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To Take On The Whole Armor Of God (62-0701)
| To Take On The Whole Armor Of God (62-0701) |
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E-1
Thank you, Brother Borders. And let's bow our hearts just a moment now
for a word of prayer. Heavenly Father, as down through these many
years, that song, I've heard it call me to the platform around the
world, all kinds of languages. I thank You, Lord, that all things are
possible. We can think of seeing the disciples at the bottom of the
mountain completely defeated, after You had given them power to heal
the sick, and raise the dead, and cast out devils. And there they was
totally, completely, defeated on an epileptic case.
E-2
And we can see, as the wind gives a little puff and His hair blows; He
said, "I can, if you believe. For all things are possible to them that
believe." Father, it's true yet today, that all things are possible
when all doubts can be put away, and faith can take its place. And may
we somehow today, by the power of Almighty God, be able to do that: put
away every shadow of doubt and let all things that's--be possible to us.
E-3
There lays here today many handkerchiefs. laying on the platform on
this pulpit. I pray, Father, that You'll bless each one of them. They
represent sick people, afflicted. And I pray that the Holy Spirit
that's present now will bless these handkerchiefs for their intended
purpose. You watched every one, Lord. You put it upon their heart to
lay them up on here. You knowed what they had need of, and I thank You
for them people having that much confidence, Lord. E-4 I have--I'm short of words when it comes to saying how I appreciate this time of fellowship here at Santa Maria. I am very grateful to this group of ministers that has sponsored this program. And I appreciate them, in knowing that in their different organizations and things they have... To have me here they stuck their neck way out, leaned backwards to do things like that, because I've been accused of an organization fighter, and that is not the truth. It's far from the truth. I have nothing against any organization, not at all. But the system of organization I don't believe in. I--I believe in the men that's in those organizations. E-5 For instance, if I seen you going down a swift river in a little boat, and I knowed that boat was going to drop out here after while, and it couldn't stand those riffles, I'd be an unjust person... I would be a--an enemy to you to let you float right through them riffles, and not warn you to get out of that boat. See? It isn't--it isn't I got any thing against you; it's the boat you're in. That's the thing. You see? I--I love you. I'm--I'm trying to help you. And these men know that, and they--and they stuck their necks (as we say) way out and leaned backwards to have me here. And I will... Keeping the message just as simple as I possibly could, little dramas and so forth, and to try to be a blessing to you all.
E-6
And I'm sure in leaving here, I'm taking a blessing from being with
you. It's been a great thrill to my heart to see that there is still
people on the earth, even after the revival is over, that's still
trying to press on for the Kingdom of God. I appreciate men of that
caliber, and I--and you people. (I suppose all the debts was made,
everything?) All expenses was made. You had to sponsor that. You had to
pay for it. Wish I could've just paid for it myself, but I--I can't do
that. I can't afford it; I haven't got money like that. And I... The
reason I can come to small meetings, as I have explained...
E-7
Well, the Lord always knows what He's doing. He knowed--He knowed not
to put me in nothing like that. It'd drive me crazy. See? I--I couldn't
do it. I just haven't got the mental powers to do it, and... But He did
let me have people who love me, and I--and I try to take what little I
have got to put my part into the Kingdom. E-8 Well, with my little part, I'm trying my part to put with theirs to push you up towards Father, and I don't have to have nothing but just the--the expense, the meeting, the people. I would have it in churches. Used to do it until it got so pathetic, in cold countries and hot, and people standing around the churches, the little sick children to be prayed for, and wives, and be disappointed. So then we got to letting them rent auditoriums and just let the people pay for it. That's took up. That's all of it. It settles it.
E-9
And I'm--I'm very grateful for men of big caliber that has great
meetings and so forth. I'm very thankful for those men. Here some time
ago I stood by Brother Roberts, one of the most successful one in that
line and in the--out on the field today, I guess, is Brother Oral
Roberts, fine Christian brother. And I'd just been over to Brother
Tommy Osborn. And both of those brothers came into the ministry by
coming to one of our meetings when we first started. And then I--I...
E-10
And I went over to Oral's then, and went through that great millions of
dollar building, how they imported, and the ceiling all woven with
aluminum wires, and oh, I felt unclean to walk on the floors of--of the
place, and the great offices, and see five or six hundred IBM machines
running. And mail's not even touched with human hands. See? Just come
in there, and go through machinery, come through opened up, went down
through conveyers, and through this and out, and gone like that, never
touched by human hands. E-11 Then they put... There was some of my friends waiting outside on the front. Then the big gang gathered up there, and I couldn't go out the front way. They had to take me out the back way. And I went out; two policemen come in and taken me out. I went into the parking lot around on the other side, and I was standing there looking. No windows in the thing, just some kind of an indirect lighting. How perfect. You see them take a coffee break there, and just hundreds and hundreds and hundreds. And I think, "What a tribute to a faith of one man, one little Oklahoma boy, that God would grant such a thing." I thought, "God, I thank You for that."
E-12
I looked over there to a little old brother, Tommy Osborn. I thought of
him, of how that he was down there--up here at Salem that night, or
Portland it was, Oregon, when that maniac run to the platform and
challenged me. Maybe people here was there when that happened. Was
going to kill me right there on the platform. And I was speaking on
faith. He said, "Tonight I'll break every bone in your body, you snake
in the grass," and spit on me.
E-13
And Tommy and them seen that. He went home and nailed hisself up in a
room, waited three or four days, then come home up to Indiana, run
around the car, a little, nervous fellow. He said, "Brother Branham, do
you think God's give me a gift of healing?"
E-14
I stood there and looked around. I felt about that big, standing there
before that great big building, looking around. I thought, "My."
E-15
So I thought that sounded--made me feel good. I guess He just did that
to encourage me, because I felt so like I hadn't done nothing when I
stood and looked at them, what God had done for those brothers.
E-16
Amazing, a little boy, little bitty lad, didn't look over twelve years
old (I don't see him here), had a little usher band on his arm, come up
just now, and knocked on the window. I was setting there reading a
Scripture. I'd been studying on a Scripture to preach on this
afternoon, and I--I was looking through to be sure that I had the
Scripture at the right place. And I'd had a few wrote down here, and
I--I was checking them over. And this little boy come up, said,
"Brother Branham, can I take your picture?"
E-17
And now there may not be, the... I don't know who takes care of these
armory, whether it's the--the officer of the day, or whether it's
the... who it is; or--or whether it's a committee, or... Whoever it is,
I want to thank them for this precious time that they have given us,
and this army building here. E-18 So I remember I wanted to wear a uniform so bad, I... A fellow had a Boy Scout suit, and I told him, "When you wear it out, will you give it to me?" And he said he would. And finally two or three years passed, and I kept asking about that suit. And he tried to find it, and he didn't find nothing but one legging. And I took that, and I wore that, that one legging. I'd stand up to the blackboard at school to write, and I'd put that legging on the right leg, so I could stand this way, you know, and write sideways. Everybody thought I had on two, you know. I just had the one. So it was a uniform. But I was always kind of little, and...
E-19
You know, after all I--I did get a uniform. You might not see it on the
outside, but it's on the inside as... I'm going to speak on that just
in a few minutes. And I hope that I can live so it will show on the
outside, is my prayer.
E-20
Paul here is speaking, is talking about preparing a soldier for battle.
The Gospel has many leans. You can liken it unto one thing or another.
And Paul speaks of it as a runner in Hebrews the 12th chapter. "Seeing
that we are compassed about with such a great cloud of witnesses, let
us lay aside every weight, and the sins that easily beset us." He's
speaking there of the Olympics, or perhaps the Roman Circus. And so now
he's speaking of armored men going into battle and how he's got to
prepare himself.
E-21
And no nation would dare to send a man on the battlefield untrained. He
might not only get himself killed but another group. He doesn't know
how to take a hold, and so he must be prepared for it. And the nations
are wise to that. They get their men ready.
E-22
And you know why? Is because the whole world is controlled by Satan.
Every kingdom in the world is ruled by Satan. We hate to think that,
but that's the Scripture. You know, the enemy taken our Lord up into a
high exceeding mountain, exceedingly high, and showed Him all the
kingdoms of the world, and said, "They are all mine. I'm the ruler of
them. I do with them whatever I want to, and I'll give them to you."
E-23
Now, you see, Satan can do with them whatever he wishes to. Now, if
these nations were controlled by God, we'd have no war. There would be
no more conflict. There would be... God's. But Satan is the ruler of
every kingdom. He rules the world. But someday...
E-24
As David said, "When the deep calls to the deep..." Now, before there
can be a deep to--calling on the inside, there has to be a deep to
respond to that call. In other words, I've often made this kind of a
statement in saying this, quoting this Scripture: before there could be
a flower to grow in the earth, there had to be an earth first, before
there was a flower to grow in the earth. E-25 And now, we all are looking for a place where there's no death, where there's no sickness. Look at us. As little boys and little girls it was--our main object was win some marbles, or spin tops, or play dolls. Then we had to go to school. Then when we... Next thing was which woman would we choose, or which man, for our life's companion? Then the family come on. They--they--the family has to be educated; the home has to be paid for. And time that's done, we're finished too. Our hair has turned gray and slipped out, and we're--our face is towards the setting of the sun. See?
E-26
But we're longing for that something inside of us, that's saying
there--that there is somewhere... What is it? It goes to show that that
place is somewhere. Here you are setting here this afternoon. I
looked--passed by a lady. The Holy Spirit just said, "Turn around." She
was setting there in a wheelchair with her hand up. What's she doing
here? Here sets a beautiful young woman setting here, crippled up;
maybe a man setting here, arthritis; maybe one with heart trouble.
E-27
But sometimes when a person's crippled, they think that's the end of
it. Oh, no, no. Just watch. I--I know what it is, but I'm watching to
see what He tells me to do. See? I can only speak as He speaks. But you
see, they're--they're thirsting, hungering for somewhere. Something
tells them that there's a power somewhere that can liberate them. Well,
just as sure as that's in your heart, thinking that, there's got to be
a fountain somewhere of healing. See, see?
E-28
Now, we're longing for somewhere there's no death, no sorrow, no
heartaches, no old age. That land is somewhere. And we'll never be able
to achieve it by guns, and fighting, and so forth, of the natural
carnal weapon. But there is a land that we can go to, and it's a battle
to get there.
E-29
And in our achievement here in--in the nation, of trying to look around
to find out what's taking place, the spies of the other nations here,
spying out on us... We have spies over there spying out on us. They're
watching to see what kind of a new weapon that will come up. And then
they have--take that back to their own country, and find something to
counteract that weapon, that'll beat it, get a little better.
E-30
I heard him say, "War was declared, mother. You hear all those
whistles?" Dad was about twenty-three or twenty-four years old then. He
said, "I may have to go."
E-31
And we are a army. The Christian church is an army of God. We are
soldiers, soldiers of the cross. And it is the business of every nation
to see that their soldiers has the best that there is. Nothing...
E-32
Now, they had muskets in them days, knives. That's the best they had.
Any nation... They had the best we could give them. And today look at
the difference in our army today than there was then.
E-33
See, a word is a thought expressed. And when God thinks anythings in
His mind, and then when He expresses it, it's eternal. Because no man
is any better than his word, and God is eternal, and His Word is
eternal with Him, because it's part of Him. And you are part of your
own word, and God is part of His own Word. E-34 So when God... The first battle that was ever fought was not fought on the earth; it was fought in heaven, Michael and his Angels against Lucifer. And they were kicked out of heaven. And then that great army of the devil and all of his imps fell upon the earth, and God knowed there was going to be a battle. I believe He knowed from the very beginning everything that would ever be. If God's infinite, He knowed every flea that would be on the earth, every gnat, how many times it would bat its eye, and how much tallow they'd all make together. He's infinite.
E-35
So the infinite God's going to choose for His army the best weapon that
could be given. And He chose it, and it was His Word. God gave His army
the best equipment that it could ever use, and ever could use, and
would never have to be changed. And He's never changed it since. You
don't improve it; it remains the same all the time. It's God's Word
that He fortified His people with.
E-36
Now, the enemy knowed as long as the human race stayed with that Word,
he'd never be able to touch them. (Now, I'm beginning to feel religious
right now.) As long as the human race stayed with the Word... God
fortified His family on the earth, His army, in the fort of His Word.
That is our Fortress. "The Name of the Lord is a mighty tower. The
righteous run into it and are safe." They're fortified. E-37 Now, the enemy, to try to get a spy in there, to try to get in there some way, he had to get some kind of a tactic to work his way in. That's the way spies work their way into this nation, is some kind of a tactic to get through the--the consuls and so forth. They had to have a way to work theirself in here. Communism had to do the same thing. E-38 While we're thinking about communism, let me give you a little word. This is going to sound strange for a preacher, but don't you never fear anything about communism. It ain't nothing. I want any minister, or any Scriptural leader, to ever show me in the Bible where communism will rule the world. Romanism's going to rule the world, according to the Bible. You watch that. Don't you think about communism. It's just a puppet in the hands of God to fulfill His will. Exactly what He said. He uses that. But don't you never worry about communism. It's Romanism, the Bible says.
E-39
There's three curtains. As I leave you this afternoon, I leave this
with you. Remember, there's three curtains. One of them's called the
iron curtain, one of them the bamboo curtain (China and so forth,
eastern). And then there's a purple curtain. Don't fear the bamboo
curtain or the iron curtain; but be careful of that purple one. Better
be careful. The antichrist shall be so close to deceive the very
elected...
E-40
Now, notice. Satan tried to get in there to spy out, to see what--how
he could get a hold of that human race, and he took one of the most
famous tactics that... Well, it showed that he had to be a supernatural
power to think of it. And he used this the first time and was
successful, and he's done it ever since, and still successful to a
certain estate. He used reasoning against faith.
E-41
They try to reason: "Why would we need the Holy Ghost today? Why would
we need Divine healing? Why would we need this, and how would we need
another Pentecost? We're all civilized." They were too.
E-42
When Jesus of Nazareth was here on earth He never used His power; yet
He was God manifested in flesh. He never used His power when Satan come
against Him. He said, "It's written." What did... He had to do that,
because Eve broke down on that. And what Eve lost, Christ regained.
Where Eve let down, Christ fortified again. "It is written: man shall
not live by bread alone. It is written, thou shalt not tempt the Lord
thy God." It is written, it is written. What is it? He stayed with the
original artillery. But Eve let down. She begin to listening to reason.
E-43
Please don't get me wrong now. A man comes to a place he wants to
be--wants religion. He wants to be saved; he doesn't want to go to
hell. No human being wants to go to that place. It wasn't made for the
human being; it was made for the devil and his angels; wasn't made for
human beings.
E-44
Notice, these people, how that Satan made it so appealing. And sin is
appealing. I know I haven't got too long on this text, but I'd like
just to take my time for a few minutes. Let's stop on that just for a
moment. We could be here in the morning on the same subject, but let's
just watch.
E-45
I--I'd better bypass that, 'cause I promised I wasn't going to get into
them things again. See? But how it is, that was his first tool. He's
bringing it right back again in the last days. Sisters, don't get mixed
up in that stuff. Stay away from it.
E-46
Look at the bull and the cow. Look at the elk, the male and female.
Look at anything that you want to look at, and you'll always find that
the male is the prettiest, besides the human race. And the male is
ugly, and the female is pretty. That's right. If you see a male that's
a little pretty thing, you just remember; there's a misplaced cell
somewhere.
E-47
Notice. So that they would be one, both soul and body, He took a rib
from his side, and made a woman. See? A woman is not in the original
creation; she's a byproduct of the man. See? Today in America she's
boss, god, and everything else. She'll twist down the street and send
more souls to hell than all the bootleg joints you could place between
here and Los Angeles. That's right.
E-48
It's appealing. Now, he makes it again... He makes it educational,
intellectual. Did not the Holy Ghost tell us in II Timothy, 3rd
chapter, that in the last days it would become an intellectual group in
the church? "Heady, high-minded, lovers of pleasure more than lovers of
God, truce breakers, false accusers, incontinent, and despisers of
those that are good?"
E-49
Makes it appealing, rich, glitter... Oh, everything's a glittering with
Hollywood, the swag-hole of the earth. And used to be that we went to
Paris to get model conditions for our women, and now Paris comes here
to take them from us. I preached here some time ago on "The Invasion of
the United States," and overthrow of the American government. You ought
to heard it.
E-50
But Satan makes it appealing. Certainly. It's appealing. Sin's
appealing. But the enemy keeps finding a better bait. He will strip her
off a little more, and do this, and do that. And don't worry, he will
never make her completely naked. She'd be horrible then. See, he knows
just what to do. But Satan keeps bringing sin in. And that was the
original sin. That's the way he's going out: with the same thing as the
kingdom come in, the warfare.
E-51
I haven't got my purse, but did you ever notice on the back of an
American dollar? Over on one side it's got the American seal, an eagle
with the arrows in his claws: American seal. But in the other corner
that faces you, I believe the right-hand corner, he's got a pyramid.
And he's got wrote under there, "The Great Seal."
E-52
Now, I've been to Egypt, and in those pyramids... How I could take all
afternoon. Now, I don't believe in doctrines of pyramids. I'm only
making a parable. But as you notice that pyramid, it never did receive
the stone. Enoch built that--that pyramid or in his days. They can't
figure it out.
E-53
Watch. What does the zodiac start off with? The Virgin. What does it
end with? Leo the lion: the first coming of Christ, and the second
coming of Christ. And we're now in the crossed fishes, which is the
cancer age: perfect. Watch the--the tower here, the pyramid. The first
is way wide; next it become more in the minority; then up close again;
and then the headstone come.
E-54
Why, it's so... Them rocks laying up there of hundreds of tons, laying
up there, it's so close together without mortar that you can't run a
razor blade between them. And when the Headstone comes, Christ comes to
His temple, it'll have to fit perfect like the rest of it. And the
ministry of the Pentecostal church will have to get so perfect till
it'll fit right in with the same ministry that He had here, which will
take the whole thing in the rapture, being the church. Right.
E-55
Oh, first it was the Spoken Word out yonder. Now, here It is; you could
touch it; It's made flesh. And then when the enemy still come in like a
flood, He poured the Word into the person, being the form of the Holy
Ghost. There's your one, two, three again: justification,
sanctification, baptism of the Holy Ghost, Like Father, Son, and Holy
Ghost, and so forth, in perfection.
E-56
Now, as it was in the days of Noah, there was giants in the land, you
know. And so, Satan also has his intellectual giants in the land.
That's right. Oh, my. D.D.D.D., Ph., double L, Oh, my, my, my,
intellectual giants... Oh, they know all the words, all the grammar;
they know--they just know it all, intellectual giants. But somehow or
another they become spies. And that's the spy system. Forgive me now,
intellectual brother, but it's a spy system that sits out among you to
take out the sheep and say, "Why, that's holy-rollers. That isn't so."
E-57
You know, here not long ago I see where the--the pope of Rome invited
all the churches back to the beginning. I said, "Praise God. I'd like
to do that."
E-58
The Message of the last day, the evening Light messenger (according to
Malachi 4) will be turning the hearts of the children back to the
fathers, the Pentecostal original message. Got it so scrupled up, and
so forth, out here... Take the Word of God.
E-59
I said, "Wait. You ought to give me a chance to explain that. Did you
say there was only the twelve apostles received the Holy Ghost?"
E-60
But to hurry up, these intellectual giants are too much for God's
humble people. Now, God's people has always been uneducated and humble.
Just tell me one time it was any other way. Watch the two sons. Watch
Cain and Seth's children. Abel was killed, which was a type of death,
burial, and resurrection of Christ. Seth took his place.
E-61
How about Moab? There was Israel; there was Moab, who worshipped the
same God we do. What was it? It was Lot's daughter's child. And there
they was. They went out and brought bishop Balaam in. And he made seven
altars, just like they was down in Israel.
E-62
Then if fundamentalism is all that God requires, both places was
justified. But what was it? What was it that Balaam failed to see? He
failed to see that Pillar of Fire. He failed to see that smitten rock,
that brass serpent going before Israel for an atonement. He failed to
hear the shout of the camp--of the King among them. He judged them by
their works.
E-63
These intellectual giants are in them days were far... They... Look
what Cain's children become: scientists, doctors, workers of metal,
great men in the earth. But what was Seth's children? Farmers,
sheepherders. See, they couldn't compare with them at all, and God
likened us unto sheep. If anybody ever raised a sheep...
E-64
So today these great intellectual spies are too much for the poor,
humble children of God. Now, Jude said in the book of Jude, last of
Jude there, he said that they have creeped in among us: creeped in.
That's what's causing to go out in these big tantrums that they've
done. Creeped in among us, men foreordained to this condemnation,
creeped in among us, drawing us away from the Word, causing us to lose
faith in the Word: wandering spots, ships without sails... The rushing
wind could blow, and they just got an old dead organization pole
standing there, going, "Wooo, days of miracles is past. Wooo, no such a
thing as Divine healing."
E-65
They attacked Noah in the same way. They've attacked God's children
every time the same way. Nimrod built hisself a tower to get away from
the plagues of God, but it didn't last. Nebuchadnezzar built him a
city, but it fell. Noah, building the ark... Could you imagine
scientists in those days that could build a pyramid that we couldn't
build today, could embalm a body with fluid we know nothing about? Many
things that we've never learned yet that they know.
E-66
Oh, look at the day of--when Jehoshaphat come down and got off of his
grounds. And he met Ahab. And Ahab, always an axe to grind, and he
said, "Does not Ramoth-gilead belong to us?"
E-67
I was preaching one night, and a woman got to screaming and shouting, a
little Baptist brother told me the next day, said, "I was enjoying your
message till that woman went to screaming." Said, "You know that made
chills run over my back."
E-68
Intellectual giants... There stood Jehoshaphat, been used to
worshipping God. Here was Ahab. And Jehoshaphat, of course, being a man
of God, thought the first thing is consult God. That's the best thing.
He said, "We should consult God."
E-69
Hezekiah went, and made himself a great big set of horns, run through
the crowd, said, "By this, these big iron horns, you're going to push
Ramoth-gilead,. push the Philistines plumb out of the country" or the
Assyrians. "You're going to push them plumb out of the country by
this." Oh.
E-70
Doesn't it sound good, intellectually? But you know, there's something
like that, that just don't always strike a man of God. Jehoshaphat
looked around. He said, "Is this all you got?" E-71 You know the Bible said He'd--He would bundle the tares first. They're sure bundling up together, all to the World Council of Churches, every one of them going, where it's all headed for. That gives the church a chance to grow then. All right. Get a little persecution where you're not fed so well everything have to be pushed together. God's got a way of doing things, you know.
E-72 So first thing you know, that all... He said, "Send and get him. Let's hear him, see what he'd say."
E-73
Brother, he was barking up the wrong tree then. That kind of stuff
don't go with a man of God, a prophet. He knows what fortified him was
the Word of God.
E-74
So Micaiah said, "Wait, and I'll see what He says." He's going to have
the vision first and compare it with the Word. That's always. Compare
it with the Word. That's God's Urim Thummim. So then, when he--he went,
said, "Give me tonight." And that night might've prayed all night, and
the Lord come to him, told him what to say.
E-75
One of them smacked him in the mouth, said, "Now, we'll never take you
into the association." Said, "Let me show you something, Micaiah. Isn't
it reasonable..."
E-76
They say, "That was just for the apostles." I just wonder where they
get that. Peter said on the day of Pentecost, "Repent, every one of you
and be baptized in the Name of Jesus Christ, for the remission of your
sins, and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost. For the promise
is unto you, and to your children, and to them that's far off, even as
many as the Lord our God shall call." Amen. Just for the apostles...
For every one that's called. Yeah, don't listen to that giant. See?
E-77
I used to... You know, I'm an ex-pugilist myself. I got--had the
undefeated bantam weight championship of three--three states. I used to
watch the fellows come to the ring with all kind of fancy stuff, all
fancy fangdangoed on them. That didn't made them fighters. Sometimes
that was a sham. That didn't have nothing to do with it. If he--if he
didn't have some hidden power there to break the holds...
E-78
Like Peter was. He was a good with his sword. When Jesus got in
trouble, he pulled out his sword. He could flop any way, cut the high
priest, his servant's ear off with a sword. But when it come to real
Christian courage, he didn't have it. Yes. But the spiritual courage,
he denied the Word made flesh standing right among them.
E-79
What was it? That Word that he'd walked with was in him, burning him up
with fire in his flesh and soul. He had the whole armor of God on.
That's God's provided armor. He had the baptism, filled with the Holy
Ghost. What is it? God makes Himself ever present in His own army. God,
on the day of Pentecost, sent down the full armor of God for His army.
That was Himself among you.
E-80
The Spirit quickens the Word, makes the... In other words, he's the
powder that sends the bullet out there with it. Like it was the powder
when David met Goliath with a slingshot with a rock in it. He only had
one place to hit, and that was right between the eyes. Rest of it was
armored. But God got in that spirit. E-81 In His army... He presents His army in the form of five offices, first, apostles, prophets, teachers, pastors, evangelists. That's His army; that's His soldiers; that's His commanding officers, all with the baptism of the Holy Ghost, waiting out there to meet the enemy on any grounds he comes upon; to meet the enemy with the Word of God (Amen.), each one backing one another up, with Him the Chief Captain, not out there in front, up here, above, back behind; but in them. That's the army. Vindicating, vindicating what? His resurrection, by the proof of His works.
E-82
John 14:12, Jesus said, "He that believeth in Me, the works that I do
shall he do also." What is it? It's God in the church in these five
predestinated offices, backing up every Word that He said with the Holy
Spirit Himself in there, which is the Word made manifest, proving His
resurrection, proving that He lives. E-83 I may be keeping you too long. I don't want to weary you. But look. People at home is used to setting for hours and hours when we teach. I'll try to cut off just a few minutes. I don't want you to go. I want to pray for you 'fore you go. I think this is more essential to you than any prayer line. See? It sure is. Now, if you'll just listen... See?
E-84
The great triumph General who came down, and was made... the Word made
flesh took that Word and defeated Satan on every ground, and said, "You
destroy this temple, I'll raise it up in the third day." And why? David
in the Word said that "I'll not suffer My holy One to see corruption,
neither will I leave His soul in hell." And He knew that that was one
promise of God, that He'd be raised up. And He took that Word, and went
to death with it, and knowing that that Word had to come to pass.
E-85
Now, Jesus knew that corruption sets in the body after seventy-two
hours. The nose falls in. Undertaker, if present, would know that. Now,
the corruption sets in the body. And David said, by the Holy Ghost, a
man, inspired, the Word of the Lord coming to this prophet, said, "I'll
not suffer My holy One to see corruption." And He knowed before one
cell would corrupt, He'd be up out of the grave. E-86 Again, He said, "I'll pray the Father. He will send you another Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost. He will abide with you forever." What is it? The Word, God's Artillery in the human being, manifesting the resurrection. Think of it. That great Conqueror, Who conquered every sickness, conquered every superstition, conquered every giant, conquered everything there was to be conquered on earth, died, conquered hell, conquered death, conquered the grave, conquered the atmospheres, ascended up on high, come back in the form of the Holy Ghost. And we are more than a conqueror through Him that loved us. Amen.
E-87
What an army. Like a mighty army, marches the Christian soldier. Amen.
Great triumph, He's in us. Not me, He's already conquered it. I don't
have to do a thing but just believe Him and walk on (Yes, sir.), for He
is risen. His Spirit is in us, the great Victor. The resurrection
Presence is in us.
E-88
A great fire broke loose down in Jeffersonville, here not long ago. The
Pfau Army, or, the Company begin to burn down, and they sent and got
the fire department. And the Jeffersonville Fire Department standing
around like a boy with a little hose, the chief walking around there
with a cigar like a de-horned Texas steer, walking around there saying,
"Squirt a little water up here. Squirt a little water up here, boys.
Come on, come on." Everybody seen he was chief. "Squirt a little water
up here." E-89 And how can you have faith, when you have honor to one another? Oh, my. Some great man, bishop, great big guy, presbyter, nothing. We are brothers and sisters in Christ Jesus. There's nothing big among us. It's what's in us that's big. It's God, the Holy Ghost in every one of us who believes. No great holy bishops and holy fathers; it's the Holy Ghost that's in the people. Yes.
E-90 So along come this Clarksville Fire Department. "Good evening, bishop." Yes, like that. The building burnt right on down. E-91 Who went first? The fire chief. When it hit up against the wall... He took that axe before the ladder got against the wall, and slammed it through the window. Said, "Come on, boys." Not, "Go on, boys, come on, boys." Hallelujah. That's what Christ done. The Word come, lived as a human, conquered death, hell, grave, never said, "Go on." He said, "Come on. I'm with you." The fire was out pretty soon.
E-92
That's what it is--the great Conqueror. We don't need no great
intellectual giant denominations. "I belong to the biggest church in
the city." Nonsense. I belong to the littlest one, but it's the One.
E-93
When nations (Listen now, in closing.)... When nations here not long
ago begin to provide a helmet for the protection of their army... Now,
they knew they was going to have to use it. They knew there'd be
shrapnel flying, so they knew they had to use it. Oh, it may not have
seemed so necessary in training. But brother, once on the battlefield,
you have to have it.
E-94
And so now, God, knowing at this last days there will come intellectual
giants, there will come everything intellectual, all kinds of the enemy
with reasoning powers to try to prove to the church that the days of
miracles is past and all this. God packed in the baptism of the Holy
Ghost with what? Speaking with tongues, interpretation of tongues,
prophecies, gifts, and all kinds of things. They may seem hard in
training, but, brother, on the battle front, every one of them's got to
be used. God equips His soldiers exactly what it takes to use. Amen.
E-95
You stay there till God equips you with the baptism of the Spirit. Then
everything you've got need of in this world or the world to come, lives
right in you. The all wise God knowed how to equip His army. He
equipped it with the baptism of the Holy Ghost. That's exactly what He
sent for these last days.
E-96
What good does it do to give your canary bird vitamins, and make him
have good strong wings, and keep him in a cage? That's what they try to
do with the people: feed them all kinds of vitamins of this, that, and
the other, and the first thing you know, tell them all the days of
miracles is past. You're penned up in some little thing down here. It's
a lie. Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever. God knowed it
would take the baptism of the Holy Ghost to prove His latter day signs.
That's right.
E-97
I think, like Elijah said that time, "Why didn't you send..." If you
didn't have the faith to do it, there's plenty of them here that does
have it. Oh, brother, I might have been defeated, but I'd never let
that infidel stand there, or that unbeliever, and--and make fun out of
the Word of God. If I'd have had to go down in defeat, I'd have went
down trusting the Word of God.
E-98
Satan knows that reasoning and where reasoning lays. Yes, sir. To be an
effectual witness of His resurrection, He knowed it would take the Holy
Ghost, 'cause man cannot do those things. He equipped His army with the
Holy Ghost to do those things, to make known the secrets of the heart,
as He promised. You can't do that with any kind of training. You've got
to do that by the baptism of the Holy Spirit, the armor of God. And
this is the evening Light. To make Hebrews 13:8 reality, it would take
more than a training. You can read words, and read words, and read
words, and it'll never make it come to pass until you have the Holy
Ghost there to manifest that.
E-99
When he said, "Jesus Christ is a fake religion. It's been dead for a
long time. There's no such a thing as this; there's no such as that,
and days of miracles is past," stand there with the baptism of the Holy
Ghost and prove that it's the truth. Glory. Hmm. E-100 I got plenty more here, but I ain't going to say it. Brother, the whole armor of God is the baptism of the Holy Ghost with the Word behind it. And if anybody says they got the Holy Ghost and deny one Word of this, then it's not the Holy Ghost. The Holy Ghost wrote this Bible, and He said, "Whosoever shall take anything out of It, or put anything in It, the same will be taken, his part out of the Book of Life." The Holy Ghost recognizes the Word only, because that's His Word, and He cannot go back on His Word. He has to keep His Word. Amen.
E-101
Somebody says, "We got the Holy Ghost, and we don't believe in
miracles." Then it proves you haven't got It. Amen. Anybody that'd call
the power of God, a discernment, and prophets, and so forth, in the
last days, a mental telepathy or something is borned of the devil. It
can't be of God. It's contrary. Don't recognize the Urim Thummim.
Anything that recognizes on this and flashes back the truth is God.
Amen.
E-102
Jesus said in here, "The works that I do shall you do also." That
truth? How did He make Hisself known the Messiah? By being able to
discern the very thoughts that was in their mind. How did He speak it
in the New Testament? "The very same works that I do you'll do also."
Hebrews, the 4th chapter, He picked it up again. Said, "The Word of God
is sharper than a two-edged sword, piercing even the marrow of the
bone, and the joints, and so forth, and a discerner of the thoughts
that's in the heart." Hallelujah. E-103 People, you might think 'cause we're setting here a little four or five hundred people, setting in the building this afternoon, it's too little. Remember God never gathers in big multitudes. "Wherever two or three are gathered in My Name, I'll be in their midst." That don't mean... You say, "Well, we've gathered in Jesus' Name." That means that you are actually in Christ. The world is dead to you, and you're dead to the world; and Christ is alive in you. He's here without a shadow of doubt. I see Him moving on the audience now. Amen. He's stopping me. You just believe.
E-104
What about you, lady? I don't know you setting there. You got
nervousness, complications, bowel trouble. You believe God healed you?
Raise up your hand if you'll accept it; go on your way. E-105 Here not long ago a man said he dreamed that the devil kept going, "Boo, boo." And he'd jump back. And the devil'd get bigger and he'd get little. He knowed he had to fight him sooner or later, so he grabbed the Word. And every time the devil would say, "Boo," he said, "Boo" right back, and the devil got little. That's what it is. It takes the hand of faith to hold the Word. Hallelujah.
E-106 What about you? Got a relative, got a stroke. That's right, isn't it? Yes. You believe she'd get well? Have faith.
E-107
That stunted you, sir. You didn't know you had that much faith. But I
was standing here watching that Light a moving around. I thought, "If I
turn my back they'll see the same Angel that lived back there, and come
down and manifested Himself, and told what the people were thinking in
the tent. It'd sure know who you was, and what about you." I challenge
anybody in here to believe the same thing. Hallelujah. The power of
God, the whole armor of God, the entire Word of God wrapped up in you:
the great Conqueror.
E-108
Come in and take a taste of the original manna, the kind that fell on
the day of Pentecost, the Manna for the church, the Holy Ghost, the
Armor, what we're fortified... Not with intellectual education,
doctor's degree, but we are fortified with the baptism of the Holy
Ghost to prove the Word of God is the truth. Glory. Hallelujah. He's
the same yesterday, today, and forever. Do you believe it?
E-109
You're not ashamed of Him, are you? Paul said, "I'm not ashamed of the
Gospel of Jesus Christ. For it is the power of God unto salvation."
Let's just take our hands and say, "Hallelujah" real loud, now. Come
on. Hallelujah. Hallelujah. Hallelujah. Praise our God. Praise our God. E-110 Would you like to join? The only way you can join is to be borned. Now, the great thing is open here, the altar of God. There's room at the fountain. Any man in here would like to join these ranks this afternoon, that will lay aside every creed that's contrary to the Bible, every thought that's contrary to the Bible, every doctrine that's contrary to the Bible, and with faith walk up here and say, "I accept Jesus Christ upon the basis of His shed Blood and His Word," I tell you something will happen to you right here. And you'll be fortified with the power of the Holy Ghost.
E-111
No man has the right to claim himself a preacher until he found them
sacred sands. Moses was just as intellectual as he could be. He had the
power of the--of the knowledge of the Word. He knowed his position; he
knowed he was a prophet, everything. But until he met God on that
sacred sands back there... No intellectual could ever explain it from
him. He was there when it happened.
E-112
How many in here is already in that army? already been filled with the
Holy Ghost? believing every word of God? know that it's the truth?
E-113
And You promised that in this day what would take place. We read in the
book of the Revelation at this Laodicean church age, that the
intellectual giants got in and pushed Christ plumb out of His church,
and He was standing knocking on the door of His own house trying to get
back in. O God, not another--no other age was it ever that way. But
it's in this age, this intellectual age.
E-114
You may be seated just a moment. I'm going to ask everybody now that's
got prayer cards... When usually an evangelist comes into the city,
they find out... They say, "Well, just the preacher... Wait till
Brother Branham, Brother Roberts, somebody." It don't take that. It
takes these men too. I'm going to ask them to help me pray for the sick
this afternoon. You're going to see something happen too. All right.
E-115
The Bible said... Jesus said... And heavens and earth will pass away,
but His Word cannot fail. Now, listen close, friends. If you don't
believe this, you're just walking in that line of non effect. I want to
ask you. Out of the many, many things that the Holy Spirit has called
over the church this week, has He been wrong in any of them? Has
anybody ever seen it wrong in other meetings? Has it always been true?
If it has, raise up your hand. Always true. See? All right. Then that
same Holy Spirit's right here.
E-116
Now, listen. I want all of you to quote this Scripture with me. Jesus
said this in the last commission He gave to His church, after He
appeared to the eleven and upbraided them because of the hardness of
their heart and their unbelief, because they believed not them which
had seen Him after His resurrection.
E-117
Now, to you that's coming in this prayer line, these elders and people
standing here, Christians that's filled with the Holy Spirit, is going,
with along with myself, is going to lay hands on every person that
passes through here. And you know that you're going to be healed. Go
right off of here and say, "It's all right. I'm going to be well. That
settles it." E-118 How many out there will be praying for this prayer line? Raise your hands. All right. Brother, on the organ, give us that song "Only believe" now, and let's pray now. Everybody, and brother, sister, stand right where you are. D | ||||||