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1-1 Just remain standing,
if you will, while we bow our heads for a word of prayer.
Dear heavenly Father, we are grateful tonight for this, another opportunity
to come and present this glorious, marvelous Gospel of Jesus Christ. We thank
Thee because that He still remains the same yesterday, today, and forever. We
thank Thee for these people who have gathered out here in the time of this cold
weather and still with their anticipations great, looking, believing that something
extraordinary is going to be given us from God. We come with that hope, Lord,
to every meeting. We thank Thee for the services night before last at the tabernacle.
Thank Thee for the service here last evening and for the service today at the
tabernacle. We're looking forward now what You will have for us tonight.
Father, we know that anyone that's able to move their hands could turn back
the pages of the Bible, but there's only One Who can make It live and be real,
and that's You. Father, we're looking for You to do that tonight.
Bless us in every way. Our hearts are so full of joy as we see the time approaching
when we're going to meet Him face to face, the One that we've loved and lived
for all these years. Many new converts, Lord, has been made. Understanding that
a great host, forty or fifty, is to be baptized in Your Name in the morning
from the service last night. O God, please continue, we pray, until every predestinated
seed of God has seen the Gospel Light and come into the fold.
We ask You to hide us tonight behind the Word; blind us to the things of the
world and let us see Jesus. May there be a Mount Transfiguration experience
among us tonight that we see no man save Jesus only. We ask it in His Name,
and for His glory, and a-vindication of His Gospel. Amen. May be seated.
1-5 I'm just going to
turn this mike, or this desk, just slightly sideways, if it's all right, so
that I can see both sides of the audience. I guess I can get these microphones
around here right. All right, just a moment.
We are greeting from the main auditorium here tonight, our friends in Arizona,
California, Texas, and across the United States by the way of telephone. This--this
is going nationwide (this service tonight) by the way of telephone. So we trust
that God will bless us.
Can you hear back over to the--in the auditorium to the left? All right, they're
going to check now the telephone system to see if it's working all right.
2-3 Everybody happy tonight? See? Well, that's fine. On this side? Amen. I'm so glad to see that you're all seated comfortably. And now, tomorrow night if the--the crowds keep increasing, they'll also be telephone direct; there is tonight; I think some of them's down there at the Tabernacle. And tomorrow morning the services cannot be had at the Tabernacle, because the--there'll be a florist there decorating the church for a wedding tomorrow afternoon. And they have transferred the--the services in the morning up to Brother Ruddell's church (one of our associates) and up on the--the highway here: 62. Has it been announced? It's been announced. And if it overflows up there, we'll take the rest and send another minister down to Brother Junior Jackson's down in Clarksville. The reason we had it at Brother Ruddell's, it's close here and we can--and we thought you could find that easier. And then we'll take care of it in some way, and be sure to get all those baptisms in for tomorrow, and I hope there'll be another hundred or two added to those for baptism tomorrow.
2-4 And now, tomorrow night... I never like to announce anything you speak on ahead of time, but one night in the service, or one day, I want to speak on the subject of "Who is This Melchisedec?" because it's a--a subject that I think we're living in the time when these revelations of which has been the question down through the age of, "Who is this Fellow?" And I believe that God has the answer Who He was. Some said a priesthood; some said a king; some... But there's got... As long as there's a question, there's got to be an answer to that question which is right. Cannot be a question without first being an answer.
2-5 Now, we trusting
that God will give us a blessing tonight out of His Word as we read It.
And you've had... Billy told me to tell you that you've sure had fine cooperation
with the peoples here that's been in the parking system, the police and everything.
Keep it up; that's very, very good.
We hope to see the time (maybe in the near future) when maybe we could bring
the tent here to the city and put it up out here in the ball park where we could
stay for some length of time, maybe for three or four weeks' revival, constantly.
But here, we just barely get to know each other, and then we have to say good-bye
and we go again. But I'd like to come and stay an extensive trip, one time where
you could stay so you don't have to close out in a night or two, but just stay
and teach day and night, day and night, on and on. Maybe somebody go home and
feed the chickens, milk the cows, and come back next week and continue on with
the service. I--I like that. So the Lord be with you.
3-3 Now, before I leave,
perhaps Sunday morning or Sunday night, or sometime (one of these services),
I know you're all waiting to hear the message on the truth about marriage and
divorce, which is one of the great problems of the day. And I... Just as sure
as I'm standing here, I believe that the correct answer is in the Word of God,
and I believe that that's what I promised to come back for.
I suppose, knowingly... As far as I know, I want to have another service here
in Jeffersonville on Easter Sunday, and we'll--for sunrise service and then
Easter Sunday; so we'll announce it ahead and try maybe to get the auditorium,
if possible, or somewhere, for Sunday--maybe come Saturday and Sunday. Have
to fly in and back out, because it's near the time... I have to check it first
with the schedule I have and one of my--my--my itinerary in California. And
then immediately after that, I've got to go down into--to Africa. So keep in
touch and pray for us.
3-5 Now, tonight I want
to call your attention to a portion of God's Word found in the 4th chapter of
St. Luke--the 4th chapter and the 16th verse it will begin, Jesus speaking.
Now, Jesus had returned to--to Nazareth where He was brought up. On down in the
Scriptures here we find that they said, "We heard you did such and such over in
Capernaum; now let us see you do it here in your own country."
Jesus said, "A--a prophet is not without honor except in his own country." And
of course, that's where you're brought up at and where people know you. And there
He had a--a bad name to begin with by Him being born without an earthly father.
They called Him a illegitimate child--that Mary was actually pregnant before she
married officially, Joseph. But that isn't so; we know it isn't so.
4-3 And on this Scripture,
what caused me to fall my eyes upon this was of something that happened just
recently in Phoenix, Arizona. It was the last day of the service that I was
to speak at the international convention of the Full Gospel Business Men, and
in this convention there was a visitor with us which was a Catholic bishop,
which is, he's of the Chaldean Rites of the Apostolic Catholic church, the Most
Reverend John S. Stanley, O. S. D. He is the Archbishop of Metropolitan United
States in the Catholic church. This happened to be his card and his--and his
address.
And he was a visitor with the Christian Business Men, and I had seen him there
the day before. And when I was speaking on Saturday night, I believe it was,
or Saturday morning at the breakfast, and I--as I was speaking he kept watching
me. I thought "That man certainly is disagreeing with everything I say." And,
you know, you could--you could just see him; he'd keep his head up and down,
but I didn't know what was just exactly working on him.
4-5 So on Sunday afternoon
when I got up to speak, I was going to take my text on "Birth Pains," where
Jesus said that as a woman in travail with a child, she's travailing in birth.
And so I was going to speak from there as "Birth Pains" (the subject), saying
that the world is in birth pains now. The old has to be done away with so the
new can be born; just like a--a seed has to rot away in order to give new life.
And how the pains, birth pains, struck the world in World War I. She had a terrific
pain, because they had poison gas and so forth that almost could destroy the
world. And in World War II she struck another harder pain; they had blockbusters
and also an atomic bomb. She cannot stand another labor pain. With these missiles
and things today, one more war will throw her out into space, for she will now
be delivered, and there'll be a new earth. The Bible said there will be.
Under every prophet's message Israel got a birth pain, because that these prophets
would come on the scene after the theologians and clergymen would have the church
all in a organization form. And when them prophets come on the scene with THUS
SAITH THE LORD, they shook them churches and she had a birth pain. Finally she
had birth pains plumb on up until she delivered a Son of the Gospel which was
the Word Itself made flesh.
5-2 So the church really
is in birth pains tonight again for the deliverance of the Son--Son of God to
come again. All of our theologians, all of our systems, all of our denominations
has rotted right out from under us. So we are in birth pains. And a Message
from God always throws the church in heavier pains. But after while she's going
to be delivered of a bride that'll bring forth Jesus Christ to His Bride.
And then, thinking this man had disagreed with me so much, when I raised up
to speak this message, I turned in my Bible to find the page, and my wife had
just given me a new Bible for Christmas. My old Bible was about fifteen years
old, and the thing was just about tore to pieces. The pages, every time I'd
open it up, would fly out of it and--but I knowed just where to find every Scripture.
So I'd studied close in that Bible, and I'd just picked up the new one because
the other one looked so ragged to go to church with.
5-4 And when I started
to turn over in St. John where the Scripture was found, I started to read the
16th chapter, and the verse that I was looking for wasn't there. So I thought,
"Strange." I turned back again; still it wasn't there. And Brother Jack Moore
from Shreveport, Louisiana, a bosom friend of mine, he was setting there. I
said, "Brother Jack, isn't that found in St. John 16?"
He said, "Yes."
And this Catholic priest got up out of his seat, from about a hundred clergymen
setting on the platform, walked over close to me, with all of his robes and
gowns and crosses and so forth, and got right up close to me; and he said, "My
son, be steady. God is fixing to move."
And I thought, "A Catholic bishop telling me that."
He said, "Read it out of my Book."
And I read the Scripture out of his Book, and took my text and went on, preached
my sermon.
Afterwards, when I got through, he got up after I was gone and said, "There's
one thing that has to happen. After that, the church has to get out of the mess
that it's in, or we have to get out of the mess the church is in." So one or
the other.
6-3 And I was on my
road home (back down to Tucson) that evening, and the kids was crying for a
sandwich, and I stopped to get a sandwich at a little stand. And my wife said,
"Bill, I never was so nervous in all my life to see you standing up there fumbling
through that Bible." Said, "Didn't it make you nervous?"
I said, "Nope." I said, "I knowed it was in there somewhere; they just didn't
have the page in. It's a misprint."
And she said, "To think that I got you that Bible. It looked like every eye
in there was right upon me."
And I said, "Well, you couldn't help that. That was a misprint in the Bible."
I said, "They just never put the page in."
Well, I got down and looked at it again. Just perfectly as it could be, but
the 16th chapter, ends portion--the portion of it just about three inches from
the bottom, over at the 17th chapter, on the other side does the same thing;
and being a new Bible, those two pages had perfectly stuck together, and I was
reading from the 17th chapter in the stead of the 16th.
"Well," I said, "that's all fine. It's for some cause."
6-5 And just as plain
as you could hear any voice, a Voice come to me and said, "He entered into Nazareth
to where He was brought up at and went into the synagogue as it was His custom.
And the priest gave Him the Scriptures to read, and He read Isaiah 61. And when
He had read the Scriptures, He set down, handed the priest back the Bible, the
Book, and set down. And all the eyes of the congregation was upon Him, and precious
words proceeded from His mouth and He said, 'This day this Scripture is fulfilled.'"
"This day this Scripture is fulfilled." How accurate is the Scripture. If you'll
notice this, in Isaiah 61:1-2 is where our Lord was reading from: Isaiah 61:1-2.
But in the middle of the second verse of Isaiah 61, He stopped where it said,
"The Spirit of the Lord is upon Me to preach the acceptable year." Then He stopped.
Why? The other part, to bring judgment, it didn't apply to His first coming,
but His second coming. See, it didn't apply there; how the Scriptures never
make a mistake. They're always perfect. Jesus stopped just where the Scripture
stopped, 'cause that was exactly what was to be vindicated in His day.
7-2 Now, and that first
coming... The second coming He will bring judgment upon the earth, but not then.
He was to preach the acceptable year.
Notice, the Messiah standing in the platform to identify Himself with the Word
of promise for that age. How strange--the Messiah standing up before the church.
And look at these precious words, when He says here, "To preach the acceptable
year..."
The acceptable year, as we all know as Bible readers, was the year of Jubilee,
that when all slaves and prisoners, as they were--been taken prisoners, and
they had to give a son to pay a debt, or a daughter to pay a debt, and they
were in bondage. No matter how long they'd been in bondage or how long they
was supposed to stay there, when the year come of the Jubilee, when the trumpet
sounded, every man could go free if he wanted to go free. You're free; you was
no more a slave.
But if you desired to remain a slave, then you had to be taken down to the temple,
stood by the temple post, and they took a awl and bored a hole in your ear.
And then you had to serve that slave master the rest of your days.
7-6 What a perfect example
it is of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. When It's preached, the acceptable time
and the time of Jubilee, anybody, no matter who you are, what color you are,
what denomination you belong to, how far you've stooped in sin, or what's wrong
with you, you can go free when you hear the--God's Gospel trumpet sound out.
You are free. But if you turn your back upon the Message and refuse to hear
It, notice, you were bored in the ear with an awl. That means to say, that you
have crossed the line between grace and judgment and you will never hear the
Gospel again. You'll never get any further; you must be a slave to the system
you're in the rest of your days, if you refuse to hear the acceptable year.
Now, the other part of it, as I said, didn't need to be answered, because this
coming Messiah, a time now, is when He will bring judgment.
8-2 Now, how could those
people ever fail to see Who He was? How did they ever miss it? How could it
be when it was so plainly made known and showed? How could they ever miss seeing
when He... What a Word. Think of it. "This day is this Scripture fulfilled before
your eyes."
Who said it? God Himself, Who is the Interpreter of His own Word. "This day
is this Scripture fulfilled." The Messiah, Himself, standing in the presence
of the congregation and reading a word out of the Bible pertaining to Himself,
and then saying, "Today this Scripture is fulfilled," and they still failed
to see It.
What a tragedy that that would be, but it's happened. It's happened many times.
How could it happen? Of course, like it did in other times, by believing man's
interpretation of the Word. That's what caused it. Those believers in them days
(so-called believers) was taking the interpretation of what the priest had said
about the Scripture. Therefore Jesus, not belonging to any of their ranks or
their societies, He was excommunicated from their company. And therefore, they
could not identify Him with them, because He was different from them. The Person
of Jesus Christ was so unique that no one should've missed seeing that that
was the Son of God, because He was a perfect identification of the Scripture
that was wrote of Him. That's the way any Christian is known: when his life
identifies the very things that the Christian's supposed to do.
9-1 How He could stand
there and say, "This day this Scripture is fulfilled right before your eyes"...
How outstanding. How so plainly, and yet those people misunderstood. Why? Is
because they took the interpretation of some order of priests that they were
listening to. And history always repeats itself, and Scripture has a compound
meaning to It and a compound revelation.
For instance, like it says in the Bible that "Out of Egypt I call My Son (referring
to Jesus)." Run the margin on that and you find out it also referred to Jacob:
same Scripture. Jesus was His greater Son. Jacob was His son that He called
out of Egypt, which the Scofield reference and all other references give to
it, because that's the Scripture it was referring to, so it had a--a double
answer. It had a answer to Jacob called out and to Jesus called out.
And so is it today. Is because that we're in such a turmoil as we are, and people
fail to see the Truth of God, is because there's too many manmade interpretations
of God's Word. God don't need nobody to interpret His Word. He is His own Interpreter.
9-4 God said in the
beginning, "Let there be light," and there was light. That doesn't need an interpretation.
He said, "A virgin shall conceive," and she did. That doesn't need any interpretation.
When--God's interpretation of His Word is when He vindicates and proves It to
be so. That's His interpretation, by making it come to pass. That's where God's
interpretation is, is when He makes His Word come to pass; He's interpreting
It to you.
Like if there'd never been light and He said, "Let there be light," and there
was; that don't need anybody to interpret. But we get manmade systems mixed
into it. And when you do, you--you get it out of line. It's always been that
way.
9-7 But I still think of how striking it must've been. Think of it. The Messiah. Why did they fail to see Him? Because their very leaders that ought to have knowed Him, that ought to have been versed in the Scriptures, that ought to have been understanding of the Scriptures, they belittled this Man and said, "He's an illegitimate child of--to begin with." We wouldn't believe that. Years later we don't believe that; we would die for the purpose to say that He was a virgin born Son. And it'll come to pass someday that the very things that we see Jehovah doing today, men in the ages to come, if there is, will die for the thing that we're talking about today. You'll have to do it when the mark of the beast comes on, and they're not allowed to preach the Gospel this way.
10-1 When the great
union of churches comes together, which is in order right now for the world
church, you'll have to seal your testimony with your own life to this. You must
believe it now. If those priests could rise up that condemned Him, would not
condemn Him.
But you say, "If I'd have been there, I would've done so-and-so."
Well, that wasn't in your age, but this is your age. This is the time.
You say, "Well, if He was here..."
The Bible says He's the same yesterday, today, and forever the same; so He is
here. But He's here... As the world has civilized and become greater and educated
more, He's here in the Spirit form, which they cannot kill or put to death.
He died once; He cannot die again. He had to be made flesh in order for God
to be put to death in the flesh for sin. But this time He can never die; It's
the Holy Spirit.
10-3 Now, how to think
that they had them things against Him. Another thing, that He would not join
any of their ranks. Then you see, that still made Him a bad person. He wouldn't
join their--their organizations, wouldn't join their priesthood, and He wouldn't
have nothing to do with it. And then besides all that, He tried to tear down
what they built up.
He went into the temple. We call Him a meek Man; He was, but many times we misunderstand
what meekness is. He was a Man of compassion, but yet we fail sometime to understand
what compassions is. Not human sympathy isn't compassion, but compassion is
doing the will of God. He passed through the pool of Bethesda, the gate; there
laid people, multitudes of them. Multitudes is no certain number, but there
laid multitudes: lame, blind, halt, withered. And He had compassion on the people
always, and He went to one person that was not lame, blind, halt, nor withered.
Maybe had a prostate trouble; maybe he had some little infirmity that was retarded;
he had it thirty-eight years. It wasn't going to bother him, wasn't going to
kill him. He was lying on a pallet.
And He said, "Wilt thou be made whole?"
And the man said, "I have nobody to put me in the water, but while I'm coming,
well, someone steps down ahead of me."
See, he could walk; he could see; he could get around, but he was just feeble.
And Jesus said to him, "Rise up. Take up your bed and go to your house." And
Jesus was questioned on that. For you remember the Scripture said this...
11-1 No wonder. If He'd
come to Jeffersonville tonight and make a act like that, they'd still talk about
Him. But remember, He came to do one thing: was the will of God. Now, that's
found in St. John 5:19; you'll get the answer. He said, "Verily, verily I say
unto you, the Son can do nothing in Himself but what He sees the Father doing,
that doeth the Son."
Now, they ought to have knowed that that was the very vindication of the prophecy
of Moses: "For the Lord your God shall raise up a prophet likened unto Me."
Did you notice when He seen the man He said... Jesus knew that he'd been in
this condition for many years. See, being a Prophet, He saw that man in that
condition, and went down there, and waved--waded His way around through those
people, mincing through the crowd until He found that certain man. Passed by
the lame, halt, blind, and withered, yet a Man full of compassion, but compassion
is doing the will of God.
11-4 Now, we find Him,
as He would not join up with them; He would not have nothing to do in their
ranks; then He was an outcast. He would not have any... Besides that He went
into the temple one day. A man went in there and found the house of God just
about contaminated as it is today. They were buying, selling, changing money,
and He turned over the money tables took ropes and plaited them and beat the
moneychangers out of the temple and looked upon them with anger. And said, "It's
written (Hallelujah.), My Father's house is a house of prayer and you've made
it a den of thieves. And you with your tradition has made the commandments of
God of non-effect."
Oh, could a bunch like that ever believe in Him? No, sir. They had been so hog-wallowed
in the muck of societies and filth of the day until they were so ecclesiastical
froze up until they couldn't feel the vibrations of the power of Almighty God.
No wonder the little woman could touch His garment and get healed by it, and
a drunken soldier could spit in His face and feel no virtue. Depends on how
you approach It; depends on what you're looking for. When you go to church it
depends on what you're looking for.
12-2 Now, we see Him
standing there. No doubt but what the people had already warned Him--warned--the
priest had warned the people, "Now, he's coming over here next Sabbath, and
when he does, don't you listen to him. Now, you might go and sit here, but don't
pay no attention to what he says, because he don't belong to our group. He's
an outcast. He has no fellowship card; he don't even have an organ--a organization
paper with him. He doesn't have nothing like that."
"What is he?"
"Some renegade boy that was born down here of illegitimate birth by--in a carpenter's
home, that a mother conceived him before they were married, and they're trying
to hide the thing up with some supernatural thing. We know that when the Messiah
cometh He'll come down the corridors of heaven and go to our high priest and
say, 'Here I am, Caiaphas.'"
But we find out that He didn't do it that way, because it wasn't written in
the Word that way. It was a manmade tradition that caused them to believe that.
The Word said that He would come just the way He come. And there He stood, reading
the Word and saying to them, "This day this Scripture is fulfilled in your eyes,"
and still they fail to see Him or recognize Him, like He did in all other ages.
12-5 Noah could've said
the same thing the day that he entered into the ark and the door closed. Moses
could've raised that window in the top of the ark, looked out upon the congregation
(Remember, God closed the door.) and he could've said, "This day this Scripture
is fulfilled in your eyes." But was too late for them then. He had preached
a hundred and twenty years to try to get them into that boat that he had built,
telling them that the Scripture said THUS SAITH THE LORD it's going to rain.
But they waited too long. But Noah could've easily said that: "Today, this day,
the Scripture is fulfilled."
Moses, the same day that the Pillar of Fire come down on Mount Sinai and give
witness to his testimony, Moses could've said, "This day this Scripture is fulfilled."
Moses, you know, was a called man of God, a prophet. And while he was being
called, being a prophet, he had to have a supernatural experience in order to
be a prophet. He had to meet God face to face and talk with Him. And another
thing, what he said had to come to pass or no one would've believed him. So
no man has a right to call himself thus, until he's talked face to face with
God on a back side of a desert somewhere, where he met God Himself. And all
the atheists in the world could not explain it away from him; he was there,
and he know it happened. Every Christian should have that experience before
they say anything about being a Christian: your own experience.
13-3 I talked to my
nephew awhile ago, a little Catholic boy, that said, "Uncle Bill, I've run from
pillar to post, going everywhere trying to find something." Night after night,
before this meeting started, he's been crying, and at nighttime he's been dreaming
dreams of coming in, running up to the altar (where preaching) and making a
confession that he's been wrong.
I said, "Melvin, no matter where you try to go, how many churches you join,
how many 'Hail Mary's' you say, or how many blessings you get from men, you've
got to be borned again of the Spirit of God. It's the only thing that'll satisfy
the human heart."
I--I know they've got a substitute today of being borned again, just shake hands
with the preacher and put your name on the book. But, friends, that is a dogma.
It's not a Bible Truth. If it would, the Acts of the Apostles in the 2nd chapter
would have to read like this: "When the day of Pentecost was fully come, the
pastor walked out and shook hands with the people."
But said: "When the day of Pentecost was fully come (at the inauguration of
the church), there came a sound from heaven like a rushing, mighty wind, and
it filled all the house where they were setting."
That's how the Holy Spirit come the first time; that's how It's come every time
since that time. He's God and changes not.
14-2 Now, it stumbles
people. They say, "That was for another day." Well, He's the same yesterday,
today, and forever. Every time the church ever received the Holy Ghost, It's
always come like He did the first time, under the same prescription: Acts 2:38,
never has changed; never will change.
Like a doctor's prescription for a disease, he'll write out a prescription for
a disease (the doctor does), and take it to some quack druggist, and he puts
too much of the antidote in it, it's so weak it won't do you any good. He puts
too much of the poison in it, it'll kill you. It's got to be wrote just according
to the doctor. And the doctor's prescription on how to receive the Holy Ghost
is given to us by Dr. Simon Peter on the day of Pentecost.
I'll give you a prescription: "Repent every one of you and be baptized in the
Name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and you shall receive the gift
of the Holy Ghost, for the prescription is to them that's far off and even as
many as the Lord our God shall call.": the eternal prescription.
14-5 Moses had had this
experience. He went down into the country and he begin to tell the people, "I
met a Pillar of Fire. It was in a burning bush, and He told me to tell you,
"I AM THAT I AM. 'Go down; I'll be with you. Take up the stick in your hand
and hold it up over Egypt; whatever you ask, it'll be done.'"
Well, probably some priest said, "Nonsense."
But when they seen the real facts of this take--come to pass, they couldn't
hold it any longer. They knowed he was sent of God.
Then if Moses said he saw that and testified to it to be the truth, then God's
obligated, if that is the truth, to identify and vindicate that man's word the
truth. That's true.
If Jesus Christ stood there and read that day, "This day is this Word fulfilled
before you," God's obligated to make that Word come to pass.
We stand here tonight and say that Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today,
and forever. God's obligated to prove that to be so, because It's His Word.
Now, what does it do? It takes faith and believing Him, takes faith and believing
His Word that It is the Truth.
15-2 Notice what come
to pass when Moses brought the children out and all those that followed him.
Those who did not follow stayed in Egypt, but those who followed Moses, when
they come out of the Red Sea and got out into the wilderness, God came down
upon Mount Sinai. That Pillar of Fire set the whole mountain on fire and a Voice
spoke out of there, and God gave the Ten Commandments. Moses could've walked
up there before the people and say, "This day this Scripture that I have told
you as His prophet comes to pass. This day, I've told you that God met me up
there in a burning bush in a Pillar of Fire, and He said, 'This all... This
will be sign. You'll bring the people right back to this place here again.'
And there is God in the same Pillar of Fire I told you He was in, hanging right
yonder on the mountain. This day this prophecy is fulfilled. Here He is to vindicate
that the things that I've said is the Truth"
God give us more men like that, that's honest and sincere and tell the Truth,
that God Almighty could vindicate that His Word is still Truth. He remains the
same yesterday, today, and ever. Why wouldn't He do it? He promised to do it.
15-4 Joshua might've
said the same, the day that he come back to Kadesh-Barnea where they had journeyed
so far in the wilderness. They were doubting the land being the kind of land
that God said it would be, but God told them it was a good land; it was flowing
with milk and honey. And Joshua and Caleb was the only two that would believe
it out of the other ten that left. When they come back they had the evidence;
they had a bunch of grapes that two strong men could only carry.
Joshua and Caleb could've stood right there and said, "This day this Scripture
is fulfilled. Here's the evidence that it is a good land." Sure. Why? "There's
the evidence that it's a good land. Where'd you ever get such things as that
in Egypt?" There was no such places. "But this day this Scripture is fulfilled."
He could've said the thing--same when he prophesied and said the walls of Jericho
would fall down after they'd marched around seven times--seven days, seven times
a day. And when they marched around that last time, the walls fell down. Joshua
could've stood up and said, "This day, the Chief Captain of the host of the
Lord that told me weeks ago that it would happen like this, this day this Scripture
is fulfilled. There laid the walls flat on the ground. Come on. Let's go take
it; it belongs to us."
This day this Scripture is fulfilled. How wonderful, men of God has stood for
the things that's right.
16-2 Israel, at the
river when they'd possessed the land, went over. How they going to do it? It's
the month of April; the floods are coming down, because the snow is melting
up in Judaea. Oh, what a poor general it seemed like that God was to bring His
people there in the month of April when the Jordan was higher backed than it
ever was.
Sometimes... I might could stop here if I had time to give you just a little
tip. Sometimes you may be setting out there with cancer; you might be setting
with a disease. You think, "Why, me being a Christian would be in this a-way?
Why would I be setting like this if I'm a Christian?"
Sometimes God lets the things get so dark that you can't see up, around, or
anywhere else, and then He comes and makes a way through it for you, that you
might say, "This day this Scripture is being fulfilled, that He promised to
do."
16-5 He let the Hebrew
children walk right into the fiery furnace. They said, "Our God is able to deliver
us from this fiery furnace, but nevertheless, we'll not bow down to your image."
When they walked out of there with the smell of the furnace upon them--no smell
of the furnace, rather, upon them, they could've said, "This day is this Scripture
fulfilled."
When Daniel come from the lions' den, he could've said the same thing.
John the Baptist, after four hundred years of ecclesiastical teaching... No
wonder that church was in a mess at that time. When he appeared in the wilderness,
the Jordan, he could've stood right there on the bank, as he did, and say, "This
day this Scripture (Isaiah 40) is fulfilled."
17-1 How I could stop
here and tell you what that old priest told me. He said, "Son, you never finished
that message."
I said, "Keep still."
He said, "You mean them Pentecostals don't see that?"
I said, "No."
He said, "I see it." And a Catholic priest too. He said, "Why didn't you go
on?"
I said, "Keep still."
He said, "Glory to God, I see it."
And about that time the Holy Ghost fell on his sister setting out there in the
meeting, and she raised up speaking in unknown tongues and gave the interpretation
of the very thing that the priest and I were talking about on the platform.
The whole church, the whole place went into a roar. Carried on over into Oral
Robert's convention last week, or week before last, and was the talk of the
convention. How that that priest setting under... The Holy Spirit revealed out
there through a woman (his sister, I believe it was) of what was taking place
up there on the platform and revealed that thing that we were hiding.
The hour that we're living, this day this Scripture is fulfilled. This day the
evening lights have come, and we fail to see it.
17-4 Notice, John said,
"This day, I am the voice of one crying in the wilderness, as said the prophet
Isaiah. Prepare the way for the Lord."
They didn't understand him; said, "Oh, you're Jesus?"--"you're the Christ,"
rather.
He said, "I am not the Christ." He said, "I'm not worthy to loose His shoes."
But he said, "He's standing among you somewhere." For he was sure that He would
be there. He'd be in his day 'cause God told him he was to introduce the Messiah.
One day a young Man come walking down through there, and he seen a--like a Light
over the top of Him (a Sign), and he cried out, "Behold, the Lamb of God. This
day is this Scripture is fulfilled before you."
18-1 Sure, at the day
of Pentecost, how Peter stood up and quoted the Scripture of Joel 2:38, when
they was all laughing, those people. They couldn't talk in their own language;
they was jabbering off something else. The Bible said, "Cloven tongues." "Cloven"
is a "parted tongue," not saying nothing, just a jabbering, running around like
a bunch of drunk people.
And they all said, "Well these people are drunk; look at them. Look how they're
acting, how them women and men... They're disorderly," said that religious group
of that day.
Peter stood up in the midst of them, said, "Men and brethren, you that dwell
in Jerusalem and you that dwell in Judaea, let it be known unto you that these
are not drunk as you suppose, seeing it's the third hour of the day, but this
is that which was spoke of by the prophet Joel: 'And it'll come to pass in the
last days, I'll pour out My Spirit upon all flesh.' This day this Scripture
was fulfilled." Certainly.
18-4 Luther was right
on time. Wesley was right on time. Pentecost was right on time. Nothing out
of the order.
Now, I ask you to consider the age and time we now live in with the promised
Word for today. If back in other ages men could say, "This day this Scripture...
This day this Scripture..." then what about the Scripture for this day? What's
promised for this day? Where are we standing? What hour are we living, when
the clock is beating, the scientific clock, three minutes before midnight?
World has got the jitters; the church is in a bed of corruption. There's nobody
knows where they're standing. What time of day is it? What about the Scripture
for this day?
18-7 The conditions
of the church--the conditions of the church today... In the world, politics,
our world system is just as rotten as it can be. I'm not a politician; I'm a
Christian, but I ain't got no business talking about politics, but I just want
to say they're rotten on both sides.
I voted once; that was for Christ. I got to win. The devil voted against me,
and Christ voted for me. Depends on which way I cast my vote. I'm glad I cast
it on Him. Let the world say what they want to; I still believe that He's the
same yesterday, today, and forever. He'll prove it. He certainly will. Certainly.
The increase in crime, juvenile delinquency... Look at our nation, once the
flower of the earth. Our great democracy was born back there and--the Declaration
of Independence--and the Declaration of Independence was signed, and we had
a democracy, and our great forefathers and the things that they done. We had
a great nation; but she is now rottening and crumbling and shaking and giving
away, and trying to tax people to get money to send over yonder to buy friendship
with our enemies. They're throwing it back in our face. One world war, two world
wars, and still moving on to a third one. Certainly. Politics is rotten, corrupted,
rotten to the bottom, just exactly what Matthew 24 said it would be: "Nation
would be against nation, kingdom against kingdom." All these things would take
place. Let's consider this now.
19-2 All right. Notice
another: the increase in scientific research. Now, one time just a... My grandfather
went to see my grandmother in a ox cart. Now, it's a jet plane or even a--a
orbit into the--into the outer space. It's great. How... Who said this? Daniel
12:4 said knowledge shall increase in the last days. We see the hour we're living.
Notice now the--the conditions of the world, the condition of science. And notice
again today in our educational system; now don't try to deny this; I've got
the newspaper clippings: teaching sex in our church--in our schools of young
students to have sexual affairs with one another to see if they can mate in
the world. Yes, sir.
How about in our priesthood? Tonight I got a piece out of the paper over in
Los Angeles, California, of where a bunch of clergymen (Baptist and Presbyterian
ministers) brought a bunch of homosexuals in and practiced homosexual, saying
they was trying to win them to God, when that's one of the curses of the hour:
a Sodomite. And the law even arrested them.
19-5 Now, where are
we at? Our whole system has rottened out from under us. I seen the increase
of homosexual across the United States has increased twenty or thirty percent
over last year. Think of that: men living with men, just exactly like they did
in Sodom.
Increase in crime, juvenile delinquency, what hour are we living? This day this
Word of prophecy is fulfilled.
The religious world, the church itself, the church, the called out church (that
we call the called out church), the last church age, the Pentecostal church
age, where is it? It's in Laodicea as the Scripture said.
Today they've let down the bars. Their women are half-dressed; their men are...
It's a horrible thing. Some of them married three or four times, on deacon boards
and everything else. They've let down and brought in corruption, because they've
set in councils and took the place with the world. And today they got better
buildings than they ever had. Some place one of them is building a fifty million
dollar auditorium: fifty million dollar: Pentecostals that used to be down on
the corner twenty-five years ago beating a tambourine. Said, "We... because..."
The Scripture said in Revelations 3 that you are rich. Said, "I'm rich; I set
as a queen; I have need of nothing." "And knowest thou not that thou are wretched,
miserable, poor, naked, blind, and don't know it." This day this Scripture is
fulfilled in your eyes. Amen.
"Amen" means "so be it." I'm not amening myself, but I mean I believe it's the
truth. This day this Scripture is fulfilled.
20-3 The Pentecostal
church is in a Laodicean condition. Oh, they still jump and holler and carry
on when the music's beating. When the music stops beating, or the beatnik music
some of them play and call it a Christianity, and whenever that stops, all the
glory's gone.
If it's a real praise of God, there isn't enough whistles and enough the power
in the world to stop it. When it really comes from God, it don't take music
to be beat up; it takes the Spirit of God to come down, that does it. And they've
long forgot it, because they classed the gift of the Holy Ghost, initial evidence
of speaking in tongues; and I heard devils and witches speak in tongues.
The Holy Ghost is the Word of God in you that identifies Itself by accepting
that Word. Outside of that it can't be the Holy Ghost. If it says it's the Holy
Spirit and denies one word of that Bible, it cannot be the Holy Spirit. That's
the evidence whether you believe it or not.
20-6 Notice another
great sign. the Jews are in their homeland, their own nation, their own money,
a member of the United Nations; they got their own army; they got everything.
They're in their homeland which Jesus said, "Learn a parable of the fig tree."
There they are, right back in their nation. This day this Scripture's fulfilled.
The Jews in their homeland, this day this Scripture is fulfilled. The Laodicea
church age, this day this Scripture (Matthew 24) is fulfilled. The world is
in corruption (the whole thing), nations against nations, earthquakes in divers
places, great whirlwinds coming down, shaking the nations and so forth, great
disasters everywhere: this day this Scripture is fulfilled.
21-2 Now, we found out
the condition of the world. We see where the church nominal--normal--organization,
denominations, we see where they are. We see where the nations are. And we see
that this day these promises is fulfilled. Now. But in this day there is to
come a super, Royal Seed of Abraham. That's exactly what it'd be, would be a
Royal Bride to the Royal promised Son. As I spoke last night, it won't be a
natural seed; it'll be a spiritual Seed. There's to be a spiritual Bride raise
up, which will be the royal Seed of the royal faith of Abraham's Royal Son.
She is to come on the scene in the last days, and the time and the place is
a promise that's given to Her. According to Malachi 4 (a Scripture) there is
to rise a Message that will shake the hearts of the people right back to the
apostolic fathers again.
There is to rise one on the scene in the power of Elijah, that'll rise on the
scene; a wilderness man that'll come out and will have a Message that'll come
right straight back to the Word again. That's the hour that we're living in.
21-4 Then consider.
Now, I ask you at this hour, you people here at Jeffersonville, in 1933 the
supernatural Light that fell down yonder on the river that day when I was baptizing
five hundred in the Name of Jesus Christ (I was about a twenty year old boy.),
what did It say, Jeffersonville? What was it at the foot of Spring Street there,
when the "Courier Journal" (I think it was the "Louisville Herald") packed the
article, and it went plumb across the Associated Press, plumb into Canada. Dr.
Lee Vayle cut it out of the paper way up in Canada in 1933.
When I was baptizing my seventeenth person under this Witness (and you know
the rest of the story), and when I was standing there baptizing that seventeenth
person, a Light come down from heaven, a shining down above there like a star
falling from heaven. A Voice said, "As John the Baptist was sent to forerun
the first coming of Christ, your Message shall forerun His second coming into
all the world." This day this Scripture is fulfilled. Thank You, Lord.
22-1 This day... God
promised it. What happened? This day It's went around the world. And when God
came down there and said that (when I was a little boy) in a burning bush or
a bush up yonder on fire with a Pillar of Fire--up here at Wathen's place on
the Utica Pike, packing water back there from that barn to a moonshine still.
You know the truth of it.
He said, "Don't you never smoke, or drink, or defile your body, for there's
a work for you to do when you get older."
I testify to that being the truth that I saw it. And God, as He did with Moses,
spoke out before the congregation down yonder and said, "This is the truth."
This day this Scripture is fulfilled in the midst of us.
Watch what He said about the discernment and how it would be, from laying hands
upon them to knowing the secret of the heart. This day this Scripture is fulfilled
before our very eyes. These promises that was made.
22-4 Notice, all these
promises have been vindicated and fulfilled by the God of the promise. Look,
hanging in Washington, D.C. tonight, the picture of the Angel of the Lord. As
George J. Lacy, the head of the F.B.I. fingerprint and document for the United
States Government, examined it from Houston, Texas, and said, "This is the only
supernatural Being that was ever photographed in all the world." He ought to
know; he's the best that's in the world for it.
Notice, there It hangs as the Truth, the same Pillar of Fire that led Israel
back yonder in the wilderness. We seeing It again today, the same kind of a
message of "Come up out of Egypt...?..." This day this Scripture is fulfilled.
You know the Message that He said.
22-6 Look at the vision
of Tucson three years ago. When standing up there on the lane, when five years
before that He said, "The day that the city drives a stake down in front of
that gate, turn yourself towards the west." My tabernacle folks that's here
knows that that's prop--at that time. That's right.
And the day that Mr. Goyne and them was up there and drove that stake down,
I said to the wife, "There's something about this."
She said, "What is it?"
And I went in and looked in my little book; there it was. And that next morning
at ten o'clock, setting in there in my room there about ten o'clock, the Angel
of the Lord came down and He said, "Go to Tucson. You'll be northeast of Tucson
and there'll come seven Angels in a cluster that will shake the whole earth
around you." And said, "It'll be told you from there."
How many remembers that here, way before it happened? There's men setting right
here in this building tonight was standing right there when it happened, and
said the Seven Seals of the hidden mysteries of the entire Bible would be open
and fulfill Revelations 10, that in the seventh angel's Message these things
should come to pass. This day this Scripture is fulfilled before our eyes. This
day this Scripture is fulfilled.
23-4 Last year standing
in the same place (Mr. Wood here and I), going up the hill in the--kind of mourning
about his wife being sick, the Holy Spirit said, "Pick up a rock laying there;
throw it up in the air; when it comes down say, 'THUS SAITH THE LORD, there'll
be judgment strike the earth. Tell him that he will see the hand of God in the
next few hours.'"
I told Mr. Wood (that's present tonight) and I guess eight or ten of the men--or
fifteen that was there at that time, when it took place the next morning, where
the Lord came down in a whirlwind and ripped the mountain out around us, and
cut the tops of the trees loose, and made three blasts and said, "Judgment is
heading towards the west coast."
Two days after that Alaska almost sunk beneath the earth. And since then up
and down the coast the belches of God's judgment against that spiritual screen.
23-7 There is a iron
curtain; there is a bamboo curtain, and there is a sin curtain. Civilization's
travel with the sun; so has the Gospel. They come from the east and went west
like the sun goes, and now it's on the west coast. It can't go no further; if
it goes further, it'll be back east again.
The prophet said, "There will come a day that cannot be called night or day,"
a dismal day, a lot of rain and fog, just enough how to know how to join a church
or put your name on a book. But it shall be Light about the evening time. This
day this Scripture is fulfilled.
The same--the same s-u-n that rises in the east is the same s-u-n that sets
in the west. And the same S-o-n of God that come in the east and vindicated
Himself as God manifested in the flesh is the same S-o-n of God in the western
hemisphere here, that's identifying Himself among the church tonight, the same
yesterday, today, and forever. The evening Light of the Son has come. This day
this Scripture is fulfilled before us.
24-3 Where are we at in this Abrahamic age? Where are we in this great time we're standing, the great hour that we're living? All the visions has been fulfilled. How about when a little minister friend of ours here, associate sister church (Junior Jackson), come running up to us one night (me down there) and said, "I had a--a dream, Brother Branham, that's bothering me. I seen all the brethren gathered upon a hill." And said, "Upon this hill you were teaching us out of letters that was wrote, looked like in some letters that time had carved out in the rock. When you finished that--all of that was finished, you told us, said, 'Come close,' and we all gathered up." Said, "You reached from somewhere and looked like got, like a crowbar and whipped the top of this little pyramid open. And when it did," said, "granite rock with no writing on it. And you told us to look in upon this. And you all--we all started looking." Said, "I turned my head, and I noticed you going towards the west just as hard as you could, towards the setting of the sun." How many remembers it?
24-4 And I stood there
a little bit till the Holy Spirit revealed it. I said, "The entire Bible, as
much as has been revealed to men through justification, sanctification, the
baptism of the Holy Ghost, the baptism in Jesus' Name, and all these things
has been revealed, but there is secrets that's hid inside, because the Bible's
sealed with Seven Seals. I must go there to find it."
That morning when those seven Angels come down and blasted the earth and rocks
flew every way, seven Angels stood there and said, "Return back to Jeffersonville
from where you come from, for the Seven Seals of the seven mysteries will be
opened."
Here we are today, we're understanding serpent's seed; in a few days, if God
willing, we'll understand the correctness of marriage and divorce and all these
things that God's opened, every Seal, the mysteries, since the foundation of
the world, and we've been--enjoy the Presence of His blessings. That is true.
This day this Scripture...
25-3 The "Life" magazine
packed an article of it, "Mystic circle of light goes up in the air above Tucson
and Phoenix" in the same way that I told you nearly a year before it happened,
how it would be in a--like a triangle. The picture hangs in the church down
there. You that took that magazine has it. There it was just exactly. They said
it was twenty-seven miles high and thirty miles across. They don't understand
yet what happened. It appeared mysteriously and went away mysteriously.
And Brother Fred Sothmann, Brother Gene Norman, and I stand there, three as
a witness, like it was up on top of the mountain: Peter, James, and John to
give witness; stood there and watched it when it happened and seen it done.
There it is, hanging in the sky so far there's no humidity, no moisture, nothing
to make a--a fog. How could it come there? It was the Angels of God returning
back after their Message. This day that prophecy has been fulfilled in our midst.
This day this Scripture has been fulfilled.
Watch. Seven Seals has been opened, the whirlwinds to the west coast. Now, don't
miss it like they did back yonder. Now, our attention a little closer to our
day.
25-6 What does the Scripture
say about today and about the time we live in? Jesus speaking... I won't have
time to take them all, but I want to take this one 'fore we close. Jesus said
in St. Luke the 17th chapter, the 30th verse, Jesus Christ, the Word Himself
(Do you believe that?)--Jesus Christ, the Word Himself made flesh, spoke and
said what the Word would be in the end time, what would be the sign of the end
of the world. He told them nation would rise against nation, but He said, "As
it was in the days of Sodom, so shall it be in the day when the Son of man is
being revealed."
Now, when Jesus came to the earth, He came in the name of three Sons: Son of
man (which is a prophet), Son of God, and Son of David. Now, He lived here on
earth; He never did say He was the Son of God. He said, "I'm the Son of man."
Jehovah Himself called Ezekiel in the prophets "son of man," because He had
to come to fulfill Scripture as a prophet. Moses said, "The Lord your God shall
raise up a Prophet likened unto me." That's the reason He could not be the Son
of God there, because He was the Son of man. He... The Word came to the prophets
and He was the Word in Its Fullness: Son of man, the major Prophet, not the
major Prophet, but the God Prophet. The Fullness of the Godhead bodily was in
Him; therefore, He was the Son of man.
Now, for two thousand years He's been known to us as Son of God, Spirit. And
in the millennium He'll be Son of David upon the throne. We all know that, who
believe the Scriptures.
26-3 Now, Jesus said
just at the end of this church age that we're living in, that the Son of man
would be revealed again in the same manner it was as it was at Sodom. Watch
how historically He gave it. He said, "As it was in the days (first) of Noah,
how they were eating, drinking, marrying, and giving in marriage." Then He brought
next to last to the Son of man at Sodom, 'cause there He was dealing with Jews.
Here at Sodom He's dealing with Gentiles. There He drowned them all by water
in judgment. Here is the Gentiles; He burnt them all at the day at Sodom. That's
right; the Gentile world burnt there.
And so will it be when the Son of man reveals. It's not no more water, but it'll
be fire this time. Jesus read from the same Genesis 23 that we read from, when
He read about Sodom.
26-5 Now, we admit the
conditions that's spoke of--of--the world condition of Sodom, Sodomites, Sodom
condition. We every one will say, "Amen" to that; we believe that. All right,
and the spiritual condition of Laodicea, the church natural, we'll say, "Amen"
to that, and accept their signs. We know that every sign is there: the church
is in Laodicea; we know that. We know the world is in a Sodom condition. Is
that right? We'll accept that. But what about the sign of Abraham, the one waiting
for the promised son? That was another one. Remember, they had a Sodom back
there; they had their messenger. And Abraham had a Messenger to him. Abraham
was waiting day by day for a--almost an impossible thing to happen: Sarah, ninety
and him, a hundred. According to the promise of God he was still waiting. In
the midst of all criticism he was waiting for that son. So is the true believer
still waiting for that promised Son to return.
Notice, just before the son arrived, there was a sign given him. Is not the
sign of the coming Son to be revealed to the Royal Seed of Abraham that's waiting
for the Royal Son, as same as it was to father Abraham for the natural son?
That right? Jesus said so here in St. Luke 17:30; before this time come, that
the Son of man would be revealed like He did in the days of Sodom, before the
destruction of Sodom. Now, we're looking for a sign.
27-2 Now, let's take
the...?... conditions of time as it was in Sodom. Notice, that all went out
in Sodomite, the world. I think one of the movie directors put on a picture
not long ago, and I got to see it; that was Sodom. If you ever see it and there's
nothing else on but that, take a look at it. It was certainly a good picture
of the United States today--Hollywood, just exactly, the same kind of dressing
and everything else that they did right then, big drunken sprees and everything
else--a religious cult of people, so-called religious.
Notice, and Sodom had a witness. And it was a fellow by the name of Lot, which
was just a nephew to--to Abraham. Now, Abraham did not go down in Sodom. He
and his group--he had a big group with him, enough to fight off about a dozen
kings and their army; so he had a big group with him. And he was setting out
there under an oak tree one day when everything was going wrong for him; nobody
had anything to do with him, but he was still holding on to that promise.
Watch now, closely, before we close. While he was setting there, down come three
Men walking to him. Two of Them went down into Sodom and preached the Gospel
to them that come out--to Lot. Is that right? But One stayed with Abraham. Notice,
the One that stayed with Abraham was God Himself; the other two were Angel messengers.
28-1 Now, down in Sodom
they done no miracles, only smiting them the blind; and preaching the Gospel
always smites them blind.
Now, look at the set of that day. There is a church natural. Always in threes
(as I said last night) God is represented. There was Sodomites, the Lotites,
and the Abrahamites. It's in the same position tonight, the world's setting
just like that.
Let me ask you something. Look at this setting now. Abraham called this Man
that talked to him, Elohim. The Hebrew word "Elohim" means "the all-sufficient
One, the One that's the Eternal One, Elohim, God Himself.
In the beginning... Genesis 1 said, "In the beginning, God..." Take the Hebrew
word there-the Greek word rather, "In the beginning Elohim created heavens and
earth."
28-4 Here He is, Genesis,
about 22 here... He said...?... Begin at--or about the 20... He said... And
he called this Man's name Elohim. Why did he do it? God represented in a human
flesh, that set down with Abraham and eat a calf sandwich, drinking some milk,
and eat some bread (God Himself) and disappeared right before Abraham. But He
give him a sign. Notice, and that sign was that He had His back turned to the
tent. And remember, Abraham, his name was Abram a few days before that, and
Sarah was Sarra before that--S-a-r-r-a, then S-a-r-a-h and A-b-r-a-m to A-b-r-a-h-a-m.
"Abraham" means "father of nations."
Now, watch real close here, and we'll see the setting of the hour that we're
now living, as Jesus told us to look for this setting. We've seen all the rest
of it right; now let's see to the Royal Seed, what setting they're supposed
to see.
Now, this Man said, "Abraham, where is your wife, Sarah?"
And Abraham said, "She's in the tent behind You."
Now, He'd never seen her. How did He know that his name was Abraham? How did
He know her name was S-a-r-a-h? "Abraham, where is your wife, Sarah?"
Said, "She's in the tent behind You."
And He said, "I ('I,' a personal pronoun)--I am going to visit you according
to the promise. Your wife's going to have that baby. You've trusted Me now;
I'm going to make it come to pass."
29-1 And Sarah in the
tent behind (eavesdropping, or eardropping, ever what you call it), listening
through the tent, she said--laughed up her sleeve and she said, "Now, me, an
old woman like I am, have pleasure with my lord and him old too, out there a
hundred years old. Why, this hasn't happened for many, many years."
And the Man, M-a-n, setting there eating, in human flesh, drinking and eating
like an ordinary man with dust on His clothes, and had dust on His feet, and
Abraham washed it off: God Himself, looked around and He said, "Why did Sarah
laugh back in the tent, saying this?" He knew, could discern the thoughts of
Sarah in the tent behind Him. Is that right?
Now, when the Royal Seed of Abraham come on the earth, what sign did He show?
(Son of man.) Simon came up to Him one day. Andrew brought him. He said, "Your
name is Simon; you're the son of Jonas." He said... See, that made a believer
out of him.
29-4 Philip went over
and got Nathanael; come back and said, "Come see a Man Who we have--we've found:
Jesus of Nazareth, Son of Joseph."
He said, "Now, wait a minute. Could anything good come out of that fanaticism?"
He said, "Come see."
So when Philip come up in the Presence of Jesus with Nathanael, Jesus looked
over at him and 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, Thou art the Son of God. You're the King of Israel."
29-5 When the little
woman at the well, in her immoral conditions, come up (a little panoramic something
like this) to draw some water, Jesus had sent His disciples away to get vittles.
And when she come up to draw water, He said, "Bring Me a drink, woman."
She said, "It's not customary for You to say that. We have segregation here.
Now, you Jews have nothing to do with us Samaritans; we have nothing to do with
you."
He said, "But woman, if you knew Who you were talking to, you'd ask Me for a
drink. I'd give you waters you don't come here to draw."
He found where her condition was, what it was. He said, "Go get your husband
and come here."
She said, "I don't have any husband."
He said, "You've said the truth. You've had five, and the one you're living
with now is not yours."
She said, "Sir, I perceive that Thou art a prophet. We know when the Messiah
cometh He'll show us these things."
Jesus said, "I am He."
On that she run into the city and said, "Come see a Man Whose told me the things
I've done. Isn't this the very Messiah?"
30-2 Watch, He did that
before the Jews and the Samaritans, but never the Gentiles. The Gentiles, we
people were heathens in them days (the other nations), packed a club on our
back, worshipping idols; we wasn't looking for no Messiah. He only appears to
those who's looking for Him, and we're supposed to be looking for Him. But those
who claim to be looking for Him, the church itself, when they seen that done,
they said, "He's a devil; he's a fortuneteller, a Beelzebub."
And Jesus said that sin would be forgiven them because He hadn't died yet, but
said someday the Holy Ghost will come and do the same thing, and to speak one
word against It will never be forgiven. That's this day, where every word has
to hang together. Speak a word against It, it'll never be forgiven in this world
or the world to come.
30-4 That was the Royal
Seed of Abraham. And here that Royal Seed of Abraham (which come because of
that identification of that Man setting there with Abraham) come to prove it
was the same God promised that in this day, as it was in the days of Sodom,
so shall it be in the coming of the Son of man, when He is revealing Himself
as Son of man. Amen. This is the day for the Scripture to be fulfilled.
Look at the setting we are today. Look at the church where the Son of God...
Look at the dismal day; look at all the prophecies. Now, a strange thing--our
visitors are due then, if the setting has to be like at Sodom.
There were three of Them come along--three outstanding Men sent from heaven;
we'll admit that--three of them; One stayed with Abraham. They all started there,
but One stayed with Abraham; the rest of them went down in Sodom. Is that right?
And Abraham had a changed name, from Abram to Abraham. True? Not one time has
the history--church of the world ever had an evangelist to go to it with a name
ending in h-a-m till this day--Billy G-r-a-h-a-m. Is that right? G-r-a-h-a-m,
six letters. A-b-r-a-h-a-m is seven letters, but G-r-a-h-a-m is six letters,
which is the world: man. See?
31-3 Look what's went
out there today is them messengers from heaven. Is there a man on earth that's
got repentance so preached so plainly as Billy Graham? Has there been a man
that has had an effect upon the people like Billy Graham? Never has there been
internationally a man. Oh, Billy Sunday and so forth was here in the United
States, but Billy Graham's knowed worldwide. See where's he's calling? Out of
Sodom. And he's got his accompanying party there with the Pentecostal church:
an Oral Roberts.
But what about the elect group? What kind of a sign are they supposed to see?
What are they supposed to have? Hallelujah. "It shall be Light in the evening
time." This day this Scripture is fulfilled. This day God's promise is fulfilled.
We know that to be the truth. He's here tonight as He was then.
31-5 Now, to preach
it... As I said awhile ago, if you preach anything and it's the Gospel Truth,
then God's obligated to vindicate that. Is that true? Now, if that be so, let
the God that wrote the Word, let the God that made the prophecy, let the God
Who is God of the Word come forth and prove that He's still God.
As Elijah went up on the mountain watching--Elisha went watching Elijah, he
said, "I want a double portion." And the mantle that was on Elijah fell upon
Elisha. He walked down and doubled that blanket up and struck the river and
said, "Where is the God of Elijah?" And the same thing that happened for Elijah,
happened for Elisha. And the same Gospel, the same power, the same son of man
that was yesterday, is today, and will be forever: Hebrews 13:8. You believe
it?
32-1 Now, I ask you.
I cannot be Him, but He is here. We are only a carrier. Some of you people out
there that's sick and afflicted (that you know that I don't know you, let God
now, if I can humble myself enough...), you pray and ask God.
I don't guess... There isn't a prayer card in the building, is there? No, I
don't... We never give out any prayer cards. We're going to have prayer meeting--or
healing of the sick at the church. But you pray, and you know that I'm a total
stranger to you. See? You know me, Jeffersonville. I don't want people from
Jeffersonville to do that; I want people from away from here somewhere. See
if God still reveals. See if He's still the same yesterday, today, and forever.
Do like the little woman did. He passed through and she said, "I believe this
Man." She had a blood issue and she said, "If I could touch the border of His
garment, I believe I'll be made whole." Is that right? Because of her faith,
that day the Scripture was fulfilled. He bind up the heart of the broken heart,
healed the sick and the lame. When she touched His garment and walked out and
set down, He turned around and said, "Who touched Me?"
How'd He ever know in that great throng of people (probably thirty times what's
here tonight, thousands of them), how did He know it? He said, "Who touched
Me?" He didn't say that just to be saying, He said that because it was true.
And He said, "Who touched Me?" And directly, He looked around and seen the little
woman (where she was setting or standing, whatever position she was in), told
her her blood issue was over. That was Jesus yesterday; that's Him today. You
believe that?
32-5 I don't know you; God does. But you got pains in your side that's bothering you. That's right. You're setting there praying about it. Am I a stranger to you? We're stranger to one another; stand up if it is. I don't know you. It's this man right here on the corner, this young fellow. You also got a bad throat. That's right. You're praying about that; you're all nervous about something. You're going to have to leave the meeting, because you're a minister. You got some engagements you got to take care of. That is right. You believe God knows who you are? Reverend Mr. Smith, now you can go and be healed; Jesus Christ made you whole. Go on to your meeting; your throat won't bother you. Who did he touch?
33-1 There's a man setting
right back here; he's suffering. He's got a tumor on his left lung. He doesn't--he
isn't from here. You have been a mine worker. That is right. I'm a total stranger
to you; if that's right, shake your hand. The tumor's in your left lung, and
you're up for an operation right away. That's right? Uh-huh. You're not from
here; you're from out of town. You're from Virginia. That's right. You believe
God knows who you are? Mr. Mitchell (That's right.), go home and be well. Jesus
Christ makes you whole. Ask the man; never seen him in my life. He was setting
there praying. This day this Scripture...
Here's a lady setting right back here behind me, as Sarah was in the tent. She's
praying for a daughter. Stand up. The daughter's not here; she's away. The daughter
has... You're the same as it was when a woman come to Jesus who had a woman
that was variously vexed by the devil. The woman is--girl is demon possessed.
She's not here; she is from--you're from North Carolina. You believe that, and
that's the Truth isn't it? Mrs. Orders, you can go home. If you'll believe with
all your heart, you'll find your daughter like found when Jesus Christ in the
days gone by, said it would be.
33-3 This day this Scripture,
the sign of Sodom, the sign of the Super-Seed, the sign of the natural church,
this day this Scripture is fulfilled in your midst. Do you believe it? Will
you accept Him right now as your Saviour and Healer? Stand up to your feet every
one of you and say, "I accept my healing; I accept Him as my Saviour; I accept
Him as my King." Each one stand to your feet.
This day... Listen, friends. He read the Scripture, handed the Bible back to
the priest, and said all the eyes of the people were fastened upon Him. And
He looked upon them and said, "This day this Scripture is fulfilled."
I've read the Scripture, with a dozen or more evidences that we're living in
the last day, the generation that would see Jesus Christ return to the earth.
And I say to you tonight again, this day this Scripture is fulfilled in your
sight.
You in Tucson, you in California, you in New York, on these telephone hook-ups,
this day this Scripture is fulfilled in your sight. Let us be glad and make
merry, for the marriage of the Lamb is at hand, and her Bride--His Bride has
made Herself ready.
Let's raise our hands and give Him glory, all ye people. God bless you.