And Thy Seed Shall Possess The Gate Of His Enemies
61-0212E, And Thy Seed Shall Possess The Gate Of His Enemies, First Assembly Of God Of Long Beach, Long Beach, CA, 57 min




We are told that we are written epistles, read of all men. And Father, we pray that our lives will so be, as we profess to have this great experience of Pentecost, that it will be such a--salty to the world, that they'll long to be that way also. Give us of Thy Holy Spirit, Lord, that we might show to the world, that our faith in our Saviour is confirmed, that He is not dead, but He's a living with us day by day, guiding us and directing us, feeding us, walking by the still waters and the shady green pastures.
We pray that You'll bless us tonight in the Word. Heal the sick and the afflicted; save the lost. Get glory unto Thy great Name, for we ask it in Thy Name, Jesus Christ. Amen. You may be seated. [Hebrews 12:8], [Mark 9:23]

Last evening when I was approaching... I'd been down in the city in the afternoon, and I noticed some of the people, how they were doing, just like they are in other parts of the world.
And I come in last night. And the nicest little girl from the platform here, from the choir, I believe it was, walked back there. She was a Canadian, real nice little lady, clean looking, and a real, just a real lady. I hope my Rebekah's like that when she gets her age. A Canadian girl... Then tonight coming in, standing out there by the side of the wall stood a little lady, standing out there, when my son and my daughter-in-law come up, and I, from Arkansas, waiting out there in the cold just to shake hands with me. Said she'd remembered when I was in Hot Springs many, many years ago, the Humbard family. And just see people like that, it just makes life worth living.

This is thirty-one years I've been preaching, and I have... I would not trade this life if there wasn't even any heaven to go to at the end of it, if there wasn't any Jesus to see. I have more joy living this way than I--one day, than I would ten years any other way, if there wasn't nothing after. But... That's really from my heart, as your brother and God's servant. There's such a peace and a satisfaction, knowing that when you lay down, if you never wake again, what difference does it make? See? You're--you're--you're saved, that--that anchor that holds within the veil somewhere out there, something that tells us that the good's just the other side.

I said, "I hope so, sometime." But I... You're such a nice people to talk to. And you... There's no place to stop.
And he said, "Well, the first thing, you talked about thirty minutes before you ever started on your sermon."
I said, "Now, Billy, I'm going to--I ain't going to do that tonight. I'm going--I'm going to start right straight into the sermon right quick, so I can let the people out."

You think, "Well, you don't love us." Yes, I love you. But you're already anchored in Christ, and those people over there, just so hungering and thirsting. And now, if I was working for you, and I could pick... I was picking berries. On one side of the road over here, I could pick fifty gallon a day. On this side of the road, I could pick two quarts a day. Now, which field should I work in? Certainly. You know what I mean.

Then you come back, and think that we rake in the garbage can enough to feed those people. And there's just something... The economics of the world is not balanced right somewhere. It's just not right. And we can't do nothing about it. You can see it, but (See?), I'm just one American. And that's--and just one Christian. And we could come back and tell the stories.
And it's truth that many missionaries tonight are eating one or two meals a week, and without shoes on their feet, just an old pair of ragged trousers or something wrapped around them, going into the jungles preaching the Gospel, this Gospel that we're preaching right here. It just isn't right, it just doesn't seem right, although they don't complain. They go right ahead doing it anyhow. Just almost breaks your heart to see. I say, "That fellow there..."
"He's a missionary."
When we was in Durban, South Africa, that's where I had, I guess, the largest altar call the Lord ever gave me. We registered thirty thousand converts at one altar call. Just think of that. Thirty thousand blanket natives received Christ as personal Saviour when they seen taking place, just like you seen here last night. They're hungering and thirsting. And when they see something's got a reality to it... But see, we here in America, we just have all kinds of evangelists. If one don't please us, we just drop him off, get another one. And you know, we just have such a variety. And the--and the first thing you know, why, it all becomes so common to us till we just forget about it. Those people are really craving God.

He said, "Boss, it burnt me." It was cold, you see. He never had felt nothing cold. See? He said, "It burned me." See them down there, when they go to get their drink, and the crocodiles chew them up. And see them coming for as many as two months ahead of time, when they heard I was coming over there to pray for their sick. They'd go along packing their loved ones on homemade stretchers, boards, and whatever they could have. And when they would--a lion would come, they would shinny them up a tree somewhere till the lions left, then bring them down. Such a sacrifice, down through the jungles. And then to see them laying at least four or five city blocks deep, till you can't even see the end of them like that, laying there, just...

I said, "Now, what was He then? Whatever He was then, He remains the same if He's a living." See? And when they seen that proved that He was, I made just a prayer, a congregational prayer, and Dr. F. F. Bosworth (Did anybody ever hear of him? Most everybody. One of the grandest old saints I ever met in my life.) he estimated between twenty-five and thirty thousand spontaneous miracles taken place at one time.

I said, "What is it?"
Said, "I will see if I can get there in time. It's on its road." Well, I was sitting there. I wondered, what did the mayor mean? And just that night, there'd been a woman had died over there that day, a friend of his. Prayed for her, she'd come to life. The papers given big headlines about it. And I went up...
See, where people really humble themselves, and forget everything else and just believe on the Lord, just everything takes place. And then... But you have to believe it. That's all. Just... Not--not just strain at it, but just simple believe it (See?), just like...

Brother Bosworth said he had trained symphonies, and went to the Madison Square Garden with a hundred and something piece orchestra, and he said never... Said some of them would be an octave high and an octave low, trained voices. But said there--there was just every one. And them, wouldn't know which was right and left hand, just perfect music. I can just see him yet as he took off his glasses, and begin wiping his eyes. He said, "Brother Branham, this is my coronation, to hear that."
I said, "That's the Holy Spirit. It's the only thing that could make them sing."

And I got a paper, one of the Durban papers, that said that one tribe, the Shangai... I forget how much that they brought back weeks later. And they was... And when they'd come back, they was through with sin, bringing back firearms, and watches, and what they'd stole from the--living out in the compounds, you know, when they'd come into the city and steal.


I said, "Start it through the interpreters again." I said, "I did not mean physical healing. I meant to receive Christ, Someone who loves you. And I realize that you got a raw end of it here, just like our American Indian got over there, where God placed him in the land. But," I said, "you--you got a bad deal out of it. But there's one that will give you justice. That's the Lord Jesus, and you want to receive Him as your personal Saviour, you can go home to heaven." And I said, "Raise your hands. Them that's packed idols, break them on the ground." And they broke their idols, and raised up their hands. Thirty thousand blanket heathens. I said, "While you have your hands up, receive Jesus for the baptism of the Holy Spirit." And when they did that, them people... Some women standing there naked, just a clout... You know what they done to walk away from there? They folded their arms to walk away.


Now, I want to take from that Scripture reading out of Genesis, the 22nd chapter, and the last ten verses of the 17th verse:
And thy seed shall possess the gate of his enemies.
[Genesis 22:17]
You notice, the Scripture said, "And they were both well stricken in age." See? They were old. And so, He turned them back to a young man and a young woman, showing what He's going to do to all the seed of Abraham. Now, we see those great promises that He gave. [Genesis 18:11]

I'm so glad that I have the opportunity, and can bring one of the greatest treasures to the people that there is in the world, to tell them that we are heirs with Abraham of this promise. We are Abraham's children. How do we do it? By joining the church? No. By being dead in Christ, receiving the Holy Spirit. Then we are Abraham's seed, and are heirs with him according to the promise. Don't fail to get it, Christian friends. Stay with it. [Romans 4:19], [Genesis 23:2], [Genesis 25:1-2], [Galatians 3:29]

I was thinking one time how bad that was. And I remember Mrs. Graham, for the noted evangelist Billy, said that the--one of the great times of his life that... He's got one tooth out in front, you know, and he wears a partial. And he lost this tooth, and it was just about time for him to go on the broadcast. And he said, just whistles terribly, and he just--and he had to stand by the microphone. She said, "Oh, Billy was really doing some praying," and a porter, and everybody looking through--the bellhops a trying to find this tooth, where it was at. Come to find out, it fell out of his trouser pocket and was in his shoe. Somebody found it down in one of his shoes. And--and she told it on him while she was in Louisville. And so the thing he did, he would take a towel after taking a bath, and throw it over the top of the door like that, and make a big dirty streak. And she was too short to get up and wipe it off, you know. So we all have our faults, you see, all of us, even to the best.

Then we see when full obedience come, then when he was about to take the life of his own son, the Angel of the Lord called from the skies, and held his hand. And there was a ram behind him. And he took the ram that had been caught in the weeds by his--or the vines by his horns, and offered the ram instead of his own son. And we discussed that. Where did this ram come from?
Now, Abraham was three day's journey, and then lifted up his eyes far off and seen the mountain. He was at least seventy-five to a hundred miles from civilization, and up on top of a mountain where there's no grass or no water. And he'd rolled the rocks around, and fixed the altar, and there was no ram there. And if a ram would be up there, animals would've killed it long ago, straying out like that. And that's the reason he called it Jehovah-jireh, the Lord will provide Himself a sacrifice. I believe God spoke the ram into existence. And we find out that it wasn't a vision. A vision don't bleed. He killed the ram, and the blood run out of the ram, and he offered that instead of his own son. You know who that ram was? The Lord Jesus Christ. That's exactly. That... In figurative speaking, that was Him. [Genesis 22:1-18], [Hebrews 11:17-19]




But that's what we are. Like, we--we are now a--a wheat, a grain of wheat in God's garner, when we was a cocklebur. And God changed us from a cocklebur to a grain of wheat. It makes the fruits different, changing your own mind, your own ideas. It's the greatest miracle that ever happened, when a man or a woman is borned again of the Spirit of God, and becomes a new creation in Christ Jesus. [II Corinthians 5:17]

How do we come to Church? Not by joining it, but by being borned into it. You see, I--I believe that we have our organization, our denominations, and them things are all right; but that don't put us in the Church. We could join every one of them, and still not be in the Church. You don't--you're not joined in the Church, you're borned in the Church. You become the family of God. Now, I've been in the Branham family for fifty-one years, and they never did ask me to join the family, because I was a Branham at birth. I was born in the family. I--I be a Branham by birth. That's how you become a Christian, by birth. When you're borned again, you become a new creature, a new creation in Christ Jesus, and all old things has passed away, and all things has become new again. What a wonderful... I'd like to ask the church one thing. What greater treasure could you find in earth tonight? What could you find that you would swap for this hope? Why, there couldn't be nothing that would no way touch it any way, for this great hope. [Genesis 22:7]

I was talking to a certain minister. Nothing against the man, he's got a right for his ideas. He's an American the same as we are. And he said, "Brother Branham, I don't care if you could produce ten thousand miracles. It's still... I do not believe in healing."
I said, "Certainly not. It--it wasn't for unbelievers, it was just for those who believe." See? That's right. It's--it's not for unbelievers. It was only meant for believers. That's all. This Holy Spirit is to them that believe. Divine healing is for those who believe. Not unbelievers; it's believers. [Galatians 2:20], [Galatians 3:14-16], [Acts 5:32]

And this is not a joke, but it was told in the Christian Businessmen recently, at one of the meetings. There was an elderly colored sister wanted to testify. She said it kind of in a Southern way. She said, "I's want to give my testimony." She said, "I's not what I want to be. And I's not what I ought to be. But still, I ain't what I used to be." So I think that's the way the church might be able to say it tonight. We might not be what we want to be. And we might not be what we want to be, but--and what we ought to be. But we know something has happened, we're not what we used to be. I know that, because you have passed from death unto life. There's something has happened, and we know it. Something taken place down in our lives. That makes us Abraham's seed, because we are in Christ.

Now, a little later on in the week now, I'm going to get the seal of God, and the mark of the beast, and di--divide two nights on that. I want you to be sure to get it if you can. You hear so many charts and things. But watch how simple it is when the Bible brings it out, just how easy it is to see it...?... The pro and con of it. [Luke 17:2], [Genesis 12:3]

Let's go back and find some of the man of Abraham's seed under the Jewish covenant, then bring it down into the Gentiles when we were drafted over from the Jewish age to the Gentile age, to take a people for His Name. Now, let's take some of the man who was the seed of Abraham, and see if they possessed the gate of the enemy.

And now, the Hebrew children down there had been brought on to a spot where the king had made a--a declaration, that anybody would not bow down to this image would be throwed into a fire of furnace, furnace of fire, rather. And then when they...?... purposed in their heart that they was not going to defile themselves. They were going to live close to God. Now, the three Hebrew children, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, they were the seed of Abraham. They had the promise of God that his seed would possess the enemy's gate.

Then we notice then when these Hebrew children come to a prayer meeting that night, "What are we going to do?" There had to be a--a gathering, and a decision had to be made. No doubt they prayed all night long. And the decision was unanimously, because they were deciding that they could not afford to go back on God in the time of trial. Wouldn't that be good for the whole church now? When the decision is made, "Shall I turn to the things of the world? Shall I go like the rest of them go?" That decision comes to every Christian. It comes to you daily. How are we going to do it? You've got to make your decision.

And he said, "King, live forever. Our God is able to deliver us from that fiery furnace. He's able to do it. But if He doesn't, we're still not going to bow down to that image. We've made up our minds. We've took the way with the Lord's despised few, and we're going to stand true to it." Oh my! That's what the church needs. [Daniel 3:18]


"Yeah, but they'll hold out true. I've got confidence in them. They're My servant Abraham's seed. So they'll hold true."

Said, "No, we're not going to bow down."
"Well, we just..." It raged his indignation in him, he heat' the furnace seven times hotter than it ever was heat'. And he took some big strong men. They started walking up to drop off into the furnace. And as they walked up close, looked like that the dark hour was there.
That's the way it looks to Christians sometime when somebody... The young lady, when she's been persuaded by a boy that she really loves to take her first cigarette; when she's forced, maybe to take a--a drink for her first time, have her first cocktail at the party of the boss that she works for: or the man who's got a wife and family at home, when the immoral woman tries to make love to him... You've got those barriers at the gate. But if you'll just... Look like God's forsaken you. Just keep walking steady. Watch Him. Just keep moving on.

Now, they kept walking. I can imagine Shadrach looked over to Meshach and said, "You're sure we're prayed up?"
"Yeah." Walked right on, furnace getting hotter and hotter, till almost the skin coming off of their face. Even the Bible said that the man that throwed them in there, the intense heat of that furnace killed the men that throwed them in. Looked like it was the darkest hour. They was walked right up to the edge of the furnace.
But you know, it--sometimes God lets it get that way to try you. You can never... Abraham would have never possessed the gate of the enemy until he was tried first. And you'll never possess the gate of the enemy until you go through the trials. "Some through the waters, some through the flood, some through deep trials, but all through the blood." God leads his children. See, you must first be tried. Oh, then the illegitimate falls in the trial; but the true child of God stands true. He knows where his possession lays. He knows where he's standing. He knows what's happened to him. He knows that he's passed from death unto life. And he knows that God answers prayer. [Daniel 3:22]

It may be down... I've seen cancer cases come to almost their last breath. A brother laying with arthritis recently had his hands laying like this. The Holy Spirit told him, said, "THUS SAITH THE LORD, you're healed." He went home and got worse. He said, "I can't help it. That man didn't know me. He never seen me in his life." Lived in Phoenix. He said, "He never seen me in his life. How could he tell me who I was? I know by the man's talk he's no educator. I know that there was something supernatural. And I... Something happened." They couldn't even move the pillow. When they moved the pillow for his hands, he'd say, "Oh, wife, wife, be careful." Oh, just screaming.
And she said, "Honey, aren't you afraid you're bringing a reproach upon the very religion that we believe?"
He said, "I cannot. I believe it in my heart that it'll happen." And it got so bad. He laid back, and his little girl was trying to put a wet rag on his face. He felt fainty. And he looked up there, and he said he seen Christ come before him on the cross. And said... When He bowed his head to die... He thought his breath was going, he couldn't breathe no more. The arthritis was all through him. And when he bowed his head to die, he seen Christ bow his head there. All of a sudden he give a big leap, and out of the chair, and around and around and around the place he went...?... why? He possessed the gate when He went to the cross. But first, you must possess. You must take the trial.

And then, the very man that they come out for, the Lord Jesus--very man they come out for, they sent for Him to come pray for their brother when he was laying dying with hemorrhages. And they... He refused to come. They sent the second time, and He refused to come. Oh, how dark the hour was then. Finally, the midnight hour come, struck, and the boy died. They put him in the grave. He was there four days. Corruption had already set in his body. Skin worms was in him. Bugs from the ground was crawling into his flesh. The darkest hour they ever seen. It was at that time when Jesus came by, just at that dark hour. [John 11:3]

I said, "He was Divine. Yes."
She said, "Well, I will prove to you by your Bible He wasn't."
I said, "Go to it."
And she said, "Well, the 11th chapter of Saint John said He went to the grave of Lazarus, He wept."
I said, "That didn't--that didn't have nothing to do with it. He was both man and God." I said, "He was a man truly, when He was weeping. But when He stood by the side of a man's grave that'd been dead four days, and his nose already fell in, the bugs eating in his body, said 'Lazarus, come forth,' that took more than a man." Yes, sir. [John 11:35, 43]

He was a man laying out there on the back of that little ship that night. Devils, forty thousand of them of the sea, swore they'd drown Him, that little old ship like a bottle stopper out there, flopping around. The devil said, "We got him now. He's asleep. We will drown him." He was a man, tired and weary, laying out on the back of that boat there, with a pillow somewhere, asleep. But brother, when He once arose, oh my, put his foot upon the brail of the boat, looked up, and said, "Peace, be still," and the winds and the waves obeyed Him. That was more than a man. That was God in that man.
It was a man that cried for mercy on the cross. That's right. "My God, why hast thou forsaken Me?" He died crying for mercy. That's right. But on that third morning, when He broke death's seal, and rose again on the third day and ascended on high, He was more than a man. Everybody that's ever amounted to anything believed that. That's right. Poets, authors, prophets, whatevermore, believe that. [Mark 11:12-14], [John 6:9-13], [Mark 4:39], [Matthew 27:46]


He said, "That's right, Gabriel. You're a good Angel. Just stand there."
Here comes another one up. His name's Wormwood. He's the--he's the Angel over all the waters. I can see Him stand at attention, said, "Father, have You looked down in Babylon?"
"Yeah, I've watched them all night." Oh, his eye is on the sparrow, and I know He watches me. "I've watched them all night."
"They're fixing to burn three men up down there this morning, seeds of Abraham that's took You by your Word, and standing gallant on it. You know one time You told me to turn loose all the waters. I have the control. You let me go down. I will wash Babylon off the map." He could have done it.
I can hear Him say, "That's right, Wormwood. You're a wonderful Angel. You--you did just exactly everything I told you to since you created--I created you. You did too, Gabriel. But you know, I'm going down Myself. This is My job." Oh my! [Revelation 8:11], [Daniel 8:16]

There He stands up, motions that way, and here comes a big white cloud by Him. Steps up on it, calls the east wind, north wind, south wind, and west wind, to drive them like horses. Reach up and get a hold of the zigzag lightning, and crack it across the skies. Before they could ever step in there, He was in the furn--fiery furnace with them. He stood in there with a big palm fan off there somewhere by the Tree of Life, fanning the fiery blazes off of them like that. Said, "I just want to talk it over with you children. I know that you're the seed of Abraham. I gave the promise, and I'm here to answer it," keeping the fire blazes off. Oh, yes. They opened up. Said, "How many did you put in there?"
Said, "Three."
He said, "There's one more in there, and He looks like the Son of God." He was. Why? They--after they was tried, they possessed the gate of the enemy. Amen. [Romans 8:27], [Hebrews 7:25], [Daniel 3:25]

Moses, after he had been true to God, come through the trials, and brought the children of Israel right in the path of duty. All nature screamed out against it. Here was the mountains on one side and the deserts, Pharaoh's army pursuing, and the Red Sea blocked them off. Why, they was trapped. Looked like God was a poor military man to push them right into that corner there and let them perish. [Daniel 6:22], [Exodus 14:10-20]

One writer said one time, that when they got in that place, wondered what Moses would do. He had one command, "Go forward." If you're in the line of duty, no matter what stays in the way... The greatest experiences I've ever had is to come up against something I couldn't get over it, or under it, and just stand there and watch God make a way through it. That's the way to do it. Just move. Keep moving. Press your nose against it. Just keep moving on. Just keep going on. God will make a way. [Exodus 14:29-31]

Said, "I believe it."
Said, "Well, how--how do you know it's right?"
He said, "Well, it's... I believe it from civer to civer, the civer also." Says, "It's got Holy Bible wrote on it."
Said, "I guess you believe all that's in there."
Said, "Yes, sir."
"I guess you believe whatever God would tell you to do, you'd do it."
He said, "I'd do it."
Said, "What if He'd tell you to jump through that wall, that stone wall? How are you going to get through there?"
He said, "If He'd tell me to jump, I'd jump. He'd make a hole when I got there."
So that's right. So that's the thing you have to do, is take God, and believe it, and jump anyhow. If you know you could explain it, understand it, then it wouldn't be faith no more. Your faith is what you believe that He has done for you. "And faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen." You don't see it. You can't figure it out. There's no way to figure out God. You just got to believe Him, and keep walking on. He said so. That's how I stand in the pulpit for the visions. That's what... He tells me go do certain things that seems humanly impossible, and you all know that. It is humanly impossible, but He said do it. Just go on. He's the One to take care of it. And He will do it. Yes. How great Thou art. [Hebrews 11:1]

Well, if He could look through a Pillar of Fire and do that, what would it do when He looked through the Blood of His own Son? Had a confessor standing there with a promise that God swore He would take care of it, and swore that He would--that his seed of Abraham should possess the gates of the enemy. Sure. He's duty bound to do it by the Blood of His own Son laying on the mercy seat tonight. Oh, if we could get away from this earthbound ideas, and look up yonder, see who made the promise, the very God of creation. Yes. [Hebrews 9:5]

Joshua said, "We're more than able to take it," him and Caleb. And he was--the only two out of the two and a half million people that went over. What did he do? He come down to Jordan, holding him out of the promised land. But he possessed the gate of the enemy. Why? Because He took God at His Word. He'd had a trial, and he believed it. He knowed God kept His Word. So he possessed the gate of the enemy.
I could go on and on, but I'm overtime. All these great warriors, every one of them, they done great things, they--they--great miracles, and wandered about in sheepskins, and deserts, and was destitute, and some sawed asunder, and all different things. As Hebrews 11 says, all these great warriors all come down to die. Every one of them come down to die. [Numbers 13:30]

Stood there under temptation, said, "I'd speak straightway to My Father, and He'd send Me twenty legions of angels." What could one do? Twenty legions of Angels. They could change it if they wanted to. That's right. But He had to be tempted in all manners like we are. Standing there with handfuls of beard jerked out of his face, and the blood and mockery, drunken spit from the soldiers hanging in his face. They put a rag over his head like this, and hit Him on top of the head with a reed, said, "Now you said you was a prophet, you can read the mind of the people. Tell us who hit you. Tell us who hit you." He could have done it. But He would've been listening to the devil. He possessed the gate of the enemy. He stood the temptation. O God, for such a One. That's right. [Luke 4:3-4], [Luke 22:63-64]


Jesus said, "It's written, man shall not live by bread alone." Took Him up on the pinnacle of the temple, said, "Cast thyself down; because it is written, he'd give angels charge concerning thee, lest at any time dash thy foot against a stone, they'll bear thee up."
He said, "Yes. And it's also written..." Everything, He met him with the Word of God, because He was the true seed of Abraham. [Luke 4:1-12], [Matthew 4:1-11]

The sweetest words in the Bible when He said, "Father, I sanctify myself that I might sanctify them." What was He trying to do? Set an example. He was sending twelve man out with a Gospel that would conquer the world, and He's depending on you and I to do it. If He could sanctify Himself like that, why ought we to set aside every failure, and every doubt, and everything else, and sanctify ourselves? For we are the seed of Abraham through Him, that are more than conquerors through Him. Yes.
He had a right to be married. He had a right to have a home. He had a right to lay his head on a pillow. But "The foxes has dens, and the birds has nests; and the Son of man don't have a place to lay his head." Why? "I sanctify myself, Father. For their sake, I do it." For their sake--not because He had to, but for their sake, He conquered every enemy.

That's where we stand tonight. "My faith is built on nothing less than Jesus' blood and righteousness; when all around my soul gives way, then He is all my hope and stay. For on Christ, that solid rock, I stand; all other grounds is sinking sand, all other grounds is sinking sand." There's where I take my hope, right there on that solid rock.
Abraham's seed. He possessed every gate, even to death and hell. See Him there. Had a mockery... That woman trying to wash his feet again. Put a rag over his face and said, "If you're a prophet, tell us who hit you, we will believe you." On the cross they said, "If you are the Son of God, come down and we will believe you." They wouldn't believe Him anyhow, no matter what He done. He didn't mind them.

In the garden of Eden when God had--to his holiness and true to his Word, when Eve and Adam had done evil, when God, Himself, running up and down through the garden, hollering, "Adam, Adam, where art thou? Where art thou, Adam?" If somebody wants to know where--who this man was, Jesus, who was He coming hunting His first lost son? Did God send an Angel? He come Hisself. He came Himself. That's how He come. You want to make...


Now, watch Adam as he starts away, and across his legs them old bloody sheepskins, beating like that across his legs. He couldn't stand it, He's a father. Said, "Just a minute. I will put enmity between your seed and the serpent's seed." [Genesis 3:15, 23]

Let's look at Him. He had a little robe throwed across his shoulders. It was wove throughout without seam. I notice as He goes walking... I'm looking at Him by faith, showing Him to you all by faith. There's little red dots all over the back of that coat. What makes that like that? As He goes farther up the street, and the cross a rubbing on his shoulder, I notice them little dots begin to get bigger and bigger. What are they? What's the matter? All at once they all become one great big bloody splash. Then I hear something else beating against his leg: second Adam, going up the hill with a bloody garment beating against his leg. [Luke 1:35], [Acts 20:28]

But it--He was God. His Kingdom was from above. His delegates is the same thing. Their Kingdom is above. They act like from up there, they talk about up there. Where their treasure is, there their heart is also. They're talking about that.

I see a little woman run out and say, "What did He do? What evil has He done? What did He do but preach us the Gospel? What did He do but heal your sick?" Somebody smacks her out of the way. Said, "Would you listen to that crazy woman instead of your priest? Go on up the hill with Him." They beat Him again. He goes on up the hill. The bee says, "I will get him after awhile when they hang Him on the cross."

Yes, he can buzz, and make a big noise, and fuss, and pull hospital--into a hospital, and tell the doctors standing there, and a bunch of them mourning and crying; but you look him in the face and say, "Death, where is thy stinger? I can point yonder to the royal Seed of Abraham, Whose Blood I was born by. He pulled that stinger out of death. So death, you have no stinger for me. Grave, I will mold you someday. Where is your victory? But thanks be to God, Who gives us the victory, through our Lord Jesus Christ, and His seed shall possess the gates of his enemies, possess the gate of all of his enemies.
And when He come, He possessed every gate: the gate of sickness, the gate of death, the gate of hell, the gate of temptation, the gate of the grave. He possessed every gate and freely gives it to us, and makes us more than conquerors through Him that loved us, and gave Himself for us. [I Corinthians 15:55-57], [Genesis 22:17], [Romans 8:37]

Would someone else just raise your hand? It won't hurt you. My, just raise up your hand, say "I..." You know yourself. Say, "Brother Branham, I'm not Abraham's seed. I belong to church." God bless you here, sir. "I--I'm not Abraham's seed." God bless you, lady, right here. The Lord be rich to you tonight. Over to my right, yes, the Lord bless you.
Somebody else? Say... raise up your hand, and just raise up your hand, say, "Remember me, Brother Branham, in your prayer. I want to... I want to be Abraham's seed." Because remember, if you're not Abraham's seed, you're not in the promise.

And the only way you can be Abraham's seed is to deny your own self, and die to your own self, and be born again of the Holy Spirit, because the Life that was in Christ makes us Abraham's seed. We take on his seed by the Holy Spirit which was given to us by the promise of God. "And the promise is unto you, and to your children, to them that's far off, even as many as the Lord our God shall call." [Galatians 2:20]

Brother, sister, I may never lay eyes again on you in this life. But there at the judgment bar, I'm going to have to face you. See? Now, remember this night, the 13th day of February, 1961. When this day rolls up there on the canvas of the skies of the judgment, this meeting will come to your remembrance.
God bless you over against the wall there. "I want to believe on Jesus. I want to become Abraham's seed tonight." Now... The Bible said that which is outwardly is not Jew, but that which is inwardly. His--his seed shall possess the gate of the enemy.
We got the enemy on the run now. Ten or twelve hands has been up already. That... We show that we got the enemy on the run. Would there be another one join our ranks tonight, and raise your hands and say...? God bless you, sir. God bless you. Would there be back there? God bless you back there. Yes, my brother, up in the balcony, the Lord bless you. Yes. Join our ranks. We got the enemy running now. [Romans 2:29]

Now, many's coming up, coming out in the ranks. Taking... filing right in. There is... Won't you come join with us tonight? Join your hands with God tonight, become dead to the things of the world and accept Christ as your Saviour. Will you raise your hand before we pray? Say. "Remember me." God bless you back there in the back there. I can see your hand up way back. Just another?
What about somebody up close here, not a Christian? Say, "I want you to remember me, Brother Branham. Just pray for me while you're praying. Just remember me in your prayer." I will do that. All right. Now, let's keep our heads bowed.

And as we think of the writer of the "Thanatopsis," every time my heart beats, we get one beat closer to that chamber. Every time my heart beats, and that clock ticks, we're just one beat closer. And someday it's coming to its last beat.
God, we do not desire... I'm pleading for these people. We do not desire to enter into that chamber screaming, and crying, and wishing for more life, and a few minutes to repent. God, we want to come in there with a boldness. We want to come in there as Abraham's seed, the promise in our hearts, knowing this, that we know Him in the power of His resurrection; that someday, when He calls, we will come out from among the dead and rise, and go to be with Him, to ever be with Him.

God, it is written in the Word that the effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man... Now, there's none of us righteous, but we are accepting His righteousness. And we're bringing his Blood before You. We're bringing His Word before You, like He said, "Ask the Father anything in My Name, I will do it."
Now, we're bringing there people, by faith, right up before You, Lord. There they are. They've sinned. They've done wrong. They're wanting forgiveness of their sins. They raised their hands to You that... and for me to pray for them that they're sorry that they did that. Lord Jesus, forgive them. May they find that real sweet peace that passes understanding--understanding that God so loved the world that He gave His Son, that--that they might have the courage to raise their hands. [James 5:16], [John 14:14]

And I pray that You'll be merciful to these. And I pray that You'll help them, and to give them boldness now, after I've quoted this Scripture, that it was You that made them raise their hand, for You said so. "No man can come, except My Father draws him; and all that the Father has given Me will come."
And let them know, upon that confession right there proves that You forgive their sins. Now, may they not be ashamed of it. May they stand boldly, and say, "Yes. I now accept it upon the basis of His Word, that I will never go into the judgment of the damned, because God spoke to my heart, and I raised my hand that I would accept Him as my Saviour. I wanted to be remembered in prayer." Grant it, Father. [John 6:44], [John 5:24]

Now, there's one more thing I want you to do. "He that will confess Me before men, him will I confess before My Father and the holy Angels." Now, I'm asking you to do one thing in the goodness of God. Just think how good He was to let you raise your hand. [John 6:44], [Luke 12:8]

Said, "I never embarrassed you. I hope not." She was a deacon's daughter.
She said, "I'm young. And I've got plenty of time to do that."
I said, "Lady, I would've never pointed my finger to you if I didn't feel that it was right. Never would made an altar call if I didn't think..." And she just bawled me out terribly.

She said, "Hello, preacher."
I said, "How do you do?"
She stood there on the corner a little bit, said, "Come go with me to my room?"
I said, "Thank you, I'm kind of a bit... hurry."
She reached in her pocketbook and said, "Have a cigarette?"
I said, "Now, aren't you ashamed to say that?"
She said, "Maybe you'd take a drink with me. I will pay for it if you'll take it."
I said, "Shame on you, lady. Wouldn't you be ashamed to ask a servant of Christ a thing like that?" I started to walk away. I said, "I will be praying for you."
She said, "Just a minute. There's no need."
I said, "Why?"
She said, "You remember that night standing there by that rosebush, by the side of that Baptist church?"
And I said, "Yes."
She said, "My father's still deacon there." Said, "You can tell this wherever you go to, wherever you go, if you want to." She said, "That was my last call." She said, "You know, since that time," said, "I used to always feel a calling in my heart to come to God." She said, "But since that time," she said, "I've got harder and harder."
Now, this is the statement the girl made. She said, "My heart is so hard against God, and against the church, and everything," said, "I could see my own mother's soul fry in hell like a pancake and laugh at it." See?

All right now. "I now believe." Just stand up just a moment, just a moment. Please, just stand up just a moment, every one. That's fine. Would there be another want to stand just at this time, say, "He knocked at my heart. Never raised my hand, but I'm going to stand for Him right now. I will stand right now. I believe I will stand for Him right now, because He knocked at my heart. I never want my heart to get in that bad condition like that. While it's tender, I will raise." [Revelation 3:20]

Now, just remain standing. I want to pray for you again. And find some good church, be baptized in Christian baptism, and seek the baptism of the Holy Spirit. There's young people standing, young men, and would make ministers and missionaries. God bless your royal life.
Now, you that have your head bowed, I want you to open your eyes and turn and look to see who it is. And I want you now, when we stand, to offer them the right hand of fellowship, as Christian believers. Say, 'Welcome." Invite them to your church or something. Now, let's all stand on our feet. While you shake hands with them, say, "Welcome into the Kingdom of God tonight," say, "my blessed pilgrim brother." Turn around, each one of you, and shake hands with them people now as we sing.
Just as I am, without one plea,
But that thy blood...
That's it, Christians, be real sweet. I'm looking upon the balcony. Young men crying, people shaking hands.
And that Thou bidst me come to Thee;
O Lamb of God, I come, I come. [Luke 12:8]

And maybe some of you hasn't... How many hasn't got the baptism of the Holy Spirit, raise up your hand, and are seeking. You want to be...
God bless you. "Whosoever will, let him come." Is that right? Now, aren't you happy, you that's raised up and professed Christ tonight? If you feel real good about it in your heart, raise up your hand so the people see, you that raised your hand. You that... Look at there, every one of, a hundred percent. Yes, sir. That's it. How many of all of you are glad you're Christians tonight, raise up your hands. [Romans 10:9]

All right, sister. "I love Him, I love Him, because He first loved me." Everybody now, all together.
I love Him, I love Him
Because He first loved me
And purchased my salvation
On Calvary's tree.
Oh, don't you love Him? Now, don't leave now. I want you to do something for me. Now, when we sing it again, I want you to shake hands with somebody in front of you, somebody behind you, to the right and left, and say, "God bless you, pilgrim brother, or sister. Glad to be here in the house of God with you." Let's do it now while we sing it.
I love Him, I love Him
Because He first loved me
And purchased my salvation
On Calvary's tree.
Now, let's sing it to Him as we raise our hands to Him.
I (...?...) love Him...
Because He first loved me
And purchased my salvation
On Calvary's tree.
Oh, don't you love Him? Now, don't leave now. I want you to do something for me. Now, when we sing it again, I want you to shake hands with somebody in front of you, somebody behind you, to the right and left, and say, "God bless you, pilgrim brother, or sister. Glad to be here in the house of God with you." Let's do it now while we sing it.
I love Him, I love Him
Because He first loved me
And purchased my salvation
On Calvary's tree.
Now, let's sing it to Him as we raise our hands to Him.
I (...?...) love Him...
I give you to your pastor.