Túžba
Existujú dva rôzne druhy smädu. Je telesný smäd a je tiež duchovný smäd. Rád by som znovu prečítal toto čo povedal Dávid: "Moja duša je žízni túžbou po Bohu, po živom Bohu." nie po historickom, alebo po ničom čo sa stalo pred niekoľkými rokmi, alebo po nejakej poviedke, ktorú niekto rozprával - ale po živom Bohu, po Bohu, ktorý je stále prítomný. A jeho duša túžila po tom Bohu, nie po niečom historickom.
Vidíme, že Boh vám dáva tú kontrolnú vežu, aby vám dal to, čo potrebujete. No tá kontrolná veža vo vás, to je to, čo vás usmerňuje. A táto túžba spúšťa túto kontrolnú vežu a hovorí vám, čo potrebujete. Keď hovoríme duchovne, kontrolná veža v tele, a tiež v duši ... Je kontrolná veža v tele, ktorá vám hovorí o potrebe, ktorú máte v tele. A to sa prejavuje tak, že máte smäd. A tiež je kontrolná veža vo vašej duši, ktorá vám hovorí o duchovných veciach, to čo potrebuje váš duch. A podľa toho môžete vidieť, aký druh života vo vás vládne. Keď môžete vidieť aké sú vaše túžby, potom podľa toho môžete poznať, akého druhu je to niečo vo vás, čo spôsobuje, že máte takúto túžbu. Vidíte, je určitá vec, po ktorej túžite v duši, a podľa toho môžete poznať, aká je toto túžba, podľa charakteru tej túžby, ktorú máte. Dúfam, že tomu rozumiete.
Jedna kontrolná veža je vo vašej duši a jedna v tele. A každá veža vysiela varovný signál, kvôli potrebám toho druhého. Každá jedna sa dovoláva svojej potreby, toho, čo signalizuje to volanie. Vysiela varovné vlny. Napríklad, telo je žiadostivé uspokojiť túžby, ktoré sú v tele; a duch túži po veciach, ktoré sú v ... a duša má túžbu. A mnohokrát oni bojujú jedna proti druhej.
Vidíme, že dnes je veľký problém v tom, že príliš veľa ľudí sa snaží žiť pomedzi týmito dvomi túžbami. Lebo jedny z nich sú túžby za vecami zeme, druhé sú túžby za vecami neba. Ako povedal Pavel, opisuje to v liste Rimanom 7:21, "Keď chcem robiť dobré, leží pri mne zlé." Keď sa snažíte - prežili ste niekedy niečo také, kresťania? - že keď sa snažíte robiť niečo, čo má nejakú cenu, keď sa snažíte urobiť niečo dobré, vtedy nachádzate, že na každom kroku je diabol, aby vám to prekazil. Všetko čo by ste ... A je jedna dobrá vec, ktorú ... Rád by som povedal toto, čo by kresťania mali vedieť: že keď idete niečo robiť, a stále sa vám to snaží niečo prekaziť, jednako to robte. To je tam diabol, ktorý sa vás snaží zadržať, aby ste nerobili to čo je správne.
1 Dobrý večer, priatelia. Mám privilégium, že tu dnes večer môžem byť. Teraz som tu druhý krát, v tomto zbore "Grantway" s mojím drahým bratom Mackom, a s celým týmto milým zborom, a s kresťanmi z rôznych cirkví. S bratom Lee Vayle a ... práve som tu stretol brata, ktorý ... blízkeho priateľa brata F.F. Boswortha, a ani som nevedel, že brat Bosworth odišiel, stretnúť sa s Pánom. Povedal som: "Cítim sa ako by som stretol Elizeusa, ktorý lieval vodu na ruky Eliáša, keď oni ..." Bol som v zahraničí a nevedel som, že brat Bosworth odišiel na stretnutie s Pánom, vo veku osemdesiat štyri rokov.
Chcem pozdraviť ľudí, ktorí sú pripojení dnes večer cez telefón, po celom kraj od Kalifornii po New Yorku, v Texase, a hore na rôznych miestach v národe, od Maine po Kaliforniu. Máme zariadenie, ktoré nám umožňuje zapojiť tieto telefóny. Je to veľké požehnanie.
A teraz sme sa dozvedeli od nášho dobrého priateľa, brata Perry Greena, že majú také malé zariadenie, ktoré vám môžu dať na televízor. A nebude to len v telefóne, ale tiež to budete vidieť v televízore. Teraz na tom pracujú.
A sestra Macková, som rád, keď vidím že vyzeráš dobre, a sedíš tu dnes večer pri orgánoch. A vidím tu mnoho mojich priateľov, zo Siera Vista, a brata Bordersa, či vlastne brata Robertsona, z Indiány, a mnohých. Chcem povedať ľuďom, ktorí sú dnes večer tam v modlitebni, zdá sa mi akoby polovička z nich bola tu ... z modlitebni z Jeffersonville.
2 A môjmu priateľovi tam hore, bratovi Kuntzovi, chcem povedať, ohľadne tej nemoci, kvôli ktorej si volal, tej prosby - modlím sa za to, brat Kuntz. Len maj vieru. Netráp sa. Bude to v poriadku.
3 A dole do Texasu - bratovi Blairovi, chcem povedať, ak počúvaš dnes večer, môj brat, pamätaj len toto; - ten Boh, ktorý ťa cez to preniesol prvý krát, môže ťa i druhý krát preniesť. A veríme, že ťa Boh v tomto vypočuje. A never žiadnym diablovým klamstvám. Pamätaj len, že Boh je Boh, a On je stále ten istý včera, dnes i naveky. A my Ho milujeme, a veríme Mu, a modlíme sa za teba.
Chcem pozdraviť všetkých našich priateľov v Kalifornii, a brata Merciera, a ich tu v Arizone, a na mnohých iných miestach, vo Phonixe, a brata Williamsa - a vás všetkých, ktorí ste spojení dnes večer cez telefón, všade dookola. Sme skutočne vďační. A dole v Georgii ... A sme skutočne vďační za každého jedného z vás. Nech vás Pán žehná.
4 Cítim, že som tu dnes večer skutočne vítaný v tomto milom zbore, tu v zbore Božom, "Grantway", u brata Macka, môjho dobrého priateľa. Nech Boh žehná brata Macka. Pamätám sa, že raz v Kanade bol ... Išiel som na koni lesnou cestou do džungli. A Duch Svätý mi povedal aby som zastal, a aby som sa modlil za brata Macka. On bol v tedy v naliehavej potrebe. A Pán ho uzdravil. A tak som za to tak vďačný, a že tu môžeme byť dnes večer zhromaždení s ním, aby sme chválili Pána v tejto milej pravde.
5 Muž, ktorý sedí tu za mnou na pódiu povedal: "Ty ma hádam nepoznáš." Povedal: "Raz si ma zobral, keď som stopoval a ..." Neviem, niekde hore v Bostone, alebo niekde - v Detroide - stopoval.
A povedal som: "No, stále sa snažím mať vystretú ruku, ak môžem, ku tým, ktorí sú v potrebe." A tak dnes večeršetci v potrebe. A prosíme, aby nám Boh podal dnes večer pomocnú ruku, požehnania a milosti, a milosrdenstva.
No, mám sklon dlho hovoriť. Ale budem sa snažiť, aby som to dnes večer nerobil, pretože ľudia hore v Ohio práve volali - pani Dauchová a tá skupina tam, brat McKinney a brat Brown, a všetci, ktorí sú pripojení v Ohio. Tiež vás pozdravujeme. V New Yorku je už neskoro, zdá sa mi že je tam teraz okolo jedenásť, alebo dvanásť hodín, v New Yorku. A v tých zboroch sa zišli a čakali až doteraz, na túto bohoslužbu. Sme vďační za tých fajných priateľov, všade okolo.
6 No, prv ako otvoríme Slovo, skloňme hlavy a prehovorme za chvíľu ku jeho Autorovi.
7 Drahý, nebeský Otče, naše srdcia prekypujú radosťou za túto možnosť, ktorú máme, že sme dnes večer živí, a že sme sa tu mohli zhromaždiť spolu s tvojím ľudom, s ľuďmi o ktorých veríme, že budeme s nimi žiť naveky. Teraz máme Večný Život, pretože "Ty si dal svojho jednorodeného Syna, aby každý kto verí v Neho nezahynul, ale mal Večný Život." On keď chodil tu po zemi, nás učil: "Ten kto počuje moje slovo, a verí tomu, ktorý ma poslal, má Večný Život; a nepríde na súd, ale prešiel zo smrti do Života," pretože veríme v jednorodeného Syna Božieho. Ako Ti ďakujeme za tohoto veľkého Spasiteľa. A prosíme, dnes večer, aby nás tu spolu požehnal svojou veľkou prítomnosťou, keď budeme čítať Jeho Slovo a hovoriť o Ňom. Nech to Duch Svätý prenesie do každého srdca po celom národe, Pane, všade kde sa zhromaždili.
Požehnaj kazateľov, ktorí stoja za kazateľňou. Prosíme, Otče, aby si požehnal tento zbor "Grantway", ich pastora, jeho ženu, jeho deti, diakonov, starších, a celé vedenie. Otče, nech môžeme spoločne pracovať pre Kráľovstvo Božie, kým je dosť svetla aby sme videli kde ideme. Lebo prichádza hodina, keď nikto nebude môcť pracovať. A Otče, kým máme túto možnosť, nech môžeme vykupovať čas, Pane. Udeľ nám to. Uzdrav chorých a postihnutých po celej zemi.
8 Nech môžu dnes večer v každej špáre a v každom kúte, po celej zemi, cítiť prítomnosť Božiu. Uvedomujeme si, že nastáva súd. Zem sa prepadáva, a národ sa trasie, a zemetrasenia na rôznych miestach. Veľké historické veci, o ktorých sme počuli z Biblii, že sa diali v dávnych dňoch súdu - a vidíme, že sa to znovu dnes opakuje. Proroctvo hovorí: "Ako bolo vo dňoch Noeho, tak bude pri príchode Syna človeka. Ako bolo vo dňoch Lota, tak bude pri príchode Syna človeka." A vidíme, že sa to teraz deje. Ľudské srdcia zlyhávajú, je čas chaosu, strachu medzi národami: Bože, vieme, že sme v čase konca. Pomôž nám, Pane, aby sme zaniesli to posolstvo do každej špáry a do každého kúta, každému dieťaťu, ktoré si určil do života. Udeľ to Pane. Prosíme to v mene Ježiša. Amen.
Nech Pán teraz požehná čítanie Jeho Slova.
9 No, mnohí z vás sa radi dívate do Biblii, tam kde kazateľ číta, a ja chcem dnes večer čítať asi tri verše zo žalmu, zo 42. žalmu, aby sme tak mali text. A mám tu vypísané nejaké miesta Písma, a chcem sa na ne odvolať, ak môžem, keď budeme za ďalších niekoľko minút, hovoriť na túto tému. Žalm Dávidov ... Dávid písal žalmy. Kým si to nalistujete, mohol by som povedať toto. Mnoho ľudí hovorí: "Či sú žalmy inšpirované?" Samozrejme, že sú. Sú ... Všetko čo je v tejto Biblii je inšpirované. Či je to história, či sú to piesne - čokoľvek to je - je to inšpirované. Ježiš povedal: "Či ste nečítali, čo povedal Dávid v žalmoch?" A potom si myslím ... Žalmy sú vlastne piesne. A ak sú piesne inšpirované od Boha, a verím že sú, a tiež sú v nich proroctvá, potom dúfam, že sa nachádzam pred tým dňom, keď sa vyplní táto pieseň.
V tej milej, sladkej budúcnosti, stretnutie sa na povetrí, Tam vás stretnem a privítam v tom domove nad oblakmi; Takú pieseň smrteľník stále rád počúval. Bude to nádherné, hovorím vám. A sám Boží Syn bude tým vedúcim, v tom stretnutí na povetrí.
Ó, chcem tam vtedy byť.
10 Čítame 42. žalm.
Ako reve jeleň za potokmi vody, tak reve moja duša k tebe, ó, Bože.
Moja duša žízni túžbou po Bohu, po živom Bohu, a hovorí: Kedy už prijdem a ukážem sa pred tvárou Božou?
Lebo ta prišlo, že mi je moja slza chlebom vodne i v noci, keď mi hovoria každý deň: Kdeže je tvoj Boh?
11 Myslím, že Dávid, pri písaní tohoto žalmu, musel prežívať ťažkosti. A väčšinou, aby z človeka vyšlo to najlepšie, treba aby sa dostal do ťažkostí. To skutočne ... Vtedy Boh prichádza dole na ... mnohokrát, keď sa postíme, aby sme sa dostali do takého stavu, aby sme sa odstúpili z cesty. A myslím, že keď sa Dávid dostal do týchto situácií, potom začal premýšľať o Pánovi, začal o všetkom rozmýšľať.
12 Boh nás mnohokrát zaženie do tesných kútov, kde sa musíme dívať hore. Niekedy musíme dokonca ležať v nemocnici, alebo niekde na posteli, aby sme sa tak mohli pozerať hore, aby sme videli odkiaľ prichádzajú tie veľké požehnania Božie.
13 No, slovo o ktorom chcem dnes večer hovoriť, o jednom slove z Biblii, sa nachádza v tom druhom verši: "žíznivá túžba," slovo "Smäd," Díval som sa do slovníka. Keď som hľadal toto slovo, rozmýšľal som o jednom kázaní, ktoré som raz kázal, "Smäd po Živote." A tiež som to čerpal zo žalmov, kde myslím Dávid povedal: "Tvoje zákony sú mi vzácnejšie než život." Potom som sa díval, a rozmýšľal som o tom slove, "Smäd," a tak som to vyhľadal v slovníku, aby som vedel čo ono znamená. A tu je to, čo hovorí Webster: To je bolestná túžba, bolestné ... keď niečo až tak veľmi chcete, že sa vám to stane až bolestné.
14 No, byť smädný to nie je žiadna zvláštna vec. Smäd je prirodzená vec. To je proste niečo, čo nám dal Boh, aby sme mohli ... dal nám túžbu po niečom. Niečo ... Boh vám tiež dal kontrolnú vežu, niečo čo sa nachádza vo vás a kontroluje tieto rôzne túžby. A tento smäd, táto kontrolná veža, ktorá sa nachádza v ľudskom srdci, to je niečo čo dal človeku Boh, aby ho to upozorňovalo na túžby, ktoré sú pre neho nevyhnutné.
15 No, sú dva rôzne druhy smädu. Je telesný smäd a je tiež duchovný smäd. Rád by som znovu prečítal toto čo povedal Dávid: "Moja duša je žízni túžbou po Bohu, po živom Bohu." nie po historickom, alebo po ničom čo sa stalo pred niekoľkými rokmi, alebo po nejakej poviedke, ktorú niekto rozprával - ale po živom Bohu, po Bohu, ktorý je stále prítomný. A jeho duša túžila po tom Bohu, nie po niečom historickom.
16 Vidíme, že Boh vám dáva tú kontrolnú vežu, aby vám dal to, čo potrebujete. No tá kontrolná veža vo vás, to je to, čo vás usmerňuje. A táto túžba spúšťa túto kontrolnú vežu a hovorí vám, čo potrebujete. Keď hovoríme duchovne, kontrolná veža v tele, a tiež v duši ... Je kontrolná veža v tele, ktorá vám hovorí o potrebe, ktorú máte v tele. A to sa prejavuje tak, že máte smäd. A tiež je kontrolná veža vo vašej duši, ktorá vám hovorí o duchovných veciach, to čo potrebuje váš duch. A podľa toho môžete vidieť, aký druh života vo vás vládne. Keď môžete vidieť aké sú vaše túžby, potom podľa toho môžete poznať, akého druhu je to niečo vo vás, čo spôsobuje, že máte takúto túžbu. Vidíte, je určitá vec, po ktorej túžite v duši, a podľa toho môžete poznať, aká je toto túžba, podľa charakteru tej túžby, ktorú máte. Dúfam, že tomu rozumiete.
17 Jedna kontrolná veža je vo vašej duši a jedna v tele. A každá veža vysiela varovný signál, kvôli potrebám toho druhého. Každá jedna sa dovoláva svojej potreby, toho, čo signalizuje to volanie. Vysiela varovné vlny. Napríklad, telo je žiadostivé uspokojiť túžby, ktoré sú v tele; a duch túži po veciach, ktoré sú v ... a duša má túžbu. A mnohokrát oni bojujú jedna proti druhej.
18 Vidíme, že dnes je veľký problém v tom, že príliš veľa ľudí sa snaží žiť pomedzi týmito dvomi túžbami. Lebo jedny z nich sú túžby za vecami zeme, druhé sú túžby za vecami neba. Ako povedal Pavel, opisuje to v liste Rimanom 7:21, "Keď chcem robiť dobré, leží pri mne zlé." Keď sa snažíte - prežili ste niekedy niečo také, kresťania? - že keď sa snažíte robiť niečo, čo má nejakú cenu, keď sa snažíte urobiť niečo dobré, vtedy nachádzate, že na každom kroku je diabol, aby vám to prekazil. Všetko čo by ste ... A je jedna dobrá vec, ktorú ... Rád by som povedal toto, čo by kresťania mali vedieť: že keď idete niečo robiť, a stále sa vám to snaží niečo prekaziť, jednako to robte. To je tam diabol, ktorý sa vás snaží zadržať, aby ste nerobili to čo je správne.
19 No, často stretávam ľudí, ktorí začínajú byť trochu nervózni. Keď zistia, že sa snažia niečo robiť a všetko ich v tom z oboch strán blokuje, hovoria: "Možno že to nie je vôľa Pánova," vidíte? No, nenechajte aby vás diabol takto klamal. Prv treba zistiť či je to vôľa Božia, alebo nie. A potom ak chcete vedieť či je to vôľa Božia, pozrite sa do Biblii. Je niečo, čo vás napraví, a to je Slovo Božie. A potom, keď vidíte, že je v Božom Slove, že to máte robiť, ako napríklad, prosiť o krst Duchom Svätým ...
20 Mnohokrát som sa stretol s ľuďmi, ktorí hovoria: "No, prosil som o krst Duchom Svätým, a nemohol som ho prijať. Neverím, že je to pre mňa. Stále keď začnem o to prosiť, začne mi byť zle. A keď sa idem modliť ... keď sa postím, je mi zle. A keď sa snažím zostať celú noc, byť hore, som taký ospalý, že nedokážem stáť na nohách." Pamätaj, to je diabol, pretože Boh chce, aby si mal Ducha Svätého. To je pre kohokoľvek.
21 Častokrát zistíte, že keď ste sa modlili na zhromaždení, za božské uzdravenie, potom na druhý deň ste zistili, že diabol sa to istotne bude starať urobil dvakrát horším, ako to bolo deň predtým. Vidíte? Pamätajte, to je len Satan, ktorý sa vás snaží odviesť od požehnania, ktoré Boh pre vás vykonal. Vidíte? Nepočúvajte ho! Vidíte, tlačte sa stále ďalej.
22 Nedávno som mal také prežitie, na ceste do Afriky. Ak diabol na mňa niekedy tlačil, tak to bolo vtedy, keď som išiel teraz posledne do Afriky. A to bolo jedno z najlepších zhromaždení, a chvíľ, ktoré som mal kedy za morom. Mal som ... Verím, že za ten krátky čas, ktorý som tam bol, som dosiahol viac vecí, a pri tom nerátam poľovačku, než ako kedykoľvek.
23 Stále som si myslel, že tie cirkvi ma tam nechcú. A ukázalo sa ... Dostal som od niekoho dopis, ktorý bol ... och, že ma tam nechcú, celé to združenie; a ukázalo sa, že to bol jeden človek, a písal na dopisnom papieri s hlavičkou nejakej organizácie, hovoril: "My ťa nechceme." On myslel seba a svoju rodinu. Vidíte? Tak, keď som tam prišiel ... Vidíte? "My", to bol on a jeho rodina. To sa vôbec nejednalo o tých ľudí. Tak teraz, je tam otvorené pre nás veľké misijné pole. Vidíte, keď Pavel povedal: "Keď chcem robiť dobré, vtedy leží pri mne zlé."
24 Dnes večer niekoho obrátite, že príde niekde ku oltáru, tu v tejto modlitebni, alebo kdekoľvek v kraji. A pamätajte len zajtra, matka bude viac nahnevaná, než ako kedykoľvek, otec bude celý rozčúlený, a všetky deti a všetko bude rozhárané, pretože to je Satan, ktorý sa vás snaží vyviesť z rovnováhy. Snaží sa vás odviesť z cesty. "Keď chcem robiť dobre, vtedy stále leží nablízku zlé."
25 No, pozrime sa na tú túžbu, a vidzme či je to skutočne niečo prirodzené. Stretol som ľudí, ktorí mi povedali: "Och, ja som nikdy netúžil ... Verím, že to sa týka len niektorých ľudí, ktorí chcú byť kresťania." Ó, nie. To nie je pravda. To je skutočne niečo, čo je spojené s každou ľudskou bytosťou. To je skutočne pravda.
26 Keď sme na začiatku prišli do tejto krajiny, našli sme tu Indiánov. A Indiáni, hoci oni v tom čase boli pohania (uctievali slnko, alebo niečo), ale pokiaľ sú to ľudia, je v nich niečo, prirodzená túžba, ktorá volá nikde po Bohu.
27 Teraz nedávno, tam v džungliach, 480 míľ od najbližšej civilizácie, od malého mesta, ktoré má okolo tritisíc ľudí, Beria v Mozambiku, sme našli domorodcov, ktorí nikdy nevideli bieleho človeka. Uvidel som domorodé dievča, (nemalo ani šaty - skoro nikto z nich nenosí šaty) sedela na strome. Stopoval som leva a tam ... Počul som niečo, ako keď zakričí človek. Toto domorodé dievča sedelo tam hore, s vytreštenými očami, držala dieťa. A ona sa zľakla - to je jej jediná ochrana, vyliesť na strom, pred levom, leopardom, alebo niečím, alebo nejakým zvieraťom - a ona ma uvidela, a počula že to je človek. Ale keď sa pozrela a videla bieleho človeka ... ona nikdy v živote žiadneho nevidela, vidíte, a vyľakala sa na smrť. Vidíte?
28 Ale keď sme našli týchto ľudí, hoci tam žijú vo svojich primitívnych podmienkach, stále niečo uctievajú. Prv ako sme začali poľovať na leva, vyliali nejaké múčne jedlo (to čo jedia) na malý list a tlieskali rukami a vyvolávali ducha niekoho veľkého, nevedia kde, (niečo ako u katolíkov, svätý patrón, alebo niečo také) aby ich chránil, aby nezahynuli pri tom hone na toho leva. Vidíte, to je niečo prirodzené.
29 To nie je neprirodzená vec, túžiť po Bohu. To je prirodzené. To je proste niečo, čo máte robiť. Boh vás takto stvoril. To nie je žiadny super - človek; to je proste obyčajná ľudská bytosť. To nie je zvlášť len pre niektorých ľudí. Niektorí hovoria: "No, videl som niektorých ľudí, že žijú taký víťazný život, sú neustále na vrchu. Slávia Boha. Prajem si, aby som sa tak mohol cítiť." No, ty sa preto takto cítiš, že máš v sebe tú túžbu. A to je proste prirodzená vec. To je pre každého človeka, aby túžil po Bohu.
30 No, zoberme najprv nejakú telesnú túžbu. Zoberme, napríklad, túžbu po vode, ako tu povedal Dávid, túžil po vode. Túžba po vode - telo potrebuje vodu. A ak neuspokojíte túto túžbu, zahyniete. Vyschnete a nebudete žiť. Ak nemôžete obstarať vodu pre tú túžbu, aby ste uhasili ten smäd toho prirodzeného tela, zakrátko zahyniete. Nebudete dlho žiť.
31 Bez jedla dokážete vydržať dlhšie, ako bez vody. Pretože, postiť sa môžete štyridsať dní. Ježiš sa postil, myslím bez jedenia, ale bez vody to nedokážete dlho. Vy by ste jednoducho uschli a zomreli. Musíte mať vodu. A smäd, ktorý prichádza na vás, to ukazuje, že telo potrebuje niečo, čo ho drží pri živote. Telo musí mať vodu, aby ste zostali nažive. Vy ste aj tak okolo osemdesiat percent z vody a z ropy, a musíte čerpať do seba z týchto zdrojov, aby vás držali pri živote. Ako som povedal, ak to zanedbáte, zahyniete.
32 Ten smäd je tiež poplach. Je to poplašné zariadenie, tá túžba po vode. Duša zapína poplašné zariadenie, malú sirénu vo vnútri vás, ktorá vám hovorí, že smrť číha na blízku, že ak sa rýchlo nenapijete vody, musíte zomrieť. A je to hlasnejšie a hlasnejšie až nakoniec, keď to stále odkladáte nabok, zomriete. Pretože to je poplašné zariadenie.
33 Ako to Dávid opísal tu v žalmoch: "Ako reve jeleň za potokmi vody, tak moja duša k tebe, ó, Bože." Ako reve jeleň za potokom vody ... Často som rozmýšľal, keď som toto čítal, o Dávidovi. Dávid bol lesný muž, poľovník, a on poľoval na vysokú zver, samozrejme. A mnohí ... My teraz na ňu poľujeme. Jeleň to je vysoká zver.
34 A vidíme ... Ak ste niekedy videli psov, diví psi chytia jeleňa. A obyčajne oni majú, ako kojot, tesáky, a on môže chytiť toho jeleňa rovno za krk tu za ušami, a zvaliť ho. On rozsekne tomu jeleňovi hrdlo, a potom ten jeleň nemá žiadnu šancu.
35 Ale pes niekedy, ako tam v Afrike, ten divý pes uhryzne toho jeleňa do slabiny. Ak sa mu ho nepodarí chytiť za hrdlo, druhý krát skočí a uhryzne ho do slabiny. A ak je jeleň dosť silný, a dosť rýchly, môže toho psa striasť. Jeleň je oveľa rýchlejší. Pes ide po jeho stope, keď ho nevidí, a keď je vietor od neho, nevie že pes je blízko. A potom, keď ho ten divý pes chytí, ak je ozaj rýchly môže ho striasť.
36 Ale keď ten pes spadne z jeho boku, má plné ústa mäsa z toho jeleňa. Ó, keď sa mu niekedy zahryzne do krku, presekne mu ho blízko hlavnej žily a neprehryzne ju. A ten jeleň ho strasie, on mu vytrhne z hrdla kus mäsa. Potom začne krvácať. A ten pes pôjde za tým jeleňom po tej krvavej stope. A keď život toho jeleňa začína slabnúť - keď stráca čoraz viacej krvi, ktorá je prameňom života toho tela - jeleň sa stáva slabší. A potom ten pes, alebo vlk ho hneď dohoní.
37 No ak ten jeleň nemôže nájsť vodu ... No, voda má niečo v sebe, že keď ten jeleň pije vodu, ona zastaví to krvácanie. Ale ak sa nedostane ku vode, aby ho schladila, potom krv stále rýchlejšie vyteká, pretože on beží, srdce mu stále pumpuje. Ale keď sa dostane ku vode, ten jeleň bude žiť.
38 No, tu v tom je veľká lekcia (Vidíte?) a Dávid tu hovorí: "Ako reve jeleň za potokom vody, tak reve moja duša k tebe, ó, Bože." No ten jeleň vie, že ak nenájde vodu, je po ňom. Nemôže proste žiť. Mnohokrát som ich vystopoval. Keď boli ranené, keď narazí na prameň vody, prejde cezeň a napije sa, ide hore cez kopec, príde krížom dole, napije sa vody a ide. Nikdy ho nechytíte, keď pôjde popri tom prameni. Ale len čo opustí ten prameň, a ak nemôže nájsť niekde ďalší potok vody, hneď ho chytíte. A teraz, ten jeleň to vie, tak on zostane pri tej vode, kde hneď môže do nej vojsť.
39 No mohli by ste si predstaviť jeleňa, ako má zodvihnutý nos, bol pohryzený niekde, kde nebola voda. A on povedal: "Ako túži jeleň, či ako reve (to znamená že túži) za potokmi vody, tak moja duša túži po tebe, ó Bože. Ak ťa nenájdem, Pane, zahyniem. Nemôžem ísť ďalej, kým ťa nenájdem." A keď muž alebo žena, chlapec alebo dievča, dostane takúto túžbu po Bohu, vtedy niečo nájde. Vidíte?
40 Ale keď prídeme ku tomu, len na pol cestu: "No, kľaknem si a uvidím čo Pán urobí." Vidíte? Vy ešte nemáte skutočnú túžbu. To musí byť túžba medzi životom a smrťou. A potom sa niečo stane.
41 Ten jeleň tu tiež má ... Vidíme, že on má tiež iný zmysel, čuch, ktorý spustí v ňom poplach, keď je nablízku nepriateľ. On je obdarený, toto prosté stvorenie je obdarené zmyslom, ktorý ho chráni. A on má v sebe malé poplašné zariadenie, niečo malé čo ho pošteklí v nose, keď je nablízku nepriateľ. Môžete ísť po vetre, a on vie že ste tam, a je preč. Niekedy vás môže zacítiť až na pol míle a ujde preč. Alebo vlka alebo iné nebezpečenstvo, on je schopný to zavoňať, pretože on je tak stvorený. On je od prírody jeleň. A ten zmysel v ňom, to je len jeden zo zmyslov, ktoré mu dal Boh, aby pomocou nich mohol žiť.
42 A potom som rozmýšľal, a porovnával toho jeleňa s človekom, ktorý túži po Bohu ... Prv ako sa priblíži nepriateľ, dieťa Božie má niečo, keď ste sa raz narodili do Ducha Božieho, prijali ste krst Duchom Svätým, taký človek má niečo, že môže zacítiť nepriateľa. Môžete niekoho počuť, keď berie Písmo, a číta ho, a snaží sa tam niečo vtisnúť, čo nesúhlasí s Písmom: človek, ktorý je naplnený Duchom Svätým to môže hneď vycítiť. Niečo tam nepasuje. Keď príde na miesto, a ten malý, určitý zmysel, ktorý tam je, on ... On je nato, aby chránil tvoj život. Nikdy nemôžeš ísť za niečím, ak to nie je presne podľa Slova Božieho. Musíš stáť presne v Slove. A my sme s týmto zmyslom bezpeční, len keď sme v Duchu Svätom.
43 Môžete čítať, ako napríklad, niekto hovorí ...čítam v Markovi 16, a tam stojí: "A uverivších budú sprevádzať tieto znamenia: v mojom mene budú vyháňať démonov, budú hovoriť novými jazyky, alebo brať hadov, alebo piť niečo smrteľné a neuškodí im to; na chorých budú vzkladať ruky a budú sa mať dobre."
44 No, potom natrafíte na niekoho, kto príde a povie: "No, to bolo pre apoštolský vek." Ale hneď v chvíli, ak ste prijali Ducha Svätého, ak ste boli obdarení tým zmyslom - on vás upozorní, že niečo tam nesedí. Vidíte? Oni sa snažia vysvetliť, že to už neplatí, že to platilo na iný deň, že dnes tie veci už nepotrebuješ."
45 Ale Ježiš povedal: "Uverivších budú sprevádzať tieto znamenia." Vidíte? Niečo sa vo vás spustí, malá siréna, ktorá vám dáva vedieť, že to nie je pravda. A to je cesta smrti. Pretože Ježiš povedal, ak pridáme do tohoto jedno slovo, alebo odoberieme z toho jedno slovo, náš diel bude odňatý z knihy života. Vidíte? Ani jedno miesto písma - musíme to zobrať tak, ako je to napísané. A Boh striehne nad svojím Slovom, aby ho vyplnil. A my vieme, že to musí byť presne tak.
46 A tak, bez ohľadu na to, čo hovorí cirkev, čo ktokoľvek hovorí, ak ste sa narodili z Ducha Božieho, stali ste sa časťou Biblie. Boh povedal Ezechielovi (on bol prorok), On povedal: "Zober tento zvitok a zjedz ho." Potom prorok a ten zvitok sa stali časťou jeden druhého. A to je veriaci, keď prijíma Ducha Svätého. Duch Svätý napísal Bibliu. A Duch Boží je Slovom Božím. "Moje slová sú duch. Na počiatku bolo Slovo, a to Slovo bolo u Boha, a to Slovo bol Boh. A to Slovo sa stalo telom a prebývalo medzi nami." Židom 13:8: "On je ten istý včera, dnes i naveky." A keď ste časťou toho Slova, ó, nech potom príde niečo, čo je nezhodné s tým Slovom, hneď sa zapne tá malá siréna. Vidíte? Ona vás má varovať, že na ceste je smrť. Nemáte tam ísť.
47 A tiež sú ... Tieto túžby sú normálne. Pre kresťana je to normálne. U človeka je to normálne. A tiež je túžba po úspechu. Dnes, tak veľa ľudí ... Ako sa kvôli tejto túžbe učíme. Práve sme videli ako otvorili univerzitu. A ideme tam a ... Ľudia vynakladajú tisíce dolárov aby poslali svoje deti do školy a na univerzity, a akadémie, a tak ďalej, aby získali vzdelanie a mali v živote úspech, ako to hovoria.
48 Ale ... Nemám nič proti tomu. To je v poriadku. Ale podľa mňa, môžete mať všetky školy na svete, a pri tom stále nemať ten skutočný úspech. Je to tak. Pretože to vám tu len dočasne trochu uľahčí niektoré veci, a to je ... Ale keď zomriete, všetko zanecháte. A celá táto ekonómia, ktorú máme (Hovoril som to nedávno vo Phonixe, a znovu to hovorím), že celá táto moderná civilizácia, celý vzdelávací systém, celý vedecký systém, to všetko je nezhodné s Božím Slovom, a je proti Jeho vôli.
49 Civilizácia je úplne ... V tom svete, ktorý príde, nikdy nebude taká civilizácia ako táto. Toto je prevrátená civilizácia. Boh mal na zemi svoju prvú civilizáciu, keď vypovedal svoje slová, a oni priniesli, každé semeno svoj druh. A v tej civilizácii nebolo smrti, choroby, ani žiaľu. A teraz berieme veci, ktoré sú v tom vedeckom svete, ktoré tu boli dané, aby to držali spolu, a prevraciame to na niečo; a to prináša smrť. Ako atómová bomba - možno to nepoviem správne. Zoberú urán, rozštiepia ho na molekuly, a molekuly štiepia na atómy. Čo to potom robí? To takmer úplne ničí, proste ničí.
50 Všetko čo robíme ... Berieme medicínu, dávame tento vzorec s týmto vzorcom, aby sme vyliečili toto, a dajú to do nás. A čo robíme? škodíme niečomu inému. No, myslím, že ste čítali minulý Reader Digest, tam je povedané, že v tomto veku, v ktorom teraz žijeme, že mladí muži, alebo ženy dosahujú svoj stredný vek medzi dvadsiatym a dvadsiatym piatym rokom života. Len si to predstavte! Dievčatá sú v prechodoch, keď majú dvadsať, dvadsať dva a dvadsať tri rokov. To je stredný vek!
51 Vidíte, čo to robí? To je táto skrížená potrava a všetko čo jeme. Vidíte? To je surovina, potrava, a život ktorý žijeme. Vedci nám to priniesli, a tým vás zabíjajú. Bol som v Afrike, kde som videl tých chlapcov, ktorí v živote nejedli lieky. Jedia mäso, v ktorom sú červíky. Pijú vodu z kaluži, ktorá vyzerá, že by zabila vola. A ja som strieľal do terča na dvesto yardov, a nemohol som to vidieť ďalekohľadom 7x50. A stál tam muž v mojom veku a hovoril mi kde som strelil, holým okom. No, ak všetká táto moderná kultúra urobila niečo ... Myslím, keby som mal jeho oči a žalúdok, bol by som naozaj riadny chlap. Tak veru! Ale tu to máte.
Vidíte, to je to čo veda, vzdelanie a civilizácia ... Zničilo nás to. Ničíme sami seba. Začalo to v záhrade Eden a trvá to až do dnes. Ale túžba po úspechu ...
52 Potom máme túžbu po obecenstve. Ideme ... chceme mať obecenstvo. To je ako mladý muž a mladá žena. No to nie je nevyhnutné, či nie, chcel som povedať, nič neobyčajné pre mladého muža a mladú ženu, že sa navzájom milujú. To je túžba po láske. To je ich vek. A oni milujú jeden druhého, a to nie je nič neobyčajné. To je u nich prostá, prirodzená vec.
53 No v živote, v ktorom žijeme, v tomto prirodzenom tele, nachádzame veľa vecí, po ktorých túžime. To je proste niečo v nás nastavené, že to chceme robiť. Jasne cítime, že je to potrebné, a potrebujeme to robiť. Vidíme, že mnoho žien v týchto dňoch túži po kráse. No, nieto žena ... Pre ženu je to prirodzená vec, že túži byť pekná. To je jej Bohom daný inštinkt, a jej krása, ktorú jej Boh dáva pre jej partnera. A teraz vidíme, že ženy chcú také byť. Prečo je to tak? To je preto, že to je niečo, čo jej Boh dal. To nie je zlé, že ženy sú pekné. Majú byť.
54 A viete, že oni sú jediným stvorením, kde ženské pohlavie je krajšie ako mužské? To je v ľudskej rase. Všetky ostatné zvieratá - zoberte kravu a býka, laň a jeleňa, sliepku a kohúta, vtáka samičku a samca - stále vidíte, že samec je väčší a krajší. Ale v ľudskej rase, (to ukazuje odkiaľ prišiel úpadok) to je naopak. A to sú ženy. Tak, oni sú pekné. A oni chcú byť pekné.
Nie ako niektoré tieto podivné stvorenia, ktoré vidíme dnes na ulici. Nie, nie! Nie taký druh krásy, nie! To je najstrašnejšia vec akú som kedy v živote videl. Tak veru! To je prevrátenosť. To je prevrátenie tej skutočnej túžby.
55 No skutočná túžba, ktorú žena má mať, je, že sa bude ozdobovať v rúchu zdobnom a slušnom, a má mať Kristovho ducha, 1. Timotejovi 2:9. No to je to, po čom má žena túžiť. No, ak chceš byť pekná, toto je to, čo ťa urobí peknou. Vidíš? To je Kristov duch, a ozdobená v slušnom rúchu.
56 Ó, dnes niektorých z týchto ľudí na ulici nedokážete rozoznať, či je to muž alebo žena. A to je najhroznejšia vec, akú môžete vidieť, keď ... Nikdy som nevidel nič také, ako ľudí. To sa nesluší na človeka ... takto namaľované oči, a viete, tie smiešne zelené oči, a všetky tie smiešne oblečenia. A, aha, to ani ... Všetko tak z formy, že ani nevyzerajú ako ľudia. A niektorí tu vonku z tých chlapcov, majú dole sčesané vlasy, a tu v predu s natáčkami od sestry, viete - aha, to je úplná prevrátenosť! Je to tak!
57 To je Satan, a Satan všetko prevracia. Keď to Boh všetko stvoril, v záhrade Eden, bolo to nádherné. Potom tam prišiel Satan a prevrátil to. Satan nič nemôže stvoriť. Je len jeden stvoriteľ: to je Boh. Ale Satan prevracia originálne stvorenie. A teraz prišiel ku tomu, chcem o tom dnes večer hovoriť, že prevracia tú originálnu, stvorenú túžbu.
58 No žena, ako som už povedal, chce byť pekná. Je v nej niečo, že má ženskosť. A chce byť taká. Ale také, aké sú dnes na ulici, s ostrihanými vlasmi, ako muž, nosia mužské oblečenie; a potom sa muži obracajú, a nosia ženskú bielizeň, a vlasy ako ženy. Vidíte, to je prevrátenosť. Všetko. Vaša strava je prevrátená, váš život je prevrátený, váš smäd je prevrátený, vaša túžba je prevrátená - to je čas prevrátenosti.
59 Hovoril som tu nedávno na tému Satanov Eden. Boh potreboval šesť tisíc rokov a utvoril dokonalý Eden. Prišiel Satan a postriekal tie semená, a z deformoval ich. Teraz jemu trvalo šesť tisíc rokov, a postavil svoj vlastný vedecký Eden, znovu, prevracaním toho pravého. A toto je vek kríženia, kríženia. Dnes ešte aj cirkvi doviedli do takého stavu, že ich skrížili. Je to tak.
60 Je tak, že ľudia len chodia do cirkvi. To je klub, a nie cirkev. Cirkev je miesto, kde sa ľudia spolu schádzajú a uctievajú Boha v du- chu a v pravde. A dnes je to klub. Ideme tam a prežijeme tam chvíle, kde si potrasieme ruky, a máme obecenstvo, pri nejakej čiernej káve v zadu v tej budove, a potom ideme domov a o týždeň zase. Splnili sme si svoju náboženskú povinnosť. Toto je prevrátený vek. A Satan prevracia tieto túžby, ktoré Boh do vás vložil. Satan ich prevracia.
61 No ak chcete poznať tú ozajstnú prevrátenosť, ak ... ženy chcú byť pekné, zoberte 1. Timotejovi 2:9. To je tam, ozdobovať sa v rúchu slušnom, s Kristovým duchom, v pokore, poddané svojim mužom, a tak ďalej. Takto sa máte ozdobovať, životom, ktorým žijete. On prevracia tú skutočnú Božiu povahu, a skutočnú túžbu, ktorú vám dal Boh pre telo a dušu, skrze žiadostivosť po hriechu, hriechom, prevrátenosťou.
62 No, dnes vidíme, že ľudia, ako sú zasiahnutí tou prevrátenosťou - túžba po Bohu, túžba byť pekná, a všetky tieto túžby, smäd - oni to prevrátili a uspokojujú to alkoholom. Túžba po radosti ... každý sa chce radovať. Túžba po obecenstve, všetky tieto veľké túžby, ktoré Boh do nás vložil, aby sme mohli túžiť po Ňom. Boh vás stvoril, aby ste túžili po Ňom. A my sa to snažíme uspokojiť nejakou inou túžbou, nejakou prevrátenosťou tej pravej túžby. Vidíte, ako je to v tom telesnom? Vidíte, ako je to v tom duchovnom? Myslíme si, že keď chodíme do cirkvi, že to stačí, že to je všetko čo musíme robiť. Ale to je úplne zle. Nie, Boh chce aby ste túžili po Ňom. Ako reve jeleň po potoku vody, tak túži moja duša po tebe, ó, Bože. Vidíte?
No, keby ten jeleň reval za potokom vody, čo ak by niekto prišiel (nejaký jeho, kamarát by prišiel) a povedal: "Hej, ja ti poviem čo by som urobil. Viem kde je tu neďaleko jama s bahnom." Ale ten jeleň by to nechcel. To by mu nepomohlo.
63 A nič nemôže uspokojiť tú túžbu, ktorá je v človeku, až kým tam nevstúpi Boh. On to musí mať, inak zomrie. A nikto nemá právo snažiť sa uhasiť, alebo uspokojiť tú svätú túžbu, ktorá je v človeku, vecami tohoto sveta. Nie veru! Také niečo, to je bezbožnosť. A ak túžite po Bohu, nepotriasajte si ruky s kazateľom, a nezapisujte sa do knihy. Ak túžite po Bohu, je len jedna vec, ktorá to uspokojí: a to stretnúť Boha. Ak túžite po Bohu, to je to jediné, že Ho môžete stretnúť, aby ste to uspokojili. A potom tu je tiež veľké nebezpečenstvo, ak nedávate pozor čo vtedy robíte. Ak túžite po Bohu, buďte si istí, že to je Boh, ktorého ste našli. Rozumiete? Buďte si istí ... že vaša túžba je uspokojená.
64 Ale ak bol Satan schopný prevrátiť vašu chuť pri týchto prirodzených veciach - a to on bude robiť, ak bude môcť - on sa proste bude snažiť, aby ste sa cítili spokojní. Človek vyjde ... Prečo začne človek piť? Preto že sa trápi a je nevyrovnaný. Niečo mu chýba. Bol som tu nedávno na klinike Mayo. A mal som tam rozhovor. A tam vraveli, že ... hovorili o pití. A ja som im povedal, že môj otec pil. Povedali: "Prečo pil?"
Povedal som: "Neviem."
On povedal: "Preto, že niečo ho ... niečo ho trápilo, a on si myslel, že bude piť, aby na to zabudol."
65 Hneď som to pochopil. Vidíte? Jedine Boh môže uspokojiť tú túžbu. Jedine Boh je ... Jediné, čo môže uspokojiť tú ľudskú túžbu, je prijať Boha. No, Satan berie tieto veci, ako som povedal, a prevracia ich. Potom, ak ste ... ak nedáte tú túžbu na správne miesto vo svojom živote, a nebudete túžiť a brať tie veci, ktoré Boh pripravil, aby nimi uspokojil tú túžbu, uhasil ju, potom vás Satan bude viesť ku niektorému svojmu smradľavému bahnu tohoto sveta.
66 Niekde to musíte mať. Ak by ste nemohli nájsť potravu, jedli by ste z odpadového koša. Vidíte? A keby ste nemohli nájsť vodu a zomierali by ste, napili by ste sa z akejkoľvek mláky, pretože hyniete. Ale keď túžite po Bohu, nieto na to dôvod, pretože Boh je živým Bohom - nie niečo historické. Moja duša túži po Tebe, po živom Bohu, po niečom, čo dáva živú vodu, po niečom, čo uspokojuje.
67 To je iná povaha, prirodzená, proste prirodzená túžba, ktorá je v duši. Vy možno poviete: "Brat Branham, tá túžba v duši, je to normálne?" Áno, to je normálne, že v duši je túžba, a ona ... Boh vás takto urobil, aby ste túžili po Ňom. On chce, aby ste po Ňom túžili.
68 No, Boh vás takto stvoril. On vás nemusel takto stvoriť, ale On to urobil. A keby vás nebol takto stvoril, aby ste túžili, potom by ste na súde mali výhovorku, povedali by ste: "Nikdy som netúžil po Bohu." Ale nemôžete sa vyhovoriť. Túžite. Nejako to prejavíte. Môžete zbožňovať svoju ženu, môžete zbožňovať svoje auto, môžete zbožňovať niečo iné, môžete chodiť do zboru a snažiť sa to uspokojiť. A ja nemám nič proti chodeniu do zboru, ale to nie je uspokojenie. To je nájsť Boha, živého Boha, Boha nebies pre svoju dušu, ktorý uspokojuje ten smäd a túžbu, po čom túžite. Lebo On vás tak stvoril, aby ste po Ňom túžili, po obecenstve s Ním.
69 No, existuje skutočná túžba po obecenstve. Radi sa stretávame jeden s druhým. Robíme to dnes večer. Stretli sme sa tu dnes večer, pretože máme radi obecenstvo, jeden s druhým. Prečo to robíme? Pretože je v nás niečo, že sa chceme jeden s druhým stretnúť. To je celkom normálne. A teraz, my sa tu schádzame pri spoločnej veci. A to preto, že všetci túžime po Bohu. Vidíte?
70 A potom sa tu pravidelne schádzame pri tejto spoločnej veci, a máme obecenstvo. Dnes večer tu môže byť mnoho rôznych denominačných pohľadov, a tak ďalej. Ale keď sa jedná o tú túžbu, môžeme si rozumieť: v tom jednom, že všetci máme túžbu. Niekto môže veriť v pofŕkanie, niekto v krst, a niekto v poliatie, a tak ďalej. Ale čo sa týka tej túžby po Bohu, prichádzame na jednu spoločnú pôdu. A Boh nás tak stvoril, že budeme toto robiť, túžiť po Ňom a po obecenstve s Ním.
71 Nepoznám nič ... Keď som bol malý chlapec, pamätám sa, bol som vychovaný vo veľmi biednej rodine. A pamätám sa, mnohokrát som chodil von s kamarátmi. Nemohol som sa obliecť tak, aby som mohol ísť na nejaké slušné miesto. Ale neviem ... Je niečo, že som mal rád ľudí. Rád som s nimi išiel, ale bol som viac menej niečo ako čierna ovca. A keď som dožil spasenie, a našiel to niečo vo mne po čom som túžil, po priateľovi - po niekom, kto mi bude kamarát, komu by som mohol veriť, s kým si môžeš sadnúť a porozprávať mu svoje problémy ... A keď som našiel to skutočné, opravdové uspoko- jenie, keď som našiel Ježiša Krista, tohoto skutočného, pravého uspokojiteľa, ktorý odníma všetky ... hasí všetok smäd a dáva vám niečo, čo ... proste vyzerá to tak, že nič ho nemôže nahradiť.
72 A teraz, ako sa Satan snaží prevrátiť toto, čo uspokojuje dušu, ten smäd, ktorý je v duši. On sa vám snaží dať všetko možné, aby to uspokojil. A on je tak plný klamstva, v týchto prevrátených dňoch. Toto je prevrátený svet. Prevrátená rasa. Prevrátení ľudia. Všetko je prevrátené. A to prevrátenie postupne narastalo, až sa toto stal vek najviac presiaknutý klamstvom, v ktorom my, a všetci ľudia kedykoľvek žili. Je v ňom viac klamstva, než ako kedykoľvek. Nedokážete si ani predstaviť ako je tento národ klamaný, a to našimi vlastnými bratmi, Američanmi.
73 Hovoril som nedávno ... Pred pár týždňami som bol v lesoch, a našiel som ležať v lese krabičku z cigariet. A bolo na nej napísané: "Filter rozumného človeka." A pochodil som po tých lesoch a vrátil som sa - stále som o tom rozmýšľal: "Filter rozumného človeka a chuť fajčiara." No, pred pár rokmi som bol na svetovej výstave. Pamätám sa, Yul Brinner, a všetci ostatní, a robili tam ukážku s cigaretami; a zobrali ten dym a dali ho na kúsok mramoru, a zobrali hrot a zoškrabali z toho ten nikotín a dali to potkanovi na chrbát. Za sedem dní bol tak napadnutý rakovinou, že sa nemohol postaviť na nohy. Vidíte? Z jednej cigarety.
74 A potom ukazovali, ako to, keď to ide človeku do pľúc ... Niektorí z nich hovoria: "Ja to nevdychujem. Ja to ťahám len do úst." Ukazovali, ako sa to dostáva do slín, a tak isto to vchádza do vás, do hrdla. Vidíte? A potom ten človek povedal: "Viete, tak veľa sa hovorí o filtroch." Povedal: "No, ak máte žiadosť (to je túžba, viete), žiadosť fajčiť, jedna obyčajná cigareta môže naraz uspokojiť tú žiadosť. Ale ak máte filter, treba na to uspokojenie štyri cigarety," povedal, "pretože z nej dostanete len štvrtinu dymu." A povedal: "Chuť fajčiara, vidíte; nemôžete fajčiť bez vťahovania dechtu, a keď vťahujete decht, vťahujete rakovinu." Tak tu to máte. Vidíte? To je len trik.
75 Mám na mysli tabákovú spoločnosť, ktorá je v tomto národe, a žije z tohoto národa. A potom, prichádza s takýmto trikom, aby celkom zviedla Američanov - aby ich zviedla! Filter rozumného človeka? To je len trik, ako predať viacej cigariet. Potom som o tom rozmýšľal, filter rozumného človeka. Pomyslel som si: "To je dobrá myšlienka." Áno, existuje filter rozumného človeka - to je táto Biblia. Rozumný človek zoberie tento Filter. On vyprodukuje chuť spravodlivého muža. Vidíte?
76 Nemôžete pretiahnuť hriech cez strany tejto Biblie. Nie, ona ho zastaví. Ona ho vyfiltruje. Môžete chodiť do zboru, a robiť všetko možné. Ale nemôžete prejsť cez túto Bibliu, a hrešiť. Ona to neprepustí. Ona vyfiltruje všetok hriech. A dá vám chuť svätého muža. Pretože, ak je ten človek rozumný, chce byť svätý, chce byť ako Boh, chce byť synom alebo dcérou Božou, potom chce ten správny druh filtra. Takto on zastaví všetok hriech na tejto strane Biblii, a z Biblii môže dostať len Ducha Svätého, ktorý Bibliu napísal. To je chuť svätého muža, mať tento Filter rozumného človeka.
77 No, vidíme ako sa dnes klame. V ev. Matúša 24:24, Ježiš povedal, že v tých posledných dňoch, tie dva duchy budú také podobné, že by to zviedlo aj vyvolených, keby to bolo možné. Aké blízke, aké - aký podvod, že ľudia dnes nevedia čo je dobré a čo zlé, ešte i v našej vláde, v našej politike. Nemáme ani človeka, ktorého by sme mohli postaviť ako politika, ktorý by sa jasne postavil za tým, čo myslí že je správne. Kde sú dnes takí, ako bol Patrick Henry, a George Washington a Abrahám Lincoln? Ako to tam povedal náš prezident ... Ak chcú komunizmus, môžu ho mať - čokoľvek ľudia chcú. Keď nieto človeka ... ktorý bude stáť za svojím presvedčením. Človek, ktorý bude stáť na princípoch, ktorý bude stáť na tom, čo je ... čo ... na princípe. Chcú ísť cestou najmenšieho odporu ...
78 A takto postupujú ľudia v cirkvi. Oni chcú prísť a vstúpiť do cirkvi, a hovoria: "Ó, no, to ... to je to. Teraz som vstúpil do cirkvi." Snažíte sa uspokojiť tú veľkú svätú túžbu, ktorú Boh do vás vložil ... Tá kontrolná veža sa vás snaží otočiť tým správnym smerom, a vy sa to snažíte uspokojiť vstúpením do cirkvi, odriekaním vyznania, alebo niečím takým; a pritom to nemôže vo vašom živote uspokojiť nič, jedine samotná prítomnosť a naplnenie ... Sám Boh.
79 On sa neuspokojí nejakým vyznaním. Z Biblii nevytiahnete žiadne vyznanie. Nie, ani to, tak zvané Apoštolské, z nej nevytiahnete. Ukážte mi v Biblii, kde ... Apoštolské vyznanie hovorí: "Verím v svätú rímsko katolícku cirkev. Verím v svätých obcovanie," keď Biblia povedala, že je len jeden prostredník medzi Bohom a človekom, a to je človek Kristus Ježiš. Cez Bibliu s tým nikdy neprejdete.
80 Cez Božie Slovo nikdy neprejdete so všetkými týmito tancami, a šortkami, a s tým čo dnes ľudia robia, s týmto tvistom a Watusi, a so všetkým týmto! Cez túto Bibliu nikdy neprejdete s týmto moderným, civilizačným trendom! To je proti nej. Vidíte?
81 A vy sa snažíte uspokojiť túto túžbu. Ale vidíte, to bude ... jedine táto Biblia uspokojí chuť spravodlivého muža, alebo ženy - tento Duch Svätý, z ktorého sa oni vysmievali, a povedali: "Vy ste stratili rozum." Ale to uspokojuje tú túžbu, to niečo, o čom svet nič nevie.
82 Oni sa odvrátili od pravého krstu Duchom Svätým, a od Slova Božieho, do čoho? Do bahna - do cirkevného bahna plného dogiem a vyznaní, a denominačných rozdielov, a tak ďalej. Opýtate sa: "Si kresťan?"
"Ja som metodista."
"Ja som baptista."
"Ja som presbyterián."
To pre Boha nič neznamená, vôbec nič. Z Božej Biblii nemôžete vytiahnuť tieto veci. A vy sa snažíte uspokojiť tú svätú túžbu, ktorú vám dal Boh, a to, aby ste túžili po Ňom. Je to tak?
83 No, viete že Dávid tu povedal: "Po živom Bohu." No, na počiatku bolo Slovo, a to Slovo bolo u Boha, a to Slovo bol Boh; a to Slovo sa stalo telom a prebývalo medzi nami. Tak potom vás nič nemôže uspokojiť, okrem tohoto Slova, ktoré je Bohom, ktoré vo vás ožíva. Potom vidíte Boha, Jeho samého, ako vyplňuje zasľúbenia, ktoré dal v tejto Biblii.
84 No, máme rôznych takých, ktorí vykladajú Bibliu. Jedna cirkev ju vykladá takto, druhá ju vykladá tak, a iná ju vykladá zase inak. Niektorí z nej prijímajú len malú časť; Niektorí prijímajú len niečo tu a tam. Ale Boh je svojím vlastným vykladačom. Keď On dá zasľúbenie a vypĺňa ho, to je výklad. Keď som vám sľúbil, že tu dnes večer budem, a keď som tu - to je vyplnenie môjho sľubu. Keď vám poviem, že sa ráno s vami stretnem, a keď som tu - to je môj sľub. Nie je potrebné robiť okolo toho žiadne výhovorky. Ja tam musím byť. A keď Boh dá zasľúbenie, a potom príde a vyplňuje to zasľúbenie - to je výklad toho zasľúbenia. Vyzývam každého, aby zobral Boha za jeho Slovo, a potom uvidí, že každé slovo v tej Biblii je pravda. Je to tak!
85 To je to, čo chce tam tá túžba. Vy hovoríte: "Keby som ja bol žil vo dňoch Ježiša, ja by som urobil tak a tak." No veď žiješ v jeho dňoch. Čo s týmto robíme? Čo robíme? Vy hovoríte: "No ..." Čo ste urobili? Možno to, čo urobili farizejovia. Oni patrili do cirkvi, a zapreli Ježiša Krista.
86 Dnes sa stále hovorí, ľudia sa snažia hovoriť: "My porovnávame, musíme porovnávať jednu stranu Biblii s druhou, písmo s písmom."
To nie je pravda. Nie, to nie je pravda. "Toto Grécke slovo znamená toto, a toto znamená to." Samotní Gréci, dávno na Nicejskom koncile, a tí pisatelia tam v tedy, oni mali rôzny štýl. Jeden to veril takto, tento Grécky učenec chcel povedať toto, a druhý povedal, že tento tým chcel povedať toto. A oni sa o tom hádali. My nepotrebujeme výklady Gréckych učencov, alebo Gréckych slov. Poznať Ho, to je život, osoba Krista, On sám; nie porovnávanie.
87 To je zjavenie, na ktorom Boh stavia svoju cirkev. A ak nestaviame cirkev na tom istom ... Biblia hovorí, že: "Ábel skrze vieru ..." a viera je zjavenie od Boha, vidíte. Viera je zjavenie od Boha. Tak všetko toto je potom postavené na zjavení. A až kým ti to nie je zjavené ... Ježiš povedal: "Ďakujem Ti, Otče, že si skryl tieto veci pred múdrymi tohoto sveta, a zjavil si ich nemluvňatám, takým ktorí sa budú učiť." Vidíte? No, celá vec je založená na tom. Vy musíte poznať tú osobu, a nemôžete sa uspokojiť vstúpením do cirkvi. Musíte nájsť tú osobu, Boha Samého, a to je Slovo, ktoré On sám dnes vykladá: zasľúbenia, ktoré On dnes vyplnil; ľudia, o ktorých On povedal, že ich dnes bude mať. Cirkev bez vrásky a bez poškvrny. To nepredstavuje denomináciu, to predstavuje osoby, jednotlivých ľudí, bez vrásky a bez poškvrny. "Dvaja budú na posteli, jedného vezmem a druhého zanechám; dvaja budú na poli, jedného vezmem a druhého zanechám."
88 Ale keď Boh, tá svätá túžba, byť ako On ... A potom vidíte, že jeho Slovo je vo vás, potvrdzuje sa, že ste Boží sluha. Čokoľvek Boh hovorí, pozorujete presne na to. Potom prechádzate tým správnym, procesom, aby ste uspokojili tú svätú túžbu, ktorú máte v sebe. Ó, samozrejme, ľudia sa z vás budú smiať, a hovoriť že ste stratili rozum, že ste sa zbláznili. Ale pamätajte z čoho oni pijú. Vidíte? Pozrite kde stoja. Môžete si predstaviť veľkú artézsku studňu, ktorá tryská dobrú vodu, a niekoho dole tam pri tých jamách, ktoré sú plné mŕtvych žiab a vyznaní a všetkého možného, ako tam z nich pije, a díva sa na teba a robí si z teba žarty? On nepozná ten prameň, ktorý hasí smäd, z ktorého ty žiješ. Je to presne tak.
89 My máme živého Boha, nie takého, ktorý zomrel pred tisíc deväťsto rokmi a zostal v hrobe, ale takého, ktorý znovu vstal z mŕtvych. Židom 13:8 hovorí, že On je ten istý včera, dnes i naveky. Ten istý Duch Svätý, ktorý spadol v deň letníc, je ten istý Duch Svätý, ktorý je tu teraz. On je tou uspokojujúcou porciou, pretože On je Slovo. Je to tak. Duch Svätý napísal Slovo. On vykladá Slovo. Biblia hovorí v druhom liste Petra, že Duch Svätý napísal Bibliu. Dávni muži, pudení a vedení Duchom Svätým, napísali Bibliu. No, vy to nemôžete. Nemôžete uspokojiť tú svätú túžbu ničím iným, než Samým Bohom, keď žije vo vás, v osobe Ducha Svätého. Vzdelanie, kultúra, vstupovať do cirkví, recitovať vyznania, patriť do nejakého obecenstva, toto všetko je veľmi dobré. Ale to ani trochu nezastaví to sväté utíšenie - či vlastne tú svätú túžbu - neutíši tú svätú túžbu.
90 Raz večer som počúval Billy Grahama, toho veľkého evanjelistu. A poviem vám, teraz sa za neho modlím viac, než kedykoľvek, keď som ho videl ako im to odsudzuje, to čo robili. Povedal skupina duchovných išla po ulici, tí s tými goliermi, išli tam kde nemali čo hľadať, strkali niekde nos. Ale oni išli po ulici a tlieskali rukami a klepkali nohami. Vyzerali ako nedôstojní fanatici. No, viete, ale oni mali niečo, čomu verili. Oni mali niečo, čo vzrušilo ich dušu. Oni stretli niečo čo ich vzrušilo. Nejaká žena išla a strčila tam niekde hlavu, a oni si mysleli, že to bola mučeníčka. A ona sa nestarala o to aby ňou bola.
91 No, vidíme že títo ľudia mali niečo, kvôli čomu mohli tlieskať. Oni boli šťastní. Oni niečo robili. No, ak to tu môžete robiť ako princíp, že si myslíte, že to je správne, a potom ste niekde v cirkvi a niekto by zatlieskal alebo poklepal nohou, diakoni by ich vyviedli von. Vidíte? Oni obrátili svojich ľudí do špinavého bahna vyznania a denominácie, namiesto toho aby ich kŕmili tým požehnaným, svätým Slovom Božím, ktoré je roznášané mocou vzkriesenia Ježiša Krista.
92 Vidíte, oni sa snažia ... oni hasia svoju túžbu tým, že hovoria: "Ja som doktor, taký a taký," alebo vyštudujú nejaký seminár, alebo nejakú školu. Ale to nič neznamená, vôbec nič. Ale vidíte, oni sa sami snažia uspokojiť. Hovoria: "Boh ma prijme, pretože ja som jeho pastor. Boh ma prijme, pretože ja som svätý otec, taký a taký, alebo biskup, taký a taký," alebo niečo také. Oni sa tam snažia uspokojiť svoju túžbu, a to nemôžete. "Ja mám titul Ph.D, LL.D, ja mám titul bakalár umenia, ja mám toto ..." To je v poriadku, ale podľa mňa to len znamená, že ste o toľko ďalej od Boha. Je to tak, o toľko ďalej od Boha, po celý čas.
93 Boha poznáte jedine skrze prežitie. Vzdelaním toto do seba nedostanete; to sa vo vás narodí. To je niečo, čo vám dáva Boh. Vzdelanie s tým nemám nič spoločného. Jeden z najväčších mužov v Biblii sa nevedel ani podpísať: sv. Peter. Presne tak, on a Ján. Biblia hovorí, že obidvaja boli neučení a prostí. Ale Ježišovi sa zaľúbilo dať mu kľúče kráľovstva, pretože on túžil po Bohu. Amen! Túžil po Bohu. Po obecenstve, tak veru! Ó.
94 Myslím na Izaiáša, toho mladého muža, ó, fajn, mladý človek. On bol jedného dňa tam v chráme. Ten veľký kráľ ... A on obrátil ku nemu svoju tvár, a myslel si, že on je jeden z najväčších ľudí, a on bol veľký človek. On bol vychovaný, mal dobrých rodičov, dobrú matku a otca. Keď vystúpil, jeho politika bola čistá, a robil veci podľa Božej vôli. A Izaiáš sa na neho díval, a myslel si, že on je veľký človek, zobral si ho za vzor. Ale nikdy si neberte za vzor žiadneho človeka, okrem človeka Krista Ježiša. Všetci ľudia sklamú. Po nejakom čase prišiel ku tomu ... On bol kráľ, ale sa snažil zaujať miesto kňaza, a vošiel do chrámu. A bol ranený malomocenstvom.
95 Potom bol Izaiáš celý utrápený. Tak išiel do chrámu a začal sa modliť. Myslel si že tam pôjde a bude sa nejaký čas modliť. A teraz sa pozrite. Ten muž bol prorok. Ale tam dole v chráme bol mladý muž. On jedného dňa kričal ku Bohu a prišlo pred neho videnie. A keď sa to stalo, on videl anjelov, cherubínov, ako mali prikryté tváre svojimi krídlami, a prikryté nohy, a dvoma krídlami lietali. A oni lietali tam a späť, hore dole, po chráme a volali: "Svätý, svätý, svätý je Pán Boh Všemohúci."
96 A Izaiáš, tá veľká túžba, ktorú on mal ... On bol možno vyučený. On mal pravdepodobne dobré vzdelanie. On mal ohromné predstavy o tom, aký Boh má byť. On počúval kňazov. On bol v chráme. On bol vychovaný ako veriaci. Ale vidíte, on ešte nikdy predtým neprišiel ku tomu tvárou v tvár. Vidíte? On mal túžbu robiť dobre. On chcel byť dobrý, ale on to poznal len zo strany vzdelania. On poznal len tú teologickú stranu.
97 Ale keď v ten deň prišiel do chrámu a videl týchto cherubínov ako mávali týmito krídlami tam a naspäť, a uvedomil si, že títo anjeli slúžia pred tvárou Božou, a tí anjeli ani nevedeli, čo to je hriech. A aby mohli stáť v prítomnosti Božej museli zakrývať svoje sväté tváre, aby mohli stáť v prítomnosti Božej. Vtedy ten prorok zvolal: "Beda mi, lebo som človek nečistých rtov. Celá moja teológia a všetko čo som sa naučil, všetky moje ohromné predstavy, ktoré som mal o Bohu ... teraz stojím pred tým tvárou v tvár." On povedal: "Som človek nečistých rtov, a bývam medzi ľuďmi nečistých rtov."
98 Všetko ich učenie zákonov, a vecí ktoré narobili, nikdy nedosiahli to miesto, kde on prišiel do prítomnosti Božej; a na svoje vlastné oči videl Boha, a jeho rúcho, keď on sedel vysoko na nebesiach. A on stál tvárou v tvár skutočnosti. A on zvolal: "Som človek nečistých rtov, a bývam medzi nečistými ľuďmi." A potom sa stalo, že cherubín zobral kliešte, a zobral uhlie z oltára, a dotkol sa tých nečistých rtov; a premenil ho zo zbabelca, alebo zo vzdelaného muža, učiteľa, na proroka, cez ktorého mohlo byť hovorené slovo Božie. Skutočne, keď bol v prítomnosti Božej, to bolo niečo iné. Vtedy tá túžba, ktorú mal, dosiahla na to miesto, až bol s tým naplnený.
99 Dovoľ mi, že ti poviem, priateľ, nestarám sa o to, do koľkých cirkví si vstúpil, koľko krát si sa zapísal, akou cestou ideš, alebo či si pofŕkaný, pokrstený, alebo čokoľvek. Až kým nestretneš tú osobu Ježiša Krista, to je tá jediná vec, ktorá dá ozajstné uspokojenie. Emócia to neurobí. Môžeš vyskakovať hore dole, a kričať tak dlho, ako len chceš. Alebo môžeš behať hore dole, a môžeš hovoriť v jazykoch, koľko len chceš. A tieto veci sú sväté, a dobré. Ja nehovorím ... Ja nič proti tomu nehovorím. Ale až kým nestretneš tú osobu, tú uspokojujúcu porciu, to niečo, čo oživí každú žilku v tvojom tele, nie skrze emóciu, ale skrze uspokojenie ...
100 Vídaval som taký nápis, ktorý hovoril: "Ak si smädný povedz Parfait." Býval taký nápoj, keď som bol chlapec, nazýval sa Parfait. Pamätám sa, že som raz išiel po ceste, bol som chytať ryby - bol som pri tom rybníku, pri stojatých vodách - a skoro som zomieral od hladu. A videl som ten nápis: "Ak si smädný povedz len Parfait."
Začal som hovoriť: "Parfait, Parfait." A bol som ešte viacej smädný. Vidíte? Bol som tak smädný, že po chvíli som už nemal ani sliny, taký som bol smädný. No, vidíte, to nefunguje.
101 Nič to neuspokojí. Nestarám sa. Môžete piť Kolu, môžete piť čokoľvek chcete, osladené bublinkové vody, a tak ďalej. Nie je nič, čo by uhasilo smäd, ako dobrá, chladná, studená pramenitá voda. Ona uhasí ten smäd. Všetky tieto ostatné veci sú náhradou. A prečo by sme mali chcieť náhradu, keď existuje skutočný krst Duchom Svätým, ktorý uspokojí každú žilku a túžbu v ľudskej duši! Potom sa môžete postaviť rovno tvárou v tvár smrti. Ako povedal ten veľký apoštol Pavel: "Ó smrť, kde je tvoj osteň? A hrob, kde je tvoje víťazstvo? Ale vďaka Bohu, ktorý nám dáva víťazstvo skrze nášho Pána Ježiša Krista." To je prežitie, brat! To uspokojuje to sväté utíšenie, ktoré ... či vlastne, ten svätý smäd, ktorý je v tebe. To ho uspokojuje. Nemusíte s tým už nič robiť. Áno, to očisťuje rty.
102 A tiež sú ľudia, ktorí žijú len na emócii, na ... Niektorí ľudia hovoria: "No, my toho máme plno v našom letničnom hnutí." A oni budú (to je dobre), budú tlieskať, a hrať. A keď vypnete hudbu, fúú, akoby ste ich obliali vodou. Vidíte? No, robíme to .. máme to vo zvyku. Máme ... stalo sa to len jedným z našich zvykov.
103 Dovoľte, že vám niečo poviem. Keď uctievate Boha, v duchu a v pravde - keď sa vám to stane zvykom, pretože si myslíte že to máte robiť, pretože si myslíte, že ak nebudete kričať a vyskakovať hore dole a tancovať s hudbou, že tvoj sused si bude myslieť, že si odpadol od viery - piješ z nečistého zdroja. Tak veru. Až kým to necíti každé vlákno, až kým sám Duch Svätý nebublinkuje v tebe ... Nestarám sa o to, či hrá hudba, či hrajú "Ku tebe Bože," alebo čokoľvek, Duch Svätý stále rozoznieva zvonce chvály v tvojom srdci! To je uspokojenie! To je Božia uspokojujúca porcia. Všetko menšie od toho, je švindeľ.
104 Môžeš hovoriť jazykmi ľudskými aj anjelskými, môžeš vydať všetko svoje imanie na dobročinnosť, môžeš prorokovať, a môžeš mať vedu a rozumieť všetkým tajomstvám a všetkým týmto veciam - a stále nie si ničím (1. Korinťanom 13). Až kým to niečo uspokojujúce, to jediné, čo môže utíšiť tú túžbu ... "Moja duša túži po živom Bohu, tak ako jeleň reve za potokom vody. Ak to nenájdem, zahyniem." Keď budete takto hladní po Bohu, niečo sa stane. Duch Svätý vás bude viesť ku tým veľkým Božím fontánam. Tak veru!
105 No, je to dobre oslavovať Boha v Duchu, to je pravda. Ale niekedy máte Ducha bez Pravdy. Ev. Jána 4. hovorí: My uctievame Boha, v Duchu a v Pravde." A Ježiš je Pravda. To je presne tak. A on je Slovo.
106 Pramene, ktoré Boh poslal, aby vás uspokojil v tom prirodzenom, Satan poškvrnil každý jeden z nich. Do každého jedného, ku ktorému sa mohol dostať, dal otravu. Je to tak.
107 On poškvrnil ten veľký prameň cirkvi. To bola Božia cesta. Ježiš povedal: "Na tejto skale postavím svoju cirkev; a brány pekelné ju nepremôžu." No, na to sú rôzne názory. Rímsky ľudia, katolíci, hovoria, že On ju postavil na Petrovi. Vidíte? A keby to tak bolo, Peter odpadol a urobil hanbu. Tak to nebolo, to vôbec nebolo postavené na Petrovi, Peter znamená malá skala.
108 A potom, protestanti hovoria, že On ju postavil na Sebe, na Ježišovi Kristovi. Nie žeby som sa chcel líšiť, ale nesúhlasím s nimi. On ju nepostavil ani na jednom, ani na druhom. On ju postavil na zjavení toho, kto On je. On povedal: "Požehnaný si šimon syn Joná- šov. Toto ti nezjavilo telo a krv, ale môj Otec, ktorý je v nebesiach, ti toto zjavil." Nie skrze vedomosti - nenaučil si sa to z kníh, nenaučil si sa to vstúpením do cirkvi, nenaučil si sa to pri kričaní. Ne ... Ale sám Duch Svätý ti objasnil osobu Ježiša Krista. Potom, na tejto skale postavím svoju cirkev, a brány pekelné ju nepremôžu. Tá svätá túžba bola uspokojená v osobe Ježiša Krista. Tu to máte. To je to čo chceme hľadať. Tým uspokojovať tú túžbu. No dobre.
109 Vidíme, že musíme ... Vedomosť? Ó. Vedomosť to je veľká vec. Plníme sa, a dnes sme toho plní. Ale vidíte, vedomosť ... Ako som jedného dňa hovoril, keď som hovoril na tému o vedomosti ... Tam vonku stál nejaký človek, rozprával sa tam s mojím priateľom. Povedal: "Ak ten človek neverí vo vedomosti, prečo číta Bibliu?"
110 Oni ... Pomyslel som si: "No, ak nerozumeli tomu, čo povedal Pán Ježiš, ako budú rozumieť takémuto človekovi ako som ja, tomu čo ja hovorím?" Oni nemohli rozumieť Jemu, akokoľvek jasne hovoril. On tam jedného dňa povedal: "Ak nebudete jesť telo a krv ... piť krv, nemáte v sebe život." On to nevysvetlil. Išiel ďalej. Je to tak, Vidíte?
111 "Dobre." Povedali: "Tento človek je kanibal. My máme jesť jeho telo, piť jeho krv. On je vampír. On chce aby sme sa stali vampíri." Vidíte tých vzdelancov?
112 Ale On povedal. "Moje ovce počujú môj hlas. On príde ku vyvoleným, ktorých Boh vyvolil skrze predvedenie. A nikto nemôže prísť ku mne, ak ho nepotiahne môj Otec. A všetci, ktorých mi dal Otec, prídu. Oni to porozumejú." Tí učeníci to nemohli rozumieť, ale oni tomu verili. Vidíte? Je to tak. A keď tomu veríte ... Ja veľa vecí nemôžem porozumieť, ale aj tak tomu verím. Vidíte? Pretože Boh povedal, že je to tak.
113 Vedomosť - či viete, že Satanove evanjelium je vedomosť? Viete to? On to kázal Eve v záhrade Eden, ale ona bola zvedená skrze jeho evanjelium vedomostí. A celá ľudská rasa ním zostala poškvrnená. Je to presne tak. Oni zobrali vzdelávacie programy, zaviedli ich do cirkvi. Tam vonku je to v poriadku, ale nie v Božom Slove. Nie veru. Boha nepoznáte pomocou vzdelania. Boha nepoznáte pomocou toho, že budete vedieť ako ... že sa naučíte matematiku, a vyslovovať veľké slová.
114 Pavel, on bol bystrý človek. Ale keď prišiel ku Kristovi, a prijal Ducha Svätého, keď išiel ku Korinťanom, povedal: "Neprišiel som ku vám s presviedčavými slovami ľudskej múdrosti." (Hoci by to mohol) Povedal: "Prišiel som ku vám v moci a v dôkaze Ducha Svätého, aby vaša viera bola v Boha, a nie v múdrosti nejakého človeka."
115 Teraz sa niekedy robia cirkevné programy. Tiež si vyberajú pastora. Cirkev si volí svojho pastora. Oni hovoria: "Dobre, tento pastor teraz, on má dva stupne na univerzite. On štyri roky študoval psychológiu. On má toto, to, či tamto." A oni si vyberú takého človeka. Prečo? Namiesto pastora, ktorý verí Božiemu Slovu, ktoré je inšpirované, a ktoré je Bohom, a ktorý bude kázať to Slovo, bez ohľadu na to, ako sa ľudia pri tom cítia ...
116 Boh povedal Ezechielovi, viete, povedal: "Káž to, či tomu veria alebo nie. Aj tak to káž." Tak veru. Či to prijímajú alebo nie, to nevadí. Oni neprijímali Ježiša, ale On kázal ďalej, tak isto. Namiesto skutočného pastora, ktorý bude skutočne kázať Slovo, a verí v Boha, oni sa snažia zaviesť intelekt - človeka, ktorý má najlepšie vzdelanie. Takého, ktorý sa postaví za kazateľňu, nezaberie viac ako pätnásť minút, tak že môžu ísť rýchlo domov, a robiť si niečo iné. A Riky môže sadnúť do svojho silného auta, a vyraziť. A môžu ísť na svoje twistové večierky, a všetko možné. To je ... ó, to je len ... to nie je nič iné, ako skrížené, vzdelanecké poškvrnenie. Je to tak. To je presne to. Je to tak.
117 Ale čo to je? To uspokojuje ich chuť. Vidíte? To uspokojuje chuť členov svetských cirkví. To neuspokojí chuť svätého. On bude stále brať Slovo. Ale oni hovoria: "Ó, dobre, no, tí ľudia to proste nemajú v hlave celkom v poriadku. Vidíte? Oni proste ne ... oni to nechápu. Oni ... Oni sa snažia žiť podľa dávnych dní."
118 Nie je to divné? Prišiel som sem na západ, a zistil som, že oni sa všetci snažia žiť podľa dávnych dní. Stále chcú tie starodávne kovbojské časy. A choďte do Kentucky, tam chcú starodávne zálesácke časy. Oni sa chcú takto správať, mať také programy. Ale keď ide o starodávne náboženstvo, z toho nechcú nič. Starodávne časy? Prišiel som sem, keď bolo ródeo. Videl som, že tam mali veľkú ženu, pod očami mala tú zelenú farbu, nakrátko ostrihané vlasy, v ústach cigaretu. No, keby toto uvideli v tých dávnych časoch, boli by si mysleli, že má rakovinu. Dali by ju do ... Čo keby tvoja matka vyšla von takto oblečená, ako sa obliekaš dnes ty, alebo tvoja dcéra? Čo by sa stalo? Zavreli by ju do blázinca. Skutočne. Ide von a nemá sukňu.
119 Ale pamätajte, dnes platí to isté. Ľudia odumierajú vo svojom tele. Ak dosahujú stredný vek, medzi dvadsiatym a dvadsiatym piatym rokom života, odumierajú tiež ich mozgové bunky. Nemajú ... Ľudia prišli do takého stavu, že už nedokážu normálne myslieť. Nevedia, čo je to slušnosť. Nepoznajú rozdiel medzi dobrom a zlom.
120 A, och, ich vzdelávacie programy, oni ... Vedeli ste že, vzdelanie (môžem vám to dokázať) je z diabla? Nie písať a čítať, ale mám na mysli, keď zavádzajú vzdelanie do cirkvi. Na čom je založený komunizmus? Na vede, na vzdelaní. To je ich boh, Satan. Vidíte? To je to, čo on predložil Eve. To je to, čoho sa oni stále držia. Dostalo sa to do našich cirkví. Dostalo sa to medzi baptistov, metodistov a presbyteriánov, letničných, a všetkých. Niekto vzdelaný, múdry, niekto taký a taký, a niečo také, to ho odvádza len ďalej od Boha. To je zlé. Tak veru.
121 No, vidíme, že oni ... To uspokojuje ich túžbu. Keď si cirkev volí niečo takéto, to ukazuje, ako ľudia v tej cirkvi rozmýšľajú, aká je ich túžba, po čom túžia. Oni chcú povedať: "Náš pastor je široko-myseľný. On nám nevyčíta, že chodíme na spoločné kúpaliská, on chodí s nami."
122 Jedno malé dievča povedalo raz mojej Sáre, jej pastor bol v Afrike. A keď sa vrátil, ona si vyzliekla ten večer šaty, a mala na sebe len niečo nepatrné, a predviedla mu Watusi, aby ho privítali, pretože on bol v Afrike. Watusi to je tam kmeň, viete. Chlapče, chcel by som vidieť, že by jedno z mojich dievčat, v mojom zhromaždení skúsilo niečo takéto urobiť! Watusi! Vidíte, to ukazuje ...
123 A pastor si sedí a díva sa na svojom zhromaždení, na takto povyzliekané, šestnásť alebo osemnásť ročné dievča, a dovolí jej to? To ukazuje, že on sám pochádza z bahna! Muž Boží, a robiť niečo takéto! Skutočne. Znie to tvrdo, ale uvedomujem si, že tiež kážem po celom národe. Ale ty tiež toto vieš, brat, sestra, dovoľ že ti poviem, že to je pravda.
124 Sup chce to, čo je mŕtve. Je to tak. A to je mŕtve! Presne tak. To jasne ukazuje, to tu jasne ukazuje, čo je ich hlavou a ich kontrolnou vežou, čo im to dáva, vidíte, čo je v ich duši. Ich duša je žiadostivá po takýchto veciach. Ich duša je žiadostivá po vysokej, intelektuálnej cirkvi, kde sa ľudia pekne obliekajú, a pastor káže pätnásť, alebo dvadsať minút, a ak to pretiahne hneď ho berú na pohovor do rady starších. A nesmie hovoriť nič o hriechu, nesmie hovoriť nič ohľadne nosenia šortiek, a nesmie hovoriť nič o ľuďoch, že robia toto, to či tamto. Nesmie to vôbec ani spomenúť. Ak to urobí, staršovstvo ho vylúči. Vidíte čo to je? To je ich filter rozumného človeka.
125 Biblia hovorí v 1. liste Jána 2:15: "Ak milujete tento svetový systém, alebo veci tohoto sveta, to preto, že nie je vo vás láska Božia." No, a čo s týmto všetkým, ako sa správajú, a čo dnes robia v mene cirkvi? Usporiadajú tanečné večierky v zboroch - karty, hazardné hry, večierky, dospievajúca mládež, rock and roll, twist a všetko tomu podobné. Pozrite sa na tohoto Elvisa Presleyho, diabla v topánkach. Na Pata Booneho, Ricky Nelsona, to je najväčšia prekážka, akú tento národ kedy mal. Je to tak.
126 Oni hovoria: "Ó, oni sú veľmi nábožní. Spievajú kresťanské piesne." To by nemalo byť ... Cirkev by im niečo takéto mala ešte zakázať. Niektorí z nich idú sem von, a dnes večer sú tu v nejakom motoreste, tancujú a hrajú a všetko možné. A zajtra večer idú ku oltáru a plačú. A na ďalší večer už hrajú na pódiu. Ó, pre milosrdenstvo! Ako ďaleko môže ... ako ďaleko sa môže dostať špina? Tak veru. Prv sa dokáž, že si muž Boží. Nie všetko toto, nie len preto, že dokáže brnkať na gitare, alebo niečo také.
127 Podľa svojej túžby môžeš poznať, kto je na tróne tvojho srdca. Podľa toho, čo miluješ, to ukazuje ... Ty hovoríš: "No, ja si myslím, že tieto veci sú v poriadku, brat Branham." Dobre, pamätaj teraz, v tvojom srdci, ty vieš čo tam je. Tak veru. Podľa toho čím sa kŕmi tvoja duša, po čom túži tvoja duša, a keď môžeš vidieť, čo ju uspokojuje - ak to nie je toto Slovo, potom je to niečo zlé. Pretože Duch Svätý žije jedine zo Slova. Vidíte?
128 Chcem aby ste videli ďalšie veľké nebezpečenstvo, prv ako skončíme. Ak nie ste ... ak nie ste vinní žiadnej z týchto vecí, ktoré som spomenul, a ... To je, nebezpečenstvo zanedbať smäd. Vidíte? Vy hovoríte: "Ja má svätý smäd, ale ... To sa mňa netýka, brat Branham, žeby som len išiel a vstupoval do cirkvi a tak ďalej. Ale ..." Vidíte, zanedbať smäd ... ak zanedbáte uspokojiť smäd po vode, alebo jesť, zomriete. A ak zanedbáte uspokojiť tú túžbu po Bohu, ktorá je vo vás, duchovne zomriete.
129 Dožadujete sa prebudenia. Čakáte, aby vo vašom zbore nastalo prebudenie. Dobre, to nie je ... to nie je prebudenie pre vás. Prebudenie má začať rovno vo vás, keď začínate túžiť po Bohu. Nikto ďalší v zbore nemusí očakávať na to prebudenie. Ak to vypukne v tebe, vypukne to aj na iných miestach. Vidíte?
130 Ale vidíte, vy zanedbávate tú túžbu ... Zanedbáte podojiť kravu, keď je ... keď má plné vemeno mlieka. A ak tú kravu necháte tak, ona sa zasuší. Presne tak. Ak zanedbáte smäd a nenapijete sa vody, poviete: "Ja už viac nebudem piť," zomriete. Ak zanedbáte jesť, zomriete. Tak ak zanedbáte dať Duchu Svätému Slovo Božie, zomriete. Vy kresťania, vy baptisti, metodisti, presbyteriáni, letniční, zbory Božie, jednotári, vyznávači dvojice, vyznávači trojice, čokoľvek ste, vidíte - ja sa nestarám - pre mňa to nič neznamená. Myslím, že pre Boha to nič neznamená. Vidíte.
131 Ty si individuálna osoba. Ty si jedinec. Do neba nikdy nepôjdete ako cirkev, ako denominácia. Do neba pôjdeš ako jedna, jednotlivá osoba, to je medzi tebou a Bohom. To je všetko. Nezáleží na tom do akej cirkvi patríš. A ak zanedbáš čítať Bibliu, a veriť Biblii, a zanedbáš kŕmiť tým Ducha Svätého, zomrieš.
132 Ježiš povedal v ev. Jána 4:3, práve tu mám to písmo, Ježiš povedal, že človek nebude žiť na samom chlebe, ale na každom slove, nie len na časti z neho. My zoberieme kúsok tu. Ja to nazývam "Biblické stopovanie". Oni hovoria: "Dobre, ja tomuto verím; ale teraz poďme ku tomuto." Vidíte? Vy to musíte brať slovo za slovom.
Ježiš povedal: "Človek bude žiť na každom slove, ktoré vychádza z úst Božích." Vedeli ste to?
133 A viete, tento deň, v ktorom žijeme, sme urobili ... tento deň sme urobili dňom náboženskej prevrátenosti. Moja dcéra ma nedávno zavolala a povedala mi: "Ocko" (z druhej strany domu), povedala: "Poď sem. Bude náboženský program." Spievali tam, spievali piesne. A bol tam nejaký malý Riki, čítal tam. A ak som videl niekedy, nejaké svätokrádežné hnutie, tak to bolo to. Tí tam hore a ľudia ... podobalo sa to viac na estrádu. Vyzeralo to ako indiánsky kmeň, a oni sa predvádzali a vyskakovali a boxovali jeden do druhého.
134 Och, kde sa podela úprimnosť? Kde sú tie starodávne piesne, ktoré sme zvykli spievať a radovali sme sa v Duchu Božom, a slzy nám stekali po lícach? A teraz, snažíme sa zadržať dych, že už ani nemáme dychu, až nám modrejú tváre, a chceme tým ukázať, akí sme znamenití speváci. Odkukali sme to z Hollywoodu, a zo všetkých tých programov, ktoré vidíme, cez túto intelektuálnu pieseň, ktorú spievajú a trénujú si hlas. Rád počúvam dobrý spev. Rád počúvam dobré, starodávne letničné piesne, ktoré sú zo srdca. Ale naozaj nenávidím ten kvikot, ktorý dnes nazývajú spevom. Je to tak. Myslím, že to je najabsurdnejšia vec. To je prevrátenosť. Je to tak.
135 Rád vidím muža, keď je mužom. Strašne nerád vidím takého, ktorý nosí spodnú bielizeň od svojej ženy, a tu na boku len prúžok, a tu v predu mu visia natáčky, a na bokoch mu visia dva kužele vlasov, zastrihnuté v predu ako ofina. Nemohol by som to nazvať mužom. On nevie, na ktorú stranu v tej rase patrí. Vidíte? Je to tak. Vidíte? Žena ... pozrite sa, žena si chce strihať vlasy ... strihá si vlasy ako muž, a muž si chce natáčať vlasy, ako žena. Muž nosí spodné prádlo od svojej ženy, a ona nosí jeho vrchný odev. Vidíte? To je prevrátenosť, presne naopak.
136 A tak isto je to s národami, s ľuďmi, s cirkvami, so všetkým. Ó, Bože, kde je tomu koniec? Príchod Pána Ježiša Krista, ten urobí tomu koniec.
137 Tak, ak zanedbáte kŕmiť Ducha Svätého Slovom Božím ... Ježiš povedal, že každé Slovo bude skrze Ducha Svätého. A počúvajte, no, ak sa ho snažíte kŕmiť niečím zlým, ak je vo vás ozajstný Duch Svätý, on spozná rozdiel. Pamätajte, Duch Boží sa živí Slovom Božím. On sa neživí nadšením; on sa neživí vzdelaním; on sa neživí chodením do zboru; on sa neživí teológiou.
138 Je veľký rozdiel medzi niečím inšpirovaným a medzi teologickým postojom. Všetci tí teológovia vo dňoch Ježiša, ó, oni mali slovo za slovom, stranu za stranou, všetko vyložené. Mesiáš musí prísť takto. To je presne to. A oni to prehliadli, každý jeden. Viete čo povedal Ježiš, keď prišiel? Povedal: "Vy ste zo svojho otca, diabla. A činíte jeho skutky." Nebolo im zjavené, čo je skutočné Slovo. Vidíte? Oni prehliadli tie malé uhly, tak ako to prehliadajú aj dnes
"Ak budeš patriť do tejto ..." a "patriť do tejto, budeš v poriadku." Neverte tomu. Musíte patriť Kristovi.
139 A ak je niečo vo vás, čo túži po Kristovi ... Pamätajte, keď ste boli v bedrách svojho otca, vtedy ste boli s ním. Ale váš otec vás vtedy nepoznal, a vy ste nepoznali svojho otca. A vy ste museli prísť a narodiť sa. Boh urobil cestu, skrze vašu matku, aby bola pôda na zasiatie. A potom to prišlo, a potom ste sa stali mužom, alebo ženou, čokoľvek to bolo. Potom ste poznali svojho otca a váš otec mohol mať s vami obecenstvo.
140 Pamätajte, ak máte večný život, váš život bol v Bohu na začiatku. A ten život ... Boh je Slovo. A potom, keď sa Slovo stalo telom, v Ježišovi Kristovi, Boh prichádza dole, aby prebýval vo svojom vlastnom tele (stal sa Synom Božím), keď Boh prišiel dole, aby prebýval v tom ... Vy ste boli v Ňom, keď bol ukrižovaný, vy ste boli ukrižovaní s Ním, a s Ním ste zomreli, na Golgote. Boli ste s Ním pochovaní na tom vrchu, a vo Veľkonočné ráno ste s Ním vstali. A teraz sedíte spolu v nebeských miestach, v Ňom. A teraz máte s Ním obecenstvo. Vidíte? Boh. On sám sa stal jedným z nás. Otca nikto nikdy nevidel. Jednorodený od Otca, on nám Ho vysvetlil. Boh sa stal človekom, aby mohol mať s vami obecenstvo, ako človek. Vidíte? A teraz, vy ste telo, a On je telo.
141 Boh sa stal telom medzi nami, v osobe svojho Syna, Ježiša Krista. A v Ňom bol Boh. On bol Boh, nič menšieho ako Boh. On bol Boh. Boh prejavený v Synovi, Ježišovi Kristovi, ktorého urobil Emanuelom, ako povedal prorok, že On ním bude.
142 No, vidíte to potom, vy ste museli byť ... Ešte skôr ako bol sformovaný svet, vaše meno bolo zapísané v Baránkovej knihe života. A potom, čo môžete jesť? Duch Svätý sa živí Slovom Božím. A teraz, v Zjavení 22:19, Biblia hovorí: "Ktokoľvek odoberie z toho jedno slovo, alebo pridá ku tomu jedno slovo, jeho diel bude odňatý z knihy života." Vidíte aké je to hlboké?
143 Vy nemôžete ... Duch Svätý nebude žiť na veciach tohoto sveta - ako holubica a vrana. Vrana je veľký pokrytec. Vrana ... to indivíduum môže sem prísť, a celý deň môže jesť pšenicu; a ide inde a zaletí na starú mŕtvu zdochlinu, a tiež ju žerie. Ona môže sedieť na poli, a môže jesť spolu s holubicou, pšenicu; a ide inde a žerie starú zdochlinu. Ale, holubica môže celý deň jesť pšenicu, ale nemôže jesť mŕtvu zdochlinu, pretože je holubica. A holubica nemá vôbec žlč. Jedno zahryznutie z tej mŕtvej zdochliny by holubicu zabilo. Vidíte? Ona nemá žlč. A tak to je - žiadna horkosť.
144 A tak je to so skutočným, ozajstným kresťanom. Oni nechcú veci tohoto sveta. Oni jedia len Slovo Božie, jedine to, to je čisté, filter rozumného človeka. Vidíte? Oni prechádzajú cezeň, a to je jediné. Mŕtve veci tohoto sveta, to im smrdí. Pozrite sa na starú vranu vo dňoch predpotopného zničenia, ako lieta od jedného tela ku druhému, žerie tie staré mŕtve zdochliny. Ona sa nevrátila naspäť do archy. Ale holubica nemohla nájsť miesto, na ktorom by odpočinuli jej nohy. Vidíte? Ona sa vrátila do archy, kde dostávala zrno. A tak to my robíme. My žijeme skrze Slovo Božie.
145 V 42 žalme ... Dávid musel napísať tento žalm, žalm 42, keď bol uprchlíkom, keď povedal: "Moja duša túži po Tebe, tak ako reve jeleň po potokoch vody." Pozrite. On kričal ... Dávid bol uprchlík. On bol ... On mal na sebe olej pomazania. On vedel, že bude kráľom. Prorok ho pomazal za kráľa. No, všimnite si. A on tam bol. On mal so sebou malú skupinu vojakov zloženú z pohanov, a tak ďalej. Bol hore na vrchu kopca, pod ktorým ležalo jeho milované mesto, za svoje hriechy boli všade dookola obkľúčení Filištínmi. A Dávid počas toho horúceho dňa ... Muselo tak byť, keď písal tento žalm: "Ako reve jeleň za potokmi vody."
146 Všimnite si, Dávid bol v takejto situácii. Pozeral sa dole. Díval sa na svoje milované mesto, a spomínal, keď bol malý chlapec, ako zvykol hnať ovce tam okolo tejto určitej studni. Tam dole bol vodnatý kraj, a tiež kraj chleba. Skutočne, "Betlehem" znamená dom Božieho chleba. A potom, keď si Dávid spomínal, ako chodil tam okolo a pil tú dobrú studenú vedu; a teraz táboril tu hore, ako vyhnanec, preč od svojho vlastného ľudu. Nemal miesta, kde by mohol ísť. A jeho duša musela kričať po dobrej, studenej vode.
147 A on tam mal sluhov, pre ktorých, ó, jeho najmenšia túžba bola pre nich rozkazom. A oni, traja z nich, prebojovali si cestu cez líniu Filištínov, pätnásť míľ, sedem míľ, alebo tak nejako, tam a naspäť, prerúbali si cez nich cestu, a priniesli mu tú vodu, aby sa napil.
148 Ale smäd duše ... Jeho telo ... On bol tam hore, možno tam musel piť z niečoho, z nejakých starých, kozých kožíc a iného, v ktorých bola teplá voda, v tom horúcom dni. Myslel si: "Keby som si len mohol ľahnúť dole a uhasiť tento smäd, ktorý mám. Keby som mohol len ísť tam dole, do Betlehema a ľahnúť si tam pri tom prameni a piť."
149 A keď oni zišli dole a nabrali vodu a doniesli mu ju, jeho duša viac túžila - nie za Betlehemom, ale za Jeruzalemom. Jeho duša bola taká ... on obetoval tú vodu, povedal: "Nemohol by som ju piť." Vylial ju na zem. Vidíte, jeho duša viac túžila po Bohu, než ako po tom, čo malo uspokojiť, uhasiť smäd dobrou ... túžbu jeho tela, dobrou, studenou vodou. On ju vylial na zem. Vidíte, dom Boží, vody z horného Jeruzalema, ktoré občerstvujú dušu ...
150 Ježiš povedal v Jánovi 6-33: "Ja som chlieb života. Ja som chlieb života." Betlehem, dom Boží, náš zbor, zemská Božia cirkev, cirkev, ktorá je tu na zemi - my radi chodíme do zboru, tu na zemi. Ale Jeruzalem je väčší, ten ktorý je hore, ktorým je Boh: Horný Jeruzalem, ktorým je Boh. Väčšia je tá túžba v duši, aby sme boli tam s Ním, než len sa uspokojiť tým, že vstúpime niekde do cirkvi. Vidíte, pripojenie sa do cirkvi neuspokojí tú túžbu. Dávid to tu dokázal. Voda, ktorá bola priamo z domu Božieho. Vidíte? On ju vylial na zem, aby si získal priazeň, aby dostal dobrý, chladný dúšok od Boha. Aj na tom ... Väčší než ten smäd, ktorý je vo vás, je smäd v duši, túžba po Bohu.
151 Všimnite si, Jeruzalem. Slovo ... Jeruzalem je z hora, Biblia hovorí, ktorý je matkou všetkých nás. A Kristus je našou matkou, to si uvedomujeme. Boh je našou matkou, lebo z Neho sme zrodení. To slovo proste znamená pokoj. Jerusalem, shalom, čo znamená pokoj. Jeru - shalom, vidíte, znamená pokoj. Väčšia má byť túžba každej duše za vodami života, ako len povedať, že patríte do nejakého zboru. Túžba duše sa nemôže tým uspokojiť - skutočná, opravdová túžba. Na tom sa môžete oklamať. Môžete si myslieť, že ste v poriadku, keď ste vstúpili do nejakého zboru. Ale to nie je to. To neuspokojí ten opravdový, svätý smäd po Bohu. To ho nijako nemôže uspokojiť. To len ... to nie je v tom.
152 No, Dávid povedal tu v žalme 42-7, (V Slov. Biblii 8. verš.) keď "Priepasť priepasti sa ozýva na zvuk tvojich trubíc, plných riavy." (Hlbina volá po hlbine) to je volanie duše. Pozrite, často som to zvykol používať ako ilustráciu. Ak je na chrbte ryby plutva, ona tam musela byť daná, aby ňou plávala. Ona ju na to potrebuje. No čo ak by si ona povedala: "Ja budem iná ryba. Ja budem chytrá, vzdelaná ryba. Ja budem veriť skutočnej teológii. Verím, že nemusím mať tú plutvu." Ona by sa vo vode ďaleko nedostala, či nie? Presne tak.
153 Čo ak by si strom povedal: "Ja viem, že prv musí byť pre mňa zem, aby som na nej rástol. Je to tak. Mám rásť na zemi, ale ja budem inakší strom. Ja chcem aby ma zasadili tu naprostred ulice, aby si ma mohli všimnúť." Vidíte? On by veľmi dlho nežil. Vidíte? Je to tak. Keď hlbina volá po hlbine, v tom je niečo viac, než len pripojiť sa do zboru. Na to treba viac, než ako potriasť si ruky s kazateľom. Na to treba viac, než len žiť dobrým, usporiadaným životom. Treba niečo čo vás uspokojí. To sa vlieva od Boha do duše. Hlbina volá po hlbine na zvuk tvojich trubíc plných riavy, ó, Pane, hlbina volá po hlbine.
154 Aká túžba bola dnes večer v nás, môžeme sa zamyslieť? My, ako letniční ľudia, do čoho ideme? Aká je v nás túžba? Aká túžba je vo mne? Aká túžba je v tebe? Nesnažte sa umlčať tú svätú túžbu po Bohu.
155 Pred rokmi, keď tu v horách chodili dolovať zlato ... Pred rokmi som čítal taký príbeh. Stále si to pamätám. Hovorilo sa tam o zlatokopovi, ktorý vyšiel tu niekde, tu za tými horami a hľadal zlato. A narazil na bohaté ložisko. A vracal sa naspäť a myslel si, že keď príde do mesta, čo bude, všetky jeho problémy skončia. A hovoril si: "Zajtra prídem do mesta a budem ..." Už len jeden deň cesty a prišiel by do mesta a mal by to zlato. A mal ho veľké, plné vrecká.
156 On mal so sebou psa - neporovnávam teraz psa s Duchom Svätým, ale chcem ukázať - tento pes ... V noci si tento zlatokop ľahol spať. A začal rozmýšľať: "Zajtra vezmem všetko svoje zlato, a stanem sa tým, čím som vždy chcel byť. Vždy som chcel byť bohatým. Chcel som mať všetky pekné veci a tak ďalej." A vtedy jeho pes začal štekať, pretože sa približoval nejaký nepriateľ. A on vyšiel von a povedal: "Buď ticho!" A tak sa pes utíšil. Ale len čo si znovu ľahol a chcel spať. Pes začal znovu štekať a skákať na reťazi. A on znovu vyšiel von a povedal: "Buď ticho! Chcem, aby si vedel, že zajtra budem bohatým človekom." Viete? A to bol jeho veľký sen.
157 Ale pes znovu začal štekať. A nakoniec ho to tak nahnevalo, že zobral pušku, vyšiel von a zastrelil ho. Povedal: Aj tak ťa už viac nebudem potrebovať. Zajtra budem bohatým človekom. Zajtra sa zo mňa stane bohatý človek." A odložil pušku do kúta, obrátil sa chrbtom ku dverám a ľahol si spať. A ten človek, ktorý ho už niekoľko dní sledoval, vkĺzol do vnútra a zabil ho. Nestal sa z neho bohatý človek. Vidíte? On zastavil ten varovný signál, ktorý sa mu snažil povedať, že jeho život je v nebezpečenstve.
158 A brat, sestra, vy nikdy nebudete schopní ... Nikdy sa nesnažte umlčať to sväté volanie vo vašom srdci, tým že sa pripojíte do cirkvi, tým, že budete odriekať vyznanie, tým že budete patriť do určitej organizácie. Je len jedna vec, ktorá to môže uspokojiť. To je osoba Ježiša Krista.
159 "Ako reve jeleň za potokom vody, tak túži moja duša po Tebe, o Bože. Moja duša túži po živom Bohu" Vidíte? V tebe je niečo, čo chce vidieť, ako sa pohybuje Boh. Tvoja duša túži po tom. Nič z toho neumlč. Nenechaj si nahovoriť od nejakého pastora, že si musíš s ním len potriasť ruky, pripojiť sa do cirkvi, alebo patriť do tejto organizácie. Nezabi ten svätý smäd. On ťa varuje. Raz príde deň, keď prídeš na koniec cesty.
160 Ako jedna pani z nášho mesta, odkiaľ pochádzame, ona povedala ... Chodilo tam do zboru jedno dievča, veľmi milé dievča. A ona prichádzala po ulici. Mala dlhé vlasy, viete, a mala ich takto stiahnuté dozadu, ako ... ulízané, skoro ako olúpaná cibuľa. A jej tvár vyzerala ... vôbec sa nemaľovala. A toto dievča si z nej zvyklo robiť žarty. Povedala: "Keby si nemala toho holohlavého kazateľa, ktorého tam máš" (to hovorila o mne), povedala: mohla by si vyzerať slušne. Ale vyzeráš, ako niečo z antikvariátu." A, ó, stále keď ju videla robila si z nej posmech. Povedala: "Náš pastor je širokomyseľný." Povedala: "On vie že to, čo ... Prečo to takto robíte? Na tom vôbec nezáleží, ako sa obliekate a to všetko." Záleží! Božia Biblia hovorí, že na tom záleží. My budeme žiť každým slovom. Tak toto dievča si ju nevšímalo a išla ďalej. Ona je teraz misionárka.
161 Tak potom, táto pani dostala pohlavnú nemoc a zomrela. Jeden môj priateľ vstrekoval do nej balzamovaciu tekutinu, keď zomrela. Povedal mi, keď už bola mŕtva ... Stále zapáchal tou tekutinou. V boku mala vyžranú dieru - mala pohlavnú nemoc. Oni nevedeli ... ani jej rodičia nevedeli, na čo bola chorá. A ona zomrela. Ale predtým ako zomrela, učievala nedeľnú škôlku. A všetky tie deti z jej skupiny tam prišli. Chceli vidieť, keď pôjde do neba, ako prídu anjeli a zoberú ju. A jej pastor ... vonku fajčil, a chodil hore dole po chodbe v nemocnici. A oni tam všetci prišli, aby jej zaspievali, keď bude zomierať, viete. Vedeli, že musí zomrieť. Doktor im povedal, že zomiera. Tak oni všetci chceli vidieť anjelov, ako ju budú odnášať.
162 A zrazu, keď si uvedomila skutočnosť ... No, ona bola vernou členkou zboru. Učila nedeľnú škôlku, a bola vernou členkou zboru, peknej, veľkej, denominačnej cirkvi. Ale keď bola ... začala zápasiť, doľahla na ňu smrť. Vytreštila oči a povedala: "Ja som stratená!" Povedala: "Ja som stratená! Zavolajte pastora."
Ten zahasil cigaretu a vošiel dovnútra, povedal: "Tu som, tu som. Zavoláme doktora, aby ti dal injekciu."
Ona povedala: "Ja nechcem injekciu!" Povedala: "Ty zvodca ľudí! Ja zomieram a idem do pekla. A som stratená, lebo ty si mi nepovedal pravdu. Choď a zavolaj to Goodhuesove dievča, a rýchlo ju sem priveď. Ona má pravdu."
163 Počkaj, keď sa raz stretneš so skutočnosťou. Nepokúšaj sa zastaviť to sväté volanie. Neumlč ho nejakým moderným vzdelaním, dupľovkou. Počúvaj dnes večer na to varovanie Ducha Svätého, ktorý ťa varuje. "Ja som cesta pravda a život. Nikto nemôže prísť k Otcovi, len skrze mňa." A on je Slovo.
164 Skloňme na chvíľu svoje hlavy. Chcem ešte zacitovať jedno slovo Pána Ježiša, zatiaľ kým myslíte o tomto. Ježiš povedal v ev. Matúša 5: "Blahoslavení, ktorí lačnejú a žíznia." Keď máte v sebe tú žíznivú túžbu, ste blahoslavení.
165 Prišli ste do takého stavu, že celý váš systém bol taký znečistený skrze denominácie a kulty, a klany, a všetko možné, cirkevné poriadky (spoločenské), pripájanie sa do klubov, a tak ďalej - z cirkvi do cirkvi? Či sa podarilo diablovi naliať vám tú špinavú vodu a vy z nej chlípete, ako prasa z koryta, a pritom ani neviete, čo môže uhasiť ten smäd po Bohu, vidieť Ho v skutočnosti skrze Ducha Svätého, ktorý žije a prejavuje sa vo vás?
166 Ak ste dnes večer v takom stave, ak stále túžite po Bohu dovoľte, že vám poviem,
Je fontána naplnená krvou, ktorá vytiekla zo žíl Emanuela, do ktorej keď sa hriešnik ponorí stratí všetky svoje hriešne škvrny.
Ten zomierajúci lotor sa zaradoval, keď uvidel tú fontánu vo svojom čase; a ja tiež, hoci som taký biedny ako on, môžem v nej zmyť všetky svoje viny.
Odvtedy stále skrze vieru vidím ten prameň, ktorý povstal z tvojich krvácajúcich rán, až kým nezomriem, chcem hovoriť o tej láske, ktorá ma vykúpila.
167 Ak máš dnes večer tú túžbu, chceš vedieť viac o Bohu, a prísť bližšie ku Nemu, zodvihol by si teraz ruku, keď sú sklonené všetky hlavy a povieš: "Modli sa za mňa." O, Bože, pozri sa na tie ruky. Po celej krajine, kde sa teraz toto vysiela, od východu, severu, západu a juhu - vy tam v tých miestnostiach - zodvihnite ruky, aby to pastor videl, alebo ktokoľvek tam je, to je vaša túžba, vy ... Niečo vo vás túži po Bohu. Tá svätá túžba ... neuspokojte ju ...
"Ó," vy poviete: "Brat Branham, raz som kričal, tancoval som v Duchu."
168 Nespoliehajte na tom, nie. Čakajte, až kým nepríde to uspokojenie, až kým nepríde tá uspokojujúca porcia plnosti Ducha Svätého. Potom prídu tieto zvony radosti a vykrikovania, a hovorenia v jazykoch, a tancovanie v Duchu. Nemusíte to robiť pomocou hudby. Vy to budete robiť v aute na ceste. Budete to robiť, keď budete zametať podlahu. Budete to robiť vo svojej práci ako tesár, keď budete zatĺkať klinec do steny. Kdekoľvek budete, tá nevysloviteľná radosť a plná chvály... No, modlime sa.
169 Drahý nebeský Otče, dlho som hovoril a pretiahol som dnes večer toto posolstvo. Ale drahý Bože, nech ho tvoj Duch Svätý dá porozumieť každému srdcu. Tu v tomto zbore, kde sa zodvihlo veľa rúk, všade okolo stien a všade. Prosíme, drahý Bože, za nich. Ó, nech tá Božia uspokojujúca porcia, ktorou je Kristus, nádej slávy, nádej života vo vás, nech to príde na každého jedného z nich po celom národe: od Kalifornii po New York, kde je teraz včasne ráno (oni tam počúvajú); tam v New Hampshire, a v Bostone, a až do Texasu, cez Indiánu, do Kalifornii a všade.
170 Ó, Bože, pozri sa na tie ruky. Pozri sa čo je za nimi, Pane - srdce, ktoré je hladné a smädné. Tento prevrátený čas, v ktorom diabol oslepil ľuďom oči, len aby sa pripájali do cirkví, a hovorí, že to je všetko čo potrebujú ... A oni sa stále dívajú na seba, a vidia čo robia, a majú túžbu byť ako ten svet; keď Biblia nám hovorí, že keď milujeme veci toho sveta, nieto v nás láska Božia.
171 Len si predstav, Otče, ako môže človek prevrátiť to skutočné, pravé Slovo; ako oni môžu hovoriť: "Ó, my veríme Biblii, ale tomuto nie. My tomuto neveríme. My veríme, že toto bolo na iný vek. My veríme, že toto je to."
Pretože nejaká denominácia obrátila ich mysle do toho bahna, keď Ježiš povedal: "Ktokoľvek odníme z tohoto jedno slovo, alebo pridá ku tomu jedno slovo, toho diel bude odňatý z knihy života."
172 Drahý Bože, predstav si to sklamanie tam na súde, keď ľudia žili dobrý, čistý, svätý život, chodili do zboru, tak verne ako len mohli - a budú stratení. Predstavte si tých farizejov, ako sa oni od malička trénovali v Slove, vychodili školy a všetko možné. Museli byť svätí, inak by ich boli ukameňovali na smrť. A Ježiš povedal: "Vy ste zo svojho otca, diabla."
173 Ako tam odišiel Izrael (a nech je toto varovaním pre letničných, Pane, po celej krajine), ako Mojžiš, prorok, prišiel do Egypta, aby vyplnil Slovo Božie, aby im priniesol večerné svetlo; ako oni videli tie veľké zázraky Božie; ako ho oni nasledovali; prešli cez Červené more; boli v neho pokrstení; vyšli na púšť a jedli chlieb anjelov, ktorý padal z neba - a potom odmietli prijať celé Slovo. Keď sa oni vrátili z Kádeš barnea ... prišli do Kádeš barnea z ... zo zasľúbenej zemi, a povedali: "Oni sú ako obri. My to nedokážeme," keď Boh povedal: "Už som vám dal tú zem."
Hraničná čiara ... Ježiš povedal: "Oni všetci zahynuli." Sú mŕtvi, stratení bez Boha, hoci všetko toto urobili.
174 Oni videli tieto zázraky, radovali sa, tancovali na brehu mora s Miriam, keď bubnovali na tamburínach. A len traja, z dvoch miliónov, vošli do nej. Uvedomujeme si, Otče, že keď spermia, gény, od samca a samice sa spoja, prijme sa len jedna z milióna. Jeden gén od samca nachádza plodné vajíčko od ženy, samice. A milión ostatných zahynie. Je milión ... z Egyptu vyšli dva milióny. Dvaja, Józue a Káleb, vošli do zeme, jeden z milióna.
175 Otče, trasiem sa keď na to myslím. Dnes je možno na svete 500 miliónov kresťanov, to by bolo 500, keby si prišiel dnes. Ó, Bože, pamätajme, že každé Slovo Božie je dané, aby sme naň pamätali. Musíme mu veriť; musíme ho ostríhať. A keď si povedal: "Čiňte pokánie, každý jeden z vás a dajte sa pokrstiť vo meno Ježiša Krista na odpustenie hriechov, a prijmete dar Ducha Svätého. Lebo vám patrí to zasľúbenie a vašim deťom a všetkým na široko ďaleko, ktorých a koľkýchkoľvek si povolá Pán náš Boh."
176 A Bože, Ty stále ešte povolávaš dnes večer. A zasľúbenie platí stále, kým Ty povolávaš. A klerici obrátili mysle týchto ľudí, a viedli ich pomocou vzdelania, denominačných, teologických škôl, do toho aby povedali: "Ó, ty proste veríš." Diabol tiež verí. Ale nemôže prijať Ducha Svätého. Judáš Iškariotský bol ... robil to, čo všetci ostatní učeníci, kázal evanjelium. Ale keď prišiel čas, aby prijal Ducha Svätého, ukázal svoje farby.
177 Bože, nech si ľudia po celej krajine dnes večer uvedomia, že bez tohoto prežitia sú stratení. Nech by sa dnes stalo, že ich duše budú uspokojené tvojou porciou, Pane, keď ich porúčame do tvojich rúk. Oni sú Tvoji, Pane. My sme zodpovední len za Slovo. Prosím aby verili z celého svojho srdca, a boli naplnení Duchom Svätým. Prosíme v mene Ježiša. Amen.
Milujem Ho, milujem Ho, lebo On prv miloval mňa a vykúpil mi spasenie na Golgote.
Ó, či je On tvojou uspokojujúcou porciou? Ó. Milujete Ho z celého svojho srdca? No, tie slová niečo odsekávajú. Ale spievajme len teraz v Duchu, každý jeden. Potrasme si ruky s bratom, ktorý sedí vedľa teba, sestrou, a povedzme len: Nech ťa Boh žehná, pútnik," keď to znovu budeme spievať.
Milujem Ho, milujem Ho, lebo On prv miloval mňa a vykúpil mi spasenie na Golgote.
No, podajte si navzájom ruky. A teraz zavrime oči, a spievajme v Duchu, zodvihnime ku Nemu ruky.
Milujem Ho, milujem Ho, lebo On prv miloval mňa a vykúpil mi spasenie na Golgote.
Ó, či nie je On úžasný?
Úžasný, úžasný, je pre mňa Ježiš, On je Radca, Knieža Pokoja, Mocný Boh; Spasil mňa, chráni ma, od všetkého hriechu a hanby, úžasný je môj vykupiteľ, chvála jeho menu!
Úžasný, úžasný je pre mňa Ježiš, On je Radca, Knieža Pokoja, Mocný Boh. Spasil ma, chráni ma, od všetkého hriechu a hanby. Úžasný je môj Vykupiteľ, chvála jeho menu!
Ó, či ste povzbudení svojím prežitím s Kristom. Či nie je On úžasný? Či nedáva uspokojenie?
Bol som stratený, teraz ma našiel, oslobodil z odsúdenia, Ježiš dáva slobodu a plné spasenie; spasil ma, chráni ma od všetkého hriechu a hanby, úžasný je môj Vykupiteľ, chvála jeho menu!
Ó, úžasný, úžasný je pre mňa Ježiš, On je Radca, Knieža pokoja, Mocný Boh, spasil ma, chráni ma od všetkého hriechu a hanby, úžasný je môj Vykupiteľ, chvála jeho menu!
178 Veríte, že to je podľa Písma? Biblia hovorí: "tlieskajte rukami, pokrikujte radostne Pánovi, hlasom plesania." Viete, stále som chcel hrať na nejakom hudobnom nástroji. Moja dcéra Rebeka sa učí na piane. Môj malý syn sa učí na trúbke. Ale ja som sa učil na nástroji s desiatymi strunami.
Úžasný, úžasný je pre mňa Ježiš, On je Radca, Knieža Pokoja, Mocný Boh, spasil ma, chráni ma od všetkého hriechu a hanby, úžasný je môj Vykupiteľ, chvála jeho menu!
Milujete Ho?
Choďme vo Svetle, v nádhernom Svetle, ktoré pochádza z tade, kde sa milosť ligoce v kvapkách rosy; Svieti stále okolo mňa, vo dne i v noci, To je Ježiš, Svetlo sveta.
Choďme vo Svetle, v tom nádhernom Svetle, ktoré pochádza z tade, kde sa milosť ligoce v kvapkách rosy; Svieti stále okolo mňa, vo dne i v noci, To je Ježiš, Svetlo sveta.
Oslavujte Boha so všetkým čo máte.
Keď budú svätí pochodovať, keď budú svätí pochodovať, Pane, chcem byť medzi nimi, keď svätí budú pochodovať.
Ó, keď budú korunovať Pána všetkého, keď budú korunovať Pána všetkých, Pane, chcem byť medzi nimi, keď budú korunovať Pána všetkých.
Keď slnko odmietne svietiť, keď slnko odmietne svietiť, Pane, chcem byť medzi nimi, keď slnko odmietne svietiť.
179 Milujete to? No, som zvedavý či sú vaše nohy obrátené. Už netancujete viac pre ten svet. Klepkajme svojimi nohami Pánovi, Pánovi. Či sú obrátené vaše ruky - už viac nekradnete? Či sú obrátené vaše rty - už viacej neklamete? Nebuďte len v hlave nábožní; nech je to všade vo vás, to je ono! To chce celého človeka. Tak je to správne. A teraz, klepkajme svojimi nohami.
Keď budú svätí pochodovať, keď budú svätí pochodovať, Pane, chcem byť medzi nimi, keď svätí budú pochodovať.
Keď budú svätí pochodovať, keď budú svätí pochodovať, Pane, chcem byť medzi nimi, keď svätí budú pochodovať.
A teraz zodvihnime ruky.
Keď budú svätí pochodovať, keď budú svätí pochodovať, Pane, chcem byť medzi nimi, keď svätí budú pochodovať.
Keď budú korunovať Pána všetkého, keď budú korunovať Pána všetkých, Pane, chcem byť medzi nimi, keď budú korunovať Pána všetkých.
Či Ho nemilujete?
Potom, choďme vo Svetle, (On je Svetlo, viete) to je nádherné Svetlo, ono pochádza z tade, kde sa milosť ligoce v kvapkách rosy, svieti stále okolo mňa, vo dne, i v noci, Ježiš Svetlo sveta.
Veríte, že On je Svetlo sveta? Veríte? Pavol povedal: "Keď budem spievať, budem spievať v Duchu. Keď sa budem modliť, budem sa modliť v Duchu." Vidíte? Čokoľvek robíte, robte to všetko v Duchu, tak je to správne. A Duch oživuje Slovo. Je to tak? Tak je to. Tak veru.
Vy všetci svätí, vydávajte svetlo, Ježiš, svetlo sveta, milosť a milosrdenstvo je jeho meno, Ježiš, Svetlo sveta.
Čo potom budeme robiť?
Budeme chodiť vo Svetle, v tom nádhernom Svetle, ono pochádza z tade, kde sa milosť ligoce v kvapkách rosy, svieti stále okolo mňa, vo dne, i v noci, Ježiš Svetlo sveta.
180 Prepáčte, že som vás takto poplietol, vás ktorí hráte, ale ja som hneď prešiel z jednej piesni na druhú. Nepoznám nič lepšie ako oslavovať Jeho. To je to, čo robíme. Tak veru. Som vďačný, brat Mack, za túto možnosť, že som sem mohol prísť a mať s tebou obecenstvo a s tvojím zborom tu, dnes večer, zo všetkými týmito milými ľuďmi. A vy, ktorí ste zodvihli ruky, že chcete byť pokrstení Duchom Svätým, dúfam že sa stretnete tu s pastorom Mackom, alebo s niekým z nich a pôjdete tu dozadu do tej miestnosti. A pamätajte len, keď Boh na počiatku vypovedal slovo, a povedal: "Nech sa stane," muselo sa to stať. A On povedal: "Blahoslavení, ktorí lačnejú a žíznia po spravodlivosti, lebo oni budú nasýtení." Vidíte? Musí sa to stať. Poďte a navštívte tu svojho pastora, a stojte pri ňom, keď káže evanjelium.
181 No, spievajme znovu tú starú dobrú pieseň, ja to mám tak rád. Choďme vo svetle. Ježiš povedal: "Ja som svetlo," a vy ste v Ňom. Vidíte? Ako sa dostanete do Neho? Pripojením? Nie. Podaním rúk? Nie. Vodným krstom? Nie. Skrze jedného Ducha sme my všetci pokrstení do jedného tela, do Kristovho tela. A v tomto tele je deväť duchovných darov, ktoré fungujú cez miestne telo, miestny zbor. To je podľa apoštolov, ak o tom niečo viem. Je to tak. Tak ...
Zostaneme vo Svetle,
v tom nádhernom svetle,
ono pochádza z tade,
kde sa milosť ligoce v kvapkách rosy;
Svieti stále okolo mňa,
vo dne i v noci,
to je Ježiš, Svetlo sveta.
1 Thank you Brother Vayle. Good evening, friends. It's a privilege to be here tonight. This is my second time to be here in this Grantway Assembly, with my dear brother, Mack, and all this fine staff here, and the joining Christians from different churches, Brother Lee Vayle. And I just met a brother here, that, a--a bosom friend to Brother F. F. Bosworth, and didn't even know Brother Bosworth had gone on to meet the Lord. I said, "I feel like I met the Elisha that poured water on Elijah's hands," when they had been abroad and didn't know that Brother Bosworth had gone on to meet the Lord, at eighty-four years old.
2 Now I want to greet the folks who is on the telephone hookup tonight, across the country, all the way from California to New York, and Texas and--and up different parts of the nation, from Maine to California. So, we got a--a system of hooking up these telephones, that's been a great blessing. And now we understand, through our good friend, Brother Pearry Green, that they've got a--a little gadget they can put on your television set, and not only will it be on the telephone but it will be televised right in your television set, also. And they're seeing about it now.
3 And, Sister Mack, I'm glad to see you looking fine, sitting here at the organ, tonight. And many of my friends I see from down at Sierra Vista, and Brother Borders... or Brother Roberson, rather, from Indiana; many. I want to say to the folks up at the tabernacle, tonight, look like half of them is down here, and from the tabernacle at Jeffersonville.
4And to my friend up there, Brother Kuhn, that you called in about, concerning that sick, request. I'm praying for it, Brother Kuhn. Just have faith. Don't worry. It'll be all right.
5And down into Texas, Brother Blair, if you are listening in tonight, my brother, just remember this; that God Who brought you through the first time, can bring you through the second. And we are believing that God will grant this to you. And don't you take the Devil's lie about anything. You just remember that God is God, and there is... and He still remains the same yesterday, today, and forever. And we love Him and believe Him, and we are praying for you.
6To all of our friends in California; to Brother Mercier and them up here in Arizona, many other places, Phoenix; and Brother Williams, and you all are hooked up up there tonight, all around, we are certainly grateful; and down in Georgia. And we are certainly thankful for every one of you. The Lord bless you.
7 I have a feeling of real welcome here tonight, in this fine church, the Assembly of God here on Grantway, and with Brother Mack, my good friend. God has blessed Brother Mack. I remember one time in Canada, that he was... I was riding back a trail, on a horse, way back into the jungles, and the Holy Spirit spoke to me to get off and pray for Brother Mack. At that time he was in an emergency, and the Lord healed him. And so I'm so thankful for that, and to be assembled here tonight with him, to worship the Lord in this fine Truth.
8A man sitting on the platform, behind me, said, "Don't guess you know me." Said, "One time you picked me up, as a hitchhiker," and, I don't know, somewhere up in Boston or somewhere, "Detroit, hitchhiking."
9And I said, "Well, I usually try to have a hand out, if I can, for those who are needy."
10And so, tonight, we're all needy. And we pray that God will give us a hand tonight, of help, of blessings, and of His grace and mercy.
11 Now, I'm kind of prone to speaking a long time, but I'll try not to do that tonight. Cause, the people up in Ohio just called, Mrs. Dauch and the group up there, Brother McKinney and Brother Brown, and all them hooked in through Ohio. We send you greetings, also. It's late up in New York, and I suppose it's about eleven or twelve o'clock, at this time, in New York. And the churches come and waited till this hour, just for the service. We are grateful for those fine friends around everywhere.
12 Now before we open the Word, let's just speak to the Author, a moment, while we bow our heads.
13Dear Heavenly Father, we are... our hearts are overjoyed, for the privilege that we have of being alive here tonight, and assembled together with Your people. The people... and who we believe to live forever. We now possess Eternal Life, because, "You gave Your only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting Life." In His pilgrimage here on the earth, He taught us, "He that heareth My Word and believeth on Him that sent Me, has everlasting Life; and shall not come into the judgment, but has passed from death unto Life, because we believed on the only begotten Son of God." How we thank You for this great Saviour! And we pray, tonight, that His great Presence will so bless us together here, as we read of His Word and speak on It. Let the Holy Spirit take that to each heart throughout the nation, Lord, wherever people are gathered together.
14Bless other ministers who are in the pulpit. We pray, Father, that You will bless this Grantway Assembly; its pastor, his wife, his children; the deacons, trustees, and all the board. And, Father, together may we work for the Kingdom of God, while it's enough Light to see where we're getting around, for the hour is coming when no man can work. And, Father, while we have this privilege, may we--may we redeem the time, Lord. May we, that be granted to us. Heal the sick and the afflicted throughout the land. May the Presence of God be felt in every crack and corner of the nation, tonight.
15 We realize that judgment is striking. Great faults are falling in, and the nation is shaking, and earthquakes in divers places. Great historical things that we've heard of in the days past, of judgment, through the Bible, and we see it repeating again today. The prophecy saying, "As it was in the days of Noah, so shall it be in the coming of the Son of man. As it was in the days of Lot, so shall it be in the coming of the Son of man," and we see it happening now. "Man's hearts failing; perplexity of time; distress between nations." God, we know we're at the end time.
16Help us, Lord, to--to take the Message to every crack and corner, to every child that You've ordained to Life. Grant it, Lord. We ask it in Jesus' Name. Amen. Lord, bless the reading now of His Word.
17 Now many of you like to kind of look into the Bible, where a minister is reading. And I want to read tonight, a couple, three verses out of the Psalms, Psalm 42, just for the way of having a text. And I've got some Scriptures written out here, and I want to refer to them, if I can, as we go along in the next few minutes, to speak on this subject. The Psalm of David. David wrote the Psalms.
18Now while you're turning, I might say this. Many people say, "Well, is the Psalms inspired?" Certainly, they are. They're...
19Anything that's--that's in this Bible is inspired, whether it's history, whether it's songs, whatever it is. It's inspired. Jesus said, "Have not you read what David said in the Psalms?" And then I think, Psalms, of course, is songs. And if songs are inspired of God, which, I believe they are, and prophetic also, I hope I am standing that day when this song comes to pass.
There is going to be a meeting in the air,
In that sweet, sweet by and by;
Going to meet you, and greet you over there;
In that Home beyond the sky;
Such singing ever heard, ever heard by mortal ears,
It'll be glorious, I do declare!
And God's Own Son will be the leading One
At that meeting in the air.
Oh, I--I want to be there at that time!
20 Now Psalm 42.
As the hart panteth after the water brooks, so panteth my soul after thee, O God.
My soul thirsts for God, for the living God: when shall I come and appear before God?
My tears have been my meat day and night, while my... while they continually say unto me, Where is thy God?
21I think, David, in the writing of this Psalm, must have been in distress. And it usually takes distress to bring the best out of a man. It, really, that's when God... gets down to when we fast, many times, to get ourself in position to get ourself out of the way. And I think, when David got in these places, then he begin to meditate on the Lord, begin to think about the things.
22Many times, God gets us in--in tight corners where we have to look up. Sometimes we even have to get on our back in the hospital, or a bed somewhere, so we can look up to see where the great blessings of God comes from.
23 Now the word I want to speak from tonight, one word out of the Bible, and that is found in the 2nd verse, "thirst," the word: Thirst. I was looking in the dictionary when I was looking up this word.
24I was thinking about a--a sermon one time, I preached on "Thirsting After Life." And I took it out of the Psalms, too, when David said, "Thy statutes," I believe, "are more precious to me than life."
25Then I was looking and thinking about that word "thirst," so I looked up in the dictionary, to see what it means. And here is what Webster says, "It's a painful desire," a painful, when you want something so bad until it becomes painful to you.
26Now, it's--it's not an unnatural thing, to thirst. Thirst is a--a natural thing. It's just simply something that God has given us, that we could, to give us a--a desire for something. Sometimes God has, also, has given you a--a control tower, something that sets inside of you, that--that controls these different desires. And this thirst, this control tower that sets in a man's heart, is something that God give him to--to warn him of the desires that's needful for him.
27 Now there is two different kinds of thirst. There is a thirst, physically. And there is a thirst, also, spiritually. I would like to read this, what David said, again.
My soul thirsts for God, for the living God:...
28Not some historical, or some something that happened some years ago, or--or some tale that someone told; but, "for the living God," a God that's ever present. And his soul thirsted for that God, not for some historical something.
29 Now we find, God gives the control tower to you, to give to you the things that you need. Now, the control tower in you is what directs you. And this thirst runs in on this co-... tower, control tower, and tells you what you have need of, spiritually speaking. The control tower in the body, and in the soul, also. There is a control tower in the body, that tells you the need that's needed in your body, and it's brought to you by thirst. Also, there is a control tower in your soul, that tells you the spiritual things that you have need of, something in your spirit, and, and you by this can tell what kind of a life is controlling you.
30When you--when you can see what your desires are, then you can tell, by that, what kind of something that's in you, that's creating this desire that you have. See, there is a certain thing that you thirst for, and it--and it can tell you in your soul what this desire is, by the nature of the thirst that you have. I hope that you can understand that.
31 There is a--a control tower of the soul, and one for the body, and each tower is a warning caller for the needs of the other. Each one calls to the need for what the caller is calling for, it sends out a wave of warning.
32For instance, the--the flesh thirst to satisfy the desires that's in the body, and the spirit desires for the things that's in the soul, desire is, and many times these war one against the other. We find there, what's a great trouble today, that too many people try to live between those two desires. For, one of them desires the things of the earth, the other desires the things of Heaven.
33 Like Paul said, describes it in Romans 7:21, "When I would do good, then evil is nigh." When you try, did you ever have that in experience, Christians? That when you're trying to do something that's worth-while, go to make an effort to do something that's good, then you find out that there is the Devil, on every hand, just to upset you, everything that you'd... And that's one good thing, that. I'd like to say this, that the Christians might know. That when you are--when you are starting to do something, and there is something always trying to upset you in doing it, do it anyhow. That's the Devil there, trying to keep you from doing what's right.
34 Now, many times, I meet people that's prone to be a little nervous. When they find out that they're trying to do something, and--and everything is just blocking it off on both sides, they say, "It might not been the will of the Lord." See? Now don't let the Devil lie to you like that.
35The first thing, is find out whether it's the will of God, or not. And then if you want to know whether it's the will of God, look into the Bible. There is the thing that--that sets you straight, is the Word of God; and then if you see it's in the Word of God, for you to do it.
36Like, for instance, seeking for the baptism of the Holy Ghost. Many times, I've run into people, say, "Well, I have sought for the Holy Ghost, and I just couldn't receive It. I don't believe It's for me. Every time I get down, I get sick. And I go to praying, if I fast, I get sick. And if I try to stay all night, I stay up, I get so sleepy. I--I can't get off my feet." Remember, that is the Devil. Because, God intends for you to have the Holy Spirit. It's for whosoever will.
37Many times you find, when you're prayed for, in a meeting, for Divine healing, then the next day you find out, no doubt, that the Devil will make that twice as bad as it was the day before. See? Remember, that's just Satan trying to get you away from the blessing that God has got for you. See? Don't you listen to that fellow. See? Always press right on.
38 I had an experience with that just recently on the road to Africa. If I ever had any time that the Devil ever did press at me, was to go to Africa this last time. It become one of the--the finest meetings and times that I ever went overseas. I got, I believe, more things accomplished in that little time that I was there, besides my hunting trip, than I ever did at any time. I had always thought that those churches didn't want me there, and come to find out... I had a letter from someone, that it was, oh, they didn't want me there, all the association; and found out it was one man, with a letterhead from an organization, that said, "We don't want you," he meant him and his family. See? So then when I got over there... See, just "we," that was he and his family; and it wasn't the people, at all. So, now it's a great field opened up for us.
39 You see, when Paul said, "When I would do good, then evil is nigh."
40You let a young convert come tonight to the altar, somewhere here in this tabernacle, or--or out across the nation; and just remember, tomorrow, mother will be more angry than she ever was, dad will be all upset, and all the school kids. And everything just goes wrong, because it's Satan trying to get you to turn around. He is trying to run you off the Path. "When I would do good, then evil is always nigh."
41 Now let us look at the thirst, and let's see whether actually a thirst is a natural thing. I've had people to tell me, "Oh, I never did. I believe it's just for some people to want to be Christians." Oh, no. That's wrong. It's actually something that's associated with every human being. It certainly is true. When we come to this country in the early days, we found the Indians here. And the Indians, though they were heathen at that time, they worshiped the sun or something. As long as they are human, there is something in them, a natural thirst, calling out for God, somewhere.
42 Back in the jungles, just recently back there, four hundred and eighty miles from the closest civilization, a little, small town of about three thousand people, of Beira, in Mozambique. We found natives that didn't even... never seen a white person. I found a native girl, she had no clothes on, (any of them hardly have clothes on), and she was sitting up in a tree. And I was tracking the lion, and there was... I heard something like a human being, screaming. This native girl sitting up there, walleyed, holding a baby. And what she was scared about... That's her only protection, is get up a tree, from a lion, leopard or something, or some animal. And she had seen me, and heard it was a human being, but when she looked and seen a white person! She had never seen one in her life, see, and she was scared to death. See?
43But when we find those people, even in that primitive condition back there, they were still worshiping. Before we called the lion in, they poured out some mealie meal (that's what they eat) on a little leaf, and clap their hands, and called on the spirit of some great something they didn't know where (like a patron saint or something, to a Catholic), to protect them, that they wouldn't be killed during the time of the charge of this lion.
44 See, it's something natural. It's not an unnatural thing to thirst for God. It's a natural thing. It's just something that you should do. God has made you up like that. And it's no super human, it's just actually a common human being. It ain't just special for some people.
45They say, "Well, I've seen some people live such a--a victorious life, that they're constantly on the housetop, they're praising God. Wish I could feel that way." Well, the reason you are feeling that way, it's the thirst in you. And it's just a natural thing. It's for every person, to thirst for God.
46 Now we'll take some of the natural. Thirst is first. Let's take, for instance, thirsting for water. As David said here, thirsting for, of "the water." Thirsting for water, the body is in need of water. And if you don't supply that thirst, you'll perish. You will dehydrate, and you'll--you won't live. If you can't get water to that thirst, to quench that thirst of the natural body you will soon perish. You won't live long. You can live longer without food than you can without water. Because, you can fast for forty days (Jesus did), I suppose, without--without food, but you couldn't do that long without water. You would just simply dry up and die. You must have water. And--and the thirst that comes on you, why, it's to show that the body is in need of something, to keep it alive. The body has got to have the water, in order to stay alive. You are eighty-something percent of water and petroleum, anyhow, and you've got to take these sources in, to keep you alive. As I have said, if you neglect it you'll perish.
47The thirst also is an alarm. It's an alarm clock, that thirsting. The soul sets off alarm clock, a little buzzer inside of you that tells you that death has lurking nigh. That, if you don't get water pretty soon, you've got to die. And it gets louder and louder, until finally you keep putting it off and you'll die, because it's an alarm clock.
48 Like David described it here in the Psalms, "As the hart panteth after the water brooks, so panteth my soul after Thee, O God." As the hart panteth after the water brook!
49I've often thought, as reading of this of David. David was a woodsman, a hunter. And he hunted deer, of course. And many of we, in this day, hunt them. The hart is a deer.
50And we find, if you ever seen the dogs, the wild dogs will grab a deer. And usually they got, like the coyote, a fang. And he can grab the deer right above the burr of the ear, here, and swing his weight. He cuts the throat of the deer, and the deer doesn't have a chance then. But sometimes the--the--the dog, like in Africa there, the wild dog will grab the deer right in the flanks, if he misses the throat. He'll grab, the second time, at the flank. And if the deer is strong enough and quick enough, he can shake the dog off.
51 The deer is much faster. The dog stalks him when he's not looking, and when he is up wind from him, and--and he--he don't know the--the dog is near.
52And then, when the wild dog grabs him, if he's real quick, he can throw it off. And, but when the dog comes out of the flank, he has got a whole mouthful of the deer's flesh. Or, when he grabs at his neck sometimes, he'll cut close to the jugular vein, and miss it. And the deer, shaking him, will pull a whole chunk of meat out of the deer's throat, then the blood begins to run.
53And then the dog will come right on the trail of that blood, after the deer. And as the life of the deer begins to dwindle, as the blood, which is the life stream to the body, as that begins to dwindle down, the deer gets weaker. And the dog then, or the wolf, is right behind the deer.
54Now, if that deer can't find water! Now, water has something in it, that, when the deer drinks the water, it stops the bleeding. But if he don't get water to cool him off, then the--the blood keeps flowing out faster; because he is running, keeping his heart pumping. But if he can ever get to water, the deer will live.
55 Now there is a great lesson there, see, and David saying here, "As the hart panteth for the water brook, my soul panteth for Thee, O God."
56Now that deer knows, unless he finds water he's gone. He just can't live. I have tracked them many times after being wounded. When he hits a stream of water, he will cross in and get a drink, go up over the hill; come back down, cross, get a drink of water and go up. You'll never catch up with him, as long as he'll follow that stream. But once when he leaves the stream, if he can't find another water brook somewhere, you'll catch him right away. And now the deer knows that, so he'll stay right with the water, where he can get to it right quick. Now could you imagine a deer with his nose up, he has been caught out somewhere where there is no water?
57 And he says, "As the hart thirsts or panteth (is a thirst) after the water brooks, my soul thirsts after Thee, O God. Unless I can find You, Lord, I'll perish. I--I--I can't go unless I find You!"And when a man or woman, boy or girl, gets that kind of a thirst for God, he is going to find something. See?
58But when we come at it, just kind of halfway, "Well, I'll kneel down and see what the Lord does." See, you're not really thirsting yet. It's got to be a thirst between death and Life, and then something takes place.
59 The deer, also here he's... We find that he also has another sense, of smell, that sets off an alarm in him when his enemy is near. He is possessed, this little creature, with a--a sense to protect himself. And he's--he's got a little alarm in him, a little something, that he tickles his nose when the enemy is near. You can get in the wind of the enemy, and he knows that you're there, and he is gone. Sometimes a half a mile away, he can smell you and get away, or the wolf or any danger. He is able to sense it because that he is made up that way. He is a deer, by nature. And that sense in him is just one that God give him, senses to him, to live by.
60 And then I thought, comparing the deer with a man that's thirsting for God, before the enemy gets there. There is something about a child of God, that when you once are born into the Spirit of God, receive the baptism of the Holy Spirit, there is something about the person that can sense the enemy. You can take a man when he's taking the Scripture, and reading the Scripture and try to inject something to that Scripture, that's contrary to the Scripture, a man that's filled with the Holy Ghost can [Brother Branham snaps his finger--Ed.] sense that, right quick. There is something out of the way. When he gets into a place, and--and that little certain sense in there, that it's done to protect your life. You, you mustn't, you mustn't never go for anything unless it's exactly the Word of God. You must stay right exactly with that Word. And, now, and we are secured with that sense as long as we are in the Holy Spirit.
61 You can go to read, and like for instance, somebody say, and I go to read in Mark 16, and say, "And these signs shall follow them that believe: In My Name they shall cast out devils; they shall speak with new tongues; or take up serpents, or drink deadly things, it would not harm them; if they lay their hands on the sick, they shall recover."
62Now, then, you find a person get up there and say, "Now, that was for the apostolic age." That, now, right quick, if you have received the Holy Spirit, you've been endowed with that sense. It sets it off. There is something wrong there. See? They try to explain it away, that it's for another day, that really you don't need those things today. But Jesus said, "These signs shall follow them that believe." See, there is a little something sets off in you, a little buzzer, in knowing that that's wrong and that's the way of death.
63 Cause, Jesus said, "If we add one word to This, or take one Word from It, our part is taken out of the Book of Life." See, not one Scripture. We must take It just the way It's written. And God watches over His Word, to perform It, and we know that It's got to be just right.
64So therefore, no matter what a church would say, what anyone else would say, if you're born of the Spirit of God, you become part of the Bible. God told Ezekiel, he, the prophet. He said, "Take the scroll and eat it," then the prophet and the scroll became part of each other. And that's the believer when he receives the Holy Spirit; the Holy Spirit wrote the Bible, and the Spirit of God is the Word of God. "My Words are Spirit. In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. And the Word was made flesh and dwelt among us." Hebrews 13:8, "He is the same yesterday, today, and forever." And when you are a part of that Word, oh, then let something come up contrary to that Word, [Brother Branham snaps his finger--Ed.] there is a little buzzer sets off right quick. See, It's to warn you that death is in the road. We should never do that. There is also...
65These thirsts are just natural. They are natural for the Christian. They are natural for the human being.
66 There is also a thirst for success. So many people today, how we school for this thirst! We just noticed, they started the university up. And we go down there, and people spend thousands of dollars to send their children to the school, and--and to universities and colleges, and so forth, to get an education, "To be successful," they call it, "in life." But now I have nothing against that, now, that's all right. But, to me, you could get all the schooling in the world, and still you haven't found the right success. That's right. Because, that will just temporarily make things a little easier for you here. And there is... But when you die, you leave all that behind you, and this entire economy that we have.
67 I was saying it the other day, at Phoenix. It stand quoting again, that, "All this modern civilization, the whole educational program, the whole scientific program, is all contrary to God's Word and His will." Civilization is absolutely... There will never be a civilization in the world that is to come, like this one. This is a perverted civilization. God had His first civilization upon the earth, when He spoke His Words and they come up, every seed of its kind, and in that civilization there was no death, sickness, sorrow. And now we take the things that is in the scientific world, that was put here to hold it together, and pervert it into something, and that brings death.
68Like the atomic bomb. I don't know the formulas of these things, but I might say this wrong. They take uranium, to split a--a molecule, and a molecule breaks into atoms. What does it do then? It just annihilates, almost, just destroys. Everything that we do!
69 We take medicine, put this formula with this formula, to cure this, and put it into us. And what do we do? We tear down something else.
70Now I guess you read, read last month's Reader's Digest, that it said that, "In this age that we're living in now, that, young men and women reach middle age between twenty and twenty-five years old." Think of that. Little girls in menopause, and twenty, and twenty-two and twenty-three years old, middle age. You see, what's done it, it's been this hybrid food and stuff we're eating. See, it's the stuff, the food and the--the life that we're living. Scientists has brought it to us, and, in doing so, they're killing you.
71I was in Africa where I'd see them boys that never had a dose of medicine in their life. They eat meat that had maggots in it. They drank out of a pool that it looked like would kill an ox. And I was shooting a target at two hundred yards, and I couldn't see it with a pair of seven-fifty binoculars. And a man my age was standing there, telling me where it was hit, with his naked eye. Now, if all this modern culture has done something... I feel if I had his eyes and his stomach, I would be a pretty good man. Yeah.
72But there you are, you see, that's what science, education, civilization, we're destroyed by it. We destroy ourselves. It started in the garden of Eden, and runs on for today. But, thirsting for success!
Then, we thirst for fellowship. We go, we want fellowship.
73 It's like a young man and a young woman. Now, it's not unnecessary or not (I mean) unnatural for a young man and a young woman to--to love one another. It is a thirst for love. It's their age, and they--they love one another. And it's not unnatural, that's just a natural thing for them to do that.
74Now we find many things, in the life that we live in the natural body, that we thirst for. It's just something sets in us. We want to do it, we absolutely feel that it's necessary. And it is necessary that we do it.
75We find many women, in these days, thirst for beauty. Now there isn't a woman... It's a natural thing for a woman to thirst to be pretty. That's--that's her God-given instinct and--and her beauty that God give her for her mate. And now we find out that women want to be that way. Why is it? It's just because it's something God gave her. And it's not wrong for women to be pretty. They should be.
76 And, you know, they are the only creature that--that the female is prettier than the male, it's in the human race. Every other animal, take the--the cow to the bull, the doe deer to the buck, the hen to the rooster, the mother bird to the father bird, always you find the male is big and pretty. But on the human race, showed there is where the perversion come, it turns around; and it's the women so is--is pretty, and they lust to be pretty.
77Not like some of these weird creatures we see on the street of this day; no, no, not that kind of pretty. No. That's the horriblest-looking sight I ever seen in my life. Yes, sir. That is the perversion that's perverting the true thirst.
78 Now, the true thirst that a woman should have, would be to "adorn themselves in modest apparel, and to have a Christ-like spirit," I Timothy 2:9. Now that's a way the woman should thirst to be. Now if you want to be pretty, that's the way what makes you pretty, see, is a Christ-like spirit, and adorned in modest apparel.
79Oh, my, some of these people today out on the streets! You can't tell a man from the woman, and it's a--it's the most horrible-looking thing that you would... I wouldn't, it's--it's... I--I never seen anything like it, like human beings. It's beyond human. Eyes painted way up like that, and, you know, them funny-looking lizard eyes, and all them funny-looking clothes. And, why, it don't even... All so out of form, they don't even look like a human being. And some of them boys out here, with their hair combed down, their sister's, rollers in front here, you know, why, it's a complete perversion! That's right. It's--it's--it's Satan, and Satan is the perverter.
80 When God made everything in the garden of Eden, it was lovely, then Satan come in and perverted. Satan cannot create nothing. There is only one Creator, that's God. But Satan perverts the original creation. And now he's got into (this I want to speak tonight about) perverting the--the original creation of thirst.
81Now, a woman, as I said before, wants to be pretty. There is something in her, that she is feminish and she wants to be that way.
82But the way they are on the street today, hair cut like a man, wearing man's clothes; and then man turn around, wearing women's clothes, and a haircut like a woman. See, it's a perversion, the whole thing! Your food is perverted. Your life is perverted. Your thirst, perverted. Your desire is perverted. It's a day of perversion!
83 I was speaking here, not long ago, on Satan's Eden. God took six thousand years, and made a perfect Eden. Satan come over and sprayed them seeds, and deformed them. Now he's got six thousand years, and he has got his own scientific Eden, right back again on a perversion of the right.
84And this is the age of hybreeding, hybreeding. They even have got the--the churches today, till they're hybrid. That's right. They get in here, they just go to church, it's a lodge instead of a church. A church is a place where people come together and worship God in Spirit and in Truth. And today it's a lodge. We go there and have a little time to shake hands, and fellowship, and some black coffee in the back of the building, then go home till next week, and we done our religious duty.
85Now it's a perverted age. And Satan is perverting these thirsts that God put in you, to thirst. Satan is perverting them. Now if you want to know the right, perversion...
86 If you, the women, wants to be pretty, take I Timothy 2:9, that's that "adorning themselves in modest apparel--apparel, with a Christ-like spirit, meek, subject to their husbands," and so forth. That's the way that you should be adorned, your life you live.
87He perverts the true nature of God, and the true thirst of God, of the body and soul, by lust for sin. Sin, a perversion! Now we find out, a person today, the way they've took that perversion; thirst for God, the thirst for to be pretty, and all these thirsts. For, for water, they've turned that into satisfying that with drinking. The thirst for joy, everybody wants to have joy; thirst for fellowship; all these great thirsts that God put into us, that we might thirst after Him. God made you to thirst after Him, and we try to satisfy it with some other kind of a thirst, with some other kind of a perversion of the correct thirst. See how it's in the natural? See how it's in the spiritual? We think, as long as we join church, that--that settles, that's all we have to do. Well, that is absolutely wrong. No.
88God wants you to thirst for Him! "As the hart panteth for the water brook, my soul thirsts after Thee, O God." See? See?
89 Now, if that deer was panting for the water brook, what if somebody come along, and another buddy deer could come along, and say, "Say, I'll tell you what I--I could do. I know where there is a mud hole down here." Well, the deer wouldn't want that. He, that wouldn't do him any good.
90And there is nothing can satisfy that thirst that's in the human being, until God comes in. He must have It, or die. And no persons has a right to try to hush or satisfy that holy thirst, that's in him, by the things of the world. No, sir. It's ungodly to do so. And if you thirst for God, don't shake hands with the preacher and put your name on the book. If you're thirsting for God, there is only one thing to satisfy it, that's, meet God. If you're thirsting for God, that's the only way you can meet Him, is to do that.
91 And then there is a great danger, also, if you don't watch what you're doing in that time. If you're thirsting for God, be sure it's God you find. See, be sure that it's your thirst is satisfied. But if Satan has been able to pervert you, from these natural appetites, and that he'll do if he can, he'll--he'll simply make you try to be satisfied.
92A man get out, what makes a man gets drunk? Is because he is worried and tore up. There is something lacking in him.
93 I was at Mayo's, here not long ago, and I was up there on an interview. And then it was told in this, that, talking about drinking, and I told them that my father drank.
Said, "What made him drink?
I said, "I don't know."
94He said, "Is because that there was something that (he) wasn't satisfying him, and he thought he could drink to throw it off his mind."
95I caught it right then, see. It was really God, was the only thing can satisfy that thirst. God Himself is the only thing can satisfy that human thirst, is to accept God.
96 Now Satan takes these things, as I said, and perverts them. Then if you're--if you're... If you won't give that thirst the right place in your life, and won't thirst and take the things that God provided to stop that thirst with, to quench it, then Satan will lead you to some of his stagnant cesspools of this world. You must have it somewhere. If you can't find food, you'd eat from a garbage can. See? And if you--if you couldn't find water, and you was dying, you'd drink out of a--a pool of any kind, because you are perishing.
97But there is no reason for that, when you're thirsting for God, because God is a living God, not some historical something. "My soul thirsts for Thee, the living God," Something that gives living waters, Something that satisfies.
98 There is another nature, natural, just a natural thirst, in that thirst of the soul. You might say, "Brother Branham, is that soul thirst, is that natural?" Yes, that's natural for a soul to thirst. And it's, for God made you this way, that so that you would thirst for Him. He wants you to thirst after Him. Now, God made you like that. He didn't have to make you like that, but He did do it. And if He hadn't have made you like that, so that you would thirst, there would be an excuse at the Judgment Bar, say, "I--I--I never did thirst for God." But, there is no excuse, you do. You will make it somewhat; you might make it your wife, you might make it your car, you might make it something else, you might go to church and try to satisfy it. And I have nothing against going to church, but that isn't the satisfaction. It's to find God, the living God, the God of Heaven, into your soul, that satisfies that longing and thirsting that you long for.
99Now, for, He made you so you could thirst for Him, for His fellowship. Now, there is genuine thirst for fellowship. Now we like to meet with one another. We're doing that tonight. We meet here together tonight because we like to fellowship, one with the other. Why do we do that? Because there is something in us that we want to meet one another. That's just natural. And now we meet on a common ground here, that is, because we are all thirsting for God. See? And then we meet here on this regular, common grounds here of fellowship. In the church tonight, here, might be many different denominational views, and so forth; but when it comes to that thirst, we can meet on a common ground, one ground: we all thirst. Some might believe in sprinkling, the other one in baptism, and one in pouring, or so forth; but when it comes to the thirst for God, we--we come on one mutual ground. And God made us so that we would do that, thirst for Him and for His fellowship. I don't know anything...
100 When I was a little boy, I remember I was raised in a real poor family. And I remember of many times I would go out with fellows. I couldn't dress like to go out to a decent place. But, I--I don't know, there is something about people, that I liked. I liked to get with them. But I was, more or less, what is called, the black sheep. And when I got saved and found that Something in me, that I thirsted for, a--a Friend, Somebody that would be a buddy to me, Somebody I could trust, Somebody you can set down to and talk your troubles over with. And when... I found that real true satisfaction when I found Jesus Christ, that real true Satisfier that takes away all--all.... quenches all that thirst, and gives you Something that--that just looks like that there is just nothing to take His place.
101 And now how Satan tries to pervert this satisfying of the soul, that thirst for the soul! He tries to give you everything to satisfy it. And he is so deceitful in these days of perversion. This is a perverted world. It's a perverted race. It's a perverted people. Everything is perverted, and has perverted so gradual until it's become the most deceitful age that any human being ever lived in. It's more deceitful than it ever was.
102Now you just--you just can't imagine of how deceitful the nation's got, even with our own brethren, like American people.
103 I was speaking sometime ago. I was in the woods a few weeks ago and found a--a--a cigarette pack laying in the woods. And it said on there, "A thinking man's filter." And I went on down through the woods a little ways, and I come back; kept bearing on my mind, "A thinking man's filter, and a smoking man's taste."
104Well, I was at the World Fair, couple years ago over here, when they had that Yul Brynner and all them over there, when they was making demonstrations with cigarettes. And how they took that smoke and put it across a piece of marble, and took a Q-tip and raked up that nicotine off of there, and put it on the back of a rat. In seven days, he had so much cancer he couldn't get up on his feet. See, from one cigarette! And then they showed how that when that goes into the human lung. Some of them say, "I don't inhale. I just puff it in my mouth." Shows how it gets in the saliva and goes right down just the same, into the throat, see.
105And then this man said, "You see so much talk about a filter." He said, "Now, if you have a desire," there is a thirst, you see, "a desire to smoke a cigarette, one natural cigarette might satisfy that desire for the time being. But if you've got a filter, it takes four cigarettes to satisfy," said, "because you're only getting about one fourth of the smoke."
106 And said, "A smoking man's taste"? See, you cannot have smoke unless you get tar. And when you got tar, you got cancer. So there you are, see, it--it's just a gimmick. And I think of a--a tobacco company that's in this nation, and--and it lives by this nation, and then with a gimmick like that, to absolutely deceive American citizens, to deceive them. A thinking man's filter? It's only a gimmick to sell more cigarettes.
107Then I thought of that thing, "A thinking man's Filter," I thought, "that's a good idea." So there is a thinking man's Filter, that's this Bible. A--a thinking man's filter will take this Filter, It'll produce a righteous man's taste. See?
108Now, you cannot pull sin through the pages of this Bible. No, It stops it. It filters it out. Now, you can go to church, and just take anything, but you can't come through this Bible and have sin. It will not do it. It filters out all sin, and It gives a holy man's taste. Because if the man is thinking that he wants to be holy, and be like God, and be a son or a daughter of God, then he wants the right kind of a Filter. So He stops all sin on this side the Bible, and He can only bring the Holy Spirit through the Bible, that wrote the Bible. It's a holy man's taste, to have this thinking man's Filter.
109 Now we find how deceiving it is today. Matthew 24:24, Jesus said, "In the last days, that, the two spirits would be so close alike until they would deceive the very Elected if it was possible." How close! How, what a deception of--of right and wrong, we have today!
110Even in our--in our government, in our politics, we--we haven't even got a man that we could put up as a politician, that will absolutely stand up for what he thinks is right. Where is our Patrick Henry's and George Washington's, and Abraham Lincoln's of today? Just as our President said there, "The way, if they want communism, they can have it, whatever the people wants." If that ain't a--a man that won't speak his conviction! A man will stand on a principle, that will stand on what's what a principle... just want to go the--the--the way of least resistance.
111And that's the way that the people has got, in the church. They want to come join church, and they say, "Oh, well, that--that's it, I--I've joined church now." You are trying to satisfy that great holy thirst that God put in you, that control Tower trying to turn you to the right thing, and you try to satisfy it with joining a church, quoting a creed, or something like that. When, it's nothing but the very Presence and filling of God Himself in your life, that will satisfy that.
112 He won't be satisfied with a creed. You will never pull a creed through that Bible. No. There is not even the Apostles' Creed, so called, will never come through There. Show me in the Bible where the Apostles' Creed says, "I believe in the Holy Roman Catholic church; I believe in the communion of saints"; when the Bible said, "There is one mediator between God and man, and that's the Man Christ Jesus." You will never pull that through the Bible.
113 You will never pull all these dances, and shorts, and things that the people are doing today, these twists and watusi's, and all these things, through God's Word. You'll never pull this modern trend of civilization through that Bible. It's against it. See? And you try to satisfy that thirst, but, you see, it'll... This Bible will only satisfy a righteous man or woman's taste. This Holy Spirit, that they would laugh at, and said, "You've gone out of your mind." But That satisfies that longing, that something that the world knows nothing about. They have perverted themselves, from true baptism of the Holy Spirit and the Word of God, (unto what?) unto the cesspools, the cesspools of the church, of dogmas and creeds, and--and denominational differences, and so forth.
Say, "You a Christian?"
114"I'm Methodist. I'm Baptist. I'm Presbyterian." That don't mean one thing to God, not one thing. You can't pull them things through God's Bible here. And you're trying to satisfy that holy thirst that God give you, to thirst after Him. Is that right? [Congregation says, "Amen."--Ed.]
115 Now, you know that David said here, "for the living God." Now, "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. And the Word was made flesh and dwelt among us." Then there can be no satisfaction until this Word, which is God, becomes alive in you, then you see God Himself fulfilling the promises that He made in the Bible.
116 Now we have different interpreters of the Bible. One church interprets It this way, another one interprets It that way, and another one this way. Some don't take but a little bit of It; some take here and there, a piece of It. But God is His Own Interpreter. When He makes a promise and fulfills it, that's the interpretation thereof.
117If I promised you I would be here tonight, and here I am, that's the fulfilling of my promise. If I say I'll meet you in the morning, and I'm there, that's my promise. There ain't no need of making any other excuses, I've got to be there.
118And when God makes a promise, and then comes around and fulfills that promise, that's the interpretation of the promise. And I would dare anybody to take God at His Word, and see if every Word in that Bible isn't the Truth. That's right. That's what that thirst is in there.
119You say, "If I would have lived in the days of Jesus, I would have done so-and-so."
120Why, you are living in His days. What are we doing about it? What are we doing? You say, "Well?" What you done, perhaps what the Pharisees done. They belonged to church, and denied Jesus Christ.
121 We always say today, people try to say, "We compare. We've got to compare Bible leaf with Bible leaf, Scripture with Scripture." That isn't the Truth. No, it isn't the Truth. "This Greek word means this, and this means that." The Greeks themself, way back in the Nicaea Council, and them writers back in there, they had different forms. One believed this way, this Greek scholar meant this, and the other one said this one meant it this way. And they fussed over It. We don't need interpretation of Greek scholars or Greek words.
122"To know Him is Life," the Person, Christ Himself! Not comparing. It's a revelation that God built His Church upon. And if we don't build upon that same Church... The Bible said, "Abel, by faith!" And faith is a Divine revelation. See, faith is a Divine revelation. All right. This whole Thing is built upon the revelation then, and unless this is revealed to you! Jesus said, "I thank Thee, Father, that Thou has hid these things from the wise of this world, and revealed it to babes such as will learn." See, now, the whole thing is built there, you've got to know the Person!
123 And you cannot satisfy that by joining church. You've got to find the Person, God Himself, which is the Word and--and interpretation of Hisself today, the promises that He made today. The people that He was going to have in this day, "the Church without spot or wrinkle," don't mean a denomination; it means the persons, the individuals without spot or wrinkle. "Be two in the bed, I'll take one and leave one; two in the field, I'll take one and leave one." But when God, that holy thirst to be like Him, and then you see that His Word is in you, vindicating Itself, that you are God's servant. Whatever God says, you just toe right up to it, then you're coming through the right process then to satisfy that holy thirst that's in you.
124 Oh, of course, the people will laugh at you, and say, "You've lost your mind. You've gone crazy." But remember what they're drinking from, see. Look where they are at. Could you imagine a big artesian well spurting up fine water, and somebody down at one of them holes down there, with dead tadpoles, and creeds and everything laying in it, drinking down there, looking up and making fun of you? Oh! Why, he doesn't know, he doesn't know what a--what a thirst-quenching Stream you're living at. That's exactly right.
125We got a living God. Not one that died nineteen hundred years ago and stayed in the grave, but One that raised again. Hebrews 13:8, says, "He's the same yesterday, today, and forever." The same Holy Ghost that fell on the Day of Pentecost is the same Holy Ghost that's here now. He is the satisfying Portion, because He is the Word. That's right. The Holy Ghost wrote the Word, He interprets the Word. The Bible said, in II Peter, that the Holy Spirit wrote the Bible, "Man of old, moved by the Holy Ghost, wrote the Bible."
126Now, you can't do it, you can't satisfy that holy thirst with nothing less than God Himself living in you, in the Person of the Holy Spirit. Education, culture, joining churches, reciting creeds, going to belong in a fellowship; all these things are very good, but they absolutely will not stop that holy hush... [Blank.spot.on.tape--Ed.]... that holy thirst, rather, won't hush that holy thirst.
127 I was listening to Billy Graham, the great evangelist, the other night. And I tell you, I pray more for him now than I ever did, when I seen him really rapping it to them, the way they did. He said, "That bunch of clergymen coming down the road, them collars turned around!" Going down there where they had no business to go, sticking their nose in something. But they was going down the road, [Brother Branham claps his hands--Ed.] clapping their hands and patting their foot. Well, they looked like unholy-rollers. Now, you see, but they got something they--they believe in. They got something, it excites the soul. They got something they was excited about. Some woman went and stuck her head in something down there, and they thought she was a martyr, and she had no business to be into. Now we find that these men [Brother Branham claps his hands] had something they could clap their hands about. They were happy. They were doing something.
128Well, if you can do that for a--a principle that you think is right here; and then stand in a church and somebody clap their hands or pat their foot, the deacons would lead them out the door. See, they have turned their people to a filthy cesspool of creed and denomination, instead of feeding them on the blessed holy Word of God, that's delivered by the Power of the resurrection of Jesus Christ.
129 See, they try to, they quench their thirst by saying, "I am Doctor So-and-so," or come out of a certain seminary or a certain school. But that don't mean one thing, not a thing. But, you see, they, they try to satisfy themselves, say, "Now God will recognize me because I am His pastor. God will recognize me because I am holy Father So-and-so, or Bishop So-and-so," or--or something like that. They are trying to satisfy their thirst there, when you can't do it. "I got a Ph.D., LL.D. I got my Bachelor of Art. I got this." That's all right. But, to me, that just means you're that much farther away from God. That's right. That much further away from God, all the time!
130You only know God by an experience. You cannot educate This into you. It's borned into you! It's something that God gives you. Education has nothing to do with It. One of the greatest men in the Bible couldn't even sign his name, Saint Peter. That's exactly right, him and John, the Bible said, "They were both ignorant and unlearned." But it pleased Jesus to give him the keys to the Kingdom, because he was thirsting for God. Amen. Thirsting for God, fellowship. Yes, sir. Oh, my!
131 I think of Isaiah, that young man, oh, a fine young man, he was down there in the temple, one day.
132The great king, and he put his face towards him and thought he was one of the greatest men. Which, he was a great man. He was raised up, fine parents, a good mother and dad. But when he went out, his politics was clean, and he made things right with God. And Isaiah looked at him and thought he was a great man, put him for an example. But don't you (never) put no man, but the Man Christ Jesus, for your example. All man will fail. After a while, he got to a place; he was--he was king, but he tried to take a priest's place and went into the temple, and he was stricken with leprosy.
133Then Isaiah was all worried, so he goes down to the temple and he begin to--to pray, he thought he would go down and pray a while. And now, look, that man was a prophet; but down there in the temple was a young man, he was crying out to God, one day, and a vision fell before him. And when he did, he seen Angels, Cherubims, with Their faces covered with Their--with Their wings, and Their feet covered, and flying with two wings. And They were going back and forth, up-and-down through the temple, crying, "Holy, holy, holy is the Lord God Almighty."
134 And Isaiah, that great thirst that he had had, he--he perhaps was schooled. He--he probably had a good education. He had a--a marvelous conception of what God ought to be. He--he had heard the priests. He had been in the temple. He had been raised to be a--a believer, but, you see, he had never come face to face with It before. See? He--he had a desire to do right. He wanted to be right, but he just had the educational side. He had the theological side of It.
135But when he got there in the temple that day, and he seen these Cherubims waving these wings back and forth, and realized that these Angels ministered in the face of God. And them Angels didn't even know what sin was, and, to stand in the Presence of God, They had to cover Their holy faces, to stand in the Presence of God. Then that prophet cried out, "Woe is me, for I am a man of unclean lips. All of my theology, theology and stuff that I've learned, all of my marvelous conception that I had of God, I am face to face with it now." He said, "I'm a man of unclean lips, and I dwell with people that's unclean lips." All their teaching of the laws, and things they had done, had never reached that place to where he come into the Presence of God, and seen God with his own eyes; and His trail, when He was sitting up on High, in the Heavens. And there he was, face to face with reality. And he cried, "I'm a man of unclean lips, and I dwell among unclean people."
136 And then it was that the Cherubim took the tongs, and a coal of Fire from the altar, and touched them unclean lips. And turned him from a coward, or from an educated man, a teacher, to a prophet that the Word of God could speak through. Sure, while he was in the Presence of God, It was something different. That thirst that he had had, had reached that place then, till he was filled with It.
137And let me tell you, friend, I don't care how many churches you join, how many names you put on, which a way you go, and whether you are sprinkled, baptized, or whatever you are; until you meet that Person, Jesus Christ! That, that's the only thing that will really satisfy.
138Emotion won't do it; you might jump up-and-down and shout as long as you want to, or you might run up-and-down the floor, and you might speak in tongues as much as you want to. And them things are holy and good. I don't say--I don't say nothing against that. But until you meet that Person, that satisfying Portion, that Something that takes every fiber in your body; not by emotion, but by a satisfaction!
139 I used to see a little sign, said, "If you're thirsty, say Parfay." There used to be a little drink, when I was a boy, called Parfay. I remember coming down the road, oh, from fishing, I had been up to the pond, old stagnant waters. And I was about starved to death, and I seen a sign say, "If you're thirsty, just say Parfay." And I started saying, "Parfay, Parfay." I got thirstier all the time. And I--I... See, I--I--I got so I couldn't even spit, after a while, I was so--so thirsty.
140Well, you see, that won't do it. There is nothing will satisfy it. I don't care, you can drink cokes, you can drink anything you want to, with them sweetened by carbonated waters, and so forth, there is nothing that will satisfy the thirst like a good cool, cold stream of water. That'll quench that thirst. All these other things are substitutes.
141 And why would we want to take a substitute, when there is a genuine baptism of the Holy Ghost that satisfies every fiber and longing in the human soul? Then stand right in the face of death, like the great Apostle Paul said, "O death, where is your sting? And, grave, where is your victory? But thanks be to God, Who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ!" That's the experience, brother, that satisfies that holy hush that... or that holy thirst that's in you. It satisfies it. You don't have to do anything else about it. Yeah, It cleanses the lips.
142And there is, also, just people who live upon the emotion, upon the... Some people say, "Well, we got a lot of that in our Pentecostal movement." And they will go in, which is fine, they'll pat their hands [Brother Branham claps his hands--Ed.] and play the music. The music stops, "sh, whew," a bucket of water went over everything, see. Now we--we do that, we--we got in a habit of doing that. We got, we--we... It's just become one of our customs.
143 Let me tell you something. When you're worshiping God, in the Spirit and in Truth, when it becomes a custom for you to do it, because you think you ought to do it; because you think, if you don't shout, or jump up-and-down, or dance with the music, your neighbor is going to think you're backslid; you are drinking from a stagnated stream. Right!
144Until It fills every fiber, until the Holy Spirit Itself bubbling in you; I don't care whether the music is playing, whether they're playing Nearer, My God, To Thee, or whatever it is, the Holy Spirit is still ringing the glory bells in your heart. That satisfies. That's God's satisfying Portion. Anything less that That, you're done.
145You might speak with tongue like men and Angels, you might give all your goods to feed the poor, you might prophesy, and you might have knowledge, understand all the mysteries and all these things, and you still become nothing (I Corinthians 13) until that satisfying Something that can only quench that thirst.
146"My soul thirsts for the living God, like the hart panting for the water brook. Unless I can find It, I'll perish." When you get to hungering for God like that, something is going to take place. The Holy Spirit is to lead you to those great fountains of God. Yes, sir.
147 Now, there is a good thing, to worship in the Spirit. That's true. But sometimes you have Spirit without Truth. Saint John 4, said, "We worship God, Spirit and Truth." And Jesus is the Truth. That's exactly right. And He is the Word.
148The streams God sent to satisfy you, in the natural, Satan has polluted every one of them. He has put the poisoned dope in every one that he could get into. That's right. He took that great stream, of the church.
149That, that was God's way. Jesus said, "Upon this Rock I'll build My Church, and the gates of hell can't prevail against It."
150Now there is different arguments of that. The Roman people, the Catholic says, "He built It upon Peter." See, and if that be so, Peter backslid, in a few days. So, It wasn't. It sure wasn't built upon Peter, Petra, the little rock. And then the Protestant says, that, "He built It upon Himself, Jesus Christ." Not to be different, but I differ with them. He never built It on either one.
151He built It upon the revelation of Who He was. He said, "Blessed art thou, Simon, son of Jonas, flesh and blood never revealed this to you, but My Father which is in Heaven has revealed this to you." Not by knowledge! You didn't learn It by books. You didn't learn It by joining church. You didn't learn It in the shouts. You did... But the Holy Ghost Itself has brought the Person of Jesus Christ to you, then, "Upon this Rock I'll build My Church, and the gates of hell can't prevail against It." That holy thirst has been satisfied in the Person of Jesus Christ. There you are. That's the thing that we want to look for, satisfy that thirst with That. All right, we find that we must.
152 Knowledge? Oh, my! Knowledge is a great thing, we fill up, and today we're full of it. But you see, knowledge... as I was saying the other day, speaking on that subject of knowledge. There was a man standing outside, was talking to a friend of mine standing there, said, "If a man don't believe in education, why is he reading the Bible?" They...
153I thought, "Well, if they didn't get what the Lord Jesus said, how are they going to get a dummy like me, what I say?" They couldn't even understand Him, as plain as He was.
154He said there one day, "Except you eat the body, the Blood, drink the Blood and eat the body of the Son of man, you have no Life in you." He didn't explain It. He walked on. That's right. See?
155"Well," they said, "this Man is a cannibal. We want Him... to eat His body, drink His Blood. He is a vampire. See, He wants us to become a vampire." See? Them intellectuals!
156But He said, "My sheep hear My Voice." See, It would come to the Elected, God had elected by foreknowledge. "And those who the Father... No man can come to Me except the Father draws him. And all the Father has given Me, they will come, they'll understand It."
157Them disciples couldn't understand It, but they believed It. See? That's right. If you believe It! I can't understand many things. I believe It, anyhow, see, because God said It was so.
158 Knowledge. You know, Satan's gospel is knowledge. Did you know that? He preached it in the garden of Eden, to Eve, and she was deceived by his knowledge gospel. Now, and has polluted the whole human race, with it. That's exactly right. They've took educational programs, put them in the church. They're all right out there, but not in God's Word. No, sir. You don't know God by education. You don't know God by--by--by knowing how, learning mathematics and pronouncing big words.
159Paul, he was a smart man. But when he come to Christ, and received the Holy Spirit, went to the Corinthians, he said, "I never come to you with enticing words of man's wisdom," though he could have done it. Said, "I come to you in power and manifestations of the Holy Ghost, that your faith would be in God, not in the wisdom of some man."
160Now sometimes we make the church programs, they also call for their--their pastor. The church goes to vote the pastor, they say, "Well, this pastor, now, he has got two degrees in college. He learned four years of psychology. He took this, that, the other." And they'll vote that kind of a man in (why?) instead of a pastor who believes in God's Word being inspired and being God, and will preach the Word regardless of how people feel about It.
161 God told Ezekiel, you know, said, "Preach that whether they believe It or not. You preach It, anyhow." See? Right. Whether they accept It, or not, that ain't it. They didn't accept Jesus. He went right on, preaching It just the same. See?
162Instead of a real pastor that will really preach the Word and believe in God, they--they--they try to bring in the--the intellect, the man who has got the best education; the man who can stand in the pulpit and don't take but just about fifteen minutes, so they can get home right quick, and go (some) do something else, and Ricky can get his hot rod and start out, and they can go to the twist parties and everything. And it's, oh, it's--it's just it's--it's nothing else but a hybrid educational pollution. That's right. That's just exactly what it is. That's right. But what is it? It satisfies their taste, see, it satisfies a worldly church member's taste.
It don't satisfy a saint's taste. He'll take the Word every time!
163But they say, "Oh, well, now them people is just a little off at their mind. See, they just don't, they don't get it. They, they're trying to live in a day gone by."
164 Isn't it strange! I come out here in the West, and I find out they're all trying to live in a day gone by, they always want some of the old-fashion cowboy days. And go down in Kentucky, the old-fashion hillbilly days, they want to act like it, have programs of it. But when it comes to old-fashion Religion, they don't want nothing about It.
165Old-fashion days? I come down here in the rodeo time, I seen they had a big woman down there, that green stuff under her eyes, and short bobbed hair, a cigarette in her mouth. Why, if they'd have seen that back in the old days, they'd have thought she was cankered somewhere. They, they'd--they'd--they'd have put her in. What if your mother would have walked out, dressed like you and your daughter dress today, what would taken place? They'd a-had her in the insane institution. Sure, she come out without her skirt on. Well, now remember, it's the same thing today.
166Man is rottening in their flesh. If they're going through the middle age, between twenty and twenty-five years old, their brain cells are rottening too. They haven't got... People has got so they haven't got enough understanding. They don't know what decency means. They don't know the difference between right and wrong. And, oh, though, their educational program, they...
167 Did you know, education, I can prove it to you, is of the Devil? Not to read and write; but, I mean, putting their education in your church.
168What does communism lay on? Science, education, that's their god. Satan, see, that's what he introduced to Eve. That's what they're still holding to.
169Now it's got over in our churches, got over in the Baptists, Methodists, and Presbyterian, Pentecostals, and all. Some education, intellectual, some great so-and-so and something like that, that just throws him farther away from God. It's wrong. Yes, sir. Now, we find out, that (they) it satisfies their desire. When a--when a--a church would vote-in something like that, it goes to show what's in that church's mind, what their desire is, what their thirsting is for. They want to say, "Our pastor is wide minded. He don't mind us mix-bathing, and he goes with us."
170 A little girl told my Sarah, the other day. Her pastor had been to Africa; and when he come back, she stripped off her clothes, that night, with a pair of little tights on, and done the watusi for him, to entertain him because he had been to Africa. The Watusi is a tribe over there, you know. Boy, I'd like to see one of my girls, in my congregation, try to do something like that, watusi?
171See, it goes to show! And a pastor would sit and look at one of his congregation, a little (sixteen or eighteen years old) girl out there stripped off like that, and let her get by with that, that shows that he come out of a cesspool, himself, a man of God do a thing like that. Certainly.
172That sounds flat, but I realize I'm preaching across the nation, too. But you know this also, brother, sister, let me tell you, that's the Truth.
173 A vulture wants dead things. That's right. And that's dead! That's exactly right. Plainly shows, it just plainly show here what is their head and their control tower, what it's giving them, see, what's in their soul. Their soul longeth for things like that.
174Their soul longeth for a high intellectual church, where the people dress real fine, and the pastor takes fifteen minutes, or twenty. And if you go over that, they drawed him back on the deacon board. And he mustn't say nothing about sin. He mustn't say anything about wearing shorts, and wouldn't say nothing about people doing this, that, or the other. He mustn't mention that at all. If they do, the board will have him throwed out. See what it is? That's their thinking man's filter.
175The Bible said, in First John 2:15, "If you love this world system, or the things of this world, it's because that the love of God is not even in you."
176 Now what about all this carrying on they done today, in the name of the church; practicing square dancing in the church, bunco, bingo, parties, teenagers rock-and-roll, twists, all these stuff! Look at this Elvis Presley, a devil standing in shoes! Pat Boone, Ricky Nelson, the biggest indebtment this nation has ever had! That's right. They say, "Oh, they are very religious, they sang Christian songs." It oughtn't to, the church oughtn't to even permit a thing like that! Some of these guys go out here, and--and tonight they're in a--a roadhouse out here, dancing and playing music and everything, and the next night they come to the altar and weep, and the next night they're playing music on the platform. Oh, goodness, gracious! How far can filth, how far could filth go, anyhow? Yes, sir. Prove himself first to be a man of God, not all this stuff just because he can beat an old guitar or something.
177By your desire, you can tell who is on the throne of your heart. By what you love, that's what tells. You, you say, "Well, I think them things are all right, Brother Branham." Well, just remember now, in your heart, you know what's there. Yes, sir. By what is feeding your soul, what your soul is thirsting for, and you can see it satisfies that; if it isn't this Word, then there is something wrong, because the Holy Spirit lives on the Word only. See?
178 I want you to see another great danger, just before we close, if you are not--if you're not guilty of any of these things that I've mentioned, and, that is, the danger of neglecting a thirst. See? You say, "I have a holy thirst. But I--I'm not guilty, Brother Branham, of just go and joining church, and things like this." But, see, to neglect a thirst! If you neglect to satisfy a thirst of water or food, you will die. And if you neglect that thirst in you, for God, you will spiritually die.
179You call for revivals, you wait for your church to have a revival. Well, that ain't--that ain't the revival for you. The revival ought to begin right in you, when you begin to thirst for God. There might not be another member, of the church, wanting that revival. If it breaks out in you, it will break out other places. See? But, see, you neglect that thirst.
180You neglect to milk the cow, when the cow is... the udder is full of milk; and if you let that cow stay like that, she'll go dry. That's exactly right. If you neglect to take a drink of water, say, "I just ain't going to drink anymore," you'll die. You neglect to eat food, you'll die.
181So if you neglect to give the Holy Spirit the Word of God, you'll die.
182 You Christians, you Baptists, Methodists, Presbyterians, Pentecostals, Assemblies of God, Oneness, Twoness, Threeness, whatever you are, see; don't care, that don't matter nothing to me, I don't think it does to God. See, you're an individual, you're a unit. You'll never go to Heaven as a church, a--a--a denomination. You'll go to Heaven as one single person, between you and God. That's all. I don't care what church you belong to.
183And if you neglect to read the Bible and to believe the Bible, and the Holy Spirit to feed upon That, you will die. Jesus said in Saint John 4:3; the Scripture I got right... Jesus said that, "Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every Word," not just part of It.
184We take a little, bit here. I call that a Bible hitchhiker. They say, "Well, I believe This, but now let's go over here, see." See?
185You've got to take It, Word by Word. Jesus said, "Man shall live by every Word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God." Did you know that? [Congregation says, "Amen."--Ed.]
186And, you know, we've made--we've made the day that we're living in, we--we made this day the... a--a--a religious perversion.
187 My daughter called me in, not long ago, and said to me, "Daddy," in the next side of the house, she said, "come over here, we're going to have a religious program on." It was a singing, hymn singing, and there was some little Ricky reading it up there. And if I ever seen a sacrilegious movement, it was that! Them guys up there, and people, looked more like it was a floorshow. Supposed to be an Indian tribe, and they were carrying on, and--and jump up and box at one another.
188Where, what's went with the sincerity, where is those old-fashion hymns we used to sing, and rejoice in the Spirit of God, and tears roll down our cheeks? And now we try to hold our breath until we ain't got enough breath in us, till our face turns blue, to try to show that we are some sort of a singer. See, we've copied that off of Hollywood, and all these programs that we see through this intellectual hymn sing and training of voice. I--I like to hear good singing; I like to hear good old-fashion, heartfelt, pentecostal singing. But I sure hate to hear that squeaking they call singing, today. That's right. I think that's the most ridiculous thing. It's a perversion. That's right.
189 I like to see a man when he's a man. I hate to see one with his wife's underclothes on out here, and slipped up along the side; and--and a roller hanging down here in front, and two cones of hair hanging down like bangs, cut in front. That, I--I couldn't call that a man. He don't know what side of the race he belongs on. See? That's right. You see the woman, look, the woman is trying to cut her, make her hair like the man; the man is trying to make his hair, bangs, like the woman. The man is wearing his wife's underneath clothes; she is wearing his overalls. See, just a perversion, right around.
190And that's the same thing it is with nation, with people, with churches, with everything. O God! Where is the end of the thing? The Coming of the Lord Jesus Christ, that's the end of it.
191 So, if you neglect to feed the Holy Spirit the Word of God! Jesus said, "Every Word shall be by the Holy Spirit." And listen now. If you try to feed It the wrong thing, if It's the genuine Holy Spirit in you, It'll know the difference. Now, remember, the Word of God is what the Holy Spirit feeds on. It don't feed on enthusiasm. It don't feed on education. It doesn't feed on churchgoing. It doesn't feed on theologies. There is a lot of difference between an inspired something and a theological standpoint of it.
192All those theologians in the days of Jesus, my, they had word by word, page by page, all laid out, the Messiah had to come this way! That's exactly what it was. And they, every one, missed it. You know what Jesus said when He come, said, "You are of your father the Devil, and his works you'll do."
193It wasn't revealed to them what the real Word was. See, they missed those little corners, like they're missing today. "If you'll belong to this and belong to this, you'll be all right." Don't you believe that. You've got to belong to Christ. And if there is Something in you, hungering for Christ!
194 Just remember, when you were in your father's loins, you were with him then. But your father didn't know you then, and you didn't know your father. And you had to come and be born. God made a way through your mother, for the--the seedbed, and then it come. And then you become a man or a woman, whatever it was, then you recognized your father, and your father could have fellowship with you.
195Now, remember, if you've got Eternal Life, your Life was in God at the beginning. And, the Life, God is the Word. And then when the Word was made flesh in Jesus Christ, God coming down to dwell in His Own body, made Himself the Son of God. When God came down to dwell in that, you were in Him when He was crucified. And you were crucified with Him, and you died with Him on Calvary. You was buried with Him, on the mountain. And you rose with Him, on Easter morning. And now you're setting together in Heavenly places, in Him, and now you've got fellowship with Him. See?
196God Himself become one of us. "No man has seen the Father, any time, the only Begotten of the (Son) Father has declared Him." That's, God became a man, so He could fellowship you as a man. See? And now you are--you are flesh, and He is flesh. God is made flesh among us, in the Person of His Son, Jesus Christ. And in Him was God. He was God, nothing short of God. He was God. "God manifested in the Son, Jesus Christ," which made Him Emmanuel, as the prophet said He would be.
197 Now see, then, you had to be before the world was ever formed, your name was put on the Lamb's Book of Life. And then what can you eat? The Holy Spirit lives by the Word of God. And now in Revelation 22:19, the Bible said, "Whosoever shall take one Word out of This, or add one word to It, his part will be taken from the Book of Life." See how deep it is? You cannot, the Holy Spirit won't live on the things of the world.
198Like a dove bird and a crow. A crow is a big hypocrite. A crow, that fellow can go out here and can eat wheat all day long; and go over there and fly on it, an old dead carcass, and eat it too. He can sit in the field and he can eat with the dove, wheat, and go over and eat on the dead carcass.
199But the dove can eat wheat all day long, but it can't eat on a dead carcass, because it's a dove. And a dove don't have any gall. One bite out of that dead carcass, it'd kill the dove. See, it has no gall. And that's the way it is, no bitterness.
200And that's the way with a real, genuine Christian. They don't want the things of the world. They just eat the Word of God, and That alone; what's clean, the thinking man's Filter. See, they come through That, and That alone. The dead things of the world, it stinks to them.
201Look at the old crow in the days of the antediluvian destruction, flying from body to body, eating them old dead carcasses, he didn't come back to the ark. But the dove could find no rest for her feet, see, she come back to the ark where she was getting grain. And that's the way we do, we live by the Word of God.
202 In Psalms 42. David must have wrote this Psalm, Psalms 42, when he was a fugitive, when he said, "My soul thirsts after Thee, as a hart panteth after the water brook." Look, he cried. David was a fugitive. He had been... He had the anointing oil on him, he knowed he was going to be king. The prophet had anointed him king. Now notice, and there he was, he had a little bunch of soldiers, made up of Gentiles, and so forth, was up on top of the mountain. Where, his own beloved city, because of their sin, they were garrisoned all around with the Philistines. And David, on that hot day, it must have been when he wrote this Psalm, "As the hart panteth for the water brook."
203Notice David in this condition. He looked down, he looked at his beloved city. And he remembered when he was a little boy, he used to take the sheep out by this certain pool there. It was a great, great water country, and also bread country, down there. Really, Bethlehem, means "the house of God's Bread." And then when David remembered going by there and drinking that good cool water, and here he was laying up here now, a fugitive, away from his own people. He had no place to go, and his soul must have cried for that good cool water.
204 He had some servants there that, my, just the least of his desire was a command. And they, three of them, fought their way through that line of Philistines; fifteen miles, seven miles, or something, down and back; cutting their way through, and brought him a drink of that water. But the soul thirst...
205His body, he was up there, probably had to drink out of anything he could get a hold of, some old goat skins and things, with some old hot water in, on that hot day. He thought, "If I could just lay down and quench this thirst that I have! If I could just go down there to Bethlehem and lay down by that spring, and drink!"
206 And when they went down and got the water, and brought it back, his soul thirst was so greater, not for Bethlehem, but from Jerusalem; his soul was. So he sacrificed the water, said, "I wouldn't even drink it." He poured it out upon the ground. See, his soul was more thirsty for God, than it was to satisfy the quench of a good... his thirst of his body, with a good cool water. He poured it upon the ground.
207See, the House of God, the soul-cooling waters of Jerusalem, which is above! Jesus said, in John 6:33, "I am the Bread of Life. I am the Bread of Life." Bethlehem, "house of God," our church, earthly church of God, the church that's here on earth. We love to go to the church here on earth, but greater is Jerusalem, which is above, which is God. Jerusalem above, which is God! Greater is that soul's thirst, to be there with Him, than it would to be just to satisfy yourself with joining a church somewhere. See, joining a church don't satisfy that thirst. David proved it here, the waters right from the house of God, see, he poured it out upon the ground; to find favor, to get a good cool drink from God. Even on that... Greater than the thirst that's in you, is that thirst of the soul-thirst for God.
208 Notice Jerusalem, the word. "Jerusalem is from above," the Bible said, "which we're... is the Mother of us all." And Christ is our Mother. We realize that God is our Mother, for we are born of Him. The word simply means "peace," Jerusalem, Shalom. Or, Shalom, which means "peace," Jeru-shalom, see, means "peace."
209Greater should be the thirst of any soul, for the waters of Life, than to say you belong to a church; the thirst of the soul can't be satisfied, the real true thirst. It can be perverted. You can think you are all right when you join church, but that isn't It. That won't satisfy the genuine holy thirst for God. It just simply won't do it. It just... It's just not there.
210 Now David said, in Psalms 42:7 here, "When the deep calleth unto the Deep, at the noise of Thy waterspout," the soul's call.
211Look, I've often used this as an illustration. If there is a fin on a fish's back, it had to be put there for him to swim with. He has a need for that. Now what if he'd say, "I'm going to be a different fish. I'm going to be a smart, educated fish. Uh-huh, I--I'll just... I'm going to believe some real theology! I believe I don't have to have that fin"? He wouldn't get very far in the water, would he? And that's exactly right.
212What if a tree said, "Now, I know there had to be an earth first, for me to grow in. That's right. I'm supposed to grow in the earth. But I'm going to be a different tree, I want them just set me out here in the middle of the street, so I can be noticed"? See, he wouldn't live very long. See? That's right.
213"When the deep calleth to the Deep." It takes more than joining a church. It takes more than shaking hands with the preacher. It takes more than living a good, straight life. It takes something to satisfy inside of you, that pours down from God, into the soul. "The deep calling to the Deep, at the noise of Thy waterspouts, O Lord. The deep calling to the Deep!"
214 What kind of a thirst could we think was in us tonight? We, as Pentecostal people, where are we getting to? What kind of a thirst is in us? What kind of a thirst is in me? What kind of thirst is in you? Don't try to hush that holy thirst for God.
215Years ago, when they used to have gold out here in the mountains. I read a story, many years ago, it's always stuck with me. It said there was a--a prospector went out here somewhere beyond the mountains here, and was prospecting for gold, and he struck a rich claim. And he come back, thinking; when he got to the city, what he would be, his troubles was all over. And--and he--he tried to--to say, "Tomorrow I'll get in and I'll..." Just one day's journey, he would be into the city, and he would have the gold. And he had big sacks full of it.
216 He had a dog with him. Not comparing now the dog to the Holy Spirit, but as I'm making an illustration. But this dog...
217Through the night, the prospector laid upon his bed, and--and he begin to think, "Now, tomorrow I'll--I'll take all my gold in, and I'll become just what I've always wanted to be. I--I--I always wanted to be a rich man. I--I wanted to own fine things, and so forth."
218And--and then this dog begin to bark, and because there was an enemy approaching. And he--he went out there, and he said, "Shut up!" And so the dog quieted down. And no more than got back in bed, he started like he was going to go to sleep, and the dog started again, just jumping at the chain. And he went to the door again, said, "Shut up! I want you to know that tomorrow I'm a rich man, see," and that was his great dreams. But the dog started barking again.
219 And finally, he got so discouraged, he went and got his shotgun and shot the dog, and killed it. He said, "I won't have no more use for you, anyhow. Tomorrow I'm a rich man. I will become a rich man, tomorrow."
220And he sit the gun down in the corner, turned his back over to the door, went to sleep. And the man had been following him, for days, slipped in and killed him. He wasn't a rich man, see, he stopped that warning buzzer that was trying to tell him his life was at stake.
221 And, brother, sister, you will never be able to... Don't never try to hush that holy calling in your heart, see, by joining a church, by reciting a creed, by belonging to a certain organization.
222There is only one thing can satisfy it, that's the Person, Jesus Christ. "As the hart panteth for the water brook, so my soul thirsts after Thee, O God. My soul thirsts for the living God!" See, there is something in you, that wants to see the moving of God. Your soul thirsts for It. Don't stop anything short of That.
223Don't let some pastor tell you, "You just have to shake his hand, join the church, or belong to this organization." Don't you kill that holy hush. It's warning you. Some day will come when you'll come down to the end of the road.
224 Like a little lady in our city we come from. She told the... A little girl went up there to church, and a very fine little girl. And she was coming down the street. She had long hair, you know, and her hair pulled back like a slick of the peeled onion, nearly, and her face looked... no make-up on. And this girl used to make fun of her, said, "If you didn't have that flat-headed preacher you got up there," speaking of me, said--said, "you could look like something decent. But you look like something out of an antique shop." And, oh, she just really raked her over the coals, every time she could see her like that. Said, "Our pastor is broad-minded." Said, "He--he--he knows them. That, why you do like that? That don't mean anything, how you dress or think." It does! God's Bible says it does. We shall live by every Word!
225So this little girl never paid a bit of attention to her, went on. She is a missionary now.
226 So then this--this young lady took a social disease, and she died. A friend of mine pumped the embalming fluid in her when she was dying. He told me, said... After she was dead, he kept smelling the fluid. She had a hole eat in her side, social disease. They didn't even... Even her parents didn't know what was wrong with her. And she died. But before she died...
227She taught Sunday school. And all of her little Sunday school group come in, they wanted to see her when she went off to Heaven, the Angels come and pack her away. And her pastor outside, smoking a cigarette, walking up-and-down the hall in the hospital. And they was all going to sing when she was going to die, you know. They knowed she had to die. Doctors said she was dying, so they was all going to see the Angels come, pack her away.
228 And all at once, when she faced the reality! Now, she was a loyal church member, she was a Sunday school teacher, and a loyal church member of a fine big denominational church. But when she started to struggle, death struck her; her eyes bulged out, and she said, "I'm lost!" She said, "I'm lost! Go, get the pastor!"
229He put his cigarette out, and walked in, said, "Here, here! Here, here! We'll get the doctor to give you a hypo."
230Said, "I don't want no hypo." Said, "You deceiver of man! I'm dying, and I'm going to hell. And I'm lost because you failed to tell me the Truth. Go get that little Gooduse girl, and bring her up here to me, real quick. She is right."
231Wait till you face the reality once. Don't you try to stop that holy hush. Don't you blast It away with some modern, educational, double-barreled shotgun. You listen to that warning of the Holy Ghost, tonight, that's warning you, "I am the Way, the Truth, and the Life; no man cometh unto the Father, but by Me." And He is the Word.
Let us bow our heads just a moment.
232 I want to quote one more Word of the Lord Jesus, while you're thinking about it. Jesus said, in Matthew 5, "Blessed are they that do hunger and thirst." It's even blessed to have that thirst in you. Have you come to a spot that your--your--your whole system has been so polluted by denominationalisms, and little cults and clans, and things, little church orders, social, like joining lodges, and so forth, from church to church? Has the Devil been able to put that water of pollution, and you're slopping out of it, like a hog in a trough? When, you don't even know what the real quenching thirst of God; to see Him, a reality, by the Holy Spirit living in you, and manifesting. If you're--if you're that way tonight, if you're still thirsting for God, let me tell you:
There is a Fountain filled with Blood,
Drawn from Immanuel's veins,
Where sinners plunged beneath the flood,
Lose all their guilty stain.
That dying thief rejoiced to see
That Fountain in his day;
There may I, though vile as he,
Wash all my sins away.
Ever since by faith I saw that stream
Thy flowing wounds supply,
Redeeming love has been my theme,
And shall be till I die.
233 If you've got that thirst tonight, to know more about God, and to come closer to Him, will you just raise up your hand now while every head is bowed, say, "Pray for me." O God, look at the hands!
234Out into the land where the broadcast is coming now, from East, North, West, and South, you in them rooms, raise up your hands to the pastors and whatever is there, that you desire; you, something in you, thirsting for God. That holy thirst!
235Don't satisfy it. Oh, you say, "Brother Branham, I--I shouted once. I danced in the Spirit." Don't, don't, don't take that. No.
236Wait till that satisfaction comes, the satisfaction Portion of the fullness of the Holy Spirit comes in, then these joy bells of shouting, and speaking in tongues, and dancing in the Spirit, will come. You won't have to do it by the music. You will do it when you're going down the road, in your car. You will do it when you're sweeping the floor. You will do it when you're driving nails in the wall, with your carpenter work. Wherever you are, that Joy unspeakable and full of glory!
Now let us pray.
237 Dear Heavenly Father! Long, lengthy, drawed out, this little Message tonight, but, Dear God, may Your Holy Spirit deliver the--the meaning to every heart. Right in this church, tonight, there was just multiplied numbers of hands up, all the way around the halls and everywhere. We--we pray, dear God, for them. Oh, may that satisfying Portion of God, which is Christ, the Hope of Glory, the Hope of Life in you, may It come to each one of them.
238Way out across the nation, from California, way up in New York now, where it's early in the morning, they're listening in up there; over in--in New Hampshire, and down along in Boston, and all the way down in Texas, through Indiana, out into California, and around. O God, look at those hands; look what's beneath them, Lord, that heart there that's hungering and thirsting.
239 This perverted day, where the Devil has blinded people's eyes, just to join church, and say, "That's all you need." And they still look at their own self and see the way they do, and the desire they have to be like the world.
240When, the Bible tells us, "If we even love the things of the world, the love of God is not even in us."
241Just think, Father, how perverted that he can make that real true Word, how that they can say, "Oh, we believe the Bible, but not This. We don't believe This. We believe This was for another age. We believe this is That," because, some denomination has twisted their minds into that cesspool.
242When, Jesus said, "Whosoever shall take one Word out of This, or add one word to It, his part will be taken from the Book of Life."
243Dear God! Think of the disappointments there at Judgment, when people has lived a good, clean, holy life, went to church just as loyal as they could be, and lost.
244 Think of those Pharisees, how, from little boys, they trained in the Word, come up through schools and everything, holy (had to be, or they'd be stoned to death), and Jesus said, "You are of your father the Devil."
245How that Israel went down there! And let this be a warning to the Pentecostals, Lord, across the land. How that Moses, a prophet, came down into Egypt, to fulfill the Word of God, to bring the evening light to them! How they seen the great miracles of God! How they followed him, crossed the Red Sea, was baptized unto him, went into the wilderness and eat Angels' food that fell from Heaven. And then refused to take all the Word, when they come back from Kadesh-barnea... to Kadesh-barnea, from the--from the promised land, and said, "they're like giants; we can't do it." When, God said, "I've already give you the land"! Border line! Jesus said, "They are, every one, perished. They are dead," lost, without God, though they done all these things. They seen these miracles; enjoyed, danced up-and-down the seacoast, with Miriam, when they beat the tambourine. And only three, out of the two million, went in.
246 We realize, Father, that when the sperm, the genes from the male and female, come together, there is only one, out of a million, that's accepted. One germ from the male finds the fertile egg of the woman, the female, and a million others perish.
247There is a million, two million, come out of Egypt; two, Joshua and Caleb, entered the land. One out of a million. Father, I--I tremble when I think of that. Think, across the world today, five hundred million Christians, that would be five hundred if You should come tonight. O God, let us remember that every Word of God stands, a memorial. We must believe It. We must obey It.
248And when You said, "Repent, every one of you, and be baptized in the Name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost. For the promise is unto you, and to your children, and to them that's far off, even as many as the Lord our God shall call." And, God, You are still calling, tonight, and the promise is as long as You call.
249And clergymen has twisted the minds of those people, and directed it by an educational, denominational school of theology, to a thing to say, "Oh, you just believe." The Devil believes also, but he can't receive the Holy Spirit. Judas Iscariot was a... done all the--the rest, the disciples did, preach the Gospel; but when it come time for him to get the Holy Ghost, he showed his colors.
250God, may the people of the land tonight realize that, without that experience, they are lost. May it be tonight that their souls will be satisfied with Thy Portion, Lord, as we commend them into Thy hand. They are Yours, Lord. We're only responsible for the Word. I pray that they will believe with all their heart, and be filled with the Holy Ghost. We ask in Jesus' Name. Amen.
I love Him, I love Him
Because He first loved me
And purchased my salvation
On Calvary's tree.
251 Oh, is He your satisfying Portion? [Congregation says, "Amen."--Ed.] Oh, my! You love Him with all your heart? ["Amen."] Now, them Words are sometimes cutting, but let's just sing in the Spirit now, see, each one of us now. Let's shake hands with the brother setting next to you, sister, and just say, "God bless you, pilgrim," as we sing it again. [Brother Branham shakes hands with the people.]
I love Him, I love Him
Because He first loved me
And purchased my salvation
On Calvary's tree.
252Now we shook hands with each other. Now let's just close our eyes and sing in the Spirit, raise our hands to Him.
I love Him, I love Him,
Because He first loved me
And purchased my salvation
On Calvary's tree.
Oh, isn't He wonderful?
Wonderful, wonderful, Jesus is to me,
The Counselor, Prince of Peace, Mighty God is He;
Oh, saving me, keeping me from all sin and shame,
Wonderful is my Redeemer, praise His Name!
Oh, wonderful, wonderful, Jesus is to me,
Counselor, Prince of Peace, Mighty God is He;
Saving me, keeping me from all sin and shame,
Wonderful is my Redeemer, praise His Name!
253 Oh, are you enthused about your experience with Christ? [Congregation rejoices, "Amen."--Ed.] Isn't He wonderful? Doesn't He satisfy?
I once was lost, now I'm found, free from condemnation,
Jesus gives liberty and a full salvation;
Saving me, keeping me from all sin and shame,
Wonderful is my Redeemer, praise His Name.
Oh, wonderful, wonderful, Jesus is to me,
Counselor, Prince of Peace, Mighty God is He;
Oh, saving me, keeping me from all sin and shame,
Wonderful is my Redeemer, praise His Name!
254 Do you believe that's Scriptural? [Congregation says, "Amen."--Ed.] The Bible said, "Clap your hands. Make a joyful noise unto the Lord." You know, I always wanted to play music. My daughter, Rebekah, is taking piano. My little boy is taking trumpet. But I--I did learn an instrument of ten strings, [Brother Branham begins clapping his hands].
Wonderful, wonderful, Jesus is to me,
Counselor, Prince of Peace, Mighty God is He;
Saving me, keeping me from all sin and shame,
Wonderful is my Redeemer, praise His Name!
Do you love Him? [Congregation says, "Amen."--Ed.]
We'll walk in the Light, a beautiful Light,
Come where the dewdrops of mercy are bright;
Shine all around us by day and by night,
Jesus, the Light of the world.
We'll walk in the Light, it's such a beautiful Light,
It comes where the dewdrops of mercy are bright;
Shine all around us by day and by night,
Jesus, the Light of the world.
255 [Brother Branham begins to hum, "Jesus, the Light of the World," and then the congregation also hums with him.--Ed.] Worship God with everything you have.
When the saints go marching in,
When the saints go marching in,
Lord, I want to be in that number
When the saints go marching in.
Oh, when they crown Him Lord of all,
When they crown Him Lord of all,
Lord, I want to be in that number
When they crown Him Lord of all.
Oh, when the sun refuse to shine,
When the sun refuse to shine,
Lord, I want to be in that number
When the sun refuse to shine.
256Do you love that? [Congregation says, "Amen."--Ed.] Now I wonder if you got your feet converted, you don't dance anymore, out there for the world? See? Let's pat our feet, to the Lord, to the Lord. Is your hands converted, you don't steal anymore? Your lips are converted, you don't lie anymore? Just don't get religion in your head, get it all over you. That's it. It takes the whole man. That's right. Now let's pat our feet.
When the saints go marching in,
When the saints go marching in,
Lord, I want to be in that number
When the saints go marching in.
Oh, when the saints go marching in,
When the saints go marching in,
Lord, I want to be in that number
When the saints go marching in.
Now let's just raise our hands.
When the saints go marching in,
When the saints go marching in,
O Lord, I want to be in that number
When the saints go marching in.
When they crown Him Lord of all,
When they crown Him Lord of all,
Lord, I want to be in that number
When they crown Him Lord of all.
257 Don't you love Him? [The congregation rejoices, "Amen! Glory! Hallelujah!"--Ed.]
Then we'll walk in the Light (He is the Light, you know), It's a beautiful Light,
It comes where the dewdrops of mercy are bright;
Well, shine all around us by day and by night,
Jesus, the Light of the world.
258Do you believe He is the Light of the world? [Congregation says, "Amen."--Ed.] Do you? Paul said, "When I sing, I'll sing in the Spirit. If I worship, I'll worship in the Spirit." See, whatever you do, do it all in the Spirit. That's right. And the Spirit brings the Word to Life. Is that right? That's right. Yes, sir.
All ye saints of Light proclaim,
Jesus, the Light of the world;
Grace and mercy in His Name,
Jesus, the Light of...
Then what do we do?
We'll walk in the Light, beautiful Light,
Come where the dewdrops of mercy are bright;
Shine all around us by day and by night,
Jesus, the Light of the world.
259 Sorry to confuse you players, like that, but I just get carried away. I don't know no better than just to worship. That's the way you do it. Yes, sir. I'm thankful for this opportunity, Brother Mack, to come and fellowship with you and your church here tonight, all these fine people.
260And you that raised your hands for the baptism of the Holy Spirit, I trust that you'll meet Pastor Mack here, or some of them, and go back in a room here. And just remember, when God spoke the Word in the beginning, and said "let there be," there had to be! And He said, "Blessed are they that do hunger and thirst after righteousness, for they shall be filled." See, it's got to happen. Come to visit your pastor here, and stand by him as he preaches the Gospel.
261 Now let's sing again that good old song, I just love that, "We'll walk in the Light."
262Jesus said, "I am the Light," and you are in Him. See? How do you get into Him? Joining Him? No. Shaking? No. Baptism of water? No. "By one Spirit we are all baptized into one Body, which is the Body of Christ." And in that Body is nine spiritual gifts operating through the local body, the local church. That's apostolic, if I ever knew of it. That's right.
So we'll keep in the Light, in the beautiful Light,
It comes where the dewdrops of mercy...
[Brother Branham speaks to Pastor Mack--Ed.] All right,...?...
Shine all around us by day and by...
[Brother Branham speaks to Pastor Mack--Ed.] Been a real pleasure. [Brother Mack says, "Thank you, brother. Thank you."]
1 Dobrý večer, priatelia. Mám privilégium, že tu dnes večer môžem byť. Teraz som tu druhý krát, v tomto zbore "Grantway" s mojím drahým bratom Mackom, a s celým týmto milým zborom, a s kresťanmi z rôznych cirkví. S bratom Lee Vayle a ... práve som tu stretol brata, ktorý ... blízkeho priateľa brata F.F. Boswortha, a ani som nevedel, že brat Bosworth odišiel, stretnúť sa s Pánom. Povedal som: "Cítim sa ako by som stretol Elizeusa, ktorý lieval vodu na ruky Eliáša, keď oni ..." Bol som v zahraničí a nevedel som, že brat Bosworth odišiel na stretnutie s Pánom, vo veku osemdesiat štyri rokov.
Chcem pozdraviť ľudí, ktorí sú pripojení dnes večer cez telefón, po celom kraj od Kalifornii po New Yorku, v Texase, a hore na rôznych miestach v národe, od Maine po Kaliforniu. Máme zariadenie, ktoré nám umožňuje zapojiť tieto telefóny. Je to veľké požehnanie.
A teraz sme sa dozvedeli od nášho dobrého priateľa, brata Perry Greena, že majú také malé zariadenie, ktoré vám môžu dať na televízor. A nebude to len v telefóne, ale tiež to budete vidieť v televízore. Teraz na tom pracujú.
A sestra Macková, som rád, keď vidím že vyzeráš dobre, a sedíš tu dnes večer pri orgánoch. A vidím tu mnoho mojich priateľov, zo Siera Vista, a brata Bordersa, či vlastne brata Robertsona, z Indiány, a mnohých. Chcem povedať ľuďom, ktorí sú dnes večer tam v modlitebni, zdá sa mi akoby polovička z nich bola tu ... z modlitebni z Jeffersonville.
2 A môjmu priateľovi tam hore, bratovi Kuntzovi, chcem povedať, ohľadne tej nemoci, kvôli ktorej si volal, tej prosby - modlím sa za to, brat Kuntz. Len maj vieru. Netráp sa. Bude to v poriadku.
3 A dole do Texasu - bratovi Blairovi, chcem povedať, ak počúvaš dnes večer, môj brat, pamätaj len toto; - ten Boh, ktorý ťa cez to preniesol prvý krát, môže ťa i druhý krát preniesť. A veríme, že ťa Boh v tomto vypočuje. A never žiadnym diablovým klamstvám. Pamätaj len, že Boh je Boh, a On je stále ten istý včera, dnes i naveky. A my Ho milujeme, a veríme Mu, a modlíme sa za teba.
Chcem pozdraviť všetkých našich priateľov v Kalifornii, a brata Merciera, a ich tu v Arizone, a na mnohých iných miestach, vo Phonixe, a brata Williamsa - a vás všetkých, ktorí ste spojení dnes večer cez telefón, všade dookola. Sme skutočne vďační. A dole v Georgii ... A sme skutočne vďační za každého jedného z vás. Nech vás Pán žehná.
4 Cítim, že som tu dnes večer skutočne vítaný v tomto milom zbore, tu v zbore Božom, "Grantway", u brata Macka, môjho dobrého priateľa. Nech Boh žehná brata Macka. Pamätám sa, že raz v Kanade bol ... Išiel som na koni lesnou cestou do džungli. A Duch Svätý mi povedal aby som zastal, a aby som sa modlil za brata Macka. On bol v tedy v naliehavej potrebe. A Pán ho uzdravil. A tak som za to tak vďačný, a že tu môžeme byť dnes večer zhromaždení s ním, aby sme chválili Pána v tejto milej pravde.
5 Muž, ktorý sedí tu za mnou na pódiu povedal: "Ty ma hádam nepoznáš." Povedal: "Raz si ma zobral, keď som stopoval a ..." Neviem, niekde hore v Bostone, alebo niekde - v Detroide - stopoval.
A povedal som: "No, stále sa snažím mať vystretú ruku, ak môžem, ku tým, ktorí sú v potrebe." A tak dnes večeršetci v potrebe. A prosíme, aby nám Boh podal dnes večer pomocnú ruku, požehnania a milosti, a milosrdenstva.
No, mám sklon dlho hovoriť. Ale budem sa snažiť, aby som to dnes večer nerobil, pretože ľudia hore v Ohio práve volali - pani Dauchová a tá skupina tam, brat McKinney a brat Brown, a všetci, ktorí sú pripojení v Ohio. Tiež vás pozdravujeme. V New Yorku je už neskoro, zdá sa mi že je tam teraz okolo jedenásť, alebo dvanásť hodín, v New Yorku. A v tých zboroch sa zišli a čakali až doteraz, na túto bohoslužbu. Sme vďační za tých fajných priateľov, všade okolo.
6 No, prv ako otvoríme Slovo, skloňme hlavy a prehovorme za chvíľu ku jeho Autorovi.
7 Drahý, nebeský Otče, naše srdcia prekypujú radosťou za túto možnosť, ktorú máme, že sme dnes večer živí, a že sme sa tu mohli zhromaždiť spolu s tvojím ľudom, s ľuďmi o ktorých veríme, že budeme s nimi žiť naveky. Teraz máme Večný Život, pretože "Ty si dal svojho jednorodeného Syna, aby každý kto verí v Neho nezahynul, ale mal Večný Život." On keď chodil tu po zemi, nás učil: "Ten kto počuje moje slovo, a verí tomu, ktorý ma poslal, má Večný Život; a nepríde na súd, ale prešiel zo smrti do Života," pretože veríme v jednorodeného Syna Božieho. Ako Ti ďakujeme za tohoto veľkého Spasiteľa. A prosíme, dnes večer, aby nás tu spolu požehnal svojou veľkou prítomnosťou, keď budeme čítať Jeho Slovo a hovoriť o Ňom. Nech to Duch Svätý prenesie do každého srdca po celom národe, Pane, všade kde sa zhromaždili.
Požehnaj kazateľov, ktorí stoja za kazateľňou. Prosíme, Otče, aby si požehnal tento zbor "Grantway", ich pastora, jeho ženu, jeho deti, diakonov, starších, a celé vedenie. Otče, nech môžeme spoločne pracovať pre Kráľovstvo Božie, kým je dosť svetla aby sme videli kde ideme. Lebo prichádza hodina, keď nikto nebude môcť pracovať. A Otče, kým máme túto možnosť, nech môžeme vykupovať čas, Pane. Udeľ nám to. Uzdrav chorých a postihnutých po celej zemi.
8 Nech môžu dnes večer v každej špáre a v každom kúte, po celej zemi, cítiť prítomnosť Božiu. Uvedomujeme si, že nastáva súd. Zem sa prepadáva, a národ sa trasie, a zemetrasenia na rôznych miestach. Veľké historické veci, o ktorých sme počuli z Biblii, že sa diali v dávnych dňoch súdu - a vidíme, že sa to znovu dnes opakuje. Proroctvo hovorí: "Ako bolo vo dňoch Noeho, tak bude pri príchode Syna človeka. Ako bolo vo dňoch Lota, tak bude pri príchode Syna človeka." A vidíme, že sa to teraz deje. Ľudské srdcia zlyhávajú, je čas chaosu, strachu medzi národami: Bože, vieme, že sme v čase konca. Pomôž nám, Pane, aby sme zaniesli to posolstvo do každej špáry a do každého kúta, každému dieťaťu, ktoré si určil do života. Udeľ to Pane. Prosíme to v mene Ježiša. Amen.
Nech Pán teraz požehná čítanie Jeho Slova.
9 No, mnohí z vás sa radi dívate do Biblii, tam kde kazateľ číta, a ja chcem dnes večer čítať asi tri verše zo žalmu, zo 42. žalmu, aby sme tak mali text. A mám tu vypísané nejaké miesta Písma, a chcem sa na ne odvolať, ak môžem, keď budeme za ďalších niekoľko minút, hovoriť na túto tému. Žalm Dávidov ... Dávid písal žalmy. Kým si to nalistujete, mohol by som povedať toto. Mnoho ľudí hovorí: "Či sú žalmy inšpirované?" Samozrejme, že sú. Sú ... Všetko čo je v tejto Biblii je inšpirované. Či je to história, či sú to piesne - čokoľvek to je - je to inšpirované. Ježiš povedal: "Či ste nečítali, čo povedal Dávid v žalmoch?" A potom si myslím ... Žalmy sú vlastne piesne. A ak sú piesne inšpirované od Boha, a verím že sú, a tiež sú v nich proroctvá, potom dúfam, že sa nachádzam pred tým dňom, keď sa vyplní táto pieseň.
V tej milej, sladkej budúcnosti, stretnutie sa na povetrí, Tam vás stretnem a privítam v tom domove nad oblakmi; Takú pieseň smrteľník stále rád počúval. Bude to nádherné, hovorím vám. A sám Boží Syn bude tým vedúcim, v tom stretnutí na povetrí.
Ó, chcem tam vtedy byť.
10 Čítame 42. žalm.
Ako reve jeleň za potokmi vody, tak reve moja duša k tebe, ó, Bože.
Moja duša žízni túžbou po Bohu, po živom Bohu, a hovorí: Kedy už prijdem a ukážem sa pred tvárou Božou?
Lebo ta prišlo, že mi je moja slza chlebom vodne i v noci, keď mi hovoria každý deň: Kdeže je tvoj Boh?
11 Myslím, že Dávid, pri písaní tohoto žalmu, musel prežívať ťažkosti. A väčšinou, aby z človeka vyšlo to najlepšie, treba aby sa dostal do ťažkostí. To skutočne ... Vtedy Boh prichádza dole na ... mnohokrát, keď sa postíme, aby sme sa dostali do takého stavu, aby sme sa odstúpili z cesty. A myslím, že keď sa Dávid dostal do týchto situácií, potom začal premýšľať o Pánovi, začal o všetkom rozmýšľať.
12 Boh nás mnohokrát zaženie do tesných kútov, kde sa musíme dívať hore. Niekedy musíme dokonca ležať v nemocnici, alebo niekde na posteli, aby sme sa tak mohli pozerať hore, aby sme videli odkiaľ prichádzajú tie veľké požehnania Božie.
13 No, slovo o ktorom chcem dnes večer hovoriť, o jednom slove z Biblii, sa nachádza v tom druhom verši: "žíznivá túžba," slovo "Smäd," Díval som sa do slovníka. Keď som hľadal toto slovo, rozmýšľal som o jednom kázaní, ktoré som raz kázal, "Smäd po Živote." A tiež som to čerpal zo žalmov, kde myslím Dávid povedal: "Tvoje zákony sú mi vzácnejšie než život." Potom som sa díval, a rozmýšľal som o tom slove, "Smäd," a tak som to vyhľadal v slovníku, aby som vedel čo ono znamená. A tu je to, čo hovorí Webster: To je bolestná túžba, bolestné ... keď niečo až tak veľmi chcete, že sa vám to stane až bolestné.
14 No, byť smädný to nie je žiadna zvláštna vec. Smäd je prirodzená vec. To je proste niečo, čo nám dal Boh, aby sme mohli ... dal nám túžbu po niečom. Niečo ... Boh vám tiež dal kontrolnú vežu, niečo čo sa nachádza vo vás a kontroluje tieto rôzne túžby. A tento smäd, táto kontrolná veža, ktorá sa nachádza v ľudskom srdci, to je niečo čo dal človeku Boh, aby ho to upozorňovalo na túžby, ktoré sú pre neho nevyhnutné.
15 No, sú dva rôzne druhy smädu. Je telesný smäd a je tiež duchovný smäd. Rád by som znovu prečítal toto čo povedal Dávid: "Moja duša je žízni túžbou po Bohu, po živom Bohu." nie po historickom, alebo po ničom čo sa stalo pred niekoľkými rokmi, alebo po nejakej poviedke, ktorú niekto rozprával - ale po živom Bohu, po Bohu, ktorý je stále prítomný. A jeho duša túžila po tom Bohu, nie po niečom historickom.
16 Vidíme, že Boh vám dáva tú kontrolnú vežu, aby vám dal to, čo potrebujete. No tá kontrolná veža vo vás, to je to, čo vás usmerňuje. A táto túžba spúšťa túto kontrolnú vežu a hovorí vám, čo potrebujete. Keď hovoríme duchovne, kontrolná veža v tele, a tiež v duši ... Je kontrolná veža v tele, ktorá vám hovorí o potrebe, ktorú máte v tele. A to sa prejavuje tak, že máte smäd. A tiež je kontrolná veža vo vašej duši, ktorá vám hovorí o duchovných veciach, to čo potrebuje váš duch. A podľa toho môžete vidieť, aký druh života vo vás vládne. Keď môžete vidieť aké sú vaše túžby, potom podľa toho môžete poznať, akého druhu je to niečo vo vás, čo spôsobuje, že máte takúto túžbu. Vidíte, je určitá vec, po ktorej túžite v duši, a podľa toho môžete poznať, aká je toto túžba, podľa charakteru tej túžby, ktorú máte. Dúfam, že tomu rozumiete.
17 Jedna kontrolná veža je vo vašej duši a jedna v tele. A každá veža vysiela varovný signál, kvôli potrebám toho druhého. Každá jedna sa dovoláva svojej potreby, toho, čo signalizuje to volanie. Vysiela varovné vlny. Napríklad, telo je žiadostivé uspokojiť túžby, ktoré sú v tele; a duch túži po veciach, ktoré sú v ... a duša má túžbu. A mnohokrát oni bojujú jedna proti druhej.
18 Vidíme, že dnes je veľký problém v tom, že príliš veľa ľudí sa snaží žiť pomedzi týmito dvomi túžbami. Lebo jedny z nich sú túžby za vecami zeme, druhé sú túžby za vecami neba. Ako povedal Pavel, opisuje to v liste Rimanom 7:21, "Keď chcem robiť dobré, leží pri mne zlé." Keď sa snažíte - prežili ste niekedy niečo také, kresťania? - že keď sa snažíte robiť niečo, čo má nejakú cenu, keď sa snažíte urobiť niečo dobré, vtedy nachádzate, že na každom kroku je diabol, aby vám to prekazil. Všetko čo by ste ... A je jedna dobrá vec, ktorú ... Rád by som povedal toto, čo by kresťania mali vedieť: že keď idete niečo robiť, a stále sa vám to snaží niečo prekaziť, jednako to robte. To je tam diabol, ktorý sa vás snaží zadržať, aby ste nerobili to čo je správne.
19 No, často stretávam ľudí, ktorí začínajú byť trochu nervózni. Keď zistia, že sa snažia niečo robiť a všetko ich v tom z oboch strán blokuje, hovoria: "Možno že to nie je vôľa Pánova," vidíte? No, nenechajte aby vás diabol takto klamal. Prv treba zistiť či je to vôľa Božia, alebo nie. A potom ak chcete vedieť či je to vôľa Božia, pozrite sa do Biblii. Je niečo, čo vás napraví, a to je Slovo Božie. A potom, keď vidíte, že je v Božom Slove, že to máte robiť, ako napríklad, prosiť o krst Duchom Svätým ...
20 Mnohokrát som sa stretol s ľuďmi, ktorí hovoria: "No, prosil som o krst Duchom Svätým, a nemohol som ho prijať. Neverím, že je to pre mňa. Stále keď začnem o to prosiť, začne mi byť zle. A keď sa idem modliť ... keď sa postím, je mi zle. A keď sa snažím zostať celú noc, byť hore, som taký ospalý, že nedokážem stáť na nohách." Pamätaj, to je diabol, pretože Boh chce, aby si mal Ducha Svätého. To je pre kohokoľvek.
21 Častokrát zistíte, že keď ste sa modlili na zhromaždení, za božské uzdravenie, potom na druhý deň ste zistili, že diabol sa to istotne bude starať urobil dvakrát horším, ako to bolo deň predtým. Vidíte? Pamätajte, to je len Satan, ktorý sa vás snaží odviesť od požehnania, ktoré Boh pre vás vykonal. Vidíte? Nepočúvajte ho! Vidíte, tlačte sa stále ďalej.
22 Nedávno som mal také prežitie, na ceste do Afriky. Ak diabol na mňa niekedy tlačil, tak to bolo vtedy, keď som išiel teraz posledne do Afriky. A to bolo jedno z najlepších zhromaždení, a chvíľ, ktoré som mal kedy za morom. Mal som ... Verím, že za ten krátky čas, ktorý som tam bol, som dosiahol viac vecí, a pri tom nerátam poľovačku, než ako kedykoľvek.
23 Stále som si myslel, že tie cirkvi ma tam nechcú. A ukázalo sa ... Dostal som od niekoho dopis, ktorý bol ... och, že ma tam nechcú, celé to združenie; a ukázalo sa, že to bol jeden človek, a písal na dopisnom papieri s hlavičkou nejakej organizácie, hovoril: "My ťa nechceme." On myslel seba a svoju rodinu. Vidíte? Tak, keď som tam prišiel ... Vidíte? "My", to bol on a jeho rodina. To sa vôbec nejednalo o tých ľudí. Tak teraz, je tam otvorené pre nás veľké misijné pole. Vidíte, keď Pavel povedal: "Keď chcem robiť dobré, vtedy leží pri mne zlé."
24 Dnes večer niekoho obrátite, že príde niekde ku oltáru, tu v tejto modlitebni, alebo kdekoľvek v kraji. A pamätajte len zajtra, matka bude viac nahnevaná, než ako kedykoľvek, otec bude celý rozčúlený, a všetky deti a všetko bude rozhárané, pretože to je Satan, ktorý sa vás snaží vyviesť z rovnováhy. Snaží sa vás odviesť z cesty. "Keď chcem robiť dobre, vtedy stále leží nablízku zlé."
25 No, pozrime sa na tú túžbu, a vidzme či je to skutočne niečo prirodzené. Stretol som ľudí, ktorí mi povedali: "Och, ja som nikdy netúžil ... Verím, že to sa týka len niektorých ľudí, ktorí chcú byť kresťania." Ó, nie. To nie je pravda. To je skutočne niečo, čo je spojené s každou ľudskou bytosťou. To je skutočne pravda.
26 Keď sme na začiatku prišli do tejto krajiny, našli sme tu Indiánov. A Indiáni, hoci oni v tom čase boli pohania (uctievali slnko, alebo niečo), ale pokiaľ sú to ľudia, je v nich niečo, prirodzená túžba, ktorá volá nikde po Bohu.
27 Teraz nedávno, tam v džungliach, 480 míľ od najbližšej civilizácie, od malého mesta, ktoré má okolo tritisíc ľudí, Beria v Mozambiku, sme našli domorodcov, ktorí nikdy nevideli bieleho človeka. Uvidel som domorodé dievča, (nemalo ani šaty - skoro nikto z nich nenosí šaty) sedela na strome. Stopoval som leva a tam ... Počul som niečo, ako keď zakričí človek. Toto domorodé dievča sedelo tam hore, s vytreštenými očami, držala dieťa. A ona sa zľakla - to je jej jediná ochrana, vyliesť na strom, pred levom, leopardom, alebo niečím, alebo nejakým zvieraťom - a ona ma uvidela, a počula že to je človek. Ale keď sa pozrela a videla bieleho človeka ... ona nikdy v živote žiadneho nevidela, vidíte, a vyľakala sa na smrť. Vidíte?
28 Ale keď sme našli týchto ľudí, hoci tam žijú vo svojich primitívnych podmienkach, stále niečo uctievajú. Prv ako sme začali poľovať na leva, vyliali nejaké múčne jedlo (to čo jedia) na malý list a tlieskali rukami a vyvolávali ducha niekoho veľkého, nevedia kde, (niečo ako u katolíkov, svätý patrón, alebo niečo také) aby ich chránil, aby nezahynuli pri tom hone na toho leva. Vidíte, to je niečo prirodzené.
29 To nie je neprirodzená vec, túžiť po Bohu. To je prirodzené. To je proste niečo, čo máte robiť. Boh vás takto stvoril. To nie je žiadny super - človek; to je proste obyčajná ľudská bytosť. To nie je zvlášť len pre niektorých ľudí. Niektorí hovoria: "No, videl som niektorých ľudí, že žijú taký víťazný život, sú neustále na vrchu. Slávia Boha. Prajem si, aby som sa tak mohol cítiť." No, ty sa preto takto cítiš, že máš v sebe tú túžbu. A to je proste prirodzená vec. To je pre každého človeka, aby túžil po Bohu.
30 No, zoberme najprv nejakú telesnú túžbu. Zoberme, napríklad, túžbu po vode, ako tu povedal Dávid, túžil po vode. Túžba po vode - telo potrebuje vodu. A ak neuspokojíte túto túžbu, zahyniete. Vyschnete a nebudete žiť. Ak nemôžete obstarať vodu pre tú túžbu, aby ste uhasili ten smäd toho prirodzeného tela, zakrátko zahyniete. Nebudete dlho žiť.
31 Bez jedla dokážete vydržať dlhšie, ako bez vody. Pretože, postiť sa môžete štyridsať dní. Ježiš sa postil, myslím bez jedenia, ale bez vody to nedokážete dlho. Vy by ste jednoducho uschli a zomreli. Musíte mať vodu. A smäd, ktorý prichádza na vás, to ukazuje, že telo potrebuje niečo, čo ho drží pri živote. Telo musí mať vodu, aby ste zostali nažive. Vy ste aj tak okolo osemdesiat percent z vody a z ropy, a musíte čerpať do seba z týchto zdrojov, aby vás držali pri živote. Ako som povedal, ak to zanedbáte, zahyniete.
32 Ten smäd je tiež poplach. Je to poplašné zariadenie, tá túžba po vode. Duša zapína poplašné zariadenie, malú sirénu vo vnútri vás, ktorá vám hovorí, že smrť číha na blízku, že ak sa rýchlo nenapijete vody, musíte zomrieť. A je to hlasnejšie a hlasnejšie až nakoniec, keď to stále odkladáte nabok, zomriete. Pretože to je poplašné zariadenie.
33 Ako to Dávid opísal tu v žalmoch: "Ako reve jeleň za potokmi vody, tak moja duša k tebe, ó, Bože." Ako reve jeleň za potokom vody ... Často som rozmýšľal, keď som toto čítal, o Dávidovi. Dávid bol lesný muž, poľovník, a on poľoval na vysokú zver, samozrejme. A mnohí ... My teraz na ňu poľujeme. Jeleň to je vysoká zver.
34 A vidíme ... Ak ste niekedy videli psov, diví psi chytia jeleňa. A obyčajne oni majú, ako kojot, tesáky, a on môže chytiť toho jeleňa rovno za krk tu za ušami, a zvaliť ho. On rozsekne tomu jeleňovi hrdlo, a potom ten jeleň nemá žiadnu šancu.
35 Ale pes niekedy, ako tam v Afrike, ten divý pes uhryzne toho jeleňa do slabiny. Ak sa mu ho nepodarí chytiť za hrdlo, druhý krát skočí a uhryzne ho do slabiny. A ak je jeleň dosť silný, a dosť rýchly, môže toho psa striasť. Jeleň je oveľa rýchlejší. Pes ide po jeho stope, keď ho nevidí, a keď je vietor od neho, nevie že pes je blízko. A potom, keď ho ten divý pes chytí, ak je ozaj rýchly môže ho striasť.
36 Ale keď ten pes spadne z jeho boku, má plné ústa mäsa z toho jeleňa. Ó, keď sa mu niekedy zahryzne do krku, presekne mu ho blízko hlavnej žily a neprehryzne ju. A ten jeleň ho strasie, on mu vytrhne z hrdla kus mäsa. Potom začne krvácať. A ten pes pôjde za tým jeleňom po tej krvavej stope. A keď život toho jeleňa začína slabnúť - keď stráca čoraz viacej krvi, ktorá je prameňom života toho tela - jeleň sa stáva slabší. A potom ten pes, alebo vlk ho hneď dohoní.
37 No ak ten jeleň nemôže nájsť vodu ... No, voda má niečo v sebe, že keď ten jeleň pije vodu, ona zastaví to krvácanie. Ale ak sa nedostane ku vode, aby ho schladila, potom krv stále rýchlejšie vyteká, pretože on beží, srdce mu stále pumpuje. Ale keď sa dostane ku vode, ten jeleň bude žiť.
38 No, tu v tom je veľká lekcia (Vidíte?) a Dávid tu hovorí: "Ako reve jeleň za potokom vody, tak reve moja duša k tebe, ó, Bože." No ten jeleň vie, že ak nenájde vodu, je po ňom. Nemôže proste žiť. Mnohokrát som ich vystopoval. Keď boli ranené, keď narazí na prameň vody, prejde cezeň a napije sa, ide hore cez kopec, príde krížom dole, napije sa vody a ide. Nikdy ho nechytíte, keď pôjde popri tom prameni. Ale len čo opustí ten prameň, a ak nemôže nájsť niekde ďalší potok vody, hneď ho chytíte. A teraz, ten jeleň to vie, tak on zostane pri tej vode, kde hneď môže do nej vojsť.
39 No mohli by ste si predstaviť jeleňa, ako má zodvihnutý nos, bol pohryzený niekde, kde nebola voda. A on povedal: "Ako túži jeleň, či ako reve (to znamená že túži) za potokmi vody, tak moja duša túži po tebe, ó Bože. Ak ťa nenájdem, Pane, zahyniem. Nemôžem ísť ďalej, kým ťa nenájdem." A keď muž alebo žena, chlapec alebo dievča, dostane takúto túžbu po Bohu, vtedy niečo nájde. Vidíte?
40 Ale keď prídeme ku tomu, len na pol cestu: "No, kľaknem si a uvidím čo Pán urobí." Vidíte? Vy ešte nemáte skutočnú túžbu. To musí byť túžba medzi životom a smrťou. A potom sa niečo stane.
41 Ten jeleň tu tiež má ... Vidíme, že on má tiež iný zmysel, čuch, ktorý spustí v ňom poplach, keď je nablízku nepriateľ. On je obdarený, toto prosté stvorenie je obdarené zmyslom, ktorý ho chráni. A on má v sebe malé poplašné zariadenie, niečo malé čo ho pošteklí v nose, keď je nablízku nepriateľ. Môžete ísť po vetre, a on vie že ste tam, a je preč. Niekedy vás môže zacítiť až na pol míle a ujde preč. Alebo vlka alebo iné nebezpečenstvo, on je schopný to zavoňať, pretože on je tak stvorený. On je od prírody jeleň. A ten zmysel v ňom, to je len jeden zo zmyslov, ktoré mu dal Boh, aby pomocou nich mohol žiť.
42 A potom som rozmýšľal, a porovnával toho jeleňa s človekom, ktorý túži po Bohu ... Prv ako sa priblíži nepriateľ, dieťa Božie má niečo, keď ste sa raz narodili do Ducha Božieho, prijali ste krst Duchom Svätým, taký človek má niečo, že môže zacítiť nepriateľa. Môžete niekoho počuť, keď berie Písmo, a číta ho, a snaží sa tam niečo vtisnúť, čo nesúhlasí s Písmom: človek, ktorý je naplnený Duchom Svätým to môže hneď vycítiť. Niečo tam nepasuje. Keď príde na miesto, a ten malý, určitý zmysel, ktorý tam je, on ... On je nato, aby chránil tvoj život. Nikdy nemôžeš ísť za niečím, ak to nie je presne podľa Slova Božieho. Musíš stáť presne v Slove. A my sme s týmto zmyslom bezpeční, len keď sme v Duchu Svätom.
43 Môžete čítať, ako napríklad, niekto hovorí ...čítam v Markovi 16, a tam stojí: "A uverivších budú sprevádzať tieto znamenia: v mojom mene budú vyháňať démonov, budú hovoriť novými jazyky, alebo brať hadov, alebo piť niečo smrteľné a neuškodí im to; na chorých budú vzkladať ruky a budú sa mať dobre."
44 No, potom natrafíte na niekoho, kto príde a povie: "No, to bolo pre apoštolský vek." Ale hneď v chvíli, ak ste prijali Ducha Svätého, ak ste boli obdarení tým zmyslom - on vás upozorní, že niečo tam nesedí. Vidíte? Oni sa snažia vysvetliť, že to už neplatí, že to platilo na iný deň, že dnes tie veci už nepotrebuješ."
45 Ale Ježiš povedal: "Uverivších budú sprevádzať tieto znamenia." Vidíte? Niečo sa vo vás spustí, malá siréna, ktorá vám dáva vedieť, že to nie je pravda. A to je cesta smrti. Pretože Ježiš povedal, ak pridáme do tohoto jedno slovo, alebo odoberieme z toho jedno slovo, náš diel bude odňatý z knihy života. Vidíte? Ani jedno miesto písma - musíme to zobrať tak, ako je to napísané. A Boh striehne nad svojím Slovom, aby ho vyplnil. A my vieme, že to musí byť presne tak.
46 A tak, bez ohľadu na to, čo hovorí cirkev, čo ktokoľvek hovorí, ak ste sa narodili z Ducha Božieho, stali ste sa časťou Biblie. Boh povedal Ezechielovi (on bol prorok), On povedal: "Zober tento zvitok a zjedz ho." Potom prorok a ten zvitok sa stali časťou jeden druhého. A to je veriaci, keď prijíma Ducha Svätého. Duch Svätý napísal Bibliu. A Duch Boží je Slovom Božím. "Moje slová sú duch. Na počiatku bolo Slovo, a to Slovo bolo u Boha, a to Slovo bol Boh. A to Slovo sa stalo telom a prebývalo medzi nami." Židom 13:8: "On je ten istý včera, dnes i naveky." A keď ste časťou toho Slova, ó, nech potom príde niečo, čo je nezhodné s tým Slovom, hneď sa zapne tá malá siréna. Vidíte? Ona vás má varovať, že na ceste je smrť. Nemáte tam ísť.
47 A tiež sú ... Tieto túžby sú normálne. Pre kresťana je to normálne. U človeka je to normálne. A tiež je túžba po úspechu. Dnes, tak veľa ľudí ... Ako sa kvôli tejto túžbe učíme. Práve sme videli ako otvorili univerzitu. A ideme tam a ... Ľudia vynakladajú tisíce dolárov aby poslali svoje deti do školy a na univerzity, a akadémie, a tak ďalej, aby získali vzdelanie a mali v živote úspech, ako to hovoria.
48 Ale ... Nemám nič proti tomu. To je v poriadku. Ale podľa mňa, môžete mať všetky školy na svete, a pri tom stále nemať ten skutočný úspech. Je to tak. Pretože to vám tu len dočasne trochu uľahčí niektoré veci, a to je ... Ale keď zomriete, všetko zanecháte. A celá táto ekonómia, ktorú máme (Hovoril som to nedávno vo Phonixe, a znovu to hovorím), že celá táto moderná civilizácia, celý vzdelávací systém, celý vedecký systém, to všetko je nezhodné s Božím Slovom, a je proti Jeho vôli.
49 Civilizácia je úplne ... V tom svete, ktorý príde, nikdy nebude taká civilizácia ako táto. Toto je prevrátená civilizácia. Boh mal na zemi svoju prvú civilizáciu, keď vypovedal svoje slová, a oni priniesli, každé semeno svoj druh. A v tej civilizácii nebolo smrti, choroby, ani žiaľu. A teraz berieme veci, ktoré sú v tom vedeckom svete, ktoré tu boli dané, aby to držali spolu, a prevraciame to na niečo; a to prináša smrť. Ako atómová bomba - možno to nepoviem správne. Zoberú urán, rozštiepia ho na molekuly, a molekuly štiepia na atómy. Čo to potom robí? To takmer úplne ničí, proste ničí.
50 Všetko čo robíme ... Berieme medicínu, dávame tento vzorec s týmto vzorcom, aby sme vyliečili toto, a dajú to do nás. A čo robíme? škodíme niečomu inému. No, myslím, že ste čítali minulý Reader Digest, tam je povedané, že v tomto veku, v ktorom teraz žijeme, že mladí muži, alebo ženy dosahujú svoj stredný vek medzi dvadsiatym a dvadsiatym piatym rokom života. Len si to predstavte! Dievčatá sú v prechodoch, keď majú dvadsať, dvadsať dva a dvadsať tri rokov. To je stredný vek!
51 Vidíte, čo to robí? To je táto skrížená potrava a všetko čo jeme. Vidíte? To je surovina, potrava, a život ktorý žijeme. Vedci nám to priniesli, a tým vás zabíjajú. Bol som v Afrike, kde som videl tých chlapcov, ktorí v živote nejedli lieky. Jedia mäso, v ktorom sú červíky. Pijú vodu z kaluži, ktorá vyzerá, že by zabila vola. A ja som strieľal do terča na dvesto yardov, a nemohol som to vidieť ďalekohľadom 7x50. A stál tam muž v mojom veku a hovoril mi kde som strelil, holým okom. No, ak všetká táto moderná kultúra urobila niečo ... Myslím, keby som mal jeho oči a žalúdok, bol by som naozaj riadny chlap. Tak veru! Ale tu to máte.
Vidíte, to je to čo veda, vzdelanie a civilizácia ... Zničilo nás to. Ničíme sami seba. Začalo to v záhrade Eden a trvá to až do dnes. Ale túžba po úspechu ...
52 Potom máme túžbu po obecenstve. Ideme ... chceme mať obecenstvo. To je ako mladý muž a mladá žena. No to nie je nevyhnutné, či nie, chcel som povedať, nič neobyčajné pre mladého muža a mladú ženu, že sa navzájom milujú. To je túžba po láske. To je ich vek. A oni milujú jeden druhého, a to nie je nič neobyčajné. To je u nich prostá, prirodzená vec.
53 No v živote, v ktorom žijeme, v tomto prirodzenom tele, nachádzame veľa vecí, po ktorých túžime. To je proste niečo v nás nastavené, že to chceme robiť. Jasne cítime, že je to potrebné, a potrebujeme to robiť. Vidíme, že mnoho žien v týchto dňoch túži po kráse. No, nieto žena ... Pre ženu je to prirodzená vec, že túži byť pekná. To je jej Bohom daný inštinkt, a jej krása, ktorú jej Boh dáva pre jej partnera. A teraz vidíme, že ženy chcú také byť. Prečo je to tak? To je preto, že to je niečo, čo jej Boh dal. To nie je zlé, že ženy sú pekné. Majú byť.
54 A viete, že oni sú jediným stvorením, kde ženské pohlavie je krajšie ako mužské? To je v ľudskej rase. Všetky ostatné zvieratá - zoberte kravu a býka, laň a jeleňa, sliepku a kohúta, vtáka samičku a samca - stále vidíte, že samec je väčší a krajší. Ale v ľudskej rase, (to ukazuje odkiaľ prišiel úpadok) to je naopak. A to sú ženy. Tak, oni sú pekné. A oni chcú byť pekné.
Nie ako niektoré tieto podivné stvorenia, ktoré vidíme dnes na ulici. Nie, nie! Nie taký druh krásy, nie! To je najstrašnejšia vec akú som kedy v živote videl. Tak veru! To je prevrátenosť. To je prevrátenie tej skutočnej túžby.
55 No skutočná túžba, ktorú žena má mať, je, že sa bude ozdobovať v rúchu zdobnom a slušnom, a má mať Kristovho ducha, 1. Timotejovi 2:9. No to je to, po čom má žena túžiť. No, ak chceš byť pekná, toto je to, čo ťa urobí peknou. Vidíš? To je Kristov duch, a ozdobená v slušnom rúchu.
56 Ó, dnes niektorých z týchto ľudí na ulici nedokážete rozoznať, či je to muž alebo žena. A to je najhroznejšia vec, akú môžete vidieť, keď ... Nikdy som nevidel nič také, ako ľudí. To sa nesluší na človeka ... takto namaľované oči, a viete, tie smiešne zelené oči, a všetky tie smiešne oblečenia. A, aha, to ani ... Všetko tak z formy, že ani nevyzerajú ako ľudia. A niektorí tu vonku z tých chlapcov, majú dole sčesané vlasy, a tu v predu s natáčkami od sestry, viete - aha, to je úplná prevrátenosť! Je to tak!
57 To je Satan, a Satan všetko prevracia. Keď to Boh všetko stvoril, v záhrade Eden, bolo to nádherné. Potom tam prišiel Satan a prevrátil to. Satan nič nemôže stvoriť. Je len jeden stvoriteľ: to je Boh. Ale Satan prevracia originálne stvorenie. A teraz prišiel ku tomu, chcem o tom dnes večer hovoriť, že prevracia tú originálnu, stvorenú túžbu.
58 No žena, ako som už povedal, chce byť pekná. Je v nej niečo, že má ženskosť. A chce byť taká. Ale také, aké sú dnes na ulici, s ostrihanými vlasmi, ako muž, nosia mužské oblečenie; a potom sa muži obracajú, a nosia ženskú bielizeň, a vlasy ako ženy. Vidíte, to je prevrátenosť. Všetko. Vaša strava je prevrátená, váš život je prevrátený, váš smäd je prevrátený, vaša túžba je prevrátená - to je čas prevrátenosti.
59 Hovoril som tu nedávno na tému Satanov Eden. Boh potreboval šesť tisíc rokov a utvoril dokonalý Eden. Prišiel Satan a postriekal tie semená, a z deformoval ich. Teraz jemu trvalo šesť tisíc rokov, a postavil svoj vlastný vedecký Eden, znovu, prevracaním toho pravého. A toto je vek kríženia, kríženia. Dnes ešte aj cirkvi doviedli do takého stavu, že ich skrížili. Je to tak.
60 Je tak, že ľudia len chodia do cirkvi. To je klub, a nie cirkev. Cirkev je miesto, kde sa ľudia spolu schádzajú a uctievajú Boha v du- chu a v pravde. A dnes je to klub. Ideme tam a prežijeme tam chvíle, kde si potrasieme ruky, a máme obecenstvo, pri nejakej čiernej káve v zadu v tej budove, a potom ideme domov a o týždeň zase. Splnili sme si svoju náboženskú povinnosť. Toto je prevrátený vek. A Satan prevracia tieto túžby, ktoré Boh do vás vložil. Satan ich prevracia.
61 No ak chcete poznať tú ozajstnú prevrátenosť, ak ... ženy chcú byť pekné, zoberte 1. Timotejovi 2:9. To je tam, ozdobovať sa v rúchu slušnom, s Kristovým duchom, v pokore, poddané svojim mužom, a tak ďalej. Takto sa máte ozdobovať, životom, ktorým žijete. On prevracia tú skutočnú Božiu povahu, a skutočnú túžbu, ktorú vám dal Boh pre telo a dušu, skrze žiadostivosť po hriechu, hriechom, prevrátenosťou.
62 No, dnes vidíme, že ľudia, ako sú zasiahnutí tou prevrátenosťou - túžba po Bohu, túžba byť pekná, a všetky tieto túžby, smäd - oni to prevrátili a uspokojujú to alkoholom. Túžba po radosti ... každý sa chce radovať. Túžba po obecenstve, všetky tieto veľké túžby, ktoré Boh do nás vložil, aby sme mohli túžiť po Ňom. Boh vás stvoril, aby ste túžili po Ňom. A my sa to snažíme uspokojiť nejakou inou túžbou, nejakou prevrátenosťou tej pravej túžby. Vidíte, ako je to v tom telesnom? Vidíte, ako je to v tom duchovnom? Myslíme si, že keď chodíme do cirkvi, že to stačí, že to je všetko čo musíme robiť. Ale to je úplne zle. Nie, Boh chce aby ste túžili po Ňom. Ako reve jeleň po potoku vody, tak túži moja duša po tebe, ó, Bože. Vidíte?
No, keby ten jeleň reval za potokom vody, čo ak by niekto prišiel (nejaký jeho, kamarát by prišiel) a povedal: "Hej, ja ti poviem čo by som urobil. Viem kde je tu neďaleko jama s bahnom." Ale ten jeleň by to nechcel. To by mu nepomohlo.
63 A nič nemôže uspokojiť tú túžbu, ktorá je v človeku, až kým tam nevstúpi Boh. On to musí mať, inak zomrie. A nikto nemá právo snažiť sa uhasiť, alebo uspokojiť tú svätú túžbu, ktorá je v človeku, vecami tohoto sveta. Nie veru! Také niečo, to je bezbožnosť. A ak túžite po Bohu, nepotriasajte si ruky s kazateľom, a nezapisujte sa do knihy. Ak túžite po Bohu, je len jedna vec, ktorá to uspokojí: a to stretnúť Boha. Ak túžite po Bohu, to je to jediné, že Ho môžete stretnúť, aby ste to uspokojili. A potom tu je tiež veľké nebezpečenstvo, ak nedávate pozor čo vtedy robíte. Ak túžite po Bohu, buďte si istí, že to je Boh, ktorého ste našli. Rozumiete? Buďte si istí ... že vaša túžba je uspokojená.
64 Ale ak bol Satan schopný prevrátiť vašu chuť pri týchto prirodzených veciach - a to on bude robiť, ak bude môcť - on sa proste bude snažiť, aby ste sa cítili spokojní. Človek vyjde ... Prečo začne človek piť? Preto že sa trápi a je nevyrovnaný. Niečo mu chýba. Bol som tu nedávno na klinike Mayo. A mal som tam rozhovor. A tam vraveli, že ... hovorili o pití. A ja som im povedal, že môj otec pil. Povedali: "Prečo pil?"
Povedal som: "Neviem."
On povedal: "Preto, že niečo ho ... niečo ho trápilo, a on si myslel, že bude piť, aby na to zabudol."
65 Hneď som to pochopil. Vidíte? Jedine Boh môže uspokojiť tú túžbu. Jedine Boh je ... Jediné, čo môže uspokojiť tú ľudskú túžbu, je prijať Boha. No, Satan berie tieto veci, ako som povedal, a prevracia ich. Potom, ak ste ... ak nedáte tú túžbu na správne miesto vo svojom živote, a nebudete túžiť a brať tie veci, ktoré Boh pripravil, aby nimi uspokojil tú túžbu, uhasil ju, potom vás Satan bude viesť ku niektorému svojmu smradľavému bahnu tohoto sveta.
66 Niekde to musíte mať. Ak by ste nemohli nájsť potravu, jedli by ste z odpadového koša. Vidíte? A keby ste nemohli nájsť vodu a zomierali by ste, napili by ste sa z akejkoľvek mláky, pretože hyniete. Ale keď túžite po Bohu, nieto na to dôvod, pretože Boh je živým Bohom - nie niečo historické. Moja duša túži po Tebe, po živom Bohu, po niečom, čo dáva živú vodu, po niečom, čo uspokojuje.
67 To je iná povaha, prirodzená, proste prirodzená túžba, ktorá je v duši. Vy možno poviete: "Brat Branham, tá túžba v duši, je to normálne?" Áno, to je normálne, že v duši je túžba, a ona ... Boh vás takto urobil, aby ste túžili po Ňom. On chce, aby ste po Ňom túžili.
68 No, Boh vás takto stvoril. On vás nemusel takto stvoriť, ale On to urobil. A keby vás nebol takto stvoril, aby ste túžili, potom by ste na súde mali výhovorku, povedali by ste: "Nikdy som netúžil po Bohu." Ale nemôžete sa vyhovoriť. Túžite. Nejako to prejavíte. Môžete zbožňovať svoju ženu, môžete zbožňovať svoje auto, môžete zbožňovať niečo iné, môžete chodiť do zboru a snažiť sa to uspokojiť. A ja nemám nič proti chodeniu do zboru, ale to nie je uspokojenie. To je nájsť Boha, živého Boha, Boha nebies pre svoju dušu, ktorý uspokojuje ten smäd a túžbu, po čom túžite. Lebo On vás tak stvoril, aby ste po Ňom túžili, po obecenstve s Ním.
69 No, existuje skutočná túžba po obecenstve. Radi sa stretávame jeden s druhým. Robíme to dnes večer. Stretli sme sa tu dnes večer, pretože máme radi obecenstvo, jeden s druhým. Prečo to robíme? Pretože je v nás niečo, že sa chceme jeden s druhým stretnúť. To je celkom normálne. A teraz, my sa tu schádzame pri spoločnej veci. A to preto, že všetci túžime po Bohu. Vidíte?
70 A potom sa tu pravidelne schádzame pri tejto spoločnej veci, a máme obecenstvo. Dnes večer tu môže byť mnoho rôznych denominačných pohľadov, a tak ďalej. Ale keď sa jedná o tú túžbu, môžeme si rozumieť: v tom jednom, že všetci máme túžbu. Niekto môže veriť v pofŕkanie, niekto v krst, a niekto v poliatie, a tak ďalej. Ale čo sa týka tej túžby po Bohu, prichádzame na jednu spoločnú pôdu. A Boh nás tak stvoril, že budeme toto robiť, túžiť po Ňom a po obecenstve s Ním.
71 Nepoznám nič ... Keď som bol malý chlapec, pamätám sa, bol som vychovaný vo veľmi biednej rodine. A pamätám sa, mnohokrát som chodil von s kamarátmi. Nemohol som sa obliecť tak, aby som mohol ísť na nejaké slušné miesto. Ale neviem ... Je niečo, že som mal rád ľudí. Rád som s nimi išiel, ale bol som viac menej niečo ako čierna ovca. A keď som dožil spasenie, a našiel to niečo vo mne po čom som túžil, po priateľovi - po niekom, kto mi bude kamarát, komu by som mohol veriť, s kým si môžeš sadnúť a porozprávať mu svoje problémy ... A keď som našiel to skutočné, opravdové uspoko- jenie, keď som našiel Ježiša Krista, tohoto skutočného, pravého uspokojiteľa, ktorý odníma všetky ... hasí všetok smäd a dáva vám niečo, čo ... proste vyzerá to tak, že nič ho nemôže nahradiť.
72 A teraz, ako sa Satan snaží prevrátiť toto, čo uspokojuje dušu, ten smäd, ktorý je v duši. On sa vám snaží dať všetko možné, aby to uspokojil. A on je tak plný klamstva, v týchto prevrátených dňoch. Toto je prevrátený svet. Prevrátená rasa. Prevrátení ľudia. Všetko je prevrátené. A to prevrátenie postupne narastalo, až sa toto stal vek najviac presiaknutý klamstvom, v ktorom my, a všetci ľudia kedykoľvek žili. Je v ňom viac klamstva, než ako kedykoľvek. Nedokážete si ani predstaviť ako je tento národ klamaný, a to našimi vlastnými bratmi, Američanmi.
73 Hovoril som nedávno ... Pred pár týždňami som bol v lesoch, a našiel som ležať v lese krabičku z cigariet. A bolo na nej napísané: "Filter rozumného človeka." A pochodil som po tých lesoch a vrátil som sa - stále som o tom rozmýšľal: "Filter rozumného človeka a chuť fajčiara." No, pred pár rokmi som bol na svetovej výstave. Pamätám sa, Yul Brinner, a všetci ostatní, a robili tam ukážku s cigaretami; a zobrali ten dym a dali ho na kúsok mramoru, a zobrali hrot a zoškrabali z toho ten nikotín a dali to potkanovi na chrbát. Za sedem dní bol tak napadnutý rakovinou, že sa nemohol postaviť na nohy. Vidíte? Z jednej cigarety.
74 A potom ukazovali, ako to, keď to ide človeku do pľúc ... Niektorí z nich hovoria: "Ja to nevdychujem. Ja to ťahám len do úst." Ukazovali, ako sa to dostáva do slín, a tak isto to vchádza do vás, do hrdla. Vidíte? A potom ten človek povedal: "Viete, tak veľa sa hovorí o filtroch." Povedal: "No, ak máte žiadosť (to je túžba, viete), žiadosť fajčiť, jedna obyčajná cigareta môže naraz uspokojiť tú žiadosť. Ale ak máte filter, treba na to uspokojenie štyri cigarety," povedal, "pretože z nej dostanete len štvrtinu dymu." A povedal: "Chuť fajčiara, vidíte; nemôžete fajčiť bez vťahovania dechtu, a keď vťahujete decht, vťahujete rakovinu." Tak tu to máte. Vidíte? To je len trik.
75 Mám na mysli tabákovú spoločnosť, ktorá je v tomto národe, a žije z tohoto národa. A potom, prichádza s takýmto trikom, aby celkom zviedla Američanov - aby ich zviedla! Filter rozumného človeka? To je len trik, ako predať viacej cigariet. Potom som o tom rozmýšľal, filter rozumného človeka. Pomyslel som si: "To je dobrá myšlienka." Áno, existuje filter rozumného človeka - to je táto Biblia. Rozumný človek zoberie tento Filter. On vyprodukuje chuť spravodlivého muža. Vidíte?
76 Nemôžete pretiahnuť hriech cez strany tejto Biblie. Nie, ona ho zastaví. Ona ho vyfiltruje. Môžete chodiť do zboru, a robiť všetko možné. Ale nemôžete prejsť cez túto Bibliu, a hrešiť. Ona to neprepustí. Ona vyfiltruje všetok hriech. A dá vám chuť svätého muža. Pretože, ak je ten človek rozumný, chce byť svätý, chce byť ako Boh, chce byť synom alebo dcérou Božou, potom chce ten správny druh filtra. Takto on zastaví všetok hriech na tejto strane Biblii, a z Biblii môže dostať len Ducha Svätého, ktorý Bibliu napísal. To je chuť svätého muža, mať tento Filter rozumného človeka.
77 No, vidíme ako sa dnes klame. V ev. Matúša 24:24, Ježiš povedal, že v tých posledných dňoch, tie dva duchy budú také podobné, že by to zviedlo aj vyvolených, keby to bolo možné. Aké blízke, aké - aký podvod, že ľudia dnes nevedia čo je dobré a čo zlé, ešte i v našej vláde, v našej politike. Nemáme ani človeka, ktorého by sme mohli postaviť ako politika, ktorý by sa jasne postavil za tým, čo myslí že je správne. Kde sú dnes takí, ako bol Patrick Henry, a George Washington a Abrahám Lincoln? Ako to tam povedal náš prezident ... Ak chcú komunizmus, môžu ho mať - čokoľvek ľudia chcú. Keď nieto človeka ... ktorý bude stáť za svojím presvedčením. Človek, ktorý bude stáť na princípoch, ktorý bude stáť na tom, čo je ... čo ... na princípe. Chcú ísť cestou najmenšieho odporu ...
78 A takto postupujú ľudia v cirkvi. Oni chcú prísť a vstúpiť do cirkvi, a hovoria: "Ó, no, to ... to je to. Teraz som vstúpil do cirkvi." Snažíte sa uspokojiť tú veľkú svätú túžbu, ktorú Boh do vás vložil ... Tá kontrolná veža sa vás snaží otočiť tým správnym smerom, a vy sa to snažíte uspokojiť vstúpením do cirkvi, odriekaním vyznania, alebo niečím takým; a pritom to nemôže vo vašom živote uspokojiť nič, jedine samotná prítomnosť a naplnenie ... Sám Boh.
79 On sa neuspokojí nejakým vyznaním. Z Biblii nevytiahnete žiadne vyznanie. Nie, ani to, tak zvané Apoštolské, z nej nevytiahnete. Ukážte mi v Biblii, kde ... Apoštolské vyznanie hovorí: "Verím v svätú rímsko katolícku cirkev. Verím v svätých obcovanie," keď Biblia povedala, že je len jeden prostredník medzi Bohom a človekom, a to je človek Kristus Ježiš. Cez Bibliu s tým nikdy neprejdete.
80 Cez Božie Slovo nikdy neprejdete so všetkými týmito tancami, a šortkami, a s tým čo dnes ľudia robia, s týmto tvistom a Watusi, a so všetkým týmto! Cez túto Bibliu nikdy neprejdete s týmto moderným, civilizačným trendom! To je proti nej. Vidíte?
81 A vy sa snažíte uspokojiť túto túžbu. Ale vidíte, to bude ... jedine táto Biblia uspokojí chuť spravodlivého muža, alebo ženy - tento Duch Svätý, z ktorého sa oni vysmievali, a povedali: "Vy ste stratili rozum." Ale to uspokojuje tú túžbu, to niečo, o čom svet nič nevie.
82 Oni sa odvrátili od pravého krstu Duchom Svätým, a od Slova Božieho, do čoho? Do bahna - do cirkevného bahna plného dogiem a vyznaní, a denominačných rozdielov, a tak ďalej. Opýtate sa: "Si kresťan?"
"Ja som metodista."
"Ja som baptista."
"Ja som presbyterián."
To pre Boha nič neznamená, vôbec nič. Z Božej Biblii nemôžete vytiahnuť tieto veci. A vy sa snažíte uspokojiť tú svätú túžbu, ktorú vám dal Boh, a to, aby ste túžili po Ňom. Je to tak?
83 No, viete že Dávid tu povedal: "Po živom Bohu." No, na počiatku bolo Slovo, a to Slovo bolo u Boha, a to Slovo bol Boh; a to Slovo sa stalo telom a prebývalo medzi nami. Tak potom vás nič nemôže uspokojiť, okrem tohoto Slova, ktoré je Bohom, ktoré vo vás ožíva. Potom vidíte Boha, Jeho samého, ako vyplňuje zasľúbenia, ktoré dal v tejto Biblii.
84 No, máme rôznych takých, ktorí vykladajú Bibliu. Jedna cirkev ju vykladá takto, druhá ju vykladá tak, a iná ju vykladá zase inak. Niektorí z nej prijímajú len malú časť; Niektorí prijímajú len niečo tu a tam. Ale Boh je svojím vlastným vykladačom. Keď On dá zasľúbenie a vypĺňa ho, to je výklad. Keď som vám sľúbil, že tu dnes večer budem, a keď som tu - to je vyplnenie môjho sľubu. Keď vám poviem, že sa ráno s vami stretnem, a keď som tu - to je môj sľub. Nie je potrebné robiť okolo toho žiadne výhovorky. Ja tam musím byť. A keď Boh dá zasľúbenie, a potom príde a vyplňuje to zasľúbenie - to je výklad toho zasľúbenia. Vyzývam každého, aby zobral Boha za jeho Slovo, a potom uvidí, že každé slovo v tej Biblii je pravda. Je to tak!
85 To je to, čo chce tam tá túžba. Vy hovoríte: "Keby som ja bol žil vo dňoch Ježiša, ja by som urobil tak a tak." No veď žiješ v jeho dňoch. Čo s týmto robíme? Čo robíme? Vy hovoríte: "No ..." Čo ste urobili? Možno to, čo urobili farizejovia. Oni patrili do cirkvi, a zapreli Ježiša Krista.
86 Dnes sa stále hovorí, ľudia sa snažia hovoriť: "My porovnávame, musíme porovnávať jednu stranu Biblii s druhou, písmo s písmom."
To nie je pravda. Nie, to nie je pravda. "Toto Grécke slovo znamená toto, a toto znamená to." Samotní Gréci, dávno na Nicejskom koncile, a tí pisatelia tam v tedy, oni mali rôzny štýl. Jeden to veril takto, tento Grécky učenec chcel povedať toto, a druhý povedal, že tento tým chcel povedať toto. A oni sa o tom hádali. My nepotrebujeme výklady Gréckych učencov, alebo Gréckych slov. Poznať Ho, to je život, osoba Krista, On sám; nie porovnávanie.
87 To je zjavenie, na ktorom Boh stavia svoju cirkev. A ak nestaviame cirkev na tom istom ... Biblia hovorí, že: "Ábel skrze vieru ..." a viera je zjavenie od Boha, vidíte. Viera je zjavenie od Boha. Tak všetko toto je potom postavené na zjavení. A až kým ti to nie je zjavené ... Ježiš povedal: "Ďakujem Ti, Otče, že si skryl tieto veci pred múdrymi tohoto sveta, a zjavil si ich nemluvňatám, takým ktorí sa budú učiť." Vidíte? No, celá vec je založená na tom. Vy musíte poznať tú osobu, a nemôžete sa uspokojiť vstúpením do cirkvi. Musíte nájsť tú osobu, Boha Samého, a to je Slovo, ktoré On sám dnes vykladá: zasľúbenia, ktoré On dnes vyplnil; ľudia, o ktorých On povedal, že ich dnes bude mať. Cirkev bez vrásky a bez poškvrny. To nepredstavuje denomináciu, to predstavuje osoby, jednotlivých ľudí, bez vrásky a bez poškvrny. "Dvaja budú na posteli, jedného vezmem a druhého zanechám; dvaja budú na poli, jedného vezmem a druhého zanechám."
88 Ale keď Boh, tá svätá túžba, byť ako On ... A potom vidíte, že jeho Slovo je vo vás, potvrdzuje sa, že ste Boží sluha. Čokoľvek Boh hovorí, pozorujete presne na to. Potom prechádzate tým správnym, procesom, aby ste uspokojili tú svätú túžbu, ktorú máte v sebe. Ó, samozrejme, ľudia sa z vás budú smiať, a hovoriť že ste stratili rozum, že ste sa zbláznili. Ale pamätajte z čoho oni pijú. Vidíte? Pozrite kde stoja. Môžete si predstaviť veľkú artézsku studňu, ktorá tryská dobrú vodu, a niekoho dole tam pri tých jamách, ktoré sú plné mŕtvych žiab a vyznaní a všetkého možného, ako tam z nich pije, a díva sa na teba a robí si z teba žarty? On nepozná ten prameň, ktorý hasí smäd, z ktorého ty žiješ. Je to presne tak.
89 My máme živého Boha, nie takého, ktorý zomrel pred tisíc deväťsto rokmi a zostal v hrobe, ale takého, ktorý znovu vstal z mŕtvych. Židom 13:8 hovorí, že On je ten istý včera, dnes i naveky. Ten istý Duch Svätý, ktorý spadol v deň letníc, je ten istý Duch Svätý, ktorý je tu teraz. On je tou uspokojujúcou porciou, pretože On je Slovo. Je to tak. Duch Svätý napísal Slovo. On vykladá Slovo. Biblia hovorí v druhom liste Petra, že Duch Svätý napísal Bibliu. Dávni muži, pudení a vedení Duchom Svätým, napísali Bibliu. No, vy to nemôžete. Nemôžete uspokojiť tú svätú túžbu ničím iným, než Samým Bohom, keď žije vo vás, v osobe Ducha Svätého. Vzdelanie, kultúra, vstupovať do cirkví, recitovať vyznania, patriť do nejakého obecenstva, toto všetko je veľmi dobré. Ale to ani trochu nezastaví to sväté utíšenie - či vlastne tú svätú túžbu - neutíši tú svätú túžbu.
90 Raz večer som počúval Billy Grahama, toho veľkého evanjelistu. A poviem vám, teraz sa za neho modlím viac, než kedykoľvek, keď som ho videl ako im to odsudzuje, to čo robili. Povedal skupina duchovných išla po ulici, tí s tými goliermi, išli tam kde nemali čo hľadať, strkali niekde nos. Ale oni išli po ulici a tlieskali rukami a klepkali nohami. Vyzerali ako nedôstojní fanatici. No, viete, ale oni mali niečo, čomu verili. Oni mali niečo, čo vzrušilo ich dušu. Oni stretli niečo čo ich vzrušilo. Nejaká žena išla a strčila tam niekde hlavu, a oni si mysleli, že to bola mučeníčka. A ona sa nestarala o to aby ňou bola.
91 No, vidíme že títo ľudia mali niečo, kvôli čomu mohli tlieskať. Oni boli šťastní. Oni niečo robili. No, ak to tu môžete robiť ako princíp, že si myslíte, že to je správne, a potom ste niekde v cirkvi a niekto by zatlieskal alebo poklepal nohou, diakoni by ich vyviedli von. Vidíte? Oni obrátili svojich ľudí do špinavého bahna vyznania a denominácie, namiesto toho aby ich kŕmili tým požehnaným, svätým Slovom Božím, ktoré je roznášané mocou vzkriesenia Ježiša Krista.
92 Vidíte, oni sa snažia ... oni hasia svoju túžbu tým, že hovoria: "Ja som doktor, taký a taký," alebo vyštudujú nejaký seminár, alebo nejakú školu. Ale to nič neznamená, vôbec nič. Ale vidíte, oni sa sami snažia uspokojiť. Hovoria: "Boh ma prijme, pretože ja som jeho pastor. Boh ma prijme, pretože ja som svätý otec, taký a taký, alebo biskup, taký a taký," alebo niečo také. Oni sa tam snažia uspokojiť svoju túžbu, a to nemôžete. "Ja mám titul Ph.D, LL.D, ja mám titul bakalár umenia, ja mám toto ..." To je v poriadku, ale podľa mňa to len znamená, že ste o toľko ďalej od Boha. Je to tak, o toľko ďalej od Boha, po celý čas.
93 Boha poznáte jedine skrze prežitie. Vzdelaním toto do seba nedostanete; to sa vo vás narodí. To je niečo, čo vám dáva Boh. Vzdelanie s tým nemám nič spoločného. Jeden z najväčších mužov v Biblii sa nevedel ani podpísať: sv. Peter. Presne tak, on a Ján. Biblia hovorí, že obidvaja boli neučení a prostí. Ale Ježišovi sa zaľúbilo dať mu kľúče kráľovstva, pretože on túžil po Bohu. Amen! Túžil po Bohu. Po obecenstve, tak veru! Ó.
94 Myslím na Izaiáša, toho mladého muža, ó, fajn, mladý človek. On bol jedného dňa tam v chráme. Ten veľký kráľ ... A on obrátil ku nemu svoju tvár, a myslel si, že on je jeden z najväčších ľudí, a on bol veľký človek. On bol vychovaný, mal dobrých rodičov, dobrú matku a otca. Keď vystúpil, jeho politika bola čistá, a robil veci podľa Božej vôli. A Izaiáš sa na neho díval, a myslel si, že on je veľký človek, zobral si ho za vzor. Ale nikdy si neberte za vzor žiadneho človeka, okrem človeka Krista Ježiša. Všetci ľudia sklamú. Po nejakom čase prišiel ku tomu ... On bol kráľ, ale sa snažil zaujať miesto kňaza, a vošiel do chrámu. A bol ranený malomocenstvom.
95 Potom bol Izaiáš celý utrápený. Tak išiel do chrámu a začal sa modliť. Myslel si že tam pôjde a bude sa nejaký čas modliť. A teraz sa pozrite. Ten muž bol prorok. Ale tam dole v chráme bol mladý muž. On jedného dňa kričal ku Bohu a prišlo pred neho videnie. A keď sa to stalo, on videl anjelov, cherubínov, ako mali prikryté tváre svojimi krídlami, a prikryté nohy, a dvoma krídlami lietali. A oni lietali tam a späť, hore dole, po chráme a volali: "Svätý, svätý, svätý je Pán Boh Všemohúci."
96 A Izaiáš, tá veľká túžba, ktorú on mal ... On bol možno vyučený. On mal pravdepodobne dobré vzdelanie. On mal ohromné predstavy o tom, aký Boh má byť. On počúval kňazov. On bol v chráme. On bol vychovaný ako veriaci. Ale vidíte, on ešte nikdy predtým neprišiel ku tomu tvárou v tvár. Vidíte? On mal túžbu robiť dobre. On chcel byť dobrý, ale on to poznal len zo strany vzdelania. On poznal len tú teologickú stranu.
97 Ale keď v ten deň prišiel do chrámu a videl týchto cherubínov ako mávali týmito krídlami tam a naspäť, a uvedomil si, že títo anjeli slúžia pred tvárou Božou, a tí anjeli ani nevedeli, čo to je hriech. A aby mohli stáť v prítomnosti Božej museli zakrývať svoje sväté tváre, aby mohli stáť v prítomnosti Božej. Vtedy ten prorok zvolal: "Beda mi, lebo som človek nečistých rtov. Celá moja teológia a všetko čo som sa naučil, všetky moje ohromné predstavy, ktoré som mal o Bohu ... teraz stojím pred tým tvárou v tvár." On povedal: "Som človek nečistých rtov, a bývam medzi ľuďmi nečistých rtov."
98 Všetko ich učenie zákonov, a vecí ktoré narobili, nikdy nedosiahli to miesto, kde on prišiel do prítomnosti Božej; a na svoje vlastné oči videl Boha, a jeho rúcho, keď on sedel vysoko na nebesiach. A on stál tvárou v tvár skutočnosti. A on zvolal: "Som človek nečistých rtov, a bývam medzi nečistými ľuďmi." A potom sa stalo, že cherubín zobral kliešte, a zobral uhlie z oltára, a dotkol sa tých nečistých rtov; a premenil ho zo zbabelca, alebo zo vzdelaného muža, učiteľa, na proroka, cez ktorého mohlo byť hovorené slovo Božie. Skutočne, keď bol v prítomnosti Božej, to bolo niečo iné. Vtedy tá túžba, ktorú mal, dosiahla na to miesto, až bol s tým naplnený.
99 Dovoľ mi, že ti poviem, priateľ, nestarám sa o to, do koľkých cirkví si vstúpil, koľko krát si sa zapísal, akou cestou ideš, alebo či si pofŕkaný, pokrstený, alebo čokoľvek. Až kým nestretneš tú osobu Ježiša Krista, to je tá jediná vec, ktorá dá ozajstné uspokojenie. Emócia to neurobí. Môžeš vyskakovať hore dole, a kričať tak dlho, ako len chceš. Alebo môžeš behať hore dole, a môžeš hovoriť v jazykoch, koľko len chceš. A tieto veci sú sväté, a dobré. Ja nehovorím ... Ja nič proti tomu nehovorím. Ale až kým nestretneš tú osobu, tú uspokojujúcu porciu, to niečo, čo oživí každú žilku v tvojom tele, nie skrze emóciu, ale skrze uspokojenie ...
100 Vídaval som taký nápis, ktorý hovoril: "Ak si smädný povedz Parfait." Býval taký nápoj, keď som bol chlapec, nazýval sa Parfait. Pamätám sa, že som raz išiel po ceste, bol som chytať ryby - bol som pri tom rybníku, pri stojatých vodách - a skoro som zomieral od hladu. A videl som ten nápis: "Ak si smädný povedz len Parfait."
Začal som hovoriť: "Parfait, Parfait." A bol som ešte viacej smädný. Vidíte? Bol som tak smädný, že po chvíli som už nemal ani sliny, taký som bol smädný. No, vidíte, to nefunguje.
101 Nič to neuspokojí. Nestarám sa. Môžete piť Kolu, môžete piť čokoľvek chcete, osladené bublinkové vody, a tak ďalej. Nie je nič, čo by uhasilo smäd, ako dobrá, chladná, studená pramenitá voda. Ona uhasí ten smäd. Všetky tieto ostatné veci sú náhradou. A prečo by sme mali chcieť náhradu, keď existuje skutočný krst Duchom Svätým, ktorý uspokojí každú žilku a túžbu v ľudskej duši! Potom sa môžete postaviť rovno tvárou v tvár smrti. Ako povedal ten veľký apoštol Pavel: "Ó smrť, kde je tvoj osteň? A hrob, kde je tvoje víťazstvo? Ale vďaka Bohu, ktorý nám dáva víťazstvo skrze nášho Pána Ježiša Krista." To je prežitie, brat! To uspokojuje to sväté utíšenie, ktoré ... či vlastne, ten svätý smäd, ktorý je v tebe. To ho uspokojuje. Nemusíte s tým už nič robiť. Áno, to očisťuje rty.
102 A tiež sú ľudia, ktorí žijú len na emócii, na ... Niektorí ľudia hovoria: "No, my toho máme plno v našom letničnom hnutí." A oni budú (to je dobre), budú tlieskať, a hrať. A keď vypnete hudbu, fúú, akoby ste ich obliali vodou. Vidíte? No, robíme to .. máme to vo zvyku. Máme ... stalo sa to len jedným z našich zvykov.
103 Dovoľte, že vám niečo poviem. Keď uctievate Boha, v duchu a v pravde - keď sa vám to stane zvykom, pretože si myslíte že to máte robiť, pretože si myslíte, že ak nebudete kričať a vyskakovať hore dole a tancovať s hudbou, že tvoj sused si bude myslieť, že si odpadol od viery - piješ z nečistého zdroja. Tak veru. Až kým to necíti každé vlákno, až kým sám Duch Svätý nebublinkuje v tebe ... Nestarám sa o to, či hrá hudba, či hrajú "Ku tebe Bože," alebo čokoľvek, Duch Svätý stále rozoznieva zvonce chvály v tvojom srdci! To je uspokojenie! To je Božia uspokojujúca porcia. Všetko menšie od toho, je švindeľ.
104 Môžeš hovoriť jazykmi ľudskými aj anjelskými, môžeš vydať všetko svoje imanie na dobročinnosť, môžeš prorokovať, a môžeš mať vedu a rozumieť všetkým tajomstvám a všetkým týmto veciam - a stále nie si ničím (1. Korinťanom 13). Až kým to niečo uspokojujúce, to jediné, čo môže utíšiť tú túžbu ... "Moja duša túži po živom Bohu, tak ako jeleň reve za potokom vody. Ak to nenájdem, zahyniem." Keď budete takto hladní po Bohu, niečo sa stane. Duch Svätý vás bude viesť ku tým veľkým Božím fontánam. Tak veru!
105 No, je to dobre oslavovať Boha v Duchu, to je pravda. Ale niekedy máte Ducha bez Pravdy. Ev. Jána 4. hovorí: My uctievame Boha, v Duchu a v Pravde." A Ježiš je Pravda. To je presne tak. A on je Slovo.
106 Pramene, ktoré Boh poslal, aby vás uspokojil v tom prirodzenom, Satan poškvrnil každý jeden z nich. Do každého jedného, ku ktorému sa mohol dostať, dal otravu. Je to tak.
107 On poškvrnil ten veľký prameň cirkvi. To bola Božia cesta. Ježiš povedal: "Na tejto skale postavím svoju cirkev; a brány pekelné ju nepremôžu." No, na to sú rôzne názory. Rímsky ľudia, katolíci, hovoria, že On ju postavil na Petrovi. Vidíte? A keby to tak bolo, Peter odpadol a urobil hanbu. Tak to nebolo, to vôbec nebolo postavené na Petrovi, Peter znamená malá skala.
108 A potom, protestanti hovoria, že On ju postavil na Sebe, na Ježišovi Kristovi. Nie žeby som sa chcel líšiť, ale nesúhlasím s nimi. On ju nepostavil ani na jednom, ani na druhom. On ju postavil na zjavení toho, kto On je. On povedal: "Požehnaný si šimon syn Joná- šov. Toto ti nezjavilo telo a krv, ale môj Otec, ktorý je v nebesiach, ti toto zjavil." Nie skrze vedomosti - nenaučil si sa to z kníh, nenaučil si sa to vstúpením do cirkvi, nenaučil si sa to pri kričaní. Ne ... Ale sám Duch Svätý ti objasnil osobu Ježiša Krista. Potom, na tejto skale postavím svoju cirkev, a brány pekelné ju nepremôžu. Tá svätá túžba bola uspokojená v osobe Ježiša Krista. Tu to máte. To je to čo chceme hľadať. Tým uspokojovať tú túžbu. No dobre.
109 Vidíme, že musíme ... Vedomosť? Ó. Vedomosť to je veľká vec. Plníme sa, a dnes sme toho plní. Ale vidíte, vedomosť ... Ako som jedného dňa hovoril, keď som hovoril na tému o vedomosti ... Tam vonku stál nejaký človek, rozprával sa tam s mojím priateľom. Povedal: "Ak ten človek neverí vo vedomosti, prečo číta Bibliu?"
110 Oni ... Pomyslel som si: "No, ak nerozumeli tomu, čo povedal Pán Ježiš, ako budú rozumieť takémuto človekovi ako som ja, tomu čo ja hovorím?" Oni nemohli rozumieť Jemu, akokoľvek jasne hovoril. On tam jedného dňa povedal: "Ak nebudete jesť telo a krv ... piť krv, nemáte v sebe život." On to nevysvetlil. Išiel ďalej. Je to tak, Vidíte?
111 "Dobre." Povedali: "Tento človek je kanibal. My máme jesť jeho telo, piť jeho krv. On je vampír. On chce aby sme sa stali vampíri." Vidíte tých vzdelancov?
112 Ale On povedal. "Moje ovce počujú môj hlas. On príde ku vyvoleným, ktorých Boh vyvolil skrze predvedenie. A nikto nemôže prísť ku mne, ak ho nepotiahne môj Otec. A všetci, ktorých mi dal Otec, prídu. Oni to porozumejú." Tí učeníci to nemohli rozumieť, ale oni tomu verili. Vidíte? Je to tak. A keď tomu veríte ... Ja veľa vecí nemôžem porozumieť, ale aj tak tomu verím. Vidíte? Pretože Boh povedal, že je to tak.
113 Vedomosť - či viete, že Satanove evanjelium je vedomosť? Viete to? On to kázal Eve v záhrade Eden, ale ona bola zvedená skrze jeho evanjelium vedomostí. A celá ľudská rasa ním zostala poškvrnená. Je to presne tak. Oni zobrali vzdelávacie programy, zaviedli ich do cirkvi. Tam vonku je to v poriadku, ale nie v Božom Slove. Nie veru. Boha nepoznáte pomocou vzdelania. Boha nepoznáte pomocou toho, že budete vedieť ako ... že sa naučíte matematiku, a vyslovovať veľké slová.
114 Pavel, on bol bystrý človek. Ale keď prišiel ku Kristovi, a prijal Ducha Svätého, keď išiel ku Korinťanom, povedal: "Neprišiel som ku vám s presviedčavými slovami ľudskej múdrosti." (Hoci by to mohol) Povedal: "Prišiel som ku vám v moci a v dôkaze Ducha Svätého, aby vaša viera bola v Boha, a nie v múdrosti nejakého človeka."
115 Teraz sa niekedy robia cirkevné programy. Tiež si vyberajú pastora. Cirkev si volí svojho pastora. Oni hovoria: "Dobre, tento pastor teraz, on má dva stupne na univerzite. On štyri roky študoval psychológiu. On má toto, to, či tamto." A oni si vyberú takého človeka. Prečo? Namiesto pastora, ktorý verí Božiemu Slovu, ktoré je inšpirované, a ktoré je Bohom, a ktorý bude kázať to Slovo, bez ohľadu na to, ako sa ľudia pri tom cítia ...
116 Boh povedal Ezechielovi, viete, povedal: "Káž to, či tomu veria alebo nie. Aj tak to káž." Tak veru. Či to prijímajú alebo nie, to nevadí. Oni neprijímali Ježiša, ale On kázal ďalej, tak isto. Namiesto skutočného pastora, ktorý bude skutočne kázať Slovo, a verí v Boha, oni sa snažia zaviesť intelekt - človeka, ktorý má najlepšie vzdelanie. Takého, ktorý sa postaví za kazateľňu, nezaberie viac ako pätnásť minút, tak že môžu ísť rýchlo domov, a robiť si niečo iné. A Riky môže sadnúť do svojho silného auta, a vyraziť. A môžu ísť na svoje twistové večierky, a všetko možné. To je ... ó, to je len ... to nie je nič iné, ako skrížené, vzdelanecké poškvrnenie. Je to tak. To je presne to. Je to tak.
117 Ale čo to je? To uspokojuje ich chuť. Vidíte? To uspokojuje chuť členov svetských cirkví. To neuspokojí chuť svätého. On bude stále brať Slovo. Ale oni hovoria: "Ó, dobre, no, tí ľudia to proste nemajú v hlave celkom v poriadku. Vidíte? Oni proste ne ... oni to nechápu. Oni ... Oni sa snažia žiť podľa dávnych dní."
118 Nie je to divné? Prišiel som sem na západ, a zistil som, že oni sa všetci snažia žiť podľa dávnych dní. Stále chcú tie starodávne kovbojské časy. A choďte do Kentucky, tam chcú starodávne zálesácke časy. Oni sa chcú takto správať, mať také programy. Ale keď ide o starodávne náboženstvo, z toho nechcú nič. Starodávne časy? Prišiel som sem, keď bolo ródeo. Videl som, že tam mali veľkú ženu, pod očami mala tú zelenú farbu, nakrátko ostrihané vlasy, v ústach cigaretu. No, keby toto uvideli v tých dávnych časoch, boli by si mysleli, že má rakovinu. Dali by ju do ... Čo keby tvoja matka vyšla von takto oblečená, ako sa obliekaš dnes ty, alebo tvoja dcéra? Čo by sa stalo? Zavreli by ju do blázinca. Skutočne. Ide von a nemá sukňu.
119 Ale pamätajte, dnes platí to isté. Ľudia odumierajú vo svojom tele. Ak dosahujú stredný vek, medzi dvadsiatym a dvadsiatym piatym rokom života, odumierajú tiež ich mozgové bunky. Nemajú ... Ľudia prišli do takého stavu, že už nedokážu normálne myslieť. Nevedia, čo je to slušnosť. Nepoznajú rozdiel medzi dobrom a zlom.
120 A, och, ich vzdelávacie programy, oni ... Vedeli ste že, vzdelanie (môžem vám to dokázať) je z diabla? Nie písať a čítať, ale mám na mysli, keď zavádzajú vzdelanie do cirkvi. Na čom je založený komunizmus? Na vede, na vzdelaní. To je ich boh, Satan. Vidíte? To je to, čo on predložil Eve. To je to, čoho sa oni stále držia. Dostalo sa to do našich cirkví. Dostalo sa to medzi baptistov, metodistov a presbyteriánov, letničných, a všetkých. Niekto vzdelaný, múdry, niekto taký a taký, a niečo také, to ho odvádza len ďalej od Boha. To je zlé. Tak veru.
121 No, vidíme, že oni ... To uspokojuje ich túžbu. Keď si cirkev volí niečo takéto, to ukazuje, ako ľudia v tej cirkvi rozmýšľajú, aká je ich túžba, po čom túžia. Oni chcú povedať: "Náš pastor je široko-myseľný. On nám nevyčíta, že chodíme na spoločné kúpaliská, on chodí s nami."
122 Jedno malé dievča povedalo raz mojej Sáre, jej pastor bol v Afrike. A keď sa vrátil, ona si vyzliekla ten večer šaty, a mala na sebe len niečo nepatrné, a predviedla mu Watusi, aby ho privítali, pretože on bol v Afrike. Watusi to je tam kmeň, viete. Chlapče, chcel by som vidieť, že by jedno z mojich dievčat, v mojom zhromaždení skúsilo niečo takéto urobiť! Watusi! Vidíte, to ukazuje ...
123 A pastor si sedí a díva sa na svojom zhromaždení, na takto povyzliekané, šestnásť alebo osemnásť ročné dievča, a dovolí jej to? To ukazuje, že on sám pochádza z bahna! Muž Boží, a robiť niečo takéto! Skutočne. Znie to tvrdo, ale uvedomujem si, že tiež kážem po celom národe. Ale ty tiež toto vieš, brat, sestra, dovoľ že ti poviem, že to je pravda.
124 Sup chce to, čo je mŕtve. Je to tak. A to je mŕtve! Presne tak. To jasne ukazuje, to tu jasne ukazuje, čo je ich hlavou a ich kontrolnou vežou, čo im to dáva, vidíte, čo je v ich duši. Ich duša je žiadostivá po takýchto veciach. Ich duša je žiadostivá po vysokej, intelektuálnej cirkvi, kde sa ľudia pekne obliekajú, a pastor káže pätnásť, alebo dvadsať minút, a ak to pretiahne hneď ho berú na pohovor do rady starších. A nesmie hovoriť nič o hriechu, nesmie hovoriť nič ohľadne nosenia šortiek, a nesmie hovoriť nič o ľuďoch, že robia toto, to či tamto. Nesmie to vôbec ani spomenúť. Ak to urobí, staršovstvo ho vylúči. Vidíte čo to je? To je ich filter rozumného človeka.
125 Biblia hovorí v 1. liste Jána 2:15: "Ak milujete tento svetový systém, alebo veci tohoto sveta, to preto, že nie je vo vás láska Božia." No, a čo s týmto všetkým, ako sa správajú, a čo dnes robia v mene cirkvi? Usporiadajú tanečné večierky v zboroch - karty, hazardné hry, večierky, dospievajúca mládež, rock and roll, twist a všetko tomu podobné. Pozrite sa na tohoto Elvisa Presleyho, diabla v topánkach. Na Pata Booneho, Ricky Nelsona, to je najväčšia prekážka, akú tento národ kedy mal. Je to tak.
126 Oni hovoria: "Ó, oni sú veľmi nábožní. Spievajú kresťanské piesne." To by nemalo byť ... Cirkev by im niečo takéto mala ešte zakázať. Niektorí z nich idú sem von, a dnes večer sú tu v nejakom motoreste, tancujú a hrajú a všetko možné. A zajtra večer idú ku oltáru a plačú. A na ďalší večer už hrajú na pódiu. Ó, pre milosrdenstvo! Ako ďaleko môže ... ako ďaleko sa môže dostať špina? Tak veru. Prv sa dokáž, že si muž Boží. Nie všetko toto, nie len preto, že dokáže brnkať na gitare, alebo niečo také.
127 Podľa svojej túžby môžeš poznať, kto je na tróne tvojho srdca. Podľa toho, čo miluješ, to ukazuje ... Ty hovoríš: "No, ja si myslím, že tieto veci sú v poriadku, brat Branham." Dobre, pamätaj teraz, v tvojom srdci, ty vieš čo tam je. Tak veru. Podľa toho čím sa kŕmi tvoja duša, po čom túži tvoja duša, a keď môžeš vidieť, čo ju uspokojuje - ak to nie je toto Slovo, potom je to niečo zlé. Pretože Duch Svätý žije jedine zo Slova. Vidíte?
128 Chcem aby ste videli ďalšie veľké nebezpečenstvo, prv ako skončíme. Ak nie ste ... ak nie ste vinní žiadnej z týchto vecí, ktoré som spomenul, a ... To je, nebezpečenstvo zanedbať smäd. Vidíte? Vy hovoríte: "Ja má svätý smäd, ale ... To sa mňa netýka, brat Branham, žeby som len išiel a vstupoval do cirkvi a tak ďalej. Ale ..." Vidíte, zanedbať smäd ... ak zanedbáte uspokojiť smäd po vode, alebo jesť, zomriete. A ak zanedbáte uspokojiť tú túžbu po Bohu, ktorá je vo vás, duchovne zomriete.
129 Dožadujete sa prebudenia. Čakáte, aby vo vašom zbore nastalo prebudenie. Dobre, to nie je ... to nie je prebudenie pre vás. Prebudenie má začať rovno vo vás, keď začínate túžiť po Bohu. Nikto ďalší v zbore nemusí očakávať na to prebudenie. Ak to vypukne v tebe, vypukne to aj na iných miestach. Vidíte?
130 Ale vidíte, vy zanedbávate tú túžbu ... Zanedbáte podojiť kravu, keď je ... keď má plné vemeno mlieka. A ak tú kravu necháte tak, ona sa zasuší. Presne tak. Ak zanedbáte smäd a nenapijete sa vody, poviete: "Ja už viac nebudem piť," zomriete. Ak zanedbáte jesť, zomriete. Tak ak zanedbáte dať Duchu Svätému Slovo Božie, zomriete. Vy kresťania, vy baptisti, metodisti, presbyteriáni, letniční, zbory Božie, jednotári, vyznávači dvojice, vyznávači trojice, čokoľvek ste, vidíte - ja sa nestarám - pre mňa to nič neznamená. Myslím, že pre Boha to nič neznamená. Vidíte.
131 Ty si individuálna osoba. Ty si jedinec. Do neba nikdy nepôjdete ako cirkev, ako denominácia. Do neba pôjdeš ako jedna, jednotlivá osoba, to je medzi tebou a Bohom. To je všetko. Nezáleží na tom do akej cirkvi patríš. A ak zanedbáš čítať Bibliu, a veriť Biblii, a zanedbáš kŕmiť tým Ducha Svätého, zomrieš.
132 Ježiš povedal v ev. Jána 4:3, práve tu mám to písmo, Ježiš povedal, že človek nebude žiť na samom chlebe, ale na každom slove, nie len na časti z neho. My zoberieme kúsok tu. Ja to nazývam "Biblické stopovanie". Oni hovoria: "Dobre, ja tomuto verím; ale teraz poďme ku tomuto." Vidíte? Vy to musíte brať slovo za slovom.
Ježiš povedal: "Človek bude žiť na každom slove, ktoré vychádza z úst Božích." Vedeli ste to?
133 A viete, tento deň, v ktorom žijeme, sme urobili ... tento deň sme urobili dňom náboženskej prevrátenosti. Moja dcéra ma nedávno zavolala a povedala mi: "Ocko" (z druhej strany domu), povedala: "Poď sem. Bude náboženský program." Spievali tam, spievali piesne. A bol tam nejaký malý Riki, čítal tam. A ak som videl niekedy, nejaké svätokrádežné hnutie, tak to bolo to. Tí tam hore a ľudia ... podobalo sa to viac na estrádu. Vyzeralo to ako indiánsky kmeň, a oni sa predvádzali a vyskakovali a boxovali jeden do druhého.
134 Och, kde sa podela úprimnosť? Kde sú tie starodávne piesne, ktoré sme zvykli spievať a radovali sme sa v Duchu Božom, a slzy nám stekali po lícach? A teraz, snažíme sa zadržať dych, že už ani nemáme dychu, až nám modrejú tváre, a chceme tým ukázať, akí sme znamenití speváci. Odkukali sme to z Hollywoodu, a zo všetkých tých programov, ktoré vidíme, cez túto intelektuálnu pieseň, ktorú spievajú a trénujú si hlas. Rád počúvam dobrý spev. Rád počúvam dobré, starodávne letničné piesne, ktoré sú zo srdca. Ale naozaj nenávidím ten kvikot, ktorý dnes nazývajú spevom. Je to tak. Myslím, že to je najabsurdnejšia vec. To je prevrátenosť. Je to tak.
135 Rád vidím muža, keď je mužom. Strašne nerád vidím takého, ktorý nosí spodnú bielizeň od svojej ženy, a tu na boku len prúžok, a tu v predu mu visia natáčky, a na bokoch mu visia dva kužele vlasov, zastrihnuté v predu ako ofina. Nemohol by som to nazvať mužom. On nevie, na ktorú stranu v tej rase patrí. Vidíte? Je to tak. Vidíte? Žena ... pozrite sa, žena si chce strihať vlasy ... strihá si vlasy ako muž, a muž si chce natáčať vlasy, ako žena. Muž nosí spodné prádlo od svojej ženy, a ona nosí jeho vrchný odev. Vidíte? To je prevrátenosť, presne naopak.
136 A tak isto je to s národami, s ľuďmi, s cirkvami, so všetkým. Ó, Bože, kde je tomu koniec? Príchod Pána Ježiša Krista, ten urobí tomu koniec.
137 Tak, ak zanedbáte kŕmiť Ducha Svätého Slovom Božím ... Ježiš povedal, že každé Slovo bude skrze Ducha Svätého. A počúvajte, no, ak sa ho snažíte kŕmiť niečím zlým, ak je vo vás ozajstný Duch Svätý, on spozná rozdiel. Pamätajte, Duch Boží sa živí Slovom Božím. On sa neživí nadšením; on sa neživí vzdelaním; on sa neživí chodením do zboru; on sa neživí teológiou.
138 Je veľký rozdiel medzi niečím inšpirovaným a medzi teologickým postojom. Všetci tí teológovia vo dňoch Ježiša, ó, oni mali slovo za slovom, stranu za stranou, všetko vyložené. Mesiáš musí prísť takto. To je presne to. A oni to prehliadli, každý jeden. Viete čo povedal Ježiš, keď prišiel? Povedal: "Vy ste zo svojho otca, diabla. A činíte jeho skutky." Nebolo im zjavené, čo je skutočné Slovo. Vidíte? Oni prehliadli tie malé uhly, tak ako to prehliadajú aj dnes
"Ak budeš patriť do tejto ..." a "patriť do tejto, budeš v poriadku." Neverte tomu. Musíte patriť Kristovi.
139 A ak je niečo vo vás, čo túži po Kristovi ... Pamätajte, keď ste boli v bedrách svojho otca, vtedy ste boli s ním. Ale váš otec vás vtedy nepoznal, a vy ste nepoznali svojho otca. A vy ste museli prísť a narodiť sa. Boh urobil cestu, skrze vašu matku, aby bola pôda na zasiatie. A potom to prišlo, a potom ste sa stali mužom, alebo ženou, čokoľvek to bolo. Potom ste poznali svojho otca a váš otec mohol mať s vami obecenstvo.
140 Pamätajte, ak máte večný život, váš život bol v Bohu na začiatku. A ten život ... Boh je Slovo. A potom, keď sa Slovo stalo telom, v Ježišovi Kristovi, Boh prichádza dole, aby prebýval vo svojom vlastnom tele (stal sa Synom Božím), keď Boh prišiel dole, aby prebýval v tom ... Vy ste boli v Ňom, keď bol ukrižovaný, vy ste boli ukrižovaní s Ním, a s Ním ste zomreli, na Golgote. Boli ste s Ním pochovaní na tom vrchu, a vo Veľkonočné ráno ste s Ním vstali. A teraz sedíte spolu v nebeských miestach, v Ňom. A teraz máte s Ním obecenstvo. Vidíte? Boh. On sám sa stal jedným z nás. Otca nikto nikdy nevidel. Jednorodený od Otca, on nám Ho vysvetlil. Boh sa stal človekom, aby mohol mať s vami obecenstvo, ako človek. Vidíte? A teraz, vy ste telo, a On je telo.
141 Boh sa stal telom medzi nami, v osobe svojho Syna, Ježiša Krista. A v Ňom bol Boh. On bol Boh, nič menšieho ako Boh. On bol Boh. Boh prejavený v Synovi, Ježišovi Kristovi, ktorého urobil Emanuelom, ako povedal prorok, že On ním bude.
142 No, vidíte to potom, vy ste museli byť ... Ešte skôr ako bol sformovaný svet, vaše meno bolo zapísané v Baránkovej knihe života. A potom, čo môžete jesť? Duch Svätý sa živí Slovom Božím. A teraz, v Zjavení 22:19, Biblia hovorí: "Ktokoľvek odoberie z toho jedno slovo, alebo pridá ku tomu jedno slovo, jeho diel bude odňatý z knihy života." Vidíte aké je to hlboké?
143 Vy nemôžete ... Duch Svätý nebude žiť na veciach tohoto sveta - ako holubica a vrana. Vrana je veľký pokrytec. Vrana ... to indivíduum môže sem prísť, a celý deň môže jesť pšenicu; a ide inde a zaletí na starú mŕtvu zdochlinu, a tiež ju žerie. Ona môže sedieť na poli, a môže jesť spolu s holubicou, pšenicu; a ide inde a žerie starú zdochlinu. Ale, holubica môže celý deň jesť pšenicu, ale nemôže jesť mŕtvu zdochlinu, pretože je holubica. A holubica nemá vôbec žlč. Jedno zahryznutie z tej mŕtvej zdochliny by holubicu zabilo. Vidíte? Ona nemá žlč. A tak to je - žiadna horkosť.
144 A tak je to so skutočným, ozajstným kresťanom. Oni nechcú veci tohoto sveta. Oni jedia len Slovo Božie, jedine to, to je čisté, filter rozumného človeka. Vidíte? Oni prechádzajú cezeň, a to je jediné. Mŕtve veci tohoto sveta, to im smrdí. Pozrite sa na starú vranu vo dňoch predpotopného zničenia, ako lieta od jedného tela ku druhému, žerie tie staré mŕtve zdochliny. Ona sa nevrátila naspäť do archy. Ale holubica nemohla nájsť miesto, na ktorom by odpočinuli jej nohy. Vidíte? Ona sa vrátila do archy, kde dostávala zrno. A tak to my robíme. My žijeme skrze Slovo Božie.
145 V 42 žalme ... Dávid musel napísať tento žalm, žalm 42, keď bol uprchlíkom, keď povedal: "Moja duša túži po Tebe, tak ako reve jeleň po potokoch vody." Pozrite. On kričal ... Dávid bol uprchlík. On bol ... On mal na sebe olej pomazania. On vedel, že bude kráľom. Prorok ho pomazal za kráľa. No, všimnite si. A on tam bol. On mal so sebou malú skupinu vojakov zloženú z pohanov, a tak ďalej. Bol hore na vrchu kopca, pod ktorým ležalo jeho milované mesto, za svoje hriechy boli všade dookola obkľúčení Filištínmi. A Dávid počas toho horúceho dňa ... Muselo tak byť, keď písal tento žalm: "Ako reve jeleň za potokmi vody."
146 Všimnite si, Dávid bol v takejto situácii. Pozeral sa dole. Díval sa na svoje milované mesto, a spomínal, keď bol malý chlapec, ako zvykol hnať ovce tam okolo tejto určitej studni. Tam dole bol vodnatý kraj, a tiež kraj chleba. Skutočne, "Betlehem" znamená dom Božieho chleba. A potom, keď si Dávid spomínal, ako chodil tam okolo a pil tú dobrú studenú vedu; a teraz táboril tu hore, ako vyhnanec, preč od svojho vlastného ľudu. Nemal miesta, kde by mohol ísť. A jeho duša musela kričať po dobrej, studenej vode.
147 A on tam mal sluhov, pre ktorých, ó, jeho najmenšia túžba bola pre nich rozkazom. A oni, traja z nich, prebojovali si cestu cez líniu Filištínov, pätnásť míľ, sedem míľ, alebo tak nejako, tam a naspäť, prerúbali si cez nich cestu, a priniesli mu tú vodu, aby sa napil.
148 Ale smäd duše ... Jeho telo ... On bol tam hore, možno tam musel piť z niečoho, z nejakých starých, kozých kožíc a iného, v ktorých bola teplá voda, v tom horúcom dni. Myslel si: "Keby som si len mohol ľahnúť dole a uhasiť tento smäd, ktorý mám. Keby som mohol len ísť tam dole, do Betlehema a ľahnúť si tam pri tom prameni a piť."
149 A keď oni zišli dole a nabrali vodu a doniesli mu ju, jeho duša viac túžila - nie za Betlehemom, ale za Jeruzalemom. Jeho duša bola taká ... on obetoval tú vodu, povedal: "Nemohol by som ju piť." Vylial ju na zem. Vidíte, jeho duša viac túžila po Bohu, než ako po tom, čo malo uspokojiť, uhasiť smäd dobrou ... túžbu jeho tela, dobrou, studenou vodou. On ju vylial na zem. Vidíte, dom Boží, vody z horného Jeruzalema, ktoré občerstvujú dušu ...
150 Ježiš povedal v Jánovi 6-33: "Ja som chlieb života. Ja som chlieb života." Betlehem, dom Boží, náš zbor, zemská Božia cirkev, cirkev, ktorá je tu na zemi - my radi chodíme do zboru, tu na zemi. Ale Jeruzalem je väčší, ten ktorý je hore, ktorým je Boh: Horný Jeruzalem, ktorým je Boh. Väčšia je tá túžba v duši, aby sme boli tam s Ním, než len sa uspokojiť tým, že vstúpime niekde do cirkvi. Vidíte, pripojenie sa do cirkvi neuspokojí tú túžbu. Dávid to tu dokázal. Voda, ktorá bola priamo z domu Božieho. Vidíte? On ju vylial na zem, aby si získal priazeň, aby dostal dobrý, chladný dúšok od Boha. Aj na tom ... Väčší než ten smäd, ktorý je vo vás, je smäd v duši, túžba po Bohu.
151 Všimnite si, Jeruzalem. Slovo ... Jeruzalem je z hora, Biblia hovorí, ktorý je matkou všetkých nás. A Kristus je našou matkou, to si uvedomujeme. Boh je našou matkou, lebo z Neho sme zrodení. To slovo proste znamená pokoj. Jerusalem, shalom, čo znamená pokoj. Jeru - shalom, vidíte, znamená pokoj. Väčšia má byť túžba každej duše za vodami života, ako len povedať, že patríte do nejakého zboru. Túžba duše sa nemôže tým uspokojiť - skutočná, opravdová túžba. Na tom sa môžete oklamať. Môžete si myslieť, že ste v poriadku, keď ste vstúpili do nejakého zboru. Ale to nie je to. To neuspokojí ten opravdový, svätý smäd po Bohu. To ho nijako nemôže uspokojiť. To len ... to nie je v tom.
152 No, Dávid povedal tu v žalme 42-7, (V Slov. Biblii 8. verš.) keď "Priepasť priepasti sa ozýva na zvuk tvojich trubíc, plných riavy." (Hlbina volá po hlbine) to je volanie duše. Pozrite, často som to zvykol používať ako ilustráciu. Ak je na chrbte ryby plutva, ona tam musela byť daná, aby ňou plávala. Ona ju na to potrebuje. No čo ak by si ona povedala: "Ja budem iná ryba. Ja budem chytrá, vzdelaná ryba. Ja budem veriť skutočnej teológii. Verím, že nemusím mať tú plutvu." Ona by sa vo vode ďaleko nedostala, či nie? Presne tak.
153 Čo ak by si strom povedal: "Ja viem, že prv musí byť pre mňa zem, aby som na nej rástol. Je to tak. Mám rásť na zemi, ale ja budem inakší strom. Ja chcem aby ma zasadili tu naprostred ulice, aby si ma mohli všimnúť." Vidíte? On by veľmi dlho nežil. Vidíte? Je to tak. Keď hlbina volá po hlbine, v tom je niečo viac, než len pripojiť sa do zboru. Na to treba viac, než ako potriasť si ruky s kazateľom. Na to treba viac, než len žiť dobrým, usporiadaným životom. Treba niečo čo vás uspokojí. To sa vlieva od Boha do duše. Hlbina volá po hlbine na zvuk tvojich trubíc plných riavy, ó, Pane, hlbina volá po hlbine.
154 Aká túžba bola dnes večer v nás, môžeme sa zamyslieť? My, ako letniční ľudia, do čoho ideme? Aká je v nás túžba? Aká túžba je vo mne? Aká túžba je v tebe? Nesnažte sa umlčať tú svätú túžbu po Bohu.
155 Pred rokmi, keď tu v horách chodili dolovať zlato ... Pred rokmi som čítal taký príbeh. Stále si to pamätám. Hovorilo sa tam o zlatokopovi, ktorý vyšiel tu niekde, tu za tými horami a hľadal zlato. A narazil na bohaté ložisko. A vracal sa naspäť a myslel si, že keď príde do mesta, čo bude, všetky jeho problémy skončia. A hovoril si: "Zajtra prídem do mesta a budem ..." Už len jeden deň cesty a prišiel by do mesta a mal by to zlato. A mal ho veľké, plné vrecká.
156 On mal so sebou psa - neporovnávam teraz psa s Duchom Svätým, ale chcem ukázať - tento pes ... V noci si tento zlatokop ľahol spať. A začal rozmýšľať: "Zajtra vezmem všetko svoje zlato, a stanem sa tým, čím som vždy chcel byť. Vždy som chcel byť bohatým. Chcel som mať všetky pekné veci a tak ďalej." A vtedy jeho pes začal štekať, pretože sa približoval nejaký nepriateľ. A on vyšiel von a povedal: "Buď ticho!" A tak sa pes utíšil. Ale len čo si znovu ľahol a chcel spať. Pes začal znovu štekať a skákať na reťazi. A on znovu vyšiel von a povedal: "Buď ticho! Chcem, aby si vedel, že zajtra budem bohatým človekom." Viete? A to bol jeho veľký sen.
157 Ale pes znovu začal štekať. A nakoniec ho to tak nahnevalo, že zobral pušku, vyšiel von a zastrelil ho. Povedal: Aj tak ťa už viac nebudem potrebovať. Zajtra budem bohatým človekom. Zajtra sa zo mňa stane bohatý človek." A odložil pušku do kúta, obrátil sa chrbtom ku dverám a ľahol si spať. A ten človek, ktorý ho už niekoľko dní sledoval, vkĺzol do vnútra a zabil ho. Nestal sa z neho bohatý človek. Vidíte? On zastavil ten varovný signál, ktorý sa mu snažil povedať, že jeho život je v nebezpečenstve.
158 A brat, sestra, vy nikdy nebudete schopní ... Nikdy sa nesnažte umlčať to sväté volanie vo vašom srdci, tým že sa pripojíte do cirkvi, tým, že budete odriekať vyznanie, tým že budete patriť do určitej organizácie. Je len jedna vec, ktorá to môže uspokojiť. To je osoba Ježiša Krista.
159 "Ako reve jeleň za potokom vody, tak túži moja duša po Tebe, o Bože. Moja duša túži po živom Bohu" Vidíte? V tebe je niečo, čo chce vidieť, ako sa pohybuje Boh. Tvoja duša túži po tom. Nič z toho neumlč. Nenechaj si nahovoriť od nejakého pastora, že si musíš s ním len potriasť ruky, pripojiť sa do cirkvi, alebo patriť do tejto organizácie. Nezabi ten svätý smäd. On ťa varuje. Raz príde deň, keď prídeš na koniec cesty.
160 Ako jedna pani z nášho mesta, odkiaľ pochádzame, ona povedala ... Chodilo tam do zboru jedno dievča, veľmi milé dievča. A ona prichádzala po ulici. Mala dlhé vlasy, viete, a mala ich takto stiahnuté dozadu, ako ... ulízané, skoro ako olúpaná cibuľa. A jej tvár vyzerala ... vôbec sa nemaľovala. A toto dievča si z nej zvyklo robiť žarty. Povedala: "Keby si nemala toho holohlavého kazateľa, ktorého tam máš" (to hovorila o mne), povedala: mohla by si vyzerať slušne. Ale vyzeráš, ako niečo z antikvariátu." A, ó, stále keď ju videla robila si z nej posmech. Povedala: "Náš pastor je širokomyseľný." Povedala: "On vie že to, čo ... Prečo to takto robíte? Na tom vôbec nezáleží, ako sa obliekate a to všetko." Záleží! Božia Biblia hovorí, že na tom záleží. My budeme žiť každým slovom. Tak toto dievča si ju nevšímalo a išla ďalej. Ona je teraz misionárka.
161 Tak potom, táto pani dostala pohlavnú nemoc a zomrela. Jeden môj priateľ vstrekoval do nej balzamovaciu tekutinu, keď zomrela. Povedal mi, keď už bola mŕtva ... Stále zapáchal tou tekutinou. V boku mala vyžranú dieru - mala pohlavnú nemoc. Oni nevedeli ... ani jej rodičia nevedeli, na čo bola chorá. A ona zomrela. Ale predtým ako zomrela, učievala nedeľnú škôlku. A všetky tie deti z jej skupiny tam prišli. Chceli vidieť, keď pôjde do neba, ako prídu anjeli a zoberú ju. A jej pastor ... vonku fajčil, a chodil hore dole po chodbe v nemocnici. A oni tam všetci prišli, aby jej zaspievali, keď bude zomierať, viete. Vedeli, že musí zomrieť. Doktor im povedal, že zomiera. Tak oni všetci chceli vidieť anjelov, ako ju budú odnášať.
162 A zrazu, keď si uvedomila skutočnosť ... No, ona bola vernou členkou zboru. Učila nedeľnú škôlku, a bola vernou členkou zboru, peknej, veľkej, denominačnej cirkvi. Ale keď bola ... začala zápasiť, doľahla na ňu smrť. Vytreštila oči a povedala: "Ja som stratená!" Povedala: "Ja som stratená! Zavolajte pastora."
Ten zahasil cigaretu a vošiel dovnútra, povedal: "Tu som, tu som. Zavoláme doktora, aby ti dal injekciu."
Ona povedala: "Ja nechcem injekciu!" Povedala: "Ty zvodca ľudí! Ja zomieram a idem do pekla. A som stratená, lebo ty si mi nepovedal pravdu. Choď a zavolaj to Goodhuesove dievča, a rýchlo ju sem priveď. Ona má pravdu."
163 Počkaj, keď sa raz stretneš so skutočnosťou. Nepokúšaj sa zastaviť to sväté volanie. Neumlč ho nejakým moderným vzdelaním, dupľovkou. Počúvaj dnes večer na to varovanie Ducha Svätého, ktorý ťa varuje. "Ja som cesta pravda a život. Nikto nemôže prísť k Otcovi, len skrze mňa." A on je Slovo.
164 Skloňme na chvíľu svoje hlavy. Chcem ešte zacitovať jedno slovo Pána Ježiša, zatiaľ kým myslíte o tomto. Ježiš povedal v ev. Matúša 5: "Blahoslavení, ktorí lačnejú a žíznia." Keď máte v sebe tú žíznivú túžbu, ste blahoslavení.
165 Prišli ste do takého stavu, že celý váš systém bol taký znečistený skrze denominácie a kulty, a klany, a všetko možné, cirkevné poriadky (spoločenské), pripájanie sa do klubov, a tak ďalej - z cirkvi do cirkvi? Či sa podarilo diablovi naliať vám tú špinavú vodu a vy z nej chlípete, ako prasa z koryta, a pritom ani neviete, čo môže uhasiť ten smäd po Bohu, vidieť Ho v skutočnosti skrze Ducha Svätého, ktorý žije a prejavuje sa vo vás?
166 Ak ste dnes večer v takom stave, ak stále túžite po Bohu dovoľte, že vám poviem,
Je fontána naplnená krvou, ktorá vytiekla zo žíl Emanuela, do ktorej keď sa hriešnik ponorí stratí všetky svoje hriešne škvrny.
Ten zomierajúci lotor sa zaradoval, keď uvidel tú fontánu vo svojom čase; a ja tiež, hoci som taký biedny ako on, môžem v nej zmyť všetky svoje viny.
Odvtedy stále skrze vieru vidím ten prameň, ktorý povstal z tvojich krvácajúcich rán, až kým nezomriem, chcem hovoriť o tej láske, ktorá ma vykúpila.
167 Ak máš dnes večer tú túžbu, chceš vedieť viac o Bohu, a prísť bližšie ku Nemu, zodvihol by si teraz ruku, keď sú sklonené všetky hlavy a povieš: "Modli sa za mňa." O, Bože, pozri sa na tie ruky. Po celej krajine, kde sa teraz toto vysiela, od východu, severu, západu a juhu - vy tam v tých miestnostiach - zodvihnite ruky, aby to pastor videl, alebo ktokoľvek tam je, to je vaša túžba, vy ... Niečo vo vás túži po Bohu. Tá svätá túžba ... neuspokojte ju ...
"Ó," vy poviete: "Brat Branham, raz som kričal, tancoval som v Duchu."
168 Nespoliehajte na tom, nie. Čakajte, až kým nepríde to uspokojenie, až kým nepríde tá uspokojujúca porcia plnosti Ducha Svätého. Potom prídu tieto zvony radosti a vykrikovania, a hovorenia v jazykoch, a tancovanie v Duchu. Nemusíte to robiť pomocou hudby. Vy to budete robiť v aute na ceste. Budete to robiť, keď budete zametať podlahu. Budete to robiť vo svojej práci ako tesár, keď budete zatĺkať klinec do steny. Kdekoľvek budete, tá nevysloviteľná radosť a plná chvály... No, modlime sa.
169 Drahý nebeský Otče, dlho som hovoril a pretiahol som dnes večer toto posolstvo. Ale drahý Bože, nech ho tvoj Duch Svätý dá porozumieť každému srdcu. Tu v tomto zbore, kde sa zodvihlo veľa rúk, všade okolo stien a všade. Prosíme, drahý Bože, za nich. Ó, nech tá Božia uspokojujúca porcia, ktorou je Kristus, nádej slávy, nádej života vo vás, nech to príde na každého jedného z nich po celom národe: od Kalifornii po New York, kde je teraz včasne ráno (oni tam počúvajú); tam v New Hampshire, a v Bostone, a až do Texasu, cez Indiánu, do Kalifornii a všade.
170 Ó, Bože, pozri sa na tie ruky. Pozri sa čo je za nimi, Pane - srdce, ktoré je hladné a smädné. Tento prevrátený čas, v ktorom diabol oslepil ľuďom oči, len aby sa pripájali do cirkví, a hovorí, že to je všetko čo potrebujú ... A oni sa stále dívajú na seba, a vidia čo robia, a majú túžbu byť ako ten svet; keď Biblia nám hovorí, že keď milujeme veci toho sveta, nieto v nás láska Božia.
171 Len si predstav, Otče, ako môže človek prevrátiť to skutočné, pravé Slovo; ako oni môžu hovoriť: "Ó, my veríme Biblii, ale tomuto nie. My tomuto neveríme. My veríme, že toto bolo na iný vek. My veríme, že toto je to."
Pretože nejaká denominácia obrátila ich mysle do toho bahna, keď Ježiš povedal: "Ktokoľvek odníme z tohoto jedno slovo, alebo pridá ku tomu jedno slovo, toho diel bude odňatý z knihy života."
172 Drahý Bože, predstav si to sklamanie tam na súde, keď ľudia žili dobrý, čistý, svätý život, chodili do zboru, tak verne ako len mohli - a budú stratení. Predstavte si tých farizejov, ako sa oni od malička trénovali v Slove, vychodili školy a všetko možné. Museli byť svätí, inak by ich boli ukameňovali na smrť. A Ježiš povedal: "Vy ste zo svojho otca, diabla."
173 Ako tam odišiel Izrael (a nech je toto varovaním pre letničných, Pane, po celej krajine), ako Mojžiš, prorok, prišiel do Egypta, aby vyplnil Slovo Božie, aby im priniesol večerné svetlo; ako oni videli tie veľké zázraky Božie; ako ho oni nasledovali; prešli cez Červené more; boli v neho pokrstení; vyšli na púšť a jedli chlieb anjelov, ktorý padal z neba - a potom odmietli prijať celé Slovo. Keď sa oni vrátili z Kádeš barnea ... prišli do Kádeš barnea z ... zo zasľúbenej zemi, a povedali: "Oni sú ako obri. My to nedokážeme," keď Boh povedal: "Už som vám dal tú zem."
Hraničná čiara ... Ježiš povedal: "Oni všetci zahynuli." Sú mŕtvi, stratení bez Boha, hoci všetko toto urobili.
174 Oni videli tieto zázraky, radovali sa, tancovali na brehu mora s Miriam, keď bubnovali na tamburínach. A len traja, z dvoch miliónov, vošli do nej. Uvedomujeme si, Otče, že keď spermia, gény, od samca a samice sa spoja, prijme sa len jedna z milióna. Jeden gén od samca nachádza plodné vajíčko od ženy, samice. A milión ostatných zahynie. Je milión ... z Egyptu vyšli dva milióny. Dvaja, Józue a Káleb, vošli do zeme, jeden z milióna.
175 Otče, trasiem sa keď na to myslím. Dnes je možno na svete 500 miliónov kresťanov, to by bolo 500, keby si prišiel dnes. Ó, Bože, pamätajme, že každé Slovo Božie je dané, aby sme naň pamätali. Musíme mu veriť; musíme ho ostríhať. A keď si povedal: "Čiňte pokánie, každý jeden z vás a dajte sa pokrstiť vo meno Ježiša Krista na odpustenie hriechov, a prijmete dar Ducha Svätého. Lebo vám patrí to zasľúbenie a vašim deťom a všetkým na široko ďaleko, ktorých a koľkýchkoľvek si povolá Pán náš Boh."
176 A Bože, Ty stále ešte povolávaš dnes večer. A zasľúbenie platí stále, kým Ty povolávaš. A klerici obrátili mysle týchto ľudí, a viedli ich pomocou vzdelania, denominačných, teologických škôl, do toho aby povedali: "Ó, ty proste veríš." Diabol tiež verí. Ale nemôže prijať Ducha Svätého. Judáš Iškariotský bol ... robil to, čo všetci ostatní učeníci, kázal evanjelium. Ale keď prišiel čas, aby prijal Ducha Svätého, ukázal svoje farby.
177 Bože, nech si ľudia po celej krajine dnes večer uvedomia, že bez tohoto prežitia sú stratení. Nech by sa dnes stalo, že ich duše budú uspokojené tvojou porciou, Pane, keď ich porúčame do tvojich rúk. Oni sú Tvoji, Pane. My sme zodpovední len za Slovo. Prosím aby verili z celého svojho srdca, a boli naplnení Duchom Svätým. Prosíme v mene Ježiša. Amen.
Milujem Ho, milujem Ho, lebo On prv miloval mňa a vykúpil mi spasenie na Golgote.
Ó, či je On tvojou uspokojujúcou porciou? Ó. Milujete Ho z celého svojho srdca? No, tie slová niečo odsekávajú. Ale spievajme len teraz v Duchu, každý jeden. Potrasme si ruky s bratom, ktorý sedí vedľa teba, sestrou, a povedzme len: Nech ťa Boh žehná, pútnik," keď to znovu budeme spievať.
Milujem Ho, milujem Ho, lebo On prv miloval mňa a vykúpil mi spasenie na Golgote.
No, podajte si navzájom ruky. A teraz zavrime oči, a spievajme v Duchu, zodvihnime ku Nemu ruky.
Milujem Ho, milujem Ho, lebo On prv miloval mňa a vykúpil mi spasenie na Golgote.
Ó, či nie je On úžasný?
Úžasný, úžasný, je pre mňa Ježiš, On je Radca, Knieža Pokoja, Mocný Boh; Spasil mňa, chráni ma, od všetkého hriechu a hanby, úžasný je môj vykupiteľ, chvála jeho menu!
Úžasný, úžasný je pre mňa Ježiš, On je Radca, Knieža Pokoja, Mocný Boh. Spasil ma, chráni ma, od všetkého hriechu a hanby. Úžasný je môj Vykupiteľ, chvála jeho menu!
Ó, či ste povzbudení svojím prežitím s Kristom. Či nie je On úžasný? Či nedáva uspokojenie?
Bol som stratený, teraz ma našiel, oslobodil z odsúdenia, Ježiš dáva slobodu a plné spasenie; spasil ma, chráni ma od všetkého hriechu a hanby, úžasný je môj Vykupiteľ, chvála jeho menu!
Ó, úžasný, úžasný je pre mňa Ježiš, On je Radca, Knieža pokoja, Mocný Boh, spasil ma, chráni ma od všetkého hriechu a hanby, úžasný je môj Vykupiteľ, chvála jeho menu!
178 Veríte, že to je podľa Písma? Biblia hovorí: "tlieskajte rukami, pokrikujte radostne Pánovi, hlasom plesania." Viete, stále som chcel hrať na nejakom hudobnom nástroji. Moja dcéra Rebeka sa učí na piane. Môj malý syn sa učí na trúbke. Ale ja som sa učil na nástroji s desiatymi strunami.
Úžasný, úžasný je pre mňa Ježiš, On je Radca, Knieža Pokoja, Mocný Boh, spasil ma, chráni ma od všetkého hriechu a hanby, úžasný je môj Vykupiteľ, chvála jeho menu!
Milujete Ho?
Choďme vo Svetle, v nádhernom Svetle, ktoré pochádza z tade, kde sa milosť ligoce v kvapkách rosy; Svieti stále okolo mňa, vo dne i v noci, To je Ježiš, Svetlo sveta.
Choďme vo Svetle, v tom nádhernom Svetle, ktoré pochádza z tade, kde sa milosť ligoce v kvapkách rosy; Svieti stále okolo mňa, vo dne i v noci, To je Ježiš, Svetlo sveta.
Oslavujte Boha so všetkým čo máte.
Keď budú svätí pochodovať, keď budú svätí pochodovať, Pane, chcem byť medzi nimi, keď svätí budú pochodovať.
Ó, keď budú korunovať Pána všetkého, keď budú korunovať Pána všetkých, Pane, chcem byť medzi nimi, keď budú korunovať Pána všetkých.
Keď slnko odmietne svietiť, keď slnko odmietne svietiť, Pane, chcem byť medzi nimi, keď slnko odmietne svietiť.
179 Milujete to? No, som zvedavý či sú vaše nohy obrátené. Už netancujete viac pre ten svet. Klepkajme svojimi nohami Pánovi, Pánovi. Či sú obrátené vaše ruky - už viac nekradnete? Či sú obrátené vaše rty - už viacej neklamete? Nebuďte len v hlave nábožní; nech je to všade vo vás, to je ono! To chce celého človeka. Tak je to správne. A teraz, klepkajme svojimi nohami.
Keď budú svätí pochodovať, keď budú svätí pochodovať, Pane, chcem byť medzi nimi, keď svätí budú pochodovať.
Keď budú svätí pochodovať, keď budú svätí pochodovať, Pane, chcem byť medzi nimi, keď svätí budú pochodovať.
A teraz zodvihnime ruky.
Keď budú svätí pochodovať, keď budú svätí pochodovať, Pane, chcem byť medzi nimi, keď svätí budú pochodovať.
Keď budú korunovať Pána všetkého, keď budú korunovať Pána všetkých, Pane, chcem byť medzi nimi, keď budú korunovať Pána všetkých.
Či Ho nemilujete?
Potom, choďme vo Svetle, (On je Svetlo, viete) to je nádherné Svetlo, ono pochádza z tade, kde sa milosť ligoce v kvapkách rosy, svieti stále okolo mňa, vo dne, i v noci, Ježiš Svetlo sveta.
Veríte, že On je Svetlo sveta? Veríte? Pavol povedal: "Keď budem spievať, budem spievať v Duchu. Keď sa budem modliť, budem sa modliť v Duchu." Vidíte? Čokoľvek robíte, robte to všetko v Duchu, tak je to správne. A Duch oživuje Slovo. Je to tak? Tak je to. Tak veru.
Vy všetci svätí, vydávajte svetlo, Ježiš, svetlo sveta, milosť a milosrdenstvo je jeho meno, Ježiš, Svetlo sveta.
Čo potom budeme robiť?
Budeme chodiť vo Svetle, v tom nádhernom Svetle, ono pochádza z tade, kde sa milosť ligoce v kvapkách rosy, svieti stále okolo mňa, vo dne, i v noci, Ježiš Svetlo sveta.
180 Prepáčte, že som vás takto poplietol, vás ktorí hráte, ale ja som hneď prešiel z jednej piesni na druhú. Nepoznám nič lepšie ako oslavovať Jeho. To je to, čo robíme. Tak veru. Som vďačný, brat Mack, za túto možnosť, že som sem mohol prísť a mať s tebou obecenstvo a s tvojím zborom tu, dnes večer, zo všetkými týmito milými ľuďmi. A vy, ktorí ste zodvihli ruky, že chcete byť pokrstení Duchom Svätým, dúfam že sa stretnete tu s pastorom Mackom, alebo s niekým z nich a pôjdete tu dozadu do tej miestnosti. A pamätajte len, keď Boh na počiatku vypovedal slovo, a povedal: "Nech sa stane," muselo sa to stať. A On povedal: "Blahoslavení, ktorí lačnejú a žíznia po spravodlivosti, lebo oni budú nasýtení." Vidíte? Musí sa to stať. Poďte a navštívte tu svojho pastora, a stojte pri ňom, keď káže evanjelium.
181 No, spievajme znovu tú starú dobrú pieseň, ja to mám tak rád. Choďme vo svetle. Ježiš povedal: "Ja som svetlo," a vy ste v Ňom. Vidíte? Ako sa dostanete do Neho? Pripojením? Nie. Podaním rúk? Nie. Vodným krstom? Nie. Skrze jedného Ducha sme my všetci pokrstení do jedného tela, do Kristovho tela. A v tomto tele je deväť duchovných darov, ktoré fungujú cez miestne telo, miestny zbor. To je podľa apoštolov, ak o tom niečo viem. Je to tak. Tak ...
Zostaneme vo Svetle,
v tom nádhernom svetle,
ono pochádza z tade,
kde sa milosť ligoce v kvapkách rosy;
Svieti stále okolo mňa,
vo dne i v noci,
to je Ježiš, Svetlo sveta.
1 Thank you Brother Vayle. Good evening, friends. It's a privilege to be here tonight. This is my second time to be here in this Grantway Assembly, with my dear brother, Mack, and all this fine staff here, and the joining Christians from different churches, Brother Lee Vayle. And I just met a brother here, that, a--a bosom friend to Brother F. F. Bosworth, and didn't even know Brother Bosworth had gone on to meet the Lord. I said, "I feel like I met the Elisha that poured water on Elijah's hands," when they had been abroad and didn't know that Brother Bosworth had gone on to meet the Lord, at eighty-four years old.
2 Now I want to greet the folks who is on the telephone hookup tonight, across the country, all the way from California to New York, and Texas and--and up different parts of the nation, from Maine to California. So, we got a--a system of hooking up these telephones, that's been a great blessing. And now we understand, through our good friend, Brother Pearry Green, that they've got a--a little gadget they can put on your television set, and not only will it be on the telephone but it will be televised right in your television set, also. And they're seeing about it now.
3 And, Sister Mack, I'm glad to see you looking fine, sitting here at the organ, tonight. And many of my friends I see from down at Sierra Vista, and Brother Borders... or Brother Roberson, rather, from Indiana; many. I want to say to the folks up at the tabernacle, tonight, look like half of them is down here, and from the tabernacle at Jeffersonville.
4And to my friend up there, Brother Kuhn, that you called in about, concerning that sick, request. I'm praying for it, Brother Kuhn. Just have faith. Don't worry. It'll be all right.
5And down into Texas, Brother Blair, if you are listening in tonight, my brother, just remember this; that God Who brought you through the first time, can bring you through the second. And we are believing that God will grant this to you. And don't you take the Devil's lie about anything. You just remember that God is God, and there is... and He still remains the same yesterday, today, and forever. And we love Him and believe Him, and we are praying for you.
6To all of our friends in California; to Brother Mercier and them up here in Arizona, many other places, Phoenix; and Brother Williams, and you all are hooked up up there tonight, all around, we are certainly grateful; and down in Georgia. And we are certainly thankful for every one of you. The Lord bless you.
7 I have a feeling of real welcome here tonight, in this fine church, the Assembly of God here on Grantway, and with Brother Mack, my good friend. God has blessed Brother Mack. I remember one time in Canada, that he was... I was riding back a trail, on a horse, way back into the jungles, and the Holy Spirit spoke to me to get off and pray for Brother Mack. At that time he was in an emergency, and the Lord healed him. And so I'm so thankful for that, and to be assembled here tonight with him, to worship the Lord in this fine Truth.
8A man sitting on the platform, behind me, said, "Don't guess you know me." Said, "One time you picked me up, as a hitchhiker," and, I don't know, somewhere up in Boston or somewhere, "Detroit, hitchhiking."
9And I said, "Well, I usually try to have a hand out, if I can, for those who are needy."
10And so, tonight, we're all needy. And we pray that God will give us a hand tonight, of help, of blessings, and of His grace and mercy.
11 Now, I'm kind of prone to speaking a long time, but I'll try not to do that tonight. Cause, the people up in Ohio just called, Mrs. Dauch and the group up there, Brother McKinney and Brother Brown, and all them hooked in through Ohio. We send you greetings, also. It's late up in New York, and I suppose it's about eleven or twelve o'clock, at this time, in New York. And the churches come and waited till this hour, just for the service. We are grateful for those fine friends around everywhere.
12 Now before we open the Word, let's just speak to the Author, a moment, while we bow our heads.
13Dear Heavenly Father, we are... our hearts are overjoyed, for the privilege that we have of being alive here tonight, and assembled together with Your people. The people... and who we believe to live forever. We now possess Eternal Life, because, "You gave Your only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting Life." In His pilgrimage here on the earth, He taught us, "He that heareth My Word and believeth on Him that sent Me, has everlasting Life; and shall not come into the judgment, but has passed from death unto Life, because we believed on the only begotten Son of God." How we thank You for this great Saviour! And we pray, tonight, that His great Presence will so bless us together here, as we read of His Word and speak on It. Let the Holy Spirit take that to each heart throughout the nation, Lord, wherever people are gathered together.
14Bless other ministers who are in the pulpit. We pray, Father, that You will bless this Grantway Assembly; its pastor, his wife, his children; the deacons, trustees, and all the board. And, Father, together may we work for the Kingdom of God, while it's enough Light to see where we're getting around, for the hour is coming when no man can work. And, Father, while we have this privilege, may we--may we redeem the time, Lord. May we, that be granted to us. Heal the sick and the afflicted throughout the land. May the Presence of God be felt in every crack and corner of the nation, tonight.
15 We realize that judgment is striking. Great faults are falling in, and the nation is shaking, and earthquakes in divers places. Great historical things that we've heard of in the days past, of judgment, through the Bible, and we see it repeating again today. The prophecy saying, "As it was in the days of Noah, so shall it be in the coming of the Son of man. As it was in the days of Lot, so shall it be in the coming of the Son of man," and we see it happening now. "Man's hearts failing; perplexity of time; distress between nations." God, we know we're at the end time.
16Help us, Lord, to--to take the Message to every crack and corner, to every child that You've ordained to Life. Grant it, Lord. We ask it in Jesus' Name. Amen. Lord, bless the reading now of His Word.
17 Now many of you like to kind of look into the Bible, where a minister is reading. And I want to read tonight, a couple, three verses out of the Psalms, Psalm 42, just for the way of having a text. And I've got some Scriptures written out here, and I want to refer to them, if I can, as we go along in the next few minutes, to speak on this subject. The Psalm of David. David wrote the Psalms.
18Now while you're turning, I might say this. Many people say, "Well, is the Psalms inspired?" Certainly, they are. They're...
19Anything that's--that's in this Bible is inspired, whether it's history, whether it's songs, whatever it is. It's inspired. Jesus said, "Have not you read what David said in the Psalms?" And then I think, Psalms, of course, is songs. And if songs are inspired of God, which, I believe they are, and prophetic also, I hope I am standing that day when this song comes to pass.
There is going to be a meeting in the air,
In that sweet, sweet by and by;
Going to meet you, and greet you over there;
In that Home beyond the sky;
Such singing ever heard, ever heard by mortal ears,
It'll be glorious, I do declare!
And God's Own Son will be the leading One
At that meeting in the air.
Oh, I--I want to be there at that time!
20 Now Psalm 42.
As the hart panteth after the water brooks, so panteth my soul after thee, O God.
My soul thirsts for God, for the living God: when shall I come and appear before God?
My tears have been my meat day and night, while my... while they continually say unto me, Where is thy God?
21I think, David, in the writing of this Psalm, must have been in distress. And it usually takes distress to bring the best out of a man. It, really, that's when God... gets down to when we fast, many times, to get ourself in position to get ourself out of the way. And I think, when David got in these places, then he begin to meditate on the Lord, begin to think about the things.
22Many times, God gets us in--in tight corners where we have to look up. Sometimes we even have to get on our back in the hospital, or a bed somewhere, so we can look up to see where the great blessings of God comes from.
23 Now the word I want to speak from tonight, one word out of the Bible, and that is found in the 2nd verse, "thirst," the word: Thirst. I was looking in the dictionary when I was looking up this word.
24I was thinking about a--a sermon one time, I preached on "Thirsting After Life." And I took it out of the Psalms, too, when David said, "Thy statutes," I believe, "are more precious to me than life."
25Then I was looking and thinking about that word "thirst," so I looked up in the dictionary, to see what it means. And here is what Webster says, "It's a painful desire," a painful, when you want something so bad until it becomes painful to you.
26Now, it's--it's not an unnatural thing, to thirst. Thirst is a--a natural thing. It's just simply something that God has given us, that we could, to give us a--a desire for something. Sometimes God has, also, has given you a--a control tower, something that sets inside of you, that--that controls these different desires. And this thirst, this control tower that sets in a man's heart, is something that God give him to--to warn him of the desires that's needful for him.
27 Now there is two different kinds of thirst. There is a thirst, physically. And there is a thirst, also, spiritually. I would like to read this, what David said, again.
My soul thirsts for God, for the living God:...
28Not some historical, or some something that happened some years ago, or--or some tale that someone told; but, "for the living God," a God that's ever present. And his soul thirsted for that God, not for some historical something.
29 Now we find, God gives the control tower to you, to give to you the things that you need. Now, the control tower in you is what directs you. And this thirst runs in on this co-... tower, control tower, and tells you what you have need of, spiritually speaking. The control tower in the body, and in the soul, also. There is a control tower in the body, that tells you the need that's needed in your body, and it's brought to you by thirst. Also, there is a control tower in your soul, that tells you the spiritual things that you have need of, something in your spirit, and, and you by this can tell what kind of a life is controlling you.
30When you--when you can see what your desires are, then you can tell, by that, what kind of something that's in you, that's creating this desire that you have. See, there is a certain thing that you thirst for, and it--and it can tell you in your soul what this desire is, by the nature of the thirst that you have. I hope that you can understand that.
31 There is a--a control tower of the soul, and one for the body, and each tower is a warning caller for the needs of the other. Each one calls to the need for what the caller is calling for, it sends out a wave of warning.
32For instance, the--the flesh thirst to satisfy the desires that's in the body, and the spirit desires for the things that's in the soul, desire is, and many times these war one against the other. We find there, what's a great trouble today, that too many people try to live between those two desires. For, one of them desires the things of the earth, the other desires the things of Heaven.
33 Like Paul said, describes it in Romans 7:21, "When I would do good, then evil is nigh." When you try, did you ever have that in experience, Christians? That when you're trying to do something that's worth-while, go to make an effort to do something that's good, then you find out that there is the Devil, on every hand, just to upset you, everything that you'd... And that's one good thing, that. I'd like to say this, that the Christians might know. That when you are--when you are starting to do something, and there is something always trying to upset you in doing it, do it anyhow. That's the Devil there, trying to keep you from doing what's right.
34 Now, many times, I meet people that's prone to be a little nervous. When they find out that they're trying to do something, and--and everything is just blocking it off on both sides, they say, "It might not been the will of the Lord." See? Now don't let the Devil lie to you like that.
35The first thing, is find out whether it's the will of God, or not. And then if you want to know whether it's the will of God, look into the Bible. There is the thing that--that sets you straight, is the Word of God; and then if you see it's in the Word of God, for you to do it.
36Like, for instance, seeking for the baptism of the Holy Ghost. Many times, I've run into people, say, "Well, I have sought for the Holy Ghost, and I just couldn't receive It. I don't believe It's for me. Every time I get down, I get sick. And I go to praying, if I fast, I get sick. And if I try to stay all night, I stay up, I get so sleepy. I--I can't get off my feet." Remember, that is the Devil. Because, God intends for you to have the Holy Spirit. It's for whosoever will.
37Many times you find, when you're prayed for, in a meeting, for Divine healing, then the next day you find out, no doubt, that the Devil will make that twice as bad as it was the day before. See? Remember, that's just Satan trying to get you away from the blessing that God has got for you. See? Don't you listen to that fellow. See? Always press right on.
38 I had an experience with that just recently on the road to Africa. If I ever had any time that the Devil ever did press at me, was to go to Africa this last time. It become one of the--the finest meetings and times that I ever went overseas. I got, I believe, more things accomplished in that little time that I was there, besides my hunting trip, than I ever did at any time. I had always thought that those churches didn't want me there, and come to find out... I had a letter from someone, that it was, oh, they didn't want me there, all the association; and found out it was one man, with a letterhead from an organization, that said, "We don't want you," he meant him and his family. See? So then when I got over there... See, just "we," that was he and his family; and it wasn't the people, at all. So, now it's a great field opened up for us.
39 You see, when Paul said, "When I would do good, then evil is nigh."
40You let a young convert come tonight to the altar, somewhere here in this tabernacle, or--or out across the nation; and just remember, tomorrow, mother will be more angry than she ever was, dad will be all upset, and all the school kids. And everything just goes wrong, because it's Satan trying to get you to turn around. He is trying to run you off the Path. "When I would do good, then evil is always nigh."
41 Now let us look at the thirst, and let's see whether actually a thirst is a natural thing. I've had people to tell me, "Oh, I never did. I believe it's just for some people to want to be Christians." Oh, no. That's wrong. It's actually something that's associated with every human being. It certainly is true. When we come to this country in the early days, we found the Indians here. And the Indians, though they were heathen at that time, they worshiped the sun or something. As long as they are human, there is something in them, a natural thirst, calling out for God, somewhere.
42 Back in the jungles, just recently back there, four hundred and eighty miles from the closest civilization, a little, small town of about three thousand people, of Beira, in Mozambique. We found natives that didn't even... never seen a white person. I found a native girl, she had no clothes on, (any of them hardly have clothes on), and she was sitting up in a tree. And I was tracking the lion, and there was... I heard something like a human being, screaming. This native girl sitting up there, walleyed, holding a baby. And what she was scared about... That's her only protection, is get up a tree, from a lion, leopard or something, or some animal. And she had seen me, and heard it was a human being, but when she looked and seen a white person! She had never seen one in her life, see, and she was scared to death. See?
43But when we find those people, even in that primitive condition back there, they were still worshiping. Before we called the lion in, they poured out some mealie meal (that's what they eat) on a little leaf, and clap their hands, and called on the spirit of some great something they didn't know where (like a patron saint or something, to a Catholic), to protect them, that they wouldn't be killed during the time of the charge of this lion.
44 See, it's something natural. It's not an unnatural thing to thirst for God. It's a natural thing. It's just something that you should do. God has made you up like that. And it's no super human, it's just actually a common human being. It ain't just special for some people.
45They say, "Well, I've seen some people live such a--a victorious life, that they're constantly on the housetop, they're praising God. Wish I could feel that way." Well, the reason you are feeling that way, it's the thirst in you. And it's just a natural thing. It's for every person, to thirst for God.
46 Now we'll take some of the natural. Thirst is first. Let's take, for instance, thirsting for water. As David said here, thirsting for, of "the water." Thirsting for water, the body is in need of water. And if you don't supply that thirst, you'll perish. You will dehydrate, and you'll--you won't live. If you can't get water to that thirst, to quench that thirst of the natural body you will soon perish. You won't live long. You can live longer without food than you can without water. Because, you can fast for forty days (Jesus did), I suppose, without--without food, but you couldn't do that long without water. You would just simply dry up and die. You must have water. And--and the thirst that comes on you, why, it's to show that the body is in need of something, to keep it alive. The body has got to have the water, in order to stay alive. You are eighty-something percent of water and petroleum, anyhow, and you've got to take these sources in, to keep you alive. As I have said, if you neglect it you'll perish.
47The thirst also is an alarm. It's an alarm clock, that thirsting. The soul sets off alarm clock, a little buzzer inside of you that tells you that death has lurking nigh. That, if you don't get water pretty soon, you've got to die. And it gets louder and louder, until finally you keep putting it off and you'll die, because it's an alarm clock.
48 Like David described it here in the Psalms, "As the hart panteth after the water brooks, so panteth my soul after Thee, O God." As the hart panteth after the water brook!
49I've often thought, as reading of this of David. David was a woodsman, a hunter. And he hunted deer, of course. And many of we, in this day, hunt them. The hart is a deer.
50And we find, if you ever seen the dogs, the wild dogs will grab a deer. And usually they got, like the coyote, a fang. And he can grab the deer right above the burr of the ear, here, and swing his weight. He cuts the throat of the deer, and the deer doesn't have a chance then. But sometimes the--the--the dog, like in Africa there, the wild dog will grab the deer right in the flanks, if he misses the throat. He'll grab, the second time, at the flank. And if the deer is strong enough and quick enough, he can shake the dog off.
51 The deer is much faster. The dog stalks him when he's not looking, and when he is up wind from him, and--and he--he don't know the--the dog is near.
52And then, when the wild dog grabs him, if he's real quick, he can throw it off. And, but when the dog comes out of the flank, he has got a whole mouthful of the deer's flesh. Or, when he grabs at his neck sometimes, he'll cut close to the jugular vein, and miss it. And the deer, shaking him, will pull a whole chunk of meat out of the deer's throat, then the blood begins to run.
53And then the dog will come right on the trail of that blood, after the deer. And as the life of the deer begins to dwindle, as the blood, which is the life stream to the body, as that begins to dwindle down, the deer gets weaker. And the dog then, or the wolf, is right behind the deer.
54Now, if that deer can't find water! Now, water has something in it, that, when the deer drinks the water, it stops the bleeding. But if he don't get water to cool him off, then the--the blood keeps flowing out faster; because he is running, keeping his heart pumping. But if he can ever get to water, the deer will live.
55 Now there is a great lesson there, see, and David saying here, "As the hart panteth for the water brook, my soul panteth for Thee, O God."
56Now that deer knows, unless he finds water he's gone. He just can't live. I have tracked them many times after being wounded. When he hits a stream of water, he will cross in and get a drink, go up over the hill; come back down, cross, get a drink of water and go up. You'll never catch up with him, as long as he'll follow that stream. But once when he leaves the stream, if he can't find another water brook somewhere, you'll catch him right away. And now the deer knows that, so he'll stay right with the water, where he can get to it right quick. Now could you imagine a deer with his nose up, he has been caught out somewhere where there is no water?
57 And he says, "As the hart thirsts or panteth (is a thirst) after the water brooks, my soul thirsts after Thee, O God. Unless I can find You, Lord, I'll perish. I--I--I can't go unless I find You!"And when a man or woman, boy or girl, gets that kind of a thirst for God, he is going to find something. See?
58But when we come at it, just kind of halfway, "Well, I'll kneel down and see what the Lord does." See, you're not really thirsting yet. It's got to be a thirst between death and Life, and then something takes place.
59 The deer, also here he's... We find that he also has another sense, of smell, that sets off an alarm in him when his enemy is near. He is possessed, this little creature, with a--a sense to protect himself. And he's--he's got a little alarm in him, a little something, that he tickles his nose when the enemy is near. You can get in the wind of the enemy, and he knows that you're there, and he is gone. Sometimes a half a mile away, he can smell you and get away, or the wolf or any danger. He is able to sense it because that he is made up that way. He is a deer, by nature. And that sense in him is just one that God give him, senses to him, to live by.
60 And then I thought, comparing the deer with a man that's thirsting for God, before the enemy gets there. There is something about a child of God, that when you once are born into the Spirit of God, receive the baptism of the Holy Spirit, there is something about the person that can sense the enemy. You can take a man when he's taking the Scripture, and reading the Scripture and try to inject something to that Scripture, that's contrary to the Scripture, a man that's filled with the Holy Ghost can [Brother Branham snaps his finger--Ed.] sense that, right quick. There is something out of the way. When he gets into a place, and--and that little certain sense in there, that it's done to protect your life. You, you mustn't, you mustn't never go for anything unless it's exactly the Word of God. You must stay right exactly with that Word. And, now, and we are secured with that sense as long as we are in the Holy Spirit.
61 You can go to read, and like for instance, somebody say, and I go to read in Mark 16, and say, "And these signs shall follow them that believe: In My Name they shall cast out devils; they shall speak with new tongues; or take up serpents, or drink deadly things, it would not harm them; if they lay their hands on the sick, they shall recover."
62Now, then, you find a person get up there and say, "Now, that was for the apostolic age." That, now, right quick, if you have received the Holy Spirit, you've been endowed with that sense. It sets it off. There is something wrong there. See? They try to explain it away, that it's for another day, that really you don't need those things today. But Jesus said, "These signs shall follow them that believe." See, there is a little something sets off in you, a little buzzer, in knowing that that's wrong and that's the way of death.
63 Cause, Jesus said, "If we add one word to This, or take one Word from It, our part is taken out of the Book of Life." See, not one Scripture. We must take It just the way It's written. And God watches over His Word, to perform It, and we know that It's got to be just right.
64So therefore, no matter what a church would say, what anyone else would say, if you're born of the Spirit of God, you become part of the Bible. God told Ezekiel, he, the prophet. He said, "Take the scroll and eat it," then the prophet and the scroll became part of each other. And that's the believer when he receives the Holy Spirit; the Holy Spirit wrote the Bible, and the Spirit of God is the Word of God. "My Words are Spirit. In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. And the Word was made flesh and dwelt among us." Hebrews 13:8, "He is the same yesterday, today, and forever." And when you are a part of that Word, oh, then let something come up contrary to that Word, [Brother Branham snaps his finger--Ed.] there is a little buzzer sets off right quick. See, It's to warn you that death is in the road. We should never do that. There is also...
65These thirsts are just natural. They are natural for the Christian. They are natural for the human being.
66 There is also a thirst for success. So many people today, how we school for this thirst! We just noticed, they started the university up. And we go down there, and people spend thousands of dollars to send their children to the school, and--and to universities and colleges, and so forth, to get an education, "To be successful," they call it, "in life." But now I have nothing against that, now, that's all right. But, to me, you could get all the schooling in the world, and still you haven't found the right success. That's right. Because, that will just temporarily make things a little easier for you here. And there is... But when you die, you leave all that behind you, and this entire economy that we have.
67 I was saying it the other day, at Phoenix. It stand quoting again, that, "All this modern civilization, the whole educational program, the whole scientific program, is all contrary to God's Word and His will." Civilization is absolutely... There will never be a civilization in the world that is to come, like this one. This is a perverted civilization. God had His first civilization upon the earth, when He spoke His Words and they come up, every seed of its kind, and in that civilization there was no death, sickness, sorrow. And now we take the things that is in the scientific world, that was put here to hold it together, and pervert it into something, and that brings death.
68Like the atomic bomb. I don't know the formulas of these things, but I might say this wrong. They take uranium, to split a--a molecule, and a molecule breaks into atoms. What does it do then? It just annihilates, almost, just destroys. Everything that we do!
69 We take medicine, put this formula with this formula, to cure this, and put it into us. And what do we do? We tear down something else.
70Now I guess you read, read last month's Reader's Digest, that it said that, "In this age that we're living in now, that, young men and women reach middle age between twenty and twenty-five years old." Think of that. Little girls in menopause, and twenty, and twenty-two and twenty-three years old, middle age. You see, what's done it, it's been this hybrid food and stuff we're eating. See, it's the stuff, the food and the--the life that we're living. Scientists has brought it to us, and, in doing so, they're killing you.
71I was in Africa where I'd see them boys that never had a dose of medicine in their life. They eat meat that had maggots in it. They drank out of a pool that it looked like would kill an ox. And I was shooting a target at two hundred yards, and I couldn't see it with a pair of seven-fifty binoculars. And a man my age was standing there, telling me where it was hit, with his naked eye. Now, if all this modern culture has done something... I feel if I had his eyes and his stomach, I would be a pretty good man. Yeah.
72But there you are, you see, that's what science, education, civilization, we're destroyed by it. We destroy ourselves. It started in the garden of Eden, and runs on for today. But, thirsting for success!
Then, we thirst for fellowship. We go, we want fellowship.
73 It's like a young man and a young woman. Now, it's not unnecessary or not (I mean) unnatural for a young man and a young woman to--to love one another. It is a thirst for love. It's their age, and they--they love one another. And it's not unnatural, that's just a natural thing for them to do that.
74Now we find many things, in the life that we live in the natural body, that we thirst for. It's just something sets in us. We want to do it, we absolutely feel that it's necessary. And it is necessary that we do it.
75We find many women, in these days, thirst for beauty. Now there isn't a woman... It's a natural thing for a woman to thirst to be pretty. That's--that's her God-given instinct and--and her beauty that God give her for her mate. And now we find out that women want to be that way. Why is it? It's just because it's something God gave her. And it's not wrong for women to be pretty. They should be.
76 And, you know, they are the only creature that--that the female is prettier than the male, it's in the human race. Every other animal, take the--the cow to the bull, the doe deer to the buck, the hen to the rooster, the mother bird to the father bird, always you find the male is big and pretty. But on the human race, showed there is where the perversion come, it turns around; and it's the women so is--is pretty, and they lust to be pretty.
77Not like some of these weird creatures we see on the street of this day; no, no, not that kind of pretty. No. That's the horriblest-looking sight I ever seen in my life. Yes, sir. That is the perversion that's perverting the true thirst.
78 Now, the true thirst that a woman should have, would be to "adorn themselves in modest apparel, and to have a Christ-like spirit," I Timothy 2:9. Now that's a way the woman should thirst to be. Now if you want to be pretty, that's the way what makes you pretty, see, is a Christ-like spirit, and adorned in modest apparel.
79Oh, my, some of these people today out on the streets! You can't tell a man from the woman, and it's a--it's the most horrible-looking thing that you would... I wouldn't, it's--it's... I--I never seen anything like it, like human beings. It's beyond human. Eyes painted way up like that, and, you know, them funny-looking lizard eyes, and all them funny-looking clothes. And, why, it don't even... All so out of form, they don't even look like a human being. And some of them boys out here, with their hair combed down, their sister's, rollers in front here, you know, why, it's a complete perversion! That's right. It's--it's--it's Satan, and Satan is the perverter.
80 When God made everything in the garden of Eden, it was lovely, then Satan come in and perverted. Satan cannot create nothing. There is only one Creator, that's God. But Satan perverts the original creation. And now he's got into (this I want to speak tonight about) perverting the--the original creation of thirst.
81Now, a woman, as I said before, wants to be pretty. There is something in her, that she is feminish and she wants to be that way.
82But the way they are on the street today, hair cut like a man, wearing man's clothes; and then man turn around, wearing women's clothes, and a haircut like a woman. See, it's a perversion, the whole thing! Your food is perverted. Your life is perverted. Your thirst, perverted. Your desire is perverted. It's a day of perversion!
83 I was speaking here, not long ago, on Satan's Eden. God took six thousand years, and made a perfect Eden. Satan come over and sprayed them seeds, and deformed them. Now he's got six thousand years, and he has got his own scientific Eden, right back again on a perversion of the right.
84And this is the age of hybreeding, hybreeding. They even have got the--the churches today, till they're hybrid. That's right. They get in here, they just go to church, it's a lodge instead of a church. A church is a place where people come together and worship God in Spirit and in Truth. And today it's a lodge. We go there and have a little time to shake hands, and fellowship, and some black coffee in the back of the building, then go home till next week, and we done our religious duty.
85Now it's a perverted age. And Satan is perverting these thirsts that God put in you, to thirst. Satan is perverting them. Now if you want to know the right, perversion...
86 If you, the women, wants to be pretty, take I Timothy 2:9, that's that "adorning themselves in modest apparel--apparel, with a Christ-like spirit, meek, subject to their husbands," and so forth. That's the way that you should be adorned, your life you live.
87He perverts the true nature of God, and the true thirst of God, of the body and soul, by lust for sin. Sin, a perversion! Now we find out, a person today, the way they've took that perversion; thirst for God, the thirst for to be pretty, and all these thirsts. For, for water, they've turned that into satisfying that with drinking. The thirst for joy, everybody wants to have joy; thirst for fellowship; all these great thirsts that God put into us, that we might thirst after Him. God made you to thirst after Him, and we try to satisfy it with some other kind of a thirst, with some other kind of a perversion of the correct thirst. See how it's in the natural? See how it's in the spiritual? We think, as long as we join church, that--that settles, that's all we have to do. Well, that is absolutely wrong. No.
88God wants you to thirst for Him! "As the hart panteth for the water brook, my soul thirsts after Thee, O God." See? See?
89 Now, if that deer was panting for the water brook, what if somebody come along, and another buddy deer could come along, and say, "Say, I'll tell you what I--I could do. I know where there is a mud hole down here." Well, the deer wouldn't want that. He, that wouldn't do him any good.
90And there is nothing can satisfy that thirst that's in the human being, until God comes in. He must have It, or die. And no persons has a right to try to hush or satisfy that holy thirst, that's in him, by the things of the world. No, sir. It's ungodly to do so. And if you thirst for God, don't shake hands with the preacher and put your name on the book. If you're thirsting for God, there is only one thing to satisfy it, that's, meet God. If you're thirsting for God, that's the only way you can meet Him, is to do that.
91 And then there is a great danger, also, if you don't watch what you're doing in that time. If you're thirsting for God, be sure it's God you find. See, be sure that it's your thirst is satisfied. But if Satan has been able to pervert you, from these natural appetites, and that he'll do if he can, he'll--he'll simply make you try to be satisfied.
92A man get out, what makes a man gets drunk? Is because he is worried and tore up. There is something lacking in him.
93 I was at Mayo's, here not long ago, and I was up there on an interview. And then it was told in this, that, talking about drinking, and I told them that my father drank.
Said, "What made him drink?
I said, "I don't know."
94He said, "Is because that there was something that (he) wasn't satisfying him, and he thought he could drink to throw it off his mind."
95I caught it right then, see. It was really God, was the only thing can satisfy that thirst. God Himself is the only thing can satisfy that human thirst, is to accept God.
96 Now Satan takes these things, as I said, and perverts them. Then if you're--if you're... If you won't give that thirst the right place in your life, and won't thirst and take the things that God provided to stop that thirst with, to quench it, then Satan will lead you to some of his stagnant cesspools of this world. You must have it somewhere. If you can't find food, you'd eat from a garbage can. See? And if you--if you couldn't find water, and you was dying, you'd drink out of a--a pool of any kind, because you are perishing.
97But there is no reason for that, when you're thirsting for God, because God is a living God, not some historical something. "My soul thirsts for Thee, the living God," Something that gives living waters, Something that satisfies.
98 There is another nature, natural, just a natural thirst, in that thirst of the soul. You might say, "Brother Branham, is that soul thirst, is that natural?" Yes, that's natural for a soul to thirst. And it's, for God made you this way, that so that you would thirst for Him. He wants you to thirst after Him. Now, God made you like that. He didn't have to make you like that, but He did do it. And if He hadn't have made you like that, so that you would thirst, there would be an excuse at the Judgment Bar, say, "I--I--I never did thirst for God." But, there is no excuse, you do. You will make it somewhat; you might make it your wife, you might make it your car, you might make it something else, you might go to church and try to satisfy it. And I have nothing against going to church, but that isn't the satisfaction. It's to find God, the living God, the God of Heaven, into your soul, that satisfies that longing and thirsting that you long for.
99Now, for, He made you so you could thirst for Him, for His fellowship. Now, there is genuine thirst for fellowship. Now we like to meet with one another. We're doing that tonight. We meet here together tonight because we like to fellowship, one with the other. Why do we do that? Because there is something in us that we want to meet one another. That's just natural. And now we meet on a common ground here, that is, because we are all thirsting for God. See? And then we meet here on this regular, common grounds here of fellowship. In the church tonight, here, might be many different denominational views, and so forth; but when it comes to that thirst, we can meet on a common ground, one ground: we all thirst. Some might believe in sprinkling, the other one in baptism, and one in pouring, or so forth; but when it comes to the thirst for God, we--we come on one mutual ground. And God made us so that we would do that, thirst for Him and for His fellowship. I don't know anything...
100 When I was a little boy, I remember I was raised in a real poor family. And I remember of many times I would go out with fellows. I couldn't dress like to go out to a decent place. But, I--I don't know, there is something about people, that I liked. I liked to get with them. But I was, more or less, what is called, the black sheep. And when I got saved and found that Something in me, that I thirsted for, a--a Friend, Somebody that would be a buddy to me, Somebody I could trust, Somebody you can set down to and talk your troubles over with. And when... I found that real true satisfaction when I found Jesus Christ, that real true Satisfier that takes away all--all.... quenches all that thirst, and gives you Something that--that just looks like that there is just nothing to take His place.
101 And now how Satan tries to pervert this satisfying of the soul, that thirst for the soul! He tries to give you everything to satisfy it. And he is so deceitful in these days of perversion. This is a perverted world. It's a perverted race. It's a perverted people. Everything is perverted, and has perverted so gradual until it's become the most deceitful age that any human being ever lived in. It's more deceitful than it ever was.
102Now you just--you just can't imagine of how deceitful the nation's got, even with our own brethren, like American people.
103 I was speaking sometime ago. I was in the woods a few weeks ago and found a--a--a cigarette pack laying in the woods. And it said on there, "A thinking man's filter." And I went on down through the woods a little ways, and I come back; kept bearing on my mind, "A thinking man's filter, and a smoking man's taste."
104Well, I was at the World Fair, couple years ago over here, when they had that Yul Brynner and all them over there, when they was making demonstrations with cigarettes. And how they took that smoke and put it across a piece of marble, and took a Q-tip and raked up that nicotine off of there, and put it on the back of a rat. In seven days, he had so much cancer he couldn't get up on his feet. See, from one cigarette! And then they showed how that when that goes into the human lung. Some of them say, "I don't inhale. I just puff it in my mouth." Shows how it gets in the saliva and goes right down just the same, into the throat, see.
105And then this man said, "You see so much talk about a filter." He said, "Now, if you have a desire," there is a thirst, you see, "a desire to smoke a cigarette, one natural cigarette might satisfy that desire for the time being. But if you've got a filter, it takes four cigarettes to satisfy," said, "because you're only getting about one fourth of the smoke."
106 And said, "A smoking man's taste"? See, you cannot have smoke unless you get tar. And when you got tar, you got cancer. So there you are, see, it--it's just a gimmick. And I think of a--a tobacco company that's in this nation, and--and it lives by this nation, and then with a gimmick like that, to absolutely deceive American citizens, to deceive them. A thinking man's filter? It's only a gimmick to sell more cigarettes.
107Then I thought of that thing, "A thinking man's Filter," I thought, "that's a good idea." So there is a thinking man's Filter, that's this Bible. A--a thinking man's filter will take this Filter, It'll produce a righteous man's taste. See?
108Now, you cannot pull sin through the pages of this Bible. No, It stops it. It filters it out. Now, you can go to church, and just take anything, but you can't come through this Bible and have sin. It will not do it. It filters out all sin, and It gives a holy man's taste. Because if the man is thinking that he wants to be holy, and be like God, and be a son or a daughter of God, then he wants the right kind of a Filter. So He stops all sin on this side the Bible, and He can only bring the Holy Spirit through the Bible, that wrote the Bible. It's a holy man's taste, to have this thinking man's Filter.
109 Now we find how deceiving it is today. Matthew 24:24, Jesus said, "In the last days, that, the two spirits would be so close alike until they would deceive the very Elected if it was possible." How close! How, what a deception of--of right and wrong, we have today!
110Even in our--in our government, in our politics, we--we haven't even got a man that we could put up as a politician, that will absolutely stand up for what he thinks is right. Where is our Patrick Henry's and George Washington's, and Abraham Lincoln's of today? Just as our President said there, "The way, if they want communism, they can have it, whatever the people wants." If that ain't a--a man that won't speak his conviction! A man will stand on a principle, that will stand on what's what a principle... just want to go the--the--the way of least resistance.
111And that's the way that the people has got, in the church. They want to come join church, and they say, "Oh, well, that--that's it, I--I've joined church now." You are trying to satisfy that great holy thirst that God put in you, that control Tower trying to turn you to the right thing, and you try to satisfy it with joining a church, quoting a creed, or something like that. When, it's nothing but the very Presence and filling of God Himself in your life, that will satisfy that.
112 He won't be satisfied with a creed. You will never pull a creed through that Bible. No. There is not even the Apostles' Creed, so called, will never come through There. Show me in the Bible where the Apostles' Creed says, "I believe in the Holy Roman Catholic church; I believe in the communion of saints"; when the Bible said, "There is one mediator between God and man, and that's the Man Christ Jesus." You will never pull that through the Bible.
113 You will never pull all these dances, and shorts, and things that the people are doing today, these twists and watusi's, and all these things, through God's Word. You'll never pull this modern trend of civilization through that Bible. It's against it. See? And you try to satisfy that thirst, but, you see, it'll... This Bible will only satisfy a righteous man or woman's taste. This Holy Spirit, that they would laugh at, and said, "You've gone out of your mind." But That satisfies that longing, that something that the world knows nothing about. They have perverted themselves, from true baptism of the Holy Spirit and the Word of God, (unto what?) unto the cesspools, the cesspools of the church, of dogmas and creeds, and--and denominational differences, and so forth.
Say, "You a Christian?"
114"I'm Methodist. I'm Baptist. I'm Presbyterian." That don't mean one thing to God, not one thing. You can't pull them things through God's Bible here. And you're trying to satisfy that holy thirst that God give you, to thirst after Him. Is that right? [Congregation says, "Amen."--Ed.]
115 Now, you know that David said here, "for the living God." Now, "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. And the Word was made flesh and dwelt among us." Then there can be no satisfaction until this Word, which is God, becomes alive in you, then you see God Himself fulfilling the promises that He made in the Bible.
116 Now we have different interpreters of the Bible. One church interprets It this way, another one interprets It that way, and another one this way. Some don't take but a little bit of It; some take here and there, a piece of It. But God is His Own Interpreter. When He makes a promise and fulfills it, that's the interpretation thereof.
117If I promised you I would be here tonight, and here I am, that's the fulfilling of my promise. If I say I'll meet you in the morning, and I'm there, that's my promise. There ain't no need of making any other excuses, I've got to be there.
118And when God makes a promise, and then comes around and fulfills that promise, that's the interpretation of the promise. And I would dare anybody to take God at His Word, and see if every Word in that Bible isn't the Truth. That's right. That's what that thirst is in there.
119You say, "If I would have lived in the days of Jesus, I would have done so-and-so."
120Why, you are living in His days. What are we doing about it? What are we doing? You say, "Well?" What you done, perhaps what the Pharisees done. They belonged to church, and denied Jesus Christ.
121 We always say today, people try to say, "We compare. We've got to compare Bible leaf with Bible leaf, Scripture with Scripture." That isn't the Truth. No, it isn't the Truth. "This Greek word means this, and this means that." The Greeks themself, way back in the Nicaea Council, and them writers back in there, they had different forms. One believed this way, this Greek scholar meant this, and the other one said this one meant it this way. And they fussed over It. We don't need interpretation of Greek scholars or Greek words.
122"To know Him is Life," the Person, Christ Himself! Not comparing. It's a revelation that God built His Church upon. And if we don't build upon that same Church... The Bible said, "Abel, by faith!" And faith is a Divine revelation. See, faith is a Divine revelation. All right. This whole Thing is built upon the revelation then, and unless this is revealed to you! Jesus said, "I thank Thee, Father, that Thou has hid these things from the wise of this world, and revealed it to babes such as will learn." See, now, the whole thing is built there, you've got to know the Person!
123 And you cannot satisfy that by joining church. You've got to find the Person, God Himself, which is the Word and--and interpretation of Hisself today, the promises that He made today. The people that He was going to have in this day, "the Church without spot or wrinkle," don't mean a denomination; it means the persons, the individuals without spot or wrinkle. "Be two in the bed, I'll take one and leave one; two in the field, I'll take one and leave one." But when God, that holy thirst to be like Him, and then you see that His Word is in you, vindicating Itself, that you are God's servant. Whatever God says, you just toe right up to it, then you're coming through the right process then to satisfy that holy thirst that's in you.
124 Oh, of course, the people will laugh at you, and say, "You've lost your mind. You've gone crazy." But remember what they're drinking from, see. Look where they are at. Could you imagine a big artesian well spurting up fine water, and somebody down at one of them holes down there, with dead tadpoles, and creeds and everything laying in it, drinking down there, looking up and making fun of you? Oh! Why, he doesn't know, he doesn't know what a--what a thirst-quenching Stream you're living at. That's exactly right.
125We got a living God. Not one that died nineteen hundred years ago and stayed in the grave, but One that raised again. Hebrews 13:8, says, "He's the same yesterday, today, and forever." The same Holy Ghost that fell on the Day of Pentecost is the same Holy Ghost that's here now. He is the satisfying Portion, because He is the Word. That's right. The Holy Ghost wrote the Word, He interprets the Word. The Bible said, in II Peter, that the Holy Spirit wrote the Bible, "Man of old, moved by the Holy Ghost, wrote the Bible."
126Now, you can't do it, you can't satisfy that holy thirst with nothing less than God Himself living in you, in the Person of the Holy Spirit. Education, culture, joining churches, reciting creeds, going to belong in a fellowship; all these things are very good, but they absolutely will not stop that holy hush... [Blank.spot.on.tape--Ed.]... that holy thirst, rather, won't hush that holy thirst.
127 I was listening to Billy Graham, the great evangelist, the other night. And I tell you, I pray more for him now than I ever did, when I seen him really rapping it to them, the way they did. He said, "That bunch of clergymen coming down the road, them collars turned around!" Going down there where they had no business to go, sticking their nose in something. But they was going down the road, [Brother Branham claps his hands--Ed.] clapping their hands and patting their foot. Well, they looked like unholy-rollers. Now, you see, but they got something they--they believe in. They got something, it excites the soul. They got something they was excited about. Some woman went and stuck her head in something down there, and they thought she was a martyr, and she had no business to be into. Now we find that these men [Brother Branham claps his hands] had something they could clap their hands about. They were happy. They were doing something.
128Well, if you can do that for a--a principle that you think is right here; and then stand in a church and somebody clap their hands or pat their foot, the deacons would lead them out the door. See, they have turned their people to a filthy cesspool of creed and denomination, instead of feeding them on the blessed holy Word of God, that's delivered by the Power of the resurrection of Jesus Christ.
129 See, they try to, they quench their thirst by saying, "I am Doctor So-and-so," or come out of a certain seminary or a certain school. But that don't mean one thing, not a thing. But, you see, they, they try to satisfy themselves, say, "Now God will recognize me because I am His pastor. God will recognize me because I am holy Father So-and-so, or Bishop So-and-so," or--or something like that. They are trying to satisfy their thirst there, when you can't do it. "I got a Ph.D., LL.D. I got my Bachelor of Art. I got this." That's all right. But, to me, that just means you're that much farther away from God. That's right. That much further away from God, all the time!
130You only know God by an experience. You cannot educate This into you. It's borned into you! It's something that God gives you. Education has nothing to do with It. One of the greatest men in the Bible couldn't even sign his name, Saint Peter. That's exactly right, him and John, the Bible said, "They were both ignorant and unlearned." But it pleased Jesus to give him the keys to the Kingdom, because he was thirsting for God. Amen. Thirsting for God, fellowship. Yes, sir. Oh, my!
131 I think of Isaiah, that young man, oh, a fine young man, he was down there in the temple, one day.
132The great king, and he put his face towards him and thought he was one of the greatest men. Which, he was a great man. He was raised up, fine parents, a good mother and dad. But when he went out, his politics was clean, and he made things right with God. And Isaiah looked at him and thought he was a great man, put him for an example. But don't you (never) put no man, but the Man Christ Jesus, for your example. All man will fail. After a while, he got to a place; he was--he was king, but he tried to take a priest's place and went into the temple, and he was stricken with leprosy.
133Then Isaiah was all worried, so he goes down to the temple and he begin to--to pray, he thought he would go down and pray a while. And now, look, that man was a prophet; but down there in the temple was a young man, he was crying out to God, one day, and a vision fell before him. And when he did, he seen Angels, Cherubims, with Their faces covered with Their--with Their wings, and Their feet covered, and flying with two wings. And They were going back and forth, up-and-down through the temple, crying, "Holy, holy, holy is the Lord God Almighty."
134 And Isaiah, that great thirst that he had had, he--he perhaps was schooled. He--he probably had a good education. He had a--a marvelous conception of what God ought to be. He--he had heard the priests. He had been in the temple. He had been raised to be a--a believer, but, you see, he had never come face to face with It before. See? He--he had a desire to do right. He wanted to be right, but he just had the educational side. He had the theological side of It.
135But when he got there in the temple that day, and he seen these Cherubims waving these wings back and forth, and realized that these Angels ministered in the face of God. And them Angels didn't even know what sin was, and, to stand in the Presence of God, They had to cover Their holy faces, to stand in the Presence of God. Then that prophet cried out, "Woe is me, for I am a man of unclean lips. All of my theology, theology and stuff that I've learned, all of my marvelous conception that I had of God, I am face to face with it now." He said, "I'm a man of unclean lips, and I dwell with people that's unclean lips." All their teaching of the laws, and things they had done, had never reached that place to where he come into the Presence of God, and seen God with his own eyes; and His trail, when He was sitting up on High, in the Heavens. And there he was, face to face with reality. And he cried, "I'm a man of unclean lips, and I dwell among unclean people."
136 And then it was that the Cherubim took the tongs, and a coal of Fire from the altar, and touched them unclean lips. And turned him from a coward, or from an educated man, a teacher, to a prophet that the Word of God could speak through. Sure, while he was in the Presence of God, It was something different. That thirst that he had had, had reached that place then, till he was filled with It.
137And let me tell you, friend, I don't care how many churches you join, how many names you put on, which a way you go, and whether you are sprinkled, baptized, or whatever you are; until you meet that Person, Jesus Christ! That, that's the only thing that will really satisfy.
138Emotion won't do it; you might jump up-and-down and shout as long as you want to, or you might run up-and-down the floor, and you might speak in tongues as much as you want to. And them things are holy and good. I don't say--I don't say nothing against that. But until you meet that Person, that satisfying Portion, that Something that takes every fiber in your body; not by emotion, but by a satisfaction!
139 I used to see a little sign, said, "If you're thirsty, say Parfay." There used to be a little drink, when I was a boy, called Parfay. I remember coming down the road, oh, from fishing, I had been up to the pond, old stagnant waters. And I was about starved to death, and I seen a sign say, "If you're thirsty, just say Parfay." And I started saying, "Parfay, Parfay." I got thirstier all the time. And I--I... See, I--I--I got so I couldn't even spit, after a while, I was so--so thirsty.
140Well, you see, that won't do it. There is nothing will satisfy it. I don't care, you can drink cokes, you can drink anything you want to, with them sweetened by carbonated waters, and so forth, there is nothing that will satisfy the thirst like a good cool, cold stream of water. That'll quench that thirst. All these other things are substitutes.
141 And why would we want to take a substitute, when there is a genuine baptism of the Holy Ghost that satisfies every fiber and longing in the human soul? Then stand right in the face of death, like the great Apostle Paul said, "O death, where is your sting? And, grave, where is your victory? But thanks be to God, Who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ!" That's the experience, brother, that satisfies that holy hush that... or that holy thirst that's in you. It satisfies it. You don't have to do anything else about it. Yeah, It cleanses the lips.
142And there is, also, just people who live upon the emotion, upon the... Some people say, "Well, we got a lot of that in our Pentecostal movement." And they will go in, which is fine, they'll pat their hands [Brother Branham claps his hands--Ed.] and play the music. The music stops, "sh, whew," a bucket of water went over everything, see. Now we--we do that, we--we got in a habit of doing that. We got, we--we... It's just become one of our customs.
143 Let me tell you something. When you're worshiping God, in the Spirit and in Truth, when it becomes a custom for you to do it, because you think you ought to do it; because you think, if you don't shout, or jump up-and-down, or dance with the music, your neighbor is going to think you're backslid; you are drinking from a stagnated stream. Right!
144Until It fills every fiber, until the Holy Spirit Itself bubbling in you; I don't care whether the music is playing, whether they're playing Nearer, My God, To Thee, or whatever it is, the Holy Spirit is still ringing the glory bells in your heart. That satisfies. That's God's satisfying Portion. Anything less that That, you're done.
145You might speak with tongue like men and Angels, you might give all your goods to feed the poor, you might prophesy, and you might have knowledge, understand all the mysteries and all these things, and you still become nothing (I Corinthians 13) until that satisfying Something that can only quench that thirst.
146"My soul thirsts for the living God, like the hart panting for the water brook. Unless I can find It, I'll perish." When you get to hungering for God like that, something is going to take place. The Holy Spirit is to lead you to those great fountains of God. Yes, sir.
147 Now, there is a good thing, to worship in the Spirit. That's true. But sometimes you have Spirit without Truth. Saint John 4, said, "We worship God, Spirit and Truth." And Jesus is the Truth. That's exactly right. And He is the Word.
148The streams God sent to satisfy you, in the natural, Satan has polluted every one of them. He has put the poisoned dope in every one that he could get into. That's right. He took that great stream, of the church.
149That, that was God's way. Jesus said, "Upon this Rock I'll build My Church, and the gates of hell can't prevail against It."
150Now there is different arguments of that. The Roman people, the Catholic says, "He built It upon Peter." See, and if that be so, Peter backslid, in a few days. So, It wasn't. It sure wasn't built upon Peter, Petra, the little rock. And then the Protestant says, that, "He built It upon Himself, Jesus Christ." Not to be different, but I differ with them. He never built It on either one.
151He built It upon the revelation of Who He was. He said, "Blessed art thou, Simon, son of Jonas, flesh and blood never revealed this to you, but My Father which is in Heaven has revealed this to you." Not by knowledge! You didn't learn It by books. You didn't learn It by joining church. You didn't learn It in the shouts. You did... But the Holy Ghost Itself has brought the Person of Jesus Christ to you, then, "Upon this Rock I'll build My Church, and the gates of hell can't prevail against It." That holy thirst has been satisfied in the Person of Jesus Christ. There you are. That's the thing that we want to look for, satisfy that thirst with That. All right, we find that we must.
152 Knowledge? Oh, my! Knowledge is a great thing, we fill up, and today we're full of it. But you see, knowledge... as I was saying the other day, speaking on that subject of knowledge. There was a man standing outside, was talking to a friend of mine standing there, said, "If a man don't believe in education, why is he reading the Bible?" They...
153I thought, "Well, if they didn't get what the Lord Jesus said, how are they going to get a dummy like me, what I say?" They couldn't even understand Him, as plain as He was.
154He said there one day, "Except you eat the body, the Blood, drink the Blood and eat the body of the Son of man, you have no Life in you." He didn't explain It. He walked on. That's right. See?
155"Well," they said, "this Man is a cannibal. We want Him... to eat His body, drink His Blood. He is a vampire. See, He wants us to become a vampire." See? Them intellectuals!
156But He said, "My sheep hear My Voice." See, It would come to the Elected, God had elected by foreknowledge. "And those who the Father... No man can come to Me except the Father draws him. And all the Father has given Me, they will come, they'll understand It."
157Them disciples couldn't understand It, but they believed It. See? That's right. If you believe It! I can't understand many things. I believe It, anyhow, see, because God said It was so.
158 Knowledge. You know, Satan's gospel is knowledge. Did you know that? He preached it in the garden of Eden, to Eve, and she was deceived by his knowledge gospel. Now, and has polluted the whole human race, with it. That's exactly right. They've took educational programs, put them in the church. They're all right out there, but not in God's Word. No, sir. You don't know God by education. You don't know God by--by--by knowing how, learning mathematics and pronouncing big words.
159Paul, he was a smart man. But when he come to Christ, and received the Holy Spirit, went to the Corinthians, he said, "I never come to you with enticing words of man's wisdom," though he could have done it. Said, "I come to you in power and manifestations of the Holy Ghost, that your faith would be in God, not in the wisdom of some man."
160Now sometimes we make the church programs, they also call for their--their pastor. The church goes to vote the pastor, they say, "Well, this pastor, now, he has got two degrees in college. He learned four years of psychology. He took this, that, the other." And they'll vote that kind of a man in (why?) instead of a pastor who believes in God's Word being inspired and being God, and will preach the Word regardless of how people feel about It.
161 God told Ezekiel, you know, said, "Preach that whether they believe It or not. You preach It, anyhow." See? Right. Whether they accept It, or not, that ain't it. They didn't accept Jesus. He went right on, preaching It just the same. See?
162Instead of a real pastor that will really preach the Word and believe in God, they--they--they try to bring in the--the intellect, the man who has got the best education; the man who can stand in the pulpit and don't take but just about fifteen minutes, so they can get home right quick, and go (some) do something else, and Ricky can get his hot rod and start out, and they can go to the twist parties and everything. And it's, oh, it's--it's just it's--it's nothing else but a hybrid educational pollution. That's right. That's just exactly what it is. That's right. But what is it? It satisfies their taste, see, it satisfies a worldly church member's taste.
It don't satisfy a saint's taste. He'll take the Word every time!
163But they say, "Oh, well, now them people is just a little off at their mind. See, they just don't, they don't get it. They, they're trying to live in a day gone by."
164 Isn't it strange! I come out here in the West, and I find out they're all trying to live in a day gone by, they always want some of the old-fashion cowboy days. And go down in Kentucky, the old-fashion hillbilly days, they want to act like it, have programs of it. But when it comes to old-fashion Religion, they don't want nothing about It.
165Old-fashion days? I come down here in the rodeo time, I seen they had a big woman down there, that green stuff under her eyes, and short bobbed hair, a cigarette in her mouth. Why, if they'd have seen that back in the old days, they'd have thought she was cankered somewhere. They, they'd--they'd--they'd have put her in. What if your mother would have walked out, dressed like you and your daughter dress today, what would taken place? They'd a-had her in the insane institution. Sure, she come out without her skirt on. Well, now remember, it's the same thing today.
166Man is rottening in their flesh. If they're going through the middle age, between twenty and twenty-five years old, their brain cells are rottening too. They haven't got... People has got so they haven't got enough understanding. They don't know what decency means. They don't know the difference between right and wrong. And, oh, though, their educational program, they...
167 Did you know, education, I can prove it to you, is of the Devil? Not to read and write; but, I mean, putting their education in your church.
168What does communism lay on? Science, education, that's their god. Satan, see, that's what he introduced to Eve. That's what they're still holding to.
169Now it's got over in our churches, got over in the Baptists, Methodists, and Presbyterian, Pentecostals, and all. Some education, intellectual, some great so-and-so and something like that, that just throws him farther away from God. It's wrong. Yes, sir. Now, we find out, that (they) it satisfies their desire. When a--when a--a church would vote-in something like that, it goes to show what's in that church's mind, what their desire is, what their thirsting is for. They want to say, "Our pastor is wide minded. He don't mind us mix-bathing, and he goes with us."
170 A little girl told my Sarah, the other day. Her pastor had been to Africa; and when he come back, she stripped off her clothes, that night, with a pair of little tights on, and done the watusi for him, to entertain him because he had been to Africa. The Watusi is a tribe over there, you know. Boy, I'd like to see one of my girls, in my congregation, try to do something like that, watusi?
171See, it goes to show! And a pastor would sit and look at one of his congregation, a little (sixteen or eighteen years old) girl out there stripped off like that, and let her get by with that, that shows that he come out of a cesspool, himself, a man of God do a thing like that. Certainly.
172That sounds flat, but I realize I'm preaching across the nation, too. But you know this also, brother, sister, let me tell you, that's the Truth.
173 A vulture wants dead things. That's right. And that's dead! That's exactly right. Plainly shows, it just plainly show here what is their head and their control tower, what it's giving them, see, what's in their soul. Their soul longeth for things like that.
174Their soul longeth for a high intellectual church, where the people dress real fine, and the pastor takes fifteen minutes, or twenty. And if you go over that, they drawed him back on the deacon board. And he mustn't say nothing about sin. He mustn't say anything about wearing shorts, and wouldn't say nothing about people doing this, that, or the other. He mustn't mention that at all. If they do, the board will have him throwed out. See what it is? That's their thinking man's filter.
175The Bible said, in First John 2:15, "If you love this world system, or the things of this world, it's because that the love of God is not even in you."
176 Now what about all this carrying on they done today, in the name of the church; practicing square dancing in the church, bunco, bingo, parties, teenagers rock-and-roll, twists, all these stuff! Look at this Elvis Presley, a devil standing in shoes! Pat Boone, Ricky Nelson, the biggest indebtment this nation has ever had! That's right. They say, "Oh, they are very religious, they sang Christian songs." It oughtn't to, the church oughtn't to even permit a thing like that! Some of these guys go out here, and--and tonight they're in a--a roadhouse out here, dancing and playing music and everything, and the next night they come to the altar and weep, and the next night they're playing music on the platform. Oh, goodness, gracious! How far can filth, how far could filth go, anyhow? Yes, sir. Prove himself first to be a man of God, not all this stuff just because he can beat an old guitar or something.
177By your desire, you can tell who is on the throne of your heart. By what you love, that's what tells. You, you say, "Well, I think them things are all right, Brother Branham." Well, just remember now, in your heart, you know what's there. Yes, sir. By what is feeding your soul, what your soul is thirsting for, and you can see it satisfies that; if it isn't this Word, then there is something wrong, because the Holy Spirit lives on the Word only. See?
178 I want you to see another great danger, just before we close, if you are not--if you're not guilty of any of these things that I've mentioned, and, that is, the danger of neglecting a thirst. See? You say, "I have a holy thirst. But I--I'm not guilty, Brother Branham, of just go and joining church, and things like this." But, see, to neglect a thirst! If you neglect to satisfy a thirst of water or food, you will die. And if you neglect that thirst in you, for God, you will spiritually die.
179You call for revivals, you wait for your church to have a revival. Well, that ain't--that ain't the revival for you. The revival ought to begin right in you, when you begin to thirst for God. There might not be another member, of the church, wanting that revival. If it breaks out in you, it will break out other places. See? But, see, you neglect that thirst.
180You neglect to milk the cow, when the cow is... the udder is full of milk; and if you let that cow stay like that, she'll go dry. That's exactly right. If you neglect to take a drink of water, say, "I just ain't going to drink anymore," you'll die. You neglect to eat food, you'll die.
181So if you neglect to give the Holy Spirit the Word of God, you'll die.
182 You Christians, you Baptists, Methodists, Presbyterians, Pentecostals, Assemblies of God, Oneness, Twoness, Threeness, whatever you are, see; don't care, that don't matter nothing to me, I don't think it does to God. See, you're an individual, you're a unit. You'll never go to Heaven as a church, a--a--a denomination. You'll go to Heaven as one single person, between you and God. That's all. I don't care what church you belong to.
183And if you neglect to read the Bible and to believe the Bible, and the Holy Spirit to feed upon That, you will die. Jesus said in Saint John 4:3; the Scripture I got right... Jesus said that, "Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every Word," not just part of It.
184We take a little, bit here. I call that a Bible hitchhiker. They say, "Well, I believe This, but now let's go over here, see." See?
185You've got to take It, Word by Word. Jesus said, "Man shall live by every Word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God." Did you know that? [Congregation says, "Amen."--Ed.]
186And, you know, we've made--we've made the day that we're living in, we--we made this day the... a--a--a religious perversion.
187 My daughter called me in, not long ago, and said to me, "Daddy," in the next side of the house, she said, "come over here, we're going to have a religious program on." It was a singing, hymn singing, and there was some little Ricky reading it up there. And if I ever seen a sacrilegious movement, it was that! Them guys up there, and people, looked more like it was a floorshow. Supposed to be an Indian tribe, and they were carrying on, and--and jump up and box at one another.
188Where, what's went with the sincerity, where is those old-fashion hymns we used to sing, and rejoice in the Spirit of God, and tears roll down our cheeks? And now we try to hold our breath until we ain't got enough breath in us, till our face turns blue, to try to show that we are some sort of a singer. See, we've copied that off of Hollywood, and all these programs that we see through this intellectual hymn sing and training of voice. I--I like to hear good singing; I like to hear good old-fashion, heartfelt, pentecostal singing. But I sure hate to hear that squeaking they call singing, today. That's right. I think that's the most ridiculous thing. It's a perversion. That's right.
189 I like to see a man when he's a man. I hate to see one with his wife's underclothes on out here, and slipped up along the side; and--and a roller hanging down here in front, and two cones of hair hanging down like bangs, cut in front. That, I--I couldn't call that a man. He don't know what side of the race he belongs on. See? That's right. You see the woman, look, the woman is trying to cut her, make her hair like the man; the man is trying to make his hair, bangs, like the woman. The man is wearing his wife's underneath clothes; she is wearing his overalls. See, just a perversion, right around.
190And that's the same thing it is with nation, with people, with churches, with everything. O God! Where is the end of the thing? The Coming of the Lord Jesus Christ, that's the end of it.
191 So, if you neglect to feed the Holy Spirit the Word of God! Jesus said, "Every Word shall be by the Holy Spirit." And listen now. If you try to feed It the wrong thing, if It's the genuine Holy Spirit in you, It'll know the difference. Now, remember, the Word of God is what the Holy Spirit feeds on. It don't feed on enthusiasm. It don't feed on education. It doesn't feed on churchgoing. It doesn't feed on theologies. There is a lot of difference between an inspired something and a theological standpoint of it.
192All those theologians in the days of Jesus, my, they had word by word, page by page, all laid out, the Messiah had to come this way! That's exactly what it was. And they, every one, missed it. You know what Jesus said when He come, said, "You are of your father the Devil, and his works you'll do."
193It wasn't revealed to them what the real Word was. See, they missed those little corners, like they're missing today. "If you'll belong to this and belong to this, you'll be all right." Don't you believe that. You've got to belong to Christ. And if there is Something in you, hungering for Christ!
194 Just remember, when you were in your father's loins, you were with him then. But your father didn't know you then, and you didn't know your father. And you had to come and be born. God made a way through your mother, for the--the seedbed, and then it come. And then you become a man or a woman, whatever it was, then you recognized your father, and your father could have fellowship with you.
195Now, remember, if you've got Eternal Life, your Life was in God at the beginning. And, the Life, God is the Word. And then when the Word was made flesh in Jesus Christ, God coming down to dwell in His Own body, made Himself the Son of God. When God came down to dwell in that, you were in Him when He was crucified. And you were crucified with Him, and you died with Him on Calvary. You was buried with Him, on the mountain. And you rose with Him, on Easter morning. And now you're setting together in Heavenly places, in Him, and now you've got fellowship with Him. See?
196God Himself become one of us. "No man has seen the Father, any time, the only Begotten of the (Son) Father has declared Him." That's, God became a man, so He could fellowship you as a man. See? And now you are--you are flesh, and He is flesh. God is made flesh among us, in the Person of His Son, Jesus Christ. And in Him was God. He was God, nothing short of God. He was God. "God manifested in the Son, Jesus Christ," which made Him Emmanuel, as the prophet said He would be.
197 Now see, then, you had to be before the world was ever formed, your name was put on the Lamb's Book of Life. And then what can you eat? The Holy Spirit lives by the Word of God. And now in Revelation 22:19, the Bible said, "Whosoever shall take one Word out of This, or add one word to It, his part will be taken from the Book of Life." See how deep it is? You cannot, the Holy Spirit won't live on the things of the world.
198Like a dove bird and a crow. A crow is a big hypocrite. A crow, that fellow can go out here and can eat wheat all day long; and go over there and fly on it, an old dead carcass, and eat it too. He can sit in the field and he can eat with the dove, wheat, and go over and eat on the dead carcass.
199But the dove can eat wheat all day long, but it can't eat on a dead carcass, because it's a dove. And a dove don't have any gall. One bite out of that dead carcass, it'd kill the dove. See, it has no gall. And that's the way it is, no bitterness.
200And that's the way with a real, genuine Christian. They don't want the things of the world. They just eat the Word of God, and That alone; what's clean, the thinking man's Filter. See, they come through That, and That alone. The dead things of the world, it stinks to them.
201Look at the old crow in the days of the antediluvian destruction, flying from body to body, eating them old dead carcasses, he didn't come back to the ark. But the dove could find no rest for her feet, see, she come back to the ark where she was getting grain. And that's the way we do, we live by the Word of God.
202 In Psalms 42. David must have wrote this Psalm, Psalms 42, when he was a fugitive, when he said, "My soul thirsts after Thee, as a hart panteth after the water brook." Look, he cried. David was a fugitive. He had been... He had the anointing oil on him, he knowed he was going to be king. The prophet had anointed him king. Now notice, and there he was, he had a little bunch of soldiers, made up of Gentiles, and so forth, was up on top of the mountain. Where, his own beloved city, because of their sin, they were garrisoned all around with the Philistines. And David, on that hot day, it must have been when he wrote this Psalm, "As the hart panteth for the water brook."
203Notice David in this condition. He looked down, he looked at his beloved city. And he remembered when he was a little boy, he used to take the sheep out by this certain pool there. It was a great, great water country, and also bread country, down there. Really, Bethlehem, means "the house of God's Bread." And then when David remembered going by there and drinking that good cool water, and here he was laying up here now, a fugitive, away from his own people. He had no place to go, and his soul must have cried for that good cool water.
204 He had some servants there that, my, just the least of his desire was a command. And they, three of them, fought their way through that line of Philistines; fifteen miles, seven miles, or something, down and back; cutting their way through, and brought him a drink of that water. But the soul thirst...
205His body, he was up there, probably had to drink out of anything he could get a hold of, some old goat skins and things, with some old hot water in, on that hot day. He thought, "If I could just lay down and quench this thirst that I have! If I could just go down there to Bethlehem and lay down by that spring, and drink!"
206 And when they went down and got the water, and brought it back, his soul thirst was so greater, not for Bethlehem, but from Jerusalem; his soul was. So he sacrificed the water, said, "I wouldn't even drink it." He poured it out upon the ground. See, his soul was more thirsty for God, than it was to satisfy the quench of a good... his thirst of his body, with a good cool water. He poured it upon the ground.
207See, the House of God, the soul-cooling waters of Jerusalem, which is above! Jesus said, in John 6:33, "I am the Bread of Life. I am the Bread of Life." Bethlehem, "house of God," our church, earthly church of God, the church that's here on earth. We love to go to the church here on earth, but greater is Jerusalem, which is above, which is God. Jerusalem above, which is God! Greater is that soul's thirst, to be there with Him, than it would to be just to satisfy yourself with joining a church somewhere. See, joining a church don't satisfy that thirst. David proved it here, the waters right from the house of God, see, he poured it out upon the ground; to find favor, to get a good cool drink from God. Even on that... Greater than the thirst that's in you, is that thirst of the soul-thirst for God.
208 Notice Jerusalem, the word. "Jerusalem is from above," the Bible said, "which we're... is the Mother of us all." And Christ is our Mother. We realize that God is our Mother, for we are born of Him. The word simply means "peace," Jerusalem, Shalom. Or, Shalom, which means "peace," Jeru-shalom, see, means "peace."
209Greater should be the thirst of any soul, for the waters of Life, than to say you belong to a church; the thirst of the soul can't be satisfied, the real true thirst. It can be perverted. You can think you are all right when you join church, but that isn't It. That won't satisfy the genuine holy thirst for God. It just simply won't do it. It just... It's just not there.
210 Now David said, in Psalms 42:7 here, "When the deep calleth unto the Deep, at the noise of Thy waterspout," the soul's call.
211Look, I've often used this as an illustration. If there is a fin on a fish's back, it had to be put there for him to swim with. He has a need for that. Now what if he'd say, "I'm going to be a different fish. I'm going to be a smart, educated fish. Uh-huh, I--I'll just... I'm going to believe some real theology! I believe I don't have to have that fin"? He wouldn't get very far in the water, would he? And that's exactly right.
212What if a tree said, "Now, I know there had to be an earth first, for me to grow in. That's right. I'm supposed to grow in the earth. But I'm going to be a different tree, I want them just set me out here in the middle of the street, so I can be noticed"? See, he wouldn't live very long. See? That's right.
213"When the deep calleth to the Deep." It takes more than joining a church. It takes more than shaking hands with the preacher. It takes more than living a good, straight life. It takes something to satisfy inside of you, that pours down from God, into the soul. "The deep calling to the Deep, at the noise of Thy waterspouts, O Lord. The deep calling to the Deep!"
214 What kind of a thirst could we think was in us tonight? We, as Pentecostal people, where are we getting to? What kind of a thirst is in us? What kind of a thirst is in me? What kind of thirst is in you? Don't try to hush that holy thirst for God.
215Years ago, when they used to have gold out here in the mountains. I read a story, many years ago, it's always stuck with me. It said there was a--a prospector went out here somewhere beyond the mountains here, and was prospecting for gold, and he struck a rich claim. And he come back, thinking; when he got to the city, what he would be, his troubles was all over. And--and he--he tried to--to say, "Tomorrow I'll get in and I'll..." Just one day's journey, he would be into the city, and he would have the gold. And he had big sacks full of it.
216 He had a dog with him. Not comparing now the dog to the Holy Spirit, but as I'm making an illustration. But this dog...
217Through the night, the prospector laid upon his bed, and--and he begin to think, "Now, tomorrow I'll--I'll take all my gold in, and I'll become just what I've always wanted to be. I--I--I always wanted to be a rich man. I--I wanted to own fine things, and so forth."
218And--and then this dog begin to bark, and because there was an enemy approaching. And he--he went out there, and he said, "Shut up!" And so the dog quieted down. And no more than got back in bed, he started like he was going to go to sleep, and the dog started again, just jumping at the chain. And he went to the door again, said, "Shut up! I want you to know that tomorrow I'm a rich man, see," and that was his great dreams. But the dog started barking again.
219 And finally, he got so discouraged, he went and got his shotgun and shot the dog, and killed it. He said, "I won't have no more use for you, anyhow. Tomorrow I'm a rich man. I will become a rich man, tomorrow."
220And he sit the gun down in the corner, turned his back over to the door, went to sleep. And the man had been following him, for days, slipped in and killed him. He wasn't a rich man, see, he stopped that warning buzzer that was trying to tell him his life was at stake.
221 And, brother, sister, you will never be able to... Don't never try to hush that holy calling in your heart, see, by joining a church, by reciting a creed, by belonging to a certain organization.
222There is only one thing can satisfy it, that's the Person, Jesus Christ. "As the hart panteth for the water brook, so my soul thirsts after Thee, O God. My soul thirsts for the living God!" See, there is something in you, that wants to see the moving of God. Your soul thirsts for It. Don't stop anything short of That.
223Don't let some pastor tell you, "You just have to shake his hand, join the church, or belong to this organization." Don't you kill that holy hush. It's warning you. Some day will come when you'll come down to the end of the road.
224 Like a little lady in our city we come from. She told the... A little girl went up there to church, and a very fine little girl. And she was coming down the street. She had long hair, you know, and her hair pulled back like a slick of the peeled onion, nearly, and her face looked... no make-up on. And this girl used to make fun of her, said, "If you didn't have that flat-headed preacher you got up there," speaking of me, said--said, "you could look like something decent. But you look like something out of an antique shop." And, oh, she just really raked her over the coals, every time she could see her like that. Said, "Our pastor is broad-minded." Said, "He--he--he knows them. That, why you do like that? That don't mean anything, how you dress or think." It does! God's Bible says it does. We shall live by every Word!
225So this little girl never paid a bit of attention to her, went on. She is a missionary now.
226 So then this--this young lady took a social disease, and she died. A friend of mine pumped the embalming fluid in her when she was dying. He told me, said... After she was dead, he kept smelling the fluid. She had a hole eat in her side, social disease. They didn't even... Even her parents didn't know what was wrong with her. And she died. But before she died...
227She taught Sunday school. And all of her little Sunday school group come in, they wanted to see her when she went off to Heaven, the Angels come and pack her away. And her pastor outside, smoking a cigarette, walking up-and-down the hall in the hospital. And they was all going to sing when she was going to die, you know. They knowed she had to die. Doctors said she was dying, so they was all going to see the Angels come, pack her away.
228 And all at once, when she faced the reality! Now, she was a loyal church member, she was a Sunday school teacher, and a loyal church member of a fine big denominational church. But when she started to struggle, death struck her; her eyes bulged out, and she said, "I'm lost!" She said, "I'm lost! Go, get the pastor!"
229He put his cigarette out, and walked in, said, "Here, here! Here, here! We'll get the doctor to give you a hypo."
230Said, "I don't want no hypo." Said, "You deceiver of man! I'm dying, and I'm going to hell. And I'm lost because you failed to tell me the Truth. Go get that little Gooduse girl, and bring her up here to me, real quick. She is right."
231Wait till you face the reality once. Don't you try to stop that holy hush. Don't you blast It away with some modern, educational, double-barreled shotgun. You listen to that warning of the Holy Ghost, tonight, that's warning you, "I am the Way, the Truth, and the Life; no man cometh unto the Father, but by Me." And He is the Word.
Let us bow our heads just a moment.
232 I want to quote one more Word of the Lord Jesus, while you're thinking about it. Jesus said, in Matthew 5, "Blessed are they that do hunger and thirst." It's even blessed to have that thirst in you. Have you come to a spot that your--your--your whole system has been so polluted by denominationalisms, and little cults and clans, and things, little church orders, social, like joining lodges, and so forth, from church to church? Has the Devil been able to put that water of pollution, and you're slopping out of it, like a hog in a trough? When, you don't even know what the real quenching thirst of God; to see Him, a reality, by the Holy Spirit living in you, and manifesting. If you're--if you're that way tonight, if you're still thirsting for God, let me tell you:
There is a Fountain filled with Blood,
Drawn from Immanuel's veins,
Where sinners plunged beneath the flood,
Lose all their guilty stain.
That dying thief rejoiced to see
That Fountain in his day;
There may I, though vile as he,
Wash all my sins away.
Ever since by faith I saw that stream
Thy flowing wounds supply,
Redeeming love has been my theme,
And shall be till I die.
233 If you've got that thirst tonight, to know more about God, and to come closer to Him, will you just raise up your hand now while every head is bowed, say, "Pray for me." O God, look at the hands!
234Out into the land where the broadcast is coming now, from East, North, West, and South, you in them rooms, raise up your hands to the pastors and whatever is there, that you desire; you, something in you, thirsting for God. That holy thirst!
235Don't satisfy it. Oh, you say, "Brother Branham, I--I shouted once. I danced in the Spirit." Don't, don't, don't take that. No.
236Wait till that satisfaction comes, the satisfaction Portion of the fullness of the Holy Spirit comes in, then these joy bells of shouting, and speaking in tongues, and dancing in the Spirit, will come. You won't have to do it by the music. You will do it when you're going down the road, in your car. You will do it when you're sweeping the floor. You will do it when you're driving nails in the wall, with your carpenter work. Wherever you are, that Joy unspeakable and full of glory!
Now let us pray.
237 Dear Heavenly Father! Long, lengthy, drawed out, this little Message tonight, but, Dear God, may Your Holy Spirit deliver the--the meaning to every heart. Right in this church, tonight, there was just multiplied numbers of hands up, all the way around the halls and everywhere. We--we pray, dear God, for them. Oh, may that satisfying Portion of God, which is Christ, the Hope of Glory, the Hope of Life in you, may It come to each one of them.
238Way out across the nation, from California, way up in New York now, where it's early in the morning, they're listening in up there; over in--in New Hampshire, and down along in Boston, and all the way down in Texas, through Indiana, out into California, and around. O God, look at those hands; look what's beneath them, Lord, that heart there that's hungering and thirsting.
239 This perverted day, where the Devil has blinded people's eyes, just to join church, and say, "That's all you need." And they still look at their own self and see the way they do, and the desire they have to be like the world.
240When, the Bible tells us, "If we even love the things of the world, the love of God is not even in us."
241Just think, Father, how perverted that he can make that real true Word, how that they can say, "Oh, we believe the Bible, but not This. We don't believe This. We believe This was for another age. We believe this is That," because, some denomination has twisted their minds into that cesspool.
242When, Jesus said, "Whosoever shall take one Word out of This, or add one word to It, his part will be taken from the Book of Life."
243Dear God! Think of the disappointments there at Judgment, when people has lived a good, clean, holy life, went to church just as loyal as they could be, and lost.
244 Think of those Pharisees, how, from little boys, they trained in the Word, come up through schools and everything, holy (had to be, or they'd be stoned to death), and Jesus said, "You are of your father the Devil."
245How that Israel went down there! And let this be a warning to the Pentecostals, Lord, across the land. How that Moses, a prophet, came down into Egypt, to fulfill the Word of God, to bring the evening light to them! How they seen the great miracles of God! How they followed him, crossed the Red Sea, was baptized unto him, went into the wilderness and eat Angels' food that fell from Heaven. And then refused to take all the Word, when they come back from Kadesh-barnea... to Kadesh-barnea, from the--from the promised land, and said, "they're like giants; we can't do it." When, God said, "I've already give you the land"! Border line! Jesus said, "They are, every one, perished. They are dead," lost, without God, though they done all these things. They seen these miracles; enjoyed, danced up-and-down the seacoast, with Miriam, when they beat the tambourine. And only three, out of the two million, went in.
246 We realize, Father, that when the sperm, the genes from the male and female, come together, there is only one, out of a million, that's accepted. One germ from the male finds the fertile egg of the woman, the female, and a million others perish.
247There is a million, two million, come out of Egypt; two, Joshua and Caleb, entered the land. One out of a million. Father, I--I tremble when I think of that. Think, across the world today, five hundred million Christians, that would be five hundred if You should come tonight. O God, let us remember that every Word of God stands, a memorial. We must believe It. We must obey It.
248And when You said, "Repent, every one of you, and be baptized in the Name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost. For the promise is unto you, and to your children, and to them that's far off, even as many as the Lord our God shall call." And, God, You are still calling, tonight, and the promise is as long as You call.
249And clergymen has twisted the minds of those people, and directed it by an educational, denominational school of theology, to a thing to say, "Oh, you just believe." The Devil believes also, but he can't receive the Holy Spirit. Judas Iscariot was a... done all the--the rest, the disciples did, preach the Gospel; but when it come time for him to get the Holy Ghost, he showed his colors.
250God, may the people of the land tonight realize that, without that experience, they are lost. May it be tonight that their souls will be satisfied with Thy Portion, Lord, as we commend them into Thy hand. They are Yours, Lord. We're only responsible for the Word. I pray that they will believe with all their heart, and be filled with the Holy Ghost. We ask in Jesus' Name. Amen.
I love Him, I love Him
Because He first loved me
And purchased my salvation
On Calvary's tree.
251 Oh, is He your satisfying Portion? [Congregation says, "Amen."--Ed.] Oh, my! You love Him with all your heart? ["Amen."] Now, them Words are sometimes cutting, but let's just sing in the Spirit now, see, each one of us now. Let's shake hands with the brother setting next to you, sister, and just say, "God bless you, pilgrim," as we sing it again. [Brother Branham shakes hands with the people.]
I love Him, I love Him
Because He first loved me
And purchased my salvation
On Calvary's tree.
252Now we shook hands with each other. Now let's just close our eyes and sing in the Spirit, raise our hands to Him.
I love Him, I love Him,
Because He first loved me
And purchased my salvation
On Calvary's tree.
Oh, isn't He wonderful?
Wonderful, wonderful, Jesus is to me,
The Counselor, Prince of Peace, Mighty God is He;
Oh, saving me, keeping me from all sin and shame,
Wonderful is my Redeemer, praise His Name!
Oh, wonderful, wonderful, Jesus is to me,
Counselor, Prince of Peace, Mighty God is He;
Saving me, keeping me from all sin and shame,
Wonderful is my Redeemer, praise His Name!
253 Oh, are you enthused about your experience with Christ? [Congregation rejoices, "Amen."--Ed.] Isn't He wonderful? Doesn't He satisfy?
I once was lost, now I'm found, free from condemnation,
Jesus gives liberty and a full salvation;
Saving me, keeping me from all sin and shame,
Wonderful is my Redeemer, praise His Name.
Oh, wonderful, wonderful, Jesus is to me,
Counselor, Prince of Peace, Mighty God is He;
Oh, saving me, keeping me from all sin and shame,
Wonderful is my Redeemer, praise His Name!
254 Do you believe that's Scriptural? [Congregation says, "Amen."--Ed.] The Bible said, "Clap your hands. Make a joyful noise unto the Lord." You know, I always wanted to play music. My daughter, Rebekah, is taking piano. My little boy is taking trumpet. But I--I did learn an instrument of ten strings, [Brother Branham begins clapping his hands].
Wonderful, wonderful, Jesus is to me,
Counselor, Prince of Peace, Mighty God is He;
Saving me, keeping me from all sin and shame,
Wonderful is my Redeemer, praise His Name!
Do you love Him? [Congregation says, "Amen."--Ed.]
We'll walk in the Light, a beautiful Light,
Come where the dewdrops of mercy are bright;
Shine all around us by day and by night,
Jesus, the Light of the world.
We'll walk in the Light, it's such a beautiful Light,
It comes where the dewdrops of mercy are bright;
Shine all around us by day and by night,
Jesus, the Light of the world.
255 [Brother Branham begins to hum, "Jesus, the Light of the World," and then the congregation also hums with him.--Ed.] Worship God with everything you have.
When the saints go marching in,
When the saints go marching in,
Lord, I want to be in that number
When the saints go marching in.
Oh, when they crown Him Lord of all,
When they crown Him Lord of all,
Lord, I want to be in that number
When they crown Him Lord of all.
Oh, when the sun refuse to shine,
When the sun refuse to shine,
Lord, I want to be in that number
When the sun refuse to shine.
256Do you love that? [Congregation says, "Amen."--Ed.] Now I wonder if you got your feet converted, you don't dance anymore, out there for the world? See? Let's pat our feet, to the Lord, to the Lord. Is your hands converted, you don't steal anymore? Your lips are converted, you don't lie anymore? Just don't get religion in your head, get it all over you. That's it. It takes the whole man. That's right. Now let's pat our feet.
When the saints go marching in,
When the saints go marching in,
Lord, I want to be in that number
When the saints go marching in.
Oh, when the saints go marching in,
When the saints go marching in,
Lord, I want to be in that number
When the saints go marching in.
Now let's just raise our hands.
When the saints go marching in,
When the saints go marching in,
O Lord, I want to be in that number
When the saints go marching in.
When they crown Him Lord of all,
When they crown Him Lord of all,
Lord, I want to be in that number
When they crown Him Lord of all.
257 Don't you love Him? [The congregation rejoices, "Amen! Glory! Hallelujah!"--Ed.]
Then we'll walk in the Light (He is the Light, you know), It's a beautiful Light,
It comes where the dewdrops of mercy are bright;
Well, shine all around us by day and by night,
Jesus, the Light of the world.
258Do you believe He is the Light of the world? [Congregation says, "Amen."--Ed.] Do you? Paul said, "When I sing, I'll sing in the Spirit. If I worship, I'll worship in the Spirit." See, whatever you do, do it all in the Spirit. That's right. And the Spirit brings the Word to Life. Is that right? That's right. Yes, sir.
All ye saints of Light proclaim,
Jesus, the Light of the world;
Grace and mercy in His Name,
Jesus, the Light of...
Then what do we do?
We'll walk in the Light, beautiful Light,
Come where the dewdrops of mercy are bright;
Shine all around us by day and by night,
Jesus, the Light of the world.
259 Sorry to confuse you players, like that, but I just get carried away. I don't know no better than just to worship. That's the way you do it. Yes, sir. I'm thankful for this opportunity, Brother Mack, to come and fellowship with you and your church here tonight, all these fine people.
260And you that raised your hands for the baptism of the Holy Spirit, I trust that you'll meet Pastor Mack here, or some of them, and go back in a room here. And just remember, when God spoke the Word in the beginning, and said "let there be," there had to be! And He said, "Blessed are they that do hunger and thirst after righteousness, for they shall be filled." See, it's got to happen. Come to visit your pastor here, and stand by him as he preaches the Gospel.
261 Now let's sing again that good old song, I just love that, "We'll walk in the Light."
262Jesus said, "I am the Light," and you are in Him. See? How do you get into Him? Joining Him? No. Shaking? No. Baptism of water? No. "By one Spirit we are all baptized into one Body, which is the Body of Christ." And in that Body is nine spiritual gifts operating through the local body, the local church. That's apostolic, if I ever knew of it. That's right.
So we'll keep in the Light, in the beautiful Light,
It comes where the dewdrops of mercy...
[Brother Branham speaks to Pastor Mack--Ed.] All right,...?...
Shine all around us by day and by...
[Brother Branham speaks to Pastor Mack--Ed.] Been a real pleasure. [Brother Mack says, "Thank you, brother. Thank you."]