Retrieved sermon context

1. COMMUNION — 1965-12-12

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• ¶11–¶15 Now, reason I’m saying this…It’s all right, Brother Pearry? [Brother Pearry Green says, “Sure.”—Ed.] See, that reason I’m saying this, so that you would understand what you’re doing. You don’t… if you walk into anything blindly, you don’t know where, what you’re doing. You can’t have even confidence if you don’t know what you’re doing. But you must understand what you are doing and why you’re doing it. He said, “Now if we take the Word of God, isn’t that God that we’re taking?” I said, “Exactly right, sir, it’s true. But we read here that they actually…Paul taught taking the literal Lord’s Supper. ‘This do in remembrance of Me,’ said Jesus. ‘As oft as you take it in remembrance of Me, you show forth the Lord’s death till He comes.’” See? Now, we are to take it. We understand that Saint Paul, who ordained it in the Church, being the prophet of the New Testament. Peter, James, John, all of them, they wrote (why, Matthew, Mark, Luke) what Jesus did, as scribes. But Paul set the thing in order, he was the—he was the prophet of the New Testament. Just as Moses went into the wilderness to receive the inspiration to write the—the five Books of—of…the first five Books of the Bible, well, Paul also went into the desert and received inspiration from God, to set the New Testament Church in order and type It with the Old. Under there they had the sacrificial lamb, that Israel kept that for a memorial. It was actually used one time, coming out of Egypt. But then they kept that as a memorial all down through the age. Well, “if the law being a shadow of things to come,” you see.

• ¶16–¶21 Now, I do believe that Communion, or what we call, “Communion,” now, is to talk…is “the Lord’s Supper.” Now, we only have three physical Divine orders left to us: one of them is—is communion, feet-washing, water baptism. That’s the only three things. That’s the perfection, of the three, see. And that’s the only three orders we have. We realize that that was the issue given by Saint Paul in the New Testament. Now, if we would say “the communion should just be taking the Word,” I don’t believe anyone has a right to take the Lord’s Supper until he has taken the—the Word of the Lord into his heart. See? Because I’m going…I’ll read something for you in a few moments and you’ll see. Now, notice. Then, why then would we—we would… On the same basis we could absolutely justify the Salvation Army. They do not believe in any form of water baptism, said, “We don’t need it.” Now, if we don’t need water baptism, why are we baptized? Said, “The water can’t save you, the Blood saves you.” I’ll agree with that. That—that’s right, the Blood saves you, not the water. But we must take the water as an outward emotion that an inwardly work of grace has been done. See? So must we on communion! When we have taken the Lord, our Sacrifice, into us, as a matter of spiritual Birth into us, and His Body, we live by Him by the Word, we also should symbolize it because it’s a commandment. “Repent, every one of you and be baptized in the Name of Jesus Christ for the remission of your sins.”

• ¶22–¶26 Paul said, “I have received of the Lord that which I also delivered unto you, ‘That the Lord Jesus the same night in which He was betrayed took bread, and brake it and gave it to the disciples, and—and said, “Take and eat, this do in remembrance of Me.” For as often as you take this bread, you show forth His death till He comes.’” Now we find out that, in that, they had people who come and… This precious brother, a very dear brother, he came and he said, “I never—I never did take it, Brother Branham, I don’t understand what it is.” Said, “I been taught the other side.” I said, “But remember, we will admit that Saint Paul set it in order in the early Christian Church. They went from church…from house to house, broke the bread with singleness of heart, and so forth. Now,” I said, “he did put it in the Church. Galatians 1:8, he said, ‘If an angel from Heaven comes and says anything else, let it be accursed,’ you see, see, the same one that had them to be rebaptized again from the baptism of John, to be baptized in the Name of Jesus Christ.” You see, there are three things that we must—three things that we must do as symbols: the Lord’s Supper, feet-washing, water baptism. See? There’s… You say, “Well, the…” Now, the Salvation Army takes it from the point, “The dying thief, when he died, he wasn’t baptized, yet Jesus said he would be in Heaven.” That’s exactly the truth. That’s exact. But, you see, he—he—he only recognized Jesus right there in the hour he was dying. See? That’s the only—that’s the only opportunity he had. He—he was a thief, he was away, he was out. And he, as soon as he seen that Light, he recognized It, “Lord, remember me!” And Jesus…That was true.

• ¶27–¶30 But to you and I who know that we should be baptized, and refuse to do it, then that’ll be between you and God. Same thing in communion! Now, when we take this communion, it isn’t just the thing say, “I’m coming up here and going to eat some bread, and I’ll believe I’m a Christian.” But, if you noticed, the Bible said, “He that eateth and drinketh unworthily shall be guilty of the Blood and the Body of the Lord.” See? You’ve got to live a life that—that…before the people, that…and before God and the people, that shows that you are—that you are sincere. Now, just a moment longer. Now, in the Old Testament when the sacrifice was made a—a statute or an ordinance. And so is water baptism an ordinance; so is feet-washing an ordinance; so is the Lord’s Supper an ordinance. “Blessed is he that does all of His ordinance, keeps all of His statutes, all of His commandments, that he might have a right to enter into the Tree of Life.” Now, notice in this now, that in that first, when it was first an ordinance of God to bring a sacrifice to the church, and to the temple and the altar, and offer your gift, and—and for your sins, the sacrifice of a lamb. Well, I can just imagine seeing some Jewish brother coming down the road, knowing that he was guilty, and he goes to the altar; or brings his fat ox or a bullock, or whatever he had, or a ram, lamb, something. He had brought it down the road just as sincere as he could come, he walked up there, keeping God’s ordinance just as sincerely as he could.

• ¶40–¶44 You don’t take the Lord’s Supper by a tradition. You take it because it’s the love of God in your heart, in keeping the commandments of God. See, that’s what you take it for. So if you don’t take it in sincerity, just it’s a tradition, “Well, our church observes communion once every Sunday, or once every month, or twice a year,” and you go up, say, “Well, it’s my time,” and—and then take the communion, why, it’s a stink to God! See, that’s just a tradition. Even like anything else, you—you’ve got to be sincere. God wants the depths of your heart. You remember, the very God that brought you here on earth is the One you’re serving. See? You’re doing this because He said so, because it’s His order. Then we want to come up with deepness of sincerity, knowing that by God’s grace that we have been saved. And we—we love Him and we feeled His Presence, and we—we see It change our lives. Our—our whole being is changed. We—we—we’re different people. We don’t live like we used to, we don’t think like we used to. Like in the Book here, and the spot there we was talking about the—the two Books being One, the Book of Life. The first Book of life coming up, was when you were born, that was your natural birth. See? But then one time, way back down in there, there was a little grain of Life as I was explaining to some of the young sisters at the house this afternoon. See, there’s a little grain of Life laying there, that you wonder, “Where did It come from? What—what these strange things?”

• ¶51–¶55 Now, then one day as I walked on, that Voice talking, “Don’t never smoke, drink, so forth.” And the young fellows and all got older. See, there was Something moving. But yet all at once I looked up, and I said, “I’m not the son of Charles and Ella Branham. There’s Something calling.” Like my little eagle, “I’m not a chicken. There’s Something up yonder, somewhere. O Great Jehovah, Whoever You are, open up! I want to come home. There’s Something in me, calling.” Then I was born again. That little Life was laying there, the life of water was poured upon It, then It begin to grow. Now, that old life was forgiven, put in the sea of God’s forgetfulness, to never be remembered against me no more. See? Now we stand justified, as though we never had sinned, in the Presence of God. Then when we come to the Lord’s table, we must come in reverence, love and respect, of “Look where we would have been if it hadn’t been for Him.” See? Look where it would’ve… Therefore, Paul, I think, in saying this, “Wherefore, when ye come together to eat, tarry one for the other.” That is, other words, just wait a few minutes, pray, check yourself out. And if you know a brother is in there, just about to do something that’s wrong, or something, and you pray for him, too. See? See, “tarry one the other,” wait just a minute, pray. If there’s any feelings between you or something, don’t—don’t do it—don’t do it, go make that right, first. See? Go straighten that up, first, because we want to come here just as pure as we can be, and our thoughts of one another and to God, and to each other, and then we come in fellowship around the table of the Lord. See?

• ¶74–¶77 Now, in other words, don’t just come to take it as a…As I said a while ago, about what the Jews, their sacrifice, they…It was wonderful, it was given by God, but it got to a place where they didn’t do it in sincerity and reverence and in order, then it become just a… it become a—a stench in His nose. Now, the same thing is by our coming to take the Lord’s Supper, that, we must come knowing what we are doing. Just like when you go into the water to be baptized in the Name of Jesus Christ, you know what you’re doing, you’re putting on to the church what God has put in you, Christ. When we take this, it shows to the church, that, “I believe every Word of God. I believe that He is the Bread of Life that come from God out of Heaven. I believe every Word that He says is the Truth. And I live by It, to the best of my knowledge, God being my Judge. Therefore, before my brothers, before my sisters…I—I do not swear, I do not curse, I do not do these things, because I love the Lord, and the Lord knows it and bears me record. Therefore, before you, I take the parcel of His body, to know that I am not condemned with the world.” See, there you are, then it’s a blessing. And, remember, I could give many testimonies on this, where I’ve took that and explained it in a sickroom, and seen them healed.

2. COMMUNION — 1963-07-07

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• ¶6–¶8 You know you’re part of this Gospel. You are—you are written epistles of what we’re talking about. As long as we do something that’s reproachful, then we are an indebtment to what we are listening to. See? We must live what we believe, and live it in such a way that it will never reproach, but reflect Jesus Christ in all things that we do and say. That’s the way it is. We just love Him for this. And now, tonight, we’re going to read the order of the Lord’s table that’s found over in Second Corinthians, about the 11th chapter. And we read this and just let each individual…how we do this, if there’s newcomers among us, we call the people around the altar in—in succession as they come in, take the Communion. And every Christian is worthy. Now, if you live a life that proves what you are…You want to search your heart. For, let me be sure to mention this, that the Scripture reads here, “If we take it unworthily.” Now, we know that we are not worthy in ourselves; none of us are. But that we are not trusting in our own worthiness, we’re trusting in Him Who has…We’re—we’re trusting in His worthiness, that we have died to our own thinking, and just think His thoughts, and live to everything that we believe He commands us to, and look back and see what we’re living, and look our life over, and if we’re doing things that’s not worthy of the Gospel, then we shouldn’t take the Communion.

• ¶9–¶10a But if we are doing things that we think that it…that our lives could be read of all men, that if anybody could not point a finger and say, “I seen this man in a barroom the other day,” “I—I heard this man stand and telling filthy jokes,” “this woman doing wrong,” then, if you know that that’s the Holy Spirit pointing to you, then don’t take the Communion. But if you—if you feel that—that you are living, that you’d look back and see that all your sins are confessed and under the Blood, then you—you are supposed to take that. You—you are—you are part of it. Now, let us read the Scripture just as Saint Paul exhorts us here in the Book of Saint John the, I beg your pardon, in Book of First Corinthians, the—the 11th chapter, beginning with the 23rd verse: For I have received of the Lord…which also I delivered unto you, That the Lord Jesus the same night…which he was betrayed took bread: Wish that I had time to—to speak that a little bit. …the same night that he was betrayed (You see?), he took bread: And when he had give thanks, he brake it,…said, Take and eat: this is my body, which is broken for you: this do in remembrance of me. After the same manner also he took the cup, and when he had supped, saying, This cup is of the new testament in my blood: this do ye, as oft as you drink it, in remembrance of me. For as oft as you—as you eat this bread, and drink this cup, you do shew forth the Lord’s death till he come. Wherefore whosoever shall eat this bread, and drink this cup of the Lord, unworthily, shall be guilty of the body and the blood of the Lord. But let a man examine himself, and so let him eat of the bread, and drink of the cup. For he that eateth and drinketh unworthily, eateth and drinketh damnation to himself, not discerning the Lord’s body. For this cause many are weak and sickly among you,…many sleep. For if we should judge ourselves, we should not be judged.

• ¶20–¶23 Lord Jesus, let it be, Lord, that all of our sins be now in the Blood of the Lord Jesus, in the forgetfulness of God’s recollections, that we come together now as beloved believers and children in Christ, for we ask it, in His Name. Amen. Now, at this time while the—the elders, I think they come to the front. (Is that still the procedure, here?) Brother Tony Zabel, and he will direct it. And if there is any has to go now and don’t want to stay for the Communion, we’re happy to have you in tonight. Remember our Wednesday meet…Wednesday night’s prayer meeting. And you slip out quietly while the rest of them come to the altar. And Brother Zabel, here, will direct the—the people to the altar while we make ready the Communion. This represents the body of the Lord Jesus, the Bread. And as the song was just sang, My Faith Looks up to Thee. There’s only three orders that the Lord had give us, and that was baptism, taking of the bread and wine, and feet washing, is the orders. And this represents the broken body of Christ. My prayer is that every person that partakes of this tonight, that, will receive the blessing of the Holy Spirit to come upon them. And that they are sick, may the God of Heaven, Who instituted this in the first form down in Egypt by taking the—the—the bitter herbs and wine, I trust that God will heal you, and in your entire journey there’ll be no sickness among you. May the God of Heaven look to us now, as we offer this to Him.

• ¶24–¶26 Lord God, Creator of heavens and earth, Author of Everlasting Life, and Giver of every good gift, we thank Thee for this order, that we could do this in remembrance of You as we fellowship, as it was, in Your Presence, around the communing of God’s grace. As we think within our own hearts, that one day we were unworthy, and now the Blood of Jesus Christ has cleansed us from that sin, that we stand together in Heavenly places in Christ Jesus. This kosher bread, Father, that’s been baked and brought here for this purpose, we ask You to sanctify it, Lord, that in the representation of the broken body…[Blank spot on tape—Ed.] as the sacredness and the pain and suffering that He did at Calvary when this body was broken. That He was wounded for our transgression, He was bruised for our iniquity. The chastisement of our peace was upon Him, and with His stripes we were healed. That’s why we take this broken bread tonight. God bless the believers and sanctify this—this kosher bread to be the representation of the body of Jesus Christ. Amen. The Bible said, “In like manner He took the cup, and when He had supped, He took, said, take and drink, this is the cup of the New Testament; as oft as you do this, you show forth the Lord’s death till He come.” As I hold in my hand tonight this wine, made from the— from the life of grapes that’s been brought together here to represent the Blood of Jesus Christ, there’s never a time yet, that I’ve ever picked up the communion tray, but I didn’t look in there and see my sins gone. I see if it hadn’t been for that, what—what…well, where would we be?

3. THE KEY TO THE DOOR — 1962-10-07

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• ¶100–¶102 Now, just a moment before we start to read on communion, I want to say a thing because it’s on communion. And when we come to this altar, there’s only one way to come, that is, if we hold the key of faith in our hands, that lets us know that our sins are forgiven. And if we don’t have that key to unlock that Door, that our sins are forgiven, we have no business at the table of the Lord. Because, he that eateth and drinketh unworthily, eateth and drinketh damnation to himself, not discerning the Lord’s body. Now, that is true. I guess all of us know that today is the National Communion Day. This is the day that all churches take communion. It’s the National Communion Day over the nation. And I thought that it would be appropriate to speak a word or two on communion before we took it, while the pastor, if he will, be getting the Scriptures ready for the reading of the—the order of the Lord’s table. Now, this communion… Now, I won’t take but just about ten minutes. This communion that we’re fixing to take, has been the greatest dispute of any doctrine in the Bible. That was their…one of their first disputes in the early church. And today the Protestant, of Episcopalian and Methodists, and many of the Protestant churches, would gladly accept Catholic, Roman Catholic doctrine, if they could get over the little hump of communion. But they will agree that the priest should be married and be ministers, the Catholic church agreed on that several times in their conferences and meetings. They agree on it. And they’ll agree upon different prayers, and so forth, the Protestant church will agree upon it. And the catechisms and so forth, the little altar here and there, and the Catholic church is willing to do it. But when it come to the communion, there they fell. Anybody that’s ever read history knows that. But, course, to my way of thinking, they’d have a lot to get away from, before I—I could accept it, you see, because it isn’t Bible.

• ¶108–¶112 Now, always a dispute in the Bible times, it was a dispute then. The people misunderstood the Lord’s supper. When they come to the table, Paul told those Corinthians, they were coming and getting drunk at the Lord’s table. See, it was misunderstood right then. He said, “If you want to eat, eat at home.” And another thing, it was misunderstood, what it was. Sinners, and man living in sin, come and took the communion. And that was misunderstood. A man living with his mother, foster mother, and the church had told him about it; still taking communion at the table. And there were divisions among them, and they were still taking communion. He said, “I understand that you walk like the rest the Gentiles. And there’s—there’s friction among you, like there is at—at especially in Cephas’ house, and so forth.” Said, “You walk like the rest the Gentiles.” See, it was misunderstood. The communion has always been misunderstood. Now, I could go on for that for hours, but we got to get this communion and the feet-washing. Now they’ve simply omitted feet-washing altogether, but just a few of the denominations. A lot of the Pentecostals has got completely away from it. See? And it’s still in the Bible just the way it was wrote. See? Now, Rome does not call it “communion.” They call it “mass, it’s a holy mass.” They don’t take communion, they take a mass. It’s a mass, and a mass certainly takes the real meaning from communion. A mass means “hoping.” They take a mass, hoping (that in doing this in the mass) that God will forgive them of their sins, by taking “the literal body of Christ, which the priest turns to the Body and the Blood of Christ,” taking that, hoping that God will omit their sins by doing so. It’s a mass.

• ¶144–¶147 It’s always such a holy thing, such a sacred thing, I think we should bow our heads now in silent prayer. You pray for me, I’ll pray for you. Let’s pray for one another, that God will be merciful to us unworthy creatures that’s about to partake of this great sacrament in remembrance of the death of our Lord. [Brother Branham pauses for silent prayer. Blank spot on tape—Ed.] This prayer of confession we offer to You, our Father, upon Your golden altar, with our Sacrifice, the Lord Jesus. We ask it in His Name. Amen. Now I believe the elders will take their place, and they’ll…of the church, and they’ll bring the people up as they come, row by row, for the communion. Always think of that song: Dear dying Lamb, Thy precious Blood Shall never lose its power, Till all the ransomed Church of God Be saved, to sin no more. Let us bow our heads. Gracious and Holy Father, Jehovah, the great Almighty, send Thy blessings upon Thy people as we wait. Forgive our sins. And now we offer to You this sacrament, this wine, the grapes that’s been grown, and hands of ministers crushed this together. And it was made into wine for the cause that we’re now bringing it to You for, that it might represent to us the Blood of our Lord Jesus Christ. I pray Thee, Father, to sanctify the wine for that purpose. Forgive every sin of ours. And may every person that receives this wine to their body, may they have health, strength, and salvation from You. Grant it, Lord. We ask it in Jesus’ Name. Amen.

4. THE HANDWRITING ON THE WALL — 1956-09-02

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• ¶213–¶217 Now, is there any here that would like to be prayed for, by just raising your hand? We’re going to pray for the sick before we have communion service, then we’ll have communion. All right. If our sister will give us a song, here, of Only Believe. If you will, we’ll have the people to line up on the right-hand side. The elder, here, will anoint them, while I pray for them and we, together, will pray for the sick. Is there any other minister in here that believes in Divine healing, that would come and stand with me, while we pray for the sick? I’d be glad to have you, my brother, to come help me as we…And line up on my right-hand side over here, and bring them down along this side, as we pray for them. I think in the…much of this Divine healing has been taught across the nation, and the thousands times thousands of people that’s been healed; how the radios, how the newspapers, even the critics has to admit it’s right, in the things that’s been done. How we can thank God, tonight, for His great healing power. I don’t think it needs to be explained. I think it’s well known that the prayer of faith shall save the sick. That is true. (You got the oil…?… Yes…?…) …all things are possible, only believe. O Lord… Now, let’s raise our hands, “Lord, I believe.” …O Lord, I believe, All things are possible, Lord, I believe; O Lord, I believe, Lord, I believe, All things are possible, Lord, I believe.

• ¶247–¶249 Now we’re just ready to break the bread and to take the communion. And we pray, Lord God, that You’ll be with us and bless us, and manifest Your love to us, as we do this. For we ask it in Christ’s Name. Now, to you who must go, we’re going to dismiss you. Brother Neville, I’ll ask you to get the Scriptures ready for the reading of the Word, for the communion, and you who can stay, stay with us for the communion. You who can’t, you’re dismissed with God’s blessings on you, and come back and be with us again at another time. It’s now eight minutes after ten o’clock. And now if you have to go, God bless you for coming, and we hope to see you again this side of Glory; if not, on the other side. And you that can stay, you’re welcome to stay for the next thirty minutes, where we take the communion, and have—and have footwashing. Now, to the strangers in our gates, shake…Everybody shake one another’s hands and bless the Lord, while we sing Take The Name Of Jesus With You. All right. Take the Name of Jesus with you, Child (…?…God bless you, Brother…?…)

5. ORDINATION — 1962-11-04

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• ¶43–¶48 That’s the ordination that I know, of the Bible, the right hand of fellowship. All that gives Brother McKinney the right hand of fellowship, in this church, raise up your hand. Our prayers, our support, to help you to stand on the thing that’s God’s Eternal Word. Which, “All heavens and earth will pass away, but It’ll still be standing.” Because, “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. And the Word was made flesh and dwelt among us.” The Word said, “I am the Vine, ye are the branches.” And the same Life that was in the branch, in the Vine, pulsates up into the Vine and brings forth the same Life, with the same fruits, with the same works, with the same thing. I know it’s the Truth, because I’ve seen It fulfill. Amen and amen. I love that good, old Gospel way. Yes, sir. Now it’s maybe getting a little late, towards nine-thirty, but now we’re going to have the communion service. Now, we call it “communion,” but it isn’t communion. Communion is to talk, to commune. Commune, is when we stop and talk to the Lord, communicate. But, now, this is called “the Lord’s supper.” I wonder how some of these modernists, that don’t say “supper” anymore, and calls it “dinner,” how they going to work that around? See? Uh-huh. See? Yes, sir. It’s the Lord’s supper. We just believe the Bible the way It says it. And we want you to know, that Methodist, Baptist, Presbyterian, Lutheran, whatever you may be, you’re invited, and a brother with us, if you’re born of the Spirit of God, to stand here, take communion with us.

• ¶71–¶77 Now, Father, gather us together for this solemn occasion, forgiving our sins. In Jesus’ Name we ask it. Amen. I believe now that the elders, one of them, will come forward here. That, I believe, that usually was Brother Taylor’s job, too, (wasn’t it?) to come forward, to call to the communion. I wonder who would take that place? Brother Tony, will you do that? Brother Zabel, here, will come forward and direct, row by row, as we come forward, taking the communion, returning to our seats. Do you know that communion has Divine healing in it? When the Israelites, in the type, took the communion, and marched forty years. And when they come out of the wilderness, there wasn’t a feeble one among them, two and a half million people. There is power of healing in the communion. Everybody is welcome now. And our sister, if she will come to the piano, she plays this song: There is a fountain filled with Blood, Drawn from Emmanuel’s veins, Where sinners plunged beneath the flood, Lose all their guilty stain. May your sins be forgiven, children. May the grace of God ever be with you, while we’re in this journey. May we all meet on the other side, happy and young again. Amen. [The pianist plays There Is A Fountain Filled With Blood, while Brother Branham prepares the communion elements for prayer—Ed.] As I hold, tonight, in this little charger here, it’s the bread that represents the flesh of our Lord, as it’s been made a kosher bread by Christian hands. And now it comes to us, as a token of the broken body of our Lord. Let us bow our heads.

6. QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS — 1964-08-23

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• ¶141–¶144a God bless you, my Brother or Sister, whoever you may be. I—I would just commit them to the Lord. I…See, because, “What all the Father has given Me will come to Me.” See? Now, the only thing for you people to do… It made my heart swell with joy the other day going up and down seeing these motel men. The…I went down to Mr. Becker. He said, “Billy, you know what? I feed your whole congregation every Sunday,” when the Blue Boar feeds three hundred nearly every Sunday! See? And I went out here and this guy over here, this gentleman over here at the— the Ranch House, very fine man. I met him. He said… I said, “Well, that was really fine.” I said, “I appreciate you keeping all that stuff away from out there, all that carrying on out there.” He said, “Yes, sir, Brother Branham.” I said, “How’d he know me?” See? I said, “How’d you know me?” He said, “I know you,” Said, “I feed your whole congregation here every Sunday by the…Well,” he said, “and I want to tell you something: they’re fine people. They’re fine people!” Now see, that made me feel good. You my children. See? When I hear my children acting nice and being nice, that makes Papa feel real good. See? So you understand. Now, now, Mother, when…My Sister, if your husband wants you go down to the Methodist church, you go ahead. You might not have a whole loaf of bread, but if they even say they believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God, you believe that, ’cause we do too. Now, if they’re going to go off on other tantrums and things, just—just let them go ahead, but you eat that much of the bread. See? And in that, you just show by the sweetness of your life and your consideration for others…And if you haven’t got it, Sister dear, pray till it comes to you, that you won’t have to put on anything artificially, ’cause when you do that, it’s not real. Your husband can tell that. But you, when you really have prayed to a place till your life is full of salt of the Saviour, it’ll make a contact.

• ¶308–¶309 Are you hungry? All right. I’m hungry for more of the questions. “Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every Word that proceeds from the mouth of God.” Now, I may be…Some of these questions, I may not have them right; I just done the best that I can. Tonight, I’ll try to begin just at seven o’clock. Well, church will open at six-thirty. And you that can stay…You that can’t, we understand; that’s all right. But I’ll try to get every one of these I possibly can tonight. God bless you till we meet. Now, let’s us stand on your feet and sing this good ol’ song, our dismissing song, Take the Name of Jesus With You. All right. Take the Name of Jesus with you, Child of sorrow and of woe; [Brother Billy Paul speaks to Brother Branham—Ed.] (…?…they took the offering…?…this morning…?…) …Name, O how sweet! Hope of earth and joy of Heaven. I want to make this announcement. Billy just said they took a love offering this morning (see?), and said they had a nice love offering. I have him to go at the back of the building and stand back there. To the people here that never come prepared, don’t have the money for your dinner, Billy will give you the money for your dinner and for to pay your hotel bill or motel bill, whatever it is. You take and pay that now. If you’re…If you can stay…Billy will meet you back there and take your name and where you’re at, and we’ll pay for your dinner and your motel bill out of the love offering that’s taken for me this morning. Till we meet! till we meet!

7. JUBILEE YEAR — 1954-10-03

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• ¶40–¶42 A while ago, there was a lovely brother come to see me a few moments, he may be in the building now, I don’t see him, but he said, “Brother Branham, I appreciate the Word.” That’s it, the Word! The Word is established. It’s the thing that…You can’t have faith just upon something that someone said. It’s got to have a foundation. And what other foundation would be greater than the Word of God? When, all of the heavens and earth will pass away, but His Word is just as endless as Eternity is. It’ll move on and on and on, forever It will be the same. Notice, Jesus… As we would have to hurry right straight to the text now, on account of communion service. And that’s our part. Every man now, and woman, boy or girl, that calls on the Name of Jesus, fix your hearts now, for preparation for the Lord’s supper. Oh, it’s a wonderful thing. God said, Jesus Christ said, “If you…He that eats My flesh, drinks My Blood, has everlasting Life, and I’ll raise him up at the last day. And he that eateth not, has no part with Me. And he that eateth and drinketh unworthily, eats and drinks damnation to himself.” What a time! Now let’s prepare for this great, glorious event, in a few moments. One of the greatest that, I think, we have in the tabernacle, is the communion night. Now, in the early days of our Lord’s ministry here, He had come into Capernaum, I think, again. “And He sat down, on the Sabbath, in the temple. And the minister of the temple handed Him out the scroll to read.”

• ¶161–¶164 So, not for me to criticize; let God do that. When I’m in the pulpit, I’ll preach the Gospel the best way I know how, and the rest of it I’ll commit to God. The Lord bless you, friends. Now we’re going to have communion service, just in a few minutes. How many believes in communion? [Congregation says, “Amen.”—Ed.] Thank you. That’s what Jesus Christ asked us to do, said, take the broken parts of His body, and to do it until He returned again. And if you who believe this to be the Truth, and would like to have this little time of fellowship with us, around the Word of God here, we’d be happy for you to—to stay with us and—and have this time. If not, we’re going to dismiss, just in a few moments. We’d like for you to stay with the rest of them, anyhow, so that you’ll be able to see the way we take the communion. This is not only… This is for, also, for Divine healing. Do you know that? When Israel eat the type, the lamb, the passover, they journeyed forty years in the wilderness, and come out without one feeble person in their midst. Think of that, not one feeble person, forty years. The communion, a sign of believers. Now, in First Corinthians the 11th chapter, beginning with the 23rd verse, I’m going to read this for the benefit of the church. Paul speaking. For I have received of the Lord…which…I also delivered unto you,…the Lord Jesus the same night…he was betrayed took bread: And—and when he had given thanks, he brake it, and said, Take, and eat: this is my body, which is broken for you: this do in remembrance of me. After the same manner…he took the cup, when he had supped, saying, This is the cup of the new testament in my blood: this do you, as oft as you drink it, in remembrance of me. For as oft as you do, ye eat this bread, and drink this cup, you…shew forth the Lord’s death till he comes.

8. THE COMFORTER — 1961-10-01

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• ¶160–¶162 All together now, with our heads bowed: Our Father Who art in Heaven, Hallowed be Thy Name. Thy Kingdom come. Thine will be done in earth, as it is in Heaven. Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive us of our trespasses, as we forgive those that trespass against us. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil; for Thine is the Kingdom, and the power, and the glory, forever. Amen. O Eternal God, Author of life and Giver of all good gifts, sanctify our unclean hearts, Lord. May the Angel come from the altar, with the tongs and with a coal of fire, and touch our lips and our hearts, and purify our thoughts and our minds, and our souls; that when we take this kosher bread, that we may do it in the remembrance of our Lord. For it is written, “He that eats and drinks unworthily, is guilty.” O God, may we not be condemned with the world, but may we be sanctified and set apart from the world, that we might be shining Lights, as the Word of God being made manifest in our lives. Use us, as Your servants, Lord. Use us, all together. For we ask it in Jesus’ Name. Amen. Now, to those who may have to go, and has got long distance to drive, we’ll have a dismissing for you. And then we will go right straight to the communion, right away, to those who would like to stay and take the communion with us. But if you have to go…I know it’s now, by my watch, twenty-five until ten. It’ll probably be right at ten o’clock before we can get through the communion. And then, immediately after that, they have feet-washing. And if you wish to stay and observe this with us, we would be so happy to have you. Thank you again, for all that you have meant to the Kingdom of God, and to me and to mine. God ever be with you!

• ¶178–¶178 Just a few moments ago, when I opened up my Bible here to read, to find First Corinthians, 11th chapter and the 23rd verse, it just fell right open to it. I will read now from the great apostle’s writings to the Corinthians: For I have received of the Lord…which also I delivered unto you, That the Lord Jesus the same night…which he was betrayed took bread: And when he…gave thanks, he brake it, and said, Take, and eat: this is my body, which is broken for you: this do in remembrance of me. After the same manner also he took the cup, and when he had supped, saying, This cup is the new testament in my blood: this do you, as oft as you drink it, in remembrance of me. For as often as you eat this bread, and drink this cup, you do shew forth the Lord’s death till he come. Therefore whosoever shall eat this bread, and drink this cup…, unworthily, shall be guilty of the body and the blood of the Lord. But let a man examine himself, and so let him eat of the bread, and drink of the cup. For he that eateth and drinketh unworthily, eateth and drinketh damnation to himself, not discerning the Lord’s body. For this cause many are sick, or—or, many are weak and sickly among you, and many sleep. For if we…judge…For if we would judge ourselves, we should not be judged—we should not be judged. But when we are judged, we are chastened of the Lord, that we should not be condemned with the world. Wherefore, my brethren, when you come together to eat, tarry one for the other.

9. POSSESSING ALL THINGS — 1962-05-06

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• ¶134–¶134 Now, I’m going to read some of the Word now, found in First Corinthians, the 11th chapter, 23rd verse. For I have received of the Lord that which I also delivered unto you, That the Lord Jesus the same night…which he was betrayed took bread: And when He had gave thanks, he brake it, and said, Take, and eat: this is my body, which is broken for you: this do in remembrance of me. After the same manner he took…also he took the cup, and when he had supped, saying, This is the cup of the new testament in my blood: this be in you, as oft as you drink it, in remembrance of me. For as oft as you eat this bread, and drink this cup, you do shew forth the Lord’s death till he comes. Wherefore whosoever shall eat this bread, and drink this cup of the Lord, unworthily, shall be guilty of the blood, the body and the blood of the Lord. But let a man so examine himself, and so let him eat of the bread, and drink of the cup. For he that eateth and drinketh unworthily, eateth and drinketh damnation to himself, not discerning the Lord’s body. For this cause many are sick and weakly among you,…many sleep. For if we should judge ourselves, we should not be judged. But when we are judged, we are chastened of the Lord, that we should not be condemned with the world. Wherefore, my brethren, when you come together to eat, tarry one with another, uh, tarry one for another.

• ¶139b–¶142a And every Sunday wash their faces, and get them down to church. And, well, what’s it all about? What you here for? Is that all there is to it? My, that’d be miserable, and knowing you got to go anyhow. See? What’s it all about? Oh! Brother, it’s an examination time, it’s an opportunity time! It’s the opportunity to accept This. Tell me something to take Its place. Tell me something better than That. Produce anything in the world, be the king of the earth, rule the universe, be a Khrushchev or a Kennedy, or whatever you wish to be, you’ll die just the same. Right! You don’t know what time it’ll come, any minute. But here, when death does strike, you got Eternal Life and can’t die, with a guarantee by the God of all creation, Who’s Possessor of Heavens and earth, “I’ll raise him up again at the last day.” Help Thou my unbelief, O God. Fill my soul, O God, cleanse me, fill me, charge me, send me out. Let me not die, let me live to tell the Story. Let me go to every crack and corner of the earth, and preach the Word and sow the seed, yes, sir, that there may be a harvest in the last day, of the true unadulterated Word, with believers in Christ. Is your sins under the Blood, by faith tonight in Christ Jesus? We shall now take the communion. Not the communion; you commune as you eat with one another. Just commune with God. The communion is not the bread, not the wine, the communion is “talking back and forth with God.” And this is a symbol that we take, that we believe in His death, broken body, His burial and resurrection, we believe in the Presence of the Holy Spirit. And we believe that He has give us Eternal Life and we cannot die, we have passed from death unto Life. And someday when we separate from one another here, we’ll rise again in the resurrection with each other, joined together with Christ Jesus, as a Body. Amen.

10. COMMUNION — 1962-02-04

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• ¶35–¶38 This sounds sacrilegious, but I hope it don’t sound that way to you, Mr. Cory said one time, he…I was in a lamp campaign, selling bulbs for the company. And he bought enormous lot of bulbs which would keep him for four or five years, I turned around and bought a Ford from him. He said, “Billy, I believe we’re just scratching each other’s back.” So that’s, well, just kind of helping out in the time of need. So that’s— that’s right. We know how to come to one another’s rescue and help each other. Now, let’s go to the sincere part of it now, and if I’m not mistaken, I believe I see Brother Beeler back there in the back, another minister brother. And today when I passed by, Brother Junie Jackson was standing out here in the yard with Brother Creech. Do they have a service here sometimes? Baptismal service, I see. All right, we can furnish the water if they’ll get the candidate. We—we got the water, all right. So now, being that we’re going to have the communion, I thought it would be good if I talked on communion just for a few minutes. Now, before we approach the Word, let’s lay aside everything now, and all of our childish and kiddish ways, and—and approach into the Presence of God by prayer. Let us pray. Now with our heads bowed, and I trust our hearts also, if there is a request in here that would…you’d like to be made known to God, and would like for me to remember you before God, would you just let it be known by raising your hand to God. God grant each and everyone’s request.

• ¶132b–¶135 But when we are judged, we are chastened of the Lord, that we should not be condemned with the world. Wherefore, my brethren, when you come together to eat, tarry one for the other. Now, just a moment of silent prayer for every one of us, pray for me while I pray for you. [Brother Branham prays softly—Ed.]…?… Grant these requests, Almighty God. Forgive us of our trespasses as we forgive those that trespass against us. This we ask in Jesus Christ’s Name. Amen. These little parcels that is kosher bread made without lard, seasoning, and so forth, which represents the body of the Lord. It is not round, it’s broke in all pieces. It’s because that it means His broken body that was broke for us. And may God grant His blessings to everyone that eats it. Now, it is not the body, it only represents the body. I have no power, no one else does, to make it anything but bread. God alone. And that’s what He told us, to eat this bread and drink this cup of wine. Now let us bow our head. Most Holy God, Whose servants we are, in the Name of Jesus Christ, sanctify this bread for its intended use, to make us, as we receive it, remember that our Lord was crucified; and His body, precious and holy as it was, was mingled with stripes and thorns and nails, for us, that through His riven body came forth the Spirit that gives us Eternal Life. May we, Lord, as we eat this, have journeying grace, as Israel did forty years in the wilderness, and not a feeble one among them. Father God, grant this, as we pray You sanctify this bread, kosher bread, for its intended use. In Jesus’ Name. Amen.

11. WHAT DOES THOU HERE? — 1959-03-01

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• ¶156–¶162 That doesn’t need any explaining, it’s just this, “If we eat and drink unworthily, we eat and drink damnation to our own self, not discerning the Lord’s body. For this cause many are weakly and sick among you, and many are dead,” see, when we come to take Communion. Every Christian should take Communion. It’s your duty. It’s a showdown. See? Jesus said, “If you don’t take it, you have no part with Me.” See? “But he that eateth and drinketh unworthily, eats and drinks damnation to himself.” That is, if you’re still out with the world, and doing things of the world, and people see you taking Communion, you’re doing wrong. You’re only bringing disgrace to you. And it’ll only harm you. It isn’t that it’ll harm God. It’ll harm you. And so a person should examine theirselves. And before we approach this sacred moment, you ask God to search my life. And if I’ve done anything that’s not right, forgive me for it. I—I don’t mean to do it. I’ll make it right if He’ll reveal it to me. And I’ll ask the same thing for you. Said, “When you come together, tarry one for another.” That’s, “Wait on one another, and pray for one another.” We want to take this Communion. And if we don’t do it, we have no part with Him, that’s what He said, First, or, Saint John, the 6th chapter. Now, let’s just pray. You pray for me, silently, while I pray for you. [Brother Branham prays softly—Ed.] I pray that You’ll forgive us, by faith. Let Thy Spirit, O God, come. I pray that You’ll forgive us of all our trespasses to men…?…forgive…?…

12. THIRSTING FOR LIFE — 1957-07-28

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• ¶47–¶48a Someone else would say, “Remember me, Brother Branham, in prayer. God, I’m a—I want to accept You just now, accept Your Son as my personal Saviour.” Would you put up your hand, someone else on the bottom floor? God bless you back there, my brother. Somebody… God bless you over here, my brother. God bless you down here, brother. God bless you back there, brother. That’s good. Back over to my right, the Lord bless you, back here. Somebody else now would raise your hand and say, “Brother Branham, remember me in prayer just now”? As we’re just about to close the service, say, “Remember me, I want to here accept Christ as my personal Saviour.” Would you raise your hand, saying, “Remember me, Brother Branham”? That’s right. God bless you, sister. God bless you, sister. I know there’s plenty of them in here. Would you just put up your hand? You can do that much. On the bottom floor now, will you do it before we go to the balconies? Been about fifteen. God bless you back there. I see your hand. God bless you. God bless you, my brother back there. That’s good. “Oh, Brother Branham, I know I go to church, but I—I…” God bless you, sister here. God bless you here, lady. “I go to church, but I—I know—I know I’m not right. And I want to be right. God knows I want to be right.” Will you put up your hand? The balconies to my right, someone up there say, “Brother Branham, remember me”? God bless you, young man. God bless you, lady. Someone else say…God—God bless you, lady. That’s good. “Remember me, Brother Branham, just now in prayer, as you go to prayer. I believe in you.” God bless you, brother. I now want to raise my hand and say, “I believe in Jesus Christ, and, Brother Branham, remember me in prayer. Just before you leave this building tonight, won’t you do it?” Put up your hand, and I’ll certainly do it, that God will see you. Won’t you do it? Up here’s the balcony to the right. Just one more time across. God bless you, sir, right here. I see your hand.

13. REMEMBERING THE LORD — 1963-01-22

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• ¶34–¶38 And what a wonderful thing to commune with Him upon the basis of His promises, then hear Him commune back to you, and say, “It’s all well.” My, that—that really expresses it right. We don’t have to look to any creed. We don’t have to look to—to any dogmas. Only thing we have to do is just know that He witnesses back His Word, that it’s settled, and that’s all of it. Then the burden rolls away. I’ve thought of coming to this table, that we call it tonight, now that I’ve got it expressed that it’s just as much communion here as it would be taking what we call the Lord’s supper. You know, them eastern people back there has got that thing all mixed up, and—and I can’t get them straightened out on it. And all up in the north, they take me to when I go to supper, and they say it’s dinner. I—I…They say it’s breakfast, and lunch, and—and—and—and dinner. Now, where does my supper come in at? I’m trying to find out. See? And they say, “Oh, that’s all.” I said, “But it wasn’t, we didn’t take the Lord’s dinner. He called it the supper, the Lord’s supper.” And I feel like I’ve missed a meal, if you call it, start calling it that way. But now when we come together in this way, there God comes down. And the—the Communion table is actually break, broken bodies…the body of the Lord that we separate among us. Now, that is the literal body, of the—the bread that we break, representing the Body of Christ.

14. THE COMMUNION — 1957-04-18

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• ¶17–¶20 And, in the taking of the communion, was the difference between life and death. Those who were on the inside, under the shed blood, took the communion. No one could take the communion outside being under the shed blood. The blood of the lamb was shed first, and then was put on the lintel and the doorpost…the lintel is the cross timber, and on the doorpost. And then the lamb was roasted, and was…and— and was eaten with bitter herbs, and they girded themselves. After the blood was shed, and they had passed under the shed blood, they were girded and ready for the march. And now it’s a very beautiful type tonight, of, people who take Communion is not to be associated or affiliated with things of the world anymore. They must come under the Blood first, and be cleansed from all sin, which is unbelief, and then be shod with the preparation of the Gospel, having on the whole armor of God, ready for the summons at any time. And it was the—the sign that the death angel could not go beneath that blood. The death angel had to rise and go over the blood. And there is where the poet got the inspiration, saying, “When I see the Blood, I’ll pass over you.” It was near the hour of deliverance when they accepted the communion, the—the roasted lamb and the—the herbs that they taken before leaving. Now, in the antitype that we’re to speak on, it was many years ago, tonight, that Jesus taken what we know as the Lord’s Supper, the Communion. And there is something about it, that, He was going to talk to His disciples. And just before going away, He wanted to talk it over with them. And it’s a…They had a room prepared. It was a time of fellowship. And the communion does mean “a fellowship.”

15. ONCE MORE — 1963-08-04

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• ¶1–¶6 Thank you, very much. Let us pray. Heavenly Father, we are assembled again in the Name of Thy beloved Child, the Lord Jesus, to express our love in worship to Him again. We pray that His Spirit will meet with us, and that He will give us each a portion of that Spirit that might give us sustaining grace to finish the journey and fight the fight that’s set before us, the fight of Faith. Grant it, Father. And break to us, this afternoon, the Bread of Life, to strengthen us, for it is written, “Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every Word that proceedeth from the mouth of God.” May we hear that, this afternoon, in the Name of Jesus Christ. Amen. Be seated. Commenting Brother Carlson, he just let me on about ten minutes late. He’s getting better. Another week’s meeting, we’ll just…I’ll probably be here on time…?…We’re so happy for the privilege. Now tonight is our closing night of this certain service, and I want to let you out in time so you can have your—your supper. I know a lot of you call it your dinner. But if I have dinner, then where’s my supper come in? Now, I was talking to a fellow, he said, “Oh, Brother Branham, it’s—it’s dinner.” “Oh, it is?” I said, “I want to prove you you’re wrong.” I said, “We don’t take the Lord’s dinner; we take His supper.” So we—we like to think of it as the Lord, as our supper, the Lord’s supper that night, not morning or afternoon. He, He took it in the evening, it was His supper.

16. DISCERNING THE BODY OF THE LORD — 1959-08-12

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• ¶23–¶29 Now I want to read the…my text, out of the twenty-…of the 29th verse. For he that eateth and drinketh unworthily,…shall be guilty of the body of the Lord. Now wait, I have read that wrong. For he that eateth and drinketh unworthily,…not discerning the body of the Lord. …shall drink unto himself damnation, not discerning the body of the Lord. I have wept over this Bible, and It’s got some faded places in It. “Not discerning the Body of the Lord.” Now, my subject tonight is: Discerning The Body Of The Lord. Now, our Eternal destination is not altogether determined by what we see and what we hear, but it’s determined on what discernment we have of what we see and what we hear. Paul was not disputing with them for taking the communion. Their act was right, but their discernment was wrong. For, taking the Lord’s supper is the commandment of the Lord, but to take it unworthily, not discerning the Lord’s Body, is where the wrong lay. These Christians was taking the communion and not living the life. Christianity is a experience and a life. And these Christians was just living any kind of a life, making a poor example of their profession. And Paul says, that, “This cause, many are sick and weakly among you, and many are asleep,” which means they are dead, “because they haven’t discerned the Body of the Lord.” And we who call ourselves Christians, we have no right to take the communion unless we are living above a reproach of the world. We have no right. The communion are for those who are living right, as an example of Christianity. The worst thing there is in the world is a person to try to impersonate something, and there’s too much of that in the world today.

17. LET YOUR LIGHT SO SHINE BEFORE MEN — 1961-09-03

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• ¶223–¶224 While they’re…ushers, or, the deacons are coming with the table of the Lord, we’re going to sing the hymn, There Is A Fountain Filled With Blood, Drawn From Emmanuel’s Veins, while we make ready for the communion, just in a moment, and the ushers will come forth, or, the deacons, and bring the communion table while we’re singing this. There is a Fountain filled with Blood, Drawn from Emmanuel veins, And sinners plunged beneath the flood, Lose all their guilty stains. Lose all their guilty stains, Lose all their guilty…(Just think, all their guilty stain.) And sinners plunged beneath that flood, Lose all their guilty… Now, in reverence, we read the Word, found in the 11th chapter of First Corinthians, the 23rd verse. Saint Paul speaking to the Corinthian church: For I have received of the Lord that which I also delivered unto you, That the Lord Jesus the same night…which he was betrayed took bread: And when he had given thanks, he brake it, and he said, Take, and eat: this is my body, which was broken for you: this do in remembrance of me. After the same manner he also took the cup, and when he had supped, saying, This is the cup of the new testament in my blood: this do ye, as oft as you drink it, in remembrance of me. For as oft as you eat this bread, and drink this cup, you do shew forth the Lord’s death till he comes. Wherefore whosoever shall eat this bread, and drink this cup of the Lord, unworthily, shall be guilty of the body and the blood of the Lord. But let a man examine himself, and so let him eat of the bread, and drink of the cup. For he that eateth and drinketh unworthily, eateth and drinketh damnation to himself, not discerning the Lord’s body. For this cause many are sick and weakly among you,…many sleep. For if we…judge ourselves, we should not be judged. But when we are judged, we are chastened of the Lord, that we should not be condemned with the world. Wherefore, my brethren, when you come together to eat, tarry one for the other.

18. DESPERATIONS — 1963-09-01

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• ¶184–¶187 Now just before you set down, while the crowd is getting quietened now for the communion service. If I’m not mistaken, isn’t this Brother Blair, the minister that I met over in Arkansas not long ago? I thought it was. I wasn’t sure. You had up here for dedication of child, a little one, this morning. I thought… Didn’t I meet you not long ago, here at Hot Springs, Arkansas? With you was a…Something was about to happen, and the Holy Spirit called it out. Was that right? Good. I just…I happened to think back then, I thought, “That’s that brother.” I’m so glad you’re here, Brother Blair. Now I’m going to ask Brother Blair if he’ll pray for God to make us clean now for the communion that’s fixing to take place. Will you, Brother Blair? [Brother Richard Blair prays—Ed.] Yes. Yes, Lord. Grant it, Lord. Yes, Lord. Yes, Lord. Yes, Lord. Yes. Yes. Amen. You may be seated now, each one. And now on the organ, sister, if you all just play There Is A Fountain Filled With Blood. And you can start your…take them there, whatever is necessary. All right, the reading now, if we’ll just be…get quiet just for a moment. Yes, sister? [A sister says, “Get my hanky?”—Ed.] All right, sister, you just look through here till you find it, that’ll be all right then, whatever it is there. That’s it? All right, sister. All right, now Brother Neville will read the order of the communion. And then the ushers will be coming, if there is strangers here, to each seat, and bring in aisle by aisle, as we come, and row by row, for the communion.

19. THE CONTEST — 1962-12-31

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• ¶52–¶52 In the Book of—of Corinthians, the 11th chapter, I wish to read a few verses, beginning with the 23rd verse I read this. It’s Paul speaking to the Corinthian church. For I have received of the Lord that which also I delivered unto you, That the Lord Jesus the same night…which he was betrayed took bread: And when he had gave thanks, he brake it, and said, Take, and eat: this is my body, which is broken for you: this do in remembrance of me. After the same manner also he took the cup, and when he had supped, took the cup, but when he had supped… Excuse me. Let me read it over. After the same manner he also took the cup, and when he had supped, saying, This cup is the new testament in my blood: this do in remembrance, as oft as you drink this, in remembrance of me. For as oft as you eat this bread, and drink this cup, you do shew forth the Lord’s death till he come. Wherefore whosoever shall eat this bread, and drink this cup of the Lord, unworthily, shall be guilty of the body and the blood of the Lord. So let a man examine himself, and so let him eat of the bread, and drink of the cup. For he that eateth and drinketh unworthily, eateth and drinketh damnation to himself, not discerning the Lord’s body. For this cause many are sick and weakly among you,…many sleep. For if we should judge ourselves, we should not be judged. But when we are judged, we are chastened of the Lord, that we should not be condemned with the world. Wherefore, my brethren, when you come together to eat, tarry one for the other. And if any man hungry, let him eat at home; that you come not together unto condemnation. And the rest I will set in order when I come.

20. THE UNPARDONABLE SIN — 1954-10-24

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• ¶166b–¶172 That’s exactly right. No wonder Jesus said, “A man come in without the wedding garment on.” He said, “Friend, what are you doing here? Who brought you in here?” And the man stood helpless. Why didn’t he? In the—in the parable there. The bridegroom, in the Orients today, the bridegroom sets the wedding supper. And when he did, it’s up to him to furnish the robe. Jesus Christ set the Wedding Supper at the end of life, and it’s up to Him to furnish the preparation of the robes. And at the door, the porter, as it was, or one of his close friends, stood there. And every man that come up with a ticket, got the same kind of robe. They put it on him. If he was in rags or if he was in broadcloth, just the same, he wore the robe, ’cause he looked just exactly like the rest of them. That’s exactly right. And, brother, when we come to the Wedding Supper, we’ve got to have on the same robe that Saint Paul had on back yonder. We got to have the same baptism of the Holy Ghost. We got to have the same Gospel burning in our heart, the same love, or we’ll be turned out. Say, “Well, brother, I was Pentecostal. I…” No, sir. That won’t shadow you a bit. “I was a Methodist. I was a Presbyterian. I belonged to the Branham Tabernacle.” That won’t have nothing to do with it. That’s right. You see the Gospel Truth! How did Paul baptize? How did the early church baptize? In the Name of Jesus Christ. What did they do in there? They taught Divine healing. They taught the Power of God. They taught the literal Returning. They taught the natural taking of the articles of feetwashing and the—and the communion bread, and things like that; broke the bread, from house to house, with singleness of heart. Is that right? Yes, sir.

21. THE TESTIMONY OF A TRUE WITNESS — 1961-11-05

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• ¶46–¶49 I just thought, of something on communion. There was a certain person, the other day, went to a church, and had to have a cab to come get him and take him down to church. He’s a real poor man. And he went down and take communion, and his neighbor is kind of a, oh, kind of a one of those wayward fellows that doesn’t know God. And he asked his neighbor, said, “Where’d you go this morning, in that cab?” Said, “I thought…” He, the man, hardly hasn’t got bread on the table. He said, “The church is taking communion, so I went down to take communion.” He said, “What is communion?” He told him what it was, “The bread and wine of the Lord.” He said, “I had some, too.” Said, “I had a pan full of biscuits and a quart of whiskey.” And on his table, right immediately, fell into a heart attack. They’re looking for him to go at any minute. Don’t be irreligious. Don’t be irreverent. See? Respect the Word of the Lord, see, for we don’t know what minute we’re going to be called on to answer, and, to God. [A brother says, “Are you going to be here tonight?”—Ed.] Now pardon me? [“Are you going to be here tonight?”] I am aiming to come. Yes. They asked me if I was going to be here tonight. I am aiming to hear a good preacher tonight, if I can, Brother Neville. But, I aim to come on every communion night. I think it’s our duties, as much as we can. THE TESTIMON Y OF A TRUE WITNESS

22. THE IDENTIFIED MASTERPIECE OF GOD — 1964-12-05

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• ¶36–¶41 But we’ve had our fellowship with each other as we have served this wonderful meal tonight, across the table, as we fed our physical bodies, and now we’d like for God to feed our soul on His Manna that’s hid. Only for those priests who has entered into the Holiest of holies is permitted to eat of His Food. And if we noticed, tonight, our—our steak, I don’t believe I’ve ever had a—a banquet yet, in all the places I’ve held the meetings, like tonight, that I have had such a fine piece of steak as they served tonight. Now, you see, because that we had to have this; if we live, something had to die so we could enjoy this time of fellowship, and also sustain our lives. I was talking to a man that was a vegetarian, not long ago, and he said to me, “Well, I—I don’t agree with you.” Well, he—he kind of give me a letter, wanted to meet me privately. And he said, “Brother Branham, I always regard you as a holy man.” He said, “But when I heard you say you had ham and eggs for breakfast,” said, “that—that downed me.” Well, that, I wouldn’t put the stumbling block to his way. Now, that’s his way of believing. But I said, “Well, sir, if I don’t eat, I don’t live.” He said, “But, you see, you had to eat a hog, and—and kill a chicken.” I said, “Sir, we only live by dead substance. I don’t care what you eat. You eat vegetables. You eat. You eat bread, the wheat died. If you eat corn, the corn died. If you eat beans, the bean died.”

23. WHAT IS THE HOLY GHOST? — 1959-12-16

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• ¶67–¶70 Do you want It? Wouldn’t you love to have It? Let’s see if It was promised. Now let’s go back to Isaiah, the Book of Isaiah. Let’s get the 28th chapter of Isaiah. Now we’re going to Isaiah 28, and we’re going to begin about the…Let’s take the 8th verse, see what Isaiah said, seven hundred and twelve years before It come. We could say a lot about this, go back, all the way back, but we’ll just start right here and see if It was promised to the Church. What day was It supposed to come? Upon the last days, when there’d be a—a corruption. Now remember, the word is in plural, “days,” the last two days, the last two thousand years. Now, now the 8th verse. All, for all tables are full of…filthiness, so that there is no clean place. Search around today to find it. Look around and see if we’re in that day. “All tables!” Why, they go to the Lord’s Supper, and the first thing, in the material line, take an old piece of light bread or a soda cracker, and break it up and make the communion. When, that’s supposed to be made with Holy Ghost hands, and unleavened bread. Christ is not dirty and filthy, and that represents Him. Another thing, they give it to people that drink, lie, steal, smoke, chew, (whew!) just anything, as long as they belong to the church. Far be it! If a man ever takes it when we’re eating this here, he’s breathing and drinking damnation to himself, not discerning the Lord’s Body. If he don’t live the life, keep away from it. And if you don’t take it, it shows that your own conscience is guilty. “He that eateth not, has no part with Me,” Jesus said.

24. GOD’S POWER TO TRANSFORM — 1965-09-11

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• ¶22–¶25 And let us, Lord, as we are thinking of this, remember that we too must go someday. While we’re sitting together here in the Presence of the Lord Jesus, we would ask that You would bring this fresh to our memory. And let us check up, as it was, or take inventory of our own lives, that we be under the Blood and in the Faith. Grant it, Lord. Now as I try under these circumstances to bring a little message to the people, today, I pray that You will help me, Lord. Strengthen me, for I—I—I need it, Lord. And I pray that You will grant it. And may something be said that would just honor You. And if there be any under the sound of our voice this morning, who is not ready to meet the hour that lays before them, may this be the time that when they’ll surrender to Him Who said, “I am the Way, the Life, the Truth,” even our Lord Jesus Christ. For we ask it in His Name. Amen. (You may be seated.) [Someone on the platform speaks to Brother Branham—Ed.] The brother here wants to know if everyone can hear all right. He’s got two mikes on. Is that all right? Can you hear? Raise up your hands if you can. Can you hear? Raise your hands. All right. I’m sorry that we do not have seating room for everyone this morning. And we trust that I won’t stay up here too long, just enough to maybe bring us maybe a reading of the Word; that the Lord God will honor His Word that’s being read, and will give us of His grace, that we might serve Him by it.

25. QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS ON GENESIS — 1953-07-29

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• ¶164–¶168 “Well, Brother Branham, now what would I do, just believe Jesus Christ?” No. That’s not the Rest. Now, if you want to know what…How many would like to know what the Christian Rest is, say “Amen.” [Congregation says, “Amen.”—Ed.] Now, you can mark it if you want to, Isaiah 28. He said, “Precept must be upon precept—precept,” speaking. “Precept upon precept, line upon line, here a little and there a little, and hold fast to that what’s good.” The prophet speaking of the time coming, about Rest, sabbath. Read the whole chapter, see, he’s saying, “Times there when the sabbath day will be done away,” and they’ll sell shoes on the So the only reason that we keep Sunday, started by our ancient fathers of the Bible, Saint Paul, John, Matthew, Mark, Luke, and all them, they went from house to house, they taken communion on the first day of the week when the disciples come together, and it was called, not a sabbath, but the Lord’s day. John said, on the isle of Patmos, had already been officially established in the church, “I was in the Spirit on the Lord’s day.” That’s right. See? And then he saw… And—and, now, the Lord’s day is—is the day that the Lord arose. Now, you go get the historian, Josephus, Agabus, many of those other, or, not Agabus, oh, I can’t…Any of their ancient writers, and you’ll find out back there. The historians of the church, Foxe’s Book of Martyrs, many of those, and you’ll find out there that the only difference…They are a group of Jews. One of them they called “cannibals,” that was the Christians. They said, “There was a man that Pontius Pilate killed and the disciples come and stole his body. And they got it hid, and every—every Sunday they go eat a part of it.” They was taking communion, you see. They just…They was taking His body, you see. They said they was taking the Lord’s body, the communion. And they didn’t know what it was, and he said, “They were cannibals.” Said, “They go eat on the first day of the week, they meet together and eat this man’s body.”

26. THE UNFAILING REALITIES OF THE LIVING GOD — 1960-06-26

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• ¶1–¶5 …Breeding, Kentucky; have to be there at two o’clock for a funeral service, to bury a…Henry Branham, which is a cousin of mine, his wife died. And her last request, that I had her funeral service. And that’s at Breeding, Kentucky. That’s about a hundred and fifty or sixty miles, I guess, down, or something like that, down south. And I’ll have to leave a little early, on account of getting down there. And then we get back then tonight, and leave tomorrow afternoon. We’re…I’m supposed to be in Tulsa for next week, at Tulsa, Oklahoma. But I won’t get to go before Tuesday, to Tulsa. And then we get back Saturday night, be in by Saturday night. And then Sunday morning, next Sunday morning, about three o’clock, we leave for the West, and then we won’t be back no more till this fall, when I come back and get my family and things; and we’ll be back sometime this fall, the Lord willing. And I certainly want to ask the church to pray for me. And I wanted to get to see if I could be in…Let’s see, this won’t be communion night, or will it? [Brother Neville says, “No.”—Ed.] No. I was here the last communion night. But didn’t get back for…I won’t be here in time for this communion. It’ll be next Sunday night, [“Yes.”] will be the communion? I always like to keep up on that, see. Always, as you eat and drink this, you show forth the Lord’s death until He comes again. [Brother Neville says, “Brother Branham?”—Ed.] Yes. [“Will you announce that, Sister Edith’s birthday, we’re going to have a little gathering down there next Friday night.”] Well, that’s mighty fine. Sister Edith Wright has got one day younger. And she…They’re going to have a little gathering down to her house next Friday night. Well, how nice! All right. Is the public invited? [“Anybody.”] Public is invited to Sister Edith’s birthday of…She’ll be about eighteen; is that right, Sister Edith?

27. THE UNCERTAIN SOUND — 1960-12-18

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• ¶483–¶486 How many has ever seen the discernment, raise your hand. All right, all of you. That’s right, so you know what it is. Now do you believe, this morning, that you’ve heard the Voice of God? Now I’m going to ask for Brother Wood, Brother Fred Sothmann, and some of the trustees, to come here just a moment. Some of you trustee brothers, or deacons, or whatever, come here just a moment. Now it’s going to be rather congested here, and I want you to help. Now to you, you people on this, my right side, that’s going to be prayed for, I want you to come on this side here. And brother, Brother Collins, stand right down in there, if you will. And come right down here, so they can come by and be prayed for. I’m going to ask you little children on this side of the altar, if you’ll go over on this side just for a few minutes, for Brother Branham; not for me, but for the Lord Jesus. Now you brethren stand here so that the people can come right through, and then—then we’ll take all on this other side. Now from this first row right here…Brother Charlie, I wonder if you brethren, David and you, if you want to come up here, or move kind of back towards the back? All right. Now the first ones here in this row, just raise up like that; just start from that side, over and against the wall, as we pray, now, when we get ready to start. Now, not yet. Then when this side over here, we’ll have you all to go back to this side; and then, and then come on out to that side, and then come down. Now the trustees and them will get you in the right position.

28. BEHOLD, A GREATER THAN SOLOMON IS HERE — 1962-06-12

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• ¶22–¶24 I was in a—a Lutheran college, Bethany, where I’d been called on the carpet, oh, my, just digging me up, he’s the one, called me a polished-up soothsayer, and then the Lord kind of got after him about it a little bit, you know, and so he called me up to apologize. We went down into a basement where they set a nice big dinner, and he said to me, he said, “Brother Branham, I just want to ask you some questions. First, I’m sorry I said what I said in that letter.” I said, “That’s all right, I never even thought no more about it.” He said, “I want you to tell me, what in the world…? Are we Lutherans in the race?” I said, “Sure.” He said, “What—what—what have we got?” I said, “You got the Spirit of God.” And I said, “You know…” They, for the students who couldn’t pay their way through, so, they had about a thousand acres there of corn, so they just worked their way through. So they…He said…I said, “A man one time planted a corn crop, and he went out, and the next morning there was two little leaves sticking up, he said, ‘Praise the Lord for my crop of corn!’” I said, “Now, Brother Hegre, did he have a crop of corn?” He said, “Well, not yet.” I said, “Potentially he did, didn’t he?” He said, “Yes.” I said, “That was you Lutherans.” I said, “By and by, them two little blades growed up, and after while it made a tassel, that was the Methodist. They looked back down and said, ‘There’s no more use for you, you’re just a leaf, I’m a tassel.’

29. THEN JESUS CAME — 1957-04-07

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• ¶186–¶188 Now we got a revival coming up. And we’re going to sing the Gospel, preach the Gospel, and just have a wonderful time. How many is going to be praying for it? [Congregation says, “Amen.”—Ed.] Oh, that’s good. Now, come and help us. Get on the phone. Get every little way you can, invite all the children in. Tell them, “Come on over now, and help us now. We’re going to have some fellowship around the Word.” Now it’s communion time. Everybody is welcome to take the communion with us, just a few minutes. They bring them up here at the altar, and, ten or fifteen minutes, it’s all over, then we observe feet washing. Brother Neville will now read the Scripture concerning the communion, while we be real reverent now, as we take the supper.

30. ONENESS — 1962-02-11

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• ¶1–¶4 Thank you, Brother Orman. The Lord bless you. Good morning, friends. It’s nice to be here in the tabernacle again this morning. And was just standing back there listening, as I come in, and hearing the prophecy go forth in the way of speaking with tongues, with the interpretation. And I said to the folks that that room is full also, so I said, “I don’t know, I haven’t spoke to this man” (That was Brother Higginbotham, if I’ve got the man right.) “for a long time. It’s been months since I’ve even shook his hand.” But that’s exactly what I’m speaking on, what he said this morning, exactly what I’m speaking on. He didn’t know it. I didn’t know it myself till just a while ago, what I was going to speak on. And that’s just it, what he said right then. So we are happy to know that we are assembled in the Name of the Lord Jesus, and under His protecting wings. Now, I see many are standing up, place filled and jammed, and we just hate to see this. And, as soon as we can, we’re going to make it different here, a bigger tabernacle. Now, I want to report from Phoenix just quickly. I was here last Sunday night and spoke on the subject of Communion to the…before the communion service. Communion is not taking bread, commune means “talk to, commune back, talk with someone.” And now this morning, if I get a little too lengthy, why, someone change seats with those who are standing up, and it’ll be appreciated, let them sit down for a little bit. I—I am concerned of this time that we’re living in. I am very, very much concerned. When I see the things happening that I see taking place, there’s something within me that’s stirred. And I am wanting to just take my time and try to…

31. QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS — 1959-06-28

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• ¶62–¶64 Now, just in a few minutes I’m going to get to that same question, if we get to it, because it’s the same order of the blasphemy of the Holy Ghost. See? Because you are professing something, and playing the part of hypocrite with it, when you should not be doing it. All right! Let me finish this then, see, and then we’ll stop. For this cause many are sick and weakly among you, and many sleep. For if we would judge ourself, we should not be judged. But when we are judged, we’re chastened of the Lord, that we should not be condemned with the world. Wherefore, my brethren, when you come together to eat, tarry one for the other. (Now, watch.) And if any man eat…any man hunger,… Don’t come in…because in another Scripture here, they were bringing in meat, and so much drink, and stuff like that, till they were making the Lord’s house just a—a place of—of a feast, and getting drunk at the Lord’s table. You remember that in the Book of Corinthians here. They got drunk at the Lord’s table. But Paul said here: …if any man hunger, let him eat at home; that you come not together unto condemnation. And the rest I’ll set in order when I come. (See?) Now therefore, I believe that the eating of the cracker…Now, I do not believe that kosher bread should be substituted for a cracker. I believe that it should be a holy unleavened bread, the type of the unleavened bread that was made in Egypt. And I believe that the Blood should not be grape juice, but it should be wine. Grape juice sours, and spoils as it gets old. But wine gets better and stronger as it gets old; it never loses it’s strength. And the Blood of Christ doesn’t sour and spoil; as it gets older, it gets stronger and better as the days goes by to the believer. And it is a literal wine and bread. Communion bread should be made by people who’s dedicated themselves and consecrated themselves to God.