--I..." He believes the Word.
8Now, see, God is different from we are. If--if we would say something for you to do, and you didn't believe it, well, we'd say, "Let them alone. They don't have to believe it." But that's not God our Father. He constantly will do something else to make you believe. He is trying to keep His Word, and He will keep His Word.
9Now the reason He is doing the things that He's doing now, is because that He promised to do them. Not that He has to do it; but He promised to do it, and that's our confidence that He always keeps His promise.
10 Now each one of you, when you have sick, loved ones, and so forth, set, if they can't... like the little girl here, she is too young, and she is in that condition she is; just when you believe, lay your hands upon the child while the service is going on. Others, that has loved ones, in your heart you're thinking of them; by faith lift them right up before God, in prayer. Now, and, therefore, then believe. When something happens, you...
11You can't make yourself believe. You, it's something, it's a quality that's in you. "Faith is the substance," not just a make-imaginary. "It is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things that you believe, and you don't see." And all, the whole Christian armor now, remember, is by faith. All supernatural, love, joy, peace, long-suffering, goodness, meekness, patience, that's all unseen things. That's the whole Christian armor. The Christian always looks at things that he does not see, because he's looking at a promise.
12 Here sometime ago, many years, I was called on a scene, one time, in a hospital, to pray for a boy that was dying, with black diphtheria. I've quoted this many times, 'cause it's a very outstanding case to me. The father was rather an aged man, and mother. And this young man was about fourteen years old, I guess, and he was their only child. And he was dying, with black diphtheria, and something happened to his heart. He was unconscious. And they were just... He just, oh, just--just barely living; I forget what his--his heartbeat was; respiration was very low.
13And the old father kept visiting the meeting, and begging, seeing the manager, and everybody. "Come, pray! Come, pray! That's all, just come to the hospital and pray."
The manager said, "Bring him to the meeting."
14Said "We can't move him from the hospital. He's dying." And said, "If Brother Branham would just come, ask God, God will grant it."
I thought, "What a faith!"
15 I went to the hospital, and the doctors wouldn't let me in. They said, "No, you're a married man, you have children." Billy Paul was small then. Said, "You cannot go in," said, "because you have a child."
16And I said, "Now, I've understood that the doctor himself was Catholic." I said, "If the priest wanted to give the last rites to the child, if he's Catholic, would you permit him to go in?"
17Said, "That's different. The priest has no children." See? Said, "You would pack the germ to your child."
18And I said, "But, look, sir. Let me take the responsibility. I'll sign a paper. I'll take the responsibility. If I haven't got faith enough to go in there then for that, I have no business going in, the first place." I said then, "But I'll take the responsibility." And I said, "Think of it now, if that boy was Catholic, and he was dying; and would you, by any means, keep the priest from giving him the last rites of the church?"
He said, "No, I wouldn't do that."
19I said, "I mean just as much to them as the priest does to a Catholic."
20 And he said, "All right," and he finally agreed. He dressed me up like a Ku Klux Klan, of some sort, all this kind of stuff over me, and--and took me in there to this little boy, dying.
21The mother and father knelt on the other side. And I prayed just a simple little prayer, "Lord Jesus, I trust You to raise up this boy, on the fa-... basis of the faith of this father and mother," and laid my hands upon the little fellow. He had been unconscious for three, about three days, I believe, and just barely breathing. And I got up, said, "Amen." Prayed about a moment, and got up.
22And the old father took the mother in his arms, and said, "Think of it, honey, our boy is healed!" No sign of it at all. And they were just hugging each other, and thanking the Lord.
23And the little nurse, little child, a young lady, rather, she was probably about eighteen, twenty years old. She had her nurse's band, and she... or, she was a graduate nurse. And she said, "Sir, I'm afraid you don't understand." She said, "The boy is dying."
He said, "Oh, no. The boy is going to live." The father did.
24And said, "How can you act like that, and your... you know your boy is dying, under such a false impression as you've been given?"
Said, "That's no false impression." He...
25 She said, "Look." Now I might... There might be a doctor sitting present. I don't know this about medicine, and instruments of medical terms. They give him a some sort of a cardiogram, and his heart was so low. It had been low that long. The doctor said... The nurse repeated the doctor, said he... "That's never been known in history, if a heart ever get that low, for it to ever revive again."
26I'll never forget the old man's look. Old fatherly-like fellow walked up and put his hand upon the little nurse's shoulder. He said, "Sister," he said, "see, you are looking at that chart." Said, "That's all you know, is to look at that. But," said, "I'm looking at a Divine promise."
27The boy is a missionary in Africa now, got three children. See? See? It depends on what you're looking at, see. He believed.
28 Now, that's the same faith, "If You'll come lay Your hands upon my child. If You'll speak the word, my servant..." See, that's something that you have. You--you...
29Then it wasn't--wasn't putting on an act. The old fellow believed that. He had got a hold of Something.
30The woman that touched His garment. "If I must just touch His garment!" That's it. You must grasp a hold of that faith, down in your heart. It's just like you say...
31You know, you man, if you're--if you're the right kind of a husband, there is no woman in the world that you love like your wife. There might be other women might be more fairer. There might be women that would--would be a--a--a prettier women, and so forth. But something, if you really love your wife, there is something in there that you don't notice what she looks like. You love her. And you--you don't know why, but you love her. And, women, you the same to your husband. You, you love. And you young girls to your boyfriends; boyfriends to girlfriend. If you've met that person that you know you love, there is something in there you know you love them.
32Well, that's the same thing it is about faith. You know it's going to happen. There's not a shadow, no matter how many would say contrary; you still believe the same thing, because that's genuine, real genuine faith. Now have that tonight, while we speak on this subject.
33I spoke so much, and been in the meetings so long now, I haven't had a letup, hardly, since Christmas. And I'm a little hoarse in my throat, from changing weather, and time, and so forth.
34I am want to speak to you tonight on the subject of, "awake Jesus," or: Calling Jesus On the Scene.
35 From our Scripture reading, we find that there had been a great meeting. Jesus had been going about, doing great wonders, always doing good, and also doing what was pleasing to God. He always pleased God, but He didn't please Hisself, the Bible said. And we find out that He was thoroughly made Hisself known, Who He was, by His works. His works identified Who He was.
36And virtue had gone from Him. He had been teaching parables, all day, and virtue had gone out of Him. And He had... was going to cross the sea, across, over on the other side. By being what He was, He--He knew there was a great job ahead, on the other side. And He was very tired. Virtue had gone out of Him, all day long, as the people had touched Him by their faith, to believe Him, and so forth. And He had...
37The virtue had left Him, and He was tired. So He went back in the back of the ship and laid down on a pillow, the Scripture tells us, to take a little rest while the ship was crossing the sea, crossing the Sea of Galilee, an opportunity for a little rest.
38His disciples picked up their oars, and hoisted the sails, and just as seamen would do. They, that's what their, many of them, their occupation. They were fishermen there on the sea, and--and they knowed how to control these boats. And they was back at their occupation, just having a great time of rejoicing, a jubilee time, perhaps talking about the things that had happened that day.
39 You know, there is something about it, that when we see our Lord Jesus do things, and can know that it's Him, that nothing else could do it but Him, we just simply... When we get together, we just... Everybody wants to testify. Everybody wants to say something, and they want to talk about it. You can have a revival at your church; the pastor can speak a marvelous message, or the evangelist, or whoever it might be; or you can see some certain thing take place, or something in the neighborhood, someone was healed. The neighbors get together and talk about it. "How marvelous! Was you there? You should have seen it. It was the most outstanding thing." There is something about the works of God that thrills man's heart more than anything else that happens. There's... It's just an unforgettable experiences when we come in contact with the Lord Jesus and see the things that He does, so great and marvelous is His ways.
40 Now we find out that they were rejoicing over the works that had been done in that day's revival, and perhaps I would liken us, tonight, in the same manner.
41Now we have just witnessed one of the greatest revivals, I believe, that the world has ever seen, in these last ten, fifteen years. It's been a--a revival, not just like the days of Billy Sunday, or the days of the Welsh revival, or the days of--of Wesleyan revival, or the Moody revival, or Billy Sunday revival. It's been a worldwide- sweeping affair, around the world. Great healing services and great revival fires has burnt on practically every hill there is in the world. Right tonight, way over in the lands of Africa, down in China and Japan, this Gospel is being preached, and people are being healed right this very minute, around and around the world. It's been one of the greatest revivals, because, I believe, it's one of the last revivals this world will see, a world-sweeping revival.
42 But now, in the last few years, it's quietened down. You don't notice the enthusiasm in the people, that used to be.
43I remember of having the privilege, by the Holy Spirit, to spear-head that revival that started, when that Angel of the Lord appeared on the river and said that, about many years ago. And to see it happen, and see it set ministers' hearts afire, everywhere, revivals broke out. Why, you could just simply walk into a building, and the people just get up out of their cots and stretchers, and walk away, healed. You didn't even have to say one word. Just--just being there, that's all it taken.
44 I remember one night in Vandalia, Illinois. I walked into the meeting, and had no more been in the meeting over five minutes, and there wasn't a feeble person around the place, anywhere. Wheel chairs pushed out and piled up. Blind was seeing, and deaf and dumb speaking, and--and just simply it... the Spirit of the Lord was present, and He just healed the whole group of them. Now that's when you can do something, when revival is going. But let that revival fire die down, then you can hardly... The people are still Christians, but they're not revived into that Spirit, that great atmosphere that does something.
45It's just like in a forge, in a blacksmith shop. You've got to get the iron hot before you go to pounding it on the anvil. If you don't, you'll never straighten it out.
46And that's what it takes to have a revival, is everybody under the heat of the Holy Spirit that's brought down the powers of God and a revival moving. Then there is prayer meetings going, day and night, every minute, everywhere. Why, the people wouldn't even leave the grounds!
47 I remember in Jonesboro, Arkansas, when I first started my... about my third meeting. First in St. Louis, and then at Corning, and then down to Jonesboro. The paper stated, "Twenty-eight thousand people in the meeting." For twenty or thirty miles from the city, was just tents set up. You couldn't get a farmhouse to stay in, the little city of Jonesboro. And people coming from miles, packing lanterns, walking through the jungles, catch a--a bus and come.
48I sat out in the wilderness one evening, praying before the service started, and I seen young ladies coming with their shoes and stockings under their arm. Then before they get down there, stop and brush off the dust from their feet, and put on their stockings and--and--and shoes, and--and go into the meeting.
49And I seen them lay their sick children under old cotton trucks, and stay there day and night; hold papers and canvas over them, while it was raining, storm a blowing; not leave their place, waiting just to get inside the building.
50There is where the blind was seeing, the deaf was hearing. And the ministry, tonight, is a hundred miles beyond that, but the revival fires has died down.
51See the people walk up there and say... Just point your finger, and say, "Well, do you believe, brother?" That's all, he was out and gone. That's all that had to be done. They believed. The revival was a moving.
52 Now, these disciples had seen that, and in an amateur form they were living the joy, while Jesus was resting, of what they had seen done that day.
53And I think the revival is doing something like that, that we're now just living in a quietening time, while He's resting maybe between the meetings, or the revival and His Coming. And we are rejoicing over the things that we have seen down during the time of this revival, great and wonderful works. No matter what the world says, we still seen it done! It's a statement, it's the facts, it was done.
54They must have took an opportunity, while the sails was going along pretty well, to talk about Him, about His acts, about His claims, about His Messiahship. Many of them might have... of these disciples, might have spoke of what they had seen done, one to another.
55Just like we do, during the time of the revival at Shreveport, during the time of the revival at--at some other town, we'll talk about it.
56 Now that's the way they were doing. Maybe it was Simon, as we talked about last night, saying, "Well, when Andrew told me about Him, I was just a little bit skeptic. But when He told me who I was and who my father was, that took all the guess out of me. I--I believed it then."
57It might have been that Philip might have said, some of the other one; it might have been Andrew said. We talked about the lady at the well, last night. Might have been talking about her, when they said something like this, "Brethren, you know, when my strange time was, when I--we went away to get some victuals. And we come back and we was standing outside the bushes, and seen Him talking to this ill-famed woman. We thought, in our hearts, 'What if some of the priests would come up and see this, our Master talking to a woman of this caliber, what would they say about Him?' And then we remember how we knew, that had confidence in Him, that it was for some purpose that He was talking to her.
58"And then when He told her, 'Go get your husband and come here.' And she said, 'I have no husband.' How our hearts jumped, 'cause we thought there is one time there's a failure. Jesus had told the woman that she had, go get her 'husband,' when she had no husband. You remember the look that we had on each other's face as we marvelled, to think that all the confidence we had in Him, and here it was dropped all of a sudden?
59"Then we find, immediately He spoke up and said, 'You've told the truth, for you've had five husbands, and the one you have now is not yours.'"
60"Then when she recognized Him then as the Messiah, the Messiah of God, and said there, that, 'We know that Messiah is coming. You must be a Prophet, for we know, when the Messiah cometh, He is going to do this.' And the testimony in that city, that woman's testimony had bearing on the people of the city.
61 "Then it might have been young John that said, 'You know, I'll tell you what made it real to me, that day when He broke the bread. Now, we was all hungry, and He had went out into the wilderness, and we couldn't find Him, and there we met Him. And all the multitudes came around, and, the first thing you know, we find Him saying, 'Send them away to the city, to get some food.' And--and He told us to 'feed them' then. And He got those five biscuits and two little fish, and He broke that bread. And I noticed His hand when He would reach back for another piece of bread, that biscuit was growed out again. And then when He reached back, put it out in a plate, then reached back, that fish was growed out again. Not only the regular fish, but it was a cooked fish, see, already growed back again."
62What kind of an atom did He turn loose, brethren, cooked fish, cooked bread, bypass the growing? And we knowed He was the creator, but here He is making creation of already cooked fish and cooked bread.
63 John might have said something like this. He said, "You know, when I was a little boy, we lived down by Jericho. I remember my Jewish mother used to rock me to sleep in the afternoon; take my afternoon nap. I used to look up in her eyes, and she would tell me Bible stories."
64And, you know, that's a good thing for any mother to do to her child. "Bring up a child in the way it should go." It would be better than turning on the television and watch some of these here things that goes on on the television. You'd be better off if you read him a Bible story, 'cause it's impressing his little mind.
65 Now said, "He used... She used to tell me about the--the story of the Shunammite woman receiving her little boy back to life, by the prophet Elijah. I liked that. Then she used to tell me about our people coming up out of Egypt. And we was right on the Jordan River. And she would point across the river, and say, 'John, they camped just on the other side. And they were forty years in that wilderness, and God fed them manna. Their clothes never wore out. And God gave them bread, fresh, every morning.'"
66"And how my little, childish heart, I used to say, 'Mama, has God got lot of big ovens up there in the skies, and He bakes all this bread, and gets His Angels ready to bring down the morning bread and lay it out on the...?'"
67"'No,' she would say. 'John, you're too young to understand. See, God doesn't have ovens in the sky. He don't need ovens. We have to have ovens. But God doesn't need it, because He's the Creator. See, He just speaks, and the bread laid out on the... He is the Creator.'"
68"And, brethren, when I stood there today and watched Him take that piece of bread and tear that off, and when He reached back for another piece, it was created, I knowed we wasn't following--following a false prophet. That was the Creator, Himself, in Man." And the...
69 Then they might have discussed the attitude of some of the people; some believed, some did not; and then His attitude towards the people.
70Now, you know, Christianity has changed so much, in these last days. Now you've got to baby a person, promise them a whole lot, give them a whole lot, to make them believe, come to church, and promise them that they'll have better associates and everything. That's not Christianity.
71Christianity is not babied. Christianity is rugged. Right. It's a--it's a--a... Christianity is not a hotbed plant.
72A hotbed plant is a hybrid plant, mostly. You have to spray it all the time, keep the bugs off of it. That's because of its weakness. And that's the way you have to do a lot of Christians, kind of spray them with a--a lot of promises.
73You, you don't need it. A real genuine healthy plant don't need any spraying. The bugs stay off of it.
74 It's just like, today, that man trying to take things and pervert them. God, in the beginning, He said, "Let every seed bring forth of its kind."
75I was reading in Reader's Digest here, where they--they're taking what we call a hybrid corn, and it makes a prettier ear, sure, great big fine ear; but it is no good, nothing to it. And they make a better tomato, it don't even taste like a tomato. and make, got a chicken now that don't even have wings. Hybreeding! See?
76And now, remember, you might have hybrid corn, but you can't plant that seed back. It won't produce again. It'll die. Why? It don't have no life in it. You have to hybreed it each time. If it wouldn't, it'd just keep on multiplying. That shows that evolution, according to man's ideas, is wrong.
77 You can take a--a mare horse and a jack, and breed them together and get a mule, but a mule cannot breed itself back again. It's finished. That's all. He is finished.
78And they say now, that in another twenty years, if they don't keep these people from eating this hybrid stuff, like of a corn and wheat and stuff that they're hybreeding, that, "It's changing the--the posture of women. They won't be able to have babies, in twenty years from now. It's killing the generation." It hasn't got the stuff in it.
79Man is not made like they used to be. Look at man today. Why, they, used to be, ball games was rough. Now they have to wear helmets; they kill a dozen every year, hitting on their heads like a guinea, he dies right now; fights and everything. Man is made up out of a bunch of muck. It's, and it's because of hybrid stuff, and it's polluted the whole system of--of our living, our whole economy.
80 And--and--and that hybreeding has got into the church, too. Instead of having a real rugged bunch of Bible believers, they've hybrid it by a denominations. And they have to, "I got this, I got that; and I belong to this, and I belong to that." It's hybrid, and the thing can't produce itself again.
81We need a Book of Acts again. But the only way you'll do it is get back to the Bible, and away from some of this hybrid religion.
82Hybreeding, have to be babied! No faith! Just a bunch of--of powder puffs, just sissified, babied into it. "I'm..." I say, are you a Christian? "I'm Methodist." Are you a Christian? "I'm Presbyterian. I'm Pentecostal." That don't mean that, to God. [Brother Branham snaps his finger--Ed.]
83You're a Christian because you are born in the Spirit of Christ, and the Word of God lives in you.
84 You know, I always enjoy a high-bred horse... You know, he has got sense. You can--you can teach him things, do things for him, and he'll learn. But you take an old mule, you can't do nothing to him. He's just a big old long-eared donkey. He sits there, and, you could talk to him, he'll stick his ears out, and, "Huh? Huh? Huh?" See, that, he's just a hybrid.
85Puts in mind, a lot of these so-called Christians, hybrid, donkey religion. You tell them Jesus Christ the same yesterday, today, and forever; say, "I don't believe It." See? And so you can't never teach him nothing. How can you teach him; he's gone, anyhow. "My church believes It this way. Mine believes It that way." But God's Word says He's the same yesterday, today, and forever! I like not a hybrid Christian.
86I like a--like a pedigreed horse. He knows who his papa was, who his mama was, who his grandpa and grandma was. He knows all the generations all the way back.
87So does a pedigreed Christian, he knows Who his Father is. He come from God; He is the Word of God, He's the same as He ever was. He's a real pedigreed product of God, the Word of God is in him, Jesus Christ manifesting Himself.
88 Bunch of unbelievers! Jesus wanted to shake off a bunch of parasites one day, He had too many following Him. He had His disciples. Then, He had the seventy, the ministerial association. Then, He had the congregation, by the thousands. And then He made this statement, He said, "Except you eat the Blood... eat the flesh of the Son of man, and drink His Blood, you have no Life in you."
89Now what do you think a medical doctor would say, sitting out in the congregation? What do you think a sensible-thinking man would, what we call sensible thinking? He never explained it. He didn't have to explain it. Why, the doctor would say, "Get away from that Fellow. He is crazy. He... We'll be human vampires. Drinking the Blood of a Man, eating His flesh?"
90 And the congregation, I'd imagine the priest said, "This is the time. Here is where we come in. Out we go! We'll never attend another one of the meetings." Away they went. Then, He got all of them away from Him.
91Then He turned around and He said to the seventy, He said "What will you say when you see the Son of man ascending up into Heaven from whence He come?"
92Now, them seventy said, "The Son of man ascending up from whence He come? Why, He has had us at the very manger where He was born. We know His mother. We seen the clothes, the swaddling cloth He was wrapped in. He was born down there in Bethlehem of Judaea. He was brought up over here in Nazareth. There is His brothers, His sisters, and all of them with us. And then He said, 'This Son of man ascended up?'" Now, He didn't explain it, He just said it. Now, they couldn't explain it, they couldn't fix it out in their mind. "Well," they said, "here is where we come in," so they went out. That's as much as they could stand.
93They still have the same groups. That's right. We still have them. We notice.
94 Then He turned. Remember, those disciples couldn't explain that, either, but they had faith. Then Jesus turned and looked to the twelve, and said, "Will you go also?"
95Then Peter made those notable words, "Lord, where would we go? For we are fully persuaded, we know that You have the Word of Life, and You alone." See? They couldn't explain how they was going to eat His flesh and drink His Blood. They couldn't understand how He was going to ascend up from where He come down from, when He was born in Bethlehem. They couldn't. But, see, faith don't know no failure. It's anchored. It stays there, no matter what anything said. It stayed there. They were ordained to this Life. And He's... They stayed there.
96 Now those different kinds. Some believed. Some said, "A man never spoke like this." Some didn't believe, and they said, "Oh, that, might have discussed that."
97Some said, "A man never spoke like this Man. There is something strange about Him. What He says, He is able to back up." Well, they did say that, you know, said, "He don't talk like a priest. He doesn't talk like a rabbi. For what He says, God backs it up, He vindicates what He said." Oh, my!
98It must have been young John, then, said, "Think of it! We have Him with us right now. What a comfort that must be! What a security!" What a security it ought to be to us!
99 I'm a missionary, round and around the world. And I've seen all kinds of religions and all kinds of gods that they have, the heathen gods; the Mohammedan, the Buddha, and the Sikh, Jain, oh, whatevermore, and the heathen gods of the tribesmen. But, every one of them, there is none of them right but Christianity. Every one of them, their founders are dead, and they've got the grave where he was buried. But Christianity is the only one is right, because our Founder died, buried, but rose again, and we can prove that He's alive.
100At the grave of Mohammed, for the past two thousand years, nearly, been a white horse, change guards every so many hours, waiting for Mohammed to rise up from the dead and ride down the world and conquer it.
101 But Jesus is already up from the dead, been up for two thousand years, and is with us tonight. And then when we see the darkness, and see the end of time, the way it is now, coming up to the hours that we're living, while we're sailing life's solemn main, where the stormy seas, and--and the vessel can wreck at any time. These little lights can snap out like that. [Brother Branham snaps his finger--Ed.] Or, we might never leave this building tonight, none of us. We don't know what time death's a coming.
102And what a secure feeling it must have been, to those disciples, to know that the very Creator, that had thoroughly identified Himself to be that Person, was sailing with them.
103And what a blessed thought it is, what a blessed hope it is, what an assurance it is, in this dark hour at the end of world's history, to know the Creator is sailing life's solemn main with us, safely tucked in! Bombs, whatever may come, let them ride, burst, blow, whatever they want to, it makes no difference to me, I'm sailing with the Creator. What a security, while sailing these waters!
104 Now while speaking, talking of Him, about what great things He had done. After revival feasting, Jesus was probably resting like He is, I said, between the revivals. And we... they had been so clearly identified to Who He was. The people knew Who He was, of those who He was blinding. But those who had a hold on the Scripture, because they knowed that the Scripture... God's Word has been given, a lot, to each generation, and that promise of that age has to be fulfilled. And He fulfilled exactly what was supposed to be done in the time of the Messiah. He met every qualification. Then we... he was assured that He was the Man.
105But, you see, He was so common. He didn't dress like a priest. He had, no, not an education as--as what we would call education. We have no record of Him even going to school. But there was something about Him that was different.
106And then He invited them, when they couldn't understand, said, "Search the Scriptures, for in Them you think you have Eternal Life, and that's the thing that testifies of Me. They tell you Who I am."
107 And now, remember, they had all had this in their heart and was thinking of these things. And while sailing around on the sea, how they could be like children, as long as He was in the ship with them.
108Now, friend, what that ought to do to us! The same identified Jesus Christ, the same Creator, the same God, is with us tonight. What a secure it--it is, what a feeling, to know that His Presence is here.
109Now we find, right when they was having this great time, all of a sudden, trouble arose. The ship rocked, the sails blew off, the water filled the boat. All hopes of survival was gone.
110Now, isn't it strange, just like it is now, as we're coming down to the end now, isn't it strange? We can talk about how great He is; we can tell how great He is, in our church when we testify; we tell our--our employees, employers, how great He is; we tell the people on the street how great that He is; and, when trouble strikes, we're flusterated. See? We just... See? The things that we seen Him do, the things that we know He does; and just let a little sickness, or a little trouble strike the home, watch what happens; all gone to pieces, all--all hopes is gone.
111Though they had seen Him do so many things; all forgotten when trouble strikes.
112 Like now, we have seen this great revival, we have history of other great revivals, we have His Presence, we know these things, and sometimes trouble sets in that we can't remedy. They...
113For instance like now, we have trouble in our churches now. We have denominational troubles, arguments in our churches. We don't know what's going to take place. We see a great thing forming up there. All of us believers in the Bible see something is fixing to take place. There is nobody but what knows that.
114And all the churches are going to be brought into that ecumenical Council of Churches. Then, when you do that, you're going to forfeit your great evangelical teaching of the Bible. And the Pentecostals are sympathizing with it, going right into it, like a hog going to its slaughter, that's right, ecumenical council. Many great Pentecostal leaders agreeing with them. I'm telling you, don't you never stick your neck in a thing like that. That's exactly what the Bible said would come to pass. There is the beast and the mark, and, perfectly, everything set right in order, and we see this and we wonder what's going to be the outcome of it.
115 Trouble set in. And they forgot that the very One that they were talking about, the very Creator, was in the boat with them.
Now you say, "If I could think that!"
116Well, remember, we still have Him, 'cause He is the Word, always. In John 1:1, as we spoke last night, "He was the Word; and the Word was made flesh and dwelt among us." And we still have His Word that directs us to His thoughts and His doings for this day. See? The... Not the thoughts Moses had in his day, not the thoughts of the disciples, not the thoughts of Luther, or Wesley, or the Pentecostal age, or any of those. We have the Bible here that tells us of what's going to happen now. See? We see the Pentecostal revival in the Bible, the Lutheran, and all those church ages. We saw them. But we also have the Scripture here telling us what it's going to be now. And that's God, God interpreting His Own Word for this age that we're living in. He is His Own interpreter. And, yet, we get flusterated. Don't be flusterated.
117 His disciples sometimes get in physical troubles that they can't remedy, such as sickness, cancer, so forth, that the doctors can't, don't know what to do about it. We, like them, forget Who is in the ship.
118They should have known that He knowed all these things. He knew they were going to happen. He was the... He knew all things, so He knew this was going to happen. It going to happen to them. Why was He letting it happen? When He got in that ship, He knew that was going to happen.
119He knows that we had to meet this condition, and He has foretold us here in the Bible it'd be that way.
Now what was He doing? Testing their faith.
120 Why would He let a--a--a fine, little, mother-looking woman sit in a wheel chair, like that? Why would He let a fine young fellows here, these young man sitting here in these wheel chairs, ladies, and so forth? Why would He? And, still, they might be crippled, just live an ordinary life. But there may be some sitting here with heart trouble, and, if God don't heal you, you may be dead before morning. That's right. He knowed it was going to happen. Maybe it's done to give our faith a test. That's why it was done for them. He said so. See? Same now.
121He had proven Who He was, by the Words and signs that He had proved among them, that He was the vindicated, anointed Messiah that was to come.
122And He's proved among us, by the Baptism of the Holy Ghost and the return of the things that He promised in this day, that He would do. He has proved that He's here. He proves that He's the same yesterday, today, and forever. And see how easy we can get flusterated at any little thing? We should never let it happen. No.
123He said, "If I do not the works that's written of Me, then don't believe Me." And if the Church, if the Holy Spirit today, isn't doing the things that it was supposed to do for this hour, then don't believe the Message; you got a right to disbelieve It.
124 But He promised that these things that He's doing right now will be taking place right at this time. So it ought to make us feel so secured, say, "I'm going up to the meeting. The great Holy Spirit, I understand, is up there revealing the secrets of the hearts of the people." That's exactly what He said He would do when He would be revealed in the last days. Jesus Christ said, Himself, that that's exactly what He would do.
125And He said, "The world would be in the condition like it was in the days of Sodom." That's just where it's at now. He said, "The churches would be separated, just like they was then," Lot, the lukewarm, down in Babylon, or down in Sodom, and the Sodomites. He said, "Abraham, the elected, called-out group," and He sent a messenger to the elected group. And He sent two messengers down to them, representing each one. And that's just what He's done, even to every name, every action, every move, everything just perfectly, every sign, every manifestation, just exactly the same. He said it would happen.
126Now what are we scared about? What's these things on us for? He is trying us, see what we'll do about it. Notice.
127 He told them, said, "Now, if you can't believe Me, believe the works that I do; they testify Who I am." They should have known it, but they didn't. They...
128He was God, Who created, the Creator of the winds and the sea. If He could create the winds and the sea, could He not more make them obey His Word? If He created everything, can't He make everything obey? Let us remember, also, He created our bodies, they also will have to obey His Word. "Well," you say, "if I could just be sure of that." Well, we are sure of it. He is here to prove it so. They have to obey it. Remember. He has got...
129When we are laying, nothing but maybe a spoonful of ashes, He promised to raise up that ashes. He promised to raise it up. The body has to obey Him. And that's when we die, we rest assure that we'll be raised up, because He promised He would do it. And His promise is His Word, and we believe. You believe in the resurrection of the body? [Congregation says, "Amen."--Ed.] Sure. If you're not, you're not a Christian. So we believe that He'll raise us up at the last days. He promised to do it. And what is that? That's His Word. That's where we stake everything that we got, right on that Word.
130 And then when it comes to the time that we see the Word being identified, to be with us; then we're like the disciples, in another case when they was out on the sea, and--and they was about to sink again, in another occasion. And they seen Jesus come walking on the water, and they got scared. They said, "It's--it's a spook. It's scary." Afraid it was a spirit, and they cried out with fear. The only thing that could help them, they was a scared of it.
131And so is it today, the very only thing that can help people, they're afraid of it. He said, "Fear not. It's I." He speaks. How would you know it was Him? He is identified by His Word. That's the way He's identified the first time. That's the way He's identified every time, by His Word. Notice.
132 After these discip-... disciples found themselves at the end, it must have dawned on some of them that the Creator was still with them.
133I hope it does that to us, tonight, for Hebrews 13:8 says He's the same.
134Then what did they do? They awakened Jesus. "Go wake-a Jesus. Wake Him, call Him on the scene!" He is very easy called. They had seen, seen so many things that God had done, and--and--and the Words a vindicating Him. So have we. And He was not hard to be called into action.
135They woke Him up, and said, "Do You... carest Thou not that we perish?"
You say, "How can we be sure of this? Can we prove it?"
136John 14:12, Jesus said, "He that believeth on Me, the works that I do shall he do also." That's exactly. Our faith bringing Christ in our presence.
137 He said in--in Luke, 17th chapter, "In the last days when the Son of man is being revealed, it'd be a time like Sodom and Gomorrah." We see that happening.
138He said, before that time taken place, in Malachi 4, that, "There would be a Message go forth that would restore the people back to the original Faith that was once delivered to the people." Always God's program to do that. And then the wicked would be ashes, and the righteous would walk out upon their feet.
139We see all these promised. He is waiting right now for you, you, you, every one of you, to call Him on the scene. Calling Him the scene! That's where He wants to be, called on the scene of action. Notice when you call Him on the scene, so then we'd say, "Let us wake Him." Then, call Him to confirm His Word and the--the thing that He promised to do, the way He would. We would know, in the revelation of Jesus Christ in the last days, will be like it was in the days of Sodom. He promised that revelation to the Church, when He would be revealed. So don't doubt and fear, He is the same yesterday, today, and forever.
140 I heard a woman, one time, when I was talking about Him being so great. She said, "There is one thing I have against your teaching, Mr. Branham."
141I said, "Well, thank you, if you only have one thing." I said, "I--I hope God only finds it that way." And she said, "Well, you brag too much on Jesus."
142I said, "I hope that's the only thing is against me." And--and I said, "I don't brag enough on Him."
143She said, "Oh, yes, you do." Said, "You make Him Divine." It was a woman that didn't believe that Jesus was Divine. She was a Christian Science. And said, "You make Him--you make Him Divine, make Him God."
144I said, "He is either God, or the greatest deceiver the world ever knowed." I said, "He..."
145Said, "Well, I can prove to you, by your Bible, that He wasn't. He was just merely a prophet."
I said, "He was a prophet, truly, but He was God, also."
Said, "He was a man and He was mortal."
I said, "That's true, also."
146She said, "On the road down to raise Lazarus from the grave, Saint John the 11th chapter, said, the Bible said, 'Jesus wept.'"
I said, "That's true."
147She said, "Well, that proves that He couldn't be Divine, and weeping."
148 I said, "Oh, my, lady, is that your argument?" I said, "That's a weak one." She said... I said, "True, He was a Man when He was weeping; but when He put His little body in motion, pulled His little shoulders back and said, 'Lazarus, come forth,' and a man that had been dead four days, and was rottening in the grave, stood on his feet and lived again, that was more than a man. That was God."
149 He was a man, out here in this boat that night, when He was out on the sea, where ten thousand devils of the sea swore they would drown Him. That little old boat tossed about like a bottle stopper out there on the stormy sea. He was a man, tired, sleeping. But when they awakened Him and called Him on the scene, He put one foot upon the brail and looked up, and said, "Peace, be still," and the winds and the waves obeyed Him. That was more than a man. That was God.
150He was a man when He come down off the mountain, hungry, looking on a tree to find something to eat. He was a man when He was hungry. But when He taken five biscuits and two fish, and fed five thousand, that was more than a man. That was God in that man.
151Every person that's ever amounted to a hill of beans, has been people who believed that. Right. Poets and whatmore believed that, that God was in Christ, reconciling Himself to the world.
152 And now Christ is in the Church, reconciling the people to God. He promised to do it. It has been written, that, "He is the same yesterday, today, and forever." You believe that? [Congregation says, "Amen."--Ed.] I believe it with all my heart, that He's just waiting now to be called on the scene. Now the only thing can call Him on the scene, is for us to awaken Him in ourselves, call Him on the scene.
153 He was the greatest gift that God ever give the world. "God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son; whosoever believeth in Him will not perish; have Eternal Life." Watch God and His gift. Now, the people used God's gift.
154A little woman, one time, she believed that, that He was the manifestation of God in flesh. And she said, "If I touch His garment, I--I--I'll be made whole."
155Now, she touched His garment. And He turned around, and said, "Who touched Me? See, virtue, strength, has gone from Me." She touched His garment. That was her using God's gift. See? He got weak from that.
But when He went away from the home of Lazarus...
156Remember, Saint John 5:19, Jesus said, "Verily, verily, I say unto you, the Son can do nothing in Himself, but what He sees the Father doing." Remember, Jesus Christ never performed one miracle, never did anything in the way of the supernatural, until first He saw a vision on what to do. How many believes that to be the truth? [Congregation says, "Amen."--Ed.] Saint John 5, "Verily, not what I hear, not what somebody tells Me; what I see the Father doing, that doeth the Son likewise." Now if that isn't so, then the rest of the Scripture isn't so. "Verily, verily, I say unto you, the Son can do nothing in Himself; but what He sees the Father doing, that doeth the Son. The Father worketh, and I worketh hitherto." In other words, He just acted out, done what God told Him to do.
157 Now, remember, when He went away from the home of Lazarus, He was gone several days. Lazarus got sick, and they sent for Him. He didn't go. Two days later, Lazarus got sicker. So they sent for Him again, He still didn't go. Then when the appropriated time, the Father had showed Him would happen, Lazarus died. And He turned, when Lazarus died, said, "Lazarus is dead, and I'm glad for your sake I wasn't there." They'd be wanting Him to pray for him, and so forth. He just done what God told Him to do, what He saw, a vision. See, He had seen a vision on what to do. "But I go wake him." Hum! There you are.
158Watch Martha coming to see Him. She said, "Lord, if Thou would have been here, my brother would not have died. But even now, whatever You ask God, God will give it to You." See?
159He knowed what He was going to do. Watch Him at the grave of Lazarus. He said, "Father, I thank Thee, Thou hast heard Me already, but I just said it for these who stand by."
160"Lazarus, come forth!" And Lazarus raised from the dead.
161Now, He never said a thing about getting weak there. That was God using His gift. And the people using God's gift was different.
162For, He was the Word. "And the Word is sharper than a two-edged sword," says the Bible, "and discerns the thoughts and intents of the heart." That proves that God is in the midst of the people. Yes. Let us believe it. He is ready, according to His Word, to be called on the scene, tonight.
163 How many is here sick and needy, raise up your hands. Let's see your hands, how many is sick and needy, anywhere. Well, the only thing He is waiting for is to be called on the scene. Just ask Him.
164Now what if He was standing here with this suit that He gave me, and you come up in front of Him and said, "Lord Jesus, I want You to heal me," you know what He'd say? "I've already done it."
165"He was wounded for our transgressions; with His stripes we were healed." He can't do it the second time. So, see, He has already done it. You have to believe it. There is nothing you can do, meritorial to anything, to--to earn your salvation or healing. There is nothing you can do about it. It's a free gift of God. See, it's grace, a free gift. If I give you a million dollars and you straighten up my tie; I didn't give it to you; you done something for it. See? God's gifts is free. The only thing you have to do is believe it, that He has purchased this for you, you. He... It's already purchased. He did it for you. And there is not a man in the world...
166 I don't know what you've had here in Baton Rouge. Everything is drifting the country, impersonations and that. We know that's just got to be that way. But when a man comes in and tell you he has power to heal you, he is lying. God alone can heal. "I'm the Lord thy God who heals all thy diseases." He'll not share His glory with anybody. There is no man has power to heal.
167But there is man who has gifts, to manifest God. Your pastor... [Brother Branham coughs--Ed.] Pardon me. He can take God, by a gift of--of... A teacher, he can explain the Word so you're bound to see It. If you got any eyes to see with, you'll see it. There is another one, maybe some other gift. But there is always a gift that manifests the Presence of God, and, through there, you yourself have to believe it.
168 A sinner might come here to the altar as a young man or woman, at the age of fourteen years old, and they would bring you your meals here, and you would cry to the Lord, until you were ninety years old, you would never be saved. But you've got to first accept what He done for you. See? You've got to accept it, yourself. Then when you accept it, then He is the High Priest, mediator, to make intercessions upon your confession of what you believe.
169Now that's the same thing by a gift this way. It's getting your own mind away from you, and then see what He says do.
170 I see people come to the platform, they jump up-and-down and scream, and say, "Oh, Brother Branham, I got all faith in the world." What are you doing up here, then? See? That's--that's emotion, and not faith.
171Genuine faith knows no defeat. It's already done. It's already over. God said so, and that finishes it, you see. "God said so!" Now it's the same thing, any time. When you really believe it, that touches Him.
172Now that little woman that touched His garment, she said, "If I but just only touch His garment, I'll be made whole," and she did it. And when she carried out what her faith wanted her to do, "touch it," He felt it, see, and He turned around and spoke to her.
173Now, He is the same yesterday, today, and forever. If you will just only believe Christ, believe! Let your faith touch His garment. And He, right now, is the High Priest that can be touched by the feeling of our infirmities. We all know that. And if He's the same yesterday, today, and forever, He'll have to act today as He did yesterday if He's the same High Priest. Now won't you believe it? Just have faith in God.
174 If I have told you a lie, then God won't back it up. But I've told you the Truth, He'll--He'll back It. He is obligated to back the Truth up.
175Jesus said, "I have a witness." And the witness is God's Word, of course. Said, "There the Scriptures testify of Me. If they don't testify of Me, then don't believe it." See?
176And if the Scriptures doesn't testify of what I'm telling you now, that, "He's the same yesterday, today, and forever," then don't believe the Scripture. Because, the Scripture said He was, and He promised these things for this last age. Remember, just at the end of the Jewish age, that's how He reveal Hisself, Messiah. The end of the--the age of the Samaritans, He did the same. Now it's the end of the Gentile age. He's the same yesterday, today, and forever.
177Awaken Him in your conscience, call Him on the scene, while we bow our heads.
178 Heavenly Father, just a word from You now will be a sufficient. It'll be all that we need, just a word from You. May the people clearly understand what the achievement, what we are trying to do, Lord, is to--is to let them get the benefits of the Lord Jesus that they love and serve. May they do it tonight, Lord. Because, Your death was not in vain. You were "wounded for our transgressions, bruised for our iniquity." "The chastisement of our peace was upon Him, and with His stripes we were healed." I pray, God, that every one in here, in Divine Presence, will understand this and will get the vision, and will be healed for the glory of God. Through Jesus Christ's Name, I present myself with this congregation, to His honor and glory. Amen.
179 Now be real reverent, just for a few minutes. Now just a word from Him will mean more than all I could say, or all anyone else could say, because it's Him a doing it. He is the one. He is the doer, and we are trusting that the--the Lord Jesus will grant these things to you now, each one.
180Now let's see what time. I didn't know it was that. I tell you, to get out here on time, what we're supposed to, we haven't the time to bring up this line. Let's call it right from the audience.
181 Now let's just take the Scripture, just a minute. Now the Bible promises, in this day, that the repeat of Sodom and Gomorrah will be repeated. How many believe that now, raise up your hand? The Bible identifies that now.
182And then what was that at Sodom and Gomorrah? It was God in the form of human being. And the way that Abraham knowed it, is when He said, "Why did Sarah laugh in the tent, behind? Or, why did she doubt it, the words that He had spoke to be so?" He could perceive what Sarah was thinking, behind Him. Now you just see if that wasn't.
183Now, that wasn't to the church of Babylon, or the church of Sodom. No, no. That wasn't to them people down there in the denominational ranks. No, sir, never goes to them. They got their messenger. See?
184But to the elected Church, the super Seed of Abraham that's supposed to believe the Word regardless of what circumstances is, "Abraham called those things which were not as though they were." God said so, and he believed it. Now, friend, I--I know that God is obligated to this Word, to keep It.
185 Now I want you, wherever you are in the building, to set reverent for a few moments, wherever you are. And believe, just believe with all your heart.
186Now if I could heal you, if I could heal this little girl that my heart goes out for, if I could heal that little thing laying there, I--I--I would--I would crawl from here to the North Pole, if I could, to do it, or anybody that's got any human feeling. But I could no more do that than nothing. Maybe some of you there won't live but a little bit, with a cancer. If I could heal you, I'd be... I wouldn't be fit to stand in this platform if I could do it and wouldn't do it. Now, I couldn't. My heart goes for you. I'd do it if I could, but I can't. There is no other man can do it. That's right. But, you see, Jesus has already done it. See? And He is only trying to get you to believe that. But you...
187 I feel sorry for the people. There's been so many things that's just blinded them, this way and that way, till, poor people, like sheep without a shepherd, hardly. They don't know what to do. One says this and one says that. Don't think what man has said. "Days of miracles is passed. There is no such thing as the baptism of the Holy Ghost."
188And, remember, Peter said, on the Day of Pentecost, "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." See?
189Jesus promised these things would happen in the last days, that God would return in the form of human flesh, like you and I here tonight, and would work that same thing just before the world would be destroyed. And the world would be like a Sodom. See? Now we got the Sodom condition right; every position, every person, everything setting just exactly right.
190Now can't our faith come to that? Can't we call Him on the scene? Call Him on the scene. Your faith is the only thing can do it. Now you believe with all your heart, each one of you now.
191 And I want to ask you something. Without any prayer cards,... -out anybody up here, if that great Holy Spirit will come down here, and by the anointing of you and the anointing on me, and will identify that Jesus Christ is working in among us like this, what more could He do? There is not another promise in the Bible, above that. That's the supreme promise. How many knows that? Sure, it is. It's the--it's the last thing to the church age.
192The Jews, in time of the Tribulation period, and on the... there they have a--a visit back there, but not to the Gentile church.
193This is the last thing promised to the Gentile. It's true. See, it was the Gentiles down there in Sodom, was going to be burned. And that, here is the--the Bride, which was the Royal Seed of Abraham, being the Bride called out from amongst the Gentile. That's their ending sign, all of it.
194 Mark it in your book. I'm an old man. But just mark it in your book and see if it comes to pass, or not. See, you're at the end now. When? I don't know. I'm looking for Him today. If He isn't here today, I'll be looking for Him tomorrow. If He isn't there tomorrow, I'll be looking the next day. If He isn't here this year, I'll be looking next year for Him. I know He is coming. I don't know the minute or hour, but I know everything is fulfilled, ready for the Rapture. The Church is called out. It'll be a secret going; just vanish, and that'll be all.
195And the world go right on just the same, people preaching, and people thinking they're getting saved, just exactly like they did in the days of Noah, so forth. Noah entered in the ark, and people went right on, and the world turning just the same. Think of it! And, Eternally lost, thinking they're saved.
196 Some of these days I'm going to bring a big tent in this country, and pitch it up here, so we can have afternoon services, and instructions, so you can understand these things better. Get all our brethren together so we can have services.
197Now if Jesus Christ fulfills His promise, then we are obligated to believe Him. I want you all, each one of you, just to have just simple child-like faith, to believe Him.
198Now as you just kind of start with your heads bowed, and start praying, saying, "Lord Jesus, now I know that this man doesn't know me. And I am needy. And we're told that You're a High Priest that can be touched by the feeling of our infirmities. If You will just let him... If I can touch You, just speak through him, Lord, that I'll, I know his... know it's You. I know he doesn't know me."
199And that's out there in the audience, just a mixed up audience; of belief, unbelief, make-belief; sinners, saint, and all together.
200 Now you must believe. Now if He will do this from this audience here, I want each one of you in here, say, "Brother Branham, I--I know that's--that's has to be Him that's looking upon the congregation as He did then." I want you, if you really will believe, I want you to raise your hand, say, "Lord, I'll accept it with all my heart, that I believe it's Christ Jesus, according to His promise." All over the building. God bless you. That's fine. Oh, it's just too bad we haven't got a month to be around here. See, just let... I'm new to you. See, it's hard. You just keep believing.
201Now, it's a Light. God is Light, we know that, Pillar of Fire. And now you just pray and touch It, and may the Lord Jesus answer.
202Now I take every spirit in here under my control, in the Name of Jesus Christ, for His glory. Now be real reverent. Pray. Be real reverent.
203 Now, here It is. There is a lady right here in front of me. She has got her head down, and she is praying for her own affliction. If you want to raise your head now, she is right here in front of me. Do you believe with all your heart? Do you believe that God can heal that diabetes and make you well? Now, that's what you have, diabetes. I do not know you. You're a total stranger to me. But do you believe me to be His servant? If--if we are strangers to one another, raise up your hand, like that, so the people will see. See? All right. See, here is the lady. And now she is suffering with a diabetic condition. And you believe that God can tell me who you are? Would it make you believe? You're Mrs. Martin. If that's right, raise your hand. See? You just have faith. Don't doubt. Have faith.
204Now what did she touch? I want to ask the audience. What did she touch? There is a woman with her right hand up, and mine, too, before God. See? She touched Something. Just a simple little woman, it actually, to tell you the truth, now you see if this is the truth, it surprised her. She didn't know she had that much faith. Faith is not something you manufacture; it's something you have. See? She was surprised. Even right now the woman feels different than what she did a few minutes ago. She knows something has happened to her.
205 Here, don't you see that Light? Right. See It right here over this woman right here, right back here? She is suffering with a... She has got her head down. She is praying. But she is suffering with trouble with her back. If she'll believe with all of her heart, she can be healed of that back trouble. Sure.
206She is going to miss it, as certain as anything. See, her prayer is still moving on. Lord, help me. Mrs. DeVille, it's you. That's grace. The woman was praying, wasn't even thinking, don't even hear me say nothing. Now you ask her if she knows me. That's who she is, and that's what her trouble.
207So what did she touch? That's the vindication of Jesus Christ, the Word, discerns the thoughts that's in the heart.
208 Do you believe? Just have faith. Pray, anywhere. Just believe. That's all you have to do. Just believe, just believe I've told you the Truth. Now, I'm not He. I'm just His servant, just His servant.
209If you'd just have faith enough! I can't call him. I know what his trouble, but, see, just wait a while and maybe it'll change. Certainly not impossible, but you got to move out of that bracket. He can't believe for himself. Got to believe for him.
210A lady suffering with kidney trouble. She isn't from here. She is from Mississippi. She'll believe with all of her heart, God will heal the kidney trouble. Mrs. Palmer, if you'll believe with all your heart, you can be healed of it. It's left you. Turned Light over her. It's gone from her. Have faith in God. Don't doubt.
211 There is a lady sitting right next to her. She is suffering with arthritis. Do you believe me to be God's prophet, lady? You do? Do you believe if God will tell me who you are, will that help you to believe? Your name is Mrs. Meadow. You believe with all your heart now, you can be healed, too.
212That caught fire to a lady next to her. She is sitting there, also. There It going, right down the line. A lady sitting there, she is suffering with... Next to her, suffering with a diabetes, a sugar diabetes. They want her to go at the hospital, but she refuses to do it. She's got a son she is praying for, also. That son isn't here, but do you believe God can tell me what's wrong with that son? He's got heart trouble. You believe, and He'll heal you. Do you believe God can tell me who you are? Mrs. Dufflee, D-u, double f, l, double e. Kind of... That's right. Is that right, raise up your hand, with your hands up. All right. Now you believe, and you can be made well, too.
213 Do you believe that that's the same thing that that... You believe that Jesus Christ's Presence is here now? [Congregation says, "Amen."--Ed.] How many accepts that? ["Amen."] Oh, what a security! What a security! See?
214What did you do? You awakened Him. You brought Him on the scene. Here He is on the scene. That don't make any difference what the boats are saying. Remember, He can say, "Peace, be still."
215Do you believe it with all your heart? [Congregation rejoices and says, "Amen."--Ed.] If you do, stand up on your feet and accept it. Stand up and say, "I believe it with all my heart." Raise right up to your feet. "I now believe." That's right, no matter what's your trouble, stand up, give Him Praise.
216Heavenly Father, we bring to You this audience. They are conscious that You're here, Lord.
May every devil, unbelief, may it leave its hold, and may Jesus Christ heal all of you.
217Satan, come out of this audience! In the Name of Jesus Christ, you are resented.