Branham Stories
The Bears And The Prophet's Molasses - Second Version
Now, we one time was thinking about something on the order, the morning star reflecting the light. I used to like to go to a certain stream, a little--up in the mountains, where you go sometimes to fish and to hunt.
I remember being up there, here not long ago, when I was fishing one morning, had my little old tent set up, was catching trout. How I love to do that. And I was fishing one morning, and I--I come along and come back to my tent, and my tent was tore down.
There was a big bunch of little old black bears in that country. And an old mother bear, and her little cubs, had got into that tent, and they had tore it to pieces. It wasn't what they eat; it was what they tore up. And so I--I noticed when I come up... I just had a little chopping axe in my hand; I'd been cutting some bushes so I could get down and throw my... to fish.
And I noticed the old mother bear; she run off a little piece, and cooed. One of the cubs jumped up and run with her. The other little fellow, I wondered what in the world he was doing. He was just sitting there with his little head down like that. Now, I thought, "Well, he's a pretty game little fellow."
Well, I heard the old mother bear cooing to the other one. I thought, "Well, I don't want to get too close, because she can climb a tree as good as I can. So I don't want to get too close on her." And... She was out there, and she'd raise up and coo a little bit.
I had an old beat up rifle laying in there, but I guess it was stomped to pieces by that time. So I thought, "She could outrun me." And I--I didn't want to get scratched by her. So I--I kept watching the little cub, and I was noticing he was doing something. And I--I wondered what that little fellow was doing. And when I got over there, to find out around like this, moved around closely, and watching the old mother, and to notice what the little bear was doing...
You know, I--I like pancakes. I don't know whether you do or not. Down in the south, we call them flapjacks. And they're really good. And I--I like to put molasses on them. And I had me a bucket of molasses. And I... That little fellow liking sweets, you know how bears like sweets. So he'd got the bucket, the lid off the bucket. I had a nice big full bucket, 'cause I like plenty molasses. You know, I'm a Baptist; I don't sprinkle them; I baptize them. I pour it on good and heavy.
So then, really on... This little old bear got the bucket off of there. He'd sock his little foot down in, and then lick it like that. He was molasses from the top of his head to the bottom of his feet. I never seen so much... And he looked around at me, and the little fellows, his eyes all stuck together, you know; he looked at me. He turned back around, stuck his little paw down again, just kept licking molasses.
I thought, "There's no condemnation to them that's in Christ Jesus. No matter how much danger is around, if you're licking it, you don't notice it." That's all.
Put me in the mind of a good old fashion Holy Ghost meeting, no condemnation at all, hands plumb down to the--up to your elbows in the honey of God, in the power of God. You don't care what's going on. You just keep on. They say, "Well, I don't believe in Divine healing." Don't make any difference to you, if you're licking honey or 'lasses just keep licking. That's all. That's what we need.
Then I noticed after he got enough of it, the little fellow went off. And the funny part about it, he was so full of molasses, and when he got over there, his mammy and the other little cub, licked him. That's puts me in the mind of a meeting. Somebody go up to meeting and have a big time, come home, and the rest of them wants to lick on him the rest of the night. That's right. Watch God when He's moving in His great power in His nature.
I used to go to an old spring there and drink. And every time I'd drink from that old spring, I noticed that... I set down one day, just talked to it. And oh, it was just so happy, and jumping, and bubbling.
I said, "Wonder what makes that spring so happy all of the time?"
I looked at it, and I thought, "Now, if you could talk, I want to ask you a few questions. 'Why are you so happy? Are you so happy because I drink from you?'"
If he could speak, he'd say, "No."
I said, "Maybe you're happy because deers and bears drink from you."
Say, "No."
"Well what makes you bubble all the time?"
And if he could speak, he'd say, "Well, Brother Branham, it isn't me bubbling. It's something behind me pushing me, making me bubble."
And that's what it is in an old fashion Holy Ghost meeting. It's not them shouting; it's the power of God moving in them, bubbling up, pushing outside the powers of the living God, God's provided way of providing water, the artesian well, springing up... joys...
God's dealings, He's always had a way to deal. He's got a way today of dealing with individuals. Sometimes if you won't listen to Him, He will permit the devil to do something to you, so that He can bring you, lay you on your back sometimes so you have to look up. That's God's provided way many times of doing that"
