A.C. Valdez Sr. emphasizes the relevance of supernatural occurrences in today's world, drawing parallels between biblical events and modern manifestations of God's power. He shares personal experiences of divine encounters, including angelic visitations and miraculous healings, asserting that the same Holy Spirit active in the New Testament is present today. Valdez encourages believers to deepen their relationship with God through prayer and the Holy Spirit to withstand the increasing pressures of the Antichrist in these last days. He believes that as the world faces greater challenges, the Church will witness even more significant manifestations of God's power and the ministry of angels. Ultimately, he calls for a revival of Pentecostal power to equip believers for the trials ahead.

Father, we want any orientation that may go out on this tape to glorify thy precious name. So we come to thee, Father, in the name of Jesus, asking your benediction, your blessing, your anointing to rest upon us, Father, our hearts and our minds, Father, and just work in and through us to will and to do of your own good pleasure. We shall be careful to exalt thy name forever. Amen. Amen. We are at Shepherd's Retreat, the home of A.C. Valdez, Sr., and we're going to have an interview concerning the supernatural occurrences of the New Testament times which have occurred in our time. Now, the first note that I have concerns John 1, 48, where Nathanael was seen under the fig tree before he came to see Jesus. Well, that's a wonderful verse of scripture, my brother, and of course it reveals the deity of our blessed Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, who knows all things, of course. And that manifestation we find quite evident today in this last-day revival. I'm sure that it comes under the heading of discernment, and we find it quite frequently in our meetings manifested through brethren that are baptized with the Holy Ghost and fire. In other words, another gift manifested in the Church, and of course we need more of that. The condition that the world is in today, we need to have the mind of Christ, and it can be revealed through the saints of God by the power of the Holy Spirit. So this experience that Jesus had when he knew Nathanael before when he was under the fig tree is so typical of manifestations such as we experience today in this last-day revival, and I might say right here that I believe that this manifestation is going to get clear all the time for the simple reason that the pressures of the Antichrist is coming in stronger and stronger all the time, and in order to survive in these last days, we have got to meet this pressure, this satanic pressure head-on. We've got to pray as we never prayed before. We've got to get closer to the Lord. The result is greater spirituality and greater manifestations of the power of God, and I'm sure that that's exactly what Daniel had reference to when he said, And in that day, they that know their God shall do exploits. Do you remember some specific example of this scripture being fulfilled now? Brother, I don't know that I'd care to speak about any specific one. There's been so many. It's been quite common. Of course, you know, I attended the Azusa meetings in the early days of this outpouring, and I have been in the three great revivals that God has sent the world since that time, and in each of these great three revivals, we have seen a repetition of these manifestations and of these things, great discernment and divine knowledge and men under the power of the Holy Spirit understanding the minds of men and the thoughts of men. It's been a manifestation that has been apparent in all three great outpourings of the Holy Spirit, and I believe in this one that we're in now. We're going to see the greatest manifestation ever. In Matthew 1.20, the angel appeared to Joseph in a dream and on three other occasions as well. Brother, there is a ministry by the angels to the Church of God today. There's no question about it. They're ministering spirits to us. The scripture says so, and I've always been a strong believer that every child of God, every blood-washed, regenerated child of God has a representative angel. You'll recall the scripture where Jesus said that it would be better to have a millstone hung around about your neck and to be cast into the depths of the sea than to offend one of God's little children, for he says their angel is continually beholding the face of our Father in heaven. So I know that we all have an angel, a representative angel. So I believe in the ministry of angels to God's people, and I know that my angel has been with me. Now come November 16 of this year, I will have preached the gospel for fifty years, and during those fifty years I'm sure that you'll understand I've had quite a few trials as well as quite a few blessings. But this fifty years has not been without incident, I'll tell you that. In my world travels we've had quite a few trials and tribulations, but I want to tell you this. In the midst of the greatest of my trials is when my angel, my angel, has visited me and comforted me and strengthened me. And I can give you an incident which will confirm the scripture that you have given me. This happened some thirty-five years ago in Chico, California. We stopped there by divine revelation. That of course is a long story. I won't go into that, but we did stop there in Chico by divine revelation, and we were much persecuted. When we started this revival they began to persecute us. As a matter of fact they surrounded the building, they stoned us, they broke the windows in, they broke the doors in, they threatened to hang me. And finally they were putting dynamite under the platform when the police arrived. They put in a riot call and the police arrived and arrested some of them. But it was during this time, one of the greatest revivals we ever experienced in this fifty years of ministry, that God's angel appeared to me. Folk were shaking under the power of God under pungent Holy Ghost conviction. And this particular religious sect was crying out against us and told the people if they went to our altar to pray that they'd drag them out of there. So they were afraid and they tried to get out of the building, but they were under such conviction that they would fall in the aisle under the power of God and never left the place until they were genuinely regenerated and filled with the Holy Spirit. And that happened in hundreds of cases there. But I went home this night very discouraged. They'd torn my car apart and they filled the gas tank with sand, let the air out of the tires and practically destroyed my car. And I went home and sat on the edge of my bed and I prayed and I said to my mother, I said it doesn't seem right that God being in the midst of us that way and people being under such pungent Holy Ghost conviction and wanting God, that the devil should have dominion over a meeting and frighten the people so that they'd be afraid to come to the altar and seek God. And I was troubled. And as I sat on the bed, much troubled, the Spirit of the Lord came upon me. And suddenly the Spirit laid me on this bed, just picked me up and laid me on this bed. And my body was just vibrant with the power of God. And suddenly I realized that there was a being, a holy being, standing right next to the wall over my bed. And it was a frightening experience at first. I was afraid to turn my head and look because I knew there was an angel there. And I cried out to God and I said, oh God, have mercy Lord. Have mercy and give me strength Lord that I might be able to look upon this angel. And suddenly I felt the warmth, the blessing of God come upon my body. And it was even as heat penetrating through my body. And suddenly I felt strong in the Lord. And I had the courage and the peace so that I could turn my head towards the wall. And of course I saw what I knew I was going to see. The most beautiful sight I ever beheld in my life. An angelic being. The stature of this angelic being was great. And almost transparent. And the color of the hands and the face stood out so beautiful. And the long flowing hair. And when I looked upon the angel, I didn't know what was going to happen. But I knew that the angel had a message for me. And as I looked, beheld the angel. The angel smiled and beckoned with the hand in this fashion and said, fear not for from henceforth the Lord shall be with thee. And the angel disappeared. And of course, needless to say, I felt fresh courage and wonderful strength. The revival went on for weeks. And it was the greatest revival of my entire ministry in this respect of the hundreds that were converted. Everyone received the baptism of the Holy Spirit and spoke in tongues the same day they were converted. It was a marvelous experience. So I'm sure that God appears to us that way today just as he did in the Bible days to encourage us. And you remember when Daniel was in the lion's den, how the Lord appeared to him. You remember how that when the Hebrew children were in the fiery furnace, it was then that they saw the form of the fourth as the son of man. And it's at that time, and I believe that in these last days, the church is going to be tried and they're going to go through real tribulation. Jesus said, many of you shall be put to death as a sign of his coming. And we're going to suffer for his name's sake. And he said that we should be hated of all nations. In other words, it's going to be an organized hatred built up against God's people in these last days. And I believe in these last days we're going to have more ministry from the angels of God than ever before in the past. I believe it with all my heart. I'd like to ask a question about this angel. Did that angel seem in every respect like a real human being, flesh and blood human being? Certainly did, brother. You mentioned he was sort of transparent. That's why I'm asking. Accepting that you could see the glory of God. You could see the glory of God in the angel's eyes and in the changeable apparel. The whiteness is indescribable. I've tried to describe the whiteness in this robe, but I just can't do it. I never have been able to do it. But you could see it waving, and it looked transparent. But it was a whiteness that's absolutely indescribable. Did he have a beard? No beard, no beard. And was the hair just like normal human hair? Dark hair, wavy dark hair. And yes, there was a lot of hair. Down to the shoulders, down to the shoulders. And as I said before, the eyes of this angel was almost like flames of fire. The voice was a male voice. Yes, the voice was a male voice. And the appearance was one of masculinity. That's right, that's right. Now you were going to say something about vision. Yes, now of course, brother, as we read the Bible, we read about visions. We read about dreams that are scriptural. I know that some are not scriptural. I've always held that we shouldn't pay much attention to dreams that we have unless they are scriptural. And we can know that they are scriptural by the Word of God. The Word of God will confirm whether they are scriptural or not. But visions are real. And when I refer to visions, I mean things that we see with our eyes open. We're not asleep at the time. Now there is such a thing as a night vision. The Bible refers to it as a night vision, which I believe has reference to a dream. But I refer to visions with your eyes open. Now when I was in Vancouver, British Columbia back in 1929, I went through quite a traumatic test there. As a matter of fact, the church had gone through quite a test, and they needed a revival so badly. And we had quite a battle, but we broke through in the name of the Lord. And of course, this is making the long story short. But after we broke through and God gave us a marvelous victory, folk were receiving the baptism of the Holy Spirit, even on the staircase. And they were strewed along the steps going down the stairs and on the floor in the basement and all over the place. And the power was falling. And even on the outside of the church, everything was filled. And God was working. And we had a wonderful victory. And when this victory reached us and we were reveling in it, one day as I stood in this Sixth Avenue church, it seemed that the roof disappeared. And God gave me a vision. And he showed me a hydrogen war that was going to break loose on the world. Now remember, this was in 1929. And we know this, that the atom was not split until 1932. And following that, the first atomic explosion in White Sands, New Mexico. So the Lord was showing me something that I was to see in a television program later on. And it answered to the description definitely in every respect to this that I saw in this vision. The explosion of a hydrogen bomb over one of our huge metropolises. And I saw this. I saw the missile as it passed overhead. I saw when it plummeted to earth. I saw the effect that it was going to have on the people. I saw the freeways that we have today that we didn't have then in 1929. I saw what was going to happen on the freeways because many people have asked the question, will they be able to get out of the cities? Will they be able to escape by car out of the cities? And so on. I saw all of that in a vision. And I was mentioning this vision in one of the cities in Tacoma, Washington. It was. And attending this meeting was an officer. And at the close of the service, he came to me and he said, Reverend Valdez, he said, do you realize that you gave out classified material tonight? I said, no, I didn't realize it, brother, but I know what I gave you was a vision that God gave me back in 1929. He said, my friend, he said, I never felt the fear of God like I felt it tonight. He said, you gave out classified material tonight. He said, everything that you said tonight, I've read in the book that's classified material. And that man was converted and filled with the Holy Spirit in that meeting. And so God does give visions today. And this I saw with my eyes open. I saw the freeways. I didn't see automobiles. I saw people in mass trying to escape out of the cities on the freeways, but they didn't get very far. People running out of the cities, mothers with their babies in their arms fleeing, but they couldn't get out. You could see them stumbling and falling and you could see the multitude trampling them underfoot. It was a horrible sight, but that's just a little bit of that vision. But what I'm trying to tell you is this. We experience today exactly what they experienced in the Bible times. And I'm sure that people that have a disposition to say amen to God's word and receive the Holy Ghost and give God a chance can experience everything they experienced in the Bible days, because we know that Jesus is the same yesterday, today, and forever. He's never changed. It's man that's changed, not God or the Bible. I'm sure that many hearing what you said about this vision would want me to ask you what to you is the significance of this vision and what to them should be their thoughts about it. Well brother, the significance of this vision is this. We know that there's going to come a day before too long that they're going to talk peace and safety. We know that we possess the potential today to destroy this present civilization. But in the midst of this fact, they're going to talk peace as never before, because I don't think anybody wants to see that kind of a war hit this old world. But we know that the Bible does say, when they shall say peace and safety, then shall come sudden destruction. And we know that we're living in that day that the master referred to when he said, these be the days of vengeance when all things that are written shall be fulfilled. And except those days be shortened, no flesh would be saved. Do you think of that? Now certainly that refers to the day that we're living in when we know that if they turn loose the potential that they have, stored away at the present moment, they could destroy this present civilization. But because of the righteous, except those days be shortened, no flesh should be saved, the master said. But he said for the elect's sake, he's going to shorten the days. So I say because of the righteous, these days are going to be shortened. But these are terrible days that we're living in, and hell is going to break loose on the earth. And the Bible does refer to a time when as much as a fourth of the population of the earth will be destroyed. And we know that those things can happen today and will happen. Personally, I'm one of those that believes that it's the inevitable. I don't say possible. I say probable. I say it's the inevitable. And so I say this, that the significant thing about this, these visions that God is giving us about these things is this, that people need a hiding place today. Where will people hide? What good is it going to do for them to get under a building somewhere when they're able to blow a hole into the ground, maybe 300 feet deep, and it'll spread out for maybe a radius of several miles? What good is it going to do for them to get in some kind of a hideout? As far as I'm concerned, there's only one place to hide, and that's under the precious blood of Jesus. And so I believe that's the significance of these visions for today. Matthew 2.9, the star that went before the wise men. Brother, I don't believe that it's out of the ordinary from a spiritual standpoint. I see these are scriptural things, and of course we know that it sounds terrific to the unbeliever. It's hard for him to realize these things to be factual. But to a believer, one that knows the power of God and what God does under certain conditions to inspire his people, to save his people, to protect his people, with us it should be commonplace. We should understand it as something that is quite normal for God's people to experience. Now I believe that the star that they followed to where Jesus was born was no more than tongues of fire that appeared over the 120 that received the baptism of the Holy Ghost on the day of Pentecost, or the fire that appeared over the temple of God in the wilderness, the fire by night and the cloud by day. And so today we have tongues of fire that we have witnessed in our meetings. We know that the Huguenots were led out of dangerous places by tongues of fire. They followed this fire. So did the Waldenses of Italy. I would like to speak of today, however, of the tongues of fire. Now it doesn't necessarily mean that everybody has to see it, but God is going to let the person see the tongues of fire that he wants them to see it. He has a purpose in that person seeing the tongues of fire. When I was in New Zealand, we had a gathering meeting in the Masonic Temple in Wellington, New Zealand, because we had no place large enough for them to tarry for the baptism. So we went to the Masonic Temple, and the place was jammed to suffocation. As a matter of fact, on the platform where I was standing speaking, they were standing all around me. There was no place for me or anyone else to sit on the platform. The place was just packed like sardines in a can. While I was yet speaking to the people, it was made up of all the churches. It was an interdenominational meeting as a matter of fact. Anglicans, Baptists, Methodists, Presbyterians, they were all there. And while I was yet speaking, just like the experience that Peter had with the house of Cornelius, while he was yet speaking, the Bible says, the Holy Ghost fell on all them that heard the word. This night, in the Masonic Temple in Wellington, New Zealand, back in 1924, about 41 years ago, I believe, and while I was yet speaking, the Holy Ghost fell upon those people. I can truthfully say that no less than four-fifths of that entire congregation fell to the floor. Suddenly, I looked down into the congregation, and I noticed several men from different parts of the congregation coming forward, trying to get to me. I discovered that they were ministers of different churches. Some were Anglicans, some were Baptists, some were Methodists, and so on. They said, Rev. Valdez, do you always have these tongues of fire in your meeting, like we see down there now? Look over there now, for instance. Look at the tongues of fire hanging over those people. And over here, look at the tongues of fire down there. And they began to point down in the congregation, and they saw the tongues of fire hanging over the people. And I said, oh yes, oh yes, it's not everybody that sees them. But now and then, several in the meeting will see the tongues of fire hanging over the heads of the people that are receiving the Holy Spirit today. So I know that everyone that receives the Holy Ghost has the tongues of fire hanging over their head. So my brother, I'm sure that God is manifesting Himself today, just as He did in the early church. And we're going to see this more and more all the time as we wait for the coming of the Lord Jesus Christ, and as the pressure of the enemy comes in on this earth. In other words, the Antichrist forces. One of the very common difficulties today, of course, is cancer. I don't remember any place in the scripture where this is covered, but of course this is happening today. I think you should mention specifically this one, since so many are concerned. Brother, I would like to refer particularly to one case in New Zealand. This lady was an actress. I didn't know she was in my meeting. And this particular night, I was emphasizing what the Word of God actually was. And I mentioned in the introductory part of my sermon that the Word of God was creative power, that it was spirit and life, that it was even as a sharp two-edged sword, and the Word of God could be to us for any need that we might have. If we needed a sharp two-edged sword to cut cancer out of our bodies internally or anything like that, the big thing was to receive the Word of God into our hearts. Not just a merely assent to the Word of God, which is sharper than a two-edged sword, but to receive it right into our hearts. And when we receive the Word of God into our hearts, that is the soil into which the seed of God's Word is sown. And when the seed of God's Word is sown in our hearts, the soil of our hearts, there it begins to germinate and faith begins to spring forth and tremendous things can take place. And I was emphasizing that point. Don't just merely assent to the Word of God. Receive the Word of God into your heart. Not in your head, but receive it in your heart. And then faith will spring forth and God will heal your bodies tonight. And I was emphasizing that point. And this little actress was seated about the second row in front of me. And I noticed this little lady. She was nodding her head, which indicated that she was amening the Word of God and receiving the truth into her heart. And I knew she was receiving it into her heart because the tears were flowing down her cheeks. And as I progressed in my sermon, faith arose in this little lady's heart to the extent that God began to operate in her body. Now I didn't know that night that she had a cancer in her stomach. But as she received this truth into her heart, the sharp two-edged sword began to perform the operation in her stomach. So much so that she began to hemorrhage from her stomach. And I noticed she began to cough and she began to cough up blood. She took her handkerchief and put it over her mouth and I could see that handkerchief turning red. And then finally she had to leave the meeting. Well, I heard no more of her until next night. She came out to give her testimony. And she said that next morning this fibrous cancer, just like an octopus, was lodged in her throat and she was throwing it up and she was choking. And her neighbors heard her choking and came over to see what was wrong. And they didn't know what was wrong. And they began to pound her on the back. And suddenly she threw up this fibrous cancer which she took to the doctors to have analyzed. And it was this fibrous cancer that was embedded right in her stomach. And the night before, this operation by the power of God's word took place because she received the engrafted word of God right into her heart. We remember the case of the paralytic that was lowered through the roof and was healed. Yes, my brother. Now then, of course, we know that there's different kinds of paralysis. And we have seen scores of people paralyzed almost totally, not able to hardly move their arms or limbs. But because there's so many of such cases healed in the United States, I would like to refer you to one man that was paralyzed from his hips down. And it was in my meeting that I was conducting in Glad Tidings Temple in San Francisco. And I prayed for this man. He had been paralyzed since World War I. And he was totally paralyzed, that is from his hips on down. Absolutely had no feeling in his limbs at all. Absolutely helpless to walk at all. His legs, his limbs were just like a dish rag. And the power of God came upon this man when he was praying for the baptism of the Holy Spirit. And the reason I want to refer to this man because I know that thousands and thousands of people are healed when they're filled with the Holy Ghost. And I refer to this experience because I want to encourage you folk that need the baptism of the Holy Spirit. And you may be sick too. You may have an incurable disease. You may have heart trouble or kidney trouble or some other ailment. Or you may be paralyzed. But whatever it may be, oh my friend, if you'd only let the power of God come into your life, you'd be surprised. Thousands are healed when they receive the Holy Ghost. And I mention this fact that we're kept by the power of God and we're healed by the power of God. And it's all by the power of God. And if you folk were filled with the power of the Holy Spirit, you'd be healed. God can heal you at the same time. And I referred to cases where they were saved and filled with the Holy Ghost and healed simultaneously. And while I was speaking along that line, there was a great rush to the altar and they took this man that was paralyzed during the war through a terrible explosion, a mine explosion. And his body was full of shrapnel and he was paralyzed. And they took him into the prayer room and suddenly the power of God came upon him. And while he was being filled with the Holy Ghost, suddenly he felt from his hips right on down to his toes like millions of needles pricking his flesh. And he was healed instantaneously so that he was able to stand up and walk. And that man began to dance in the Spirit. Think of it, friends. Hadn't walked in years. He began to dance in the Spirit. This is a well-known experience. And after everybody left the temple that night, this man, after the doors were locked, he went outside and began to dance on the street. He danced on the sidewalk and on the street the rest of the night until morning. Oh, praise the Lord. Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever. And He never changed. And again I repeat, brother, if people only realized the power of the Holy Ghost, they wouldn't be satisfied with just a mere experience of regeneration. They would be sealed with the Holy Spirit of promise and be filled with this mighty baptism of the Holy Ghost and fire. This might be a good place to differentiate between the kind of healing that took place in this paralytic and the other kinds of healing that take place at a slower rate. Yes, that's true, brother. Now, I would like to emphasize this point that so many people need orientation on, the difference between a miracle and healing. Remember, friends, when I speak of healing, I speak of a process. You speak to the doctor, any doctor, about healing, and he knows that it's a process. And it's a process that starts when we pray that God heal your body. And generally, most people are healed of their sicknesses when we pray for them, instead of a miracle. In many cases, they receive a miracle which is instantaneous. And so that's the difference, my friends, between a healing or a process in your healing and a miracle which is instantaneous. And I love to speak of it because so many people are cheated out of their healing because they're looking for an instantaneous work, a miracle, something that will be done instantaneous. And because they don't receive a miracle, they're discouraged in thinking that they're healed. And so they say, I wasn't healed, and they give up right there. Whereas, as a matter of fact, they received a healing, but they never accepted it. They wanted a miracle. And because the miracle wasn't present, they said, well, the Lord didn't do anything for me. You see, my friends, how you need to know the difference between a healing and a miracle. And thousands of people, I'm sure, are cheated out of their healing. Some were healed as they went their way. Some begin to amend from that hour. That is a healing. That is a process, my friends. And every time you're prayed for, believe that the work begins right there. And if you believe it, my friends, every one of you are going to be healed, and not a one of you will be disappointed. Brother Valdez, will you please give us a little bit more orientation concerning miracles of healing and ordinary healing that might be helpful? Thank you, Brother. Now, regarding healings and miracles, really, our whole life is made up of miracles. From the time that we accepted the Lord Jesus Christ as our personal Savior, miracles started. We know when we're made new creatures in Christ Jesus, when old things passes away and, behold, all things become new. That's a miracle. When our minds are transformed and now we have the mind of the Lord Jesus Christ instead of a mind that's corrupt, that's a miracle. And now we think like Jesus, and from the abundance of our heart, our mouth speaks. All of this is a miracle. And so from the beginning of conversion, it's a miracle. So our whole entire Christian experience is just one miracle after another. But, Brother, people need an awful lot of orientation along this line because we know that faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the Word of God. Now, answering a simple question, how do we get faith? Here's the answer. Faith comes by hearing, hearing by the Word of God. And so our whole life, as I said before, is one miracle after another, but all because of the stimulation of the Word. Now, let me give you this little example, and though it's personal, I know you'll forgive me for this. But my son and I praying together, Lord God, what shall we do now? What would you have us do? And suddenly, as we were in the Spirit together, the Lord spoke to us and said, Go to Honolulu. And so we both agreed that it was the voice of the Spirit because it was confirmed by the Lord speaking to my son and speaking to me also at the same time, simultaneously, but separately, speaking into my son's heart and speaking into my heart. And when he said, Dad, God wants us to go to Honolulu, I said, Son, the Lord just now told me the same thing. And so we went to Honolulu. Now you know, if we go in the will of God, inspired by God's Word, he takes us to Honolulu. He takes care of everything. Now, when we arrived in Honolulu, we didn't have enough money. Now, this is a humble confession, brother, but we didn't have enough money to put on a campaign. But we knew the important thing, and that was that God said, Go to Honolulu. And so we went. And when we got there, we looked for a meeting place. The meeting place that we found suitable for such a meeting was the Pricefighting Arena, which seated approximately 7,000 people. We went to the owners of this building, and we asked them if we could rent it, and they said, The only space of time that we have to rent is 13 days beginning next Monday and nothing more for six months. Well, we said, That's the 13 days we want. He said, You can rent it. All right. My son said, Now, just how do you want the rent, sir? Do you want it in advance? Do you want it every night or once a week? And he said, Reverend, just any way you want to meet that bill, you can pay it. And I tell you, I felt greatly relieved when he said that. And so we started the meeting. But we had to advertise, of course, and let the people know that we were there. So we went to the newspaper offices. And my son always puts in one-page advertisements wherever he goes in all the newspapers of that particular city, wherever we're campaigning. And so he asked for a space in the newspaper and told them what kind of an ad he wanted to put in. It was all just fine and dandy. They were glad for the business. And now he said, Just how do you want us to pay you for this, sir? Now, we're going to advertise all during this week, but we want to start with a one-page ad. And the editor said, You can just pay it, Reverend, any way you want. And again, I was greatly relieved. So we started our meeting after this beautiful advertisement, full-page advertisement in the newspapers. Well, on the first night, on Monday night, we had only 500 people. I estimated the crowd at about 500 in a place that seated 7,000. Well, you can imagine what that looked like. But never mind. God knew all about it. We know that we were moving by God's Word and in the power of the Spirit. And everything was fine. And God, looking on, sent a blind man to this first meeting. I want you to watch this now, how God takes care of the whole situation. He sent a blind man that everybody knew in all of the islands because he was selling newspapers in Honolulu in front of the Cress's store. And he'd been in that one spot for 18 solid years, crying out, totally blind, stone blind, paper, paper, paper, and all the people knew him from all of the islands. God sent that man out the first night, and they led him up to be prayed for. And instantaneously, his eyes opened, and he was so thrilled. He looked around over that large auditorium, and he began to describe to the audience everything that he saw. And I want to tell you, beloved, the power of God came down in that meeting, and that man was so happy. He just walked off of that platform and down the steep steps by himself without any help, without any aid. Do you know what happened? Next morning, the police, the chief of police, had to have about ten officers out there to keep the traffic open on that Cress corner, because it was jammed and packed with people that heard about this healing. What were they doing? They were passing in front of this blind man and asking him, what color is my tie? And he would say, yellow. What color is my tie? And he would say, black. What color is my tie? And he would say, green. What color is my tie? And he would say, red. And he would tell them the color of their ties, and the color of their suit, and the color of their shirts, and that multitude, I believe thousands that day passed in front of this blind man, and he was giving them the color of their shirts, and their suits, and their ties. Well, after that, there was very little need of advertising, because the place began to pack right out. As a matter of fact, they had to rope the front of that building off so that no more people could come in. Well, from that night on, faith began to build up in the hearts of the people. But listen, we didn't let it go at that. We had our regular, this is what I wanted to tell you, our regular morning service. For what? To orient the people on what it was all about. I think it's tragic when people just rush up to be prayed for just because they heard that the blind are seeing, and the deaf, and the dumb speak and hear, and that possibly they might be healed if they go there with no thought of salvation, with no thought of Christ, with no thought of giving God the glory at all. And so, we always put on a meeting to thoroughly orient the people, and I have a strong conviction that even one day is not enough. We should take time to orient the people and tell them that they must seek first the kingdom of heaven and His righteousness, and then all of these things shall be added unto them. And drive that point home. And then, when they're born of the Spirit of God, and the Spirit of the Lord is able to work in their hearts, and their minds are illuminated to receive the engrafted Word of God in their minds and hearts, and the Word of God has free course in their hearts, because remember, their hearts is the soil into which the seed of God's Word must be planted. And when it's planted in the soil of their hearts, then it begins to explode, and only then, and it begins to produce the faith that they need for the things that they have need of. And so, we put on these meetings in the morning, and they used to turn out in multitudes to hear the Word of God, and we drove that point home. Remember, my friend, if you're just going to go up there to be prayed for, to be healed, you're wasting your time. You must seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness. You must first give your heart to the Lord Jesus Christ. You must first have your mind transformed. You must first be regenerated. You must first be born again. You must first become a new creature in Christ Jesus, because that is the thing that God is more concerned about than anything else. Secondarily, the healing of your body, but the important thing, my friend, is the healing of your soul. And we drive that point home, and I believe that today as never before, we should make that very clear, and I believe that more people would be healed, and less people would go away disappointed as regards to divine healing and the healing of their own body, if we would drive that point home. They should yield their lives to God, and Jesus is healing them, not to serve the world of flesh and the devil, but to serve the Lord Jesus Christ and to honor the Lord Jesus Christ. Brother Valdez, you have had such a rich and varied experience for so many years. I feel that I should just turn you loose right now, and just let the Spirit bring to your mind these things, instead of having me point to a particular scripture. And we can fill in the scriptures later on. So just let the Spirit guide and just tell the things as they come to you. Oh, thank you, brother. It's a real pleasure to speak of these things, because healings that took place way back almost 50 years ago are just as real to me today. And you know, I know of people that are alive today and going strong today, that were supposed to have died over 50 years ago. Definitely, the doctors said they cannot live. Degeneration had set in so deeply that they had reached that place that the doctors commonly understand to be the deadline, where there's no chance for recovery at all. In other words, there's no comeback. And they've reached that time now where the processes of the physical body refuses to cooperate. And the doctor knows now they're on the way out. There's no chance for them at all. And I know people today that had reached that point, many of them, that were supposed to have died way back there, as I said before, some over 50 years ago, that are still alive today and going strong, completely healed, enjoying perfect health. As a matter of fact, the gentleman, Mr. Day, that was responsible for my conversion, when he came here from the state of Kentucky, he was given up by the doctors. And they told him the best he could do was to get into a dry climate. And it would be easier for him to breathe. He had tuberculosis of the bowels. He had tuberculosis of the lungs. As a matter of fact, one lung was gone. The other one had perforations in it. And he was just breathing so rapidly and gasping for breath. And there he lay helpless in skin and bone. And in Redlands, California, two of our workers found him there. And they began to tell him the story of Jesus. To make a long story short, he was wonderfully and hopefully converted to the Lord Jesus Christ. And they said to him, Mr. Day, Jesus can heal your body, just like he saved you. And he's given you such peace as you have testified. You have such peace and such rest in your heart now. And even as he saved you and he's given you such peace in your heart, he can heal that body. He can give you two brand new lungs. And he can make you every quick hole and make you completely new from the top of your head to your toes. And he said, do you mean to say that, that Jesus can heal my body? Oh, yes. The same word of God that you accepted, that transformed your mind and regenerated your heart, can heal that body for you and give you two new lungs. Because the word of God is creative power. And he can give you two new lungs. We know that it is written that by the word of God, the worlds were framed. Everything that was created was created by the word of God. And so you can be healed. Your lungs can be healed and you can be made every foot hole. And so we want you to listen to the word of God. And so they read the word of God to him. And this man couldn't read. He never went to school a day in his life, but they would come and they would read the word of God to him every day. And he would receive the word of God into his heart. And do you know, folk began to visit him and they would bring him a Bible because he didn't have a Bible. And some brought New Testaments and some brought New Testaments and Old Testaments together, the complete Bible. And they didn't know that he was piling up these Bibles beside his bed. But one day they saw these Bibles piling up to the level of his bed. They were piled up on the other side of the bed next to the wall and they never saw them. But he had Bibles stacked up there. But do you know that he was taught right from the start that it was the word of God that would heal his body. So one day when he was all alone, he said, Lord, I know that if your word can save my soul and give me such peace. And folks, I know that I'm giving you the word of God because it is written that we're born again, not of corruptible seed, but of incorruptible by the word of God, which liveth and abideth ever. And that to my mind is the best explanation I can give you of the born again experience. Born again, not of corruptible seed, but of incorruptible by the word of God, which liveth and abideth ever. And he said, Lord, if you can give me such peace by the word of God and make me a new creation such as you have by the word of God, you can heal my lungs and give me new lungs. And Lord, I believe. And with that, he took all those Bibles that were stacked up to the top of his bed there, and he literally upholds his body with Bibles. He spread them out on his legs and all over his stomach and on his chest. And he put one on top of his head and he took two of them and raised these two Bibles up. And he said, Lord, I believe that I'm healed through the word of God. And suddenly the power of God came upon Brother Gay and began to shake his body like a dog would shake a cat and or a cat would shake a mouse. And that man was instantaneously healed. And he lived to preach the gospel to a ripe old age. Listen, folks, that was almost 60 years ago. And he lived to preach the gospel over 50 years. Hear me, my friends, given up by the doctors. So I say the word of God is creative power. And oh, I can give you such other experiences as Mrs. Reese in New Zealand, Auckland, New Zealand, an Anglican sister. She attended my meeting there. I didn't know who she was. She lined up with the rest of them to be prayed for. I didn't know that at the time that I prayed for that under her clothes, she had a steel frame lined with leather that was supporting her from the axis vertebrae down to the coccyx. I didn't know that she was like one piece of flesh from the axis vertebrae down to the coccyx. And at one time before they put her in this frame, she was reduced down to nothing as far as stature was concerned, because it was just one curvature on top of the other. It affected the spinal cord in the nerve system to such a degree that what she saw was upside down. If she saw a dog running down the street, it was upside down. And that was the condition, my friends, that she was in when they led her, when they supported her and led her up for me to pray for. All I know was this, that when I loosed her in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, this little lady suddenly gave a shout like lightning from heaven struck her body. And suddenly she took her cane and put it on her shoulder like a soldier would shoulder his gun and she stomped right out of the front door and disappeared and never returned in the till the next evening. But in the next evening, she came in the front door with her cane and with her frame that she took off and gave us her entire story. My friends, this lady, Mrs. Reeves, was x-rayed and all of the cavity that was in her backbone, and this is a historical case in New Zealand, my friends. Every cavity was filled with new bone. Instantaneously this work was done by his mighty creative work. This lady took off this frame and two months later followed me up to Australia. They had sold their home. They were on their way to England now to testify to their friends and relatives about this wonderful creative work of God. And she said, Brother Valdez, I've already gained a stone weight, which is 14 pounds. And she was standing erect. And as she walked, she walked with perfect posture. It was a beautiful sight to behold, my friends. She went on to England. Now then, I want you to get the end of the story. Forty years later, my son is holding a meeting in Nottingham, England. A little lady approaches him and she said, Brother Valdez, I knew you when you was only eight years old. Your father was in New Zealand, in Auckland, New Zealand, preaching the gospel. And at that time I was a very sick woman. And he prayed for me and I was instantaneously healed. He said, wait a minute, sister. He says, I think I know who you are. Do you happen to be Mrs. Reese? She said, I'm Sister Reese. Well, he said, my father's talked about you all over the world. And he says, look at you now, in perfect health, just walking around here like a young person. Forty years later. And this, my friends, may answer the question for folk that are asking the question, do these healings last? Yes, my friends. Glory to God, there is durable as eternity. Hallelujah. Now, brother, my personal conviction is this, that we need a real Pentecostal revival in these last days, possibly more than any other time in the history of the Christian Church. Because we're living in a time different than any other time in history. And indeed, the Lord Jesus said that there would come a time, such as never was or ever would be, again. And we know that the Bible also, in prophecy, refers to the power of the Antichrist being on the increase in these last days. He says, because iniquity shall abound, the love of many shall wax cold. In other words, there's going to be an increase of satanic force that the church is going to feel in these last days. And it's going to reach its apex in power during the reign of Antichrist, when Satan will work with all power and signs and lying wonders, with all deceivableness of unrighteousness in them that perish, because they didn't receive the love of the truth that they might be saved. And so, for that reason, because there's going to be an increase of satanic power, because there is already an increase of satanic power. And brethren, all around the world, wherever I've been, testify to this thing, my friends, that there's an increase. They can feel it, already feel an increase of satanic force. And I believe as communism, which I believe is the power of the Antichrist, because we know that their first order of business is to destroy the Bible and to destroy God's people. And as this thing spreads over the earth, it's only speaking of the coming of the Antichrist that one day will rule this world. And so, as this pressure comes on, so much more do we need the power of Pentecost in our lives. And I believe that that's why we're having the revival we're having today. I believe that that's why the people within the denominational churches today are crying out, Oh God, fill me with the Holy Ghost. I know of people that are being filled with the Holy Ghost right in their choirs on Sunday. That's a fact. I have testimony from some that while they were singing, their hearts were so hungry for God. And this condition is all over the world today. They realize that they need God today as never before. And just simply because they need God and they're hungering after God while they're singing in the choirs, they're being filled with the Holy Ghost. I know of a lady in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, that was in the choir singing in one of the high churches, if you please, in one of the loftiest churches in that city, if you'll excuse me for putting it that way. And while she was singing, the power of the Holy Ghost came upon her and she began to shout and speak in tongues. And the other ladies thought she was having a nervous breakdown or she was sick or something. They didn't understand it, didn't know what was happening. And they took her into another room. And of course, it was the power of the Holy Spirit in there. The Lord was filling her with the Holy Ghost. My friends, this is happening all over the world today. All over the world. Ministers, as I went across the Pacific, some of the loveliest ministers of the denominational churches, Episcopalian and Presbyterian, and of all the various denominations, spoke with me and wanted to confer with me and speak to me about the Holy Spirit and what steps they should take and so on. It's because, friends, they feel the terrible pressure of these last days. And they realize that today, as never before, if we ever hope to survive, we've got to get in touch with God. We must have the power of God. We must be filled with the Holy Spirit. As a matter of fact, the Bible says, kept by the power of God, through faith unto salvation, ready to be revealed in the last time. And so nothing apart from the power of the Holy Ghost, my friends, is going to keep us in these last days. And so we need a Holy Ghost revival. Now, we're going to need miracle-working power. Why I can see, as I travel, what's happening to a lot of people spiritually. A lot of people are losing out because this horrible pressure is coming in on the earth. And they're losing out. Why? Because they're not arising to the occasion. They're not able to, spiritually, to arise to the occasion and meet the challenge. And the result is, they're passing out of the religious picture. And so that's scriptural. That day shall not come except there come a falling away first, and the man of sin be revealed, a son of perdition. And so, my friends, the pressure is coming. And you're going to see, in these last days, my friends, that those that are just playing church are going to pass out of the religious picture. Those that are meeting this thing head-on, by praying through and getting the power of God into their lives, they're the ones that are going to stem the tide. Those are the ones that are going to be ready to meet this last day situation. But my friends, remember what I tell you. We're going to have to perform miracles in these last days. And I'm sure that Daniel, he saw this in his vision. And he saw what God's people were going to be under pressure. And that's why he said, in those days, they that know their God shall do exploits.