Jeden z milióna
Keď Izrael opustil Egypt, bolo tam približne dva milióny ľudí, ktorí odišli v rovnakom čase. Každý z nich počul posolstvo proroka. Každý z nich videl Ohnivý Stĺp. Každý z nich bol pokrstený na Mojžiša v Červenom mori. Každý z nich kričal v Duchu, hral na tamburíne a poskakoval hore a dolu na púšti s Miriam, keď Mojžiš spieval v Duchu. Každý jeden z nich pil z tej istej duchovnej skaly. Oni, každý jeden jedol čerstvú mannu každý večer, každý jeden z nich. Ale len dvaja vošli do zeme: jeden z milióna.
Čo bol ten test? Oni všetci pili z tej istej skaly, jedli tú istú duchovnú mannu, ako jeme my dnes ráno, ale test Slova ich vyskúšal. Keď to prišlo k času Kádeš Barney, keď začali prichádzať do zasľúbenej zeme... A oni nemohli prejsť, kým neboli testovaní Slovom. A všetci ostatní... Desiati sa vrátili a povedali, „Nedokážeme to, ľudia sú ako... Sme ako kobylky v porovnaní s nimi, ich veľký múr okolo mesta. Opozícia je príliš obrovská.“
Ale Jozua a Kálef tíšili ľud. Povedali, „Sme viac ako schopní to dokázať.“
1Ďakujem, brat Shakarian, dobré ráno, priatelia. Je to určite dobré, byť znovu dnes ráno tu v Los Angeles pred týmto nádherným zhromaždením, nadchádzajúcim zhromaždením, ktoré bude budúci týždeň v Hoteli Embassy. Očakávam, že vás tam všetkých uvidím. A sme všetci vo veľkom očakávaní, aby sme sa stretli s naším Pánom Ježišom Kristom, aby sme Ho tu videli.
2On zasľúbil, že kde sa zhromaždia dvaja alebo traja, On tam bude prítomný. Som si istý, že som Ho dnes ráno stretol, keď som vystupoval po schodoch sem do auditória, kde sú všetci ľudia vo veľkom očakávaní, čakajú na raňajky a na kázanie. A je dobré tu byť zhromaždený spolu s vami a s tými, čo počúvajú prostredníctvom rádia. Je ich tu toľko, musel som ísť dolu na druhé poschodie a mal som s niektorými rozhovor. Videl som tak veľa modlitebných potrieb; problémy so srdcom a rozličné choroby tela. A sme tu preto, aby sme sa modlili za chorých a trpiacich.
3Práve, ako som prešiel ten posledný schod, (Pozerám sa teraz na jedného starého džentlmena,) prišiel ku mne a povedal, „Brat Branham, pred rokmi...“ Povedal, že mal problémy so srdcom, až také vážne, že si mysleli, že zomrie. A pomodlil som sa za neho a z milosti Božej bol uzdravený a je tu dnes ráno, v jeho osemdesiatich rokoch, a raduje sa. No, to nám dáva chopiť sa novej nádeje.
4A teraz úpenlivo prosím o modlitby ľudí tam vonku, pri rádiách, ako aj za ľudí tu. Potom, ako opustím zhromaždenie, odchádzam do Európy, dolu do Afriky a naokolo, budem tam mať zhromaždenia. Idem tam na základe videnia. Som si istý, že to budú nádherné zhromaždenia. Roky som cítil, že Pán chce, aby som sa vrátil s tou malou skromnou službou, ktorú mi dal, nemyslím si, že to tam zakončil. Zdá sa, že tam niekde musí byť duša, ktorú by som mohol chytiť do siete Evanjelia, niekto, koho mi On dal pre Svoj ľud, prostredníctvom Božieho uzdravenia, modlenia sa za chorých. A ja skutočne potrebujem vaše modlitby, vás ľudí tu a tých, ktorí počúvajú pri rádiách.
5No, nemám čas, aby som zobral nejaký text a kázal, čo očakávam, že budem po pár minútach tu v auditóriu robiť, ale iba aby som chvíľu hovoril, aby sme sa tak mohli trochu spoznať. A za tých ľudí tam vonku sa budem modliť, rovnako ako za ľudí tu. Je to pre mňa veľkým potešením, stretnúť všetkých týchto milých priateľov, ktorých som nikdy predtým nestretol. Jednoducho prísť sem dnes ráno a mať s nimi kontakt.
6Mali sme dobrý čas na zhromaždeniach na iných miestach. Nechodím tak veľa mimo ako predtým, je tak veľa čo robiť. My sa iba snažíme tú cestu medzi Jeffersonville, Indianou a Tucsonom, Arizonou zohrievať. Prišli sme tam pred pár rokmi skrze Pánove videnie, kam nás poslal, bez toho, aby som vedel, kam idem. A mnohí z vás tu v Cliftone, rozprával som sa s vami pred tým, ako som odišiel, na zhromaždení vo Phoenixe, o tom videní, ktoré prišlo. Videl som zoskupených sedem anjelov. A viem, vy pri rádiách, možno mnohí z vás nie sú z Plného Evanjelia a možno sa vám to zdá trochu záhadné, čo bolo aj pre mňa, ale existuje... Každý, kto môže všetko vysvetliť, nepotrebujete mať viac do toho vieru. Sú veci, ktoré nemôžeme vysvetliť, musíme ich prijať vierou.
7Nemôžeme vysvetliť Boha. Žiaden človek nemôže vysvetliť Boha. On je suverénny a je veľký a mocný. My to iba prijímame, pretože vieme, že On je. A potom, skrze vieru to prijímame, On nám na to dáva odpoveď cez krst Duchom Svätým, o čom vám tu budem o chvíľu hovoriť, o „Božom spôsobe, mieste uctievania.“
A to jediné miesto, kde ho môžeš uctievať, to jediné miesto, kde sa On s tebou stretne, On má... Je jedna cirkev, jedno miesto, jeden čas, jeden ľud, ktorých Boh stretáva. A dúfam, že Pán požehná posolstvo tu vo vašich srdciach.
8No, ako som prišiel do Tucsonu, bolo to zvláštne, povedať vám o tých videniach, v Mene Pánovom. Ani jediný krát, nakoľko si len môžem spomenúť (opýtam sa každého, či si môžu spomenúť), nebolo, keď On niečo povedal, že by to nebola pravda. Vždy sa to presne tak vyplnilo, ako povedal, že sa to stane.
9On je zaviazaný, podľa Písma, prísť v týchto posledných dňoch, v takomto type služby: to bude po krste Duchom Svätým a hovorenie v jazykoch a Božské uzdravenie, a tak ďalej, tieto veci završujú letničné posolstvo, a to je to, o čom dnes hovoríme. Táto služba Krista Samého stelesnená medzi Jeho ľudom, s tými istými vecami, ako činil, keď bol na zemi; v Jeho tele, v Neveste, ktorá je časťou Neho, ktorá robí to isté, tak ako ženích a nevesta alebo kráľ a kráľovná, rovno pred svadobným obradom.
10Tento týždeň, ak bude Pán chcieť, chcel by som o niečom hovoriť, tu vonku v našej kampani v Hoteli Embassy, a aby sme sa trochu navzájom oboznámili, robím to takým skromným spôsobom. Čas a hodina, v ktorej žijeme... Ak človek nevie, ktorou cestou sa vybrať, čo robiť alebo ako sa otočiť, nekráčate viac s vierou, ale iba hádate. Ste trúfalí. A trúfalosť je konať bez oficiálnej autority. Teda, ak nemáme oficiálnu autoritu, aby sme vedeli, čo Boh povedal, že sa bude diať v tejto hodine, ako vôbec chceme čeliť tejto hodine? A máme jej čeliť vierou v Jeho Slovo, veciam, ktoré sa majú stať teraz, a stav, v ktorom sa nachádzajú národy, stav ľudí, stav, v ktorom sa nachádza cirkev atď.
11Musíme to rozpoznať, a potom ako kráčať a postaviť tomu. Ak nevieš, ako na to, si len, ako sme to zvykli volať, hazardér, skočiť do toho a dúfať, že to tam bude a dúfať to a ono, no bude to tak? Ale Boh od nás nechce, aby sme to robili. Chce od nás, aby sme vedeli, čo povedal o tomto dni, a ísť cez to vierou, pretože On povedal, že to bude týmto spôsobom. Potom viete, že máte pravdu, lebo vám to nepovedala nejaká osoba: máš Jeho Slovo, čo s tým musíš urobiť. A my dúfame, že náš nebeský Otec nám to tento týždeň potvrdí.
12No, je mi ľúto, že som odbočil od toho, čo som pred chvíľou hovoril o príchode do Tucsonu. Myslel som si, že to je koniec môjho života. Pomyslel som si, že nikto nikdy nemôže vydržať ten šok z toho stavu, ktorý som mal, v to ráno okolo desiatej, keď som mal to videnie, že by niekto mohol ešte žiť po niečom takom. No, prišiel som do Tucsonu, zariadil som so synom nejaké veci pre moju ženu a deti, šiel som s ním, potom, ako som odišiel, pretože som si myslel, že to je môj koniec. A ja, vo Phoenixe, na veľa zhromaždeniach pred tým som o tom hovoril, ako sa to stane, skôr, ako sa to vôbec stalo.
13No, niekoľko mesiacov potom som bol jedno ráno v Kaňone Sabino (čo je presne sever Tucsonu). Bol som tam hore, aby som sa modlil. A zatiaľ čo som sa modlil, mal som ruky zodvihnuté hore vo vzduchu a hovoril som, „Otče, prosím Ťa, aby si mi nejako pomohol, dal mi silu v hodine, ktorej teraz čelím. A ak sa moja práca tu na zemi skončila, potom musím prísť k Tebe. Neľutujem to, že by som prišiel, a viem, že Ty sa postaráš o moju rodinu, a ja Ťa iba prosím o silu do tejto hodiny.“ A niečo mi padlo do ruky!
14No, vy, pri rádiových prijímačoch, možno vám to, čo som povedal, znie divne, ale je to pravda a Boh je mojím sudcom. Pozrel som sa do ruky a bol to meč, ktorý mal kryt cez rukoväť, a samotná rukoväť bola z perál a vyzerala ako zo zlata a malo to akoby ochranný kryt nad rukoväťou. A meč samotný vyzeral, akoby sa jagal, ako, ó, niečo ako chróm, alebo niečo jagajúce sa na slnku.
15No, bolo okolo desiatej alebo jedenástej ráno, na ceste na vrchol hory. Môžete si predstaviť, ako by sa človek (cítim, že som pri zmysloch) cítil stojac tam s mečom odnikadiaľ, nikde žiadni ľudia na míle a míle ďaleko, držiac toto vo svojej ruke. Cítil som ho, vzal a mával čepeľou dopredu a dozadu a, no, bol to meč!
16A poobzeral som sa dookola a povedal som, „No, teraz. Ako sa to vôbec mohlo stať! Tu, stojím priamo tu a nikoho tu niet na míle a míle ďaleko dookola, odkiaľ to prišlo?“ A povedal som, „No, predpokladám, že je to možno Pán, ktorý mi hovorí, že je to môj posledný čas, koniec.“ A hlas prehovoril a povedal, „To je meč Kráľa.“ A myslel som, „No, (nejaký) meč. Potom je to ako pre kráľa, keď pasuje za rytiera, viete, ako to robili v Anglicku a na rôznych miestach.“ Myslel som, „To je to, na čo to je, na pasovanie za rytiera.“ A pomyslel som si, „No, možno sa odo mňa očakáva položiť ruky na ľudí.“ Mal som všetky druhy... Ľudská myseľ môže byť zamiešaná, viete. Vy neviete. Naše mysle sú ohraničené. Jeho je neohraničená. Tak, a ako som... Potom to z mojej ruky zmizlo, nevedel som, kam to odišlo, jednoducho to zmizlo.
17No, ak by človek nerozumel niečo o duchovných veciach, zbláznili by ste sa. Stáli by ste tam a čudovali by ste sa, čo sa stalo. A On povedal, „To videnie neznamená tvoj koniec. Je to pre tvoju službu. Tento meč je Slovo. Sedem pečatí bude otvorených, tajomstvá...“
18A potom, o dva týždne, alebo vlastne o dva mesiace po tomto, bol som na horách s hŕstkou priateľov, keď sa to stalo. Sedem anjelov, práve tak jasne, ako tu stojíte, sa sformovalo dolu z nebies. Skaly z hôr sa rútili dolu kopcami a ľudia, ktorí tam stáli, kričali a utekali, viete, a prach lietal všade naokolo. A keď to bolo, povedal, „Vráť sa domov. Teraz bude... Každý anjel bude jednou pečaťou tých siedmich pečatí.“
19Je to na páske. A čoskoro vyjde kniha, teraz ju trochu „gramatizujú“. Ako viete, moja gramatika nie je veľmi dobrá a ľudia by ne... Buďte iba ľuďmi, ktorí ma milujú a vedia, ako ma porozumieť s mojou gramatikou. Ale nejakí teológovia tam pre mňa „gramatizujú“ a vyberajú všetky... No, možno som použil nesprávne slovo, ja to dokonca neviem. Tak, počul som niekoho sa smiať; tak hádam to slovo „zgramatizovanie“ nebolo správne. Ale ako Holanďan, berte ma za to, čo myslím, a nie za to, čo hovorím, skutočne.
20A bolo mi povedané, že už máme len tri minúty do skončenia programu. No, drahí priatelia tam vonku pri rádiách a vy, ktorí ste tu chorí a v potrebe, položili by ste teraz iba ruky jeden na druhého, kým sa budeme modliť za chorých. No, Ježiš povedal, Jeho posledné poverenie do cirkvi, „Tieto znamenia budú nasledovať tých, ktorí veria.“ Tých, ktorí veria. „Keď položia ruky na chorých, budú uzdravení.“
21Drahý nebeský Otče, sme dnes ako deti. Sme poslušní tomu, čo si povedal, aby sme robili. Kladieme ruky na všetky tieto telefonické prosby. Ty ich vidíš tam po krajine vonku, ako trpia a sú v potrebe. Vidíš tých, ktorí sú tu v potrebe a trpia. A my ich porúčame Tebe, drahý Bože, vo viere v Tvoje Slovo: kde si povedal, „Tieto znamenia budú nasledovať tých, ktorí veria. Keď položia svoje ruky na chorých, budú uzdravení.“ Potvrď to, Pane, v Mene Ježiša Krista. Amen. [Brat Branham končí rádiové vysielanie. - pozn.prekl.]
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22Ďakujem, brat Shakarian. Je to určite veľké privilégium byť znovu pri vysielaní, hovoriť k niektorým z našich priateľov pri rádiách, tam vonku, ako aj k tu k prítomným. Určite rozširujeme to pozvanie, aby ste prišli zajtra poobede do hotela Embassy, aby bolo za vás modlené. A nielen to, ale aby boli prinesení hriešnici a upadnutí. Keď jednoducho máme modlitby za chorých a vidíme, ako Boh ustavične robí zázraky, ale to je druhoradé. To najdôležitejšie je byť spasený, naplnený Duchom Svätým, o čom vám tu o chvíľu budem hovoriť, ako byť naplnení Duchom Svätým, ide o tú dostatočnosť.
23Božské uzdravenie väčšinou zaujme pozornosť ľudí a prinesie ich do prítomnosti Božej, keď Boh robí niečo, o čom vedia, že je ne... No, nie je to porozumené. Nemôžeme to mechanicky ukázať, ako sa to deje. Boh to robí Svojím vlastným ohromným spôsobom. Potom to zaujme pozornosť ľudí, dáva im poznať, že je tam niekde prítomnosť moci, ktorá môže spôsobiť niečo, čo je poza ľudským chápaním. A to spôsobuje, že sa pozrú na Baránka Božieho.
24A vždy Božské uzdravenie, bolo mi povedané, a tiež to tak verím, že okolo šesťdesiat, možno sedemdesiat percent našej služby Pánovi bolo Božské uzdravenie. A On to urobil, aby zaujal pozornosť ľudí. Potom, keď tam boli, povedal, „Ak neuveríte, že Ja som, zomriete vo svojich hriechoch.“ No, Božské uzdravenie je dobrou návnadou na zaujatie ľudí, aby sa pozreli na Pána Ježiša.
25Dr.F.F.Bosworth (ktorý bol priateľom mnohých vás, poznali ste ho i jeho službu), veľa pre mňa znamenal. Ako mladý kazateľ, keď som začal kázať a narazil som na brata Boswortha. Zvykol hovoriť, že Božské uzdravenie (hrubo povedané, no), hovoril, „Božské uzdravenie je návnada na háčiku rybárskej udice.“ Povedal, „Nikdy neukážeš rybe háčik, ukážeš jej návnadu. Keď ide po návnade, chytí sa na háčik.“
Preto sa to snažíme robiť, je to... Naším cieľom je dostať ľudí ku Pánovi Ježišovi Kristovi. A On je tým istým včera, dnes a naveky. Teda ako bol v uplynulých dňoch Uzdravovateľom, je aj dnes Uzdravovateľom.
26Ešte jedno osobné svedectvo pred tým, ako sa budem modliť za chorých pri rádiách, tam vonku. Bolo to pred pár dňami, sedel som na horách, kde sa medzi pätnástimi alebo dvadsiatimi bratmi prihodila nádherná vec; tam, kde prišiel anjel Pánov dolu a ohromné svetlo letelo ako kométa, burácalo to pohoriami a skaly lietali asi na šesťdesiat metrov alebo viac a osekávali vrcholky stromov. Stál som priamo pod tým. Povedal som im krátko pred tým, ako sa to stalo, že to tam bude a ako sa to stane. Úprimne, bolo to povedané deň predtým. A všetci títo mužovia utekali popod nákladiak a všetko, snažili sa dostať preč odtiaľ. Nevedeli, čo sa stalo. A On prehovoril a povedal, čo sa stane presne potom.
27Sedel som tam na určitej skale, presne, kde sa zjavil... Mal som kamaráta, ktorý bol s nami, ktorý pochádzal z Minnesoty. Jeho ľudia sú tu dnes ráno, nie som si istý, ale možno je tu, na niektorom poschodí. To bol Donavon Weerts a milý mladý chlapík, luterán, ktorý práve vydal svoj život Kristovi a bol naplnený Duchom Svätým. Veľmi skromný nemecký chlapec, asi tridsaťročný, má rodinu, dve alebo tri deti, presťahoval sa dolu do Tucsonu, len aby mi bol susedom (kde sa tristo, alebo štyristo presťahovalo do môjho susedstva). Tak on... A ja som šťastný, že mám takých susedov ako oni, nasledujú ma celou cestou do Severnej Afriky a všade naokolo, iba preto, aby boli blízko a videli... so mnou, aby boli so mnou a tešia sa v radosti, prítomnosti Pánovej. Taký skromný chlapík, nikdy som si ho veľmi nevšimol.
28Samozrejme, že ľudia, ktorých poznám a s ktorými sa stýkam, sú mi ako vlastný brat, sestra. Pozorujem ich a keď cítim, že vychádzajú z línie, beriem ich bokom a hovorím s nimi, pretože ich milujem. Chceme spolu žiť v sláve. Niekedy si možno myslíte, že na tých zhromaždeniach hovorím ku vám tvrdo. To nie je z... Nie je to preto, že by som vás nemiloval. Ale prichádza to z môjho srdca, pretože som... Musí byť len jeden spôsob. Je len jeden spôsob, ako slúžiť Bohu, a to je... A my musíme stáť na Jeho ceste, nezáleží na tom, čo si o tom myslíme. Jeho ceste!
29A všimol som si Donavona, pravé viečko oka mal opuchnuté, možno trikrát väčšie, ako má byť, a veľmi začervenané. No, dalo by sa myslieť, že tam, pár dní na púšti, kde sme boli, mohol dostať jačmeň na oko. Lenže, keď som mu chytil ruku, zistil som, že to bola rakovina.
30Tak, povedal som Donavonovi, povedal som, „Donavon, máš... Ako dlho to máš na oku?“ Iba akoby som to hodil do pléna, akoby som nevedel. Spýtal som sa, „Ako dlho to tam je, Donavon?“ Povedal, „Brat Branham, okolo šesť mesiacov,“ povedal.
Povedal som: „Prečo si sa o tom nezmienil predo mnou?“
Povedal, „Ó, videl som, ako si veľmi zaneprázdnený,“ povedal, „Nechcel som nič hovoriť.“
Povedal, „Jednoducho som si myslel, že možno ti to Pán niekedy povie.“
Tak som povedal, „Uvedomuješ si, čo to je?“
Povedal, „No viem si predstaviť.“
Povedal som, „Tak to je.“
A na druhý deň ráno, (nič viac ako to, iba som držal chlapcovu ruku) to druhé ráno, nebol tam po tom ani škrabanec. Úplne to zmizlo.
31Tak veľakrát to tlačíme, snažíme sa dostať do toho, tam; alebo to vidieť „Tieto znamenia budú nasledovať veriacich.“ To nehovorí, „Ak sa budeš modliť za chorých.“
32„Keď položia svoje ruky na chorých, budú uzdravení.“ Musíme mať vieru, v nás samých, v čo robíme. V poriadku. Tak Donavon je pravdepodobne tu. Stretnete sa s ním. Ak tu nie je dnes ráno, bude na niektorom poschodí. Stretnete sa s ním a on bude poznať to svedectvo.
33A čo viac by som mohol povedať. Verím, že Lukáš alebo Ján raz povedal, že svet by nemohol obsiahnuť v knihách, ktoré by boli napísané, čo všetko On učinil medzi ľuďmi v týchto posledných dňoch; ako chorí boli uzdravení, alkoholici oslobodení, tisíce z nich a všetky druhy chorôb a utrpení.
34No vy vonku, tam pri rádiách ako aj vy tu: Držím tu teraz veľké množstvo prosieb, ktoré prišli cez telefón dnes ráno, nepretržite zvonil telefón, odkedy sme tu boli. A tak my... Stodeväťdesiatšesť prosieb prišlo dnes ráno, telefonicky, odkedy sme tu.
35Pomodlime sa teraz spoločne, každý jeden, kdekoľvek si, tam vonku, položte svoje ruky jeden na druhého, keď ste veriaci. Ak nie, položte ruku na Bibliu alebo niečo, tam vonku, kým sa tu modlíme a tam.
Drahý nebeský Otče, to malé svedectvo Donavona Weertsa, iba jedno z tisíc, Pane, Ty si tak láskavo... Modlím sa, aby si pozrel do sŕdc oboch ľudí tu a pri rádiách tam vonku. Nech by každý jeden z nich bol uzdravený. Nech ich opustí zlé a nech sú oslobodení od všetkého ich utrpenia. Potvrď to, Otče, v Mene Ježiša Krista, Tvojho Syna, to prosíme. Amen. [Brat Branham spieva.] Ďakujeme, Pane... [Brat Branham ukončuje druhé rádiové spojenie – pozn.prekl.]
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36No, toto je tretíkrát, ako som tu, dnes ráno. Ó! A viete, bolo práve povedané, že približne za dvanásť, štrnásť minút máme uvoľniť túto budovu, alebo tak nejako. A manažment povedal, ktorý sa nachádza tam na inom poschodí, že nemôžu servírovať žiadne jedlo. Naše jedlá sa predĺžili. Máme veľa chodov, viete. Tak my sme veľmi, veľmi šťastní, že sme tu mali toto ohromné duchovné, gastronomické výročie, ako by som to dnes ráno nazval, tu s tou milou skupinou ľudí.
37Rád by som spomenul, že máme... službu znovu zajtra poobede, teraz v Embassy.
Budeme sa modliť za chorých a očakávať, že Boh sa s nami stretne. A prišiel som, aby som vložil svoju časť, moju službu do činnosti (všetko, čo môžeme), aby toto stretnutie bolo úspešným. Úspešné, nie z dôvodu, že je to naše stretnutie, ale úspešné v tom, že ľudia nájdu Ježiša Krista. To je úspech. Zhromaždenia, nezáleží, koľko chválime Boha, koľko nádherných vecí Ho uvidíme robiť, koľkokrát prehovorí ku nám v Duchu a podobne; až kým nie je niečo vykonané, nejaké duše prinesené do kráľovstva...
38A brat Shakarian, teraz, práve urobil skutočné vyhlásenie práve teraz, o tom, čo si myslí o týchto dňoch, v ktorých žijeme. Skutočne verím, z celého svojho srdca, že žijeme práve v čase ukončenia práve v... práve v čase šera večera. Slnko poriadne pokročilo. A keď vidíme veci, ako sa dejú dnes, no, je ťažké hovoriť, čo prinesie iná generácia.
39Pred pár dňami... Dovoľte mi povedať vám niečo také zaujímavé. Urobili analýzu po celej Arizone, kde žijem, všetkých škôl. Dali deťom (bez toho, aby to vedeli) mentálny test. A hádajte čo? Spolu na základných a stredných školách bolo 80% detí trpiacich mentálnym deficitom. Sedemdesiat percent z nich pozerá televíziu. Vidíte, zlo, iba sa to ku nám vkradne a my to ne... Čudujete sa, odkiaľ to prichádza. Môžete počuť Boha proti tomu kričať, a nachádzame tu samých seba zamotaných do toho.
40Dovoľte mi, nech vám poviem niečo šokujúce. Vidíte, „Nie každý, kto mi hovorí, 'Pane, Pane,' vojde, ale ten, ktorý činí vôľu Môjho Otca.“ Jeho vôľa je Jeho Slovo. Môžeme byť veľmi nábožní; mať ohromný čas, vykrikovať a skákať v týchto zhromaždeniach, ktoré... Nechcem byť kritický, ale mám povinnosť voči Bohu. A táto povinnosť je byť úprimný a povedať, čo On odo mňa chce, aby som povedal. A som určite vďačný za Kalifornskú skupinu obchodníkov, ktorá má so mnou trpezlivosť v mojom presvedčení. Ak nehovorím to, o čom som presvedčený, som pokrytec, a teraz, dokonca s vami nie som čestný. A ak nemôžem byť voči vám čestný, ako môžem byť voči Bohu? Pretože vás vidím a hovorím vám, (samozrejme to robíme tiež voči Bohu) ale musíme byť skutočne úprimní a čestní jeden voči druhému.
41Sme určite v strašnom, strašnom veku. A pozastavili ste sa niekedy... Iba, nech vám poviem len malú analýzu. „Nie všetci, ktorí mi hovoria, 'Pane, Pane,' tam vojdú, ale ten, kto činí vôľu Môjho Otca.“ Ježiš povedal, „Nebude človek na zemi živý na samom chlebe, ale na každom slove...“ Každé Slovo, nie len teraz a potom nejakým slovom, ale každým slovom.
42Bolo to jedno Slovo z Božích prikázaní verené nesprávne, ktoré spôsobilo smrť, trápenie a každú chorobu a bolesti hlavy. Minúť Slovo Božie, jedno Slovo... Ak vzal ľudskú rasu do smrti skrze neveru jedného Slova... „Istotne, istotne...“ Ale On povedal, že sa to stane. Satan povedal, „Určite sa tak nestane.“ Ale stalo sa.
43Tak my musíme zachovať každé Božie Slovo. A ak ľudská rasa a všetko to utrpenie a veci, ktoré prišli... ľudská rasa, skrze zlé vykladanie alebo neveru jedného Slova, ako sa vrátime, keď minieme to jedno, ak to stálo takú cenu, dokonca život Jeho Syna? Mnohí sú povolaní... málo je vyvolených; mnoho je povolaných... málo vyvolených.
44Nemôžem z tohto zobrať text, pretože nemáme čas, ale chcem vám len niečo zanechať. Pomyslime o... Raz som šiel s bratom Shakarianom na miesto, kde bol krížený dobytok, a videl som... v laboratóriu, kam ma vzal brat Shakarian. A oni nabrali zo spermií býka, ako, iba trošičku ako, s malým nástrojom, pinzetou. A zobral trochu z týchto spermií a položil to pod sklo, ktoré to zväčšilo stovky krát.
45A v týchto spermiách poskakovali malé zárodky. Ktoré, vieme, že zárodky pochádzajú z mužskej a vajíčka zo ženskej. A pýtal som sa tam lekárnika, povedal som, „Čo tam spôsobuje takéto poskakovanie?“
Povedal, „To sú malé býky a kravičky.“ Vidíte.
Spýtal som sa, „V tejto kvapke?“
Povedal, „Áno.“
Povedal som, „Možno, potom v celých spermiách ich budú milióny?“
Povedal, „Ó, áno.“ Vidíte? A pozoroval som to zblízka.
46No, keď sa deje táto ohromná vec, jedno vajíčko čaká na jednu spermiu, jeden z milióna. A nie je tam nikto, kto môže povedať, ktorý zárodok (spermia) to je, alebo ktoré vajíčko. Ak by ste pozorovali prirodzené narodenie, je to záhadnejšie ako narodenie z panny. Pretože v spermii, tam je jeden predurčený do života a zvyšok toho zahynie. A nie je to ten, ktorý stretne; je to prvý, ktorý sa spojí s vajíčkom. Možno vajíčko povstane vzadu za spermiami alebo v strede. To isté sa deje so spermiou.
47Vajíčko... spermia vojde do vajíčka a malý bičík na jeho konci odpadne a tam začína chrbtica. Je len jedna, z celej hŕby milióna, ktorý to dokáže. Iba jedna! A to je určené nejakou pre ľudí neznámou silou. Napriek tomu ste si podobní. Každý jeden z týchto zárodkov sú si podobné.
48Tak isto pri zvieratách; tak isto pri človeku. Je určené, či to bude chlapec alebo dievča, červenovlasé, s hlavou, čiernovlasé alebo čo. Je to určené Bohom. Všetky vyzerajú rovnako prirodzene, ale nachádza sa tam jeden, ktorý je určený do života. Jeden z milióna, hoci sú si všetky podobné.
49Keď Izrael opustil Egypt, bolo tam približne dva milióny ľudí, ktorí odišli v rovnakom čase. Každý z nich počul posolstvo proroka. Každý z nich videl Ohnivý Stĺp. Každý z nich bol pokrstený na Mojžiša v Červenom mori. Každý z nich kričal v Duchu, hral na tamburíne a poskakoval hore a dolu na púšti s Miriam, keď Mojžiš spieval v Duchu. Každý jeden z nich pil z tej istej duchovnej skaly. Oni, každý jeden jedol čerstvú mannu každý večer, každý jeden z nich. Ale len dvaja vošli do zeme: jeden z milióna.
50Čo bol ten test? Oni všetci pili z tej istej skaly, jedli tú istú duchovnú mannu, ako jeme my dnes ráno, ale test Slova ich vyskúšal. Keď to prišlo k času Kádeš Barney, keď začali prichádzať do zasľúbenej zeme... A oni nemohli prejsť, kým neboli testovaní Slovom. A všetci ostatní... Desiati sa vrátili a povedali, „Nedokážeme to, ľudia sú ako... Sme ako kobylky v porovnaní s nimi, ich veľký múr okolo mesta. Opozícia je príliš obrovská.“
Ale Jozua a Kálef tíšili ľud. Povedali, „Sme viac ako schopní to dokázať.“
51No, Boh povedal, pred tým, ako vyšli zo zasľúbenej zeme, „Dal som vám tú zem. Dal som vám ju. Je vaša.“ Ale tam boli jeden z každého milióna... Dnes je vo svete približne päťsto miliónov takzvaných „kresťanov“. A každý deň končí jedna generácia. A teraz, čo ak by dnes nastalo vytrhnutie a päťsto ľudí, celosvetovo, by bolo vytrhnutých. Nikdy by ste sa to nedozvedeli, alebo dokonca by ste to nevideli v novinách, že odišli. A príchod Pánov je tajný príchod. On príde a ukradne preč... To bude taká menšina, tak, ako to bolo vo dňoch, keď sa učeníci pýtali Ježiša, „Prečo hovoria Písma, že prv musí prísť Eliáš?“
Povedal, „On už prišiel a nerozpoznali ste to.“ Mysleli ste niekedy o tom, čo urobili ľudia? Oni verili, že Eliáš má prísť; a on bol priamo medzi nimi a oni o tom nevedeli.
52Tak to bude pri príchode Syna človeka. Urobia s Ním presne tú istú vec. Duch Boží je tu. No, čo s Tým urobíme? Budeme jesť mannu, a tak podobne, a nebudeme sa hýbať vpred, ako rastieme?
Všimli ste si niekedy semeno (ako pred chvíľou hovoril reverend Pitts) a ako semeno ide do zeme? V zemi sa nachádza veľa semien.
53Keď sa Boh so svetlom vznášal nad vodami a svetlo prinieslo prvú prítomnosť Božiu... Svetlo prišlo, skrze vypovedané Božie Slovo. A Božie Slovo je tou jedinou vecou, ktorá stále prináša svetlo. A keď sa vody rozostúpili, semeno už bolo v zemi. A svetlo len spôsobilo... Objavili sa vo vnútri semená so zárodkami, Boh tvoril Svoje stvorenie.
54A teraz na Veľkonočné ráno, tam bolo iné svetlo, ktoré zasiahlo zem, keď bol daný Duch Svätý. Bol daný, aby priniesol svetlo k tým semenám, o ktorých Boh skrze predzvedenie vedel, že budú na zemi. Keďže poznal to prvé prirodzené semeno, vedel, kde je to duchovné semeno.
55Vaše telo ležalo priamo tu na zemi, keď Boh najprv vzbudil zem do existencie. Sme časťou zeme. Ležali sme tam. A skrze Jeho predzvedenie, On presne vedel, kto ho bude milovať a kto Mu bude slúžiť, a kto nie. Jeho predzvedenie to hovorí. Ak to tak nie je, nie je Bohom. Nemôže byť Bohom bez toho, aby bol neohraničený, a On je neohraničený, vie všetky veci.
56Tak vidíte ľudí robiť chyby. Potkýnajú sa na nich, bežia, myslia si to a tamto. Ale to poriadne nefunguje. Vidíme to. Ale existuje správne fungovanie, to je nájsť Božiu dokonalú vôľu a stáť v nej, kvôli čomu nás Boh zavolal.
57Ako pred chvíľou povedal brat Jack, tu dolu o Perhingovom námestí: všetky tie zmätky, raz týmto spôsobom a raz týmto; a o teológoch a podobne, že ak chcete vedieť nejakú teológiu, choďte tam.
Myslím, že je to presne ako v Hyde Parku v Londýne. Bol som tam. Každý má svoj vlastný nápad. Miešanina dnešného moderného sveta v Babylone.
Ale všimli ste si, ako k nám brat Pitts vyšiel dnes ráno s jeho milým posolstvom? Ako začal vychádzať von z parku, našiel tam v strede toho zmätku malú veľkonočnú ľaliu. Ako nám to priniesol, nemala možnosť povedať, „Áno“ alebo „Nie.“ Bol v tom Boží vyžarujúci život, v strede všetkého zmätku. Bola tam vo svojom jase, lebo to tak ustanovil Boh, aby tam bola. V strede všetkého konfliktu, nikto si ju nevšímal. Nevideli na nej to duchovné uplatnenie.
58A tak je to dnes, medzi všetkými našimi zhromaždeniami a skupinami a cirkvami a denomináciami a podobne. Jeden presadzuje tento smer; musíme byť baptistami alebo presbyteriánmi, musíme byť to, tamto alebo iné. V strede toho všetkého rastie kvietok. Tam je Božia moc priamo medzi nami, vyrastá priamo medzi nami! Zatavme sa a skúmajme to za pár minút, pozorujte to tento týždeň a uvidíte, ako sa to rozvíja priamo pred nami. Veríme, Boh to urobí. Však? Vidím, že by sme už mali byť na prízemí, modlime sa, jeden každý z nás.
59Drahý Bože, keď skláňame svoje hlavy v Tvojej prítomnosti, sme... cítime, že sme takí nedostatoční, aby sme prosili. Ale Ty si nám zasľúbil, že keď prídeme, že nás neodmietneš. A tieto tvrdé vyhlásenia, ktoré boli práve urobené (neboli myslené ako doktrína), jeden z milióna, ale iba spôsob, ako si to uvedomiť. Lebo si povedal, „Úzka je brána a priama je cesta, ktorá vedie do života, a málo bude tých, ktorí ju nájdu...“ „Lebo veľa je povolaných, ale málo vyvolaných.“ Ó, Večný Otče, pošli svetlo Evanjelia do tohto mesta počas týchto nadchádzajúcich týždňov zhromaždení. A ak tam bude nejaké semeno, nejako, skrze Tvoju milosť, múdru prozreteľnosť, ako som sa to snažil znázorniť o tých spermiách mužskej časti a v ženskej, nech sa to prejaví na zhromaždeniach. Nech im Duch Svätý dá Svetla.
60Uvedomujeme si, že je možno neskoršie, ako si myslíme. Modlíme sa, Bože, že keď sem prichádzame, len veríme, že je tu niečo, čo by mohlo byť urobené, čo by pomohlo ľuďom, alebo chytilo tú poslednú ovcu...
Vieme, že keď sa naplní ovčinec, pastier zatvorí dvere. Ako to bolo za dní Noeho, keď ten posledný člen rodiny vošiel, Boh zatvoril dvere. A oni búchali a klepali, ale už bolo príliš neskoro. Drahý Bože, oni mali príležitosť.
61Ty si povedal, „Ja som dvere ovčinca.“ A aká výstižná je tá pieseň z tej básne, „Nestačí Ti deväťdesiatdeväť?“ Ale nie, tam bola ešte jedna. Možno je čiernou ovečkou, alebo je malým nikým, možno je to malý on alebo ona, nevieme, kde sú. Ale ten posledný musí vojsť a potom sa dvere zatvoria. Ó, Bože, Ty, ktorý poznáš všetky veci, preskúmaj dnes ráno naše životy a pošli nás, kamkoľvek máme ísť, aby sme našli toho posledného, aby sa dvere zatvorili a Pastier bude vo vnútri s ovcami. Udeľ to, Pane.
62Ak je tu dnes ten jeden, ak má vojsť... „Všetkých, ktorých Mi Otec dal, prídu ku Mne. A nikto nemôže prísť, iba ak ho potiahol Môj Otec.“
A ak je tu tiahnutie alebo nejaký malý pocit, že toto by mohla byť tá hodina pre niekoho tu v tejto posluchárni, tu alebo dolu na prízemí, alebo kdekoľvek by mohli byť, nech by odpovedali, „Áno, Pane, ja som ten malý vandrovník, ktorý sa zatúlal preč, a zápasil som s tým celý môj život. Cítim, že by som mal prísť. Ale dnes som zostal visieť na tej strane porážky. Nemôžem ísť hore alebo dole, nemôžem ísť žiadnou cestou.“ Ó, nech by prišiel ten veľký Pastier, načiahol sa nežne dole a vzal by bezpečne toho jedného, položil na Svoje plecia a vzal ho bezpečne späť.
63Možno je tu jeden, Pane, ktorý je chorý, slabý, že doktor povedal, že nie je nič, čo by sa dalo urobiť. Snažil sa pomôcť, ako len mohol, ale nedokázal to. Je to poza jeho možnosti, nie je nič, čo by mohlo byť urobené. Ani lieky ani jeho skalpel tomu nemôžu pomôcť. Ale, ó, Pane, pre Tvoje rameno nie je nič priďaleko. A Tvoje Slovo je Tvojím ramenom. Tak sa modlíme, drahý Bože, že toto ráno, kým hovoríme s Tebou, že Ty sa načiahneš dolu a pozdvihneš toho jedného, ktorý je chorý a nemôže si pomôcť, mimo dosahu všetkých vedeckých vecí, mimo dosahu lekára. Nech by bol uzdravený. Udeľ to, Pane.
64Keď myslíme na Dávida, ako dohliadal na pár oviec, iba na pár. Ale jedného dňa prišiel medveď a chytil jednu z oviec a vzal ju a bol by ju zožral (tak, ako rakovina požiera telo), alebo obrovský lev. Ale Dávid nebol vyzbrojený puškou alebo mečom, ale iba s prakom, išiel po tej ovci. A keď našiel to zviera, ktoré sa chystalo zabiť tú ovcu, a zabil ho prakom. Iba malá jednoduchá zbraň z kúska kože a povrázku a... Ale on tomu dôveroval.
65Nemáme medzi nami žiadneho génia, Pane; sme jednoduchí ľudia s jednoduchou malou modlitbou. Ale prichádzame dnes ráno za Otcovou ovcou: táto žena, ktorá mizerne kráčala po ulici, fajčila cigaretu, skúšala nájsť pokoj v cigarete; muž, ktorý ovoniaval pohárik a skúšal s tým prestať, ale nepriateľ ho mocne držal; ten chlapec alebo dievča, ktorí sa snažili robiť dobré, ale jednoducho nemohli nájsť silu prestať robiť nesprávne veci; prichádzame v Mene Pána Ježiša, aby sme oslovili tohto Baránka.
66Staviame sa nepriateľovi na odpor, pretože to je jednoduchá vec, prak, modlitba. Prichádzame, aby sme to priviedli späť do Otcovho ovčinca, aby sme sa tak mohli zodpovedať z tých vecí, ktoré boli zverené do našich rúk. Nech by teraz moc Božia vierou zasiahla hlboko srdcia ľudí. A nech by sa tieto stratené duše dnes ráno navrátili. Nech by pokušenia tohto života... uvoľni ich, nechaj ho ísť. Nech by sa našiel v bezpečí na Pánových pleciach, nesený naspäť do bezpečia. Prosíme to v Ježišovom Mene. Amen. Boh vás všetkých žehnaj, kým vás zajtra uvidím. Odovzdávam službu bratovi Shakarianovi. [Brat Branham končí tretiu časť – pozn.prekl.]
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67Toto… dúfam, že budete... že som našiel viac milosti v Božích očiach a pred vami, aby ste verili, že by som tu nestál preto, aby som vám povedal niečo, čo by bolo nesprávne. Nedávno som prekročil svoje päťdesiate šieste narodeniny. Toto nie je iba posolstvo nejakého starého muža. Verím tomu, odkedy som bol malým chlapcom. A ak by to nebola pravda, bol by som tou najbláznivejšou osobou, ktorú mal Boh na svete. Dal som tomu celý svoj život. A chcel by som toto povedať v úprimnosti: ak by som mal tisíc životov, nikdy by som nezmenil svoj názor. No, uzdravenie je na dosah každej osobe. Spomeňte si, uzdravenie je vo vás. Boh umiestnil do stromu broskyne každú broskyňu, ktorá kedy bude, keď ju zasadil v záhrade. Vidíte, vy iba...
Broskyňa alebo jabloň alebo ovocný strom vyrástol z pitia vody zo zeme. No, každý z vás má v sebe ten potenciál, aby bol oslobodený. Pretože to je Boh, odkedy ste zostali zasadení do Krista skrze krst: nie vodný krst; duchovný krst.
Nevošli ste do Krista skrze vodný krst, ale skrze duchovný krst. Zajtra poobede, ak bude Pán chcieť, budem o tom hovoriť, ako sa to skutočne uplatňuje. Budeme to mať dnes poobede, tak to nebude zasahovať do žiadnej z vašich služieb.
68No pozrite, každý z vás tu stojí ako veriaci, vidíte. Potom ten život, ktorý bol v Kristovi, je vo vás. To môže... Ak by ste to len mohli vidieť, to je práca satana, aby vás držal preč od toho, držal vás v slepote. On vás jednoducho môže oslepiť, to je... Vidíte, potom neviete, kam idete. Človek, ktorý je slepý, nevie povedať, kam ide. On musí hľadať porozumenie od niekoho, kto vidí. Kým to nemôžeme porozumieť, niekto nám musí povedať, čo je pravda.
69A Kristus za vás zomrel a ste transplantovaní zo sveta do Krista. A všetko, čo potrebuješ, je priamo v tebe skrze krst Ducha Svätého. Je to pravda? Teraz tá jediná vec, ktorú máte robiť, je len začať z toho piť. A ako strom pije, to začína vytláčať jeho listy, puky, vytláča jeho ovocie, každý rok. Ovocie sa nenachádza v zemi; nachádza sa v rastline. Koľkí tomu rozumiete, povedzte, „Amen“.
70Tak, vidíte, ovocie je v rastline a každá rastlina musí piť zo svojej fontány. Ako prichádza dážď dolu, dáva tejto rastline, aby z toho pila, a ako pije, rastie. A to rastie, až kým to príde do plného puku. Presne, ako má cirkev rozkvitnúť v tomto veku. A ako pijeme, rastieme. Lenže ak rastlina odmieta piť, nemôže rásť. A ak by ste to len mohli veriť!
71No, vo videní... Samozrejme, viete, ako to Boh robí, ukazuje rozdielne veci, čo ste urobili a čo ste nemali urobiť a podobne, na zhromaždení. Dúfali sme, že Duch Svätý na nás dnes ráno spadne a urobí tak, kým sme stáli. Ale ja som ďalej čakal. Myslím, že to je tá nervózna časť, ktorá si myslí, že tí dolu na prízemí chcú, aby sme odišli, vidíte. Ale oni čakajú na nás... my teraz meškáme. Ale verte to z celých sŕdc, prosím, urobte to!
72Ak som našiel milosť vo vašich očiach ako človek, ktorý hovorí pravdu, verte tomu. No, položte ruky jeden na druhého. No, pozrite, teraz, Biblia nehovorí, že tieto veci budú nasledovať Williama Branhama; nehovorí, že budú nasledovať iba Orala Robertsa; nehovorí, že budú nasledovať brata Koppa alebo niekoho.
„Tieto znamenia budú nasledovať tých (množné číslo), ktorí veria; ak položia svoje ruky na chorých... budú uzdravení.“ To je moc Božia v tebe, ktorá prinesie do života osobu, na ktorú položíš svoju ruku, život, ktorý dáva zdroj z Ducha Svätého.
Drahý Bože, v Mene Ježiša Krista, v tomto kľúčovom momente, kedy cirkev... Nech by zostali stáť v tejto sekunde bez nervozity. Nech by im moc, ktorá vzkriesila Krista z hrobu, oživila pravdu Evanjelia: že prikázanie Ježiša je, „Ak položia ruky na chorých, budú uzdravení.“
Nech každá démonská moc, každá choroba, každá nemoc, každé postihnutie, každá vec, ktorá týchto ľudí trápi, nech to teraz odíde skrze vieru, prosíme to ako veriaci ľudia v Ježišovom Mene. Amen. No, pozdvihnite svoje ruky a vzdajte Mu chválu, ak veríte, že On to robí.
Drahý Bože, toto dieťa umrie, Pane, ak sa toto nestane. Odmietam tento problém. V Mene Ježiša Krista, nech to to nevinné dieťa opustí. Amen. No, lekári skúšali a zlyhali. Len ver.
1 Thank you brother. Thank you, Brother Shakarian. And good morning, friends. Certainly good to be here in Los Angeles again this morning, prior this great convention, and the oncoming meeting of this coming week over at the Embassy Hotel. I'm expecting to see you all over there. And we're all under a great expectations to meet our Lord Jesus, to see Him over there. He promised that He would be. "Wherever two or three was gathered together," He would be there.
2And I'm sure that I met Him this morning as I come up the steps here in this auditorium, when all the people with great anticipations, waiting for the breakfast and the speaking. And it's good to be gathered here with you, and to the radio audience. There is so many in here, they're... I had to go down on the next floor, and speak to a few. And seen so many requests, heart trouble, and different ailments of their bodies, and we're here now to pray for the sick and the afflicted.
3 Just as I got top of the steps... I'm looking at the old gentleman now. He came up to me, and said, "Brother Branham, years ago..." He said he had heart trouble so bad that he... they thought he was going to die. And had prayer for him, and the grace of God healed him. And here he is this morning, way in his eighties, just rejoicing. So that makes us take new hope.
4And now I'm certainly soliciting the prayers of the people out in the radio land, as well as here. After I leave this meeting, I'm going to Europe, down into Africa and around, on meetings. And this is going by a vision, so it's going to be a great meeting there, I'm sure. And I felt for years that the Lord has wanted me to come back. The little humbly, humble ministry that He gave me, I don't think He is quite finished with it yet, over there. Seemed like there might be a soul somewhere that I could catch in the Gospel net, the one that He's give me to seine for the people, the way of in Divine healing, praying for the sick. And I certainly solicit your prayers, both you people here and them who are out in the radio audience.
5 Now I don't have time just take a text and preach, which I expecting to after a few minutes here in the--in the... this auditorium, but just to speaking to--to you a few moments, get acquainted. And to the people out in the land, I'm going to have prayer for those out there, right away, and in here also. And I'm certainly glad to meet all these fine new friends that I have never met before, just come in contact with them this morning.
6We've been having great times in the services in other places. I don't get out too much anymore, it's so busy. We just try to keep the road hot between Jeffersonville, Indiana and Tucson, Arizona, where we moved out there a few years ago, by a vision of the Lord, that sent us out there, too, not knowing where I was going. And many of you here, at Clifton's, I spoke to you a little before I left, and at Phoenix meeting, of the vision that had come, of seeing seven Angels in a cluster.
7 And I know, to the radio audience, perhaps many of you are not full Gospel, and this may seem a little mysterious to you. Which, it would to me, but there is... Anyone who can explain anything, you don't have to accept it anymore by faith. It's things that we cannot explain, that we have to accept by faith. We cannot explain God. No man can explain God. He is sovereign, and He is great and mighty. We just--we just accept it because that we know He is there. And then by our faith, in accepting it, He brings the response back to us, the baptism of the Holy Spirit.
8Which, I'm just going to speak to you about, in a few moments here, on, "God's way, or place of worship." And the only place that you can worship Him, the only place He'll ever meet you, there's got... There is one Church, one place, one time, one people, in all that God meets. And I hope that the Lord blesses the Message to your hearts here.
9 Now, coming to Tucson, it was strange, those visions speaking to you in the Name of the Lord. Not one of them as I ever can recall, and will ask anyone else if they can recall anytime, that He ever did say anything but what was the Truth. It always happens just the way He says it will happen.
10And He is supposed to, according to the Scriptures, return to us in this last days, in this type of ministry. That will be after the baptism of the Spirit, and speaking in tongues, and Divine healing, and so forth, these things. The capping of the pentecostal message is what we're speaking of today. This ministry of the Christ Himself impersonated among His people, with the very same things that He did when He was here on earth; in His Body, the Bride, which is part of Him, doing the same things, as Husband and Wife, or King and Queen, just before the Marriage ceremony.
11 This week, the Lord willing, I wish to speak some on that, out in our campaign here, at the--the Embassy Hotel, and kind of get acquainted in my humble way of doing it. The--the time and the hour that we're living, if a person don't know which a way to go, what to do or how to turn, you're--you're not walking by faith anymore; you're just guessing, you're presuming. And presume is to--to "advance without official authority." So if we haven't got the real official authority to know what God said would take place in this hour, how are we ever going to face this hour? And we've got to face it, knowing, by faith in His Word, the things that's supposed to be happening now; and the condition of the nations, the condition of the people, condition of the church, and so forth.
12We've got to know that, and then how to walk out to face it. If you don't know how to do that, you're just--just what we used to call, kind of, haphazardly; just jump in, hoping it will be here, hoping this and hoping that, and "will it be?" But God don't want us to do that. He wants us to know what He has said about this day, and then meet it by faith, because He said it would be that way. Then we--we know you're Truth then, because you haven't got some person's word for it; you got His Word of what we must do. And we're hoping that our Heavenly Father will--will grant this to us this week.
13 Now, I'm sorry that I cut off, of what I was saying a few moments ago, about coming to Tucson. And I thought, myself, that it was the end of my life. I thought no one could ever stand that shock of that condition that happened in that vision that morning, about ten o'clock at home, that would ever be able to live after that. Why, I come to Tucson, making arrangements with my son, for my wife and--and children to go with him after I was gone, because I thought it was my end. And I, in Phoenix and many of the meetings before it happened, I told you just how it would happen.
14Well, a few months after that, I was up in Sabino Canyon one morning, which is just north of Tucson. I was up there to pray. And while I was praying, I had my hand up in the air, saying, "Father, I pray Thee that Thou will in somehow help me, give me strength, for the hour that I'm now facing. And if my work is finished here on earth, then I must come to You. And it's not that I regret coming, but I know that You'll take care of my family. And I--I'm just asking for strength for this hour." And something struck my hand!
15 Now, radio audience, this may seem strange that I've said, but it's the truth. And God is my Judge.
16I looked in my hand, and there was a sword, had a sheath over the handle part. And the handle itself was made of pearl, and just looked like kind of a gold-like guard over the handle part. And the--the knife itself looked rather like it was kind of a shiny like, oh, something like chrome or something glistening in the sun.
17Now, it was about ten or eleven o'clock in the morning, way on top of a mountain. You can imagine how a person (that I feel that I'm in my right mind) would feel standing there with a sword from nowhere, people for miles and miles, holding that in your hand. I felt of it, took and waved the blade back and forth, and, why, it was a sword.
18 And I looked around. I said, "Well, now, how could that ever happen? Here I am standing here, right, here, and no one around for miles and miles, and where did that come from?" And I said, "Well, I--I suppose maybe it's the--the Lord telling me it's my end time."
And a Voice spoke and said, "This is the Sword of the Lord."
19And I thought, "Well, a sword, then it's for like a king, to knight." You know, how it used to do in England and different places. I thought, "That's what that is for, to knight." And I thought, "Well, maybe I'm supposed to lay hands on people, or..." I had all kinds... The human mind can be all messed up, you know. You don't know. Our minds is finite; His is infinite. So, and as I was, it... Then it left my hand and I didn't know where it went, just disappeared. Why, if a person didn't understand a little bit about spiritual things, you--you'd go crazy like that. You'd be standing there, wondering what happened.
20And He said, "The vision is not your end time. It's for your ministry. That Sword is the Word. The Seven Seals will be opened, the mysteries of..."
21 And then two weeks after that, or two months, rather, after that, I was up in the mountain with a bunch of friends when it, happened. Seven Angels, just as clear as you're standing here, came sweeping down from Heaven. The rocks in the mountains rolled out and down the hills, and--and people standing there were screaming and going on, you know, and the dust flying everywhere. And when it was, He said, "Return to your home. Now will be, each Angel will be one of the seals of the Seven Seals."
22Which, it's on tape. And the book will be out pretty soon, being now it's kind of grammarized. As you know, my grammar is not very good, and people wouldn't... You just have to be people that love me and know how to understand me on my grammar. But some theologian is grammarizing it for me, and taking out all the--the... Well, maybe I said the wrong word there. I don't even know. So, I heard someone laughing, so I guess that "grammarize" wasn't right. But like the Dutchman, you take me for what I mean and not what I say, really.
23 And it's just three minutes now, I'm told, unto the closing of the program.
24Now, you dear people out in radio land, and you that's sick and needy here in the audience, would you just lay your hands on each other now while we have this word of prayer for the sick. Now, Jesus said, His last commission to the Church, "These signs shall follow them that believe." "Them," them that believe! "If they lay their hands on the sick, they shall recover."
25 Dear Heavenly Father, we are like children today, we're obeying what You said do. We are laying hands upon all these telephone requests. Thou seest them out in the land out there, how they're needy, the suffering. You see those here that are needy, suffering. And we are committing them to Thee, Dear God, with this faith in Thy Word that Thou has said, "These signs shall follow them that believe. If they lay their hands on the sick, they shall recover." Grant it, Lord, in Jesus Christ's Name. Amen. [Blank.spot.on.tape--Ed.]
[Brother Branham ends the first radio broadcast--Ed.]
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26 Thank you, Brother Shakarian. It's certainly a grand privilege to be back again on the broadcast, to speak to some of our friends out in the radio land, as well as present here.
27And we are certainly extending this invitation to you, to come to the Embassy Hotel tomorrow afternoon, to be prayed for. And not only that, but bring the ones that's sinners and those who are backslidden. If we just have prayer for the sick, and we do see God constantly doing great miracles, but that's secondarily. The main thing is to be saved, filled with God's Spirit, which I'm going to speak to you about just in a few moments here, and the sufficiency how that we must be filled with God's Spirit.
28 And Divine healing usually draws an attention to people, and brings them in the Presence of God. When God does something that--that they know is un-... well, it's not understood. We cannot mechanically show how it's done. God does it in His Own great way. Then that attracts the attention of the people, to know that there is a Presence of a Power somewhere, that can do something that's beyond human understanding, and that causes them to look to the Lamb of God. And always, Divine healing; I've been told, and I believe, myself, that about between sixty, maybe, and seventy percent, of our Lord's ministry, was on Divine healing. And He did that to attract the people. Then when they were there, He said, "Except you believe I am He, you'll perish in your sin."
29 Now, Divine healing is a great drawing card, to get people to look to the Lord Jesus. And Doctor F. F. Bosworth, which many of you was a friend to, and knew him, and his ministry meant so much to me as a young minister. I started out in my meetings, and I run into Brother Bosworth. He used to say, "Divine healing," it's a crude little statement now, he said, "Divine healing is the bait on a fishhook." Said, "You never show the fish the hook. You show him the bait, and then he gets after the bait and gets on the hook." So that's what we try to do. That's our... we... Our aim is to get people to the Lord Jesus Christ. And He is the same yesterday, today, and forever. So if He was the Healer in the days gone by, He is the Healer today.
30 Just a personal testimony before I pray for the sick out in the radio land. It was a few days ago, I was sitting up in a mountains where a great thing had taken place before fifteen or twenty brethren there, where the Angel of the Lord came so down, and great Light flying like a comet, bursting around through the mountains, and rocks flying for two hundred feet, or more, across there, cutting the top of the trees out. And I was standing right under It. And told them just a few months before it happened, It would be there and what would happen; frankly, it was told the day before. And all these men running under trucks and everything, trying to get away. They didn't know what had taken place. And He spoke and said what would take place right immediately afterward.
31 Sitting on this certain rock there, right where He had appeared, I had a--a friend that was with us, that had come down from up in Minnesota. His people are here this morning and I'm not sure but what he may be here on some of the other floors. It was Donavon Weerts, and a fine young fellow, a Lutheran that had just give his life to Christ and been filled with the Spirit. Very humble German boy, about thirty years old, family, two or three little children. He moved down in Tucson just to be neighbors with me, where three or four hundred had moved in to be neighbors. So he...
32And I'm glad to have such neighbors as that. They follow me all the way to South Africa, and everywhere around, just to be near and see the... with me, and to be with me and enjoy the pleasures of the Lord.
Such a humble fellow, I had never noticed him very much.
33 Course, the people that I know and associate with are just like my own brother, sister. I watch them, and feel if I think they're getting out of line, and take them out to one side and talk with them, because I love them. We want to live in Glory together. And sometimes maybe, in the meetings, you think I speak harsh to you. That isn't from it. That isn't because that I don't love you, but it does come from my heart, because I--I... It must be just one way. There is only one way to serve God, and that's... And we must stay in His way, no matter what our thoughts is. His way!
34 And I noticed Donavon, on the right tip of his ear, was swollen perhaps three times its size, and looked very red. Well, now thinking maybe that, there in the desert for a few days, that where we had been, that maybe he had got some cactus in his ear. But, taking a hold of his hand, I found out that it was a cancer. So I said to Donavon, I said, "Donavon, have you... How long has that been on your ear?" Just to kind of throw him off, like I didn't know. I said, "How long has that been on there, Donavon?"
He said, "Brother Branham, about six months," he said.
I said, "Why didn't you mention it to me?"
35He said, "Oh, seeing you so busy," said, "I didn't want to--to do it." Said, "I just thought maybe sometime the Lord might tell you."
So I said, "Do you realize what it is?"
He said, "I have a good idea."
I said, "That is right."
36And the second morning. No more than that, holding the boy by the hand; the second morning, there wasn't even a scar on his ear. It was all completely gone.
37 So many times we press, trying to get to this, that. Or... See, it's, "These signs shall follow the believer." It didn't say "if they would pray for the sick." "If they lay hands on the sick, they shall recover!" We must have faith, ourselves, in what we're doing. All right.
38So now Donavon is probably here. You'll meet him. He'll be here, if he isn't here this morning, on some of the other floors. You'll meet him, and he'll know the testimony.
39And what more could I say? I believe Luke, or John, one, said the world couldn't con-... hold, contain the books that could be written of what He's done among the people in this last days; how sick's been healed, alcoholics delivered, by the thousands of them, and all kinds of diseases and afflictions.
40 Now, you out in radio land, as well as here, I'm holding here now a great handful of requests that's come in by the phone this morning, constantly ringing since we've been here. And so we... One hundred and ninety-six requests has come in this morning, by the phone, since we've been in here. So let us join in prayer now as each one... Wherever you are, out in the land, lay your hands on one another, if you're believers. If not, lay your hand upon the Bible or something out there, while we pray here and there.
41Dear Heavenly Father, the little testimony of Donavon Weerts, just one of the thousands, Lord, that Thou has so graciously... I pray that You will look down into the hearts of the people both here and in radio land. And may they, every one, be healed. May the evil one leave them, and may they be delivered from all their affliction. Grant it, Father. In the Name of Jesus Christ, Thy Son, we ask it. Amen. "Thank You, Lord..." [Blank.spot.on.tape--Ed.]
[Brother Branham ends the second radio broadcast--Ed.]
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42 Well, this is three times for me up here this morning. My! And, you know, it was just told that we've got to vacate the building in about twelve, fourteen minutes, or something. And the management said they's on the other floor there, and they can't serve any meals. Our meals lengthened out. We have many courses, you know. So we are very, very glad that we have had this great spiritual, gastronomical jubilee, as I would call it, this morning here with this fine bunch of men.
43I'd like to--to make mention that we are... the services again, tomorrow afternoon, over at the Embassy. Now, we will be praying for the sick there, and expecting God to meet with us. And I've come to put in my part, my ministry, into making (all that we can) this meeting to be a success. Not a success because it's our meetings, but a success of people finding Jesus Christ. That's the success. Any meetings, no matter how much we praise God, how many great things that we see Him do, how many times He speaks to us in the Spirit, and so forth; unless there is something accomplished, some souls brought into the Kingdom!
44 And Brother Shakarian now just made a--a real statement just now about what he thought about these days that we're--we're living in. I truly believe that with all my heart, that we're living just at the closing time, just in the--just in the evening shadows. The sun is far advanced. And when we see things taking place the way they are today, why, it's hard telling what another generation would bring. A few days ago...
45Just let me give you a little inside something. They made an analysis throughout Arizona, where I live, of all the schools. They gave the children, unknowingly to them, a mental test. And guess what? Including high schools and--and grammar schools, there was eighty percent of the children suffering with mental deficiency. Seventy percent of them was television watchers. See, the evils, they just slipped up on us and we don't... You wonder why it comes. You can hear the Voice of God screaming out against it, and yet here we--we find ourself webbed into it.
46 Let me give you a shocking something. See, "Not all that saith unto Me, 'Lord, Lord,' will enter in; but the one that doeth the will of My Father." His will is His Word. We can be ever so religious, have great times, shouting, jumping, in these meetings, which we're... I don't--I don't want to be critical. But I have a--a duty to do to God, and that duty is to be sincere and to say what He wants me to say. And I'm--I'm certainly grateful for the California chapter who has bore with me in--in my convictions. If I don't speak my convictions, I'm a hypocrite and now I'm not even honest with you. And if I can't be honest with you, how will I be honest with God, 'cause I see you and talk to you. Course, we do, to God, too, but we got to be really sincere and honest with one another. We are certainly in a--a horrible, horrible age. And did you ever stop...
47 Just let me give you just a little analysis. "Not all that saith unto Me, 'Lord, Lord,' will enter therein; but the one that doeth the will of My Father." Jesus said, on earth, "Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every Word." Every Word! Not just now and then, a Word, but by every Word.
48It was one Word misbelieved, by God's... of God's commandments, that caused death, sorrow, and every sickness and heartache, to miss God's Word, one Word! If he taken the human race into death, by miss, misbelieving one Word, "surely," surely. But He said it would happen. Satan said, "Surely it won't." But it did.
49So, we've got to keep every Word of God. And if the human and all this suffering and things that went on the human race, by misconstruing, or--or misbelieving one Word, how we going back by missing One, if it's cost all this price, even the life of His Son?
... many are called,... few are chosen.
... many are called,... few are chosen.
50I can't take a text from this, but 'cause we haven't got time, but just to leave something with you. Let us think of...
51 I went one day with Brother Shakarian, where they was hybreeding cattle. And I seen the--the... in the laboratory where Brother Shakarian taken me in. And they dipped in the sperm of the male cow, just a little... like a little instrument, a match stem, and took up a bunch of that sperm, and put it under this glass that magnified it hundreds of times. And there was little germs jumping in that, in that sperm. Which, we know the germ comes from the male, and the egg from the female. And I asked the chemist there, I said, "What's that making that little jump like that?"
He said, "That's--that's little bulls and calves." See?
And I said, "In that little drop?"
He said, "Yeah."
52I said, "Perhaps then in the entire sperm there would be a million of them?"
He said, "Oh, yeah." See? Now, watch close.
53 Now, when this great thing takes place, there is one egg waiting for one germ out of that million. And there is no one can tell which germ that is, or which egg that is. If you'd watch the natural birth, it's more of a mystery than the... than the virgin birth. Because, in this sperm, there is one in there that's predestinated to live, and the rest of them will die. And it isn't the first one meets; it's the first one that comes together with the egg. Maybe the egg may raise up from the back of the sperm, or the middle of the sperm; the germ may do the same, the egg. The germ crawls into the egg, and little tails drop off of it, and there starts the spine. There is only one in that whole load, of a million, that's going to make it, only one; and that's determined by some unknown Force, to man. Yet you're, every one, alike, every one of those germs are just alike. Same thing in animals. Same thing in man. It's determined whether it's going to be boy, girl, red-headed, black-headed, or what. It's determined by God. All of them look the same, naturally, but there is one in there that's ordained to life; one in a million, yet all of them alike.
54 When Israel left Egypt, there was approximately two million people left at the same time. Every one of them heard the message of a prophet. Every one of them saw the Pillar of Fire. Every one of them was baptized to Moses, in the Red Sea. Every one of them shouted in the--in the Spirit, beat the tambourines and run up-and-down the bank, with Miriam, when Moses sang in the Spirit. They, every one, drank from the same spiritual Rock. They, every one, eat fresh Manna every night. Every one of them! But there was two made the land, one out of a million.
55What was the test? They all drink in the same Rock, they all eat the same spiritual Manna as we're eating this morning, but the Word test proved them. When it come to the time of Kadesh-barnea, when they started over into the promised land, and they could not go over till they was tested by the Word. And all the--the other ten came back, and said, "We can't make it! The people are like... We're like grasshoppers, to them, their great walled city. The opposition is too great."
56But Joshua and Caleb stilled the people. They said, "We're more than able to do it!" Why? God said, before they left, the promised land, "I've given you the land. I've give it to you. It's yours." But there were one out of each million.
57 There is approximately five hundred million so-called Christians in the world today, and each day ends a generation. And now, what if the Rapture would come today and five hundred people, universally, would be taken in the Rapture? You would never know or even see in the paper, of them going. And the Coming of the Lord is a secret Coming. He'll come and steal away. It'll be such a minority, till...
58Just like it was in the days when the disciples asked Jesus, "Why does the Scribes say that--that Elias must first come?"
He said, "He has already come, and you never knew it."
59Did you ever think what the people did? They went right on believing that Mo-... that Elias was coming. And he was right among them, and they didn't know it.
60So will it be in the Coming of the Son of man! They'll do with Him just the same thing. The Spirit of God is here. Well, what are we going to do with It? Are we going to eat Manna, and so forth, and not continually move up as we grow?
61 Did you ever notice a seed, as Rev. Pitts was speaking a few moments ago, and how a seed goes into the ground? Many seeds are there in the ground. When God moved upon the water, with the Light, and Light brought forth. The first Presence of God, spoken Light came by God's Word. And God's Word is the only thing that still brings Light. And when the waters went back, the seed was already in the earth, and the Light only brought forth the seeds that remained with germ in them, come forth. God making His creation.
62And now, on Easter morning there was another Light struck the earth, when the Holy Spirit was given. And It's given to bring Life to those Seeds that God, by His foreknowledge, knew that would be here on the earth. As He knew the first natural seed, He knows where the spiritual Seed is. Your body was laying here right then on the earth, when God first brought the earth into existence. We are a part of the earth. We were laying there. And by His foreknowledge He knew exactly who would love Him and who would serve Him, and who would not. His foreknowledge tells that. If it doesn't, then He isn't God. He can't be God without being infinite. And if He's infinite, He knows all things.
63 So, you see people making their blunders. They stumble at it. They run at it, and they think this and that, but it doesn't work right, we see it. But there is a working right, that's to find God's perfect will and stand in it, what God called you for.
64As Brother Jack said a few moments ago about down here at the--the Pershing Square, all the confusion. One this a way, and one that way; and about the theologians, and so forth, that you want to know some theology, go down there.
65I guess that's just about like it is in Hyde Park in London. I was down there, everybody has his own idea. It's a--it's a conglomeration of a modern-day world in Babylon.
66 But did you notice as--as Brother Pitts went on with his lovely message this morning to us? As he begin to walk out of the park, there he found a little Easter lily. "In the midst of all the confusion," as he brought it to us, "it had no way to say 'yes' or 'no.' It was a life of God shining in it, in the midst of all the confusion." It was there in its radiance, because God had ordained it to be there. In the midst of all the conflict, no one was noticing it. They didn't see the spiritual application of it.
67And so is it today amongst all our great gatherings and groups, and churches and denominations, and so forth. One is pulling this way, "We must be Baptists, or be Presbyterians, must be this, that, or the other." In the midst of all of it, there is a growing flower. There is a power of God right among us, being raised right up in the midst of all of us. Let's just stop and behold it, a few minutes, and watch it this week, and see it unfold right before us. We believe God will do it. Don't you? [Congregation says, "Amen."--Ed.]
68 I see that we ought to be downstairs by now. So let's pray, each one of us.
69Dear God, when we bow our heads in Thy Presence, we are feel that we are so insufficient to ask. But You promised us that, if we would come, You would not turn us down. And these rude statements that's just been made, by no means to be a doctrine, "one out of a million," but just to kind of remember. For You said:
... strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, that leadeth unto life, and few there will be that will find it.
For many are called, but few are chosen.
70O Eternal Father, send the Gospel Light across this city, through this coming week of convention. And if there be any Seed, somehow by Your Own great, wise provident, like trying to illustrate it in the sperm of the male and female, may they roll into the convention. May the Holy Spirit give them Light. We realize that the time is perhaps later than we think it is. We pray, God, that as we come here, just believing that maybe there is something here that could be done that would help the people, or--or catch that last sheep. We know, when the sheepfold is full, then the Shepherd will close the door.
71 As it was like in the days of Noah, when the last member of the family was brought in, God closed the door. And they beat and pounded, but it was too late. Dear God, they had the opportunity.
You said, "I am that Door to the sheepfold."
72And how striking the song from the poet, "Are not ninety and nine enough for Thee? But, no, there was one more." He might be a little black sheep, or he might be a little nobody, might be the little her or he. We don't know where they are, but that last one must come in and then the door will be closed. O God, Who knows all things, search our lives this morning. And send us wherever that we could go, that we might find that last one, that the door would be closed and the Shepherd inside with the sheep. Grant it, Lord. If there be that one here today, if that one that is supposed to come in...
73"All the Father has given Me will come to Me. And no man can come, except My Father has drawed him."
74 And if there be a tug, or a little feeling, that this might be the hour for somebody here in this audience, here or downstairs, or wherever they may be, may they answer, "Yes, Lord, I am that little wandering one that's wandered away; and that's fought It off, all my life. I--I--I felt that I should come, but today I'm hanging on the side of defeat. I can't go up or down. I can go no way." Oh, may the great Shepherd come, reach down with tender hands and bring that one safely in, place it upon His shoulders and bring it safely back.
75Maybe there is one here, Lord, that's sick, in a similar condition, that the doctor said, "There is nothing can be done." He tried hard to rescue it, but he could not rescue it. It's beyond his reach. There's--there's nothing that he can do. His medicine or his knife cannot get to it. But, O Lord, there is nothing too far for Your great arm, and Your Word is Your arm. So we pray, Dear God, that, this morning, while we are talking to Thee, that Thou will reach down and pick that one up that's sick and cannot help itself, out of the reach of all scientific matters, away from the doctor, may they be healed. Grant it, Lord.
76 As we think of David, as he was given a charge over a few sheep, just a few. But one day a bear come in and got that one little sheep and took it out, and would have eaten it up (like a cancer would eat up a body), or a huge lion. But David, not too well equipped with a--a rifle, or, not a swordsman, but with only a slingshot, he went after that sheep. And when he found the--the animal that was about to kill the little sheep, he slew it with the slingshot. Just a simple little weapon with a piece of leather and a string, and, but he had confidence in it.
77We have no great genius among us, Lord. We are simple people with a simple little prayer, but we are coming this morning after Father's sheep. That woman that has walked the streets, miserably, smoking cigarettes, trying to find peace through the cigarette; that man who has smelled the glass and tried to set it back, but the enemy holds him tight; that boy or girl that's tried to do right, that just can't find strength to break away from the wrong thing; we come in the Name of the Lord Jesus, to claim that sheep this morning. We defy the enemy; because it's a simple thing, a slingshot, a prayer, but we're coming to bring that one back to the Father's fold, that we might give an account of those things that's been committed to our hand. May the power of God now strike faith, down in the hearts of the people, and may that lost soul return this morning. May the temptations of this life turn him away, let him go. And may he find hisself safely upon the Master's shoulders, being carried back to safety again. We ask it in Jesus' Name. Amen.
78God bless you all. Till I see you tomorrow, I'll turn the service to Brother Shakarian. [Blank.spot.on.tape--Ed.]
[Brother Branham ends the third portion--Ed.]
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79 This, I--I hope that you'll... that I've found more grace in the sight of God and before you, to believe that I would stand here to tell you something that was wrong. I have passed my fifty-sixth birthday, the other day. This isn't just an old man's Message. I've believed this since I was a little boy. And if this isn't true, I've been the most foolish person God had on the earth. I have give my entire life for this Cause. And may I say this with sincerity: if I had ten thousand lives, I would never change my opinion.
80Now, healing is in the reach of every person. Remember, healing is in you. God placed in the peach tree every peach that would ever be in it, when He planted it in the Garden. See, you just... the peach tree or the apple tree, or the fruit tree, just has to grow, from drinking the water in the earth. Now each one of you has those potentials in you, to deliver you, for it is God, since you've been planted into Christ by baptism (not water baptism), spiritual baptism. You don't come into Christ by water baptism. By spiritual baptism!
81Tomorrow afternoon, the Lord willing, I'm speaking on that, how and what is the real application of It. We have it in the afternoon so it won't interfere with any of your services.
82 Now look, each one of you here is standing as believers, see, then the Life that was in Christ is in you. It can, if you could just see it!
83It's the Devil's business to keep you blocked off from That, keep you blinded. He can just let you be blinded, that's, see, you don't know where you're going then. A man that's blind cannot tell where he is going, he's got to seek the understanding from somebody who can see. Until we can understand, somebody has got to tell us what's Truth.
84And Christ died for you, and you are transplanted from the world into Christ. And everything you have need of is right in you, by the baptism of the Holy Ghost. Isn't that right? Now the only thing you have to do is just start drinking from That.
85 And as the tree drinks, it begins to push out its leaves, its bud, pushes out its fruit each year. The fruit is not in the ground; the fruit is in the plant. How many understand that, say "amen." [Congregation says, "Amen."--Ed.] So, see, the fruit is in the plant, and every plant has to drink from his fountain. As the rain comes down, gives that plant, life, to drink from. And, as it drinks, it grows.
86And it's growing up until it comes to the full bud, just like the Church has, to bloom out in this age.
87And, as we drink, we grow. But if the plant refuses to drink, then the plant cannot grow. And if you will just believe it now, individually!
88 Course, you know how the Lord does, show different things, of what you've done and what you should not have done, and so forth, in the meeting. We was hoping that the Holy Spirit would fall upon us this morning and do such, as we stood. But I kept waiting.
89I think it's the nervous part, thinking that downstairs they want us out of here, see. But they're wanting us; we're late now.
90But believe this, with all your heart. Please do. If I--if I have found grace in your sight, as a truthful person, believe this. Now put your hands on--on each other.
91Now look, now, the Bible didn't say, "These signs will follow William Branham." Didn't say, "It'll follow Oral Roberts only." Didn't say, "It would follow Brother Kopp," or somebody.
92"These signs shall follow them," plural, "that believe. If they lay their hands on the sick, they shall recover." It's that Power of God that's in you, that brings the Life to the person you got your hand on, the Life-giving source of the Holy Ghost.
93 Dear God, in the Name of Jesus Christ, in this crucial moment when the church... may they stand at this second, without nervousness, and may the Power that raised up Christ from the grave, quicken to them just now the Truth of the Gospel, that Jesus' commission was, if they "lay hands on the sick, they shall recover." May every demon power, every sickness, every disease, every affliction, every tormenting thing that's happened to the people, may it leave just now by faith. As believing people, we ask it in Jesus Christ's Name. Amen.
94Now raise your hands and give Him praise, if you believe that He does it.
95Dear God, this baby will die, Lord, unless this is done. I condemn this knot, in the Name of Jesus Christ. May it leave the innocent child. Amen.
Now, the doctors have tried, and they fail. Just believe.
1Ďakujem, brat Shakarian, dobré ráno, priatelia. Je to určite dobré, byť znovu dnes ráno tu v Los Angeles pred týmto nádherným zhromaždením, nadchádzajúcim zhromaždením, ktoré bude budúci týždeň v Hoteli Embassy. Očakávam, že vás tam všetkých uvidím. A sme všetci vo veľkom očakávaní, aby sme sa stretli s naším Pánom Ježišom Kristom, aby sme Ho tu videli.
2On zasľúbil, že kde sa zhromaždia dvaja alebo traja, On tam bude prítomný. Som si istý, že som Ho dnes ráno stretol, keď som vystupoval po schodoch sem do auditória, kde sú všetci ľudia vo veľkom očakávaní, čakajú na raňajky a na kázanie. A je dobré tu byť zhromaždený spolu s vami a s tými, čo počúvajú prostredníctvom rádia. Je ich tu toľko, musel som ísť dolu na druhé poschodie a mal som s niektorými rozhovor. Videl som tak veľa modlitebných potrieb; problémy so srdcom a rozličné choroby tela. A sme tu preto, aby sme sa modlili za chorých a trpiacich.
3Práve, ako som prešiel ten posledný schod, (Pozerám sa teraz na jedného starého džentlmena,) prišiel ku mne a povedal, „Brat Branham, pred rokmi...“ Povedal, že mal problémy so srdcom, až také vážne, že si mysleli, že zomrie. A pomodlil som sa za neho a z milosti Božej bol uzdravený a je tu dnes ráno, v jeho osemdesiatich rokoch, a raduje sa. No, to nám dáva chopiť sa novej nádeje.
4A teraz úpenlivo prosím o modlitby ľudí tam vonku, pri rádiách, ako aj za ľudí tu. Potom, ako opustím zhromaždenie, odchádzam do Európy, dolu do Afriky a naokolo, budem tam mať zhromaždenia. Idem tam na základe videnia. Som si istý, že to budú nádherné zhromaždenia. Roky som cítil, že Pán chce, aby som sa vrátil s tou malou skromnou službou, ktorú mi dal, nemyslím si, že to tam zakončil. Zdá sa, že tam niekde musí byť duša, ktorú by som mohol chytiť do siete Evanjelia, niekto, koho mi On dal pre Svoj ľud, prostredníctvom Božieho uzdravenia, modlenia sa za chorých. A ja skutočne potrebujem vaše modlitby, vás ľudí tu a tých, ktorí počúvajú pri rádiách.
5No, nemám čas, aby som zobral nejaký text a kázal, čo očakávam, že budem po pár minútach tu v auditóriu robiť, ale iba aby som chvíľu hovoril, aby sme sa tak mohli trochu spoznať. A za tých ľudí tam vonku sa budem modliť, rovnako ako za ľudí tu. Je to pre mňa veľkým potešením, stretnúť všetkých týchto milých priateľov, ktorých som nikdy predtým nestretol. Jednoducho prísť sem dnes ráno a mať s nimi kontakt.
6Mali sme dobrý čas na zhromaždeniach na iných miestach. Nechodím tak veľa mimo ako predtým, je tak veľa čo robiť. My sa iba snažíme tú cestu medzi Jeffersonville, Indianou a Tucsonom, Arizonou zohrievať. Prišli sme tam pred pár rokmi skrze Pánove videnie, kam nás poslal, bez toho, aby som vedel, kam idem. A mnohí z vás tu v Cliftone, rozprával som sa s vami pred tým, ako som odišiel, na zhromaždení vo Phoenixe, o tom videní, ktoré prišlo. Videl som zoskupených sedem anjelov. A viem, vy pri rádiách, možno mnohí z vás nie sú z Plného Evanjelia a možno sa vám to zdá trochu záhadné, čo bolo aj pre mňa, ale existuje... Každý, kto môže všetko vysvetliť, nepotrebujete mať viac do toho vieru. Sú veci, ktoré nemôžeme vysvetliť, musíme ich prijať vierou.
7Nemôžeme vysvetliť Boha. Žiaden človek nemôže vysvetliť Boha. On je suverénny a je veľký a mocný. My to iba prijímame, pretože vieme, že On je. A potom, skrze vieru to prijímame, On nám na to dáva odpoveď cez krst Duchom Svätým, o čom vám tu budem o chvíľu hovoriť, o „Božom spôsobe, mieste uctievania.“
A to jediné miesto, kde ho môžeš uctievať, to jediné miesto, kde sa On s tebou stretne, On má... Je jedna cirkev, jedno miesto, jeden čas, jeden ľud, ktorých Boh stretáva. A dúfam, že Pán požehná posolstvo tu vo vašich srdciach.
8No, ako som prišiel do Tucsonu, bolo to zvláštne, povedať vám o tých videniach, v Mene Pánovom. Ani jediný krát, nakoľko si len môžem spomenúť (opýtam sa každého, či si môžu spomenúť), nebolo, keď On niečo povedal, že by to nebola pravda. Vždy sa to presne tak vyplnilo, ako povedal, že sa to stane.
9On je zaviazaný, podľa Písma, prísť v týchto posledných dňoch, v takomto type služby: to bude po krste Duchom Svätým a hovorenie v jazykoch a Božské uzdravenie, a tak ďalej, tieto veci završujú letničné posolstvo, a to je to, o čom dnes hovoríme. Táto služba Krista Samého stelesnená medzi Jeho ľudom, s tými istými vecami, ako činil, keď bol na zemi; v Jeho tele, v Neveste, ktorá je časťou Neho, ktorá robí to isté, tak ako ženích a nevesta alebo kráľ a kráľovná, rovno pred svadobným obradom.
10Tento týždeň, ak bude Pán chcieť, chcel by som o niečom hovoriť, tu vonku v našej kampani v Hoteli Embassy, a aby sme sa trochu navzájom oboznámili, robím to takým skromným spôsobom. Čas a hodina, v ktorej žijeme... Ak človek nevie, ktorou cestou sa vybrať, čo robiť alebo ako sa otočiť, nekráčate viac s vierou, ale iba hádate. Ste trúfalí. A trúfalosť je konať bez oficiálnej autority. Teda, ak nemáme oficiálnu autoritu, aby sme vedeli, čo Boh povedal, že sa bude diať v tejto hodine, ako vôbec chceme čeliť tejto hodine? A máme jej čeliť vierou v Jeho Slovo, veciam, ktoré sa majú stať teraz, a stav, v ktorom sa nachádzajú národy, stav ľudí, stav, v ktorom sa nachádza cirkev atď.
11Musíme to rozpoznať, a potom ako kráčať a postaviť tomu. Ak nevieš, ako na to, si len, ako sme to zvykli volať, hazardér, skočiť do toho a dúfať, že to tam bude a dúfať to a ono, no bude to tak? Ale Boh od nás nechce, aby sme to robili. Chce od nás, aby sme vedeli, čo povedal o tomto dni, a ísť cez to vierou, pretože On povedal, že to bude týmto spôsobom. Potom viete, že máte pravdu, lebo vám to nepovedala nejaká osoba: máš Jeho Slovo, čo s tým musíš urobiť. A my dúfame, že náš nebeský Otec nám to tento týždeň potvrdí.
12No, je mi ľúto, že som odbočil od toho, čo som pred chvíľou hovoril o príchode do Tucsonu. Myslel som si, že to je koniec môjho života. Pomyslel som si, že nikto nikdy nemôže vydržať ten šok z toho stavu, ktorý som mal, v to ráno okolo desiatej, keď som mal to videnie, že by niekto mohol ešte žiť po niečom takom. No, prišiel som do Tucsonu, zariadil som so synom nejaké veci pre moju ženu a deti, šiel som s ním, potom, ako som odišiel, pretože som si myslel, že to je môj koniec. A ja, vo Phoenixe, na veľa zhromaždeniach pred tým som o tom hovoril, ako sa to stane, skôr, ako sa to vôbec stalo.
13No, niekoľko mesiacov potom som bol jedno ráno v Kaňone Sabino (čo je presne sever Tucsonu). Bol som tam hore, aby som sa modlil. A zatiaľ čo som sa modlil, mal som ruky zodvihnuté hore vo vzduchu a hovoril som, „Otče, prosím Ťa, aby si mi nejako pomohol, dal mi silu v hodine, ktorej teraz čelím. A ak sa moja práca tu na zemi skončila, potom musím prísť k Tebe. Neľutujem to, že by som prišiel, a viem, že Ty sa postaráš o moju rodinu, a ja Ťa iba prosím o silu do tejto hodiny.“ A niečo mi padlo do ruky!
14No, vy, pri rádiových prijímačoch, možno vám to, čo som povedal, znie divne, ale je to pravda a Boh je mojím sudcom. Pozrel som sa do ruky a bol to meč, ktorý mal kryt cez rukoväť, a samotná rukoväť bola z perál a vyzerala ako zo zlata a malo to akoby ochranný kryt nad rukoväťou. A meč samotný vyzeral, akoby sa jagal, ako, ó, niečo ako chróm, alebo niečo jagajúce sa na slnku.
15No, bolo okolo desiatej alebo jedenástej ráno, na ceste na vrchol hory. Môžete si predstaviť, ako by sa človek (cítim, že som pri zmysloch) cítil stojac tam s mečom odnikadiaľ, nikde žiadni ľudia na míle a míle ďaleko, držiac toto vo svojej ruke. Cítil som ho, vzal a mával čepeľou dopredu a dozadu a, no, bol to meč!
16A poobzeral som sa dookola a povedal som, „No, teraz. Ako sa to vôbec mohlo stať! Tu, stojím priamo tu a nikoho tu niet na míle a míle ďaleko dookola, odkiaľ to prišlo?“ A povedal som, „No, predpokladám, že je to možno Pán, ktorý mi hovorí, že je to môj posledný čas, koniec.“ A hlas prehovoril a povedal, „To je meč Kráľa.“ A myslel som, „No, (nejaký) meč. Potom je to ako pre kráľa, keď pasuje za rytiera, viete, ako to robili v Anglicku a na rôznych miestach.“ Myslel som, „To je to, na čo to je, na pasovanie za rytiera.“ A pomyslel som si, „No, možno sa odo mňa očakáva položiť ruky na ľudí.“ Mal som všetky druhy... Ľudská myseľ môže byť zamiešaná, viete. Vy neviete. Naše mysle sú ohraničené. Jeho je neohraničená. Tak, a ako som... Potom to z mojej ruky zmizlo, nevedel som, kam to odišlo, jednoducho to zmizlo.
17No, ak by človek nerozumel niečo o duchovných veciach, zbláznili by ste sa. Stáli by ste tam a čudovali by ste sa, čo sa stalo. A On povedal, „To videnie neznamená tvoj koniec. Je to pre tvoju službu. Tento meč je Slovo. Sedem pečatí bude otvorených, tajomstvá...“
18A potom, o dva týždne, alebo vlastne o dva mesiace po tomto, bol som na horách s hŕstkou priateľov, keď sa to stalo. Sedem anjelov, práve tak jasne, ako tu stojíte, sa sformovalo dolu z nebies. Skaly z hôr sa rútili dolu kopcami a ľudia, ktorí tam stáli, kričali a utekali, viete, a prach lietal všade naokolo. A keď to bolo, povedal, „Vráť sa domov. Teraz bude... Každý anjel bude jednou pečaťou tých siedmich pečatí.“
19Je to na páske. A čoskoro vyjde kniha, teraz ju trochu „gramatizujú“. Ako viete, moja gramatika nie je veľmi dobrá a ľudia by ne... Buďte iba ľuďmi, ktorí ma milujú a vedia, ako ma porozumieť s mojou gramatikou. Ale nejakí teológovia tam pre mňa „gramatizujú“ a vyberajú všetky... No, možno som použil nesprávne slovo, ja to dokonca neviem. Tak, počul som niekoho sa smiať; tak hádam to slovo „zgramatizovanie“ nebolo správne. Ale ako Holanďan, berte ma za to, čo myslím, a nie za to, čo hovorím, skutočne.
20A bolo mi povedané, že už máme len tri minúty do skončenia programu. No, drahí priatelia tam vonku pri rádiách a vy, ktorí ste tu chorí a v potrebe, položili by ste teraz iba ruky jeden na druhého, kým sa budeme modliť za chorých. No, Ježiš povedal, Jeho posledné poverenie do cirkvi, „Tieto znamenia budú nasledovať tých, ktorí veria.“ Tých, ktorí veria. „Keď položia ruky na chorých, budú uzdravení.“
21Drahý nebeský Otče, sme dnes ako deti. Sme poslušní tomu, čo si povedal, aby sme robili. Kladieme ruky na všetky tieto telefonické prosby. Ty ich vidíš tam po krajine vonku, ako trpia a sú v potrebe. Vidíš tých, ktorí sú tu v potrebe a trpia. A my ich porúčame Tebe, drahý Bože, vo viere v Tvoje Slovo: kde si povedal, „Tieto znamenia budú nasledovať tých, ktorí veria. Keď položia svoje ruky na chorých, budú uzdravení.“ Potvrď to, Pane, v Mene Ježiša Krista. Amen. [Brat Branham končí rádiové vysielanie. - pozn.prekl.]
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22Ďakujem, brat Shakarian. Je to určite veľké privilégium byť znovu pri vysielaní, hovoriť k niektorým z našich priateľov pri rádiách, tam vonku, ako aj k tu k prítomným. Určite rozširujeme to pozvanie, aby ste prišli zajtra poobede do hotela Embassy, aby bolo za vás modlené. A nielen to, ale aby boli prinesení hriešnici a upadnutí. Keď jednoducho máme modlitby za chorých a vidíme, ako Boh ustavične robí zázraky, ale to je druhoradé. To najdôležitejšie je byť spasený, naplnený Duchom Svätým, o čom vám tu o chvíľu budem hovoriť, ako byť naplnení Duchom Svätým, ide o tú dostatočnosť.
23Božské uzdravenie väčšinou zaujme pozornosť ľudí a prinesie ich do prítomnosti Božej, keď Boh robí niečo, o čom vedia, že je ne... No, nie je to porozumené. Nemôžeme to mechanicky ukázať, ako sa to deje. Boh to robí Svojím vlastným ohromným spôsobom. Potom to zaujme pozornosť ľudí, dáva im poznať, že je tam niekde prítomnosť moci, ktorá môže spôsobiť niečo, čo je poza ľudským chápaním. A to spôsobuje, že sa pozrú na Baránka Božieho.
24A vždy Božské uzdravenie, bolo mi povedané, a tiež to tak verím, že okolo šesťdesiat, možno sedemdesiat percent našej služby Pánovi bolo Božské uzdravenie. A On to urobil, aby zaujal pozornosť ľudí. Potom, keď tam boli, povedal, „Ak neuveríte, že Ja som, zomriete vo svojich hriechoch.“ No, Božské uzdravenie je dobrou návnadou na zaujatie ľudí, aby sa pozreli na Pána Ježiša.
25Dr.F.F.Bosworth (ktorý bol priateľom mnohých vás, poznali ste ho i jeho službu), veľa pre mňa znamenal. Ako mladý kazateľ, keď som začal kázať a narazil som na brata Boswortha. Zvykol hovoriť, že Božské uzdravenie (hrubo povedané, no), hovoril, „Božské uzdravenie je návnada na háčiku rybárskej udice.“ Povedal, „Nikdy neukážeš rybe háčik, ukážeš jej návnadu. Keď ide po návnade, chytí sa na háčik.“
Preto sa to snažíme robiť, je to... Naším cieľom je dostať ľudí ku Pánovi Ježišovi Kristovi. A On je tým istým včera, dnes a naveky. Teda ako bol v uplynulých dňoch Uzdravovateľom, je aj dnes Uzdravovateľom.
26Ešte jedno osobné svedectvo pred tým, ako sa budem modliť za chorých pri rádiách, tam vonku. Bolo to pred pár dňami, sedel som na horách, kde sa medzi pätnástimi alebo dvadsiatimi bratmi prihodila nádherná vec; tam, kde prišiel anjel Pánov dolu a ohromné svetlo letelo ako kométa, burácalo to pohoriami a skaly lietali asi na šesťdesiat metrov alebo viac a osekávali vrcholky stromov. Stál som priamo pod tým. Povedal som im krátko pred tým, ako sa to stalo, že to tam bude a ako sa to stane. Úprimne, bolo to povedané deň predtým. A všetci títo mužovia utekali popod nákladiak a všetko, snažili sa dostať preč odtiaľ. Nevedeli, čo sa stalo. A On prehovoril a povedal, čo sa stane presne potom.
27Sedel som tam na určitej skale, presne, kde sa zjavil... Mal som kamaráta, ktorý bol s nami, ktorý pochádzal z Minnesoty. Jeho ľudia sú tu dnes ráno, nie som si istý, ale možno je tu, na niektorom poschodí. To bol Donavon Weerts a milý mladý chlapík, luterán, ktorý práve vydal svoj život Kristovi a bol naplnený Duchom Svätým. Veľmi skromný nemecký chlapec, asi tridsaťročný, má rodinu, dve alebo tri deti, presťahoval sa dolu do Tucsonu, len aby mi bol susedom (kde sa tristo, alebo štyristo presťahovalo do môjho susedstva). Tak on... A ja som šťastný, že mám takých susedov ako oni, nasledujú ma celou cestou do Severnej Afriky a všade naokolo, iba preto, aby boli blízko a videli... so mnou, aby boli so mnou a tešia sa v radosti, prítomnosti Pánovej. Taký skromný chlapík, nikdy som si ho veľmi nevšimol.
28Samozrejme, že ľudia, ktorých poznám a s ktorými sa stýkam, sú mi ako vlastný brat, sestra. Pozorujem ich a keď cítim, že vychádzajú z línie, beriem ich bokom a hovorím s nimi, pretože ich milujem. Chceme spolu žiť v sláve. Niekedy si možno myslíte, že na tých zhromaždeniach hovorím ku vám tvrdo. To nie je z... Nie je to preto, že by som vás nemiloval. Ale prichádza to z môjho srdca, pretože som... Musí byť len jeden spôsob. Je len jeden spôsob, ako slúžiť Bohu, a to je... A my musíme stáť na Jeho ceste, nezáleží na tom, čo si o tom myslíme. Jeho ceste!
29A všimol som si Donavona, pravé viečko oka mal opuchnuté, možno trikrát väčšie, ako má byť, a veľmi začervenané. No, dalo by sa myslieť, že tam, pár dní na púšti, kde sme boli, mohol dostať jačmeň na oko. Lenže, keď som mu chytil ruku, zistil som, že to bola rakovina.
30Tak, povedal som Donavonovi, povedal som, „Donavon, máš... Ako dlho to máš na oku?“ Iba akoby som to hodil do pléna, akoby som nevedel. Spýtal som sa, „Ako dlho to tam je, Donavon?“ Povedal, „Brat Branham, okolo šesť mesiacov,“ povedal.
Povedal som: „Prečo si sa o tom nezmienil predo mnou?“
Povedal, „Ó, videl som, ako si veľmi zaneprázdnený,“ povedal, „Nechcel som nič hovoriť.“
Povedal, „Jednoducho som si myslel, že možno ti to Pán niekedy povie.“
Tak som povedal, „Uvedomuješ si, čo to je?“
Povedal, „No viem si predstaviť.“
Povedal som, „Tak to je.“
A na druhý deň ráno, (nič viac ako to, iba som držal chlapcovu ruku) to druhé ráno, nebol tam po tom ani škrabanec. Úplne to zmizlo.
31Tak veľakrát to tlačíme, snažíme sa dostať do toho, tam; alebo to vidieť „Tieto znamenia budú nasledovať veriacich.“ To nehovorí, „Ak sa budeš modliť za chorých.“
32„Keď položia svoje ruky na chorých, budú uzdravení.“ Musíme mať vieru, v nás samých, v čo robíme. V poriadku. Tak Donavon je pravdepodobne tu. Stretnete sa s ním. Ak tu nie je dnes ráno, bude na niektorom poschodí. Stretnete sa s ním a on bude poznať to svedectvo.
33A čo viac by som mohol povedať. Verím, že Lukáš alebo Ján raz povedal, že svet by nemohol obsiahnuť v knihách, ktoré by boli napísané, čo všetko On učinil medzi ľuďmi v týchto posledných dňoch; ako chorí boli uzdravení, alkoholici oslobodení, tisíce z nich a všetky druhy chorôb a utrpení.
34No vy vonku, tam pri rádiách ako aj vy tu: Držím tu teraz veľké množstvo prosieb, ktoré prišli cez telefón dnes ráno, nepretržite zvonil telefón, odkedy sme tu boli. A tak my... Stodeväťdesiatšesť prosieb prišlo dnes ráno, telefonicky, odkedy sme tu.
35Pomodlime sa teraz spoločne, každý jeden, kdekoľvek si, tam vonku, položte svoje ruky jeden na druhého, keď ste veriaci. Ak nie, položte ruku na Bibliu alebo niečo, tam vonku, kým sa tu modlíme a tam.
Drahý nebeský Otče, to malé svedectvo Donavona Weertsa, iba jedno z tisíc, Pane, Ty si tak láskavo... Modlím sa, aby si pozrel do sŕdc oboch ľudí tu a pri rádiách tam vonku. Nech by každý jeden z nich bol uzdravený. Nech ich opustí zlé a nech sú oslobodení od všetkého ich utrpenia. Potvrď to, Otče, v Mene Ježiša Krista, Tvojho Syna, to prosíme. Amen. [Brat Branham spieva.] Ďakujeme, Pane... [Brat Branham ukončuje druhé rádiové spojenie – pozn.prekl.]
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36No, toto je tretíkrát, ako som tu, dnes ráno. Ó! A viete, bolo práve povedané, že približne za dvanásť, štrnásť minút máme uvoľniť túto budovu, alebo tak nejako. A manažment povedal, ktorý sa nachádza tam na inom poschodí, že nemôžu servírovať žiadne jedlo. Naše jedlá sa predĺžili. Máme veľa chodov, viete. Tak my sme veľmi, veľmi šťastní, že sme tu mali toto ohromné duchovné, gastronomické výročie, ako by som to dnes ráno nazval, tu s tou milou skupinou ľudí.
37Rád by som spomenul, že máme... službu znovu zajtra poobede, teraz v Embassy.
Budeme sa modliť za chorých a očakávať, že Boh sa s nami stretne. A prišiel som, aby som vložil svoju časť, moju službu do činnosti (všetko, čo môžeme), aby toto stretnutie bolo úspešným. Úspešné, nie z dôvodu, že je to naše stretnutie, ale úspešné v tom, že ľudia nájdu Ježiša Krista. To je úspech. Zhromaždenia, nezáleží, koľko chválime Boha, koľko nádherných vecí Ho uvidíme robiť, koľkokrát prehovorí ku nám v Duchu a podobne; až kým nie je niečo vykonané, nejaké duše prinesené do kráľovstva...
38A brat Shakarian, teraz, práve urobil skutočné vyhlásenie práve teraz, o tom, čo si myslí o týchto dňoch, v ktorých žijeme. Skutočne verím, z celého svojho srdca, že žijeme práve v čase ukončenia práve v... práve v čase šera večera. Slnko poriadne pokročilo. A keď vidíme veci, ako sa dejú dnes, no, je ťažké hovoriť, čo prinesie iná generácia.
39Pred pár dňami... Dovoľte mi povedať vám niečo také zaujímavé. Urobili analýzu po celej Arizone, kde žijem, všetkých škôl. Dali deťom (bez toho, aby to vedeli) mentálny test. A hádajte čo? Spolu na základných a stredných školách bolo 80% detí trpiacich mentálnym deficitom. Sedemdesiat percent z nich pozerá televíziu. Vidíte, zlo, iba sa to ku nám vkradne a my to ne... Čudujete sa, odkiaľ to prichádza. Môžete počuť Boha proti tomu kričať, a nachádzame tu samých seba zamotaných do toho.
40Dovoľte mi, nech vám poviem niečo šokujúce. Vidíte, „Nie každý, kto mi hovorí, 'Pane, Pane,' vojde, ale ten, ktorý činí vôľu Môjho Otca.“ Jeho vôľa je Jeho Slovo. Môžeme byť veľmi nábožní; mať ohromný čas, vykrikovať a skákať v týchto zhromaždeniach, ktoré... Nechcem byť kritický, ale mám povinnosť voči Bohu. A táto povinnosť je byť úprimný a povedať, čo On odo mňa chce, aby som povedal. A som určite vďačný za Kalifornskú skupinu obchodníkov, ktorá má so mnou trpezlivosť v mojom presvedčení. Ak nehovorím to, o čom som presvedčený, som pokrytec, a teraz, dokonca s vami nie som čestný. A ak nemôžem byť voči vám čestný, ako môžem byť voči Bohu? Pretože vás vidím a hovorím vám, (samozrejme to robíme tiež voči Bohu) ale musíme byť skutočne úprimní a čestní jeden voči druhému.
41Sme určite v strašnom, strašnom veku. A pozastavili ste sa niekedy... Iba, nech vám poviem len malú analýzu. „Nie všetci, ktorí mi hovoria, 'Pane, Pane,' tam vojdú, ale ten, kto činí vôľu Môjho Otca.“ Ježiš povedal, „Nebude človek na zemi živý na samom chlebe, ale na každom slove...“ Každé Slovo, nie len teraz a potom nejakým slovom, ale každým slovom.
42Bolo to jedno Slovo z Božích prikázaní verené nesprávne, ktoré spôsobilo smrť, trápenie a každú chorobu a bolesti hlavy. Minúť Slovo Božie, jedno Slovo... Ak vzal ľudskú rasu do smrti skrze neveru jedného Slova... „Istotne, istotne...“ Ale On povedal, že sa to stane. Satan povedal, „Určite sa tak nestane.“ Ale stalo sa.
43Tak my musíme zachovať každé Božie Slovo. A ak ľudská rasa a všetko to utrpenie a veci, ktoré prišli... ľudská rasa, skrze zlé vykladanie alebo neveru jedného Slova, ako sa vrátime, keď minieme to jedno, ak to stálo takú cenu, dokonca život Jeho Syna? Mnohí sú povolaní... málo je vyvolených; mnoho je povolaných... málo vyvolených.
44Nemôžem z tohto zobrať text, pretože nemáme čas, ale chcem vám len niečo zanechať. Pomyslime o... Raz som šiel s bratom Shakarianom na miesto, kde bol krížený dobytok, a videl som... v laboratóriu, kam ma vzal brat Shakarian. A oni nabrali zo spermií býka, ako, iba trošičku ako, s malým nástrojom, pinzetou. A zobral trochu z týchto spermií a položil to pod sklo, ktoré to zväčšilo stovky krát.
45A v týchto spermiách poskakovali malé zárodky. Ktoré, vieme, že zárodky pochádzajú z mužskej a vajíčka zo ženskej. A pýtal som sa tam lekárnika, povedal som, „Čo tam spôsobuje takéto poskakovanie?“
Povedal, „To sú malé býky a kravičky.“ Vidíte.
Spýtal som sa, „V tejto kvapke?“
Povedal, „Áno.“
Povedal som, „Možno, potom v celých spermiách ich budú milióny?“
Povedal, „Ó, áno.“ Vidíte? A pozoroval som to zblízka.
46No, keď sa deje táto ohromná vec, jedno vajíčko čaká na jednu spermiu, jeden z milióna. A nie je tam nikto, kto môže povedať, ktorý zárodok (spermia) to je, alebo ktoré vajíčko. Ak by ste pozorovali prirodzené narodenie, je to záhadnejšie ako narodenie z panny. Pretože v spermii, tam je jeden predurčený do života a zvyšok toho zahynie. A nie je to ten, ktorý stretne; je to prvý, ktorý sa spojí s vajíčkom. Možno vajíčko povstane vzadu za spermiami alebo v strede. To isté sa deje so spermiou.
47Vajíčko... spermia vojde do vajíčka a malý bičík na jeho konci odpadne a tam začína chrbtica. Je len jedna, z celej hŕby milióna, ktorý to dokáže. Iba jedna! A to je určené nejakou pre ľudí neznámou silou. Napriek tomu ste si podobní. Každý jeden z týchto zárodkov sú si podobné.
48Tak isto pri zvieratách; tak isto pri človeku. Je určené, či to bude chlapec alebo dievča, červenovlasé, s hlavou, čiernovlasé alebo čo. Je to určené Bohom. Všetky vyzerajú rovnako prirodzene, ale nachádza sa tam jeden, ktorý je určený do života. Jeden z milióna, hoci sú si všetky podobné.
49Keď Izrael opustil Egypt, bolo tam približne dva milióny ľudí, ktorí odišli v rovnakom čase. Každý z nich počul posolstvo proroka. Každý z nich videl Ohnivý Stĺp. Každý z nich bol pokrstený na Mojžiša v Červenom mori. Každý z nich kričal v Duchu, hral na tamburíne a poskakoval hore a dolu na púšti s Miriam, keď Mojžiš spieval v Duchu. Každý jeden z nich pil z tej istej duchovnej skaly. Oni, každý jeden jedol čerstvú mannu každý večer, každý jeden z nich. Ale len dvaja vošli do zeme: jeden z milióna.
50Čo bol ten test? Oni všetci pili z tej istej skaly, jedli tú istú duchovnú mannu, ako jeme my dnes ráno, ale test Slova ich vyskúšal. Keď to prišlo k času Kádeš Barney, keď začali prichádzať do zasľúbenej zeme... A oni nemohli prejsť, kým neboli testovaní Slovom. A všetci ostatní... Desiati sa vrátili a povedali, „Nedokážeme to, ľudia sú ako... Sme ako kobylky v porovnaní s nimi, ich veľký múr okolo mesta. Opozícia je príliš obrovská.“
Ale Jozua a Kálef tíšili ľud. Povedali, „Sme viac ako schopní to dokázať.“
51No, Boh povedal, pred tým, ako vyšli zo zasľúbenej zeme, „Dal som vám tú zem. Dal som vám ju. Je vaša.“ Ale tam boli jeden z každého milióna... Dnes je vo svete približne päťsto miliónov takzvaných „kresťanov“. A každý deň končí jedna generácia. A teraz, čo ak by dnes nastalo vytrhnutie a päťsto ľudí, celosvetovo, by bolo vytrhnutých. Nikdy by ste sa to nedozvedeli, alebo dokonca by ste to nevideli v novinách, že odišli. A príchod Pánov je tajný príchod. On príde a ukradne preč... To bude taká menšina, tak, ako to bolo vo dňoch, keď sa učeníci pýtali Ježiša, „Prečo hovoria Písma, že prv musí prísť Eliáš?“
Povedal, „On už prišiel a nerozpoznali ste to.“ Mysleli ste niekedy o tom, čo urobili ľudia? Oni verili, že Eliáš má prísť; a on bol priamo medzi nimi a oni o tom nevedeli.
52Tak to bude pri príchode Syna človeka. Urobia s Ním presne tú istú vec. Duch Boží je tu. No, čo s Tým urobíme? Budeme jesť mannu, a tak podobne, a nebudeme sa hýbať vpred, ako rastieme?
Všimli ste si niekedy semeno (ako pred chvíľou hovoril reverend Pitts) a ako semeno ide do zeme? V zemi sa nachádza veľa semien.
53Keď sa Boh so svetlom vznášal nad vodami a svetlo prinieslo prvú prítomnosť Božiu... Svetlo prišlo, skrze vypovedané Božie Slovo. A Božie Slovo je tou jedinou vecou, ktorá stále prináša svetlo. A keď sa vody rozostúpili, semeno už bolo v zemi. A svetlo len spôsobilo... Objavili sa vo vnútri semená so zárodkami, Boh tvoril Svoje stvorenie.
54A teraz na Veľkonočné ráno, tam bolo iné svetlo, ktoré zasiahlo zem, keď bol daný Duch Svätý. Bol daný, aby priniesol svetlo k tým semenám, o ktorých Boh skrze predzvedenie vedel, že budú na zemi. Keďže poznal to prvé prirodzené semeno, vedel, kde je to duchovné semeno.
55Vaše telo ležalo priamo tu na zemi, keď Boh najprv vzbudil zem do existencie. Sme časťou zeme. Ležali sme tam. A skrze Jeho predzvedenie, On presne vedel, kto ho bude milovať a kto Mu bude slúžiť, a kto nie. Jeho predzvedenie to hovorí. Ak to tak nie je, nie je Bohom. Nemôže byť Bohom bez toho, aby bol neohraničený, a On je neohraničený, vie všetky veci.
56Tak vidíte ľudí robiť chyby. Potkýnajú sa na nich, bežia, myslia si to a tamto. Ale to poriadne nefunguje. Vidíme to. Ale existuje správne fungovanie, to je nájsť Božiu dokonalú vôľu a stáť v nej, kvôli čomu nás Boh zavolal.
57Ako pred chvíľou povedal brat Jack, tu dolu o Perhingovom námestí: všetky tie zmätky, raz týmto spôsobom a raz týmto; a o teológoch a podobne, že ak chcete vedieť nejakú teológiu, choďte tam.
Myslím, že je to presne ako v Hyde Parku v Londýne. Bol som tam. Každý má svoj vlastný nápad. Miešanina dnešného moderného sveta v Babylone.
Ale všimli ste si, ako k nám brat Pitts vyšiel dnes ráno s jeho milým posolstvom? Ako začal vychádzať von z parku, našiel tam v strede toho zmätku malú veľkonočnú ľaliu. Ako nám to priniesol, nemala možnosť povedať, „Áno“ alebo „Nie.“ Bol v tom Boží vyžarujúci život, v strede všetkého zmätku. Bola tam vo svojom jase, lebo to tak ustanovil Boh, aby tam bola. V strede všetkého konfliktu, nikto si ju nevšímal. Nevideli na nej to duchovné uplatnenie.
58A tak je to dnes, medzi všetkými našimi zhromaždeniami a skupinami a cirkvami a denomináciami a podobne. Jeden presadzuje tento smer; musíme byť baptistami alebo presbyteriánmi, musíme byť to, tamto alebo iné. V strede toho všetkého rastie kvietok. Tam je Božia moc priamo medzi nami, vyrastá priamo medzi nami! Zatavme sa a skúmajme to za pár minút, pozorujte to tento týždeň a uvidíte, ako sa to rozvíja priamo pred nami. Veríme, Boh to urobí. Však? Vidím, že by sme už mali byť na prízemí, modlime sa, jeden každý z nás.
59Drahý Bože, keď skláňame svoje hlavy v Tvojej prítomnosti, sme... cítime, že sme takí nedostatoční, aby sme prosili. Ale Ty si nám zasľúbil, že keď prídeme, že nás neodmietneš. A tieto tvrdé vyhlásenia, ktoré boli práve urobené (neboli myslené ako doktrína), jeden z milióna, ale iba spôsob, ako si to uvedomiť. Lebo si povedal, „Úzka je brána a priama je cesta, ktorá vedie do života, a málo bude tých, ktorí ju nájdu...“ „Lebo veľa je povolaných, ale málo vyvolaných.“ Ó, Večný Otče, pošli svetlo Evanjelia do tohto mesta počas týchto nadchádzajúcich týždňov zhromaždení. A ak tam bude nejaké semeno, nejako, skrze Tvoju milosť, múdru prozreteľnosť, ako som sa to snažil znázorniť o tých spermiách mužskej časti a v ženskej, nech sa to prejaví na zhromaždeniach. Nech im Duch Svätý dá Svetla.
60Uvedomujeme si, že je možno neskoršie, ako si myslíme. Modlíme sa, Bože, že keď sem prichádzame, len veríme, že je tu niečo, čo by mohlo byť urobené, čo by pomohlo ľuďom, alebo chytilo tú poslednú ovcu...
Vieme, že keď sa naplní ovčinec, pastier zatvorí dvere. Ako to bolo za dní Noeho, keď ten posledný člen rodiny vošiel, Boh zatvoril dvere. A oni búchali a klepali, ale už bolo príliš neskoro. Drahý Bože, oni mali príležitosť.
61Ty si povedal, „Ja som dvere ovčinca.“ A aká výstižná je tá pieseň z tej básne, „Nestačí Ti deväťdesiatdeväť?“ Ale nie, tam bola ešte jedna. Možno je čiernou ovečkou, alebo je malým nikým, možno je to malý on alebo ona, nevieme, kde sú. Ale ten posledný musí vojsť a potom sa dvere zatvoria. Ó, Bože, Ty, ktorý poznáš všetky veci, preskúmaj dnes ráno naše životy a pošli nás, kamkoľvek máme ísť, aby sme našli toho posledného, aby sa dvere zatvorili a Pastier bude vo vnútri s ovcami. Udeľ to, Pane.
62Ak je tu dnes ten jeden, ak má vojsť... „Všetkých, ktorých Mi Otec dal, prídu ku Mne. A nikto nemôže prísť, iba ak ho potiahol Môj Otec.“
A ak je tu tiahnutie alebo nejaký malý pocit, že toto by mohla byť tá hodina pre niekoho tu v tejto posluchárni, tu alebo dolu na prízemí, alebo kdekoľvek by mohli byť, nech by odpovedali, „Áno, Pane, ja som ten malý vandrovník, ktorý sa zatúlal preč, a zápasil som s tým celý môj život. Cítim, že by som mal prísť. Ale dnes som zostal visieť na tej strane porážky. Nemôžem ísť hore alebo dole, nemôžem ísť žiadnou cestou.“ Ó, nech by prišiel ten veľký Pastier, načiahol sa nežne dole a vzal by bezpečne toho jedného, položil na Svoje plecia a vzal ho bezpečne späť.
63Možno je tu jeden, Pane, ktorý je chorý, slabý, že doktor povedal, že nie je nič, čo by sa dalo urobiť. Snažil sa pomôcť, ako len mohol, ale nedokázal to. Je to poza jeho možnosti, nie je nič, čo by mohlo byť urobené. Ani lieky ani jeho skalpel tomu nemôžu pomôcť. Ale, ó, Pane, pre Tvoje rameno nie je nič priďaleko. A Tvoje Slovo je Tvojím ramenom. Tak sa modlíme, drahý Bože, že toto ráno, kým hovoríme s Tebou, že Ty sa načiahneš dolu a pozdvihneš toho jedného, ktorý je chorý a nemôže si pomôcť, mimo dosahu všetkých vedeckých vecí, mimo dosahu lekára. Nech by bol uzdravený. Udeľ to, Pane.
64Keď myslíme na Dávida, ako dohliadal na pár oviec, iba na pár. Ale jedného dňa prišiel medveď a chytil jednu z oviec a vzal ju a bol by ju zožral (tak, ako rakovina požiera telo), alebo obrovský lev. Ale Dávid nebol vyzbrojený puškou alebo mečom, ale iba s prakom, išiel po tej ovci. A keď našiel to zviera, ktoré sa chystalo zabiť tú ovcu, a zabil ho prakom. Iba malá jednoduchá zbraň z kúska kože a povrázku a... Ale on tomu dôveroval.
65Nemáme medzi nami žiadneho génia, Pane; sme jednoduchí ľudia s jednoduchou malou modlitbou. Ale prichádzame dnes ráno za Otcovou ovcou: táto žena, ktorá mizerne kráčala po ulici, fajčila cigaretu, skúšala nájsť pokoj v cigarete; muž, ktorý ovoniaval pohárik a skúšal s tým prestať, ale nepriateľ ho mocne držal; ten chlapec alebo dievča, ktorí sa snažili robiť dobré, ale jednoducho nemohli nájsť silu prestať robiť nesprávne veci; prichádzame v Mene Pána Ježiša, aby sme oslovili tohto Baránka.
66Staviame sa nepriateľovi na odpor, pretože to je jednoduchá vec, prak, modlitba. Prichádzame, aby sme to priviedli späť do Otcovho ovčinca, aby sme sa tak mohli zodpovedať z tých vecí, ktoré boli zverené do našich rúk. Nech by teraz moc Božia vierou zasiahla hlboko srdcia ľudí. A nech by sa tieto stratené duše dnes ráno navrátili. Nech by pokušenia tohto života... uvoľni ich, nechaj ho ísť. Nech by sa našiel v bezpečí na Pánových pleciach, nesený naspäť do bezpečia. Prosíme to v Ježišovom Mene. Amen. Boh vás všetkých žehnaj, kým vás zajtra uvidím. Odovzdávam službu bratovi Shakarianovi. [Brat Branham končí tretiu časť – pozn.prekl.]
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67Toto… dúfam, že budete... že som našiel viac milosti v Božích očiach a pred vami, aby ste verili, že by som tu nestál preto, aby som vám povedal niečo, čo by bolo nesprávne. Nedávno som prekročil svoje päťdesiate šieste narodeniny. Toto nie je iba posolstvo nejakého starého muža. Verím tomu, odkedy som bol malým chlapcom. A ak by to nebola pravda, bol by som tou najbláznivejšou osobou, ktorú mal Boh na svete. Dal som tomu celý svoj život. A chcel by som toto povedať v úprimnosti: ak by som mal tisíc životov, nikdy by som nezmenil svoj názor. No, uzdravenie je na dosah každej osobe. Spomeňte si, uzdravenie je vo vás. Boh umiestnil do stromu broskyne každú broskyňu, ktorá kedy bude, keď ju zasadil v záhrade. Vidíte, vy iba...
Broskyňa alebo jabloň alebo ovocný strom vyrástol z pitia vody zo zeme. No, každý z vás má v sebe ten potenciál, aby bol oslobodený. Pretože to je Boh, odkedy ste zostali zasadení do Krista skrze krst: nie vodný krst; duchovný krst.
Nevošli ste do Krista skrze vodný krst, ale skrze duchovný krst. Zajtra poobede, ak bude Pán chcieť, budem o tom hovoriť, ako sa to skutočne uplatňuje. Budeme to mať dnes poobede, tak to nebude zasahovať do žiadnej z vašich služieb.
68No pozrite, každý z vás tu stojí ako veriaci, vidíte. Potom ten život, ktorý bol v Kristovi, je vo vás. To môže... Ak by ste to len mohli vidieť, to je práca satana, aby vás držal preč od toho, držal vás v slepote. On vás jednoducho môže oslepiť, to je... Vidíte, potom neviete, kam idete. Človek, ktorý je slepý, nevie povedať, kam ide. On musí hľadať porozumenie od niekoho, kto vidí. Kým to nemôžeme porozumieť, niekto nám musí povedať, čo je pravda.
69A Kristus za vás zomrel a ste transplantovaní zo sveta do Krista. A všetko, čo potrebuješ, je priamo v tebe skrze krst Ducha Svätého. Je to pravda? Teraz tá jediná vec, ktorú máte robiť, je len začať z toho piť. A ako strom pije, to začína vytláčať jeho listy, puky, vytláča jeho ovocie, každý rok. Ovocie sa nenachádza v zemi; nachádza sa v rastline. Koľkí tomu rozumiete, povedzte, „Amen“.
70Tak, vidíte, ovocie je v rastline a každá rastlina musí piť zo svojej fontány. Ako prichádza dážď dolu, dáva tejto rastline, aby z toho pila, a ako pije, rastie. A to rastie, až kým to príde do plného puku. Presne, ako má cirkev rozkvitnúť v tomto veku. A ako pijeme, rastieme. Lenže ak rastlina odmieta piť, nemôže rásť. A ak by ste to len mohli veriť!
71No, vo videní... Samozrejme, viete, ako to Boh robí, ukazuje rozdielne veci, čo ste urobili a čo ste nemali urobiť a podobne, na zhromaždení. Dúfali sme, že Duch Svätý na nás dnes ráno spadne a urobí tak, kým sme stáli. Ale ja som ďalej čakal. Myslím, že to je tá nervózna časť, ktorá si myslí, že tí dolu na prízemí chcú, aby sme odišli, vidíte. Ale oni čakajú na nás... my teraz meškáme. Ale verte to z celých sŕdc, prosím, urobte to!
72Ak som našiel milosť vo vašich očiach ako človek, ktorý hovorí pravdu, verte tomu. No, položte ruky jeden na druhého. No, pozrite, teraz, Biblia nehovorí, že tieto veci budú nasledovať Williama Branhama; nehovorí, že budú nasledovať iba Orala Robertsa; nehovorí, že budú nasledovať brata Koppa alebo niekoho.
„Tieto znamenia budú nasledovať tých (množné číslo), ktorí veria; ak položia svoje ruky na chorých... budú uzdravení.“ To je moc Božia v tebe, ktorá prinesie do života osobu, na ktorú položíš svoju ruku, život, ktorý dáva zdroj z Ducha Svätého.
Drahý Bože, v Mene Ježiša Krista, v tomto kľúčovom momente, kedy cirkev... Nech by zostali stáť v tejto sekunde bez nervozity. Nech by im moc, ktorá vzkriesila Krista z hrobu, oživila pravdu Evanjelia: že prikázanie Ježiša je, „Ak položia ruky na chorých, budú uzdravení.“
Nech každá démonská moc, každá choroba, každá nemoc, každé postihnutie, každá vec, ktorá týchto ľudí trápi, nech to teraz odíde skrze vieru, prosíme to ako veriaci ľudia v Ježišovom Mene. Amen. No, pozdvihnite svoje ruky a vzdajte Mu chválu, ak veríte, že On to robí.
Drahý Bože, toto dieťa umrie, Pane, ak sa toto nestane. Odmietam tento problém. V Mene Ježiša Krista, nech to to nevinné dieťa opustí. Amen. No, lekári skúšali a zlyhali. Len ver.
1 Thank you brother. Thank you, Brother Shakarian. And good morning, friends. Certainly good to be here in Los Angeles again this morning, prior this great convention, and the oncoming meeting of this coming week over at the Embassy Hotel. I'm expecting to see you all over there. And we're all under a great expectations to meet our Lord Jesus, to see Him over there. He promised that He would be. "Wherever two or three was gathered together," He would be there.
2And I'm sure that I met Him this morning as I come up the steps here in this auditorium, when all the people with great anticipations, waiting for the breakfast and the speaking. And it's good to be gathered here with you, and to the radio audience. There is so many in here, they're... I had to go down on the next floor, and speak to a few. And seen so many requests, heart trouble, and different ailments of their bodies, and we're here now to pray for the sick and the afflicted.
3 Just as I got top of the steps... I'm looking at the old gentleman now. He came up to me, and said, "Brother Branham, years ago..." He said he had heart trouble so bad that he... they thought he was going to die. And had prayer for him, and the grace of God healed him. And here he is this morning, way in his eighties, just rejoicing. So that makes us take new hope.
4And now I'm certainly soliciting the prayers of the people out in the radio land, as well as here. After I leave this meeting, I'm going to Europe, down into Africa and around, on meetings. And this is going by a vision, so it's going to be a great meeting there, I'm sure. And I felt for years that the Lord has wanted me to come back. The little humbly, humble ministry that He gave me, I don't think He is quite finished with it yet, over there. Seemed like there might be a soul somewhere that I could catch in the Gospel net, the one that He's give me to seine for the people, the way of in Divine healing, praying for the sick. And I certainly solicit your prayers, both you people here and them who are out in the radio audience.
5 Now I don't have time just take a text and preach, which I expecting to after a few minutes here in the--in the... this auditorium, but just to speaking to--to you a few moments, get acquainted. And to the people out in the land, I'm going to have prayer for those out there, right away, and in here also. And I'm certainly glad to meet all these fine new friends that I have never met before, just come in contact with them this morning.
6We've been having great times in the services in other places. I don't get out too much anymore, it's so busy. We just try to keep the road hot between Jeffersonville, Indiana and Tucson, Arizona, where we moved out there a few years ago, by a vision of the Lord, that sent us out there, too, not knowing where I was going. And many of you here, at Clifton's, I spoke to you a little before I left, and at Phoenix meeting, of the vision that had come, of seeing seven Angels in a cluster.
7 And I know, to the radio audience, perhaps many of you are not full Gospel, and this may seem a little mysterious to you. Which, it would to me, but there is... Anyone who can explain anything, you don't have to accept it anymore by faith. It's things that we cannot explain, that we have to accept by faith. We cannot explain God. No man can explain God. He is sovereign, and He is great and mighty. We just--we just accept it because that we know He is there. And then by our faith, in accepting it, He brings the response back to us, the baptism of the Holy Spirit.
8Which, I'm just going to speak to you about, in a few moments here, on, "God's way, or place of worship." And the only place that you can worship Him, the only place He'll ever meet you, there's got... There is one Church, one place, one time, one people, in all that God meets. And I hope that the Lord blesses the Message to your hearts here.
9 Now, coming to Tucson, it was strange, those visions speaking to you in the Name of the Lord. Not one of them as I ever can recall, and will ask anyone else if they can recall anytime, that He ever did say anything but what was the Truth. It always happens just the way He says it will happen.
10And He is supposed to, according to the Scriptures, return to us in this last days, in this type of ministry. That will be after the baptism of the Spirit, and speaking in tongues, and Divine healing, and so forth, these things. The capping of the pentecostal message is what we're speaking of today. This ministry of the Christ Himself impersonated among His people, with the very same things that He did when He was here on earth; in His Body, the Bride, which is part of Him, doing the same things, as Husband and Wife, or King and Queen, just before the Marriage ceremony.
11 This week, the Lord willing, I wish to speak some on that, out in our campaign here, at the--the Embassy Hotel, and kind of get acquainted in my humble way of doing it. The--the time and the hour that we're living, if a person don't know which a way to go, what to do or how to turn, you're--you're not walking by faith anymore; you're just guessing, you're presuming. And presume is to--to "advance without official authority." So if we haven't got the real official authority to know what God said would take place in this hour, how are we ever going to face this hour? And we've got to face it, knowing, by faith in His Word, the things that's supposed to be happening now; and the condition of the nations, the condition of the people, condition of the church, and so forth.
12We've got to know that, and then how to walk out to face it. If you don't know how to do that, you're just--just what we used to call, kind of, haphazardly; just jump in, hoping it will be here, hoping this and hoping that, and "will it be?" But God don't want us to do that. He wants us to know what He has said about this day, and then meet it by faith, because He said it would be that way. Then we--we know you're Truth then, because you haven't got some person's word for it; you got His Word of what we must do. And we're hoping that our Heavenly Father will--will grant this to us this week.
13 Now, I'm sorry that I cut off, of what I was saying a few moments ago, about coming to Tucson. And I thought, myself, that it was the end of my life. I thought no one could ever stand that shock of that condition that happened in that vision that morning, about ten o'clock at home, that would ever be able to live after that. Why, I come to Tucson, making arrangements with my son, for my wife and--and children to go with him after I was gone, because I thought it was my end. And I, in Phoenix and many of the meetings before it happened, I told you just how it would happen.
14Well, a few months after that, I was up in Sabino Canyon one morning, which is just north of Tucson. I was up there to pray. And while I was praying, I had my hand up in the air, saying, "Father, I pray Thee that Thou will in somehow help me, give me strength, for the hour that I'm now facing. And if my work is finished here on earth, then I must come to You. And it's not that I regret coming, but I know that You'll take care of my family. And I--I'm just asking for strength for this hour." And something struck my hand!
15 Now, radio audience, this may seem strange that I've said, but it's the truth. And God is my Judge.
16I looked in my hand, and there was a sword, had a sheath over the handle part. And the handle itself was made of pearl, and just looked like kind of a gold-like guard over the handle part. And the--the knife itself looked rather like it was kind of a shiny like, oh, something like chrome or something glistening in the sun.
17Now, it was about ten or eleven o'clock in the morning, way on top of a mountain. You can imagine how a person (that I feel that I'm in my right mind) would feel standing there with a sword from nowhere, people for miles and miles, holding that in your hand. I felt of it, took and waved the blade back and forth, and, why, it was a sword.
18 And I looked around. I said, "Well, now, how could that ever happen? Here I am standing here, right, here, and no one around for miles and miles, and where did that come from?" And I said, "Well, I--I suppose maybe it's the--the Lord telling me it's my end time."
And a Voice spoke and said, "This is the Sword of the Lord."
19And I thought, "Well, a sword, then it's for like a king, to knight." You know, how it used to do in England and different places. I thought, "That's what that is for, to knight." And I thought, "Well, maybe I'm supposed to lay hands on people, or..." I had all kinds... The human mind can be all messed up, you know. You don't know. Our minds is finite; His is infinite. So, and as I was, it... Then it left my hand and I didn't know where it went, just disappeared. Why, if a person didn't understand a little bit about spiritual things, you--you'd go crazy like that. You'd be standing there, wondering what happened.
20And He said, "The vision is not your end time. It's for your ministry. That Sword is the Word. The Seven Seals will be opened, the mysteries of..."
21 And then two weeks after that, or two months, rather, after that, I was up in the mountain with a bunch of friends when it, happened. Seven Angels, just as clear as you're standing here, came sweeping down from Heaven. The rocks in the mountains rolled out and down the hills, and--and people standing there were screaming and going on, you know, and the dust flying everywhere. And when it was, He said, "Return to your home. Now will be, each Angel will be one of the seals of the Seven Seals."
22Which, it's on tape. And the book will be out pretty soon, being now it's kind of grammarized. As you know, my grammar is not very good, and people wouldn't... You just have to be people that love me and know how to understand me on my grammar. But some theologian is grammarizing it for me, and taking out all the--the... Well, maybe I said the wrong word there. I don't even know. So, I heard someone laughing, so I guess that "grammarize" wasn't right. But like the Dutchman, you take me for what I mean and not what I say, really.
23 And it's just three minutes now, I'm told, unto the closing of the program.
24Now, you dear people out in radio land, and you that's sick and needy here in the audience, would you just lay your hands on each other now while we have this word of prayer for the sick. Now, Jesus said, His last commission to the Church, "These signs shall follow them that believe." "Them," them that believe! "If they lay their hands on the sick, they shall recover."
25 Dear Heavenly Father, we are like children today, we're obeying what You said do. We are laying hands upon all these telephone requests. Thou seest them out in the land out there, how they're needy, the suffering. You see those here that are needy, suffering. And we are committing them to Thee, Dear God, with this faith in Thy Word that Thou has said, "These signs shall follow them that believe. If they lay their hands on the sick, they shall recover." Grant it, Lord, in Jesus Christ's Name. Amen. [Blank.spot.on.tape--Ed.]
[Brother Branham ends the first radio broadcast--Ed.]
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26 Thank you, Brother Shakarian. It's certainly a grand privilege to be back again on the broadcast, to speak to some of our friends out in the radio land, as well as present here.
27And we are certainly extending this invitation to you, to come to the Embassy Hotel tomorrow afternoon, to be prayed for. And not only that, but bring the ones that's sinners and those who are backslidden. If we just have prayer for the sick, and we do see God constantly doing great miracles, but that's secondarily. The main thing is to be saved, filled with God's Spirit, which I'm going to speak to you about just in a few moments here, and the sufficiency how that we must be filled with God's Spirit.
28 And Divine healing usually draws an attention to people, and brings them in the Presence of God. When God does something that--that they know is un-... well, it's not understood. We cannot mechanically show how it's done. God does it in His Own great way. Then that attracts the attention of the people, to know that there is a Presence of a Power somewhere, that can do something that's beyond human understanding, and that causes them to look to the Lamb of God. And always, Divine healing; I've been told, and I believe, myself, that about between sixty, maybe, and seventy percent, of our Lord's ministry, was on Divine healing. And He did that to attract the people. Then when they were there, He said, "Except you believe I am He, you'll perish in your sin."
29 Now, Divine healing is a great drawing card, to get people to look to the Lord Jesus. And Doctor F. F. Bosworth, which many of you was a friend to, and knew him, and his ministry meant so much to me as a young minister. I started out in my meetings, and I run into Brother Bosworth. He used to say, "Divine healing," it's a crude little statement now, he said, "Divine healing is the bait on a fishhook." Said, "You never show the fish the hook. You show him the bait, and then he gets after the bait and gets on the hook." So that's what we try to do. That's our... we... Our aim is to get people to the Lord Jesus Christ. And He is the same yesterday, today, and forever. So if He was the Healer in the days gone by, He is the Healer today.
30 Just a personal testimony before I pray for the sick out in the radio land. It was a few days ago, I was sitting up in a mountains where a great thing had taken place before fifteen or twenty brethren there, where the Angel of the Lord came so down, and great Light flying like a comet, bursting around through the mountains, and rocks flying for two hundred feet, or more, across there, cutting the top of the trees out. And I was standing right under It. And told them just a few months before it happened, It would be there and what would happen; frankly, it was told the day before. And all these men running under trucks and everything, trying to get away. They didn't know what had taken place. And He spoke and said what would take place right immediately afterward.
31 Sitting on this certain rock there, right where He had appeared, I had a--a friend that was with us, that had come down from up in Minnesota. His people are here this morning and I'm not sure but what he may be here on some of the other floors. It was Donavon Weerts, and a fine young fellow, a Lutheran that had just give his life to Christ and been filled with the Spirit. Very humble German boy, about thirty years old, family, two or three little children. He moved down in Tucson just to be neighbors with me, where three or four hundred had moved in to be neighbors. So he...
32And I'm glad to have such neighbors as that. They follow me all the way to South Africa, and everywhere around, just to be near and see the... with me, and to be with me and enjoy the pleasures of the Lord.
Such a humble fellow, I had never noticed him very much.
33 Course, the people that I know and associate with are just like my own brother, sister. I watch them, and feel if I think they're getting out of line, and take them out to one side and talk with them, because I love them. We want to live in Glory together. And sometimes maybe, in the meetings, you think I speak harsh to you. That isn't from it. That isn't because that I don't love you, but it does come from my heart, because I--I... It must be just one way. There is only one way to serve God, and that's... And we must stay in His way, no matter what our thoughts is. His way!
34 And I noticed Donavon, on the right tip of his ear, was swollen perhaps three times its size, and looked very red. Well, now thinking maybe that, there in the desert for a few days, that where we had been, that maybe he had got some cactus in his ear. But, taking a hold of his hand, I found out that it was a cancer. So I said to Donavon, I said, "Donavon, have you... How long has that been on your ear?" Just to kind of throw him off, like I didn't know. I said, "How long has that been on there, Donavon?"
He said, "Brother Branham, about six months," he said.
I said, "Why didn't you mention it to me?"
35He said, "Oh, seeing you so busy," said, "I didn't want to--to do it." Said, "I just thought maybe sometime the Lord might tell you."
So I said, "Do you realize what it is?"
He said, "I have a good idea."
I said, "That is right."
36And the second morning. No more than that, holding the boy by the hand; the second morning, there wasn't even a scar on his ear. It was all completely gone.
37 So many times we press, trying to get to this, that. Or... See, it's, "These signs shall follow the believer." It didn't say "if they would pray for the sick." "If they lay hands on the sick, they shall recover!" We must have faith, ourselves, in what we're doing. All right.
38So now Donavon is probably here. You'll meet him. He'll be here, if he isn't here this morning, on some of the other floors. You'll meet him, and he'll know the testimony.
39And what more could I say? I believe Luke, or John, one, said the world couldn't con-... hold, contain the books that could be written of what He's done among the people in this last days; how sick's been healed, alcoholics delivered, by the thousands of them, and all kinds of diseases and afflictions.
40 Now, you out in radio land, as well as here, I'm holding here now a great handful of requests that's come in by the phone this morning, constantly ringing since we've been here. And so we... One hundred and ninety-six requests has come in this morning, by the phone, since we've been in here. So let us join in prayer now as each one... Wherever you are, out in the land, lay your hands on one another, if you're believers. If not, lay your hand upon the Bible or something out there, while we pray here and there.
41Dear Heavenly Father, the little testimony of Donavon Weerts, just one of the thousands, Lord, that Thou has so graciously... I pray that You will look down into the hearts of the people both here and in radio land. And may they, every one, be healed. May the evil one leave them, and may they be delivered from all their affliction. Grant it, Father. In the Name of Jesus Christ, Thy Son, we ask it. Amen. "Thank You, Lord..." [Blank.spot.on.tape--Ed.]
[Brother Branham ends the second radio broadcast--Ed.]
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42 Well, this is three times for me up here this morning. My! And, you know, it was just told that we've got to vacate the building in about twelve, fourteen minutes, or something. And the management said they's on the other floor there, and they can't serve any meals. Our meals lengthened out. We have many courses, you know. So we are very, very glad that we have had this great spiritual, gastronomical jubilee, as I would call it, this morning here with this fine bunch of men.
43I'd like to--to make mention that we are... the services again, tomorrow afternoon, over at the Embassy. Now, we will be praying for the sick there, and expecting God to meet with us. And I've come to put in my part, my ministry, into making (all that we can) this meeting to be a success. Not a success because it's our meetings, but a success of people finding Jesus Christ. That's the success. Any meetings, no matter how much we praise God, how many great things that we see Him do, how many times He speaks to us in the Spirit, and so forth; unless there is something accomplished, some souls brought into the Kingdom!
44 And Brother Shakarian now just made a--a real statement just now about what he thought about these days that we're--we're living in. I truly believe that with all my heart, that we're living just at the closing time, just in the--just in the evening shadows. The sun is far advanced. And when we see things taking place the way they are today, why, it's hard telling what another generation would bring. A few days ago...
45Just let me give you a little inside something. They made an analysis throughout Arizona, where I live, of all the schools. They gave the children, unknowingly to them, a mental test. And guess what? Including high schools and--and grammar schools, there was eighty percent of the children suffering with mental deficiency. Seventy percent of them was television watchers. See, the evils, they just slipped up on us and we don't... You wonder why it comes. You can hear the Voice of God screaming out against it, and yet here we--we find ourself webbed into it.
46 Let me give you a shocking something. See, "Not all that saith unto Me, 'Lord, Lord,' will enter in; but the one that doeth the will of My Father." His will is His Word. We can be ever so religious, have great times, shouting, jumping, in these meetings, which we're... I don't--I don't want to be critical. But I have a--a duty to do to God, and that duty is to be sincere and to say what He wants me to say. And I'm--I'm certainly grateful for the California chapter who has bore with me in--in my convictions. If I don't speak my convictions, I'm a hypocrite and now I'm not even honest with you. And if I can't be honest with you, how will I be honest with God, 'cause I see you and talk to you. Course, we do, to God, too, but we got to be really sincere and honest with one another. We are certainly in a--a horrible, horrible age. And did you ever stop...
47 Just let me give you just a little analysis. "Not all that saith unto Me, 'Lord, Lord,' will enter therein; but the one that doeth the will of My Father." Jesus said, on earth, "Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every Word." Every Word! Not just now and then, a Word, but by every Word.
48It was one Word misbelieved, by God's... of God's commandments, that caused death, sorrow, and every sickness and heartache, to miss God's Word, one Word! If he taken the human race into death, by miss, misbelieving one Word, "surely," surely. But He said it would happen. Satan said, "Surely it won't." But it did.
49So, we've got to keep every Word of God. And if the human and all this suffering and things that went on the human race, by misconstruing, or--or misbelieving one Word, how we going back by missing One, if it's cost all this price, even the life of His Son?
... many are called,... few are chosen.
... many are called,... few are chosen.
50I can't take a text from this, but 'cause we haven't got time, but just to leave something with you. Let us think of...
51 I went one day with Brother Shakarian, where they was hybreeding cattle. And I seen the--the... in the laboratory where Brother Shakarian taken me in. And they dipped in the sperm of the male cow, just a little... like a little instrument, a match stem, and took up a bunch of that sperm, and put it under this glass that magnified it hundreds of times. And there was little germs jumping in that, in that sperm. Which, we know the germ comes from the male, and the egg from the female. And I asked the chemist there, I said, "What's that making that little jump like that?"
He said, "That's--that's little bulls and calves." See?
And I said, "In that little drop?"
He said, "Yeah."
52I said, "Perhaps then in the entire sperm there would be a million of them?"
He said, "Oh, yeah." See? Now, watch close.
53 Now, when this great thing takes place, there is one egg waiting for one germ out of that million. And there is no one can tell which germ that is, or which egg that is. If you'd watch the natural birth, it's more of a mystery than the... than the virgin birth. Because, in this sperm, there is one in there that's predestinated to live, and the rest of them will die. And it isn't the first one meets; it's the first one that comes together with the egg. Maybe the egg may raise up from the back of the sperm, or the middle of the sperm; the germ may do the same, the egg. The germ crawls into the egg, and little tails drop off of it, and there starts the spine. There is only one in that whole load, of a million, that's going to make it, only one; and that's determined by some unknown Force, to man. Yet you're, every one, alike, every one of those germs are just alike. Same thing in animals. Same thing in man. It's determined whether it's going to be boy, girl, red-headed, black-headed, or what. It's determined by God. All of them look the same, naturally, but there is one in there that's ordained to life; one in a million, yet all of them alike.
54 When Israel left Egypt, there was approximately two million people left at the same time. Every one of them heard the message of a prophet. Every one of them saw the Pillar of Fire. Every one of them was baptized to Moses, in the Red Sea. Every one of them shouted in the--in the Spirit, beat the tambourines and run up-and-down the bank, with Miriam, when Moses sang in the Spirit. They, every one, drank from the same spiritual Rock. They, every one, eat fresh Manna every night. Every one of them! But there was two made the land, one out of a million.
55What was the test? They all drink in the same Rock, they all eat the same spiritual Manna as we're eating this morning, but the Word test proved them. When it come to the time of Kadesh-barnea, when they started over into the promised land, and they could not go over till they was tested by the Word. And all the--the other ten came back, and said, "We can't make it! The people are like... We're like grasshoppers, to them, their great walled city. The opposition is too great."
56But Joshua and Caleb stilled the people. They said, "We're more than able to do it!" Why? God said, before they left, the promised land, "I've given you the land. I've give it to you. It's yours." But there were one out of each million.
57 There is approximately five hundred million so-called Christians in the world today, and each day ends a generation. And now, what if the Rapture would come today and five hundred people, universally, would be taken in the Rapture? You would never know or even see in the paper, of them going. And the Coming of the Lord is a secret Coming. He'll come and steal away. It'll be such a minority, till...
58Just like it was in the days when the disciples asked Jesus, "Why does the Scribes say that--that Elias must first come?"
He said, "He has already come, and you never knew it."
59Did you ever think what the people did? They went right on believing that Mo-... that Elias was coming. And he was right among them, and they didn't know it.
60So will it be in the Coming of the Son of man! They'll do with Him just the same thing. The Spirit of God is here. Well, what are we going to do with It? Are we going to eat Manna, and so forth, and not continually move up as we grow?
61 Did you ever notice a seed, as Rev. Pitts was speaking a few moments ago, and how a seed goes into the ground? Many seeds are there in the ground. When God moved upon the water, with the Light, and Light brought forth. The first Presence of God, spoken Light came by God's Word. And God's Word is the only thing that still brings Light. And when the waters went back, the seed was already in the earth, and the Light only brought forth the seeds that remained with germ in them, come forth. God making His creation.
62And now, on Easter morning there was another Light struck the earth, when the Holy Spirit was given. And It's given to bring Life to those Seeds that God, by His foreknowledge, knew that would be here on the earth. As He knew the first natural seed, He knows where the spiritual Seed is. Your body was laying here right then on the earth, when God first brought the earth into existence. We are a part of the earth. We were laying there. And by His foreknowledge He knew exactly who would love Him and who would serve Him, and who would not. His foreknowledge tells that. If it doesn't, then He isn't God. He can't be God without being infinite. And if He's infinite, He knows all things.
63 So, you see people making their blunders. They stumble at it. They run at it, and they think this and that, but it doesn't work right, we see it. But there is a working right, that's to find God's perfect will and stand in it, what God called you for.
64As Brother Jack said a few moments ago about down here at the--the Pershing Square, all the confusion. One this a way, and one that way; and about the theologians, and so forth, that you want to know some theology, go down there.
65I guess that's just about like it is in Hyde Park in London. I was down there, everybody has his own idea. It's a--it's a conglomeration of a modern-day world in Babylon.
66 But did you notice as--as Brother Pitts went on with his lovely message this morning to us? As he begin to walk out of the park, there he found a little Easter lily. "In the midst of all the confusion," as he brought it to us, "it had no way to say 'yes' or 'no.' It was a life of God shining in it, in the midst of all the confusion." It was there in its radiance, because God had ordained it to be there. In the midst of all the conflict, no one was noticing it. They didn't see the spiritual application of it.
67And so is it today amongst all our great gatherings and groups, and churches and denominations, and so forth. One is pulling this way, "We must be Baptists, or be Presbyterians, must be this, that, or the other." In the midst of all of it, there is a growing flower. There is a power of God right among us, being raised right up in the midst of all of us. Let's just stop and behold it, a few minutes, and watch it this week, and see it unfold right before us. We believe God will do it. Don't you? [Congregation says, "Amen."--Ed.]
68 I see that we ought to be downstairs by now. So let's pray, each one of us.
69Dear God, when we bow our heads in Thy Presence, we are feel that we are so insufficient to ask. But You promised us that, if we would come, You would not turn us down. And these rude statements that's just been made, by no means to be a doctrine, "one out of a million," but just to kind of remember. For You said:
... strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, that leadeth unto life, and few there will be that will find it.
For many are called, but few are chosen.
70O Eternal Father, send the Gospel Light across this city, through this coming week of convention. And if there be any Seed, somehow by Your Own great, wise provident, like trying to illustrate it in the sperm of the male and female, may they roll into the convention. May the Holy Spirit give them Light. We realize that the time is perhaps later than we think it is. We pray, God, that as we come here, just believing that maybe there is something here that could be done that would help the people, or--or catch that last sheep. We know, when the sheepfold is full, then the Shepherd will close the door.
71 As it was like in the days of Noah, when the last member of the family was brought in, God closed the door. And they beat and pounded, but it was too late. Dear God, they had the opportunity.
You said, "I am that Door to the sheepfold."
72And how striking the song from the poet, "Are not ninety and nine enough for Thee? But, no, there was one more." He might be a little black sheep, or he might be a little nobody, might be the little her or he. We don't know where they are, but that last one must come in and then the door will be closed. O God, Who knows all things, search our lives this morning. And send us wherever that we could go, that we might find that last one, that the door would be closed and the Shepherd inside with the sheep. Grant it, Lord. If there be that one here today, if that one that is supposed to come in...
73"All the Father has given Me will come to Me. And no man can come, except My Father has drawed him."
74 And if there be a tug, or a little feeling, that this might be the hour for somebody here in this audience, here or downstairs, or wherever they may be, may they answer, "Yes, Lord, I am that little wandering one that's wandered away; and that's fought It off, all my life. I--I--I felt that I should come, but today I'm hanging on the side of defeat. I can't go up or down. I can go no way." Oh, may the great Shepherd come, reach down with tender hands and bring that one safely in, place it upon His shoulders and bring it safely back.
75Maybe there is one here, Lord, that's sick, in a similar condition, that the doctor said, "There is nothing can be done." He tried hard to rescue it, but he could not rescue it. It's beyond his reach. There's--there's nothing that he can do. His medicine or his knife cannot get to it. But, O Lord, there is nothing too far for Your great arm, and Your Word is Your arm. So we pray, Dear God, that, this morning, while we are talking to Thee, that Thou will reach down and pick that one up that's sick and cannot help itself, out of the reach of all scientific matters, away from the doctor, may they be healed. Grant it, Lord.
76 As we think of David, as he was given a charge over a few sheep, just a few. But one day a bear come in and got that one little sheep and took it out, and would have eaten it up (like a cancer would eat up a body), or a huge lion. But David, not too well equipped with a--a rifle, or, not a swordsman, but with only a slingshot, he went after that sheep. And when he found the--the animal that was about to kill the little sheep, he slew it with the slingshot. Just a simple little weapon with a piece of leather and a string, and, but he had confidence in it.
77We have no great genius among us, Lord. We are simple people with a simple little prayer, but we are coming this morning after Father's sheep. That woman that has walked the streets, miserably, smoking cigarettes, trying to find peace through the cigarette; that man who has smelled the glass and tried to set it back, but the enemy holds him tight; that boy or girl that's tried to do right, that just can't find strength to break away from the wrong thing; we come in the Name of the Lord Jesus, to claim that sheep this morning. We defy the enemy; because it's a simple thing, a slingshot, a prayer, but we're coming to bring that one back to the Father's fold, that we might give an account of those things that's been committed to our hand. May the power of God now strike faith, down in the hearts of the people, and may that lost soul return this morning. May the temptations of this life turn him away, let him go. And may he find hisself safely upon the Master's shoulders, being carried back to safety again. We ask it in Jesus' Name. Amen.
78God bless you all. Till I see you tomorrow, I'll turn the service to Brother Shakarian. [Blank.spot.on.tape--Ed.]
[Brother Branham ends the third portion--Ed.]
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79 This, I--I hope that you'll... that I've found more grace in the sight of God and before you, to believe that I would stand here to tell you something that was wrong. I have passed my fifty-sixth birthday, the other day. This isn't just an old man's Message. I've believed this since I was a little boy. And if this isn't true, I've been the most foolish person God had on the earth. I have give my entire life for this Cause. And may I say this with sincerity: if I had ten thousand lives, I would never change my opinion.
80Now, healing is in the reach of every person. Remember, healing is in you. God placed in the peach tree every peach that would ever be in it, when He planted it in the Garden. See, you just... the peach tree or the apple tree, or the fruit tree, just has to grow, from drinking the water in the earth. Now each one of you has those potentials in you, to deliver you, for it is God, since you've been planted into Christ by baptism (not water baptism), spiritual baptism. You don't come into Christ by water baptism. By spiritual baptism!
81Tomorrow afternoon, the Lord willing, I'm speaking on that, how and what is the real application of It. We have it in the afternoon so it won't interfere with any of your services.
82 Now look, each one of you here is standing as believers, see, then the Life that was in Christ is in you. It can, if you could just see it!
83It's the Devil's business to keep you blocked off from That, keep you blinded. He can just let you be blinded, that's, see, you don't know where you're going then. A man that's blind cannot tell where he is going, he's got to seek the understanding from somebody who can see. Until we can understand, somebody has got to tell us what's Truth.
84And Christ died for you, and you are transplanted from the world into Christ. And everything you have need of is right in you, by the baptism of the Holy Ghost. Isn't that right? Now the only thing you have to do is just start drinking from That.
85 And as the tree drinks, it begins to push out its leaves, its bud, pushes out its fruit each year. The fruit is not in the ground; the fruit is in the plant. How many understand that, say "amen." [Congregation says, "Amen."--Ed.] So, see, the fruit is in the plant, and every plant has to drink from his fountain. As the rain comes down, gives that plant, life, to drink from. And, as it drinks, it grows.
86And it's growing up until it comes to the full bud, just like the Church has, to bloom out in this age.
87And, as we drink, we grow. But if the plant refuses to drink, then the plant cannot grow. And if you will just believe it now, individually!
88 Course, you know how the Lord does, show different things, of what you've done and what you should not have done, and so forth, in the meeting. We was hoping that the Holy Spirit would fall upon us this morning and do such, as we stood. But I kept waiting.
89I think it's the nervous part, thinking that downstairs they want us out of here, see. But they're wanting us; we're late now.
90But believe this, with all your heart. Please do. If I--if I have found grace in your sight, as a truthful person, believe this. Now put your hands on--on each other.
91Now look, now, the Bible didn't say, "These signs will follow William Branham." Didn't say, "It'll follow Oral Roberts only." Didn't say, "It would follow Brother Kopp," or somebody.
92"These signs shall follow them," plural, "that believe. If they lay their hands on the sick, they shall recover." It's that Power of God that's in you, that brings the Life to the person you got your hand on, the Life-giving source of the Holy Ghost.
93 Dear God, in the Name of Jesus Christ, in this crucial moment when the church... may they stand at this second, without nervousness, and may the Power that raised up Christ from the grave, quicken to them just now the Truth of the Gospel, that Jesus' commission was, if they "lay hands on the sick, they shall recover." May every demon power, every sickness, every disease, every affliction, every tormenting thing that's happened to the people, may it leave just now by faith. As believing people, we ask it in Jesus Christ's Name. Amen.
94Now raise your hands and give Him praise, if you believe that He does it.
95Dear God, this baby will die, Lord, unless this is done. I condemn this knot, in the Name of Jesus Christ. May it leave the innocent child. Amen.
Now, the doctors have tried, and they fail. Just believe.