How many people here that has never attended God's Holy Spirit conference and been filled with Him? Let's see your hands, that has never yet been filled with the Holy Ghost. Raise your hands. How many over the building has never received the Holy Ghost?Is there a sinner here that's never had a conference with God at all? Raise your hands and say, "I have never had a conference with God. I--I'm a sinner." Now, be honest; be honest. "I've never had a conference."
Let me just say this before closing, I--I'm impressed to do it right now. As a minister (I confess) that it always scared me when I thought of death, what would happen to me between now (when I die) and the coming of the Lord Jesus. When I meet my friends in heaven, they'd be little spirits. I thought this spirit would be go out of me, and say, "There would be..."
I'd see Brother Sullivan, and I'd say, "That must be Brother Sullivan, that little spirit. I can't shake his hand; it's rotten in the grave. I--I can't look at him with eyes, 'cause his eyes is gone; mine is too. (See?) I--I--I can't feel him, because he's just a spirit." It worried me; I--I wanted to talk to them.
The other morning, about three Sunday mornings ago, I was lying in bed. And I woke up about seven o'clock; we go to church at nine-thirty. And I raised up, and I looked over at the wife, and she was sleeping well. I just got to studying about that.I kept hearing something say, "Press on; just keep pressing on."
I said, "Well, I'm fifty years old. I--I got to do something for the Lord; I haven't done nothing yet. And He put me, my life here, and I... And my, anyone knows that something happened to me: I was a cocklebur, and He made a wheat out of me. I--I don't know how it ever come." I said, "How could it ever be?"
And I said, "What can I do, Lord? I'm fifty years old, and--and I--I... My days are numbered; I haven't got very much longer to stay." I said, "What can I do to do something for You?"
I kept hearing a voice saying, "Press on."
Now, remember friends, here lays my Bible. If I'm a fanatic, I don't know it. My... If I am, I--I don't know nothing about it. I--I believe my heart's with God, and I believe He's proved that before you. I may be wrong in some things, but if it is, it's--it's unconsciously wrong. See? And then, when we were...I--I was thinking about that, and I kept hearing something say, "Press on."
I said, "Who is that?" I said, "It must be my wife." I said, "What did you say, honey?" She never moved.
I shook her. I said, "Meda?"
She said, "Uh?" She was sleeping well.
And I said, "Well, it wasn't her."
I listened again. It said, "Keep pressing on."
Now, I know visions. This could have been a vision; if it was, I never had one like it. And I said, "Maybe it's me saying it."'Cause one time, I was all burdened and distressed going to a meeting, and I knelt down on the floor to praying to get the burden off of me. And I heard someone stand at the door just rattling off something, talking in German or something. I thought, "Well, I wonder who that is?" I slipped up, and I couldn't see no one. I thought, "Well, where's it at?" It was me, speaking myself. See? And I just held real still until it finished up. And that's when that woman, you know (You all know about it. I guess I've told you.) that was healed... She was laying on the side of a road, bleeding to death. And half hour farther, she was there perfectly normal and well, the Holy Spirit making intercessions. And then...
And I thought maybe it might be me saying, "Keep pressing on." So I put my finger over my mouth, like this.
And I heard it say, "Keep pressing on, pressing on."
I said, "Who are You that's talking to me? Who is in this room?"
And that's the way it comes, just like visions here. It's just as real, just a voice, just the same as you hear mine, said, "Keep pressing on."
And I said, "Keep pressing on?"
Said, "The great reward is just ahead."
And I said, "You mean I passed the curtain?"
Said, "Yes." Said, "Would you like to see it?"
I said, "I would. It would help me, if I could just see."
And something happened; I felt myself leaving this body. Now, I never had a vision like that. I, looking back, seeing myself laying there, leaning up against the headboard of the bed with my hands up like this. See? And I looked at myself, and I thought, "I'm dying." And I started moving out, and the first thing you know, I--I come into a little place that kindy set something like that. And as soon as I got there, here come thousands of people, and everybody looked young.Now, I'm in a mixed multitude. I'm your brother. And you watch, I say this in the Name of the Lord. You'll each meet me there if you'll be right.
But these young girls coming to me, throwing their arm around me and hollering, "My precious brother..."
Now look, I've... When I was a sinner, I never run around. I wasn't ornery to run around with women. And I don't care how saintly a man tries to live and how godly he lives, if a woman puts her arms around a man, it's a human sensation. Now, you just might as well... I don't care, you can call yourself sanctified (and I believe in sanctification too), but you're still a human. Just exactly right. And there's a sensation. I don't say you'd do wrong, certainly not. The power of God keeps you, and you go on. But even in that place, that human sensation wasn't there.And here come people just throwing their arms around, saying, "My precious brother."
All them women had long hair, white garments, bare-footed. They were young, about... Looks to be about eighteen years old, twenty. I...
They'd grab me and throw their arms around me, and say, "Oh, our precious brother," and just hug me like that, and walk away. And somebody else...
I seen my first wife come up. Now, she died when she was about twenty-two; she hadn't changed. She come running. I said, "Surely, she'll call me husband."
And she walked up, and she begin smiling, threw her arms around me. She said, "My darling brother." And then she hugged some woman that had just hugged me, some girl.
And here come men, looked like they were--had kindy shaggy hair down on their shoulder. And they were the nicest looking people I ever seen: eyes as starry, pearly white teeth. They were throwing their arms around me, and saying, "Oh, our precious brother."And one of them hollered at the other one, said, "Think, he's arrived. He's arrived at last."
And I thought, "Have I died and this is... I've come into glory? Is this it?" And I thought, "It couldn't be."
And I looked, and that voice that had spoke to me down in my room, I heard it again. I looked back, and I seen myself laying there on the bed. I never had anything like that to happen. It's done something to me; I can never be the same no more. So then, it...
I--I looked, and I thought, "What is this?" I thought, "Well, all them people looked young." And I looked down, and I was young. I--I had turned back to a young man again. I said, "Well, this is strange." And I looked and...
I can't explain it. There's no words that I can think of. If I'd say superb, or--or--or supreme, or--or perfect, that wouldn't touch it. They--they... There--there was no tomorrow; there was no yesterday. They--they--they were in eternity. And they never got tired; they never had to eat. Yet they had senses: I could feel them; they could speak; they was looking at me. They had senses.
And I said, "I--I don't understand this."
And that voice said, "This is perfect love." Said, "Isn't that what you spoke the Holy Spirit was?"
I said, "Yes."
"And this is perfect love."
And about that time, a big bunch of men lifted me up and took me to a place, and set me up kindy high, like a--a stand or something. And here was people; I could see them by the tens of thousands coming from everywhere, every one young, beautiful, running, hugging me.I said, "Well, I don't get this."
And just then, a beautiful young woman run up. And she said, "Oh, my darling brother." She said, "We're so happy to see you. Welcome." And she walked away.
And I said, "Praise the Lord, sister." I looked around me.
And then I thought, "What is this? What's going on? What's happened?"
Just then a voice said, "In the Bible where it's said that Jacob was gathered with his people and the other one; this is liken unto that, where you'll gather with your--where you will gather with your people."
I said, "All them Branhams?" I said that, "I--I never believed there was that many."
He said, "They're not Branhams." Said, "They're your converts; they're your converts." Said, "That woman that you're admiring," said, "you know how old she was when you led her to Christ?"
I said, "I have no idea."
Said, "Past ninety." Said, "See, she's young forever."
And she looked up at me. She said, "Brother Branham, Jesus will come someday, and then we'll go back to earth." And said, "Then we'll receive our glorified body; then we'll live together forever."
I said, "Well, I... Well, what--what--what do you set me up here for?"
And they said, "You was a leader; you led us."
I said, "Oh, let me see Jesus if I've passed over. I want to see Him."
And that voice said, "You can't see Him now." Said, "He will come, but first He will come to you." And said, "Judge you by the Gospel you preached..."
And I said, "The Gospel I preach?"
"Yes."
And I said, "Will Saint Paul have to stand before his converts?"
Said, "Absolutely, he will too."
I said, "I never varied one word; I stayed just exactly the way the Bible said it. I don't care what anyone said, or did not say; I stayed right with it like that. So if Paul's group is saved, mine is too."
And a great scream from looked like thousands and thousands said, "We know that."
I said, "Praise God, I never was so happy that I stayed true to the Word." See? "I never was so happy."
And just then, I looked... Years ago, I used to have an old hunting dog; his name was Fritz. And he was half Airdale and half Newfoundland; he was a great big dog. And he used to go with me everywhere when I'd go hunting, and the best old thing I ever had. He'd lay with me, and he put me in school clothes from hunting, treeing opossums and skunks, and whatmore I trapped. And so, he just kept me in school clothes. And I'd leave him anywhere; he'd find his way home.And one day when we moved into the city, a policeman come by and throwed a dog button in the yard and killed him. When I come home and buried... I was just about sixteen, seventeen years old. And I patted the last bit of dirt on there.
I said, "Fritz, I'll--I--I'll kill that man for that."
Went in the house and got my rifle, and started down to the police station to get him. And when I got on the road, a little old Ford run up behind me; it was my father.
He grabbed that rifle out of my hand; he was a little bitty man, slapped me up side of the head, and said, "Get in that car."
And I went back, and I said, "Fritz..." Went up to his grave, I said, "Fritz, here's what I'll... If Pop won't let me do it that way, I'll find him on the street walking someday, and I'll lose control of my car. I promise you I'll get even with him (See?) for killing you." And I meant it.
And about a year after that, I was saved. And I led this man to God, and buried him after he was saved: Mr. Short, the police...
My old dog was gone. I always thought after I was saved, I thought, "Wonder when I get over there, if I'll see old Fritz." And while I was setting there, I looked coming down across the hill, and here come old Fritz coming up to me. And he was just licking his tongue you know, and panting like that, looking at me. And I looked coming behind him, and here come old Prince, my horse, my saddle horse. And he run up to me, and he put his neck around me.And I said, "O God, what is this?"
Just then, a voice spoke and said, "All that you ever loved, and all that ever loved you, God has given to you. We're all here together." Oh, my, my heart just melted within me. "All that you ever loved, and all that ever loved you, is gathered here with you to meet God."
And I said, "Oh, praise be to God!" And about that time, I felt myself moving. I said, "I don't have to go back, do I?" And I kept... And in just a minute, I was back there at the bed again.
Friend, death does not change a man; it just changes your dwelling place. I've got a wife, very sweet wife, setting right there. I've got three little children, two little girls and a little boy, and Billy Paul. I want to live for them. But my first purpose is live for Christ, for my ministry.The second, I'd like to live long enough that I could see my little Joseph setting there become a minister; take the spirit that I shall leave him. May my spirit come upon him. When I dedicated him to God, standing there in his mother's arms... I don't know, there's ten or fifteen babies.
When I picked him up, the Spirit caught me and said, "Joseph, my son, you are a prophet." God, let my spirit come in a double portion on my son.
When I come to the end of the road, and I can't go no farther, I want to hand this Bible to Joseph, and say, "Honey, don't you... Don't you compromise on one word. Stay true to God; if it takes everything there is, you stay true to God."When I can see you do that, and see Joseph take my Bible and walk to the pulpit as a anointed servant of God, all done then; all I can do for God. It'll be a happy day when I know that this old wrinkled up, worn out hull could be swapped. When a leak in this old building, the life leaking out of it, there's a better home just across the river yonder.
Listen, friends. Wherever that is, it isn't one breath between us and there tonight. With all my heart, this is the first time I've ever told this outside of in my own church. With all my heart, by the grace of God, with all I could do, I promise God I'll pull every soul if I have to make it, and compel it, and everything else to come to Jesus Christ. For what a time that was when those people... Them bright-eyed women and men standing there with their arms around me, screaming, "My darling brother," and know that my ministry had been the cause of them being there. God help me forever to win souls to Christ, is my prayer. Let us pray.
Extracted from the sermon
Having conferences [60-0608] preached by William Branham
Let me just say this before closing, I--I'm impressed to do it right now. As a minister (I confess) that it always scared me when I thought of death, what would happen to me between now (when I die) and the coming of the Lord Jesus. When I meet my friends in heaven, they'd be little spirits. I thought this spirit would be go out of me, and say, "There would be..."
I'd see Brother Sullivan, and I'd say, "That must be Brother Sullivan, that little spirit. I can't shake his hand; it's rotten in the grave. I--I can't look at him with eyes, 'cause his eyes is gone; mine is too. (See?) I--I--I can't feel him, because he's just a spirit." It worried me; I--I wanted to talk to them.
The other morning, about three Sunday mornings ago, I was lying in bed. And I woke up about seven o'clock; we go to church at nine-thirty. And I raised up, and I looked over at the wife, and she was sleeping well. I just got to studying about that.I kept hearing something say, "Press on; just keep pressing on."
I said, "Well, I'm fifty years old. I--I got to do something for the Lord; I haven't done nothing yet. And He put me, my life here, and I... And my, anyone knows that something happened to me: I was a cocklebur, and He made a wheat out of me. I--I don't know how it ever come." I said, "How could it ever be?"
And I said, "What can I do, Lord? I'm fifty years old, and--and I--I... My days are numbered; I haven't got very much longer to stay." I said, "What can I do to do something for You?"
I kept hearing a voice saying, "Press on."
Now, remember friends, here lays my Bible. If I'm a fanatic, I don't know it. My... If I am, I--I don't know nothing about it. I--I believe my heart's with God, and I believe He's proved that before you. I may be wrong in some things, but if it is, it's--it's unconsciously wrong. See? And then, when we were...I--I was thinking about that, and I kept hearing something say, "Press on."
I said, "Who is that?" I said, "It must be my wife." I said, "What did you say, honey?" She never moved.
I shook her. I said, "Meda?"
She said, "Uh?" She was sleeping well.
And I said, "Well, it wasn't her."
I listened again. It said, "Keep pressing on."
Now, I know visions. This could have been a vision; if it was, I never had one like it. And I said, "Maybe it's me saying it."'Cause one time, I was all burdened and distressed going to a meeting, and I knelt down on the floor to praying to get the burden off of me. And I heard someone stand at the door just rattling off something, talking in German or something. I thought, "Well, I wonder who that is?" I slipped up, and I couldn't see no one. I thought, "Well, where's it at?" It was me, speaking myself. See? And I just held real still until it finished up. And that's when that woman, you know (You all know about it. I guess I've told you.) that was healed... She was laying on the side of a road, bleeding to death. And half hour farther, she was there perfectly normal and well, the Holy Spirit making intercessions. And then...
And I thought maybe it might be me saying, "Keep pressing on." So I put my finger over my mouth, like this.
And I heard it say, "Keep pressing on, pressing on."
I said, "Who are You that's talking to me? Who is in this room?"
And that's the way it comes, just like visions here. It's just as real, just a voice, just the same as you hear mine, said, "Keep pressing on."
And I said, "Keep pressing on?"
Said, "The great reward is just ahead."
And I said, "You mean I passed the curtain?"
Said, "Yes." Said, "Would you like to see it?"
I said, "I would. It would help me, if I could just see."
And something happened; I felt myself leaving this body. Now, I never had a vision like that. I, looking back, seeing myself laying there, leaning up against the headboard of the bed with my hands up like this. See? And I looked at myself, and I thought, "I'm dying." And I started moving out, and the first thing you know, I--I come into a little place that kindy set something like that. And as soon as I got there, here come thousands of people, and everybody looked young.Now, I'm in a mixed multitude. I'm your brother. And you watch, I say this in the Name of the Lord. You'll each meet me there if you'll be right.
But these young girls coming to me, throwing their arm around me and hollering, "My precious brother..."
Now look, I've... When I was a sinner, I never run around. I wasn't ornery to run around with women. And I don't care how saintly a man tries to live and how godly he lives, if a woman puts her arms around a man, it's a human sensation. Now, you just might as well... I don't care, you can call yourself sanctified (and I believe in sanctification too), but you're still a human. Just exactly right. And there's a sensation. I don't say you'd do wrong, certainly not. The power of God keeps you, and you go on. But even in that place, that human sensation wasn't there.And here come people just throwing their arms around, saying, "My precious brother."
All them women had long hair, white garments, bare-footed. They were young, about... Looks to be about eighteen years old, twenty. I...
They'd grab me and throw their arms around me, and say, "Oh, our precious brother," and just hug me like that, and walk away. And somebody else...
I seen my first wife come up. Now, she died when she was about twenty-two; she hadn't changed. She come running. I said, "Surely, she'll call me husband."
And she walked up, and she begin smiling, threw her arms around me. She said, "My darling brother." And then she hugged some woman that had just hugged me, some girl.
And here come men, looked like they were--had kindy shaggy hair down on their shoulder. And they were the nicest looking people I ever seen: eyes as starry, pearly white teeth. They were throwing their arms around me, and saying, "Oh, our precious brother."And one of them hollered at the other one, said, "Think, he's arrived. He's arrived at last."
And I thought, "Have I died and this is... I've come into glory? Is this it?" And I thought, "It couldn't be."
And I looked, and that voice that had spoke to me down in my room, I heard it again. I looked back, and I seen myself laying there on the bed. I never had anything like that to happen. It's done something to me; I can never be the same no more. So then, it...
I--I looked, and I thought, "What is this?" I thought, "Well, all them people looked young." And I looked down, and I was young. I--I had turned back to a young man again. I said, "Well, this is strange." And I looked and...
I can't explain it. There's no words that I can think of. If I'd say superb, or--or--or supreme, or--or perfect, that wouldn't touch it. They--they... There--there was no tomorrow; there was no yesterday. They--they--they were in eternity. And they never got tired; they never had to eat. Yet they had senses: I could feel them; they could speak; they was looking at me. They had senses.
And I said, "I--I don't understand this."
And that voice said, "This is perfect love." Said, "Isn't that what you spoke the Holy Spirit was?"
I said, "Yes."
"And this is perfect love."
And about that time, a big bunch of men lifted me up and took me to a place, and set me up kindy high, like a--a stand or something. And here was people; I could see them by the tens of thousands coming from everywhere, every one young, beautiful, running, hugging me.I said, "Well, I don't get this."
And just then, a beautiful young woman run up. And she said, "Oh, my darling brother." She said, "We're so happy to see you. Welcome." And she walked away.
And I said, "Praise the Lord, sister." I looked around me.
And then I thought, "What is this? What's going on? What's happened?"
Just then a voice said, "In the Bible where it's said that Jacob was gathered with his people and the other one; this is liken unto that, where you'll gather with your--where you will gather with your people."
I said, "All them Branhams?" I said that, "I--I never believed there was that many."
He said, "They're not Branhams." Said, "They're your converts; they're your converts." Said, "That woman that you're admiring," said, "you know how old she was when you led her to Christ?"
I said, "I have no idea."
Said, "Past ninety." Said, "See, she's young forever."
And she looked up at me. She said, "Brother Branham, Jesus will come someday, and then we'll go back to earth." And said, "Then we'll receive our glorified body; then we'll live together forever."
I said, "Well, I... Well, what--what--what do you set me up here for?"
And they said, "You was a leader; you led us."
I said, "Oh, let me see Jesus if I've passed over. I want to see Him."
And that voice said, "You can't see Him now." Said, "He will come, but first He will come to you." And said, "Judge you by the Gospel you preached..."
And I said, "The Gospel I preach?"
"Yes."
And I said, "Will Saint Paul have to stand before his converts?"
Said, "Absolutely, he will too."
I said, "I never varied one word; I stayed just exactly the way the Bible said it. I don't care what anyone said, or did not say; I stayed right with it like that. So if Paul's group is saved, mine is too."
And a great scream from looked like thousands and thousands said, "We know that."
I said, "Praise God, I never was so happy that I stayed true to the Word." See? "I never was so happy."
And just then, I looked... Years ago, I used to have an old hunting dog; his name was Fritz. And he was half Airdale and half Newfoundland; he was a great big dog. And he used to go with me everywhere when I'd go hunting, and the best old thing I ever had. He'd lay with me, and he put me in school clothes from hunting, treeing opossums and skunks, and whatmore I trapped. And so, he just kept me in school clothes. And I'd leave him anywhere; he'd find his way home.And one day when we moved into the city, a policeman come by and throwed a dog button in the yard and killed him. When I come home and buried... I was just about sixteen, seventeen years old. And I patted the last bit of dirt on there.
I said, "Fritz, I'll--I--I'll kill that man for that."
Went in the house and got my rifle, and started down to the police station to get him. And when I got on the road, a little old Ford run up behind me; it was my father.
He grabbed that rifle out of my hand; he was a little bitty man, slapped me up side of the head, and said, "Get in that car."
And I went back, and I said, "Fritz..." Went up to his grave, I said, "Fritz, here's what I'll... If Pop won't let me do it that way, I'll find him on the street walking someday, and I'll lose control of my car. I promise you I'll get even with him (See?) for killing you." And I meant it.
And about a year after that, I was saved. And I led this man to God, and buried him after he was saved: Mr. Short, the police...
My old dog was gone. I always thought after I was saved, I thought, "Wonder when I get over there, if I'll see old Fritz." And while I was setting there, I looked coming down across the hill, and here come old Fritz coming up to me. And he was just licking his tongue you know, and panting like that, looking at me. And I looked coming behind him, and here come old Prince, my horse, my saddle horse. And he run up to me, and he put his neck around me.And I said, "O God, what is this?"
Just then, a voice spoke and said, "All that you ever loved, and all that ever loved you, God has given to you. We're all here together." Oh, my, my heart just melted within me. "All that you ever loved, and all that ever loved you, is gathered here with you to meet God."
And I said, "Oh, praise be to God!" And about that time, I felt myself moving. I said, "I don't have to go back, do I?" And I kept... And in just a minute, I was back there at the bed again.
Friend, death does not change a man; it just changes your dwelling place. I've got a wife, very sweet wife, setting right there. I've got three little children, two little girls and a little boy, and Billy Paul. I want to live for them. But my first purpose is live for Christ, for my ministry.The second, I'd like to live long enough that I could see my little Joseph setting there become a minister; take the spirit that I shall leave him. May my spirit come upon him. When I dedicated him to God, standing there in his mother's arms... I don't know, there's ten or fifteen babies.
When I picked him up, the Spirit caught me and said, "Joseph, my son, you are a prophet." God, let my spirit come in a double portion on my son.
When I come to the end of the road, and I can't go no farther, I want to hand this Bible to Joseph, and say, "Honey, don't you... Don't you compromise on one word. Stay true to God; if it takes everything there is, you stay true to God."When I can see you do that, and see Joseph take my Bible and walk to the pulpit as a anointed servant of God, all done then; all I can do for God. It'll be a happy day when I know that this old wrinkled up, worn out hull could be swapped. When a leak in this old building, the life leaking out of it, there's a better home just across the river yonder.
Listen, friends. Wherever that is, it isn't one breath between us and there tonight. With all my heart, this is the first time I've ever told this outside of in my own church. With all my heart, by the grace of God, with all I could do, I promise God I'll pull every soul if I have to make it, and compel it, and everything else to come to Jesus Christ. For what a time that was when those people... Them bright-eyed women and men standing there with their arms around me, screaming, "My darling brother," and know that my ministry had been the cause of them being there. God help me forever to win souls to Christ, is my prayer. Let us pray.
Extracted from the sermon
Having conferences [60-0608] preached by William Branham
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