"I've always been afraid of death" bro. Branham's confession in a tape he made for condolences to Stadsklev family

Condolences to Stadsklev family
William Branham - [JEFF IN] TAPE: 60-0924

This is the evening of September the twenty-fourth.  Brother Julius Stadsklev and Sister Stadsklev, David, and Deborah, way across the sea tonight in Germany, broken hearted, I'm sending this little message to you, Brother Julius and Sister Stadsklev, David, and also to Grandpa and Grandma. Hasn't been long since I was talking to you on the phone. Doesn't seem possible that things can happen just as quick as they did. You know, that reminds me, Jesus said, "Be prepared, for we know not what minute or hour."
Been a terrible day for us, Brother Julius, Sister Stadsklev, because that our sorrow's for you. How we feel so sorry for you. And knowing we're limited, just so much that we can do... But we want to express to you our love and gratitude.

Around home today, pretty near everything I looked at was something that you all had give us or something. I went in my den room, there hung that rifle you gave me. I looked setting over there on the--my study desk, and there was the rocks that David had ground out and made a--a--a Bible carrier, or book end ever-what-you-call-it. Went into the room to pick up the telephone, and this
morning and today when I was talking to you and praying with you, and that telephone is setting right on the sewing machine that you all bought for us. Just everywhere I looked, it looked like it just... I guess it's because of the sorrow that I had in my heart for you. My heart goes out to you.

 And this morning, Brother Julius, as I prayed yesterday afternoon and last night, and I'd sleep a little while and wake up and wonder, "Lord, will You speak to me?" Then about six-thirty, Meda got
up to go into the kitchen to get the children's breakfast. And when she got up, and just as she left the room, I heard a voice, spoke into my heart and said the words that I told you. "Don't rebuke this.
This is the hand of God." Then it brought a little comfort to me to know that whatever... It wasn't something that Satan slipped up on you. It was the plan and program of God.Brother and Sister
Stadsklev, how can I make you see that now? No more than I could when I went in the room there to pray for little Sharon, and God refused to hear me. That... I couldn't understand then how that
would be His program. But look what that little story has done: brought thousands to Christ.

A few weeks ago I was coming down off of a hillside where I went one afternoon in the woods to hunt. And I was setting up on the hillside thinking of the time when I was a little boy and used to
squirrel hunt. And I thought, "Well, things has changed a lot since then. But look at the sorrow. If you'd go through it, would you do it again, if you had to go back over life?"I said, "Yes, I would."
First, I said, "I don't believe I would, because I'd have to go through the sorrow of seeing Hope my first wife go, and little Sharon, and them."
And then Something said, "But look at the thousands of souls that's been saved." I said, "God, yes, I'd go through it again: anything for Your Kingdom."

Now, Brother Stadsklev, it said, you know, in the Scripture, like Job when he had all these troubles and everything, "Every one that cometh to God must be chastened and tried." And Job, in all of his suffering, and in his troubles and temptations lost all of his children, and all of his--all of his wealth, and everything. He said, "The Lord gave; the Lord taken away. Blessed be the Name of the Lord." God straightened everything up for him.Did you ever think there, Brother, Sister Stadsklev, he said, "And He restored to him his children." After He restored the camels, and the--the sheep and
everything, and He restored his children. Do you ever notice where them--think of where those children were? They were in glory waiting for him. Remember he'd made a sacrifice, and had for his
children, "peradventure they might have sinned," he said.

When Sister Stadsklev told me this morning that the little baby had gotten so it could put his hands over its eyes and praise the Lord, now that--that was making the sacrifice. Christ made it, and
you was teaching it to that baby as a little bitty thing. It's in glory tonight waiting for you. Brother Julius, I just got a little tape here I want to send you, and I want you to know that we thinking today if
we could get flowers over, or something or another, we just don't know what to do. Anything we can do, brother, just let us know.

I want to make a confession here, of something that just recently happened. I've always been afraid of death, Julius. I always afraid to die, because I didn't want to become a spiritual body. I thought I only knew as human being, and I wanted to remain that way. And I wanted to live to see the coming of the Lord Jesus.And here a few weeks ago I was laying on the bed one morning after coming in from a great meeting, and I thought, "Well, my wife's asleep, so I'll just study about if I've--being fifty-one now, could I possible live to see the coming of the Lord?" And just then I heard something say to me, "Just keep pressing on. The reward's at the end of the road. Keep pressing on."

Now, Brother Julius, I don't want to call it a translation; although I believe it was. But I'll call it a vision. Something happened. Now, I left where my body, where I was at. And I come into a place, looked like they had a little hill-like. Coming down through there was tens of thousands of young women. They were all running to me, and throwing their arms around me, and hollering, "My precious brother."Well, I thought, "I don't understand this." And something said, "This is perfect love, what you're speaking of."

Now, we realize, and I know that no human being, the male and female, can put their arms around one another without having a human sensation. But, Brother Julius, it wasn't so there. There's no human sensation there at all. It's not... About like a mother hugging her baby or something like that... It was beyond that. It was perfect. It was beyond perfect. I don't know how to express it.Then I heard the--looked like a voice coming from the other way. And I looked, here come tens of thousands of men. The women was all young, and the men were all young. The women had long hair, down around their waist, and was wearing white dresses and barefooted. The young men seemed to have kind of a shaggy hair down around their neck. And I thought, "What is this all about?" And just then, they lifted me up and set me on a great, high place. And I said, "Have I died? Is this it?"

And just then, he said, "This is perfect love. What you've taught." And I said, "Why would you put me up like this?" And they said, "Because in earth, you was a leader." I said, "Well, if I've passed on, I want to see Jesus." And they said, "You can't see Him now. He's a little higher. But someday He'll come." And said, "Then when He comes, then He'll come to you and--and you'll be judged by the Gospel you preached."
I said, "Well then, did--did... Will Saint Paul have to be judged this same way and stand before his crowd?"
Said, "Yes."
I said, "Well, I preached the same thing he did."
And millions of voices, sound like, rang out at the same time, "We are aware of that."

Then I looked and I thought, "What is this about?"Just then a voice said, "You have been gathered to your people just like Jacob was."
"Gathered to my people?" I thought, "What is this?" And I said, "Do you mean I can't see Jesus at this time?"
Said, "No, not now." Said, "We're here in this form."
Now, they had bodies, because I could feel their arms around me, and--and--and I... They were real people.
And I said, "Well, this is wonderful. And I was afraid of this?" And then... And I said, "I--I don't understand this, but it--this is wonderful."
And just then, It said... There was a young, beautiful woman come up, put her arm around me. She said, "My darling brother."

 And I seen my first wife coming; I thought... But of course she died when she was just a girl, twenty-two years old. And I thought she looked natural. And so I said, "Maybe she'll call me her husband when she gets here."And when her time come up, for her around--put her arm around me, she called me her darling brother. Then she put her arms around another girl there and said, "Isn't it
wonderful? He's with us."
Well, I--I didn't know what to make of it. And just then, this young, beautiful woman run and threw her arms around me, another one. He said, "These are..."
And I said, "Is this my people? Are all these Branhams?"
He said, "No. This is your converts, trophies of your ministry."
There was millions of them. And I said, "Trophies of my ministry?"
Said, "Yes." Said, "That woman, that beautiful woman that just put her arms around you, young and beautiful," said, "you know how old she was when you led her to Christ?"
I said, "I have no idea."
Said, "She was past ninety. Now, she'll never be old no more. She'll never be sick, or have sorrow no more."

And there they all were, just perfect. And I thought, "Well, my, this is a most wonderful thing to know that--that we gather into a place like this, and are saved and in a body like that." I thought,
"This is a--the--a glorious thing."So then I thought, "Well, this is--this is beyond anything that I could think of." It was just such a beautiful place. And everything so perfect: perfect love, perfect health, sin could never be there. There can be no death. There could be no sorrow. There could be nothing.
There was no yesterday, no tomorrow, and there was no tiredness. Everything is just perfect. I thought, "This is wonderful."

 And just then, I looked, and coming down across the hill I saw my old dog, my old Fritz; he put me through school. I'd hunt with him at nighttime, and--and he'd, you know, catch some opossums
and coons, and things, and--and--and I'd sell fur. And--and that was my old dog coming. And just then, I looked, and here come my little old horse.Now, a minister once said to me not long ago,
when I was referring this, said, "Do you think that animals would be in heaven?"
And I said, "Yes, sir."
He said, "Where do you get that for Scripture?"
I said, "Where's the horses that taken Elijah up into heaven on that chariot? Where's the horse that Jesus will be riding on the earth, upon a white horse, and His vesture dipped in blood? When will it
be when the wolf and lamb shall feed together and lay down, and a little child shall lead them?
When--when will all these be, when the ox and the lion eat straw together, and lies down together?
When will all these things take place?"
And then, when it--when I got through saying that, then he was convinced that it was true.

Then, Brother Julius, my old dog when I... He got poisoned, and when I buried him, I said to,
"Fritz, if there's a--a resting place for dogies, you'll sure be there." And here he come up and licked me on my hand.And old Prince, my horse, come up and put his neck across mine. Just then I heard
a voice speak out of the heaven and said, "All that you ever loved, and all that ever loved you, God has given you. And they're all waiting here for the coming of the Lord."
Then I felt real strange. And I heard a voice then, said, "Keep pressing on. Keep pressing on."
Something happened. And I looked back towards the bed where I could see my body, and I was moving around. A few moments I was back normal again.

Brother Julius, that did something to me. I've never been the same since. I don't believe I ever could. To know that our gracious heavenly Father let me look a past the curtain of time, to see a
land where there's--he's been perfect. Imperfection that we live in now has been changed. Then we're perfect, nothing to worry about no more, Brother Julius. Just waiting for that glorious hour, that
when our God and Saviour shall appear.And, Brother Julius, I don't know where I was. Wherever it was, isn't far away, 'cause I could look back and see myself. And wherever that is, your baby is
tonight. She's no more a teeny baby as she was. She's a young lady, beautiful, maybe looks like her mother. Some glorious day you'll see her again.

Deborah, honey, David, little sister's not dead; she's asleep in Jesus. She's waiting for the time that when you'll all be together again. When the... Gathered with your people... When the great Stadsklev family comes together, the Petersons, and all that's associated in your family, you'll see little sister there again.I know how you feel, honey. I know how I felt when I gave up my little girl. Not
long after that, I saw a vision of her. And you who have... You'll read it in my life story. And I'll be with her again some glorious day when the family's gathered together. And then together we'll meet,
wherever we are, scattered across the world. If you notice, the order of the resurrection: They which are asleep (and that's dead). Christians don't die, you know. But saying in our way: dead. "Dead"
means "separation." "Death," rather, means "separation."

Then them which are asleep shall not prevent those which are awake at the coming of the Lord.
"For the trumpet of God shall sound, and the dead in Christ shall rise first. And we'll be caught up together with them to meet the Lord in the air." You notice the order of the resurrection? "We which are alive and remain to the coming of the Lord (II Thessalonians, I believe about the 5th chapter) shall not prevent (or hinder) those that are asleep. The trumpet shall sound, and the dead in Christ shall rise first." And notice the next, "Then we which are alive and remain, shall be caught up together with them."See, we meet them first. Now, I wonder, how God in His great mercy, when
He'd be worshipped perfectly there, and when... He knew that. He knew that if we got there first to worship Him, and then we'll go to look around, wonder where baby is, and where mother is, and
where this one or that one; but (You see?) He lets us meet one another first. So when you go up to worship before the Lord on that day, she'll be with you. See?

 "We not prevent or hinder those which are asleep, for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead in Christ shall rise first, and we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them, caught up together with them to meet the Lord in the air." And then we meet one another first and then stand before Him to crown Him the King of king and the Lord of lord. Oh, what a worship.When I see those precious ones. I preached and labored through the years, my loved ones, and meet them all, and then together hand in hand, stand in His Presence, won't we worship Him? To know when we take off our crowns and lay them before His feet, and say, "It was by Thy grace, Lord. We--we didn't merit a thing, but You brought us all together again with Eternal Life. We could never be separated no more, never have no more heartaches. Never will there be a funeral service among us. Never will there be flowers strowed along in the graveyard. Never will there be an ambulance, or a--no medicine to be taken. There'll be nothing but just living with the Lord, with each other, to enjoy the Eternal Life. And 'course, that's for eternity.
I'm waiting, watching for the coming of that grad-glad day, that when Jesus will come.

Now, may God's rich blessings be with you. Now, this morning, it was rather shocking. After you said to me yesterday, Sister Stadsklev, on the phone about praying for the baby, I had a real
strange, odd feeling. I went in and prayed, and come back out, and took the Bible in my hand. I said, "Lord, could You even show me a Scripture to start with?"When I opened up, it had--it opened to
that flyleaf that's in the middle of a Bible that says, "Death: Record of death." Then I prayed again. And I don't remember just where the Scripture was, but it was something about a death of someone else. I never opened it no more. I went to the woods, and later I found out the baby was even dead before you called. And then this morning, when these words came, "Do not rebuke this. This is the hand of the Lord."...
You know, many times, when I'm called to a--a case, why, I'll stand up there if it's sickness and say, "Sickness, I withstand you. I adjure thee, or rebuke thee, in the Name of Jesus." That, like the little
boy raised in Finland and other places, you know, withstanding it, because that's when God has told me to do it. Then it's not my word that rebukes it; it's the Word of the Lord.

And then, this morning when I was seeking, and last night, seeking the Word of the Lord for you, the Word of the Lord came unto me saying, "Rebuke this not, for it is the hand of the Lord," so sweet and kind. So as I said this morning to you, Sister Stadsklev, "Sleep on, little one. Take your rest. God has called. He knows what's best." And confide yourself into the will of God. Humble your
hand--your--humble yourself under His mighty hand.
My heart bleeds for you, as I think of you away from home, way across over there tonight in a strange land, among strange people, know no one. And your little, precious darling's gone on. But
how God knows, and how to take care of these situations. How He knows what to do. He knows what's best.

And, Sister Stadsklev, way I thought about my little Sharon, the way children are today, may be God had to say this. "I have to break your heart for a little bit, Julius, Gloria, David, Deborah,
Grandpa, and Grandma, and all your associates; I'll have to break your heart for a little bit. But you love that baby. I never give it to you. I just lended it to you for a little while to bring a little joy in your home. I've got to have it up with Me now. If I leave it there, Satan will make a great stumble out of it, and you'll lose it. So I can keep it better than you can. I'll just bring it up to Me, let it stay up here until you come, where you cannot lose it no more."God bless you, Brother Julius, and your family.
Anytime I that can be a favor to you, do anything for you, if the Lord would ever reveal anything more to me, I'll certainly be glad to send it right to you. And now, I'll write you a letter pretty soon.
And I thought this tape you'd hear it, and it might make you, you know, be a little closer to us, and we'd be a little closer together.

May the Lord ever richly bless you, my precious brother, and comfort you now in this great and dark hour that you're going through. And write me and let me know how you're getting along. And I'll be praying for you. Until I see you, may the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ ever be with you. I'm going to have a little prayer before this little tape runs out. Lord Jesus, give peace, and satisfaction, and rest to my precious friends who this tape is designated to, the Stadsklev family, and the Petersons. May they know that You've called, and You know what's the best thing to do. Grant it, Lord. I commit them unto you. In the Name of Your Son, Jesus Christ.
Amen.