E-1 Hearing these wonderful songs, listening to the church sing them, and thinking about old times, and looking out and seeing faces I haven't seen in a long time, and there just something about it, that's real, to get back in church. Don't you think so? [Congregation says, "Amen."—Ed.] Good. I was just a while ago…
E-2 An old friend I haven't seen, oh, to wave at him, I guess, but it's been years since I associated with him; a boy, Jim Poole, used to run around with, when I was a boy. And now he was down, my home, a while ago, the first time he was ever at my place since we were, well, since I been married.
E-3 And Mrs. Woods here invited him, come down and hear us preach. She said, "Well, I used to hear him all the time."
E-4 And when we used to walk together, hunting, and so forth, and we… he didn't… He wouldn't say very much, you know. I talked all the time. I said, "Won't you say something?"
He said, "How can I?" I just had all the time took up.
E-5 So looks like it's kind of been that way with me. Kind of taking up time, doing a lot of talking, on, not getting anywhere. But I'm glad, today, that I've changed my way of talking since them days, talking about the Lord. I just love Him.
E-6 I was talking to Brother Ruddell, and he was telling me there… (Thank you, Brother Temple.) I was talking to Brother Ruddell. And he come down a few days ago, and was talking to me, and told me three dreams that he dreamed. And I got two of them. I forgot the other one. I was trying to tell him what it was. Was me with a mirror, trying to reflect, and saying, "You see how God reflects, just like we reflect in a—in a mirror." He certainly been good.
E-7 Brother Creech, is this your girl playing the piano? Is it? I didn't know whether that was Patty. [Someone says, "They're right back there on the platform."—Ed.] Where is Patty? How… My, goodness! Patty. I remember when they lived down there, well, right where they live now, is just about like this little fellow setting right here. And Mary Jo is, I guess, married. Jim was standing there a while ago. His grandchild was standing there, and here come my grandchild in. I said, "We might as well get a walking cane and set down. Don't you think so?" [Brother Branham and congregation laugh.]
E-8 But just beyond the River, that's the great Place. That's where we're looking for. And it just isn't because I got… getting old, that I think about That. I started talking about That when I was just a little, little bitty fellow, young man right in the prime of life. I believe that there was a Land somewhere. We're going that Way. I'm so glad of it.
E-9 You know, I—I don't say very much that amounts to anything, especially when you're just talking.
E-10 But, lot of times I pick up something another here, along in the Scripture. But sometimes the Lord gives me something, and just tickles me to death when I get a hold of something that's real good. I just, oh, it just does me so much good. We all feel that way. I know Brother Neville, you, and brethren here, Brother Junior, and all of you, you feel the same way, when you get something the Lord gives you, and you see it's just so real.
E-11 And the other night, I was preaching, I believe it was the tabernacle, and I struck something that's done me more good than anything I've thought of since I been converted. And that was… I might repeat it again, if it's all right. I know where you know where I'm going to, but, it was that evidence of salvation. See? I… It just struck me, and I—I said it. I went home, I got in my room, and I walked up-and-down the floor. I—I just had a little, good time by myself, you know, just in there thinking about it.
E-12 And here's what it was. I might pass it on to you just for a minute. I was talking about, "We are possessors of all thing. Everything is ours." They say that we're the crazy bunch, you know. But yet, after all, it all belongs to us. See? See? And we might… That's the reason we act a little funny, you see, we're heirs of all things. See?
E-13 And I was thinking, we possess love, joy, courage. We possess faith, and long-suffering, gentleness, patience, meekness. You couldn't buy that with no kind of money. No matter, there's not… Go down and buy me a quarter's worth of patience, you see. Just couldn't do it. And, but yet, God gives us that. We possess that. That's our possession. And then buy us a little faith. We'd be willing, give all we had, for a little faith. You see? But, it's give to us, and everything is free, coming from the Lord. Isn't that wonderful?
E-14 Then I thought of this: when Israel, once a slave, God's children in bondage, down in Egypt. Now, that was God's heritage, just as we are today. And then would probably bring them something to eat, a bunch of molded bread, and throw it out, and anything they get a hold of. Kill one, it just like killing a dog or anything else. And they longed for a deliverance out of there. They had been in there four hundred years.
E-15 Then one day, come stomping down out of the wilderness, come a prophet, with a—a Light following him. And he told them, "There's a land that's flowing with milk and honey, and God had give it to them." And he done signs and wonders, to show them that he was not a bogus, a false something, but he was actually commissioned of God to take those people to that land.
E-16 Now think of it. Their children, slave drivers come by, if wanted to kill one, that was just all right. Nothing could be said. Go and take your young daughter over, for some havoc, why, nothing could be said. Just have to stand there, and let her go off. See? Your boy, kind of got… didn't work just right, and they want to kill him for it. Kill him, that's all right, nothing could be said.
E-17 But now they're told that they're coming out of this bondage, and they're going to a land that's flowing with milk and honey. And they can have their own farm. They can raise their own stuff, feed their own children, send them to school, live in peace. And the great land, and it belongs to them. You know, that was a great promise. Think of what that meant.
E-18 Well, this prophet done so many miracles among them till they seen that—that he really was God's sent man. Well, out they went, out into the wilderness.
E-19 And when they got over to Kadesh-barnea, now, the Kadesh-barnea is the judgment seat. It was at that day, to the world. Kadesh-barnea, it was a place was a great big spring, and many little springs, little tributaries to this spring.
E-20 Well, there they had a man among them, a great warrior, named Joshua. Joshua is "Jehovah-Saviour." And Joshua went over into the promised land.
E-21 Now, remember, none of them had never been there. They didn't know whether the land was actually there or not. They just, by faith, went by what was told them, that God had a place for them. And they was going to that place, just by faith. Now think of that. Left Egypt, and God brought them out, and now they're nearing that land. And when they get near the land, Joshua goes over into the land and brings back the evidence. Crosses Jordan, goes over into Palestine, brings back the evidence, great bunch of grapes that taken two men to pack. And they could eat those grapes. And he said, "The land is just exactly what God said it was."
E-22 Oh, what a freedom that was, where they could go now. And they could have their own farms, and raise their children. And have… and God's blessings upon them, and live in peace. There was nobody's slave. How… But, finally, after they lived a good long life, they finally had to die, yet being God's children. It went on for year after year, raising their crops, and having their families, and good peaceful life, and then die.
E-23 Then, one day, down come the greatest Warrior of all, the Lord Jesus, the Son of God. And He said, "There is a Land where a man don't die. In My Father's house is many mansions. It wasn't so, I would have told you. I go and prepare a place, and return to receive you." Now, He's the Prophet that come, speaking of a Land just beyond the river Jordan, death. Where, that, even though you got your farms, you got your families, you're blessed of God, but yet you have to die. But, yet, there's a Land beyond that, where you don't die. Oh, my!
E-24 Then He came to Kadesh-barnea, Calvary, the judgment seat, again. Where, the penalty of sin, that caused men to die, it was met at judgment, at His Kadesh-barnea. He paid the penalty of sin, died; crossed Jordan, the Jordan of death; and rose up on the third day, coming back. And said, "Feel Me, a spirit don't have flesh and bones like Me. Got something to eat?" He—He eat fish and bread. And He was with them for forty days, proving, like Joshua, that the Land was there. He's the evidence of the Land there.
E-25 Now, He said, "All that will believe this, go ye into all the world, preach the Gospel to every creature. He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved. He that believeth not shall be damned."
E-26 Then, on the Day of Pentecost, He sent back the earnest of this Place, the assurance, the evidence that this Land is real. Just like Joshua brought back the evidence, Jesus brought the evidence of the Holy Ghost.
E-27 Now, we reckon ourself dead. We're buried with Him in baptism, unto His death.
E-28 And we raise with Him, in the resurrection. And now we are in, already, not we're going to. We're already raised. Oh, my! We are now, not will be, we are now, tonight, setting in Heavenly places (how?) in Christ Jesus. Not we will be, some other time. We are now. The Church don't realize who they are. See? We are now, right this minute, (how?) in Christ Jesus, assembled together in Him, already raised from the dead. Our souls was immortal.
E-29 Now let's stop just a minute. Here, once, we used to lie, steal, cheat, fight, curse, everything else. And then we confessed all that sin. Then we were buried with Him in baptism, and raised up with Him. And when we come up… "Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the Name of Jesus Christ for the remission of your sins, and you shall receive the evidence," the evidence of this good Land. And then that Spirit that comes upon us, brings us up from that lying, stealing, and all that stuff back there, and now we have raised up with Him, now setting with Him, up here in Heavenly places. Our souls are absolutely all ready.
E-30 Why, William Branham has been dead for thirty-some-odd years. I become a new creature. That old man died. I look back there, talking that friend of mine, this afternoon, he said, "You remember when we used to do so-and-so? Remember we throwed that boy in the water that night, snoring."
I said, "Yeah. I wouldn't do that again." See?
E-31 "Remember that time we was going to stick that pin in that frog, when he was 'gurr' like that, and that?"
"Yeah," I said, "remember that."
E-32 And all these things that we done! I thought, "You know, that's when I was—that's when I was… That's when I was a dead. See? But now I'm alive." See? Oh, I don't do that now.
E-33 We're setting in Heavenly places in Christ Jesus, and now we have the earnest of our salvation, the first payment. The thing cost ten thousand dollars, and He give us the first thousand. See? This is the first tenth, of our earnest. Which, we've already raised from sin and unbelief, up into the resurrection with Christ. And now setting together in Heavenly places, with that evidence, like Joshua brought back. The Land is There, and we're on our road. No more death. Can't die.
E-34 They tell you, sometime, "Brother Branham died," don't you believe that. Why? Brother Branham can't die. See? That's right. I can't die; done dead. Now, William Branham died, a long time ago, about thirty years ago, or better, about thirty-two years ago. I been preaching about thirty-two years, so he died even before that. But, now, this is a new creature.
E-35 Russell Creech, a new creature. He ain't that little boy, used to run around down there, below Corydon. Orman Neville ain't that little boy that used to be. And—and Brother Ruddell ain't that little boy that used to be, you know. And—and Brother Jackson, all these others, they're not them fellows. All you brothers and sisters, we're not them people we used to be. We are—we are new creatures, new creations. You don't have to worry about it. We're already up here. Look where we was. Look where we are now. "New creations in Christ Jesus." Oh, my!
E-36 Now, you know, Russell, I feel like I could almost sing that song, that, every time I hear it, I think of you and Sister Creech.
I'll fly away, O glory,
I'll fly away in the morning.
Yes, sir! Remember we used to sing that?
When I die, hallelujah, by and by,
I'll fly away.
E-37 I like that. And as we begin to get older, and hair is turning gray, shoulders stooping, that just means more to us than ever. You see? Because, a kid looks forward: who is he going to marry, how is he going to educate his children? And that's all over, then just about done then, you see, then you're facing the setting of the sun.
E-38 But just think, brother, there isn't nothing but what we have. We got love. We got joy. We got peace. We got Life. We got… We possess death. That's right. The Bible said we do. We possess death. It belongs to us. We don't belong to it; it belongs to us.
Say, "What you going to do with death?"
Just like Paul said, when he come knocking at the door. Said, "Have you come to escort me across the River?"
E-39 And the writer once said, "God hooked death to a buggy, and only thing it can do is pull you in the Presence of God." That's all. Can't die. They just hitched up death to a buggy, and only thing it do is pull you right up in the Presence of God. It's just a mascot, to come to pull you across the River. That's all it is. So there's nothing can bother us, anymore.
E-40 Paul said, when death come rolling down through this, the time for him, he said, "Oh, death, where is your sting?"
Said, "Well, I'm going to take you out to the grave."
E-41 He said, "Then, grave, where is your victory? I possess you, too." Then he turn around, said, "Thanks be to God Who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ."
Then, we got it, Brother Temple. That's it. It's all over.
E-42 Well, Sister Snelling used to sing an old song. I don't guess any of you probably remember Sister Snelling. I was over at her grave the other day. She used to sing a little pentecostal jubilee, about:
Let's go on, let's go on,
Talking about this good old Way;
Let's go on, let's go on,
Talking about the Lord.
Did you ever hear it? [Congregation says, "Amen."—Ed.]
Feeling so much better, just talking about this good old Way,
I'm feeling so much better, I'm talking about the Lord.
E-43 That's it. All right. Let's talk to Him just a minute now, in a word of prayer, before we start in, reading His Word.
E-44 While we have our heads bowed, and our eyes closed, and the cares of the day passing by now. We've assembled in His Name, and in His Presence. Would there be some here could remember something that you'd like to be remembered before God? Just raise up your hand, and by that, "God, just remember me."
E-45 Our Heavenly Father, the infinite God Who knowed, before the world was ever formed, that we'd be standing here tonight. You seen those hands. You know what's behind each of them, what laid beneath the heart that that hand was raised over. I pray for them, Father, that You'll answer according to Your great riches in Glory and Your Power.
E-46 We thank Thee for this church, for its pastor, its board, its trustees, deacons, all the members, and for all those precious souls that are sojourning down here in Clarksville, pilgrims, strangers, don't belong to the world anymore. They gave up everything of the world, sold all they had, and bought this great Pearl of great price, the Lord Jesus Who gives us Eternal Life. We thank You for It, Lord. Thank You for these precious souls. I pray for each and every one.
E-47 I think of Brother Jackson, and how he's labored and tried, strove, trying to feed the sheep, and to make a meeting place for the pilgrims to gather at, keeping them together, waiting for the Coming of the Lord; he and his wife, and family. Setting here behind me, tonight, Brother Ruddell, and he also is keeping them together, the little group that's sojourning up on 62. Brother Neville, and the group up the tabernacle, sojourning. And the others, Lord, that's present, may be here from other places. We are looking for the Coming of the Lord.
E-48 Forgive us, Lord, as we assemble now together. We come in the Name of Jesus, knowing that You promised to hear us. "Whatever we'd ask in His Name it would be granted."
E-49 And now, tonight, as we open up the Bible, to break into a little lesson, now, we're not here to be seen or to be heard, just as men. The people are not setting in this room, just to say, "Well, I attended church tonight." We're expecting a visit from You, Lord. We're waiting for it. "They that wait upon the Lord, shall renew their strength." And we ask You to break to us the Bread of Life. May the Holy Spirit take the few Words, plant them down deep in the heart. Strengthen those, Lord, who are feeble. And give joy to those who are strong; courage to those who are out of courage; health to those who are sick; salvation to those who are lost. And we'll bow our heads and give praise to Thee. We ask it, and commit ourself, with the Word, in Jesus' Name. Amen.
E-50 I would like to be remembered by this church as we start next week, now, in a journey across two nations, to preach the Gospel. Pray for us as we go along. And you got any friends around, you know the itinerary, coming to the meetings, we'd be… or could come, we'd be happy to have them in the meeting.
E-51 We'll be praying for you all here, your pastor and different ones that keep the home fires burning now until we can get back. If Jesus comes before we come back, we'll meet you in that Morning. If we got any other motive but that, God forgive us.
E-52 Now we want to turn, for just a few words, tonight, out of the Bible, found over in the Book of Joshua 24, 14th verse and 15th verse. I want to read from His Word. Listen close to His Word. Joshua 24:14 and 15.
Now therefore fear the LORD, and serve him in sincerity and in truth: and put away the gods which your fathers served on the other side of the flood, and in Egypt; and serve ye the LORD.
And if it seems evil unto you to serve the LORD, choose you this day whom you will serve; whether the gods which your fathers served that were on the other side of the flood, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you dwell: but as for me and my house, we'll serve the LORD.
E-53 Lord bless the reading of His Scriptures! I have some notes here that I would like to talk just a little bit from. And I want to take a text tonight, to call it, the conflict: The Conflict Between God And Satan. And now just to teach it like a Sunday school lesson, for I've got several Scriptures laying here.
E-54 In Eden, God knew His enemy and all the attacks of His enemy. Now, God is the infinite God, and the infinite God is the Perfection of the perfections. He knew all things before they ever was. And therefore, if this infinite God could have looked forward (and did) and seen the end from the beginning, and knew that He would have children on this earth, His Own blessed children, don't you believe that He would provide for them the best that He could provide? [Congregation says, "Amen."—Ed.]
E-55 Would not you, tonight, to your children that was helpless little fellows who can't take care of themselves, don't you struggle, and work, and do everything that you can, to provide the best that you can, or able, to provide for those children? [Congregation says, "Amen."—Ed.] Because you are a father, a parent. And if that be the—the… what I would say, the—the trueness, and the thought of a earthly parent. And parenthood originated in God, because He was the first Parent. Don't you think that God, seeing what Satan would be, what Satan would do, He gave to His children, and provided for them, the best thing that could be provided for them? To knowing what the enemy's attack would be, God fortified His children. See?
E-56 We take the war, when a general goes out to meet another general, in war. And this general, if he's a real, true citizen of this nation that he represents… And he surely would be, to be a general. And he, first thing, he studies the enemy's attacks. He knows what he's going to do, how he's going to work, because he kind of went over and spied out.
E-57 We got spies everywhere, you know. There's American spies in England. There's American spies in France. There's Amer-… And their German spies here. And there's… No matter how friendly we are, we still got spies. And we're spying out some kind of a—a nuclear weapon. Then we find it, take it back to the country. Then, what it is, they get ready. When war does come, they know how to attack their enemy. And if we know…
E-58 God knew this great warfare was coming on, between right and wrong, and He knew what the enemy was going to do. He knowed just exactly how to equip His people. So if we notice, the very first thing that God equipped His children was… Being infinite, He knowed what it took to defeat Satan, any time, any place, anywhere, on any conditions. Now, He wouldn't say, "I'll give them something here, and then a few years later, I may study out something better to give them, and then after a few years later."
E-59 Like we, in military force, the old bow and arrow, and sledge, rock hammer, and then the next was a… After the bow and arrow, come the musket, and after the musket come the Springfield, and—and now the—the atomic weapons and things. See? We keep growing more.
E-60 But, God, at the beginning, gave His children the atomic weapon, because He's the infinite God. Now, seeing there was going to be a conflict, and there was going to be a battle, God equipped His children with the right kind of ammunition, right kind of an attack, the right kind of everything that they had need of, that would sweep them all the way from Eden to the Rapture. What was it? The Word. The Word. That's what defeats Satan, is the Word. It'll defeat him anywhere, any place. Now, why do we want to substitute something else, when we've already got the best thing that there is, the Word?
E-61 And we find Jesus on earth, just to prove this was the best equipment, when Satan come in hand-to-hand combat with Jesus, He never just reached over with His Power and tied his hands. He just took the same weapon that God gave in the garden of Eden, His Word, and said, "It's written… It's written…" And He punched him right out of the ring, with It, that's right, because It's God's best.
E-62 And look where it is. It's not just for one or two, in a church. It's for every one of us. Every believer has a right to take this Word and fight the enemy anywhere you meet him. Anywhere you meet the enemy, this Word is what you have to use. And Jesus proved it when He come. So He equipped His children with the Word, for their protection against the enemy. When the all-out warfare comes, and the battles, and set in array, then there's only one thing a real soldier can use, a real Christian soldier, that's THUS SAITH THE LORD. Walk right out there and meet the enemy, with the assurance that nothing… "Thousand may fall at your right, and ten thousand at the left, but it won't come nigh thee." Just remember that God made this statement, and give This to His children, and It's the best that's ever been yet.
E-63 Satan, in Eden, when he first come to these attack, to attack a person, knowing the children of God was fortified with this Word, Satan attacked the Word. See? He never attacked the being. He attacked the Word, first.
E-64 Look at that sneaker, lizard, what he does today. The first thing, he can't lay it on, say, "Well, that's not a good person." That's a good person. See? But the only thing he tries to do, no matter how good the person is, is to get them to deny that Word. That's just only thing he wants to do, get you to deny that Word.
E-65 So Satan tried to—to attack the Word, in the garden of Eden. So he had to have something now that he could use, to—to the human being, would look better than that Word. See? He had to have something that would look better, to the human being, than Word. And do you know what he used? Reasoning, just what we'd say, "common sense." See? So that's what he used, and he succeeded, so that's what he's used, all along.
E-66 But God can't give nothing else but His Word, because that's what He chose first. And when God makes a decision, has to ever remain that way.
E-67 And Satan took reasonings, and took the reasonings and attacked the Word, and shook Eve off the path, that's right, by reasonings, human reasoning.
E-68 Now, the only way that he, she could have got to disbelieve God's Word, it had to be appealing. And Satan knows how to make reasonings appealing. It has to appeal to you. And sin is very appealing. And there's only one sin, and that's unbelief. So it's really appealing. Satan makes sin so appealing to you!
E-69 Just stopping here for a few minutes. I've often thought, as a young man, and read about different nations, and the morals of the country. And I heard different people tell me about especially down in France, down in the place called Pigalle, and how that the—the people was so immoral. Well, I thought, "If I ever go in there, I'll see them people down there, women coming out, you know, reprobates, with such a old haggy look, you know, and mean." And—and I went down in Pigalle, the first night, me and three more ministers. Brother, what a surprise we got! Now, Satan is too smart for that. He isn't going to produce something like that. But some of the prettiest girls I ever seen in my life was there, appealing. Certainly.
E-70 Sin is appealing and attractive. Satan hasn't got a forked hoofs, and a—and a—and a pointed tail, and—and like that. He isn't old John Barleycorn out, with coat hanging up, and—and ears hanging down. He's a slicker, appealing. Sin isn't just rude, like you think it is. It's very appealing. Therefore, we have to watch it close. We'll just get to that in a little bit. I thought of something else. So, how Satan makes it look so real, it's appealing to them.
E-71 But if they would have just stayed fortified with the Word, let the Word be their fortress, then, see, they'd have been fortified. They'd have been behind the Word. The Word would been in front of them, always, THUS SAITH THE LORD. "THUS SAITH THE LORD. THUS SAITH THE LORD." Right or left, "THUS SAITH THE LORD."
E-72 Like those Angels down there that day, when Isaiah met in the temple. He thought he was getting along pretty good; fairly good preacher. The king liked him real well, but the king was taken from him one day. And he knelt at the altar and fell into a vision, and saw Angels with wings over Their faces, and over Their feet, and flying with two wings, a singing, "Holy, holy, holy, Lord God Almighty," see, every which way They went.
E-73 Ezekiel saw the picture of the vision. This a way the Spirit of God was moving, it had the face of an ox. This way, It had the face of a lion. And every way It went, It had a face. Everywhere It went, It was fortified.
E-74 The Word of God, there's no way around. Fortified, all way around, everywhere, "THUS SAITH THE LORD. THUS SAITH THE LORD." Your walking, your talking, your business, your associating, and everything, put the Word of God first.
E-75 Say, "I believe I'll go tonight, and this little dance just won't hurt anybody." Could you take THUS SAITH THE LORD with you? See? See? "I believe if I could pull this little deal, oh, it's just a little bit shady." But could you say THUS SAITH THE LORD with it? See?
E-76 Always take Him first, keep fortified, for He is our Fortress. It's strain.
E-77 But do you know you have to ignore, before… In order to believe the devil's lie, you have to ignore and deny God's Truth, first, before you can believe the devil's lie. You ever think of that? You have to deny the Truth, first, before you could believe a lie. Right. Have to deny It!
E-78 Eve got from behind It, and lost the battle. As soon as Eve… Satan was standing out there, shooting his targets. She said, "But the Lord said…" And then he shot again. She said, "But the Lord said…" So then he shot again, another way. "But the Lord said…"
E-79 But Satan raised up back there, said, "But wait just a minute. If the Lord did say That, let me just tell you something. You see, you're not wise like God. You don't know right from wrong. But if… Listen. Wouldn't you love to be wise like God?"
E-80 "Why," Eve said, "yes, I—I—I—I believe I would." Maybe something like that. "I believe I would like to just know all the wisdom of God. I'd like to know what's right and wrong. I don't know it."
"Well, I'll tell you."
Now, she said, "But, but, the Lord said…"
E-81 "Well, but, surely, you know He's a good God. He won't do that." See?
E-82 Right there she broke the hole through, so he could shoot. Right there she made the wrong stop, right there, stopped a little bit.
E-83 Now let me say something of you Christians down here. Don't you never stop one second for the devil. Don't stop to reason It out. When you start to reason It, the devil comes right in. You cannot reason God. You cannot understand God. You've got to just believe God. See? I can't explain God. Nobody can. I can't explain many things. But, the only thing, I just believe It, because He said so. Now, there's none of us can explain It. Don't try to explain It.
E-84 Don't get with these unbelievers who say, "Well, now look, your pastor out there, Junior, I hear him pray for the sick. Now you're all crazy down there. There's no such a thing as Divine healing."
E-85 Say, "All right, there isn't for you, then. You're an unbeliever." And just walk right on. See? It's just for believers. See? Don't…
E-86 "Well, you all say you got the Holy Ghost. There's no such a thing as the Holy Ghost."
Say, "It isn't for you, then. It is for me." Just go on. See? See?
E-87 Don't reason. Don't try to reason It. It hasn't got no reasonings. You just believe It. You don't reason a thing. Because, remember, the only way that you can accept God is by faith, not by reasons, not by understanding, not able to explain. You don't explain nothing. You believe Something. Not what you feel. Jesus never said, "Did you feel It?" He said, "Did you believe It?" That's right. You just believe what God said. I can't explain to you how they… How could a… The greatest miracle that I could think of, is a man who…
E-88 Just like, take a pig, and tell that pig, "You know, you're no more a pig. You're a lamb," and he becomes a lamb. See? That would be hard to believe.
E-89 Well, it's the same thing takes place when you become converted from a sinner to a Christian. See? It changes your own opinions. It changes your own will. It changes everything that's in you. And it brings you into another life, and gives you another Spirit, that bears forth another record. See? Then your old life has to die, and the new one has to be born again. And then, see, you're no more the creature you was, at all. That's when you become behind the Blood, fortified with the Word. Don't try to explain nothing, just believe it and go on. "Lord, I believe. Saviour, raise my faith in Thee, till it can move a mountain." See? "Lord, I believe, for all my doubts are buried in the Fountain."
E-90 What if Abraham had been asked, the doctors had come, said, "Abraham, you're a hundred years old. Your wife is ninety. How you going to have a baby?"
E-91 Now, Abraham say, "Well, now, I'll tell you, it's like this. You see, there's going to be a time that we're going to drink a certain thing, and this is going to do this. And this kind of change is going…" Abraham couldn't explain that.
E-92 Abraham would have said something like, "I don't know. I don't know no more about it than you know. The only thing that I'm resting on, is, He said we would have it. And I'm looking for it." Said! Yes, sir.
E-93 Now, that's all it takes. Just take It, believe It. "God said so." And that—that settles the whole thing, because God said It.
E-94 Now, we find out, Eve losing the battle, she got from behind the Word, raised up on top of the trench and say, "You don't say so? Is that the Truth?" She's lost, right there.
E-95 "Well, you know, we don't teach That over at our church. We believe in what He said here."
E-96 "Yeah, but, listen, dear, you know better than That. Your own common sense would tell you that That's not right. Why, I heard them people just cry and cry. What they crying about? See? Now, own common sense would show you that they're just worked up. They're emotional. See?" If you stop to listen to that, you've lost the battle.
E-97 If they say, "Oh, now, wait a minute. Your doctor said that, that you had TB. And it's—it's in an advanced stage. There's no way for ever you get over that TB. The doctor said there wasn't. Now, don't common sense say that?" Well, if you're going to rely upon reasonings, you might as well make ready to die.
E-98 But if you're going to what the Lord gave, the promise, and you can believe It, It changes the whole program.
E-99 Now, the same way It changes, is the same way It changed for me down there. See? I just believe It. Don't know how It done, but there was a new creature come. I used to, I'd shun church. I…
E-100 A guy told me, when I used to box, we was… I was fighting my fifteenth professional fight, down here at—at Evansville, Indiana. And Howard McClain, many of you New Albany people knew him there. And we was walking up the street. And Howard was a welterweight, and I was a bantamweight. I was fighting Billy Frick from Huntington, West Virginia. Had on a blue suit, like this. In them days, I had a little hair. And I was walking up the street. We'd eat supper about three o'clock, get ready for the fight that night. We was going in then to rest, and then have our hands wrapped. And Howard said to me, said, "You know what, Bill?"
I said, "What?"
Said, "You look like a little Baptist preacher."
E-101 And he could have called me anything. I never… I turned around. I said, "Now, wait a minute, Howard. Now, you laugh when you say that." [Brother Branham and congregation laugh—Ed.] Me, about that high, but I was ready to climb right on him. I wanted nothing to do with no preacher.
E-102 And now the greatest compliment that he could have give me, oh, when somebody said, "Brother Branham, you look like a preacher."
I say, "Praise God!" See? See?
E-103 What's the matter? I died. And I'm a new creature. How did I do it? I took His Word. "Brother Branham, what kind of medicine, what formula did you take?" I didn't take any. "How did He do it?" I don't know. But, anyhow, I believed It. I never took nothing. I just believed It. And He raised me up from what I was, a sinner, to a Christian. He did it because I took His Word. He'll do the same thing by sickness. He'll do the same thing by the baptism of the Holy Spirit. He'll do the same thing by any promise He give.
E-104 But, see, what, what's my subject? The conflict. The conflict. Satan tries to get you to reason about It, and don't you do it.
E-105 But after you become a Christian, then you are fortified by the Word and any promise in the Word. Whew! Didn't know I was going to say that. See? You are, when you become a Christian, you're placed behind the Word of God. See? Now, there's your fortress, safety. Oh, my! Every promise in That is yours. Only thing you have to do is just reach and get it, and go right on with it. "How you know it's going to work?" I don't know how it's going to work. "Explain to me." I don't know. Only thing I know, that, God gave His children the best attack that they could have, and the best thing to attack with, 'cause He knows the working of the enemy.
E-106 Now, let's—let's diagnose that down; like take the chemistry of the blood, or the chemistry of water, or whatever it is. See? Let's—let's diagnose it down. Why, why did He give the Word? Because… Are you ready? [Congregation says, "Amen."—Ed.] The Word is Eternal. ["Amen."] See? And if God made a promise that is Eternal, and there's nothing nowhere can stop it. They couldn't. Turn every atom upside down, and turn it backwards, could never pierce the Word of God, one little Word. See? Cause, Jesus said, "Both heavens and earth will pass away, but My Word shall never fail." See? That's the best weapon there is. It's the Word of the Eternal God.
E-107 Now, what is the Word of God? The Word of God is God Himself. So, God gave the believer Himself. Amen. Whew! It's God Himself. He gave the believer Himself, to attack the enemy by. In other words, He's the Father. And the Word is God, then the Word is our Father. We're born by the Word, and He's standing in the forefront for His children. Amen. There you are. He's standing out there for His children. What are we scared about? The Rapture is sure. The Coming is sure. Every blessing that's been promised is ours. All belongs to us. Now, if we kind of slack up and say…
E-108 Satan say, "Come around, over on this side, I'll reason That out with you." Uh-oh, you got behind Father then. See? Don't you do that. You stay right where Father stands, right where It says. Say, "It's thus saith Father." See? "Thus saith my Father. Thus saith my Father." It's going to defeat him. As sure as the world, it's got to. All right.
E-109 But when you get out from behind That, like Eve did, the battle is lost. Now, poor Eve, she listened. She lost her place. All right.
E-110 And then God chose men to hold His fort, and He has ever since.
E-111 That's where, many times, people in these last days sometime say, "Why could you not think that the lady could do just as good a job in the pulpit as the man?" I'm not disputing that, not at all. Sometimes a lot better than I could, many of them.
E-112 But, you see, we have to take what God did. See? Right there, Eve was the one who broke down the bars, and Adam did not break the bars. No, sir. But because he loved his wife, he walked right out with her. See? So, God chose men to hold the fort.
E-113 Now, the next, we find out then, after the battle was lost there, at the time of destruction come to them, the next time, there was a—a change of the dispensations from that time.
E-114 We know how the battle went. We know that Eve lost the battle because she relied upon her reasonings instead of her faith in God's Word. Let's repeat that. She relied upon her own reasonings instead of having faith in God's Word. It reasoned out. Therefore she broke the front lines and the enemy rushed in, and then death struck the world. Now, therefore, God never did trust It again with the women, to hold that front line. It's with men.
E-115 And now, the next change of dispensation, the conflict started. And I'm looking at a Scripture here. I believe I'll just start and read it.
E-116 How much time do we really, you really preach on, just any, just about… Won't take just about six hours more, and we'll [Congregation laughs—Ed.] And so we… I didn't mean that, folks. I…
E-117 Let's start over here, you in your Bibles. Let's read just a few minutes. I just love to read It, as go along, and then it's God's Word all along. Let's start at the change of the dispensations again, from the Adam, Adamic dispensation unto the Noahic dispensation. Now—now just before that time come, let's just look at—at what's taken place. Let's start, start with the 6th chapter of Genesis, and just read a few verses.
And it came to pass, when men began to multiply on the face of the earth, and the daughters were born unto them,
And the sons of God saw the daughters of men that they were fair; and they took them wives of all which they chose.
E-118 Now let's just compare that. Now, remember, Jesus said, "As it was in the days of Noah, so will it be in the coming of Son of man." Now watch, reading this close now, just like a Sunday school lesson, for just a verse or two, then I'll go right on with some more Scripture.
… came to pass, when men began to multiply on the face… the earth, and daughters were born unto them men, see,
… the sons of God saw the daughters of men…
E-119 Now, did you notice that?
… sons of God saw the daughters of men that they were fair; and they took them wives of all… they chose, all which they chose.
E-120 Now, the great many of the theologians… I don't want to be different. I don't mean to be. But many of you know that theologians believe, that, "These fallen angels, that had fell by Lucifer's lie, took themselves wives. They were fallen angels, actually sons of God, that fell from grace, cast out into the earth, pressed themselves into flesh, and took wives." I—I just a little don't think that just makes reasonings with the Scripture.
E-121 Because, the first place, before a fallen angel could make hisself a man, he would first have to be a creator. And there is only one Creator, and that's God. So that would wash it out.
E-122 Another thing, "The sons of God took daughters of men." And did you know, the Bible never denotes sex in angels? See? There's no denoting of sex in angels. And there's no place in the Bible where there's a woman angel. Because, a woman is a by-product of a man. It'd all be the same, like Adam was both Adam and Eve, to begin with. See? She was taken from his side. So it—it disqualifies their argument, that this was fallen angels.
E-123 But if you will excuse me, and not try to think that I'm trying to make a know-it-all here, but just to give my—my thought of it. I think, "These sons of God was the sons of Seth, saw the daughters of the Cainites, the Cains, that they were fair." Because, "The sons of Seth came, was the son of Adam, who was the son of God." But, "The son, the daughters of Cain, who was the son of Satan."
E-124 Now, you notice, "They noticed," just at the end, before this antediluvian destruction, "that the daughters of the Cainites were fair, pretty, attractive." You get it? [Congregation says, "Amen."—Ed.]
E-125 Now, Jesus said, "As it was in the days of Noah, so shall it be in the coming of the Son of man," women, attractive. What kind of women? Cainites, see, taking the sons of God. See? "Sons of God taking the Cainite women."
E-126 The extreme beauty of women has so increased in the past fifty years; to pick up a picture of fifty years ago, what a—an attractive women looked like. I was looking, the other day, in a history of the wars; and how that Pearl White, about a hundred years ago, when she was stabbed by Scott Jackson, her lover, and the looks of the woman. Now, also, of Mary Bonneville, and many of the so-called attractive women, of fifty to a hundred years ago, compare them with the women today. They wouldn't stand in a shadow. Certainly not. Burly!
E-127 Women has become dainty, feminish, and so forth, more attractive. And what is it? They dress themselves more attractive. Where, the women used to wear great big dresses, and sleeves, and long skirts, and hid their body because they didn't want men lusting for them. They lived for one man that chose them for wife. Today, the women pour themselves into little clothes, and immorality is on such a move and a rampage till it's—it's beyond even thinking.
E-128 It was so striking, when I read analysis the other day, of Chicago, when I was there. New York, Los Angeles, Birmingham, and—and many of the great outstanding cities, to this club, of the social clubs, has come together in such a way that families after families, through neighborhood, join into this club. And they go to a certain meeting place, take their keys, throw them into a hat, the woman reaches in and gets a key and that's her husband till they meet again. That's our American women.
E-129 You see, it goes to show that, back again, it started in the beginning with women, by sex, and it ends up the same way at the end now. Not…
E-130 God didn't bless it, for an honest and good woman. Read over in Isaiah, when He said how that those will escape in the last days, the daughters of Zion that will escape all these damnable things that's upon the earth.
E-131 Now, "The sons of God saw the daughters of men that they were fair; and took them wives, all which they chose," now a great sign of the end time. Let's read another verse.
And the LORD said, My spirit shall not always strive with man,…
E-132 Immediately after this took place, marrying. Luke tells us that. I got it wrote down here. I think Luke 7:27 said that, how… Or, Luke 17:27 said that, how that, "They married and give in marriage, in the days of Noah." See how it was? The same thing. Men looked upon the attractiveness. "Sons of God," supposed to be holding a fort, "looked upon the daughters of men—men," how they become so attractive, fair. "And they took to them wives, and they married, and gave in marriage." Same thing they're doing today. See?
And the LORD said, My spirit shall not always strive with man, for that he also is flesh: yet his days shall be an hundred and twenty years.
And there were giants in the earth in those days; and also after that, when the sons of God came… to the daughters of men, and they bare children to them, and the same became mighty men which were of old, men… renown.
E-133 Notice. These smart, educated Cainite women, not… from Cain's lineage, married these humble peasant boys of Seth. And from there, became "giants" and were "renown." We find out that they become great scientists, great workers of wood. Great, smart, educated people, and they had a—a great economy. And they lived in such a scientific age until they built pyramids that we couldn't build today. They built the sphinx and many great marks that we see in the rock, in sands of time, that we could not reproduce today. Because, those people leaned upon their knowledge, and become scientists and smart men, and renown men.
E-134 But the sons of God, that stayed humble, stayed away from such things as that, and relied upon God, knowing that they were going to inherit all things in the end. See?
E-135 So the people today say, "They're smart. They got all this. We do all this." So much smarter than we was, and we're so much farther away from God than we were. See? You draw yourself right away. All right.
E-136 I won't take no more time to read on down. Sometime, when you get a chance, read it on down, the 6th chapter of Genesis, how that those things happened.
E-137 Just a little mark, I thought I'd read that. Had it wrote here, that I would read that, just a verse or two, to show you the parallel of Noah's time to this time. Now, we see that people are marrying and giving in marriage. We see the beauty of women, that has taken off their clothes, to become attractive to the sons of God.
E-138 Now, not just laying this part of the Message upon women. I'm thankful to have women like here, that's ladies, young women that's still decent and honorable. That don't put…
E-139 Now, the—the average woman, today, is back in fig leaves, just like Eve was. And "fig leaf" is actually a man-made system; shorts, smoking, bobbed hair, attractive. What'd they do it for, to appear to their husband? If they do, then he isn't a son of God; he's a Cainite. And then if he's a son of God, he'll tell you, "Wash your face and put you on some clothes." See? Right.
E-140 Now, God, in this time, He chose to send His Word again, for His children. And He chose a prophet. "And the Word of the Lord come to the prophets." And Noah and Enoch, what a beautiful type! And someone… Many times, people…
E-141 I—I notice, some of them questions I didn't get to answer. They asked that question. Said, "Brother Branham, I disagree with you." The precious brother that wrote some of the nicest articles, that I'm going to now. Brother… What's that guy's name, we go to preach for, up there now, this next meeting up here at South Pine, or Southern Pine? [Someone says, "Parker."—Ed.] Parker. Thomas Parker, he said, "There's one thing that I have to disagree with Brother Branham." Said, "He believes that the Church will not go through the Tribulation." Said, "I believe the Church goes through the Tribulation, for purification." What happened to the Blood of Jesus then? See? There's no place in any parable, or in any Word, that the Church goes through the Tribulation.
E-142 [Someone moves a fan—Ed.] They have to put that on these men that's not baldheaded. They don't get hoarse so quick.
E-143 There's no place where the Church ever goes through the Tribulation period. Christ's Blood, and the fullness of the application of the Blood of Jesus Christ, cleanses all sin. And why do we have to be purged? We are purged daily; no Tribulation. Listen. Listen what Jesus said in Saint John 5:24, "He that heareth My Words, and believeth on Him that sent Me, hath everlasting Life, and shall not come to the Judgment; but has passed from death unto Life." Amen.
E-144 Enoch, prophet! Noah is a type of the Jews, the remnant, God's servant. And Enoch, the great prophet who prophesied of the Lord coming, was translated, raptured before the flood. Noah was carried through, for to preserve seed on the earth.
E-145 Now, God sent His Word by His prophet, Noah, and when Noah and Enoch begin to prophesy. And then just before the flood struck, what happened? Enoch went up; Noah went through. See? Enoch was translated. Noah's sign, was, watching Enoch. When Enoch come up missing, then Noah knew the flood was at hand, 'cause he was keeping his eye on Enoch.
E-146 Now, Satan, in this time, set up the same system that he did in the garden of Eden, reasoning against the Word of these prophets. Same thing! Now, Satan set his system up. He had more than one or two people to deal with now; he had billions to deal with. The antediluvian time, more people, probably, there are now. They multiplied, all over the face of the earth. There was a great earth of people in them time, probably far more than there is now. And now look. Satan, in order, (not the setup with one, with Eve), he set him up a system. What was it? To combat the Word of the Lord that came to the prophets. You get it? [Congregation says, "Amen."—Ed.] He uses that same old tactic, every time. And God stays with His same, the Word.
E-147 Here come Noah and Enoch, with THUS SAITH THE LORD, building away on an ark. Now, notice, Satan's system laughed at God's system. Now compare that with today, "holy-rollers," and whatmore. See? Scoffers, the Bible said, they laughed at God's system. Satan's system laughed at God's system. They thought It didn't stand up to their own science and reasoning.
E-148 Now, they said, "That old fellow up there on the hill, building that ship, and he says there's some water coming down from up there. Now, we've got the best scientists in the world. Now, they probably have a radar that they can shoot plumb to the moon, and whatmore, and can prove that there is no water there. Now, how is there any coming down? Old fellow, you're crazy."
"But I've got THUS SAITH THE LORD." Built right away.
E-149 Stood right in the door of the ark, preaching the Gospel, and building away, and watching Enoch. When he come in, of an evening, said, "Did they take It, down there?"
E-150 "No. They laughed at me. They throwed rotten eggs at me, and everything else."
E-151 "Did the same thing up here. But let's pound right away." See? "Oh, they call me a 'holy-roller,' and everything else, but that's all right."
E-152 They all gathered in for prayer meeting, and went on just the same, see, just exactly the way it's doing today. Because, they knowed they were fortified, because they were standing behind THUS SAITH THE LORD.
E-153 Now, the common ordinary reasoner would say, "Oh, that's nonsense." A woman once said…
E-154 One time I was… This boy taught Sunday school at the Baptist church. I was preaching up there, one night. And I met him downtown; was on my bicycle. I, downtown, I met him. He was on a bicycle. He pulled over the side. He said, "Billy, I come up to hear you the other night." And said, "I was enjoying what you was saying till that woman got to crying and going on, all them people saying, 'Amen.'" And said, "I just couldn't stand it." See? He said, "It made shivers run up my back, to hear them people, 'Amen,' right when you was saying something."
E-155 I said, "Brother, didn't affect me like that." I said, "He said…" I said, "I'll tell you." I said, "You don't believe in saying 'amen,' and that little shouting and things they was doing?"
Said, "No. I don't believe that."
E-156 I said, "If you'd ever get to Heaven, you'd freeze." I said, "Because, they're… If that made a shiver run over your back, what's it going to be when the Angels, and standing before God, day and night, screaming, 'Holy, holy, holy, Lord God Almighty. Holy, holy, holy'?" Why, this is the quietest world you'll ever live in. That's right.
E-157 In hell there's going to be weeping and wailing. In Heaven there's going to be screaming and shouting. So you're in the—you're in the quietest place you'll ever be, right now. So you might as well get used to it, one place or the other. So I'd just rather take my choice and get behind God's Word. Wouldn't you? [Congregation says, "Amen."—Ed.] Just keep pushing It on. "It's THUS SAITH THE LORD. THUS SAITH THE LORD." Just keep pushing on. All right.
E-158 Yeah, It didn't stand up to their scientific specification. And today, when they see the Spirit of God that can discern the thoughts of the heart, as God said so, tell forth and foretell, speak in tongues, interpret, all these different gifts, they say, "That's a telepathy." See? They try to bring it in. They say, "Well, we see it being done, but you know what it is, it's just a human telepathy." But it's THUS SAITH THE LORD.
E-159 Jesus said, "These signs shall follow them that believe." That's all I want. How long? "To the end of the world."
E-160 It don't stand up to their scientific research, so they laugh at It. And they did the same thing in the days of Noah. Oh, yes. It don't stand up to their reason. You can't reason It out, but It's God's Word just the same. All right.
E-161 So Satan started his attack upon the Noah group, just like he did in Eden. And each one had to choose, by faith. Glory! Not something you bought, but by faith. And the only way that you can, by faith, believe a denominational lie, is to refuse God's Word, first. You're thinking about salvation? This is It. And the only way that you can disbelieve It, you have to put your faith on a counterfeit lie of the devil, by reason; instead of believing God's Word, that you got to be born again. And when you are, these signs shall follow them that believe. Oh, I love this. That sounds good to me. See?
E-162 Believe His Word, no matter what anybody else said. "God said so. God said so."
Say, "Well, This is so-and-so."
"But, God said so."
"Well, we, Presbyterian."
"I don't care. But, God said so."
"We're Bap-…"
"I don't care. God said so." See?
"We're Catholic."
"God said so." See? Stay right like this.
"Well, our pastor has got so many degrees."
"But, God said so."
"Our popes got this. Our bishops got this."
E-163 "But, God said so." Stay right there. It's your fortification, is fortified in the Word of God, wrapped up. How you're…
E-164 Why, you're baptized in the Word. That's right. "By one Spirit we're all baptized into one Body, and that Body is Christ." Is that right? [Congregation says, "Amen."—Ed.] Yes, sir. "By one Spirit, all baptized into the Body of God." Then, you're baptized into God. You're fortified with God. His Word is your Fortress. He's a mighty Tower. "The Name of the Lord is a mighty tower, the righteous run into It and are safe." He's my Fortress, my Buckle, my Shield, my Shoes, my Hat, my Coat, my Heart, my All-in-all, God, All-in-all. God! Wrapped up in Him, dead to the world, rose with Him in resurrection. "Not I live anymore, but Christ that lives in us."
We're looking for the coming of that glad Millennium Day,
When the blessed Lord shall come and catch His waiting Bride away;
Oh, the world is groaning, crying for that day of sweet release,
When our Saviour shall come back to earth again. (Then the meek shall inherit the earth.)
E-165 Each had to choose, by faith. You have to do it. You, today, you have to believe the—the lie of the devil or believe the Word of God. That's, either one. Now, we find out…
E-166 Let's take Noah for just a minute, before we leave here. I can imagine, Noah, you know, he had some things to go through. I imagine he go down on the street, and saying, "Judgment is coming."
Why, they, "How do you… What kind of a judgment?"
E-167 "God is going to strike this sinful nation. The sons of God has married into the daughters of Cain, and there they are. Look what you become to. You're turned from God. You got your great, religious systems. You got all these things, but God shall strike the earth."
E-168 Said, "Poor old fellow, he's kind of… Just let him alone. See? He's…"
E-169 But he had THUS SAITH THE LORD. He could prove what he was saying, but they didn't believe that. See? He had the Word of the Lord.
E-170 Now, maybe, day after day, and they laughed and made fun. The children maybe haw-hawed at him.
E-171 But Noah went right on preaching, anyhow. And all of his family and all the converts went right on believing, anyhow. All that was following Noah believed Noah. That's right. They had to make their choice, to believe what the world said, or believe what this mighty anointed prophet said.
E-172 So he said, "Now watch. Enoch is going to leave, one of these days, church. And when it does, when Enoch goes away, we better get in. We're going to miss Enoch. He's going to be taken up. So, we better get in." So, they watched closely as the days passed by.
E-173 After while, God said, "I've had enough of their cheering. I've had enough of their insults. I'm going to bring it. Take the animals now. Go up there and holler, 'Hallelujah,' about five times, and the birds will come flying. All the lions, everything else, will come, two by two. Holler, 'Praise the Lord,' about four or five times, and here they'll come." See?
E-174 Now, so Noah got ready. And he… All the animals went in, and then Noah himself went in. And so when he went in, I guess the last thing he said, was standing in the door and saying, "It's THUS SAITH THE LORD. The last call!"
E-175 That's where we're standing today, brother, at the door of the Ark. Christ is that Door. If you'll take that literally, and want to work on it a little bit, take over in Revelations, between the Philadelphian and the Laodicean Age, He said, "I set a door open before you, and you refused it." See? That's the hour we're living, just before the destruction. An open door, but they wouldn't listen. Now, they turned Him outside.
E-176 Now, he stood in the door, and proclaimed, "The hour is at hand that when the Word of God that I spoke will be fulfilled." That's right. Into the ark he went.
E-177 And when he went into the ark, you know what? God shut the door. Oh, my! Nobody had to shut it. God shut it. That was all. The last chance to be saved was gone.
E-178 So, I'd imagine, the kids got arm in arm, around that, about a five-hundred-yard ark there. And the old folks walked around and said, "Well, that old fellow will smother to death in there." See? So, on, making fun of him, just the same, made jeering. And you know, every person…
E-179 Now listen. Maybe this will help you. Listen close. When you take God's Word, and follow God's Word, there is many times, that, after you've already done all you can do, your faith is put to a test. There nobody here but home folks. I'm standing on that ground right now. That's right. I don't know what to do. The revival is over. You see? I don't know where the next call is. I'm just—just standing, nervously looking, wondering what's next.
E-180 Noah went in. He followed the will of God. God shut the door behind him, but it never rained for seven more days. Wonder what Noah thought, all that time in there? Noah setting in the ark, the door shut. He thought, "Just any time, children, you'll hear it. We'll pull the door, the lid up here on top." They was up on the top floor, you know. The animals on the bottom, the birds in the next, and they was on top. That sun… "Oh, in the morning, there'll be—there'll be something over there, a darkening, the rain will come." But, the next morning, up come the sun.
E-181 Maybe some people, that kind of halfway believed Noah, might have went up there and stood around the ark, said, "You know what? That old man might have been right. We better stand here." Well, then they "seen a mistake."
God's prophets make no mistake. God's Word can't fail.
E-182 You heard me preach on, about Jonah going to Nineveh. They said he was backslidden. He sure wasn't. He was right in the will of God. Exactly. He had the Word of the Lord, and he walked in It.
E-183 Here, Noah said, "Now, children, all of you get around, and you'll see the first cloud that ever come in the sky. It'll come over, in the morning." Well, the sun come up. "Well, maybe by nine o'clock. We'll watch at nine o'clock. Ten o'clock? Eleven o'clock? Twelve o'clock? Three? Four? Five? Six? Whew! He shut the door yesterday, too."
E-184 Some of them said, "Well, you know what? I'm going to agree with Sister Susie down there in that great… in her big church. That old man is crazy. See? He went up there and shut that door, and said, 'The rain was going to fall,' and there he sets. And, then, there's nothing to it. See? Sun come right up, went on across like it always did. No such thing as rain." So, them lukewarm, halfway believers, half-hearted, that's not willing to take God, plumb down to the end of the road, live or die! You see what I mean? [Congregation says, "Amen."—Ed.]
E-185 Stand in your fortified condition. Live or die, sink or drown, stay right there just the same.
E-186 When Abraham, the father of the faithful, pulled out the knife, pulled the hair back on his child's head, to cut his throat, he said, "I'm persuaded that God is able to raise him up from the dead, in the figure that I feel him in." He was willing to follow the Word of God to the end. You get it? [Congregation says, "Amen."—Ed.]
E-187 No matter what it is, stay right there. If everything seems to be, you can't go one inch farther, go that inch. And if you hit the wall, stand there until God makes a way through it.
E-188 First day passed, second day passed, third day passed, fourth, fifth, sixth. You know, Noah had a lot to do. I imagine some of his congregation said, "Dad, do you think that we ought to climb out the window? Think it was all a mistake?"
E-189 He said, "No, no, no. Who was That that took Enoch? Who was That that closed that door? Who was That that done all them things before us? If He's led us this far, and shut us in, let's stay with Him."
E-190 That's it, Church. If He's brought us up out of the world, and led us this far, and shut us in with Him, with the Holy Spirit all around us, in us, and through us, let's follow Him on through. That's right. The time will come. The time will come. Let the scoffers say what they want to.
E-191 Then, on the seventh day, that morning the people was out in the streets. They had never seen such a thing. Clouds was coming up, great roars of thunder, lightning flashing across the skies. By seven o'clock, great big drops of rain begin to fall, for the first time, on the face of the earth. I imagine the birds was squawking. Every nature was all tore up. Men begin to wonder, and say, "Get out your scientific instrument. Try your radar. Tell us. What's this all about?" But it wouldn't work. "We never seen anything like it in all of our life." Well, about noontime, the streams had begin to swell. By the next morning, the rivers, the deep had broke up.
E-192 About the first three or four days, the waters was all over the streets, the floods. The people were coming up around the ark, beating on the door. "Open up!"
E-193 Noah was riding right along on the wave. She got about twenty-something feet, I believe the Bible said, the ark picked up off the—off the ground, begin to rock its way along.
E-194 They climbed to the highest peak, hung to the highest branch. They screamed. And everything that had nostrils to breathe, perished, that wasn't in that ark. Everything that breathed died. They could scream for mercy, they could cry, but they had spurned God so many times until there's nothing to do but bring His justice. And His justice was judgment.
E-195 Same as He told Eve, "The day you eat thereof, that day you die."
E-196 Now, I want you to notice. We've seen. We seen now, twice, that the Word come in conflict with reasons. And now it's come again, reasoning against the Word. Now you can choose.
E-197 Joshua said the same thing. He said, "Now, if you want to choose to serve the gods that your fathers did before the flood, see, or do you choose to serve the gods of the Amorites whose land you possess? The fathers before the flood, rode through the flood, that believed God's Word. The Amorites had turned It down. God has give you their land. Now, if you think it's evil to serve God, choose you this day who you'll serve. But for me and my house, we'll stay right with the Lord." Amen. I like that. The conflict.
E-198 Notice. The day that the fort was broken, in Eden, man went "out." Amen. They went out. And the day that they kept the covenant of God, in the antediluvian destruction, they went "in." They went out of Eden. They went into the ark. And on this third, they go "up." Go out, go in, go up! Amen. We see what they did two times. I'm going to stand with the Lord. Don't you want to stand? [Congregation says, "Amen."—Ed.] I want to keep the Word of God.
E-199 Jesus said, "As the days of Noah, so shall it be in the coming of the Son of man." Right against wrong; Light against dark; Life against death; the Word against science. That's right. Scientific research will disprove the Word, as they think it does, but it don't disprove the Word.
E-200 Satan had, has his system at work again, to get people to misbelieve the Word of God. Satan's wrong way of worship, like Cain and like Balaam, they're very religious.
E-201 Cain was religious. He brought an altar, made an altar. And, frankly, Cain was more religious than Abel. Sure was. He done more for the Lord than Abel did, but Abel come in the way of the Word. That's all. He done more. He built a great denomination. He built a great thing, a great Christian heritage. But, you see, he come in the wrong way. And was… It wasn't received. Now, wrong, for it was contrary to the Word.
E-202 Balaam was just as religious as Moses. He come with the same sacrifice, the same lambs, the same clean animals, and everything. And prayed to the same God, and offered sacrifice to the same God that Moses did, though he come in the wrong way. See? It was contrary to the Word, like it was in Eden.
E-203 The Word won't mix with modern theory. See? You can't have modern theory. Now, in closing, listen close. The Word won't mix with any modern theory. It can't have a theory and have the Word. You've got to have the Word or the theory. Now which are you going to believe?
E-204 If the Bible teaches the baptism is "in the Name of Jesus Christ," and the church says it's "Father, Son, and Holy Ghost," then who you going to believe? If Jesus said, "You must be born again," and the church says, "Come join," now what are you going to believe? If Jesus said, "These signs shall follow them that believe," and the church says "you're just a good member," who you going to believe? If Jesus said, "The works that I do shall you do also," and the church says "days of miracles is past," who you going to believe?
E-205 You see what I mean? I could stand here an hour, right down those things, bringing those different things, how theory is built up a system to counteract the Word of God.
Now, Christians, stay behind the Word. Yes, sir.
E-206 Wrong way of life, trying to mix It. Today they take these women that's dressed any way. Take these men, if they smoke, drink, or anything else, make them deacons, and so forth, in the church, even pastors. These dressed, women, any way they want to dress, and bring them in and make them sisters in the church. Don't you never try to get to Heaven like that. It just won't mix with modern theory.
E-207 So, we have two classes today that's professing. Now listen close, in closing. We have two classes that's professing to be the Bride of Christ. That's right. And the Bible speaks there will be two classes. That's right. The wise virgin and the foolish one. Is that right? [Congregation says, "Amen."—Ed.] There's two classes.
E-208 The church says, "We are the Church." They go out and have these great evangelistic campaigns, bring the people into the church. The women continue on with their way of doing. The men continue on with their way of doing.
E-209 They never change their doctrine. They got it all wrote out, and documented, and set down, and those Apostles' Creed, and certain prayers, and all these catechisms, and everything that the Methodists, and Baptists, and Presbyterians, and Catholic, and all, read. And they accept that catechism because some great man back behind said that was right. He might have been a great man, he might have been right, but he hasn't got the authority to say that.
E-210 Cause, the Bible is God's authority. It's the written Word of God. "And any man that adds one thing to It, or takes anything from It, the same will be taken (his part) out of the Book of Life." That can't be done so, now.
E-211 But we have two professing it. One said, "Well, we're the Church." The other one said, "We're the Church." All right.
E-212 The wise and foolish, both are invited. But did you notice? They both had vessels. That's right. They both was virgins, believers. They both had vessels.
E-213 But, Satan is more than a match for us. We know that. We know that Satan is way more than a—a match for any human being. Don't you never try to do it with your wisdom, outsmart him. You just can't do it.
E-214 Jesus knew this, so He sent to the Church, That, so Satan would not outsmart them, a place to be fortified. He sent them the Holy Ghost. And the Church does not claim to be smart. They just claim to believe.
E-215 Their preachers can't go out and show you their Ph., double L., Q.U., S.T.D., and all these other things. They don't have no great, big inauguration times when they're ordained into some ministerial association. You know, I used to sing a little song:
These people may not learn to be, or boast of worldly fame,
They have all received their Pentecost, baptized in Jesus' Name;
And they're telling now both far and wide, His Power is yet the same,
I'm so glad that I can say I'm one of them.
E-216 Yes, sir. Yes. They don't have these big things. They don't claim to know anything. They just claim to believe Something.
E-217 Jesus sent the Holy Ghost, which is Himself. He said, "A little while and the world seeth Me no more, yet ye shall see Me, for I will be in you; be with you, even in you, to the end of the world."
E-218 Now, now, now watch. Jesus knew it, so He sent the Holy Ghost to confirm the Word. Whew! Did you get it? [Congregation says, "Amen."—Ed.] See? "To confirm," to those who have taken their refuge behind the Word, "that He is in the Word." See?
E-219 Let them out there. They'll laugh at the system. They say, "They're crazy."
E-220 But Jesus sent the Holy Spirit, which is Himself, to get it to those that's behind the Word, like Abraham's group, to confirm the Word before them, to show that He's still the Word. See that you've taken the right place! All right.
E-221 Fire is the confirmation of the Light coming from the Word. They will fill… The smart virgin, the wise virgin, had Oil in Her lamp, and She trimmed Her lamp and lit it. Now, what is it? Now, the… God is the Word. The Oil is the Spirit. And the Fire is the Gospel Light on that Oil. God said so. See? That's the vessel. All right. The Oil is in the vessel. And the Fire, burning It, shows that It's reflecting the Light of what the Word said. See? That's the reflection. Now, that wise virgin could do that.
E-222 But that other, foolish virgin, was on the outside, had no Oil, and they couldn't reflect nothing but just their church and their denomination. See?
E-223 Now, you say, "The Word, you said 'the Word was—was Spirit'?" Yes, sir.
E-224 God said, "My Word is Spirit." That's right. The true Bride must be unified by the Word. Now, remember, if She is a part of Christ, She has to be the Word of Christ. In order to be the Word of Christ, you have to be baptized into Christ. And when you're in Christ, you believe Christ, and Christ is the Word.
Amen.
Amen, amen.
Do you believe It?
E-225 [Brother Branham and congregation sing the response, "Amen."—Ed.]
Do you love Him? ["Amen."]
Will you serve Him? ["Amen."]
["Amen, amen."]
He's the Light of the world. That's right. ["Amen."]
He's the joy of our heart. ["Amen."]
He's the Power of our life. ["Amen."]
["Amen, amen."]
E-226 The—the Bride must be unified, unified together by the Word. "My sheep hear My Voice." And This is His Voice on printed Word. All right. Unified by the Word, She makes Herself ready, not with the regular creed.
E-227 Like Esther, when Esther was to be chosen to stand before the king, she didn't adorn themselves with all the things, but she adorned herself with a sweet, meek spirit. That's what the Bride is adorning Herself with, with all of the fruits of the Spirit following it.
E-228 What She got? Assembling together in the fellowship of the Word. "Amen." Fellowship of the Word. That's right. Fellowshipping, setting together in Heavenly places in Christ Jesus, tonight: one accord, one place, one Spirit, one mind, one hope, one God, one purpose. "Amen." See? There you are. Every time the Bible says anything, we say, "Amen." Punctuating every Word with, "Amen."
"Jesus Christ the same yesterday, today, forever."
"Amen."
"Repent, and be baptized, the Name of Jesus Christ."
E-229 "Amen." See, everything, just, "Amen, amen, amen," right on down, see, in fellowship.
E-230 "Fruits of the Spirit." Her, what's She got? What is the fruit of the Spirit? Joy, joy of Her heart, knowing that He's Coming soon. "Amen, and amen, amen." Yeah.
E-231 Peace of mind. Why? Peace of mind. Peace of mind. Know what? No matter what comes or what goes, let the ship rock, let the storms come, let the lightning flash, the thunder roar, whatever takes place, don't make a bit of difference. Atomic bombs can fall. You can build rock shelters, bomb shelters, whatever you want to, but She's still saying, "Amen. Amen, amen."
E-232 Why? She's fortified. What? Fortified in what? The Word, the Word (what?) made flesh, dwelling among us, watching Him move among us, in our assembly. See? There He is. So what difference does it make? "Amen." Let the conflict go on.
I've anchored my soul in a haven of rest,
To sail the wild seas no more;
The tempest may sweep over the wild stormy deep,
But in Jesus I'm safe evermore.
E-233 You say you're in Jesus and then deny His Word? Something wrong. He always says "amen" to His Own Word. You know that. True. All right.
E-234 Assembling for fellowship. Joy, one of the fruits of the Spirit. Peace of mind. And faith in the Word. Peace, joy, faith, long-suffering, patience, gentleness.
E-235 Faith, what kind of faith? What kind of way you using your faith, to fight the conflict? Are you going to use your faith on some theory, on some reasoning, something? "Isn't it reasonable that the most the people comes to this church? Isn't this the big church?" No, sir, it isn't. If that church don't preach every Word of that Bible there, and "amen" to every Word of It, believe every sign, every wonder, and see them working right among them, I'd get away from it, no matter how big, how little. See?
E-236 Faith, love, joy, peace, and faith in the Word. So let Satan set up his guns. We've anchored. Amen. We don't claim to be great people. We're not great people, in the sight of the world. We're humble people, peasants. We don't care for the world's riches.
E-237 My friend, tonight, I started preaching this Gospel… It's getting late, so I'm going to quit, look, for tonight. We started preaching about thirty years, something, or thirty-one years ago. About 1930, '31, somewhere along in there, I started preaching the Gospel. Preached this same Message, and never changed from It, because It's the Truth. Just stay right with It.
E-238 Now, tonight, I'm a middle-age man, fifty-three years old, grandpa. I love Him more than I did back there, because I've seen Him in more trials and fights. And I've seen, when I come to the place where it was so tempting, when I said something, like Noah in the ark, "This will be."
"Now, watch. Oh, mercy! God, what…"
E-239 "It will be." Stay there. "It will be." The sun passes on. "It will be."
"Why you know, Brother Branham?"
E-240 "God said so. It will be. It has to be. God said so." So, I've anchored my soul in a Haven of rest. In Jesus I'm safe evermore. Ever what comes or goes, let's take it in that manner.
Now let us bow our heads, to give thanks to Him.
E-241 Is there someone here tonight, who doesn't know Him and hasn't anchored like that? You've never taken your great stand with the Word of God, and you'd say, "Brother Branham, I'm going to lift up my hand, and say, 'Remember me in prayer.' I have never taken a stand like that, that I'd trust God no matter what come to pass. I'd take His Word, no matter what anybody said or done, I still believed His Word. I want you to pray for me, Brother Branham. I believe the conflict is on, and I've taken my stand in the… I've never taken my stand, yet. I want to take it, on God's side, and with the Word."
E-242 How many, then, has already took your stand, and standing behind the Word of the Lord? Raise your hand, say, "I'm so thankful that I did." God bless you. One hundred percent. Praise be God, even little children raising up their hand. My, my!
E-243 Oh, if this isn't real! Heavenly places in Christ Jesus, fortified by the Word. Fortified by the Word, with the Presence of the Spirit here, vindicating, proving to us, like they did in the early days: the same Gospel, the same signs, the same wonders, the same God, the same Word, bringing the same things to pass.
E-244 People standing up, the Spirit falling upon people with a gift of prophecy, prophesies. One will stand, Spirit fall upon them, to speak in tongues. They'll speak in tongues; hold their peace, and another one will interpret it. And it shall come to pass. Oh, my!
E-245 Seeing our great powers of the Holy Spirit changing our lives from a life of sin, bring up out of that, and making us new creatures in Christ Jesus. How we thank the Lord!
E-246 Heavenly Father, it's so good to be assembled with this group of Your children, tonight, these who are sojourning down here in Clarksville. So glad to see this church moving on, to see the pastor, not one disbeliever in the midst of the people, all of them in the Refuge. Oh, how we thank Thee for that, Father!
E-247 I'm thinking about a little antelope, one time. He had got out of the refuge, and the hounds was after him. And he was running for dear life. And when he come to the fence where the refuge was, he hurdled the fence, and so happy. He snorted, and turned around and looked at those hounds, 'cause he was safe. They could not climb the fence, they wasn't built that way. If they'd touch the fence, they'd be knocked back with electrical shock.
E-248 That's the way we are, Lord. When we get behind the—the Fence of God's Word, the electrical Power of the Holy Spirit stands our enemy off. He cannot hurdle the Fence; he's not made that way. Father, we thank Thee that Thou has made us so that we could jump for safety, Lord, into Christ Jesus. We're so glad, Lord, safe evermore.
E-249 We pray now that You'll bless this little church, its pastor, its loved ones. Bless all that's here, tonight. Bless every minister.
E-250 We pray for our precious and most noble Brother Neville. And now, as yesterday, Satan would try to pull him from the scene, smashing him into that car. And he would try to do something bad, but You was there on the scene. God, he tried to take me the other day, down at the rifle range, but You was there on the scene. Tried to take Brother Willard Crase, when he slammed into that pole, but You were there on the scene. Oh, it's so good to know You. As the poet once said:
Tis so sweet to trust in Jesus,
Just to take Him at His Word,
Just to rest upon the promise,
Just to know, "THUS SAITH THE LORD."
E-251 How we thank Thee for this! Bless our souls. Forgive our sins. Heal the sickness, Lord, that dwells among us. We know that these old mortal bodies are feeble, and they're rocking under the impact of sickness, and we pray that You'll keep us well, to preach the Gospel. Let us live many happy years if Jesus tarries.
E-252 And may we all be ready for the Rapture, all in the Ark of safety, in Christ Jesus, by one Spirit, baptized in there; up on the upper floor, where we can see the Light of the Gospel shining in, and punctuate every Word with "amen." Grant it, Lord. Bless them and keep them. I claim them for jewels for Your crown, Lord, in Jesus' Name. Amen.
I love Him, I love Him
Because He first loved me
And purchased my salvation
On Calvary's tree.
E-253 Now, as we know, the Word some time is cutting, but we love It that way. "The Word of God," said Hebrews 4, "is sharper than a two-edged sword." It cuts off everything, two edges, coming and going. "And It's also more powerful, more quicker, cutting even to asunder, into the marrow of the bone, and discerns the thoughts and the intents of the heart." What is it? The Word! The Word! See? And now, after we've had a real cutting, hard Message… Did you enjoy It? [Congregation says, "Amen."—Ed.] Yes, sir. The conflict! Aren't you glad you're fortified, tonight? ["Amen."] It builds faith and strength and hope, to the Church. Oh!
On Christ the solid Rock I stand;
All other grounds is sinking sand.
E-254 Now let's just worship Him for about two or three minutes, will you? Let's just close our eyes, raise our hands.
E-255 Sister, dear, give us the chord, I Love Him. Will you, on that? I'll get it.
I love Him,
Just lose yourself now. Worship!
Because He first loved me
And purchased my salvation
On Calvary's tree.
E-256 Now let's look to one another, and shake one another's hand. Say:
I love Him, I love Him
Because He first loved me
And purchased my salvation
On Calvary's tree.
E-257 What was Calvary? His Kadesh-barnea. What did He do? Go up there, and said, "Man lives after death. I'll prove it to you." Goes up there, to Kadesh-barnea, took the judgment of us all. Calvary! Died for our sins, and crossed the river of death. On that third day, He come back. The stone rolled back down the hill, and He walked out, alive.
Some of them said, "He's a spirit."
E-258 Said, "Feel Me. Has a spirit got flesh and bones like I have?" Said, "You got anything to eat?"
E-259 They said, "We got some honeycomb bread down here, I guess, and some fish."
E-260 Said, "Let's have a piece of it." And they took and eat it. He said, "You see, a spirit don't eat like I eat." He said, "Now, you go up there to Jerusalem, and you start with the Gospel, from there. And I'll send back to you the Firstfruits of the… of your resurrection, 'cause I'll lift you up from unbelief from the Word, and make you have faith in This, and believe. And you'll be above sin and all unbelief. And that way, some will fall in one watch, two watch…"
E-261 Remember, they… Seventh watch, did you remember that? The seventh watch is when He come. What was the seventh watch? The seventh angel's Message. First watch, they fell asleep, second watch, third, fourth, fifth, sixth; all down through, Thyatira, and all down through all the ages, down to the Laodicean watch. But in the seventh watch, the Voice come, "Behold, the Bridegroom cometh, go ye out to meet Him." And what? They awoke and trimmed their lamp.
I love Him, I love Him
Because…
E-262 You at the end? [Brother Branham speaks to someone about the tape recording—Ed.]
… He first…
E-263 [Someone says to Brother Branham, "I got about that much tape."—Ed.] "And…" Can you get it? You got that much more? Got about that much more tape? You about finished? Tape about finished? Will you?
On Calvary's tree.
E-264 Oh, my! Sister Ruth, I didn't mean shut it off. I thought I was trying to run these beautiful songs out. I wanted to get that taped, you see. I was trying to do, catch these songs, you see, as it went out. Don't you love that? [Congregation says, "Amen."—Ed.] You know, I do love good, old pentecostal singing.
E-265 But I always said, "I hate an overtrained voice, one that holds their breath till they're blue in the face, on some, 'Squeaky.'" And they don't… They're not singing. They're just making a noise. See?
E-266 I like that good, old singing, you know, from your heart, like—like, "Amen. Amen, amen." Don't you? [Congregation says, "Amen."—Ed.] I like this.
Faith in the Father, faith in the Son,
Faith in the Holy Ghost, these three are One;
Demons will tremble, and sinners awake;
Faith in Jehovah makes anything shake.
E-267 Amen. Makes this kingdom of the devil crumble and fall. Turn them big blast words on, "THUS SAITH THE LORD." That atomic Word of God flies out there and just disintegrates Satan's kingdom. Amen. Then, "Onward Christian soldiers, goes marching as to war." That's right. All right.
E-268 Let's sing again now, everybody, to the top of your voice, with your eyes closed, hands up in the air, I Love Him. All right, sister, dear. All right.
I love Him, I love Him
Because He first loved me
And purchased my salvation
On Calvary's tree.
E-269 Heavenly Father, into Your hands now we commend our—our being. Do with us as You see fit. We're trusting You'll use us, Lord, to bring Light to the others in our community and wherever we shall be led. And, God, You watch over us now, and protect us till we get to meet again, and bringing in precious sheaves. We ask in Jesus' Name. Amen.
E-270 Now, it's a pleasure to being with you all, tonight, have time of fellowship. I'm going to turn the pulpit back to your beloved pastor, Brother Junie.
All right, Brother Junie.