"Sometimes God holds off to the very last moment..." | Rev. William Branham (51-0506A)

Sometimes God holds off to the very last moment, just to see what you will do about it. Oh, my. I feel kindly religious right now. I—I really do, when I think of His goodness, how that many times that He holds it right off to the last moment to see what you’ll do about it. Down in Babylon, if I can you jump back for a minute…Thinking down there, that how that the Hebrew children, He let them get right up to step off into the fiery furnace before He ever showed a hand. Is that right? Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, there they was. They had purposed in their heart that they wouldn’t bow down to the king’s image. And He let them come right up to the last moment.
Let’s just look at that just for a moment. It’s a little off the lesson, but let’s look: God waiting to the last moment. No doubt, brother, you’ve been in that chair a long time, but God may be waiting till the last moment, see what you’re going to do about it. Maybe you setting there too, sister, it may be just waiting till the last moment. Maybe this is it. I can see Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego say, “You can burn us. You can do what you want to, but we’re going to hold fast to that what’s right. And you today, you can make fun of me, call me holy roller, whatever you want to, but I’ll hold to God’s unchanging hand. If He could bring one from a wheelchair, if He can bring the Congressman of the United States, from a cripple from sixty-six years, to a perfect, well man, He can do me the same way. Though it linger, yet will it speak. The vision will speak; it has to. “He that readeth, let him run.” Notice, then when it come down to that great hour, I can see king Nebuchadnezzar (representing the world) saying, “Well, all right, we’ll just burn some of that religion out of them.” You know, that he may not be called Nebuchadnezzar today, but he’s still in the earth, his influence, the laugh, “Burn it out.” Mockery…And said, “We’ll just take some of that religion out of them. We’ll heat the furnace seven times hotter than it ever was het.”
And I can see Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego in a prayer meeting, knowing God was able. There they go on the death march. The next day the king sets up and says, “Now we’ll see what takes place. When we put the heat on them, they’ll deny it then, like the rest of them.” And don’t you think the devil ain’t here to put the heat on you when you claim your healing, or salvation, or the baptism of the Holy Ghost? He’ll throw the heat to you. Yes, he will. Then when they got at that great hour, walking up the gangplank, as it was, to drop off into this furnace, seven times hotter than it ever was het…Notice, I hear Shadrach say, “Meshach, you’re sure you prayed through?” Oh, my. You better know it. He say, “Yes, I prayed through.” Take a hold of hands then. Here they go walking on up, up to the very next to the last step.
Men begin to get fainty from that hot heat coming out of there, the intense heat of the foundry. Or push them on up into there, or this furnace, rather, with these spears…Looks like God has just forsaken and turned His back upon His people, no answer to prayer, no nothing. Fainty, sickly, staggering right on up, going into the furnace standing firm on their conviction: “God is able to deliver us from this fiery furnace, but nevertheless…” Going right on, and the heat’s on. Amen. That’s the way it was, Congressman. You said, “Don’t give up.” All right, stay right there. “God is able to deliver us from this fiery furnace.” Just a few more steps, I can see Shadrach look at—at Abednego, to see the last time before they step into the furnace. Looks like pretty dark, doesn’t it, the picture I’m painting? Let’s turn our camera now. Amen. All the time there’s something going on down here, there’s something going on up there at the same time. Amen. We only look to the earthly side. But let’s look up there. My, I can see Him setting there in His majesty (Oh, my.), His kingly, priestly garments hanging around Him, setting there. I can see a great Angel coming up. You believe God’s got angels in heaven? They’re at His command. Is that right? I can see one of them come up; he’s called Wormwood. He’s the angel over all the waters. I can see him rustle up, quick up beside of the throne and say, “Master, have You looked down, down there? Why, they’re fixing to burn up three faithful believers.”
I can hear the Master say, “Yes, Wormwood, I’ve watched them all night long.” Brother, His eye is on the sparrow, and I know He watches me. I know He sees everything that’s going on right here now. He knows. Not even a sparrow could fall in the streets. I hear Wormwood say, “Back in the antediluvian destruction, You give me the authority and I broke up all the fountains.” You know Wormwood in—up there has control of the waters. He said, “I’ve washed the whole thing off. Let me go down this morning and I’ll wash Babylon...."
51-0506A - Believest Thou This?
Rev. William Marrion Branham

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