The Restoration of The Bride Tree
The Restoration of The Bride Tree
[62-0422, The Restoration Of The Bride Tree, Branham Tabernacle, Jeffersonville, IN, 214 min]
L-1 Thank you, Brother Orman. God bless you. Good morning, friends, and it's a privilege to be back in the Tabernacle
on this fine Easter morning, worshipping, the great resurrection of our precious Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ.
L-2 I'd like to say that I was certainly... Of all the messages that I ever heard our pastor preach, his best one was this
morning. I went home and told my wife; I said, "Honey, this is one morning you missed it by not getting up early."
That was the best that I heard on the resurrection in all my life; I never heard anything any better on the resurrection
than our pastor give us this morning. Such an astounding message, and everything right to its point. That goes to show
that when the anointing gets a hold of a man (See?) what--what happens. That does something then. And so we're
happy that--that God has give us this wonderful pastor.
L-3 And now, I want to thank each and every one of you. We've been here now for quite a little while (at different
times, back and forth), but I'm leaving for the fields now, as you know. This week I'm leaving for the Cree Indians up
in British Columbia, and then over in--from there to Fort Saint John, and then this summer, the Lord willing, to be in--
all on the west coast, up in the east, and--and out on the west coast, and up into Alaska--Anchorage, Alaska, and
through there. And then, perhaps from there I'm sending out some feelers for Africa and the rest of the world for the
oncoming winter.
So it'll probably be some time before I get to be back here at the tabernacle again; at least it'll be up in August or
sometime this fall 'fore I can get back again.
And I want to thank you all for your fine cooperation, for all that you've done. And we're sorry we never have room for
the people here on these mornings. We are in a building project now, as you know, to build a bigger church when--for
these services. And so that'll probably go into effect right away now; they'll start building on the church.
L-4 And now, be--also want to thank each and every one of you for your--for gifts, birthday cards, Easter cards, gifts
that you've given Billy and different for--and ones for me, Brother Wood, and many of them. I appreciate them all.
And each one comes and says... You don't know what a strain it is, somebody to come and say, "Now, we want to see
Brother Branham. We want to see your father," so forth. And said, "The sheet's filled up."
Now, you don't know what an embarrassing condition it puts you in, when you--you can just get to so many, and that's
all you can do.
I--I wished it was so I just had a long time with each one, could set down. And I hope to do that sometime; but it can't
be on this earth, because there's people comes in here from all over the world (See?), from around the world. This week
been people from several nations in here, and been interviewed, and prayed for this week, from nations around the
world.
L-5 And if it was just our little local congregation here in Jeffersonville, I could gladly take two or three hours with
each one and weed it right down and have them out. But see, while there just may be, say, five calls from--or maybe
two calls from right in our local community, there's a hundred or two from around the world, at the same time these
two are coming in. So there's been literally thousands that I couldn't even touch nowhere. See?
People... And the calls to come here and go there from around the world, just--airplane tickets sent in and everything
else to come pray for the sick; but you can't do it.
L-6 So the people are disappointed; I would be too. But I'd just like, on this Easter morning to making my confession, to
say that--that I don't know what to do about it. There's just too many, you know, to--to get to--thousands and thousands
of people from around the world. I've taken my seventh trip around, as you know, and I have in personal contact with
better than ten million people from around the world. So you can imagine how--how--what a strain that is on you.
L-7 And many times we hit little strains, and I know you do too, and little disappointments. But think of them I have,
the disappointments I have, when sick mothers on the phone saying, "Oh, God... Well, wait just a minute, Brother
Branham. Lord Jesus, I--I--I pray that You'll send him." And--and it--just hung up the phone from another one, and
here, and here, and here, and all around the world. You know how it is. And that--that's not easy when somebody on
the end of the phone with a sick baby, or a sick husband, or a dying wife, a-praying for you to come.
Now, you could imagine; no wonder I'm a neurotic. As this--it's enough to make one. But I have done this one thing:
instead of getting a complex, I've tried to hold steady by keeping my eyes on Calvary and moving on, just as He would
have me to do.
And many of my mistakes... I pray that God will forgive me of things, that maybe I should have went one place and
didn't go. I'm just human and can--subject to mistakes.
L-8 There's a little, cute little thing was said in here in the back yard this morning, when I was going out from the
sunrise service. I got a precious old friend (He's probably here somewhere; he's from Chicago.), name's Stewart (he's
about...), Ed Stewart (I guess he's in his middle seventies or better.); and he met me out there. And he saves his tithing
money in dimes, and he give me a whole package of dimes, about like that, and... Oh, I don't know, I... 'Course, they go
to a foreign mission work. And his good friend and mine, Brother Skaggs, Leonard Skaggs, from Lowell, Indiana, was
standing there, and I never knew before; he was a Mason. He had a Mason's button on him, and we were talking about
the Masonic order. And so, the old Brother Stewart said to me; he said, "I like you, Brother Branham, and I'd like to
talk to you," (excuse this expression), but he said, "you're harder to get to than a Turkish harem."
Someone said to me not long ago, said, "I'm glad the Lord's not that hard to get to." He said...
L-9 Well, I don't mean to be that way; I love people. But I just imagine... I went home and I told my wife, and we set at
the table and laughed, how hard it would be to get to a Turkish harem, you know. So--so I hope it isn't quite that
difficult, Brother Stewart, if you're still in here. But I sure did think that was a little sense of humor that kinda made us
all have a chuckle.
So I wished I could see everyone. And I love everyone (That is true.); whether they're a friend or foe, it's just the same.
L-10 And now, I certainly covet your prayers for me in this oncoming meeting. I'm going among Indians. And you
know, you--when you're in Rome, you have to be a Roman; and when you're with Indians, you have to live as Indians.
My missionary friend, of who is a hunting partner of mine, where I was up on the highway, Alaskan Highway, a--a
very fine young fellow and his wife, out of a nice home... And I... Arms eat in there, and all around behind his ears, and
things, and I wondered what was the matter with him; did he have an eczema? It was from fleas and bedbugs where
he'd had to--how he'd had to live out there. And so, you have to live right with the people to win them to Christ.
They're Christ's heritage; they are people who He died for, and somebody must go to them.
L-11 And the chief was over at one of my recent northern meetings, and the Holy Spirit in the meeting--or out on a
campground--on the ground--tourist court, I believe it was, called his name, and who he was, and what he had did,
and... Oh, my, that just settled it with him. He knew that human beings couldn't do that; that has to come from
Almighty.
So that chief has just fired that all up and down that coast there. And we're going to take the meetings in a little
sailboat, go in to the places where we can get to for them, and on out and up the coast and to the others, to the Cree
Indians, the neglected. Many of the brethren who have big services could not go to that.
L-12 Now, the Indians... There won't be one penny of money (As you know, I never take an offering in my meetings;
and I don't take money.), but the church here is--is sponsoring that meeting to the Indians. Some of your tithing money
and things will go to pay, to bring this Message of salvation and deliverance to those poor, illiterate Indians. After all,
they are the Americans, you know. We're the foreigners (See?); we come in and took it from them. And we want... I
can't give them back their nation, but I can give them the hopes in Christ, that will put us together as a brotherhood
someday in a land where there is no fighting and taking land one from another. It'll be a land, room for all. And I'll be
thankful when that time comes, if all my loved ones are saved and ready at that time.
L-13 Now, I have many friends I'm seeing, setting right here as I, speaking. I believe I'm noticing Sister (I can't think of
her name.)--used to be Lee. Is that right? Aren't you Mrs. Lee? Your daughter here, the daughters, the ones that was
healed? That's very fine. One of them was in the Good Shepherd's Home--or not... (What is that called? Sister of...
Some Catholic Institute... Lady of Peace, that's what it was. I get all them Catholic names mixed up.) And so, over
there... And she was--had a mental, nervous break, and the dear Lord Jesus, while we's--I was setting on the foot of the
bed, and her precious mother and father standing close, and the Lord Jesus pronounced it done, finished. Here she is;
it's all over. And of course, we know Sister--is very grateful this morning.
L-14And I'm looking out over there and seeing people who were dying recently with cancer. Crawled in here, on
wheelchairs, crutches, and here they are, normal and well this morning. That's world over. Not by me, by Him, our
Lord, Who is risen from the dead; He's alive forevermore.
May our Lord ever be praised and blessed is my sincere prayer, Will you pray for me, all of you, pray for me. Now, I--I
depend on that. And when I get out there... See, here at home, it's not too bad around here, but when you get there
where you really hit the battlefront... This is training.
L-15 I was hearing yesterday, when our church got a--a new station wagon for me, and I--to travel (And my other one's
about worn out.); and so I--I turned the radio on and listened at the newscast. And then, they was coming down last
night from where Joseph and I had went to pray, then we's coming down from Green's Mill, they--I turned the radio on.
It was a newscast, and it was telling--following--this monitor was following a young fellow in his training: and how he
was standing there with his pockets full of sand and everything, where he'd had to hold his head so low; that live
machine gun fire was going right above his head, while he crawled through barbed wires and things, taking a rigid
training.
L-16 Well, that's what we're doing here. But now, it's a lot different on the battlefront. See? That machine gun is timed,
trained right at a certain level. But on the battlefront, it could come up or down. See? So--so that's a little different there
(You see?) than what--what it is, so we have to... Well, this is training here, but out there you're on the battlefront.
L-17So we're going to face the enemy now. So we used to fi--sing a little song here, "The Fight Is On." Anybody still
remember that song?
The fight is on, O Christian soldiers;
And face to face in stern array;
With armors gleaming, and colors streaming,
The right and wrong's engaged today! (That's right. See?)
The fight is on, but be not weary;
Be strong, and in His might hold fast;
If God be for us, His banner over us,
We'll sing the victor's song at last! (That's right.)
L-18Now, there was many things that I had to say this morning, but I kinda cut it short, whereas the people's standing
and packed in. And they got little speakers for the outside, and a little broadcast, I think, that each car can... The--the
broadcasting system let us go out so many yards from the tabernacle with it. And so we--we're trying to... Appreciate
everybody's visit with us this morning.
L-19 Now, before any farther, let's say that... Now, immediately after this, I think, is baptismal service? But first is the
prayer line; we're going to pray for the sick this morning. I think God coming on the scene is the proof of what we're
talking about: His resurrection. Is He alive or isn't He alive? Is this just a fiction story or is it the Truth? If He's alive,
He made a promise: "I'll be with you always, even to the end of the world." [Matthew 28:20]
L-20Now, if He--if He comes in amongst us here and proves that He's here, then there's no more guess about it. See?
You remember, all the religions in the world, they have their holy days and holidays, and so forth, but there's none of
them that can prove that their founder, that--death took him, and that was all of it; but ours, Christian religion, our
Founder died and rose again.
L-21 In Mexico, recently, when I was interviewed by the press of the resurrection of a little baby, that had died that
morning at nine o'clock, and at ten-thirty that night (ten-thirty or to eleven o'clock) was raised up from the dead, right
there in the mother's arms at the platform, before tens of thousands of people. Thirty thousand come to Christ that night
(See?), so then, you can imagine what was there.
And the little fellow, I saw a vision out in front of me; and it told about what his little name was and everything. The
mother was way back there, couldn't get a prayer card, couldn't get in; but she didn't have to get up through the line. So
when she brought the little baby, it raining, pouring down...
L-22 We think of us standing, think of them. They'd be there at nine o'clock at morning for services to begin nine that
night, standing in the hot sun, leaning against one another for shade: Standing, not setting, standing. And that's the way
they do, Africa, and different places, and India where half a million gathers out at a time.
L-23 Now, this little woman couldn't even get a prayer card (over about three hundred ushers to hold her back), and she
couldn't get in the prayer line, and standing there praying for that little baby--a little Catholic woman... And the Holy
Spirit called and said, "Tell her to bring it here."
L-24 And the little baby, under a wet quilt (been standing there since that morning), the doctor pronounced it dead.
Now, we got the doctor's statement of it, that pronounced it dead that morning at nine o'clock and then, this was that
night, nearly midnight. And I, just according to what the vision said, I went, laid hands on the little baby. There it was,
alive. The doctor give testimony.
L-25 And I was interviewed by the press. And so, being... (Nothing against anybody's belief, as long as it's with the
Bible, all right...) But the man that was interviewing me was Catholic, and he said to me, "Do you believe our saints
can do that?"
I said, "If they're living." ('Course I know the Catholic church believes you have to be dead to be a saint.) So then I
said, "If they are living, yes."
And he said, "Oh, you can't be a saint until you're dead."
I said, "Was Paul a saint before he died or after he died? Who was he writing to, the dead people, when he said, 'To the
saints that are at Ephesus...' and, 'The saints that are at certain places'? He wouldn't write to dead people, you know."
[Ephesians 1:1], [II Corinthians 1:1], [Philippians 1:1]
L-26 So then, he said, "Now, you're trying to judge your case by a Bible. We are the church."
I said, "All right, sir, okay." And I...
He said, "We are the church."
I said, "Then let's see the church do it." (And so it's only Christ can do that; you know that.)
He said, "What's your opinion of the Catholic church?"
I said, "I wished you wouldn't ask me that." See?
And he said, "Well, I'd like to hear it."
I said, "The highest form of spiritualism that there is."
And he said, "Spiritualism?"
I said, "Yes, sir."
Said, "How do you figure that?"
I said, "Anything that intercedes with the dead: communion of saints." See?
And he said, "Well, you pray to Christ, and He died."
I said, "But He rose again." He rose again. So that's the good thing that we know: He rose again. Aren't we thankful?
Let's bow our heads and thank Him, because He did raise from the grave for our justification. [Revelation 1:18]
L-27 Heavenly Father, we are grateful this morning for Jesus. And today in commemoration of His great resurrection,
on that yule morning when He rose from the dead, triumph over death, hell, and the grave... When He was on earth, He
showed He had triumphed over sickness, diseases, and--and all kinds of devils and powers. Then death lay before Him,
the great and last enemy; and on Easter morning He proved He was God. He rose from... Even the last enemy could not
hold Him. The grave give Him up; hell had to give Him forth; heaven received Him.
Oh, God, may our hearts receive Him today in the power of the Holy Spirit, that we might be His executives, His--His
examples of His servants here on earth, as we sojourn. Grant it. [Revelation 1:18]
L-28 Bless all that's here. And, God, these precious people who are standing, some of them been jammed in here since
daylight, I pray, heavenly Father, that You'll pour out the exceedingly, abundantly, above all that we could do or think,
upon them today, and give them the deep desires of their heart. What every one come for this morning, may they go
back satisfied. You said You'll not turn any away, but You'll fill him with good things, and send him away rejoicing.
Grant it, Lord.
May Your omnipotence, may Your Holy Spirit in the power of the resurrection so deal with each of us till our hopes
will be built on nothing less than Jesus' Blood with righteousness. Grant it, Father.
L-29 Bless the words now that we read. We thank You for that noble message this morning (as we come early to the
church); and to see You take our brother (and such a change in him in a few moments) and deliver a message to this
dying generation of people that we are now a part of. How we thank You for that, Lord. Oh, God, our hearts quiver
with joy as we think of those things.
Now, keep him anointed, Lord, down through the days that is ahead of him, Lord, and bless this little church. And help
me, Lord, as I go to bring the Message to other people. And may we together, like one person, one family, stick
together, and pray together, and live together in holy unity of the Holy Spirit until Jesus receives us into the Kingdom.
For we ask it in His Name and for His glory. Amen.
L-30 [Brother Neville says, "Brother Branham, can I have time to interrupt you?"--Ed.]
You sure can, Brother.
[As a token of our appreciation and by the--the work of a young man in our midst, we present this picture to you,
Brother Branham, with the full expression of our love and appreciation.]
Thank you, Brother Neville and the Tabernacle.
[The young man was Jerry Steffy that painted that picture.]
Brother Jerry Steffy painted that picture. God bless that boy. That's very fine, Jerry, if you're here this morning.
It's too bad; I wished I had the means to let that boy go to school for an artist. I believe God is in art. Don't you believe
so? God is in music; God is in art; God is in this; and it's too bad to see a talent like that wouldn't be developed. More
he does, the more developing it'll be, and I--I pray that God will bless you, Jerry.
And thank you, Brother Neville, and to this church, for this fine picture and for the verse that goes under it. I'll read it a
little later.
[Do you want me to read it?]
All right, sir. Brother Neville will read the verse. I didn't... I'd had an idea of what it will...
[He's not a man of stature tall,
Nor lofty in his way;
He sounds himself no trumpet
As he goes from day to day.
Has no desire for wealth nor fame,
But none his place could fill;
He's just the way we want him,
Our own dear Brother Bill.
He teaches us with faithfulness
The undiluted Word,
No fancy ways, no love for praise,
Just following the Lord.
His speech is soft and gentle;
He raises not his voice,
Except to cry against the wrong,
And then he has no choice.
Never got a lot of learning,
From colleges and school;
But he knows what is important,
And he's sure nobody's fool.
1st to the 4th verse, and then the 2nd to the--2nd chapter and the 25th verse, and Genesis 20:7.
L-37 Now, I do appreciate... Now, if you get tired and want to go out, go ahead. See? But this will be my last Message
to the church for--this part of the church, for some time; and we're expecting a healing service this morning. And I--I
want this message, if God will bless it, to--to sink deep into our hearts, so we'll get the meaning of what it means.
Now, we're here to express, to--to say the things that we believe, and prove it by the Scripture, that the Scripture says
so; and then, may God turn and prove it, that it's true, might make it real.
Just like any... You say, "This is a sunflower seed." Plant it and see what it is; then it comes up a sunflower; that settles
it; it was a sunflower. See? That's all.
L-38 Now, and if some of them are--change seats every once in a while, somebody set down, and the others get up and
wait a little while. And I will be just as brief as I can.
L-39 Now, remember, pray for me. And just be loyal to the church now; stay right here to the church that--with Brother
Neville. And you people that's visiting, well now, come right on back and...
Now, I'm on these meetings, going on them without any definitely calling; but I just can't lay around; the world's a-
dying. You see? And Paul had that experience once, and he was going down to another country; and then, he had a
Macedonian call on the road. Now, God could give a Macedonian call any time. I cancel anything when God gives a
call. [Acts 16:9-12]
I'm just doing the best I can, going to this corner sowing seeds, and over here sow a few seeds, and over here sow--sow
a few seeds. I know the fowls of the air gather a many of them up, and some of them chokes, and so forth; but there
might be a few in there come up too, you know, on good ground. So let's just... Sow the seed is the main thing.
L-40 A very strange reading for a--a Easter message, Joel the 1st chapter.
The word of the LORD that came unto Joel the son of Pethuel.
Hear this, ye old man, and give ear,... ye inhabitants of the land. Has this been in your days, or even in
the days of your fathers?
Tell... your children of it, and let your children tell their children, and let their children another
generation.
That which the palmerworm has left has the locust eaten; and that which the locust has left has the
cankerworm eaten; and that which the cankerworm has left has the caterpillar eaten. [Joel 1:1-4]
Now, I draw from this a text--or from this Scripture reading, a conclusion of a text called restore.
L-42Now, after Brother Neville preached this morning that notable message, at the last thing he said on his last
thoughts was, "To be restored." And so, that give me the idea, right there: to restore.
Now, I rushed home and got my dictionary, and so forth, and some Scripture notes, and begin to copy some things
down. And then, I got "Webster's Dictionary" to find out the right definition for restore. "To restore" means "to return
to the former owner; or to bring back to the former estate of condition. And we can enforce a claim to be restored."
Now, that's what Webster says the word "restore" means: "to bring back to the former owner; or to bring back to a
former state of condition." And if a claim is made on something, to make that restoration, you can enforce it--to make it
come back to its right place. And may God bless the feeble words now.
L-43 "To restore" means "to bring back, or to restore; a--a claim can be enforced." Now, to bring anything back to its
rightful owner, where it belongs... Therefore, some way it went away from its rightful owner, and can wander around
anywhere. But to restore is to bring it back to who really owns it, or to bring it back to its natural estate, where it was at
the first time--bring it back into its natural condition. And in order to do this we have a right to enforce (if there's a
law), to enforce this rightful condition of restoration--to restore.
L-44 Like if somebody stole some property, and they're holding the property captive. Then you can take the law and go
to this person, and the law forces--enforces this person to restore this property back to its natural owner, into its...?... or
first estate. Enforcement...
Oh, what a text, how I'd like to have two days on that: enforce. Now, Brother Neville preached for us; I'm just going to
talk to you, teach the Sunday school lesson so it'll--it'll--get it to continue on, I hope, with what he had.
L-45 Enforce... Then, we are the--have the privilege to enforce upon Satan the claims that God give us, for God has a
law; and His Word is the Law. And God in this Word made certain claims to the church. Therefore, we have a right to
force these claims upon Satan and say, "Give it back."
And he has to do it, because we can take God's Agent, the Holy Spirit, go right down on our knees, and say, "It's THUS
SAITH THE LORD." He's got to give it up; that's all, 'cause the Holy Spirit's there to make him do it.
L-46 The law of the land is to enforce--it's by the land, for the land. But the Law of the Spirit of God is to force Satan to
give up that which he has unrightfully, deceitfully taken from God. Souls of men he took from God, souls of women,
children; sickness of the body, he placed upon people where God made them in His image to be like Him. And the
church is given the rightful, legal rights by the Bible, to take the Holy Spirit and enforce this upon them. [Romans
8:1-8], [Romans 7:1-25]
L-47 I believe, I just quoted it the last meeting here; I'm not sure. But a brother came to Louisville from down in
Georgia, and left his car setting over there, and someone stole it. And he had his clothes, his wife's clothes, his
children's clothes... It was Brother Evans here I... (They're usually here.) They drive fifteen hundred miles every day
when we have service here, coming in here to have service. And the poor fellow was here without anything and seven
hundred and something miles from home.
And he didn't know what to do. He turned it in to the police, but they had a big racket in Louisville. They were stealing
cars and painting them. And you can--don't have to have a title there to sell it; and they can make you a title in a few
minutes to any number you'd want to put on it.
L-48 And so, they were having a terrible time. So we got down on our knees. See, now, Jesus wouldn't have had to do
that, for He was the Word. Now, we're not the Word. The Word of the Lord came to the prophets; they wasn't the
Word, but the Word come to them. But Jesus was the Word. See? He didn't have to pray; He was God Himself. See?
But we are--are His prophets, His servants, who the Word of the Lord comes to. Then the prophet is vindicated by,
whether it's the Word of the Lord or not, by what he says comes to pass. [Amos 3:7]
L-49 So then, we had a Scripture here that Jesus said, "Wherever two or more are gathered in My Name, and if they will
agree (I'll be in their midst)--and if they will agree on touching any one certain thing and ask it (don't doubt it), they
shall have what they've asked; it'll be given to them."
Now, there's--there's the law. Now, the One that's here to enforce that law is the Holy Spirit. How about people who
don't believe in the Holy Spirit, would reject Him? See? You're--you're rejecting your own peace and mercy. See?
[Matthew 18:20], [John 16:23], [John 14:14]
L-50 Now, we got on our knees, about five men (with Brother Fred Sothmann, and--and many of the others was there)--
four or five men; and we knelt down, and I pleaded this case before God. And then, I took the Word of the promise and
sent It forth. The great Holy Spirit, as He took the Word to serve the summons, a vision broke, and I saw a man going
towards Bowling Green, Kentucky, with a yellow shirt on, driving this truck. The Holy Spirit come upon him,
condemned him, and he turned around (about halfway). I saw him come back and park that car on a certain street, over
across the river here. And I raised up and told the brethren, THUS SAITH THE LORD.
And when they started out, they went on the road, and there was the car setting there, half empty with gasoline where
the tank half empty (where it had been filled up), just enough to take him half way to Bowling Green and bring him
back. Now, those men are setting right here this morning, as a witness.
What is it? Enforcing. "Give it back." See? That's it; that's what it's talking about. "Restore it. Bring it back to its right
owner."
L-51 And if Satan has robbed you of the privilege of being a son or a daughter of God, we have a right this morning by
the Holy Spirit to enforce the claim of God: "Bring them back."
If he's afflicted you and made you sick, we have a right before God to enforce the laws of God: "By His stripes we are
healed." Amen. Bring him back; turn him loose. You're taking him out yonder to death, and we claim him. Bring him
back."
Now, that's the enforcement. Restore it back to its natural condition again. A man's sick, baby's sick, woman's sick
(See?); they're out of their natural condition. Then we have a right to enforce our claim: not our claim it's our claim
because God give it to us: "By His stripes we were healed; He was wounded for our transgressions; with His stripes we
were healed."
Now, we have a right to enforce that law. And the--the Lawgiver, the Holy Spirit Himself is here, the Agent of God to
see that it's done that way. Amen. Now, the only way He can work is when you let Him work. See? You've got to
believe it. [Isaiah 53:5], [I Peter 2:24]
L-52 There's a law... Oh, if I ever get to my text. There's a law, there's a law given amongst everything. You know, a
fish has a law. And that fish can stand up here in water, and he has a law within him. If he will just let go of that law
that's in him, he can sink plumb to the bottom of the sea: won't bother him a bit; won't break one cell.
You try to do it. That law's not in you. You can't do it, but the fish can. He deflates himself of that air, such a way that
he can; there's nothing in him to burst open. And he's made that way; he knows it, and he can enforce that law to take
him plumb to the bottom of the sea and then raise him back up again.
L-53 Oh, there was a law in Christ; that law's in man. You can bury him to the deepest grave, or the deepest sea, or the--
the lowest hell; there's a law of the Spirit of God, that'll raise him up again. See? [Romans 8:11]
L-54 A bird has a law. Now, its body's material; it's earthbound, sets on the earth here; but it has a law within it, that the
way it spreads its wings, it can fly plumb out of sight. That's against science. They claim it's--it's earthbound;
gravitation has to hold it here. But it can defy gravitation, lift itself right off of it, and go right on out; because it has to
put that law that's in it to work; and it's built to possess that law. Now, I'm begin to feel religious. [John 5:24]
L-55Now, we have a law, the law of the Life in us. We don't... Only thing you have to do... You're made, and borned,
and placed here in the Body of Christ as sons and daughters of God. You don't have to "knuck" down to the devil.
We've got a law; that's the law of the Holy Spirit. The only thing you know--have to do, is know how to let go and let
God. You keep fighting at it (See?), and it won't never work. When you let go and let God, that's all... See? [John 5:24],
[John 3:16], [Acts 2:37-39]
L-56If the fish said, "Wait, I'll catch my breath real good; I'll breathe up a little oxygen in me, and I'll see if I can go
down." No, he does that, he will burst open. See?
The bird says, "I'll see how fast I can run down here, and maybe I'll take off." No, he won't do it; he will fall down.
See? He's got to know how to control--how that law can control him. [Matthew 11:28]
L-57 And the same way it is with us, it isn't what we fight, and pull, and--and hurry, and, "Oh, if I don't get this; if I
don't get that"; that's not it; it's to know that the law of Life is in you. And you just let go and let God. Then He takes
you to your healing, takes you to the baptism of the Spirit, or anything that He's promised. Any claim that He's given is
L-70 Then the law of God's got to work by that Word. (We're coming down to a great thing in a minute. See, see?
We're...) The law of God's Word, the law of God is with His Word.
Now, if the court writes out a word, "It is certain-certain thing, a penalty to do so-and-so." All right. Now, that's the
word of the court, and the law of the court enforces the word of the court. And God speaks something, and that is a
law; and the Holy Spirit's here to enforce that law (Amen.) for the believer. You have be ordained to do so; and it takes
a believer. You got to have the badge of believer.
Somebody says, "You got power?"
No, but we got authority (That's it.), not power, but authority. We ain't got enough power to do nothing. [Acts 2:37-39]
L-71 Like I said some time ago, a little policeman here in Louisville, standing there. He was littler than I am. Little bitty
fellow, his hat was pulled down over his ears, and car--oh, his uniform about half hanging off of him, he walked out
there on the street, the little cap pistol-like on his side, little stick in his hand, and a little whistle. Walked out there with
a pair of white gloves on, and them--them cars (Some of them three hundred and fifty horsepower) whirling by that
street like--like lighting, just zoom, zoom. Well, that poor little fellow couldn't stop a--he couldn't have stopped a
runaway pony from his strength. Certainly not. But he walked out in the street, that big badge shining, blowed that
whistle, and held up that hand. Brother, three hundred power--horsepower motors squeaked brakes and everything else.
It wasn't the power of the man, it was the authority he had. That's it.
That's the church, It might be a bunch of holy-rollers, so-called, or whatever you want to call it; but it's the authority.
Uh-huh. Uh-huh. It's the authority behind it; that's what does it.
Regardless of conditions, God's law works with His Word. Now, it won't work with your creed; it'll work with the
Word. Yeah, it just works with the Word; that's all. Now, regardless of condition... [Psalms 33:6], [Romans 10:17],
[Hebrews 1:3]
L-72 Abraham, as we read awhile ago in our text, Abraham's wife had to be restored back. Why? God gave a promise to
Abraham, and here a king had took her to marry for his wife.
Well, what would he done? Put Abraham to death in a minute. That's what Abraham said, "I pray thee say that..." after
he seen that--that Abimelech had done caught him (this Philistine king there), he said, "Now, you... I pray you, you say
that I am your brother, because if... You're a beautiful woman," and said, "now, if he sees you're beautiful, and I--I--I'll
be killed, 'cause he will take you and marry you." [Genesis 12:13-20]
L-73And so, Abimelech caught her, and his men brought her in; she was a beautiful woman. And by the way, she was
only a hundred years old. And she--she... God had just showed what He's going to do to all of us, through them. You
know, I been through all that in my text, and on the tapes, and so forth, proving that by the Word of God; that's exactly.
He told by Abraham and Sarah what He was going to do to the whole race. That's right. [Genesis 12:13-20]
L-74 Now, there she was, and so Abimelech taken her to be his wife--Abimelech. And so, he was all ready now to take
her to be his wife, and what? God had said to Abraham: "By Sarah you'll have this baby." And here was a young man
taking her. Here was Abraham around--about a hundred years old now too out there. But by that...
You notice what God said there: "Yes, I know the integrity of your heart. That's the reason I kept you from sinning
against Me; but you restore that woman, for her husband is a prophet. Let him pray for you; if you don't, I'm just going
to wipe you off the face of the earth."
There you are. What? God's Word has to stand. No man could touch Sarah; God had made a promise. [Genesis 17:16],
[Genesis 12:19]
L-75 Sarah, a type of the church, the true church, the free church, the freewoman with a free Child, type of the borned
again church with the promise. Let them say whatever they want to, call it holy-roller, fanaticism. They've tried to stop
It since Pentecost, and they'll never do it. No, sir. For keep--just keep your hands off of It; that's all. God's going to take
that and do something with it, just as certain as I'm standing here. We're coming right down through the age of it. Now,
in a few minutes, God help me, I'll prove it to you where we're at. Right. You're--they're never going to destroy; it can't
be destroyed. That's right.
L-76 "Take your hands off of her." Why? There come the natural seed. The natural seed had to come. If it would--if
Sarah would've married this other man, the natural seed would've never been born.
So if God so protected the course for the natural seed, how much more for the spiritual, royal Seed, has He protected.
Satan, give them back; turn them loose. You're not smothering them out there in them organizations and things; they're
free people. You let them alone. Yeah. Turn them loose. The Royal Seed... [Genesis 12:17-19]
L-77Now, God talking of restoring. Now, here in Joel he's talking about... (I preached on this once before and took it in
another angle, about... I never thoroughly went through it as I intend to do today, and won't have time to do it, where it
ought to be done.)
But God is speaking here in Joel of--God is speaking of His fruit Tree that He had planted. God planted a fruit Tree. He
planted It on the day of Pentecost, and He brought that Tree there for a purpose. He wanted It to bear His fruit Word,
God's Word. He wanted a church that would keep His Word all down through the age. Eve had failed to keep It; the
Jews had failed to keep It; the law had failed; all had failed, so God planted Him a Tree--a Tree. [Joel 1:1-4], [Joel 2:25-
26]
L-78 Now, remember, there was two trees in the garden of Eden; we know that. You can call them whatever you want
to; I have my idea. But anyhow, one of them was a defiled tree; it got defiled, and the other One wasn't defiled. That
Tree of Life come from God out of heaven. He said, "Your fathers eat manna and are dead; but this Tree, you eat and
you live forever."
And the Angel guarded that Tree of Life from the garden of Eden, kept It in Eden; that Tree of Life is in Eden, now,
spiritually speaking now.
Notice. Now, when this Tree that God planted, It was to bear nine different kinds of fruit, nine different kinds, which
means nine spiritual gifts, nine fruits of the Spirit to go with the nine spiritual gifts. That was God's Tree. He planted It
in the earth on the day of Pentecost. [John 6:49-51], [Genesis 3:1-5], [Genesis 2:15-17], [Psalms 1:1-3], [Galatians 5:22-23]
L-79 Now, let's stop. Always so limited with time; I'm going to skip down here a few Scriptures and go down here to
Psalms the 1st.
David saw this Tree a long time ago. And of his writing of songs for something joyful, that was the first thing he wrote
about. He saw this Tree, and It was planted by the rivers of water--this Tree. "He... And he shall be like a tree," God's
Tree. Planted where? "By the rivers (rivers, plural), the rivers of water (singular)." Not a Methodist, Baptist,
Presbyterian, Lutheran, so forth. No, no. Huh-uh. Just rivers of one water: nine spiritual gifts by the same Spirit, nine
fruits of the Spirit coming from the same Channel. "He shall be like a Tree that's planted by the rivers of waters."
[Psalms 1:3]
L-80 David saw it, and he spoke; he said, "Blessed is that man..." And notice, he said he could not die. His leaves would
not wither. No, no. No matter what they do, they'll never kill that Tree. Why? It's where It's planted. That's what does
it. It's where he's planted. He's planted by the rivers of water. Now, notice, David said, "His--his roots won't die."
[Psalms 1:1-3]
L-81 You know, you take a tree, a big old tree. I... When I was a boy, I used to go out, and we'd, us boys we'd go out,
and had a big old tree we used to set under, a big old beech tree. And the winds would blow; and I'd wonder, looked
like that thing, so much in the top looked like it'd blow the--the thing over. But you know, every time wind blows on a
tree, it rocks the tree, and it loosens up the roots, so that they can just dig deeper and get a better hold.
And that's the way mockery, laughing, making fun of a Christian, what it does is, persecution shakes the Christian to
make him pray more, dig down, get a better hold, so he can stand the storms.
L-82 Now, what if a man's planted in such a thing as by the river, where the springs, nine different springs feeding into
him? Oh, my. What a--what a establishment he has. And a man that's planted by the river, the rivers of water (one
water, one Spirit)... There are gifts of healing (same Spirit), gifts of prophecy (same Spirit), all the same Spirit but
many gifts, one Giver.
Now, David saw him, and he was planted by this Tree. Now, he could not die. Now, notice. Why? He had Life in the
roots. Where is the roots--or life of the tree? Stays in the roots. Certainly. Comes up and bears its fruit. All right, watch.
His roots had Life in them to bring forth His fruit in seasons. [Psalms 1:3]
L-83 Now, remember, this Tree will not cast Its fruit. Now, you take a tree and put it away from water; the first thing
you know you got little old apples; they're all knotty and worm-eaten. But it'll cast its--its--its crop.
And that's what's the matter with the churches today. You've done got away from that River, got away from them gifts
of the Spirit; they got just a church natural. And they get away from the spiritual gifts and the spiritual things, and they
cast their fruit. What do they do? They're--they're believers, live with the world, act like the world, steal, cheat, lie,
smoke, drink, gamble, have bunco parties in the church to pay the preacher, and everything else, soup suppers, dances.
See? They cast their fruit. It's just like the world, and the unbeliever look and say, "There's no difference in that person
and me." [Psalms 1:1-6]
L-84That's what caused communism to rise in Russia. That's the reason they burnt up the Catholic church in--down in
Mexico. When I was there and seen those lime pits where those--and those places where they burnt those little babies,
where those nuns had these babies; even human bodies, full-grown human bodies was laying in there, in the lime pits.
What'd they do? They cast their crop (See?), and God shook them off the tree; that was all. See? [Psalms 1:1-6]
L-85 But a man that's planted (not stuck out, but planted) by the rivers of water, he shall bring forth His fruit (watch) in
his--His fruit in his season.
Are you reading it? Psalms 1: "Blessed is the man that setteth not in the seat of the scornful, standeth in the way of
sinners. He shall be like a tree that's planted by the rivers of water. He shall bring forth His fruit in his season, and
whatsoever he do, it shall prosper. (See? Notice.) Ungodly's not so"; and He won't stand with him in the judgment.
See? [Psalms 1:1-3]
L-86 Now, he shall bring forth His fruit in his season. Watch each "his," the personal pronoun there. It's His fruit, God's
fruit, in the season that the--the prophet is bringing it. It'll be in the prophet's season; God's fruit in God's time by the
prophet's season, "He shall bring forth His fruit in his season."
See if there isn't two his there. Bring forth His, God's fruit (See?), in the season that the messenger is ordained to come.
He will bring forth those... Now, remember, that the messenger that brings the fruit of God will bring it in God's
season, in the season of the bringer. See? "He will bring forth His fruit in his season."
And It cannot wither. Why? He's got predestinated fruit in there. It--it--it can't destroy It, because It's predestinated.
[Psalms 1:3]
L-87 Now, Ephesians 5--1 and 5 rather, It said, "Setting together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus." What happened?
He said, "God, by His foreknowledge, predestinated us unto the adoption of children of God by Jesus Christ." God, by
His foreknowledge, predestinated everything that would happen right down along the road. By His foreknowledge He
foresaw it; therefore, from beginning He could tell the end. Therefore, it was predestinated fruit in the--the root of this
Tree; and this Tree could not wither, because It was holding predestinated fruit. [Ephesians 2:6], [Romans 8:29]
L-88 Now, that's the Tree that Joel spoke about here. See? It cannot die. The worms eat It down, but It couldn't die. In
Its root It had the predestinated Truth; It had God's Word, this Tree did. And this Tree is--is that Tree all the way... It
was put in the garden of Eden. All trees by the woman died; we all die by the woman. By birth we all die. But through
woman come death, for this birth come by woman. All right.
Then this has to die, because of sin; but the birth, the new birth that come by Christ, cannot die. That's one Tree and the
other tree. See? And this Tree, though it's been persecuted, made fun of since the very beginning of the garden of Eden,
It cannot die; It's predestinated. It's been clubbed, and beat, and my, everything done to It. And what happened? It
cannot die. His--He will not die. He can't, because He's holding in Him the predestinated Word of God. It has to come
forth, for His fruit is in His own season, predestinated season, that no matter... [Joel 1:1-4], [Joel 2:25-26], [Psalms
1:1-6], [John 3:3-5], [Acts 2:37-39]
L-89 Joel saw every one of them eat down to the bottom, but he said, "I will restore it, saith the Lord." For the
predestination of God lays in the roots of the Tree. It's got to come forth, 'cause It's holding the predestinated Word of
God.
Oh, what a Tree. My, that Tree. It started to grow back there in Eden. What happened? There was a bunch come forth
of Cain's children, some bugs, and come over, and eat It down to a stalk; and God took the crop off of It and put It in a
ark and carried It through. That's right. [Joel 2:25], [Joel 2:25-28], [Psalms 1:1-3]
L-90 All the way down it's been the same way, down through the lines of judgment--Israel, on down. And then, at
Pentecost, where the church for the Bride Tree... He--he set in order on Pentecost the Tree that was predestinated to
bring forth His fruit in the seasons.
Now, going fine, the fruits is being done just fine. It bloomed out on the day of Pentecost. Let's see what happened on
the day of Pentecost. Jesus said, "The works that I do shall you do also." They healed the sick, Now, on the day... Let's
see how it started. [John 14:12], [Acts 2:1-3, 37-39], [Psalms 1:1-3]
L-91 On the day of Pentecost, a few days after the resurrection (fifty days after Easter), there come a--there come a--a
rushing, mighty wind out of heaven. Now, today, we make it different. The minister stands up and takes--say, "I'll put
your name on the book." See? Or some bachelor with his collar turned around said, "Come up here and take the kosher
bread, that--then you become a member of the church." Isn't that strange. The minister says, "Come join our group."
Why, they're both wrong. On the day of Pentecost there came from heaven (not off the pulpit, up the road), from
heaven, a what? A priest? No. A minister? No. What was it? A sound like a rushing, mighty wind; and it filled all the
house where they were setting. Cloven tongues set upon them; stammering, they couldn't talk; they was so full of glory.
Holy Ghost filled them. Out in the streets they went, jabbering, just... And act like... Even the dignified congregation
stood out there and said, "Why, these man are full of new wine; they're all drunk. Look at them men and women how
they're staggering and carrying on." [Acts 2:2-3, 13]
L-92 Now, that's THUS SAITH THE SPIRIT; that's the Scripture. That's how the church was organized, not organized,
but ordained. Lot of difference in the two words.
Notice, there they were. Now... And you know what, you Catholic people, the blessed virgin Mary was with them. Yes.
Now, if God wouldn't let Mary come to heaven without receiving the Holy Ghost, how are you going to get there,
anything short of it? Now, just think of it. See? Now, that's right. Mary was among them. And she had to wait up there
until she lost all of her dignity and pride, filled with the Spirit. [Acts 1:13-14]
L-93 And here they come acting like drunk people. The Bible said they did. They said, "These men are full of new
wine."
But Peter, the spokesman, the minister in the group, stood up and said, "These are not full of new wine, as you suppose,
seeing it's just the third hour of the day; but this is that which was spoken of by the prophet Joel (the one I'm reading
from today), 'And it shall come to pass in the last days, saith God, I'll pour out My Spirit upon all flesh; and your sons
and daughters shall prophesy. And I'll show wonders in the heavens above, and in the earth, signs. And it shall come to
pass that whosoever shall call upon the Name of the Lord shall be saved.'"
Now, Peter preached on Pentecost, after the same prophet that I'm preaching today about: planting this Tree. And that's
where he planted It. Oh, It done fine. They went out and had spiritual gifts; they healed the sick; they preached; they
were throwed in jail; they were willing to suffer for the Word's sake. [Acts 2:1-3, 13, 15, 17, 21]
L-94 If you went to another nation as a wishy-washy, you wouldn't make a very good American. And if you went over
there... If you was a-going in now to Japan, and you slipped around behind the line saying, "Listen fellows, I'm for you.
You know, I'm for you, but I'm over on the other side." You traitor. You ought to be shot. That's right. You're a traitor.
Sure.
And then that's the same way it is. A man that knows the Word of God and will compromise on It because some
organization tells him he has to do it that way; that's a traitor. That's right. But these men wasn't traitors. They didn't
care how much--well, how they carried on, how their church manners was: screaming, and crying, and shouting, and--
and jabbering off languages that seemed like--the Jew--they was talking to one another and couldn't understand it.
Them men out there in the audience of other nations and other tongues begin to hear what they were saying. They
didn't know what they were saying; they were jabbering, but other people out there understood it. And they said,
"These persons are certainly drunk."
But Peter said, "They're not drunk, but they're filled with the Spirit." So that... Every one of them went to martyrdom,
except John, and he was burned twenty-four hours in a vat of grease; and they couldn't even burn the Spirit out of him.
And then he died a natural death, the only one, John the Revelator. [Acts 2:13, 15]
L-95 Now, that is right. Notice now, what taken place. On this, God planted a Tree to bring forth nine spiritual gifts,
gifts of His Spirit. The same Spirit was in Christ come down upon the church, had Eternal Life. Now, gifts of the Spirit
was in the church, and It was growing, bearing forth fruit everywhere. They thought not of theirself; they didn't
organize nothing; they just went ahead and was brothers. They had no (I'm glad that little thing was on there.) --"No
creed but Christ, no law but love, no book but the Bible." That's what I believe. See? And that's the way they did. The
world's our parish (See?) everywhere. [Galatians 5:22-23]
L-96So notice these fellows when they were doing that, how glorious that church was; and God was with them. The
Bible said... And Jesus met them before His ascension up. He said,
Go ye into all the world, and preach the Gospel to every creature.
... these signs shall follow them that believe; In my name...
Now, these signs... Now, today, what kind of a sign we call a believer? He shakes hands with the pastor; he belongs to
a church; he has his name on a book because his mother's had a name or father had a name on a book. [Mark 16:15-18],
[Matthew 18:6], [Mark 9:42], [Luke 17:2]
L-97 But that wasn't what Jesus said. Jesus said, these signs... That's church natural; we're talking about church spiritual.
We're talking about a spiritual Tree, not a natural tree. (We're getting to those two trees in a--after a bit.) See? A
spiritual Tree. Jesus said, "These signs shall follow them that hangs on this Tree. These signs shall follow them that's
getting their Life out of this Tree. In My Name they shall cast out devils (whew.); they shall speak with new tongues; if
they should take up a serpent or drink deadly things, it would not harm them; if they lay their hands on the sick they
shall recover."
There's the kind of signs He said would follow the believer. Where is it today? He give the world an example of what
would be the--the believer's sign. And He said it would be far better that a millstone was hanged at your neck and
drowned in the depths of the sea than even to bring offense to one of them, for "their angels always beholds My
Father's face, which is in heaven"--the angels. [Mark 16:15-18], [Matthew 18:6], [Mark 9:42], [Luke 17:2], [Genesis 2:15-
17]
L-98Notice now, there they were. And that Tree was planted; It was doing great work. We know they went about
everywhere. The Lord... Why, on the day of Pentecost three thousand souls was added, baptized, and went into the
church; and how great fellowship they had; and everybody--wasn't nobody needing anything; everybody was kind,
good-hearted, and--one another. They was all one big family. Wonderful. [Psalms 23:1-3]
And there came by a little old, ugly-looking, greedy-teeth beetle that lives in four different stages, as Joel saw him.
Four-stage insect destroyer come forth to destroy that beautiful Tree of God. Think of it. Now, I'm going to read off
some of Joel's, what he said, Joel the 1st chapter. [Joel 1:1-4]
L-99 The first thing... Now, there's four different beetles there; now, but the--it's actually one beetle. It's one beetle in
four different stages. Now, watch this little old beetle come by for this--for this great, beautiful Tree of God (We'll call
it a tree, which was the church).
The first was a palmerworm; that's the little thing, just a little bitty insect of a worm. What did he do, that
palmerworm? He come along to destroy the fruit of the tree; that's the first thing. Now, let's go back in history and see
what the first thing was: was a--a dignified group got amongst the common people. And they said, "Well, this is good
that you can heal the sick, and you can do these things; that's wonderful. So you know what we ought to do? We ought
to kinda get it out where the bigger class of people will understand it, the better class, the mayor, the--the judges and so
forth, and the--the--the dignitaries of the city. And as long as you all are carrying on the way you are, they'll never
come around you. (See?) They're afraid of you."
Somebody said that: "They still are." I guess that's about right. So that's right; they're afraid of the Holy Spirit. (Excuse
me.) [Joel 1:1-4]
L-100 I used to sing a little song: "It's the old..." You all ever hear "The Old Time Religion?" Anybody ever heard that
song?
"Tis the old time religion..." I used to sing a little song like this years ago; I said,
It's the old time Holy Spirit,
And the devil won't go near It;
That's the reason people fear It;
But It's good enough for me.
It's so good I want no other,
For It makes me love my brother;
And It brings things from under cover,
So It's good enough for me. (That's right.)
It will make you stop your lying;
It will save you when you're dying;
It will start the devil flying;
And It's good enough for me.
L-105 "Oh, how can you preach, Brother Branham?" a woman said to me one time... No, it wasn't; it was a man (I
believe he's... I hope he's here; he belongs to another church), but he said to me; he said, "I was up to hear you the other
day, and I couldn't even hear you for them people crying." (I said... ) Said, "How in the world can you preach there?"
I said, "If they didn't enjoy it, I wouldn't be preaching." That's right. [Galatians 5:22-23]
L-106 I used to have... A friend of mine, Jim Poole, and I, we used to have an old dog. We called him Fritz. And so this
old dog, he'd--he'd go into anything that I--he treed, but a skunk. He was afraid of a skunk, 'cause he smelled so. So I'd
get him a skunk under the brush pile; the only thing I had to do was just pat him a little bit and say, "Sic 'em, sic 'em,
boy." He'd go get the skunk (See?), because I was patting him, saying, "Sic 'em."
Well, that's just what it is when we... That is... The worst stinker I know of is the devil. So when I'm bringing this Word
out and somebody says, "Amen," that's "Sic 'em, boy." We get him--we get him treed.
L-107 So we find out that he took away the joy. You know, David one time lost the joy of his salvation; he didn't lose
his salvation; but he lost the joy of it. He cried, "Lord, restore to me the joy of my salvation." See? The joy...
So this little old palmerworm begin to eat that fruit of joy out: "Now, looky here, you people make too much noise. I
tell you, all this crying, this saying 'Amen,' and this shouting, that's nonsense. There's nothing to that."
See? First thing you know you're setting in a big morgue, you know, setting there, all of them dead. Some of these
embalming fluids of so-called doctrine of creeds pumped into their veins where the Spirit of God ought to be running,
where the old church creed pumped in there, no wonder they're icy, cold and dead; spiritual thermometer, ninety below
zero. Yeah. Somebody say, "Amen"; everybody stretch their neck around like some kind of goose or something, want
to know what said that. It's a shame, when the Spirit of God ought to be joy, peace, love. But this little old bug started
eating on it, and he eat all the joy away. [Psalms 51:12], [Galatians 5:23], [Joel 1:1-4]
L-108 And then, next fruit on the Tree is peace, peace of mind, knowing that you're saved. They tell you, "Well now, if
you'll recite our creed, you're saved."
"If you'll join my church, you're saved."
Well now, this one says, "You're not saved if you go there; you have to join our church to be saved."
"You have to say a 'Hail Mary.'"
"You have to have your name on this book."
"You have to have..."
Oh, my. That would take all the joy out; but that's not God's Tree. You know where you're at; that's hybrid. I always...
You know what my story about the mule; he's a hybrid. He don't know who his papa, mama, either one was. See? He's
a hybrid. But oh, a good pedigreed horse, he knows who his papa and mama was through generations. And a real good
pedigreed Christian too, that's got the Holy Ghost, he know It fell on the day of Pentecost. He knows where he's at; he
can trace his generations plumb back--his genealogies to the first beginning of it. Peter had It; on down through the
nation, and races, they've had It on down. A good pedigreed Christian knows where it comes from. [Joel 1:1-4],
[Galatians 5:22-23], [Acts 2:1-3, 37-39]
L-109 Say, "Well, I'm Lutheran, umph."
"I'm Presbyterian."
Oh, you hybrid. Why ain't you... Why ain't you...
"Well," you say, "What are--what are you?"
"Borned again."
"Borned again of what?"
"The Spirit of God." That's why you're not hybrid; you're born correctly. Not with some church creed, but with the
Spirit of God; God lives in you. [John 3:6]
L-110 Now, notice. This little old insect started eating. So he eat off all the peace of mind. Oh, and on, and on, and on,
and on down. I got a page of it here: all the fruits, what he done.
Then, this little--that fellow died out, and he become a locust. That was the next stage, was a locust. Now, what does a
locust do? A locust eats the leaves. That's right. A locust takes onto the leaves. What the palmerworm left (he left the
leaves; he eat all the fruit off the Tree), then what took in? The locust come to eat, eat what the palmerworm left.
Now, what did he do, what did this palmerworm do? Destroyed the leaves. What's the leaves for? Destroying Divine
fellowship. That's right.
"Now, he's--he's--he's Presbyterian; we won't have nothing to do with him. He's Nazarene. He's Pentecostal. He's this,
that, or the other; we won't have nothing to do with him, because he don't belong to our group."
"Have a meeting here for healing of the sick? Huh. Our church don't even believe in it." See? There you--you... [Joel
1:1-4]
L-111 What'd that little old locust do? He cut all the fellowship off (That's right.), took all the fellowship. What is
fellowship? What does the leaves do? Makes it cool, where the birds fly in under the leaves and [Brother Branham
makes a panting sound--Ed.] cool off (There's your tree again: "And he shall be like a tree that's planted..." See? All
right), where people can come and set down under the fellowship of the Holy Spirit, cool off a little bit. You're all
flusterated, and don't know what's happening, and whether you'll die, or whether you're saved or not, and you don't
know whether they--this church is right or that's right; just come down under the Tree that's got some leaves on It and
set down there. Let the winds from heaven go to blowing like a rushing, mighty wind through the leaves, you know.
And begins to--and you begin to cool off a little bit.
Say, "Oh, I'm going down and tell that bunch of holy-rollers what I think."
Just set down awhile and you'll cool off. That's right. You can't do it in yours, 'cause what's the matter? The locust has
done eat it all off, sure, eat all the leaves off of it. That's just--might as well set out there in the sun; so you--there ain't--
ain't no cooling there. All right. [Psalms 1:3], [Joel 1:1-4]
L-112Now, so there's... But you know what we're supposed to do. The Bible said that the predestinated church, the
predestinated sons in God's... What did they do? Set in heavenly places. What is that? Coolness, comfort, feel at home.
Amen.
Where everybody's wearing a tuxedo, and--and the next man this way, and--and somebody look around and say,
"Hmmm, look. She never got a permanent in her hair. Ain't it--don't she look horrible? She don't even have an Easter
frown--gown--now--that (ever what it is) on. (You know. Yeah, Easter frown, that's about right see, set back there, you
know. See?) Don't even have an Easter... Why, why, look at him, that same old suit he wore last year. Well, what do
you know about that." You don't feel right there. [Ephesians 1:5], [Ephesians 2:6]
L-113 I said to a little woman the other day, poor little woman, she belonged to a great dignified church down... She
said (she's dying with cancer, went down to pray for her, Brother Roy Roberson here, one of the trustees, sent me down
there, and the poor little thing setting there dying with cancer)--and she said...
I said, "Do you--are you a Christian?"
She Sir, I--I don't know what to say." Said, "I went to a certain church," and said... Then she started crying.
I said, "What's the matter?"
Said, "I just couldn't dress right. They looked down upon me."
L-114 Oh, there you are. See? You're--you're uncomfortable. See? But the Bible said that we are to assemble ourselves
together in heavenly places. Oh, my. What? All alike. Why, I will tell you what this will do. It will make a--it will
make a pair of overalls and a tuxedo suit put their arms around one another and call each other brothers. Sure will. It
will make an old calico dress put their arms around a silk, satin one and say, "Sister, how are you this morning? Praise
God." That's right. It will. It's joy, peace, love, faith in the Word, long-suffering, gentleness, patience. Set down in
heavenly places in Christ Jesus, cool off a little while. See? That's what the leaves did.
But what did the old locust did? He come around, eat them leaves off; said, "You belong to ours or you don't belong to
anybody." So he took all the coolness of the Spirit out. See? He fixed himself a creed. All right. [Ephesians 2:6],
[Galatians 5:22-23], [Joel 1:1-4]
L-115 Now, we got to go on. We could stay a long time on that little locust, but the third stage of him was the
cankerworm. Hmm, that's got a bad name to start with: the cankerworm. What does a cankerworm do? It goes into the
bark; that's the lifeline there. Yes, sir. It goes into the bark, and it destroys the covering of the tree--the covering. What
is religion? Covering; that's what the word religion means: "a covering."
So this little cankerworm, after he got amongst the congregation, got them all dignified, then he took all the fellowship
away from them in the form of the locust; and now, he comes around and takes their very religion and makes dogmas
out of it. That's right. Sets up unorthodox words; forms himself a religion and gets a bunch of men together and put a
creed down there; he takes the very religion, strips it off of God's Tree--the very bark that bears the sap that comes up
in it, takes it away. Cankerworm... Do you see that insect? That's exactly. [Joel 1:1-4]
L-116That cankerworm, that was Rome, in that early church. First thing, the Pentecostals group, not Pentecostal
organizations... No, sir. Anything that organizes is dead; I'll prove that just in a minute by the Scriptures. See? But
when it's... But the Pentecostal experience, who's it for? It's for the Catholic. Who else? The Methodist, the Baptist, the
Presbyterian, anybody that wants it. But you want--got to want it.
You don't join into it. I've been in the Branham family for fifty-three years, and I never did join the family. Why? I'm a
Branham to begin with; I was borned a Branham. That's the way we're Christians. Not because we're joined into
something; that's an organization; we're born Christians by being regenerated by the Holy Spirit. [Joel 1:1-4]
L-117 Notice now. Now, this little cankerworm begin to bore hisself into the bark. What did he do? He begin to take its
religion, its covering, its doctrine away from it. Religion is a doctrine, a covering that covers anything. That's the
reason that our religion is by blood, the Blood--the Life is in the Blood that covers the Word. And the life is the--is in
the blood; the blood is the religion; and the Life in the Blood is what brings the results. Why, you see it? See? [Joel 1:1-
4], [Genesis 9:4], [John 6:63]
L-118 It's not covered by fig leaves; Adam and Eve tried that one time. Cain did the same thing, did you notice that?
Cain brought some of the botany life too (See?), but it wouldn't work. It didn't work with Adam and Eve, and it won't
work today. When God refused it at the beginning, it's refused for eternity. Man-made creeds and thoughts will never
take it; it's God's Word has to do it; and the Word is by the Blood, the Sacrifice of Christ. That's right. [Genesis 3:7],
[Genesis 4:3-8]
L-119 People (as Brother said this morning) pulling splinters... Well, you know, there's nineteen different nails in the
nation today that different organizations are holding, and could claim it's the original nail that was in His hands. What
of it if it was? I wouldn't want nothing to do with it. Certainly. God never left anything for relics and tokens. He sent
the Holy Ghost, Something alive that cannot be destroyed. What would a nail do me any good? What would the
original cross He hung on, what would it do me any good? Not a bit. Not to know the nail, know the cross, but to know
Him is Life. See? [I Peter 1:12], [Acts 2:37-39], [Acts 19:2]
L-120Now, so we're holding on nails; and we're holding on relics; and we're holding on places. And today people walk
up and down in the city of Jerusalem, and--and all up and down in the different places, and holding to relics and things.
That ain't got nothing to do with it, not a thing; the thing's condemned, rotten, and gone on. [Acts 19:2]
L-121 I went to a church in--in Rome, there where they--they--all these priests had died; they'd plant them in a garden
of--down beneath there, and let the meat fall off the bones; and--and then they'd take the bones out, and make light
fixtures, and put their skulls around. And people come in there, rub them skulls to get blessings, until the skulls are
white and wore out. As you go into Saint Peter's Cathedral there, a foot of Peter (they claim) there, a statue, has been
kissed off nine or ten different times; have to mold another foot on it.
Such nonsense. Superstitions, that's all it is, creeds of man-made doctrine. God sent the Holy Spirit, the Life of God, to
be in you, not in a statue. You are the guy that God wants to live in, not a statue, but in you. People call "holy statues."
There ain't no holy statues; you're God's holy statue. The Bible said so. That's right: "a body has Thou prepared Me..."
[Hebrews 10:5], [Acts 19:2]
L-122 Now, this little fellow started to destroying: destroying what? The cankerworm got into the bark. Watch what it
did; it begin to destroy the bark. What did it do? It made a natural church for a spiritual church. Yes, sir. It took away
the true and give it a false.
Now, remember, the leaf--the fruit, the palmerworm eat. The leaf, the locust eat. Now, the bark, the covering, the
religion, the doctrine, the doctrine, the cankerworm got. [Joel 1:1-4]
L-123 Where did that first doctrine come from outside of the Bible? You historians, you know where it come from:
from Rome. That's exactly where it started. There they started accepting dogmas. That's how Irenaeus, Saint Martin,
Polycarp, all of them after John's death... For translating the Word of God, he was out on the Isle of Patmos; they'd
burned him in grease for twenty-four hours, brought back, and he still wrote the Bible. God was determined that this
Bible would be written. That's the Word of God; we can't take away from It or add to It. It's to lay just the way It is--the
Word. [Revelation 1:9], [Revelation 22:18-19]
L-124 Notice, when they got back... When these saints of God trying to hold up that Word, Rome come right in and
accepted dogmas instead. Now, let's just see what she did, some of her false doctrines, what was done.
Water baptism. Where they were commissioned... Peter said on the day of Pentecost under the influence of the Holy
Ghost, the Word of God, "Repent, every one of you, and be baptized in the Name of Jesus Christ for the remission of
your sins."
What did Rome do with it? Turned it around and said, "Be baptized in the name of the Father, Son, Holy Ghost,"
making it a creed, not a doctrine of the Bible. What did he do? That's that cankerworm eating. Sprinkling instead of
immersing in the name of the Father... [Acts 2:37-39]
L-125 Father, Son, Holy Ghost is no name. There's no such a thing. Father's not a name; Son's not a name; and Holy
Ghost is not a name. When Jesus said, "Baptize them in the Name of the Father, Son, Holy Ghost," it was the "Lord
Jesus Christ"; exactly what Peter and them did, and all--everybody in the Bible was there... There was nobody... I
challenge anyone to bring me one piece of Scripture or one piece of history, where anybody was ever baptized any
other way than in the Name of Jesus Christ, until the Roman Catholic church. [Acts 2:37-39]
L-126 Now, do that; and remember this tape goes around the world. I've held congregations of ministers, with hundreds
of them, and bishops and everything, say, "Stand to your feet." or "Come here with your Bible, or hold your peace
forever." They hold their peace, till they get around behind you, and then they start talking about you. Not the very
audacity to stand to your face, common decency to stand and tell you to your face, they're afraid to do it; they know it's
wrong. But that's what that cankerworm started eating (See?), eating away that real thing.
Now, you say, "It's not essential. Any way I'm baptized is all right." [Joel 1:1-4]
L-127 Is it? Paul said in Acts 19, when he--Paul passed through the upper coast of Ephesus; the Bible said he found
certain disciples (them's followers). Apollos, a Baptist preacher, under John the Baptist, was teaching them the Word,
and they were having great joy. And Paul just went over to see them; and he said, "Have you received the Holy Ghost
since you believed?"
"Oh," they say, "I'm a believer."
"But that's not what I'm asking. Have you received the Holy Ghost since you believed?"
They said, "We not know whether there be any Holy Ghost."
He said, "Then to what was you baptized?" See? In other words, "How was you baptized?"
They said, "We've been baptized."
Said, "How?"
He said, "Under John," he said, "the same man that baptized Jesus, wouldn't that be all right?"
Paul said, "No. Not now, no." Said, "You've got to be baptized over again." And Paul baptized them over again in the
Name of the Lord Jesus Christ, laid his hands upon them, and the Holy Ghost came on them. And Paul said, "If a angel
from heaven (let alone some preacher)--if a angel (let alone this cankerworm)--if a angel from heaven preaches
anything else than this to you, let him be accursed." That's right.
So you see what it was, the cankerworm got to eating. It eat away the baptism of the--of water in the Name of Jesus
Christ. [Acts 19:2-5], [Galatians 1:8]
L-128 The next thing this cankerworm did, he'd taken away the baptism of the Holy Ghost; 'cause as long as you're
going to have that Holy Ghost, It's going to shed light on that Word, as long as you do that. So they had to--to do it
different.
Now, just think of how many Lutherans, Protestants, how many Catholics this morning was confirmed (what they call
it, taking first communion). And they call that "Holy Eucharist," which means (the Latin word) "Holy Ghost." [Joel
1:1-4]
L-129 Did you ever see a Catholic pass by the church and [Brother Branham illustrates how a Catholic would cross
himself--Ed.] go over hisself like that? Why? It's God in that church. What is God? That little piece of bread; that little
piece of bread (round, made like the sun god that they worship) laying on the altar where the mice and roaches pack
around overnight. That's not my God; I'll tell you that now.
L-130 First communion, confirmed to the church: nonsense. But that's what they did; that's what the cankerworm did. It
took away the Spirit and give them a piece of bread, some bread that some priest made, or some nun, or something.
That's what they did; that's exactly right. Go ask now; go looking back in history and see if it isn't right. And you let
that thing be shoved down your throat? Not only them Catholics, but you Protestants, a many of you, same thing. All
right, there's what's they did. All right.
And then, the Protestants, instead of having the Holy Ghost, you know what they do? They come and join, shake a
hand. There wasn't a somebody come up the road and shook a hand when the day of Pentecost come; but there came
from heaven a sound of a rushing, mighty wind that filled all the house where they were setting (That's right.), come
down through them leaves on the Tree, poured over the bark. That's right. [Acts 2:2], [Joel 1:1-4]
L-131 And now, now, instead of the new birth (that Jesus said, "A man must be born again"), they adopted joining the
church: come and join. And instead of the Word, the cankerworm give them a creed. Don't you see? Look here what
he's doing; he's giving a natural for a spiritual. Can you see it?
Now, look. Now, we--we're--we're on the Catholic line here, but did you know that come right down through the
Protestants too? Where do we have the Holy Ghost demonstrations in Protestant churches today? Where do we have a
Pentecostal reaction in amongst Protestants? We don't have... You have it in Lutheran? I--if you do, I want to go to it; I
want to go over there and just eat and have a wonderful time. Presbyterian? I wonder where's--where's it at. See?
You've adopted something natural.
I'm fixing to leave. You know that (See?), but don't you never let this get out of your heart. Don't take the natural; that's
death. This natural man is death; anything it does is death. It's subject and here for death. It's a Spirit that maketh alive,
(See?), the Spirit that gives Life, quickens it. It's a Spirit. [John 3:7], [Acts 2:37-39]
L-132 So you see, they took (Watch what they done.)--took the Water baptism from Jesus Christ to Father, Son, Holy
Ghost, a title which is no name at all.
Now, you say, "What difference does it make?"
All right. Now, if you're going to give... Somebody's going to give you your paycheck Saturday, the--the--the man that
pays you. Instead of putting his name on there, just say from a--from "The Boss." That's what it is. Your paycheck; just
"pay to the order of John Doe, a hundred and fifty dollars for this week's work, from The Boss." Put it down at the
bank and see how it bounces back. Yes, sir. It sure will, sure. [Joel 1:1-4]
L-133 If it don't make a difference, why did Paul command them Christians, praising God, and having a lot of joy, and
having great things going on up there, why did he tell them, "You got to come back and be baptized over again in the
Name of Jesus Christ"? See?
Make the Word say... Just stay with It. Don't say nothing different; just say what It says. See? That's what we're going
to be judged by. [Acts 19:1-6]
L-134 Now, look. That's what they did. Instead of the new birth, they have a joining; instead of talking the Word, they
have a creed. Show me in the Bible where they ever said a "Hail Mary"; show me in the Bible where you Protestants
ever quoted Apostles' Creed. Tell me what the Apostles' creed is in the Bible. Communion of saints, they was against
it. Tell me in the Bible where they ever had Father, Son, and Holy Ghost baptism. It's not there, and yet you go for it.
See?
Now, now, instead of fellowship and brotherhood amongst brothers, they give them a hierarchy: pope. And you got a
bishop tells you what you can do and what you can't; and you Pentecostals has got a district presbyter that tells you
who you can have. But the church has Christ. Amen....?... [Acts 2:37-39], [Joel 1:1-4]
L-135 There's where you come. See? They give you those dogmas and man-made things instead... Taken it away.
What's that cankerworm doing? Taking it right off the Tree and give you this. "I'll run that off the Tree and give you
this instead; I'll take that off and give you this." See where you got to?
You say, "Well, Brother Branham..."
Where did every one... Where did every Protestant church come from? Catholic. That's what Revelations 13--or
Revelation 17 said she would. Said she was a whore and she was a mother of harlots: same thing. So don't... Pot can't
call kettle black, you know. So don't--that's it. Don't do it. So that's--that's right. [Revelation 17:5], [Joel 1:1-4]
L-136 Brotherhood, took away brotherhood, when we ought to be brothers one with another segregated us and made us
different... All right. Now, watch, here's a good one. I'll get this one, and then I'll stop on these others. Look.
L-137 The Bible tells us, when we've done wrong that we should purge our souls by the Holy Spirit. Get down; let the
Holy Spirit reveal to us that you're doing wrong; and there stay before Him till you die out, purging our souls. Now,
they turned around and give you a purgatory after you're dead; then the priest makes a lot of money to pray you out of
purgatory.
Why, it's nonsense. That's what the cankerworm done. Sure. Pray you out of purgatory. Cost so many hundred dollars
to get this soul prayed out of purgatory. I want you to even find purgatory in the Bible, anything like it. There's no such
a thing in the Bible. No, sir. But they give them a purgatory (See?) they--after you're dead. Oh, yes, I know, they--they-
-they say, sure, you hear them say, "Well, Saint Boniface said so-and-so." I don't care what Saint Boniface said.
[Hebrews 9:14], [II Peter 1:9], [Joel 1:1-4]
L-138 "Well, didn't So-and-so say to her, she prayed for her husband, that great sister, Saint So-and-so..."
I don't care what she did. It's unauthoritative Word; it's against the authoritated apostles. God give those apostles to set
the church in order; and It's built upon the doctrine of the apostles, not upon Saint Boniface or some saint... It's contrary
to the Word. [I Corinthians 11:34], [Titus 1:5]
I don't care what Saint Boniface said, and what other saints, and other saints, and Saint Susie, and Saint Maria, and all
those said; it's nonsense. It's no more than any other lie. If it's contrary to God's Word, it's a lie. I don't believe
unauthoritary words; that's the reason I don't believe these Protestant creeds and things; it's Catholic to the--to the core.
It's dogmas. How can you call Catholics, and make fun of them a having dogmas, when you're full of it yourself? (Not
so much here, but this is on tape, you understand. See? It goes all over the world.)
L-139 Notice. How can you call them wrong, when you take man-made creeds that's contrary to the Bible: dogma, just
the same as they did? Why? You're in a organization that's a daughter to the old prostitute. What is a prostitute? Some
woman that lives untrue to her husband, claiming to be a Christian church and giving out wrong doctrine, her own
stuff, instead of taking God's holy Word.
Just like Eve did, listened to--to the devil and caused all death and sorrow that ever struck the earth--come through Eve,
because she committed a spiritual fornication against God by disbelieving His Word, and that's exactly what the
churches are doing today, committing spiritual fornications against God's Word. And they won't even have you in the
church if you don't agree with their doctrine.
Well, they sign me letters: "If you'll believe in this, and if you'll say this is right, and you'll..."
I said, "I just won't come." No, sir. I'll preach just what this Bible says, or none at all. See? That's right. [Revelation
17:1-6]
L-140 Stay on that Word. That's what we got to do, brethren; stay there. Now, we're getting down to the last days, and
we know that. The hour is here.
How we could say... Oh, they say this, that, and the other, but anything that's unauthoritative, don't believe it. I don't
care who said it. If anybody...
L-141 Here a sister come to me not long ago and said a--a certain group of men that I preached to (ministers) about the
baptism in the Name of Jesus Christ, where three hundred and something ministers... Plenty people setting here was at
the meeting, where the whole council of the Chicago Ministerial Association met me. And the Lord give me a vision,
told me where they'd be and what would happen; and I turned right up there and told them (we got the tape here if you
would want to hear it. See?), and I (all the bishops, and doctors, and cardinals, and all of them standing there)--I said,
"Any of you that can condemn it, get your Bible and come here." I said, "What you so quiet about?" There wasn't
nobody said anything. And why? They was afraid of that Word. I said, "Then if you can't, why are you picking on me?
Hold your peace, get out, do something. And if you can't back it up with the Word, then keep still."
L-142 So then that same group of men sent a lady down and said, "Brother Branham, if the Angel of the Lord told
you..." (The Angel of the Lord, you know, His picture's there, you see?) "If the Angel of the Lord told you that, well,
we'll believe it."
I said, "Anybody that... A ministerial group that would be that weak... If the Angel of the Lord said--if that Angel said
something contrary to this Word, it wouldn't be the Angel of the Lord." The Angel of the Lord will vindicate the Word.
That's exactly what He's always done through every age; He still does the same thing. He stays with the Word. And any
minister anointed with the Holy Ghost will stay by the same Word, 'cause the Bible said that the entire Bible was wrote
by the Holy Ghost, and how can you have the Holy Ghost and deny what the Bible says? The very Spirit in you bears
record that it's not right--creed.
The cankerworm's been eating (That's all. See?), eating away the true things of God. Yes, sir. [II Peter 1:20-21], [Joel
1:1-4]
L-143 Unauthoritative word that's contrary to the doctrine of the apostles. Oh, my. This is the apostolic Doctrine; this is
the Bible; this is the Holy Spirit. Every word in It's true. You just believe and accept It, and don't take down on It, and
watch every promise be fulfilled.
The manifestation of God's present right now. If He isn't just as much God now as He was with the children of Israel
crossed the Red Sea, He wouldn't be God. If He isn't the same God that fell on Pentecost that He is right here today, He
isn't the same God. Then there was no resurrection. If He wasn't... If you... What good does a historical God do to you,
if He isn't the same God today? What good does it do to send preachers to the seminaries, and hatch them out like
incubator chickens, and go around like that, if there is no such a thing as God? [Hebrews 13:8]
L-144 What are you doing, take away from the Word of God? Where's your authority at? You say, "The church." The
church? There's nine hundred and sixty-nine different organizations of them. Which one of them's right?
No one would know what to do. You'd be confused. That's right. But God ain't going to judge the people by the church;
He's going to judge them by Christ, and Christ is the Word. The Bible said:
In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.
And the Word was made flesh and dwelled among us,... [John 1:1, 14]
L-145 He judged the church and the people by the Word (That's right.), the living, resurrected Word. Then if that living,
resurrected Word says anything contrary to this Word here, then it's not the risen, resurrected Word, because this--He
will bear witness of this Truth.
He can't say something here and something else over here. I can say something here and something over there, because
I'm a man. You can too; you can get more knowledge and understanding, but not God; He's infinite. See? He has... The
first decision, His first thing He says has to stand eternally. It's the same. He cannot say one thing here and something
over here; He's got to say the same thing every time in order to be God.
So if the spirit is on you is of God, it'll witness this Word's the Truth, every word of It, and if It's the same yesterday,
today, and forever. That's what the Bible says. Yes, sir. All right. [Hebrews 13:8]
L-146 Now, let's hurry and get the next stage of this little bug. First, he was a palmerworm. What did he eat off of God's
Tree? Fruit. The next stage he come in (he died in that stage and come in another stage), what did he do now? He come
in this time as a locust; he eat all the leaves off. That's the locust habit. Now, what's the next thing he done? He come
back in another stage as a cankerworm and he went into the bark.
Now, here he comes as a lo--as a caterpillar, the fourth stage of him. Now, he's a caterpillar. What is a caterpillar? He's
a sucker, sucks the Life, the Spirit, the Life; that's what he does, gets right down a hold of the pulp and goes to sucking:
caterpillar. Here he is; who we going to call him? Denomination, that's that guy's right name. Why? He's a destroyer:
sucks the Life. [Joel 1:1-4], [Malachi 3:11]
L-147 Every time that God sends a move among His people, every time, and they denominate, right there they die. I
want somebody that knows the history of the church that can condemn that. Show me one time that an organization
ever organized, that it didn't die right there. The cankerworm got a hold of it, took it's religion away; and then the
sucker come along and took the--sucked the Life right out of the Tree.
What kind of a Life was in It? Holy Spirit. What'd it do? It couldn't hold the Holy Spirit in there and then still have
dogmas; the Holy Spirit wouldn't stand for it. So it takes the holy--the Life out of the Tree and gives it a dogma, makes
a denomination. "We don't care what This says; our denomination says this." [Joel 1:1-4]
L-148 There you are. Remember, after it denominates it always dies and never rises again. The first organization was
the Catholic; it died immediately. 'Course it was dogma to begin with.
Out of there come the first reformation, was Luther: organized and died. Next come Wesley: organized, died. Next
come Pentecost: organized and died. Presbyterian, Lutheran, all these others, and the--and the Nazarene, Pilgrim
Holiness, and all these organizations that followed along like that, every one died; Look at them. Why? They organize
and that kills them.
What did they do? They take in these dogmas. You Nazarenes, a wonderful, the next church to the--the coming up of
Pentecost. What was it? You believe in sanctification, but when it come down to the gifts of the Spirit, speaking in
tongues, and the great powers of God, you called it devils, and there you died. That's right. Where's she at today? Dead.
Oh, she's got more members, but where is she. She's a corpse.
I seen her the other night. That's right. The whole thing... Her pastor laying on top, kissing a corpse, making love to it.
Said, "They ain't got no more time anyhow; this is all of it." So I'll get it to you sometime on tape. See? All right. [Joel
1:1-4]
L-149 God planted His Tree to bear spiritual fruit, fruits of the Spirit. Is that right? But what did man? Man always tried
to make it an artificial form. He did back there; he does now. Now, this... (Let's fire hard now, and quick.) Man has
always tried to take the spiritual church and make it an artificial form.
Luther had a spiritual church. What happened? As soon as Luther died, they made it a form, artificial. What did Wesley
do, John Wesley, a great man of God? Who would say John Wesley wasn't a man of God? What did he do? As soon as
him, and--John and Charles died, they organized it. When she did, she died. Exactly.
Same thing down through the age every time on every one. They make artificial put-on, good works, biggest
congregations, smartest people; "The celebrity of the city wants to join us." [Joel 1:1-4], [Psalms 1:1-6], [Galatians 5:22-
23]
L-150 That's exactly what's happening to you bunch of Pentecostals too. That's exactly right. You're--you let down the
bars; you got away from the Spirit. You wanted big buildings, and finery, and everything like that, and you got
dignified pastors. What'd you do? You mothers sent your boys away to some of these seminaries out here to become
pastors. What did they go to teaching them? Theology and all kind of man-made stuff. And where is it today? They
come back a bunch of "Rickys" and "Elvises." That's exactly right.
What have you got today? A bunch of tommyrot, a form of godliness. The Bible said that in the last days they'd have a
form of godliness, but would deny the power thereof, the Life thereof. Why? The caterpillar sucked it out. The
organization taken it away. [II Timothy 3:5], [Joel 1:1-4]
L-151 I Timothy 3, Paul said, "Know this in the last days that perilous times shall come. Men will be lovers of their own
selves, proud, boasters, blasphemers, disobedient, unthankful, unholy, without natural affections, incontinent, despisers
of those that are good, traitor, high-minded, having a form of godliness, and would deny the power thereof." Caterpillar
sucked it out. Cankerworm got onto it a long time ago. We're going to bring that Tree down in the hold just in a little
bit, the Lord willing. [II Timothy 3:1-5], [Joel 1:1-4]
L-152 The largest place. Oh, sure. "Well, you know, our church last year accumulated so much."
Oh, sure. The Catholic beat you by a million miles; uh-huh, sure did. It even got so much in Russia till they run it out
and put--established communism. They did the same thing in Mexico, and they ought to do it all over the world where
she's at. That's right.
L-153 Don't you never fear communism. Communism is a godless move, but you hear some of these preachers stand in
the pulpit condemning communism, communism; I don't believe in it either, but don't you--telling the church, "Oh,
we're all going to be swallowed up; whole world is going to become communist." That's exactly contrary to God's
Word. There's no place the Bible says that that'll be that way.
But the Bible says that Romanism, the Catholic church will swallow the world. Take Daniel and find out. The head of
gold, King Nebuchadnezzar, Babylonian kingdom, Medes and Persians succeeded him; the Grecian Empire succeeded
that; and Rome went to the end. Them ten toes run in every kingdom under the earth. Don't you... [Esther 1:19], [Daniel
2:39-45]
L-154 There's an iron curtain; there's a bamboo curtain; and there's a purple curtain. Brother, don't you fear none of the
rest of them, but watch that purple curtain. She's setting right here on the throne today in this country.
Remember, just like Ahab did, and Jezebel behind him, that's... The Bible calls the Catholic church Jezebel, prostitute.
And Ahab wasn't no bad guy; I don't say that Mr. Kennedy isn't a nice man; I don't know nothing about him. He's a
man; that's all I know. He's the President; I believe he will make a good president. It's not him; it's that system behind
him. Wait till she gets wormed into the Cabinet and everywhere she can, then watch what happens. Look what it done
in other nations; look what it's always done. [Revelation 2:20]
L-155 And don't the Bible say in Revelations 13... This nation's number thirteen: it's got thirteen stripes in the--thirteen
stars in the flag, thirteen stripes in the flag, thirteen, everything in it's thirteen. Thirteen colonies, thirteen everything,
and it's found in the 13th chapter of Revelations.
And the Bible said that she come up like a little lamb: freedom of religion; two little horns, civil and ecclesiastical. And
after while they united, and he spoke like the dragon did, and done everything the dragon did before him. And the
Bible said they made a image unto the beast: the Confederation of Church, just what they got in right now here in New
York City. And there that great big morgue up there... And all you Methodist, Baptist, and Pentecostals, and every one
of you economical--ecumenical people out there trying to do such things as that, and selling out your birthrights to join
that bunch of Babylon... What's the matter with you? Sure. Selling your birthrights like Esau did, for a mess of pottage,
that's all you're going to get; that's all: forming an image of the beast. Exactly. Don't you fear communism; you fear
Catholicism. [Revelation 13:14, 18]
L-156 Oh, they say it would come in with flatteries like a lamb; but said watch it, behind it--it's a wolf. It's a sneaker;
you watch it (Yes, sir.), 'cause it's contrary to the Word. What the Word says has to come to pass. Communism ain't
doing nothing but playing right in the hands of God. That's exactly. And why do they have to do that? God had to
permit communism, so that it would made these--His Word come to pass. Sure. That's... Did you realize that? Did you
ever think of that? God has to make His Word come to pass, [Revelation 2:20]
L-157 Look, where those four hundred prophets stood out there before--before Ahab and Jehoshaphat one day.
Jehoshaphat, a righteous man, he said, "Well, before we go up to Ramoth-Gilead," said, "oughtn't we to--to consult the
Lord?"
Ahab said, "Yeah, sure." See? (Jezebel behind it all, you know.) He said, "We'll a--we'll... I got four hundred prophets
here. We'll bring them up."
All fine people, brought them up; they all prophesied, said, "Go on up; the Lord is with you."
That didn't sound right to this godly man, the King of Israel--or the King of Israel up there. It didn't sound very right to
him. He said, "Isn't there another one?"
Four hundred preachers, already in one accord, saying, "Go up, the Lord's done spoke to us and said, 'Go on up.'"
He said, "But there ought to be another one somewhere."
He said, "I got one, but I hate him." Sure, absolutely. Yeah. Said, "He's always bawling me out; he's always saying evil
against me." How could he do anything else, when the Word of God was against him? [I Kings 22:5-8], [II Chronicles
18:1-8]
L-158So they sent and got Micaiah. Micaiah said, "Go on up. Yes, that's right; but I seen Israel scattered like sheep
having no shepherd."
And then he go out... That big preacher walked over, the bishop, and smacked him in the mouth, said, "Where'd the
Spirit of God go when It went out of me?"
I imagine he said, "It wasn't in you to begin with." So then--so then he said, "You'll find out one of these days." He
said, "If..."
He said--he said--Ahab said, "Put him back in a inner prison; feed him the bread of sorrow and the wa--wa--and the
water of sorrow." Said, "When I return in peace, I'll deal with this fellow."
He said, "If you return at all, then the Word of God hasn't spoke to me." Uh-huh, uh-huh. [I Kings 22:6-27], [II
Chronicles 18:6-28]
L-159 Why? Why? He was right with the Word, right with the Word. Any prophecy don't stay with that Word... That's
exactly... That's the reason I say today, no matter how good it looks, how many preachers are saying this, that, or the
other, "Communism is going to take the world and throw it down"; don't you never try to fight communism, fight
Romanism. For that's THUS SAITH THE LORD. The Lord said Romanism's going to rule, not communism. It's just a
puppet. But you see, He had to do that. [Daniel 2:39-45]
L-160 The Lord told Micaiah, "I've got to send Ahab out there, have them preachers to say that, to send Ahab out there
in order to make the Elijah's words come to pass."
God had to let communism raise up. What did it do? Then it run all these here morgues together and made a
Confederation of Churches, to join up to make an image of the beast, just what His Word said would take place. Don't
you worry about that. You watch the thing it's forming under it. That's... Umm. [I Kings 22:15-28], [II Chronicles 18:15-
28]
L-161I'm--I guess I'm wearing you out, but--so that's... But that's true. I don't know when I can speak to you again; I
may never. We don't know; we may never meet again, but I want you to know what's true. Watch, this Word is the
Truth: not me, this Word; This is It. If my word's contrary to This, then don't you believe me; you believe That. Then if
you say, "Well, we got That, and you're preaching contrary to It," then it's your duty to come to me. That's right. It's
your duty to come to me. See? Just come and let's see what's the Word.
L-162 Now, now, therefore we find out that it was--it's communism that's gathered together. God said Gog and Magog
there will gather together (sure) to bring about the battle. That's exactly true, 'cause it's going to bring these forces
together. It has to come; the Bible said it would. [Revelation 20:8]
L-163 God planted this Tree to bear spiritual fruit, and man has always tried to make it a artificial form, having a form
of godliness, the largest buildings in the city (sure); millions of dollars. My goodness, and people preaching Jesus is
coming, and spend six and eight million dollars on a building somewhere. And missionaries, I know missionaries on
the field that's preaching the Gospel without a pair of shoes on, eating two meals a week.
Can you see why, brother we... What's the matter with people? I don't actually believe they believe He's coming. Your-
-your--your words speak... Well, your--your life speaks louder than your words; you... See? He's... Them little
missionaries over there, come up in my meeting, like that, no shoes on, a little pair of pants on, tied around him like
that; living out there with fleas, and ameba, and bugs, and all kinds of sickness, and everything else out there; little old
hands eat up, and eat up with ameba and everything else, standing there, say, "Are you Brother Branham?" [II Timothy
3:5], [Psalms 1:1-6]
L-164 I said, "Yes."
Said, "Oh, bless you. I'll always pray for you."
I thought, "Oh, God, let that man pray for me; yes, that's the guy. That's the one."
"I--I--I read your articles, Brother Branham. You're sure telling the Truth. We're right with you."
Oh, brother, that's--that's the boy; that's him. Poor little guy...
Hear somebody say, "You know who that is?"
"Oh, why," said, "he don't belong to our organization."
I said, "Who is he?"
"Why, he ain't with us."
it, go right up in his eyes (I didn't mean to say that.), and so (Excuse me.), and so--get down to the altar and cry through
till he got it, why, he got it. See? He didn't care how he got it, just so he got it. [Joel 1:1-4]
L-171 Some of them says, "I... Brother Branham, them people down there boo-hooing on that altar, and crying, and
crying. I don't want it that way."
Well, you won't get it.
The old darkie, colored brother, down in the south, one time, was always happy. And his--his boss said, "What's--what
makes you so happy all the time, boy?"
He said, "I got heartfelt religion."
Said, "There is no such a thing."
He said, "You made one mistake. As far as you know there's no such a thing." He knowed different. That's right. Said,
"As far as you know--you should've said it that way."
L-172 One day he said, "I want to get some of that heartfelt religion."
He said, "When do you want it?"
He said, "Now."
Said, "Well, let's go get it."
He went out and he said, "Here's a hay loft. It's nice," he said that--"my wife won't hear me and anything out here,"
Said... (That's the way people want it, you know, hand it to them on a platter.) said, "We'll kneel down here."
The old brother said, "You don't get it here."
Well, so he went down to the stall; he said, "Will we get it here?"
Said, "No."
He said, "We'll go over at the corn crib."
Said, "No."
Said, "Where do you get it?"
Said, "Follow me."
He pulled up his pants' legs, walked out in the pig pen as hard as he could in the mud, said, "Come out here, here's
where you get it."
He said, "I don't want to come out there."
Said, "You don't want it yet, Boss. (That's right.) You don't want it."
L-173 You know, Naaman thought that too, Naaman. Naaman said, "Now, I want to get rid of my leprosy."
Elijah said, "You go down there to the muddy Jordan, where she empties into the Mediterranean there." Said, "She's
muddy as it can be. Dip down there seven times."
"Oh," Naaman said, "My goodness. Aren't the waters better up around Damascus and up there. Oooh, they're so pretty
and clear up there." (My, we seen it here the other night on the film here, you know.), "Oh," said, "why--why we don't
want to go down there; I can't go down there. I... You know who I am? I'm captain of the guard; I'm the general of the
host."
"Well, if you want to get rid of your leprosy, go on down there. But if you want to keep it, go on up there."
He said, "Dip," and I can see him walking out in that water. Could you imagine? Oh, that hurt his prestige. I can see
him, you know, tip-toeing out like this, nose-holding, you know. [II Kings 5:1, 10, 12-14]
L-174 That's the way some people try to come to Christ, "I'd like to get healed; I'd like to (you know) go to heaven, but,
oh, my, what if the rest of them look like that."
Oh, you hypocrite, you'll never get it anyhow. That's all there is to it anyhow. See? No. You'll never get it anyhow.
Don't worry; you don't want it enough yet. That's right. You don't want it enough; that's exactly. When you're ready to
get it, you'll get it all right. God will give it to you when you're ready. All right.
L-175 Now, are the denomination of caterpillar's eating up all things. Notice, each insect, each one of these insects,
when he was working on the Tree, he made a way for the other one was going to follow him. Oh, he's a smart guy. Yes,
sir. See? He took away the fruits (See?), the Spirit, so what? He could take the fellowship away (See?), the leaves. So
the other side come along and he made his own living took the leaves off. What did he do that? He took the leaves off
so there'd be no coolness and freshness so there the people could see, so he could get into the bark. See?
He'd get into the bark, and bore into the ridge, and take the doctrine away from them (See?), the very thing that
supports the Life. And then, as soon as he got holes bored into that, he had the next fellow come along, the old sucker
caterpillar, that's took the denomination and sucked it up and organized it so you can't get it. And what did the Life do?
Go right down into the roots (That's exactly right.), run it right down in the roots. All right.
Now, the same insect bored to the heart till it got to the Life. It kept coming through the fruit, through the leaves,
through the bark, until it got right to the heart, the lifeline. All right. [Joel 1:1-4]
L-176 Now, let's look at the destroyer at work. The first... (I'm going to have to skip some of this here, I believe. No, I
ain't. All right. Look.) The first thing this fellow did as soon as he got into the heart of the Tree...
Let's watch him back in his first stage, before he ever got started too good; let's watch him. Now, let's watch him at
work. The first thing that he condemned was to destroy the first, real, precious fruit Tree that God had on earth. [Joel
1:1-4]
L-177Now, if you can bear with me just a few more minutes, I want you--I want you to get this now. Don't... This is
your Easter message coming right now. See, see, see?
L-178 The first thing that he did, he destroyed God's first, precious fruit Tree, Christ. He was that Tree from the garden
of Eden. That's right. The first fruit Tree, he destroyed It. The first One God planted here on earth was Christ; he
destroyed that Tree that was bearing His fruit. Now, they had all kind of organizations, and he just had that in his
hands; but when he come to a Tree that bore the actual fruit, that Roman bug got in there (See?), destroyed the Tree.
The Tree? Yes. Jesus said, "If I do (in Saint John), if I do not the works of My Father, or have not the fruits of My
Father, don't believe Me." He was bearing the fruit of God. What kind of a fruit did He bear? What kind of fruit? Let's
watch Him for a few minutes. We went through it many times; let's just take a little preliminary one for the people
that's setting here waiting for a minute to be prayed for. [John 10:37], [Joel 1:1-4], [Galatians 5:22-23]
L-179 What was the first thing they knowed he wouldn't--recognized Him to be the Messiah? When Peter first came to
Him (and Andrew had brought him), and He looked at Peter and said, "Your name is Simon, and you are the son of
Jonas."
He knew right then, according to the Scripture, that that was the Messiah. They'd been... Did you know there'd been
many raised up before that, according to history, and called themselves "Messiah," but none of them could do this;
'cause the Messiah... Moses said (the Word of God, which cannot fail, was spoke by Moses), he said, "Your Messiah
will be a prophet like me."
And so, when this stranger walked up before Jesus, and Jesus said, "Behold, your name is Simon, and you're the son of
Jonas," Peter knowed right then Who He was; He knew that was Him. [John 1:42]
L-180 When Nathanael went and got Philip--or Philip went and got Nathanael, rather, and brought him over there, and
Nathanael, a great man (See?), great man, religious man (and--and Philip telling him about on the road over, what He'd
done to Simon), and when Nathanael walked up in the Presence of Jesus, what did Jesus say? He said, "Behold, an
Israelite, in whom there's no guile."
He said, "Rabbi, when did You know me?"
He said, "Before Philip called you, when you were under the tree, I saw you."
He said, "Rabbi, Rabbi, You are the Son of God; You are the King of Israel." See?
Why? That's the fruit. "If I do not the works of My Father..." He knowed the very thoughts that was in their hearts.
A woman touched His garment one time, and went off and set down in the congregation. Jesus looked around and said,
"Who touched Me?" All of them denied it. He looked around and saw her. She had a blood issue; He said, "Your faith
has saved you." Oh, my. [John 1:47-49], [Luke 8:45, 48], [Mark 5:31, 34]
L-181The little old Samaritan woman... Now, remember, He never went to the Gentiles like that. No, sir. He even told
His disciples not to go to them. That's us; this is our day. He went in the form of the Holy Spirit to us, as He said He
would be. But when He went to the--them what happened? When He went to the Samaritan woman, the woman said--
Bridegroom, as It is in the Bride. "The works that I do shall you also." Is that right? He was the Bridegroom.
Remember... [John 14:12], [Psalms 1:1-6]
L-187 You say, "That ain't Scriptural." Oh, it is. I caught that now. See? We're fixing to have a healing meeting in a
minute. I caught that. He was. You want proof of it? He said, "I am the Vine; ye are the branches (Saint John); I am the
Vine; you are the branches; you bear the fruit." See? And the male tree and the female tree produces the pollen one to
the other that brings the fruit. And the branch and the vine does the same thing. See? That's exactly right. [John 15:5]
L-188 So He said... Now, this first Tree was a Prophet Tree, a perfect Tree, the God of the prophets. He was a major
Tree; He was God's perfect proper--Prophet Tree. Why? He was the Word. Now, the others was minor prophets. The
Word came to the prophets, but He was the Word Himself in form of a Prophet. Amen. (Now, we're getting
somewhere.) [Amos 3:7]
L-189Now, listen real close, and don't miss this now. It was so good that I just wrote it out down here. [Car horn
sounds--Ed.] Amen. Somebody shouting out and making their horn shout out there. Just--just... Oh, I hope you're
having a good time out there; we are in here. All right.
L-190 Now, He was God's Prophet Tree. Why? He preached all the perfect Word of God, for He was the Word of God
made manifest. He was the perfect Prophet Tree that preached the perfect Prophet Word that brought forth the perfect
Prophet Fruit, by the perfect Word of God. Oh, brother, talk about a Tree... A Tree, He was that Life Tree that the
Angel kept Eve and Adam away from with the guarding Cherubims, away from that Tree. Now, the same Cherubims is
trying to run them into It, 'cause there's been a way made for them. See? Now, they're pulling back. Oh, human
beings... ummph. [Amos 3:7], [Genesis 3:24]
L-191 Now, preached all the Word; He didn't cut here or there. When Satan come to Him, that great theologian, and
said, "It is written." Jesus said, "Yes, and it's also written..." Uh-huh.
"But it's written."
And He said, "And it's also written..." [Luke 4:4]
L-192 Perfect Prophet Tree preaching perfect Prophet's Word, with perfect Prophet Signs, perfect Prophet results,
perfect Fruits of the Spirit. And for a mockery (I'm--I'm going to go through this pretty fast now, 'cause...), for a
mockery, they hanged Him on (He was the Word, you know), they hanged Him, the Word Tree, the Word Tree, hung
Him on a man-made Roman tree. Ummm, brother, I hope that got home. Him being God's perfect spiritual Tree, they
hung Him on a man-made Roman tree. Amen.
Same now. They're trying to take God's perfect Tree, the Word, and mix It and hang It up yonder on some kind of a
creed. Death and Life won't mix. Jesus never did attend a funeral service; He'd raise the dead. Why? Death and Life
cannot stay together; they're contrary one to the other. He didn't preach no funerals, He just raised them up. Amen. Yes.
Why? Life and death. [Acts 5:30], [Acts 10:39], [Luke 7:11-15]
L-193 Now, look, they hanged Him on a tree. Is that right? "Cursed is he that hangs on a tree." Is that right? The Bible
said, "Cursed is he that hangs on any man-made tree."
So if today, you're trying to hang on some kind of a man-made tree, turn loose of it; and don't let it hang you there
either, 'cause that's a place for the dead--some man-made Lutheran, Baptist, Presbyterian, Pentecostal organization
(That's right.), some man-made tree. Don't hang there; and don't let it hang you there either. They'll hang you there if
they can, till all the Life's gone out of you, till you recognize their doctrine. That's right. [Galatians 3:13], [Acts 5:30],
[Acts 10:39]
L-194 But that's where they hung this perfect Tree. God's perfect fruit Tree hung on a man-made Roman tree...?... It was
a curse to hang on any man-made tree. What is it? To rid Him out of their sight, after He'd bore all the fruits.
After Mary Magdalene (it's said by history) run before them and said, "What has He done? What evil did He do?" She
stopped the procession, said, "What did He do was evil? Has He done nothing but preach the Gospel to the poor? Has
He done nothing but heal the sick, raise up the dead, and the very signs of the living God is in Him. How could you
condemn Him?"
And they slapped her in the mouth and said, "Would you listen to that ill-famed woman instead of your priest (There
you are.), your bishop?" There you are. Same thing today. Uh-huh. Yeah. Yes. [Acts 5:30], [Acts 10:39]
L-195 Now, when He'd done all this and proved Himself, what He was, and put it down to them and said, "If I'm not He,
then who are you? If you can condemn Me of sin, if I'm anywhere wrong in the Word, you show Me. Now, let Me
show you where you're wrong." See? Sin is unbelief; we know that.
Now, to rid Him out of their sight (They hated Him so bad, because He tore up all their organizations.)--to rid Him out
of their sight, they buried Him and rolled a great big denominational stone over the door, so He'd be sure not to rise
again.
Oh, my. Think of that perfect Tree. David looked back and saw It, he said, standing by the rivers of water. "He bringeth
forth His leaves in His season. And His fruit, it shall not be cast; it--it won't wither. Whatsoever He doeth shall
prosper."
He was the Son of Prosperity; Joseph was a type of Him. He was the Antitype of Joseph. Everywhere Joseph went it
prospered: same thing with Jesus. His Word, "My Word will prosper, and It won't return to Me void; It'll accomplish
that which I purposed It for." See? He was the Word. The Word was sent to the earth by God, and It will accomplish
exactly what God sent It for. Now, listen close now. This gets rich with cream on top of it. [John 8:45-47], [Psalms 1:3]
L-196 Now, notice, here He comes now, and they, for that very works of God... When He stood and asked them, He
said, "If I don't do the works that God said I should do, then I'm not Him; don't believe Me; but if I do it, then you
believe the works. If you can't believe Me, being a Man, doing this, then believe the works I do. They testify of Me.
They speak louder than My voice could speak."
That's right. And the same thing would apply any time. Yes, sir. Sure would.
Now, notice, "If I don't do the works of My Father, then don't believe Me not--believe Me not. Then if I do the works,
believe Me." Then what did they do? Took that precious Tree, cut It down, hanged It on a man-made tree (That's right,
cut the Life out of It and hanged It upon a man-made tree for a mockery); then they didn't like it. Too many people was
standing there crying about it. So they took Him off. [John 10:37-38]
L-197 They said, "We'll make our denomination so tight that they'll never get them holy-rollers in here."
So they scooted Him back in a hole of Joseph of Arimathaea, and they rolled a great big stone (took a sentry of men to
roll it up there. Did you ever see--see the other night in the picture the big path they rolled the stone upon? Weighs
tons), rolled their big organization stone up there, so He could not raise up. But did that hold Him? No. "But I will
restore, saith the Lord." Let's hit that text now and drive it. "I will restore, saith the Lord. I'll restore Him. In three days
I'll raise Him back up again."
They couldn't hide Him in that rock; they couldn't hide Him out of their sight; they couldn't get Him off their hands. "I
will restore Him, saith the Lord." And in three days He rose up, restored back. [Joel 2:25], [Mark 15:43-46], [John 19:38-
41], [Matthew 27:57-60]
L-198 After Easter, He was raising; He said, "Go into all the world, and I'm going to go with you. As the living Father
has sent Me, and He's in Me; so I send you and will be in you. I'm with you to the end of the world. The works, the
same thing that I done to prove that I was, you'll do the same things to prove that you are." See?
I like that. These signs shall follow them that are believers, not make-believers, but believers. See? "These things that I
do, you'll do; and it'll vindicate that you're a believer, just the same as the works that I done; because the living Father
lives in Me. It ain't Me that doeth the works; it's My Father. And it won't be you doing the works, but be Me in you
doing the works. (See?) Now, you go into all the world... Otherwise, you're going to form what's known to Me as a
Bride." See? All right. [Mark 16:15-17], [Matthew 28:20], [John 14:12]
L-199 "I'll go with you, and I--you'll be part of Me; you'll be My Bride. My Life will be in your body. Just like a
husband and wife is one person, you and I are going to be One. At that day you'll know that I'm in the Father, the
Father in Me, and I in you, and you in Me." Hmm. I just love that. Satan just gets so angry at that. See? See the
Oneness of God? All that God was, He poured into Christ, and all that Christ was, He poured into the church. There
you are. It makes them all one.
Now, look. Now, the Bride are one, Tree of Life. In other words like husband and wife is one, Christ and His Bride are
One: same thing, same Spirit, same works, same signs, everything else, "For the works that I do shall you do also."
How long? To all the world. How much? To every creature. Is that right? Oh, listen close now. I'm going to fire a
Magnum. [John 14:11-12]
L-200 The Roman caterpillar started eating on that Bride Tree until it took It plumb to the roots. The same Roman tree
that... What kind of a tree did cut Christ down? [Congregation answers, "Roman".--Ed.] What kind of a tree that cut
Christ's Bride down? [Congregation answers, "Roman"--Ed.] How? By substituting something besides the Word. So
you see, the Protestant church that don't take the Word of God is a daughter to the Roman church. God never at any
time organized a church. The Roman Catholic church was the first organization; and every one of them are daughters
to her that organize; they die with her. [Joel 1:1-4]
L-201 The Bible said that He would burn her children with fire. How many knows that? The Bible says so. Well, the
Bible said that the wheat and the tares would grow together until the last day, then He would bind the tares (Is that
right?) first, and burn them. And the wheat would go to the garner. Is that right? The tares are binding themselves
together in organization: Confederation of Churches, for the atomic burning. Exactly right. But the church is getting
ready to go to the garner, just as sure as the world, in the rapture, for the freewoman won't be heir with the
bondwoman. Mmm, Brother Anthony.
Oh, we're watching for the coming of that glad Millennium day;
When our blessed Lord shall come and catch His waiting Bride away.
Oh, my soul is filled with rapture, as I labor, watch, and pray,
For our Lord is coming back to earth again.
Hallelujah. Yes, sir. Oh, He will burn the tares, and the wheat He will take to the garner. [Malachi 4:1], [Matthew 13:29-
30], [Luke 3:17], [Matthew 3:12]
L-202 Roman caterpillar started eating on that Tree in the days of Paul. He said, "I am persuaded (Scripture here) that
after my departing, men will raise up among you, brethren, like sheepskins over them, wolf inside, and will draw away
many after them. For the spirit of antichrist, that you heard that was to come into the world is already in the world now,
working in the children of what? Disobedient." Disobedient to what? The Word.
There you are. Organization begins starting. You see what I mean, friends? All that see that, say, "Amen."
Beginning to eat. What'd it did? That old caterpillar started, that old cankerworm. That... Joel saw it. Listen now, we're
coming down close to the end. Joel saw it, and he said, "What the palmerworm left, did the locust eat; what the locust
eat, then the cankerworm got; what the cankerworm left, why, the caterpillar got it." That's what he said; and that's
exactly; that's the Tree of God. The Tree... Cut It down, the cankerworm... All right. [Acts 20:29], [Joel 2:25]
L-203 The Roman caterpillar started eating on that Bride Tree and took It all the way to the roots (cut It all the way
back, everything, cut the Tree right off, like it did Christ Jesus, the Bridegroom); cut the Bride right down, and started
out in creeds and denominations: Same old bug. But what? Oh, Glory. But in Its roots was the predestinated Seed, the
Royal Seed of Abraham; It could not die. The Word was in the roots with a promise, "I will restore, saith the Lord.
(What?) All the years that the caterpillar cut off, all that the locust eaten, all that all the rest of the bugs eat up, I will
restore It back, saith the Lord." [Joel 2:25]
L-204 Now, compare this with last Sunday and the Sunday before, these messages now. Listen close now as you come
to the closing. Watch. "I will restore, saith the Lord, all that the bugs eat off; I'll bring every bit of It right back again."
Now, set quiet as you can for a few minutes and listen close; get ready and pray with all your heart for God to reveal It
to you. [Joel 2:25]
L-205 So God's promise begin to restore, for God said He would restore It, and just as same as He ri--raised up that
Bride Tree--Bridegroom Tree, He will raise up the Bride Tree, 'cause there's going to be One right yonder, as sure as
the world. What now? All right. So God's promise begin, "I will restore, saith the Lord, all that the locust eat,
caterpillar."
Like in the first time when He built that first church... I'm going to get to some doctrines now. If you don't want to
believe it, all right; but I--you just--you better search it first. See?
Notice, how did He grow that Tree in the first place? Oooh, my. This does me so good. I know I don't sound much like
a minister, standing here like this, but I--I--I love what I'm talking about...?... [Joel 2:25]
L-206 And now, notice. Like the first time, when He started that first church that the Roman caterpillar eat off (and
cankerworm, so forth), He started out with justification by faith--John the Baptist. In Saint John the 13th--or 17th
chapter, 17th verse, Jesus said, "Sanctify them, Father, through the Truth; Thy Word is Truth." Second work was
sanctification (to the church). After justification was sanctification. And after they were sanctified, He asked them to
tarry in the city of Jerusalem (Luke 24:49) until they were endued with power from on high; and there He gave birth to
the Tree, the Holy Ghost, Pentecost. Justification, Sanctification, baptism of the Holy Ghost, and then Christ come to
dwell in It to bring forth the fruits. Amen. Is that right? [John 17:17], [Luke 24:49]
L-207 John preached justification. Now, look. In the--that constitutes the natural birth. When a woman is giving birth to
a baby (Listen to this.), what's the first thing happens to the woman? What breaks forth is first is water: "Repent and be
baptized in the Name of Jesus Christ," justification. What's the second thing happens to the woman? Blood. Is that
right? Blood: sanctification. Then what's the next thing? Life: water, blood, spirit.
Saint John--I John 5:7--7:5, rather, I believe it is, said:
... there are three that bear record in heaven, the Father, the Word,... (which is the Son)... and the Holy Ghost:... these
three are one.
And there are three that bear record in earth, the water,... the blood, and the Spirit and... (They are not one, but)... agree
in one. [Acts 2:38], [I John 5:7]
L-208 You can't have the Father without having the Son; you can't have the Son without having the Holy Ghost. But
you can be justified without being sanctified; and you can be sanctified without having the Holy Ghost. What about
that, Nazarene brother? They had been sanctified by Jesus Christ a year and six months before the Holy Ghost ever
come. Is that right? They were sanctified by Jesus Christ.
L-209 Now, as He brought forth the first Bride Tree that the locust and palmerworms eat down, He's restoring the
second Tree, bringing It up from them predestinated roots that cannot die, that's standing by the rivers. It's living in this
waters. It couldn't show Itself, but It's there anyhow. Now, it's started...
Notice the same insects, as He restores back the same thing by the same way. The first, when that Tree started to come
forth out of Catholicism was Martin Luther who preached justification. The second angel was John Wesley who
preached sanctification. Luther preached justification, "Just shall live by faith"; Wesley preached sanctification, the
second definite work of grace; and then come the Holy Ghost. Just as He built the Tree up the first time, here He is
restoring again in the same manner the second time. See that? [Joel 2:23-25]
L-210 Notice, the same insect (that little rascal), the same insect that started and killed the Tree in the beginning, started
right back at that Lutheran branches. But what? It can't kill It; they can't kill It, because God's done said, "I will
restore..."
That insect started on Luther to kill all the Lutheran branches. It come right over to Wesley and killed all the Wesley
branches. But the main part of the Tree keeps coming.
Now, notice, in the old time, when the Tree was killed, It was killed; went plumb to the roots, when it killed It back
there. But this time, because the Word's predestinated, there's nothing going to stop It. God said, "I will restore. No
matter how much they organize, how much they do this, that, or the other, I'm going to restore It." That settles it. All
the laughing, making fun, scoffing, calling holy-rollers, nonsense, everything you want to, God still said, "I will
restore, saith the Lord."
Just as sure as He raised Jesus out of the grave under three days, under three dispensations, or three sections, He's
going to raise the church to Its fullness and power again. "I will restore, saith the Lord." [Joel 2:25]
L-211What happened? That old caterpillar started eating and having the same kind of effects that he did; but what did
he do? He only got the Lutheran branches; he never got the Spirit behind there that Luther had, for It lived right on.
Then along come Wesley, and after Wesley died, that great prophet, after Wesley died, what'd they do? They organized
and all the branches died. But what did He do? The church lived right on, come right on into Pentecost. When they
organized, what happened? The branches died. But what? The church goes right on. [Joel 1:1-4]
L-212 What? The same thing Pentecostals did, the same old Catholic denominational creed that took It in the first place
to destroy the Tree in the--the Bride Tree in the first place, is the same old tactics that the devil did on this second Tree.
But what? God predestinated It; She's got to go on, regardless. If it all... If it wouldn't been, when Luther organized,
that would've settled it right there. It all went back just like another... It'd been second Catholic church, Roman
Catholic church. See?
But God was determined to... He's done spoke His Word. His law will see that It comes to pass. No matter how many
late frosts It has, It's going to live anyhow. It might have cold spells, and denominational difference, and everything,
but that Tree's going to live just as sure as there's a living God to make It live. Yes, sir. He said, "I will restore It." [Joel
2:23-25]
L-213I know we got some late spring, late season of Easter coming. "The Lord's tarrying His coming," they say, and
everything like that; and the cold wind's killed a lot of them denominational branches, but it can't kill that Life that's
predestinated. "Heavens and earth will pass away, but My Word shall not. All that He foreknew He called; those who
He called He has justified; those who He had justified He has already glorified." Hallelujah. It's written in the Book of-
-Lamb's Book of Life and cannot die. [Mark 13:31], [Matthew 24:35], [Luke 21:33], [Romans 8:29]
L-214 All the--all the bugs that hell can turn loose on Her will never stop Her. No communism, Catholicism, no nothing
else will stop It. "I will restore, saith the Lord." All the man-made Roman trees will never hang It there; all the graves
will never keep It there; all the big denominational stones laying at the door will never keep It in there. "I will restore,
saith the Lord. There will be an Easter. I'll bring forth that same church in It's same power. I'll bring that Bride out just
like She was back there with the same signs, the same fruits, the same things that they did. I'll bring Her back again; I
will restore, saith the Lord."
What? Restore all that the denominationals eat off. Restore all the organization eat off. "I will restore, saith the Lord,
all of it." [Joel 2:25]
L-215 Now, you say, "What about them things that went off in denomination?"
God is the good Husbandman. He pruned the Tree; that was all, cut off all the dead limbs. What's He going to do? Burn
them up there, exactly. God is the Husbandman of the--of this Tree. He takes care of It; He watches over His Heritage.
He... What is His Heritage? His own Word. He watches over His Word to confirm It, to watch It, see where It can get.
Now, He's going to restore, so when these churches begin to organize and things like that, He just prunes them off, and
the church goes on.
When the--when the Lutherans said, "We're going to become a organization; we'll be as big as the Catholics." All right,
He just pruned off the branch, and Wesley took it right on, raised up another prophet. Then as soon as Wesley did--
dwelled--Wesley died, the great prophet, what'd they do? Organized it. On come Pentecost. Soon as she died, He
pruned that off. It's raising right on up. See? He's going to restore. [Joel 2:23-25]
L-216 Where does the fruits grow? It don't start down here on the bottom; it starts in the top. Where does the sun hit the
Tree first? Ahh. Glory. In the evening Light, in top of the Tree (Amen.), not down on the bottom branches, but up there
in the top of the Tree's where the fruit ripens at.
Amen. Do you love Him? Amen.
Will you serve Him? Amen.
Do you believe Him? Amen.
I sure do believe Him with all my heart. [Zechariah 14:7]
L-217 Now, what is it? He's going to prune off them old dead vines as she comes up, all those organization vines, till
she gets right in the top of the Tree; there's where He's going to get His fruit.
Now, notice. God prunes her. All right. They are dead and won't come into the--the Presence of God, won't come in the
first resurrection, but be with the Vine fruit of the original organiza--Vine of God. They'll go into the organizational
group, but they won't come with the fruit of the Vine. [Isaiah 18:5]
L-218 Now, look. God never did put out a organization. The church puts the--grafts in an organization, and God cuts it
off, cuts off it's lifeline. It bears organizational fruit. But if that Vine put forth a branch, that come out of the Vine, It'll
bear the same as that did. So you see the first one was... And Rome sent their beetles over there and eat it off. But
God's going to grow One so high that he can't touch It. It's going to come on up. Amen. I... Let's go. [Joel 1:1-4], [Joel
2:23-25]
L-219 The Tree goes from one place to another, from one dispensation to another dispensation. From Luther It went to
Wesley; from Wesley to Pentecost; from Pentecost It goes to the Word.
It is Easter again for the true believers of His never failing Word. It's Easter; it's a resurrection. God's got people
everywhere. It's Easter for them. Why? They have risen (Amen.), risen from those creeds and denominations: come
right up through them. It's Easter again. The Royal Seed has been hid in the Roots, the Word, hid back here in this
Word for years, and years, and years, and just now begin to be revealed. It's Easter time. Predestinated from the
foundation of the world, this church is begin to stand. [Psalms 1:1-3]
L-220 Notice, how that God predestinated in the beginning. I got it... I'm going to say it anyhow. All right. Notice here
that the--to restore the first perfect Tree in three days after His death... After the first Tree's death, He restored It in
three days. Is that right? Restored it back. Now, the Bride Tree is also going to be restored in three ages--three stages,
rather. Three stages It'll be restored. Now, look. What? Justification, sanctification, baptism of the Holy Ghost: one,
two, three. [John 2:19-21], [Luke 24:38-39, 46], [Joel 2:23-25]
L-221 Now, notice, after three days the first Tree restored as at the beginning, having the same signs, same wonders.
Jesus come back, the same Jesus, doing the same thing. At the end of the third day the signs appeared, not at the end of
the first day. Oh, brother, I hope you're getting it. At the third day is when the real manifestation of Christ was made
known, at the end of the third day. See? Notice. (Are you getting it?)
Not at the first day: dead form; second day there was a rumor (See?)--or the second day it was still dead: Luther,
Wesley. At the beginning of the third day there was a rumor around. Nothing on the first day (Luther), nothing on the
second day, and in the third day (the dispensation of the Holy Spirit) there was a rumor around that He was the same
yesterday, today, and forever. But at the end of the third day, that's where He made Hisself known, come right among
them, come among His people and said, "Look at Me; I'm the same One." [Hebrews 13:8], [Luke 24:38-39], [Joel 2:25]
L-222 The dead forms went on till they got to Pentecost, then begin to rumor around that He was. Now, here in the last
day here He's right with us, moving right among us.
At the end of the third day, He appeared and showed all of them His resurrection sign, that He was a-living, the same
yesterday, today, and forever. Living fruits of His Presence... Living fruits of His Presence (are you getting it?) was
manifested at the very end of the day when He appeared to all of them, His church. Amen. Why? They'd all got
together. Oh. Amen. At the end of the third day... [Hebrews 13:8], [Galatians 5:22-23], [Luke 24:38-39]
L-223 The evening Lights, the Bible said, would shine in the last day. The evening Light is the same Light in the west,
that was the same Light that was in the east. And the same Light that shined in the east, that brought forth the first
church that the Romans cut down by their--their pagan worship, and so forth; in the evening Light is the same Light.
Now, notice, the same Light...
And what's the evening Light come out for? What is the evening Light for? To restore. Whew. You get it? The evening
Light is for the same purpose the morning Light was for: to restore what was cut down by the dark ages through Rome,
God is going to restore by shining forth the evening Light. What? Restore the whole Word of God again, the full
manifestation of Christ in His church. Everything that He did, just exactly the way He did, would be again in the
evening Light. See what I mean? Oh, isn't that wonderful? And to know we're living right here to see It. [Zechariah
14:7], [Luke 24:38-39], [Malachi 4:5-6], [Joel 2:25], [Zechariah 14:7]
L-224Now, the evening Light (exactly according to prophecy), the evening Light come out to restore what? To restore
what the bugs had eat up. It started growing, and then what'd it do? It denominated, so God pruned them off, bound
them up, laid them back, let them go ahead and organize. Then the next one come up; He bound them up, laid them off;
Tree went on. Then He bound them up, laid them off, said, "Now, one of these days they'll be burned." Bind them up in
their organizations.
But then what? Right in the top of the Tree is where the fruit ripens first (That's right.), right in top of the Tree. So it's
the top of the Tree here that sees the evening Light. [Joel 2:25], [Zechariah 14:7], [Galatians 5:22-23]
L-225 Now, Noah had three rooms in his ark. One room was for the creeping things. See? The second room was for the
fowls; but the top room was where the light was. The light that shined first, it never come on the first floor, second
floor, but on the top floor. The tree don't bear its fruit first in the bottom, and second, like that, it was all pruned off into
organizations. But it's in the top part where "I will restore, saith the Lord. I'll send forth the evening Light, and It'll
bring back, bring back the Word, making It manifest. I will restore all that I've promised. All that I've promised, the
same Holy Spirit will bring and bear the same signs. I'll have a Easter, a resurrection, for the Bride, the same as I had
for the Bridegroom." See?
Evening Lights come out to shine, same as in the morning--same signs, same thing. That same Light will produce the
same fruit that they had there, if It's shining on the same tree. Amen. Proves His Word now fulfilled, "I will restore,
saith the Lord." [Joel 2:25], [Zechariah 14:7]
L-226 Now, listen closely. Now, there was... Listen. Now, don't miss this now. There was four death messengers... (Or
would you rather we just close? Would you rather...?...) Listen real close now. Look. There was four, four death
messengers killed that Tree. Is that right? What was it? Palmerworm, locust, cankerworm, caterpillar. Is that right?
Four messengers of Roman devils, dogmas, killed that Tree. One took Its fruit; one took Its bark--or took Its leaves;
one took Its bark; one took the Life. Is that right? Four messengers of dogmas killed the Tree, all but the roots. And if
four messengers of death killed the Tree, four messengers of Life restores the Tree. [Joel 1:1-4]
L-227 Do you get it? Amen. For God said, "I will restore It." He's going to restore It how? By four death messengers
killed It; then four Life messengers will restore It. What was the first? Martin Luther, justification. What was the
second? John Wesley--by sanctification. What was the third? Pentecost with the restoration of the gifts, the Holy
Ghost, baptism of the Holy Ghost. What was the fourth? The Word. What? The Word. [Joel 2:25], [Joel 1:1-4]
L-228 There were four great prophets. One of them, Martin Luther, he begin to shine a Light. It was a little Light, just a
very small strength of justification. Along came Wesley, stronger: sanctification. After Wesley come a stronger than
him, Pentecostal, the baptism of the Holy Ghost in another great prophet. See? But in the last days of Malachi 4, Elijah
is to come with the very Word.
The Word of the Lord came to the prophet. In the evening Lights is to come forth to restore and bring back. What?
Turn the hearts of the children back to the faith of the fathers: fourth Light. [Malachi 4:5-6]
L-229 Four killers took It, four messengers destroyed It. Four messengers of death took It away in dogmas; four
messengers of righteousness restore It back again.
"Prophesy Son of man, Can these bones live?" (Wish we had time; we got it wrote down here. But I have to miss that.)
"Prophesy. Can these bones live?" What's the four stages of that coming forth of that church? What's the four stages of
Ezekiel's dry bones coming forth? But the Life only come, not when the sinew skin was on them, but when the wind
blowed upon them. That's when come back, that fourth Message of Life was brought back. "I will restore, saith the
Lord." Hallelujah. Glory. Praise be to God. [Joel 2:25], [Joel 1:4], [Ezekiel 37:3-10]
L-230 The fourth Light is to come that will bring forth the same signs. Watch. Justification brought back the pulp.
Sanctification brought back the bark: doctrine of holiness. What brought back the leaf? Pentecostals. What is it?
Pentecostals, leaves, clap their hands, joy, rejoicing: Pentecostal. What? The fourth was the Word Itself. The Word
made flesh, fruits of the proof of the resurrection sign that Christ has finally, after justification being planted,
sanctification being planted, baptism of the Holy Ghost. Organizations died out, and Christ has again centered Himself
like that cap of the pyramid. [Malachi 4:5-6], [Hebrews 13:8]
L-231First line, justification, sanctification, baptism of the Holy Ghost, then coming of the Cap. What is it? That Holy
Ghost bunch being honed out, so that it can fit with the same kind of ministry He had when He went away; that when
He comes back it'll catch the whole thing in the rapture, where they're justified, sanctified, and the baptism of the Holy
Ghost. That pyramid will stand again. The house of God will live again. The Tree of Life is growing again. [Joel 2:25],
[Malachi 4:5-6]
is it? It's a perfect a-vindication that the coming of the Lord is at hand, and the time when He said, "I will restore, saith
the Lord, all that them cankerworms (all that the Methodists left), all that the caterpillar's eaten, all that this done there,
till they stripped It down; but I will restore It in the evening time." Oh, my. Whew.
I believe I could almost preach now; honest I feel I can.
Oh, how I love Jesus,
Oh, how I love Jesus,
Oh, how I love Jesus,
Because He first loved me!
I'll never forsake Him,
I'll never forsake Him,
I'll never forsake Him,
Because He first loved me!
Amen. Don't you love Him? I just love Him with all my heart. Shall we have a prayer line? [Psalms 1:3], [Joel 2:25]
L-236 Father God, into Your hands I--I commend this message. Though it's been chopped up, some way I pray that the
Holy Spirit will go with it on these tapes and across the nations. And if I shall be taken from the earth, may this live,
Lord. It's Your Word. Let the evening Light shine, Lord, bring forth this glorious Bride of Christ. Bless it, Lord, may It
not return to You void. May It accomplish that which It was--been purposed for. Grant it, Father. All praises shall be
Thine.
Now, we know, Father, no matter what we would say, it's still Word and we believe It. But we would desire Thee,
Lord, on this Easter morning, that Thou would prove to this congregation, maybe some here for their first time, that
You are still Jesus, that You're not a dead form, that You are a living, resurrected God, that You live among us today.
Grant that, Father, and we'll praise Thee, through Jesus' Name. Amen.
L-237 How many in here's sick? Let's see your hands. Just raise up your hands. Oh, did... Is Billy Paul, did he get... I
believe he give our prayer cards. Didn't he? [Congregation answers "Yes"--Ed.] What were they? E-1 to 100. We can't
take them all, but let's get a few of them. Just stand them right along here, if you will.
Who's got number 1? Let's see, number 1, E-number-1, raise up your hand. Prayer card... Look on your card and see...
If you are able to get up all right. Number 1? Well, are you sure you got the right one? All right. All right. Well, let's
start somewhere... Oh, well, okay if you got it, we'll start there then. Okay, number 1, make your way right around here
if you can walk. If you can't, why, we'll pack it. See? All right. Number 1, number 2, raise your hand right quick now.
Number 2, come right here. Number 3, right here, sir. Number 4? Number 4, number 5. Now, everybody just be seated
just for few minutes. Number 5? Number 6, raise your hand right quick. Number 6, 6, 6? Let me see it, please.
Somebody's pointing their hand. I don't know from... He's back in the room there. All right. Number 6, All right, just a
moment now. 7, 7? All right, the lady back there. 8?
Now, if... Everybody just keep your place just a moment now, just real quiet now. Now, this is going to be the proof.
This is the proof.
L-238 6, 7... 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7? You go on up there. All right. 7, all right, sir. That's fine. 8, 8, 8, all right, brother. 8, 9,
10, 10, 11, 12? Well, it seem like they quit coming. Well, we'll start there. That's all right. Maybe in a few minutes...
All right, let's pray now.
Father God, just a word from You will mean so much. Let--let--let the people see, Lord. I--I tried to be honest, tried to
tell them Your Word. Lord, forgive Your servant's mistakes. I--I just--I--I just make so many of them, Lord. I--I pray
that You'll not look at Your servant's mistake, but You'll look at Your Word, which I'm trying to preach. Lord, I thank
You for It. I'm glad with all my heart. Lord, It--It--It's more than life to me. I give my life any time for It. I--I know It's
true; It's Your Word.
L-239 And please forgive my stupid ways, Lord. Many times that I--I josh and joke that I--I shouldn't do. I'm ashamed
of that, Lord. I--I just come from that kind of a family. You just overlook it, please, Father, if You will. Cover it with
Your Blood; that's what I ask You to do. Just... I confess it. You can't overlook it, but You can forgive me when I
confess it.
Now, I've confessed my sins; I confess the sins of this people. I pray, God, that You'll forgive them, each one. And let-
-people, may they realize that we're just not trying to put on some kind of an act. It is the Holy Spirit in the last days a-
bearing record of His Word, as I have just said It. But, Father, no matter... I'm just a man; and if I'd say it, they'd say,
"That's his interpretation. That's what he thinks about it." But, Father, if You'll just speak and prove that it's right, then
they'll have to--they'll have to cross over You to get by It then, Lord. Then it won't be my interpretation; it'll be Yours.
Grant it, Lord. And if I be Your servant, and--and--and my sin's forgiven, and You've called me for this work, then
speak to, Lord. I pray that You'll grant it. [I John 1:9]
L-240 Heal the sick and afflicted everywhere in Jesus' Name I pray. And if You'll just make Yourself known to us now,
just like You did there at the well with that woman when You talked with her, You told her something that was wrong
with her: she had five husbands. Now, You promised to do it in the evening time. You promised to do it in the last
days. You said, "And it--so shall it be in the coming of the Son of man. As it was in the days of Lot, so will it be," God,
living in human flesh, moving among us in the form of His church in the Holy Spirit, performing the same signs. Grant
it, Lord, just today, won't You, Father?
Then, I pray that You'll let the people see it, and everyone be healed and saved for the glory of God. Amen. [Luke
17:28-30], [John 4:1-21]
L-241 Now, I'm going to call your attention now, if you'll just be real reverent for a few minutes. Now, everybody just
quiet as you possibly can be now.
L-242 Are you sure that you're realizing the position that I'm in here now? I preached the Word here, the Word of God.
I've said It's all true. Jesus said that "He that believeth in Me, the works that I do shall he also." Now, I want to ask you
a question, and be careful whether you--whether you say "amen" or not, now. Jesus, Himself, never claimed to heal
anybody. That is true. He said, "It's not Me that doeth the works; It's My Father that dwelleth in Me." Is that right? And
Jesus said in Saint John 5:19, "Verily, verily (absolutely), I say unto you, the Son (Himself, as a Man--He was just a
Tabernacle where God lived. See?)" He said, "the Son can do nothing in Himself, but what He sees the Father doing;
that doeth the Son likewise." Otherwise: "The Father shows Me a vision, what to do, and I do just as He tells Me."
[John 14:10-12], [John 5:19]
L-243 Now, one day we find that there was, say, a little woman couldn't get in the prayer line. She had a blood issue,
and she'd had it for many years, so she just touched His garment, saying within herself... She was insignificant. She
was just a poor, little, old woman, didn't have no money; and she couldn't get up there with them priests and all of them
standing there, who had the rights to stand and everything; so she couldn't stand up there. So she just crawled around
till she got there and touched His garment; she said, "I believe He's just exactly... He--He brings us the Truth, the Life.
I believe He's the Word of God, and if I can just touch Him, I--I'll be made whole." [Matthew 9:20], [Mark 5:27], [Luke
8:44]
L-244Do you believe? Could you believe the same thing that woman believed, that He is the Word of God? Now, the
Bible says today that He's a High Priest (See?), our High Priest right now. Do you believe that? After His resurrection
and His ascension, He ascended on High and give gifts to men, and now He's setting at the right hand of God and the
Majesty on high and to make intercessions upon what we confess. Is that right? And He's a High Priest that can be
what? Touched by what? The feelings of our infirmities. Now, if He is... Do you believe He is the same?
[Congregation answers, "Amen"--Ed.] [Hebrews 4:15]
L-245 Now, look. If you come here, and just touched me all day long, it wouldn't make a bit of difference. If you
touched any other brother, sister, it wouldn't make much difference, just the order of laying on hands is all. But if you
just touch Him, that's all you have to do. And look, if you touched Him with a--with some kind of a ritual like they did,
they said, "Oh, we believe this great teacher; this is a prophet." Why, He didn't say nothing. But that little woman had a
certain thing that touched Him: her faith. She touched His garment, and He said, "Who touched Me?" [Matthew 9:20],
[Mark 5:27], [Luke 8:44]
L-246 Don't you believe that the Bible says He's the same High Priest today He was then, He--and can be touched by the
feelings of our infirmities, you can touch Him out there whether you're in this prayer line or not? If you are sick, or if
you've got a loved one that's sick, if you've got something on your heart, you just reverently come before God and say,
"God, I don't know about that man standing there; he's a little bald-headed man; he--he's nothing, but I believe that
what he preached is the Truth; and I believe that he said the right thing, that You are the High Priest. Now, I want to
touch You. And if he's told me the Truth, then You use his lips to speak back and tell me, just like You did the woman
back there." See if He's the same yesterday, today, and forever. Do that. If that isn't just to make Him the same
yesterday, today, and forever... Isn't it? Now, everyone keep your position and just reverently pray.
What say? Huh? I've ten back there now? 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15... Would prayer cards 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18,
19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25... That ought to make a pretty good line, if we... I hope we don't have to keep you here very
long, but now... Be with ten then... That's all right; just let... [Hebrews 13:8]
L-247 Let's hum closely now, all together, while they get, "Only Believe."
Only believe, only believe;
All things are possible, only believe;
Only believe, just only... (Believe what? His Word He promised. For what?)
All things are possible, only believe.
L-248 Coming down off the mountain, there stood the disciples; they were defeated on a epileptic case, the father
standing there looking at his child, crying. The disciples were going through all their maneuvers, but it wouldn't work.
Jesus come walking up; some of them said, "There He is." Somebody pointed them to Jesus, away from the clergy to
Jesus. That's where I want to point people, not to me or some church, but to Jesus. Said, "He is able."
So the father run, fell down at His feet, and said, "Lord, have mercy on my child. He's variously vexed with a devil.
He... Times, the way he froths at the mouth; he falls into spasms": epilepsy. He said, "And I've took him everywhere,
and even Your disciples couldn't do nothing for him."
Jesus said, "I can, if you'll believe. For all things are possible to him that believes."
Just only (same yesterday, today, and forever... Let's all in now get quiet everywhere.) only believe;
All things are possible, (What a time.) only believe;
Only believe, just only believe;
All things are possible, just only believe.
[Romans 4:21], [Mark 9:23]
L-249 Oh, Lord, the Word's laying all around here now; let the evening Light shine, Lord. Make It live. Through Jesus
Christ's Name I pray. Amen.
Now, in the Name of the Lord Jesus Christ, I take every spirit in here under my control for His glory.
I look down this prayer line. There isn't one person in that prayer line that I know. They're every one strangers to me.
All you in that prayer line, that's strangers to me and I don't know nothing about you, your troubles or nothing, raise up
your hands, everyone along in the prayer line. How many in the audience is strangers to me, and I don't know nothing
about you? You have the same authority out there, as these do here, only I'm singling them out one person at a time.
Here. Let me take this around here, just a minute. Can you hear now with this?
L-250 This lady here... Here's a man and woman meeting again. I don't know her, never seen her; she's a stranger to me;
but just a perfect stranger. I'm only acting upon the basis of that Word. That Word says, "The works that I do, shall you
do also, if ye believe in Me." See?
The other morning when that vision come, again after thousands of them, and said, "The never failing Presence of
Jesus Christ is with you wherever you go..." I believe that solemnly with all of my heart. If I never see you again, you
believe that to be truth?
L-251Here's a woman I have never in my life. She's just woman that received a prayer card. The way the boy usually
does them, he comes in here, takes a prayer card and shuffles them all up together before you, you know, gives
anybody a prayer card that wants one, wherever it is. No one knows where the line's going to start or nothing about it.
Therefore, the boy couldn't say, "Well now, here...I... If--if you give me so much, I'll put you up front and be sure that
you're there." He don't know himself. See? Nobody knows. See? We just start wherever the Holy Spirit says call, and
we call from right there. And I trust sometimes that it gives somebody, when I'm here, especially, that somebody
hasn't--would never... A stranger (See?) that I don't know...
L-252 Now, if this woman standing here, with a... There's something wrong. She may be sick; she maybe has somebody
else sick, she--she--she may be just standing there. Maybe she's putting on like she's sick. And maybe she's just
standing there trying to expose something. If she is, just watch what happens. See? You may seen that tried too, haven't
you? Yes, sir. Watch them pack her out the door dead. See, see? So now, you'll--you just find out, see if it's right or
not. See? Now, see?
Now, we're not playing church, friends. We're at the end time. Fruit's in the top of the tree is a ripening. That's right.
The Lord is coming. I don't know her; [Blank.spot.on.tape--Ed.] God knows her. He knowed her before there ever was
a world, He knew her. He knew she'd stand right there. He knew I'd stand right here, for He's infinite. Is that right?
Now, if He's infinite and knew it, then He knows why the woman's standing there. Then the same God that the...
L-253 Jesus, when He was here on earth with the God in Him that talked to the woman at the well and told her
something's wrong with her... We all know what it was, don't we? And she said, "Sir, You must be a prophet." That
was her first expression. "Now, we know that it's time for the Messiah to be here, which is called the Christ, and when
He comes, that's going to be the thing He does." Now, if He's the same yesterday, today, and forever, and promised by
this Word that I just preached, that in the evening time He would be here and do the same things, then we're looking for
it, isn't it? Aren't we? Looking for that resurrection of that church... [John 4:3-21]
L-254 Now, if He will perform to this woman, the same as He did back there, that confirms the Word, that It's right.
Now, the lady just held her hand to me that we're strangers one to another. I don't know her; I never seen her. She's just
a stranger standing here. So are you out there, many of you. I know some of these people setting along here. And I
don't know many. I know Mrs. Collins here. I'm sure of that. Sister--Brother Ben's wife... And I seen Brother and Sister
Dauch here. Brother Wright, Brother and Sister Dauch, Brother Rodney, and them. I know some of you around here.
But I don't know too many of you, 'cause I'm not in here very much here among you. And we have strangers in here.
And so you just pray. [John 4:5-21]
L-255 If I be a stranger to you, I profess that the evening Lights have come. And the evening Light would be the same
as the morning Light. It would reveal the same mysterious fruits of God, spiritually speaking. That is right. I'm only
talking to you like He did that woman at the well. He said, "Bring Me a drink." See? I'm saying the same thing. Now,
it's not me; it's Him. But if He will reveal to me what you're standing there for (See?), if He will reveal to me what
you're there for, then you'll know that He does know all about your life. If He would tell you something that has been
(See?), you know whether that's right or not. Then if He knows what has been, can tell you that, you can surely believe
Him then for what will be, if He had already tell you what you've done from back here. Surely that would reveal the
front of it, the back of it, and 'fore of them, all of it, make it right. Will the congregation believe on Him? All right. I
believe you'd believe whether He did it or not. You'd still believe it. But here's where He clamps it down. [John 4:5-23]
L-256Now, I'm just looking at the woman and she's becoming anointed. She's aware, being a stranger to me, but just let
me show you now. Many of you seen that picture laying out there. And that's not--that's of that Light. That's exactly
what's hanging right here between me and that woman right now. Can't you see that kind of a--kind of a green,
yellowish-green, emerald like Light, as you call it, laying right... That's what's making her...
Now, just let me show you something. You feel a real sweet, humble feeling. If that's right, lady, raise up your hand so
the people can see. It's--it's... She can't help it...?... See? Now, now, if It breaks in on her, I don't know. It'd been...
That'd have to be God; I can't do it myself; it's God. It have to be.
L-257 Yes, the lady is really, by natural, would be pending an operation. She's got something that the doctor would tell
her that must be operated for, but she doesn't want to now. That is right. And she has--she... It's--a--a growth. And that
growth is on the right side near the spine. That's right. If that's right, raise up your hand, so the people see...?... Now,
you believe? Now, you won't see it, but if you believe with all your heart now, you can be healed. All right.
Now, you say, "Maybe you guessed that, Brother Branham." You can't guess that of the million times... That's right.
Just let her stand there. It's gone from me right now. Then let's see just a moment. She seems to be all right: Christian.
Now, let's see. Now, just... If He will tell us something else that would be... Yes, here she comes right back up again.
Yes, sir. She's--she's... Yeah, it's a--it's a growth that's--that if the doctors were to remove, and it--it would cause her
trouble, but she has going to trust Christ for it.
And not only that, she isn't from around here. And she's got somebody with her; it's her husband. And he's suffering
too. That's right. You believe God can tell me while I'm looking right at the man here seeing what's wrong with him?
Well, tell him to just go eat his dinner; his stomach trouble just left.
L-258 Do you believe Christ...?... of you? You're from Tennessee, Nashville (That's right.), Mrs. Bagely. All right, you
can go back home and be made well...?... Do you believe our Lord Jesus? If that isn't the same Lord Jesus that was here
in days gone by, the evening Light's here...?... and the woman talk to her, ask her if those things what He said is
right...?... Just believe. Now, are you satisfied that He's...?... Now, you know I couldn't do that. I'm a man; I'm your
brother. But He's God.
Now, let's see, is this the next person? You're...?... in the prayer line? All right.
L-259Now, 'course that anointing, you realize just weakens me like I don't know what. Now, Jesus, when that little
woman touched His garment, He said, "I perceive that virtue went from Me." Is that right? That means strength; He got
weak. And if He--if that would've happened to the Word Itself, what would it do to just one the Word came to? What
would it... If it did that to the Son of God, what would it come to me, a sinner saved by His grace? It just swerves me
around and around. See? But yet I'm here to represent Him. See? So there... I'm a poor representative; I--I repent of all
my sins, that--that she won't look at what I am, but look Who He is (See?), that she'll look that way. [Matthew 9:20-22],
[Mark 5:27-34], [Luke 8:44-48]
L-260 Now, I'm a stranger to you, lady. I don't know this woman either. We're strangers to one another. That's right.
Now, if the Lord Jesus, me not knowing here, and you not knowing me, if the Lord Jesus will reveal something to me
that you're here for, something you've done, something you ought not have done, or something in that way, you'd know
it'd be a--that would be a outstanding miracle. That's something that cannot be explained, a miracle is something cannot
be explained. Anyone knows that. See? That would be an outstanding miracle. It would be more of a miracle than if
there's a--a lady setting here in a wheelchair, and had arthritis, and all stoved up. I tell her, "Get up and walk," and she'd
go walking out there. Everybody'd scream at that. But you see, actually, the power of--of her faith to believe, just get
up and walk could do that. But to go back there and pull out a life...?... that takes more than a man. That's takes God
in...?... 'fore you can say. See? You know whether it's right.
L-261 Now, something's happening somewhere else. Now, waited for that...?... It's gone to the--gone in the audience
somewhere, somewhere... It's gone now. Just a minute. Let me talk to the woman again. Now, just be real reverent and
watch now. And just pray; keep praying out there. I want you praying, "Lord, let it be me." some of you people out
there that won't be in the prayer line, just pray.
Again I speak to you...?... for here's faith. See? If it could be did to that other woman, it can be done to you. It's your
faith; see, you're the one that does it. It's not me. It's your faith in God. See, Jesus never said, "Oh, I knew I was going
to meet that woman over there." No. But when the resurrection of Lazarus come, now that's what God showed Him to
do. See? God said, "Go away." And He--He just proved it what He was. Went away, and then when He come back, He
said, "Lazarus sleepeth," then He come back and went and raised Lazarus from the grave, called his soul after it'd been
gone four days. He never said He got weak there. That was God using the gift. But this, when that woman touched
Him, it was the woman using the gift of God; that's the same thing here. It's you doing it. [John 11:1-12], [Matthew 9:20-
22], [Mark 5:27-34], [Luke 8:44-48]
L-262 Now, this--on the hunting trip where that I seen the bear and knowed the different things and all these different
things that's foretold here and told, why they come to pass just word by word, that's God, that don't bother me. But
when the people begin to use the gift of God (See?), you become God's public servant for you just to tap in the line.
See? And then you touch Him by that, then He speaks back.
Now... Yes, now, the woman is coming into the vision. She's coming in, and the vision's moving in. Looks like you
could see that around her. The woman is sick. She's really sick. She's suffering; one thing with a stomach trouble awful
bad. Raise up your hand if that's true. And you have complications and things. That is true. You also have someone
with you. It's your husband, and he's sick. If God will reveal to me that your husband, what's wrong with him, will you
believe me to be His prophet? The man is bothered with his eyes, with his ears, and he's in a very bad condition. Yes,
sir.
Do you believe God knows who you are? Would you believe me to be His prophet, His seer, if I tell you who you are?
You believe it? Mrs. Robertson, and you're from Huntsville, that's in Alabama. Return back, you and your husband to
be well...?...
You believing? All things are possible...?... if you believe. If you got faith in...?... take your position and believe that
God does it. Now, don't doubt it, but just believe with all your heart that God will grant his healing, and you can have
whatever you ask for. [Matthew 9:20-22], [Mark 5:27-34], [Luke 8:44-48]
L-263 All right, sir, come up now. Is he... Was you next person here? All right, sir. I suppose that we're strangers, one to
another, sir? If Jesus came to a man named Simon, told him about his condition. And it made Simon go and believe
with all of his heart, would it cause you to do the same thing? It would? Well, we being strangers... Now, to God,
there's no difference between male or female. He's just the same God. See? And you, will you believe that that feeling
that's around you now, that God will be able to reveal to you through me, His servant, that something that you're here
for, something's wrong with you, or whatever it is, you'd know whether it's the truth or not? All right. May He grant it.
The man is coming into the vision, or the vision's coming into the man. He is not here for sickness. He's here seeking
the baptism of the Holy Ghost. That's what He's seeking for. That is right, sir. That's it. And you're not from here;
you're from up the road here, a place called Seymour, Indiana. That's where you're from. They call you, Jebb. Jebb,
return back, and receive the Holy Ghost.
L-264 Come, lady. Do you believe me to be His prophet? You believe that Jesus Christ the Son of God Who lives and
you believe it's He's permitting this to happen like this? Do you believe that?
How many have we had? See, I don't want to get too deep. All right. No, it's not... And you're not here for yourself.
You're here for somebody else, and that somebody else isn't here. If I'll tell you what's the matter with that somebody
else, will you accept their healing and take and believe. It's a cancer. You believe that they'll be healed? Then go in the
Name of the Lord Jesus may they be healed...?...
You believe all of you? You believe that's the working of the Holy Spirit? Isn't He wonderful? Are you believing? All
right. Now, how many have we had? Usually two--two or three is a confirmation...?... What say? Four? Is this the fifth
one standing here? All right. Let's--let's us believe with all our heart that Jesus Christ, the Son of God, is the same
yesterday, today, and forever.
L-265 You're here for that baby. If God will reveal to me what's wrong with your baby, will you believe that God will
heal it? The little fellow has a serious heart trouble. That is right. The baby--you're not... The baby's not from here. It's
from out of town. It's out of state. You believe God can tell me where the baby come from? Will you believe and
believe it'll get well then? Take it back to Franklin, Kentucky...?... If you'll believe, that's all you have to do...?... Let
him come here, just a minute. I condemn that...?... thing, in the Name of Jesus Christ, may death leave and life come to
the baby...?... They shall lay their hands on the sick; they shall recover.
Want to go eat? Can He make it feel better? Go ahead. That's...?... [Mark 16:18]
L-266 Believe that female trouble's going to leave you? All right. Go to your seat and say, "Thank You, Lord."
How do you do, sir. Oh, that devil, asthma. Just a moment; just a moment now. Something went wrong. Something
didn't go wrong, that Light... Now, there's something in here similar that caught that man just at that time. Let me see
again what it was. Now, just look at me. Don't speak it.
It's a colored man setting right back here looking at me. It's his--he's--he's got someone that's sick. That's right.
Asthmatic and sinus... That's right. You touched Him. You're not from here, sir. You come from the east northeast this
way. You come from New York. That's right. You're Mr. Hunt. Do you believe now?...?... All right. That's your friend
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