William Branham in Finland
The visit of Brother Branham and his associates has left deep marks in the Christian life of Finland. The events of the New Testament have become reality before our eyes, and because of this, we can now read the Bible in new light. It is in fact amazing to realize, that in God’s Word there is such a full and wide message for healing of body. Only salvation has more dominating position in the New Testament.
One of the special features in the meetings Brother Branham held in Finland is that a great and important place has been given for preaching what the Bible teaches about these questions. Brother Branham himself does not speak much, but his associates preach God’s Word on the healing of the body. This preached Word of God is the best foundation for a healing experience. “Faith cometh by hearing and hearing by the Word of God” (Romans 10:17). This abundance of the Word of God in the meetings causes all Christians, regardless of their denomination, to accept them and open up to God. In the meetings we have seen many representatives from different denominations stating that God’s Word today still has the power to change people – both for their bodies and souls.
Many people come to the meetings to meet the “healer.” Their faith is completely tied up to a man, Branham, who can heal them. But very soon this illusion becomes clear to them. Brother Branham has said time after time, “I don’t heal anyone – God is the One who heals!” No doctor can heal people. He can help through his science and quicken the healing process life can do by the powers the Creator has given. But if life cannot get the upper hand of the illness – then even the most skilled doctor is helpless.
But there is One, who really can heal. He says of himself, “I am the Lord that healeth thee” (Exodus 15:26). He, who created man and gave him life, can also heal him, even then, when the amount of life he has cannot overcome the illness.
He has had this power in all times. But we haven’t believed in Him the way we should’ve. That is why His healing power has been left for us as an unused wealth. Many people may have suffered all their lives with illnesses that the Lord would’ve gladly taken away if they only would’ve dared to believe in Him. The gift God has given to William Branham has been given for that reason, that people who suffer from different illnesses may receive enough faith in God to also believe that He will heal them. During these two weeks that Branham has been in Finland, one has been able to see clearly that the faith in the Lord as our healer/physician has increased. Many witnesses of the Lord have started to pray for the sick with greater courage and strength.
It must be very hard to become an enemy to such a man as William Branham. Infinite love shines from his whole manner. The whole atmosphere that surrounds him is imbued with it. This love might come clearer when he deals with the sick, looks at the crowds and when he prays. He also treats the people who have failed in their lives, people who have tried to be Christian and yet not really been it, with enormous love. When God reveals to him the inner state of these people, he talks about it so lovingly and breaking, that it makes one’s heart melt. When you see a man shining with such love, you get a firm conviction that he must have much in common and much contact with Him who is the beginning and the source of love.
Brother Branham is a person of principle and just. This is a great advantage to a man that has this gift. He does not grant any privileges to one above another. No one can say that he would look into a person. Preachers and church members do not have any kind of privilege to get into “treatment” compared to Christians from other denominations or people who are yet not saved.
The spirit of revelation that works in Brother Branham makes his meetings real revival meetings. Those who get a personal encounter get to notice that God knows all things in their lives and that He can also reveal to His servant, what He knows. “You have tried to be a Christian, but you are not. Three times you have given yourself to God, but each time the world has tempted you back…” It must be breaking when in front of a large audience you hear a thing such as this and when you must confirm it. However, here’s involved, amazing, melting love, as always when God speaks through a Spirit of revelation. I have not seen one person become hardened nor be offended of what they have experienced here; they have broken down, given glory to God and left their lives to Him. This has influenced a countless number of sinners to wake up. For at the same time God has revealed those who have been on the platform, His Spirit has made the people sinners down on the seats.
When around two thousand people stand up in a meeting, expressing that they are giving their lives to Jesus, why, that is a sign that there is a revival. The leader of the meeting requested all of those who didn’t fully mean it, to sit down and only those who really wanted to give their lives to the Lord, to remain standing. A few sat down, but that crowd of about two thousand people remained standing, serious and moved, taking part in the prayer Brother Lindsay prayed with them and for them. The Spirit of revelation must have caused so many people to become conscious of their sins and want to be saved.
Brother Branham told what kind of a sign God gave him that enabled him to get the people to believe. By taking the right hand of a sick person into his left hand, he can read what is wrong with the patient. During his visit in Finland, tens of thousands of people have been able to realize that this gift has worked in a precise certainty. Brother Branham himself trusts completely and firmly in God who has given him the gift. You need faith when you say in front of 7,000 people what disease is bothering a person, a person that you see for the first time in your life. But Branham believes in God, and says what God shows him through the sign that appears in his left hand. Cancer, pneumonia, stomach diseases, heart problems, nervous conditions, tumours, epilepsies and all kinds of other diseases he can diagnose like this. On the card that the sick person brings with him is stated the type of illness. But Brother Branham does not see the card. The interpreter reads what is written on the card only after Brother Branham himself has described it. Even illnesses that doctors have not been able to diagnose, Branham has been able to explain in an instance. For example, a man came in front of him, who had seen several doctors for his sick legs that had started to dry up, and they could not find anything organically wrong with him. Branham explained that the nerves in his legs had started to die. He explained how this sick man had felt pain in his legs and that doctors were not able to explain the cause of the illness, but he also explained that God had now healed this man.
The text below is for the photo on page 84:
The Messuhalli is full! Large crowds are listening the meeting on the nearby field where speakers repeat everything that is happening inside.
In closing, a few words on how the meetings were organized. The meeting starts with singing and prayer, just like most of the meetings held by free Christians. After that one of the associates of Brother Branham speaks. Usually they don’t speak much of what God has done in the recent meetings, mostly they speak about what the Bible declares on the healing of the sick, what Jesus taught and did. This causes faith. Then they tell how God gave Brother Branham the gift of healing the sick and a calling to take it to all the nations of the world. Through this they want to increase the faith in that God wants to manifest His power right now. At the same time they want to turn their eyes from a man to Him Who gave gifts to people.
During the meeting Howard Branham, William’s brother, walks in the middle of the sick and delivers 50 numbered prayer cards. There you’ll write the name of the sick person and address, and tell if the sick person is saved or not and what is the illness. But those 50 who have received the prayer cards are still not certain if they all get into personal treatment. By lot were taken 10 or 15 numbers, and people who have these numbers are called forth. If Brother Branham’s strength endures, they may, one by one, get on the platform. By this procedure the brothers have wanted to remove all the possibilities that human insights would solve, who will get on the platform. Thus the prayer card does not ensure that the person gets into a personal encounter.
Through what God does on the platform, the faith of the audience builds up so that they lift up their eyes of faith into Him who has promised to be their physician. In the meetings in Finland, there have been more of those who have experienced healing without Brother Branham specifically praying for them than those that he has personally treated. If only the healing will be expected directly from God, and person’s spiritual life is not connected into an intermediate, then a miracle can happen no matter if the person gets into a personal treatment or not. Moreover when the Spirit of God is near, He shows Brother Branham those in the audience who believe in God as a physician, and Brother Branham tells them what is their disease and that God has healed them.
As much as the faith increases, then it is possible to make a prayer line. This happens so that the sick walk in front of Brother Branham and the brothers that are next to him in a long line. He lays his hands upon them as it is written in Mark 16,“They lay their hands upon the sick and they are healed.” In that way, even a thousand people can get in touch with Brother Branham in one night. This way the gift of healing that is in Brother Branham does not get to influence as much as in private cases, but the faith in God as a physician and faith in His Word helps the sick get healed.
Some people have more faith in the intermediate than to the God of the intermediate. And when they may not get a strong feeling through the laying of the hands of Brother Branham, their faith does not get in touch with God. That is why they do not get help. Both Brother Branham and his associates do their best to encourage the people to believe in God as their physician. When this succeeds, then miracles happen.
With this context it is important to mention that God does not always heal in an instance. In many cases the miracle happens on the way home, or during the night, or sometimes even later. It’s all about evil spirits in sicknesses, the spirits of illness that have settled in a human body. These spirits want to have the body as their dwelling place and are not willing to get out. But if we in faith hold fast to the healing we have received in faith, the demons must flee. Sometimes it may take some time before the spirits of sickness are [CONTINUED ON PAGE 91 BOTTOM] overcome, and many who do not understand this get into the doubts again when the miracle does not happen immediately. The devil whispers, “nothing happened.” Many believe what it says, they doubt God and at the same time lose the foundation of healing.
It has also happened many times that God has met with the sick and performed a miracle. But then the spirit of sickness has made a strong attempt to get back. Many have held fast in faith in what God has done, and they have stayed healthy. But there are cases when the doubt has gotten room in the heart, and that is why the sickness has gotten a hold of the person again. This is the same as in salvation. Someone prays and believes, and gets saved. But then the devil comes and sows doubt, “It wasn’t a real experience!” You feel yourself now so unworthy! Think how tempted you are and so on. If these temptations get a hold of the person, he can no longer live in that salvation that he received.
When Brother Branham prays for the sick or in prayer line, strength goes out of him. Human body is, after all, just dust. To neglect the life rules of this dust tabernacle is a bit of a crime against Him who gave life. When Brother Branham received the gift of healing in the beginning of his ministry, he prayed for hours for the sick until he himself was exhausted. He could be so worn out that it took weeks before he was able to get back into operation. Now his associates have arranged the matter so that they monitor him. And when they see that his strength is starting to faint, they take him out of the meeting. And then one of the other ministers can end the meeting.