Sermon Texts (Adding Now)
Sermon Texts Beginning With Q
Questions And Answers On The Holy Ghost (59-1219)
| Questions And Answers On The Holy Ghost (59-1219) |
|
|
Questions And Answers On The Holy Ghost (59-1219)
407-1
And after last night we're just all filled up. I've heard the good
reports today of many who has received the Holy Ghost. And we're happy
for it.
407-3
Now, if I would justify the thing, I'd bring some of them good
preachers up here to speak to you, because I'm hoarse just from having
such a big time last night. 407-5 Well, we certainly had a--been having a great time on those three night's service; I did. And now, the tapes, all except last night... I called Brother Goad and told him to come take the tape for the tabernacle. But it happened to be that I understood that Billy Paul had his car and gone, so the tape wasn't took as far as I know. So we missed that one; I'd liked to kept it in the church for the sake of the church for someone say: what we believe.
408-6
Now, tonight I'm going to speak on "The Great Conference," if I can get
through the questions in time. And then tomorrow morning is a healing
service. And we're going to pray for the sick. Therefore, we cannot
give out--or just go and say, "Now, I'm going to take you, and you, and
you." That wouldn't be right. But we give out a group of cards, and
somewhere along those cards, I call a few up on the platform. And then,
if the Holy Spirit starts revealing, then It goes out through the
audience and gets the people out in the audience for the healing
service. And then, tomorrow morning, I'll be speaking, the Lord
willing, just before the healing service.
408-8
So then tomorrow--tomorrow night is a evangelistic service with water
baptism service. And then, as soon as I get through preaching tomorrow
night, we'll pull back the curtains and have water baptism here
tomorrow night. If the Lord willing--if the Lord is willing, in the
morning I want--or tomorrow night I want to speak on the subject: "A--A
Sign Was Given." And then, if we're here Wednesday night, if the Lord
permits me to be here Wednesday night, I want to speak on the subject:
"We Have Seen His Star in the East and Have Come to Worship Him." Now,
that's just ere Christmas eve.
408-10
Now, the Christian Business Men has a great line up, that's to be in
Florida right away for their conference, go from there to Kingston,
then over to Haiti, and down to Puerto Rico, into South America, back
up through Mexico. 409-13 Now, sometimes here in the church we get to a place where they say, "Well..." We get the out-of-town people, bring them up... Someone will say, "Well, I didn't know what was wrong with them. They might've been telling something wrong." Then you get people in town; they say, "Oh, you might've knew them." So... Then they say--it's been said, "Well, I'll tell you, it's prayer cards." Well, what about them that hasn't got prayer cards. And there's been day after day when it's...?... What'd say? [Brother Branham is asked to stand back from microphone--Ed.] Stand back from the mike? Now... Well, you know, I always preach the middle of the road. So maybe I'll just take it like that. Is that better? That's better, That's fine. I'll tell you what it is. Our--our public address system is very poor here, very poor. And we're not trying to get any better now, because we want the new tabernacle built right away. And then's when we'll have plenty of room (See?), if we can get around here and spread this place out a little larger, and put up some more places, and get ready for meetings when we have them here. 409-14 Now, remember, in the morning the boys, one or three of them will be giving out cards between 8:30--or 8:00 and 8:30. That gives a chance for everybody to get settled down. And I was speaking on about how they give out cards, why we do It. It's to keep order. See? Now, what if I come in here just like right now and said, "Let this woman, this woman, and that man, and this woman..." You see, that would be kinda--that'd be kinda hard. See? And then, if you... Many times I've did this. And if they're not too many in the morning, I may do the same thing. I'll say, "How many people here is from out of the city that's got something wrong with you, you stand up."
410-15 Brother Mercier, you're coming to my rescue. You going to help me? [Brother Mercier answers--Ed.]
Oh, you're coming... He's coming to his own rescue. I talked to your
girlfriend today. Now, you better be real good to me. All right. That's
good. I--I admire that courage, Brother Leo. When it's not right,
let's--let's get it as right as we know how to get it, the best that we
can. 410-17 I want you to remember this; I'll try to go over it in the morning again. Gentiles, the Gospel that's given to them is a faith Gospel, not a works at all. See? Like I said last night. When the Holy Ghost fell at Pentecost, when they went down to the Jews (Acts 19:5), they had to lay hands on them that they receive It. And when they went down to the Samaritans, they had to lay hands on them. But when they come to the Gentiles at Cornelius' house, "While Peter spake these words..." No laying on of hands.
410-18
When the little girl died, Jairus' daughter, the priest said, "Come lay
hands on her, and she'll live." But when the Roman centurion, the
Gentile, said. "I'm not worthy You come under my roof, speak the word."
That's it. See?
411-20
Hattie Wright, the other day, she didn't ask for nothing. She was just
setting there, but she said the right thing, which pleased the Holy
Spirit. And the Holy Spirit spoke back and said, "Hattie, ask anything
that you will, whatever you got and you want. Find out whether this is
real or not. Ask anything (the healing of her little crippled sister
setting there all drawed up; ten thousand dollars to keep her from
digging on them hills over there; the youth restored to her well
run-down body); whatever you want to ask, you ask it right now. If It
don't come and give it to you right now, then I'm a false prophet."
That's--that's--that's something, isn't it?
411-22
Now, don't forget, prayer cards in the morning at 8 o'clock until 8:30.
Then I ask them whatever was in, then just quit giving out cards, and
go on back, and set down (See?), 'cause they'll have them all give out
perhaps by that time anyhow, or as many as we'll pull from there
somewhere. The boys will get up, mix all the cards up right before you,
then if you want one, you want one, or whatevermore like that... Then
when I come in, I'll just... Wherever the Lord says call from... And if
He said, "Don't call at all," I won't call them at all (See?), just
whatever it is. 412-24 Now, we got some very stiff questions here, and we want to get right into them. Someone looked at all these books I had. I said, "Well, a smart man only needs one." But I'm not a smart man. I have to have a lot of them to look into. Well, this is the "Diaglott," and this is a Bible, and this is a concordance. So it's a... We're just going to ask the Lord to help us and direct us to answer these questions just according to His Divine will and His Word.
412-25
So now, let us bow our heads just a moment for prayer. Lord, we are
grateful to Thee from the very depths of our heart for what You have
done for us in these last three nights. Oh, to see the ministers
meeting back there in the room and shaking hands, and renewed faith,
and--and a new step to take, calling up on the phone. And our hearts
rejoicing, and people receiving the Holy Spirit after they have
been--seen Your Word, how It tells exactly step by step how to receive
Your Holy Spirit. We are so thankful for that, Lord.
412-27
And now, Father, there is here in my possession several questions
that's asked from sincere hearts that's concerned. And one of them
answered wrong might throw the person the wrong way, to throw the wrong
light on their question that's bothering them. So, Lord God, I pray
that Your Holy Spirit will move upon us and will reveal these things,
for it's written in the Scriptures, "Ask and you shall receive, and
seek and you shall find; knock and it shall be open unto thee." And
that's what we're doing now, Lord, knocking at Your door of mercy.
Standing in the shadow of Thy Divine justice, we plead for the Blood of
the Christ of God and for the Holy Spirit.
413-29
Now, I have all the questions that was given me, except one. And I
answered the little Brother Martin who asked me a question night before
last, just one. There was many here last night, but it was prayer
requests. And Brother Martin asked me the question about John 3:16--or
John 3, I believe, about, "Except a man be born of water and of Spirit,
he cannot see the Kingdom," and compared it with a tape that I'd sent
out on Hebrews. And I met him in the back room here last evening,
and--before I got a chance to answer him, and then I did there on the
subject. 413-31 I might, just for a minute... It won't hurt. This is taped. And if any minister happens to--or person that happens to disagree on what I'm fixing to say now, or even in the questions, I ask, brother, that you will not think it strange, but that, remember that this tape is being made in our tabernacle here. We are teaching to our people. Many ministers of different faiths are setting around. And I would like to go into the subject again, for there's some of our people that could not get in last night that I see are in tonight. And I would like go through just a moment, if you'll permit it, upon what I spoke of last evening; and that was upon Pentecost, upon receiving the Holy Spirit. 413-32 Now, reading from the "Emphatic Diaglott" of the Greek translation, where I was at last evening, which is laying open before me now. That's the original translation from the Greek to the English. It doesn't go through other translators; it's--and other versions, it's right straight from the Greek to the English. Now, the English words, many times has such meanings to them, such as I'd say now, "board." Take that word "board." You'd say, "Well, he meant that we were boring him." No. "Oh, he--he paid his board." No. Well, he... "It's a board on the side of the house." Well, see? Or any of those... There's four or five different words could be used; you have to get the sentence. The word "see." "See" means "to understand," in English. "Sea" means "a body of water." "See" means "to look at." See? But on these translations, the word here used that I spoke of last night in Acts the 2nd chapter, where it says, "Tongues of fire set upon them..." I would like to just go back just a moment. Would you like to, just a moment, and kinda review it for a moment before we go any farther?
414-32
Now, turn, you in your King James or whatever translation you're
reading from... And I want to read it. And listen real close now. Do
not misunderstand. Many today, even my sister, many of them called,
said... Mrs. Morgan... Many of them was in last evening. Mrs. Morgan is
one of our sisters that was given up; and she's on the dead list in
Louisville for sixteen, seventeen years ago with cancer. I think she's
setting back here again tonight. She could not hear, she said, because
I was speaking directly into the microphone. And for their sake I want
to go over this for a moment.
415-34
Now, notice. When the fire came, it was tongues; when they were
speaking, it was language. Now, there is a vast different between
tongues and languages. To us it's all the same. But in Greek "tongue"
means this [Brother Branham illustrates--Ed.]
ear's this. See? That doesn't mean a language; it means the part of
your body that is a tongue. If you notice, it's translated tongues of
fire which means "like tongues," just like a lick of fire, a long blaze
of fire. Now, watch the emphasis now. And each one of those places now,
don't forget it. 415-36 I've got to know what I'm doing before I can have faith in what I'm doing. Why'd you marry your wife? You had faith in her. You had tried her, watched her, seen what she come from, who she was. That's the way with the Scripture with God. That's what makes these visions, the--this Pillar of Fire, all these things; because God promised it. God said so. I've tested Him by His Word and know that It is the Truth. And you follow His Word. Then if there's a little confusion somewhere, then there's something wrong somewhere. 'Cause God (Listen.)--God never did or never will work out of His own--or contrary to His own laws. The winter won't come in the summer, and the summer won't come in the winter. The leaves won't fall off in the springtime and come on again in the fall. You just can't make it.
416-37
As I've said last night about the artesian well, watering your crop. Or
if you're standing out here in the middle of a field, and it's black
dark, and you'd say, "Oh, great electricity, I know you're in the
field. Now, I'm lost, don't know where I'm going. Give light, so I can
see how to walk. There's enough electricity to light the field up."
That's true. Yes, sir. There's enough electricity in this room to light
it without even them lights, without that. But you have to govern it.
Now, you might scream to that till you couldn't scream no more; it'd
never light up. But if you work according to the laws of electricity,
then you'll get light.
416-39
Now, let's notice. Jesus in Luke 24:49 had commissioned the apostles
after they had been saved and sanctified according to the Word;
justified by believing on the Lord Jesus; sanctified at John 17:17 when
Jesus said, "Sanctify them, Father, through the Truth. Thy Word is the
Truth." And He was the Word.
416-41
The Holy Spirit's what... You are believing unto Eternal Life, but when
the Holy Spirit comes, It is Eternal Life. You're believing unto...
You're begotten of the Spirit at sanctification, but never borned of
the Spirit until the Holy Ghost comes in. That's correct. A baby's got
life in the womb of the mother, little muscles are quivering; it's a
life. But it's a different life when it breathes the breath of life
into its nostrils. It's a different. That's what it is, it's...
417-43
And we find out the Holy Ghost is God Himself in you. God was above you
in the Pillar of Fire with Moses. God was with you in Jesus Christ. Now
God is in you in the Holy Ghost: no three gods, one God working in
three offices.
417-45
And now God is in us. Jesus said in John 14, "In that day you'll know
that I'm in the Father, the Father in Me, and I in you, and you in Me."
God in us... What was the purpose? To carry out His plan. 418-48 Now, notice. Jesus had commissioned them to go up at Jerusalem and wait. The word "tarry" means "to wait," doesn't mean to pray, means "to wait." They was not fit subjects yet to preach, because they only knew His resurrection by His Person, of seeing Him outside. He--He commanded them not to preach anymore, not to do nothing until first they had been endued with power from on high. I don't believe that any preacher is sent of God or can be correctly ordained... Because God is infinite. And what God does once, He does all the time. Now, if God would not let them preach until they'd went to Pentecost and received the Pentecostal experience, no man, unless some deep desire of his own or some organization has commissioned him, has the rights to enter a pulpit until he has been filled with the Holy Ghost. That's exactly right. Because he's leading them by an intellectual conception of some organization until he's filled with the Holy Ghost; and then he is giving them the food of the Dove; The Lamb and the Dove, as we spoke of last evening.
418-49
Now, notice. He said, "Go up to Jerusalem and there remain; just wait
there until I send the promise of the Father." And then what did they
do? There was one hundred and twenty of them, men and women. They went
into a upper room at the temple. Now, it was nearing the day of the
feast of Pentecost, from the cleansing of the sanctuary, the killing of
the Pascal lamb until the--the coming of Pentecost, which was the
firstfruits of the harvest, the jubilee, the Pentecostal jubilee. And
on the buildings...
419-51
Now, in those rooms like that, there is no windows. Windows was little
barred things with doors like, you pulled open. In those rooms are
little grease lamps that hangs down and burn... If you're ever in
California at Clifton's Cafeteria, go down in the basement, and you'll
find one of the very similar kind, of the upper room. Have you ever
been there? How many in here has been there? I see people nod your
head. Well, you know what I'm speaking of. All right. Go down there,
and you'll see the garden of Gethsemane; before you do, you'll go into
one of those oriental rooms. That's exactly true. There you find a
little lamp full of olive oil with a little wool wick laying in it,
burning.
419-53
Now, now, we're in Acts 1. Now, listen close now. You got the picture?
Outside the building the little stairway went up, and they went into
this little room. Down in the temple they were having the feast of
Pentecost. Oh, there was a great time going on. Now, when the day of
Pentecost was fully come, they were all with one mind, one mind,
believing that God was going to send that promise. And let every person
in here get in that same mind tonight and see what takes place. It's
got to repeat. It's a promise just the same as they had. See?
419-55
Now, they were scared of the Jews. Now, remember that. They were afraid
of the Jews. And now, all of a sudden there came a sound like a rushing
wind. It was no rushing wind; it was like a rushing wind. I'll read the
comments just in a few minutes on the translator. It was like a rushing
wind. In other words, it was a supernatural wind, oh, something they
could feel. The wind was inside them. There come a--a rushing wind,
like as a rushing wind. The wind wasn't rushing, but it just sounded
like a rushing wind, like something going [Brother Branham makes a sound of wind--Ed.]
Did you ever feel it? Oh, my. Like a rushing wind. Now watch. And it
filled... Now, in here it said "all the," but in the Greek it said "the
Whole--(Capital-W-h-o-l-e)--the Whole House," everywhere in there.
Every crack, corner, and crevice seemed to be full of it. 420-56 Did anybody in here ever see Cecil DeMille's "Ten Commandments"? Did you notice when the commandments was being written? How he caught it, I didn't know. There was two or three things that I seen in it that I really liked. First thing is that emerald light, that's exactly what It looks like. See? Another thing was when the commandment was written, and after it was over, did you notice flying away from that big Pillar of Fire, there was little licks of fire flying away? Did you notice that? Now, that's what I think this was at Pentecost. There appeared unto them, so they could see It. It didn't say, "There fell in them." But there appeared unto them licks (we'll call it), tongues, like tongue like this tongue here [Brother Branham demonstrates--Ed.], shape of the tongue, lick of fire. Now, ear--as I said, ear is ear; finger is finger. Finger don't mean you felt it; it mean it looked like a finger. And if it was a ear, it didn't mean they heard it; it looked like an ear. This was fire that looked like a tongue, not someone speaking, a fire that looked like a tongue.
420-57 Now, listen. Watch how the Greek reads it here:
421-59
It was in this little room here with these little grease lamps burning.
Think of them setting up there. And one says, "Oh." He looked all over
the building; it was all over the building. Then they said, "Look."
Tongues of fire begin to--coming around the building. Now, watch. And
there appeared these tongues of fire. Now, watch the next:
421-61
Now, watch. These tongues were in the room like fire, and it set upon
each. Then they were filled with the Holy Ghost (second thing), and
then, after they were filled with the Holy Ghost, spake with tongues,
not with tongues, with languages. Did you notice that? They begin to
speak with other languages as the Spirit gave them to utter. Now, this
was noised abroad.
422-63
Now, I want to ask you something. When was the rumor started? If they
had to come out of that upper room to go down that steps and get out
into the palace courts--or out into the--to the temple courts, which
was probably a city block from where they were at, upstairs and down,
out in the courts where all the people were gathered together... And
they come out of there drunken-like on the Spirit. For the people said,
"These men are full of new wine." They never seen anything like it.
423-66
See, friends, I can't expect my denominational, Pentecostal brother to
accept that right now. But you trace that through the Bible and tell me
any time where they ever received the Holy Ghost and spoke in a tongue
that they didn't know what they were speaking in. And if that's the way
they got it there, the sovereign God... It has to happen every time the
same way.
423-68
Now, I can't expect people who's been taught different... And listen to
me, my dear precious Pentecostal brethren. I wouldn't teach this
outside. This is... I wouldn't do nothing to cause controversy. But if
we don't get the truth, when we going to get started? We've got to have
something to take place here to straighten us out. We got to get
rapturing grace here now. Truth has to come forth. 424-70 Now, the reason I say... Now, look here. Could you expect the Catholic church, which was the first organized church in the world after the apostles... Then the Catholic church was organized, oh, several hundred years after the death of the last apostle, some six hundred and--years after the apostle, right after the Nicene Council, when the Nicene fathers got together and organized; then they put the universal church, which was Catholic church. In there they made up a world church. And the word catholic means "universal"; that's everywhere. They... Roman--pagan Rome was converted to papal Rome. And they set up a pope to be the head to take the place of Peter, which they thought and said that Jesus gave the keys to the Kingdom. And that pope was infallible, and is yet today to the Catholic church. That... His word is law and order. He's the infallible pope. That went through.
424-71
And then, because that they would not agree with this Catholic
doctrine, they were put to death, burnt to the stake, and everything
else. We all know that through the sacred writings of Josephus, and the
Foxe's "Book of the Martyrs," and many of the other sacred... Hislop's
"Two Babylons," and the--the great histories. Then, it--after fifteen
hundred years, as we know, of dark ages, the Bible was taken from the
people. And It was--It was hid by a little monk, and so forth; we
understand.
424-73
Then after Martin Luther, preaching justification, John Wesley come
along preaching sanctification. And he preached that a man, after being
justified... It's all right--but you've got to be sanctified, cleansed,
the root of evil taken out of you by the Blood of Jesus. Now, you can't
expect the Lutherans to preach sanctification, 'cause they're not going
to do it.
425-75
Now, when the Holy Spirit comes in and reveals the truth of anything
and proves it by His own Presence and by His Word, you can't expect the
Pentecostal people to say, "I'll agree with it." You've got to stand
alone like Luther did, like Wesley did, and like the rest of them did.
You got to stand on that, because the hour is here. And that's what
makes me an ugly duckling. That's what makes me different. 425-77 But come face to face with it. Face it down. They can face the Lutherans, the--the Methodist can. The Pentecostal can face the Methodists; I can face the Pentecostal with it. It's exactly right. It's true. Why is it? We're walking in the Light as He is in the Light. See? We're moving up the King's highway, and farther it comes, more grace is given, more power is given, more supernatural is given. And there we are. This is the hour to where the Holy Spirit has come down in the form of a Light like He was at the beginning, a Pillar of Fire, and has manifested Himself, doing the very same things that He did when He was here on earth. And Jesus said, "How do you know whether they're right or not? By their fruits you shall know them. He that believeth in Me, the works that I do shall he do also. These signs shall follow them that believe." 425-78 Now, my Pentecostal brethren. I'm with you. I'm one of you. I've got the Holy Ghost. I have spoke in tongues, but I didn't get it upon receiving the Holy Ghost. I got the baptism of the Holy Ghost; I spoke in tongues, prophesied, had gifts of the knowledge, wisdom, interpretations, and everything happening. But I'm subject to any of those things, because now I'm a child of God. The power, the Fire of God is in my soul; that tongue of Fire that set up--come on the inside of me and burnt out everything that was contrary to God, and now I'm led by His Spirit. He can say, "Go here," and I'll go. "Go here"; I'll go. "Speak here"; I'll speak. "And do this, that, and the other." There you are, just like... You're led by the Spirit. That's God in you, working His will. No matter what it is, He's working His will.
426-79
Now, listen. Let me see--read here before we start the questions on the
lexicon here. Now, from Vatican Translation, Volume 7, 190-1205:
427-83
Then the same group, the same people... Explain this. Peter jumped upon
something and said, "Ye men of Galilee, and you that dwell in
Jerusalem, let this be known to you (people said they didn't have
Galilean language)--let this be known unto you and hearken to my words
(what for--what language was he was speaking in to all of them?); why,
these are not drunk as you suppose, seeing it's the third hour of the
day, but this is that which was spoken of by the prophet Joel: 'And it
shall come to pass in the last days, saith God, I'll pour out My Spirit
upon all flesh, Your sons and your daughters shall prophesy.'" On and
on he went; he said, "You with wicked hands have crucified the innocent
Son of God. David had spoke of Him, 'would not leave His soul in hell,
neither will He suffer His ho--suffer His holy One to see corruption.'"
And said, "Let it be known unto you that God's made this same Jesus Who
you crucified both Lord and Christ." And when they heard this... Amen.
Who? Every man under the heavens. What was taking place? He wasn't
saying, "Now, I'll speak in Galilean; I'll speak in this; and I'll
speak in this...?...
427-85
It's moving up, pressing into God, close walk. How do you know? Well
now, when Luther received justification, he called that the Holy Ghost;
It was. God dipped a little of It in. Then He said what? Wesley
received sanctification, and said, "Boy, when you shout, you've got
It." But lot of them shouted that didn't have It. When Pentecost spoke
in tongues, unknown tongues, they said, "Boy, you've got It." But lot
of them didn't have It. There's no such things as them signs of knowing
that. "The only way you know a tree," Jesus said, "is by the fruit that
it bears," the works of the Spirit, the fruit of the Spirit. Then when
you see a person that's filled with power, that's filled with the Holy
Ghost, then you see a life that's changed. You see these signs
following them that believe: "In My Name they shall cast out devils,
speak with new tongues. If a snake would bite them, it wouldn't hurt
them. If they'd have had a deadly thing, drinking, it wouldn't kill
them. They'd lay hands on the sick, and they shall recover." My. These
kind of signs follows them that believe. But how do you get into it?
Them gifts are in the body. How do you get in the body? Not by speaking
your way in; but by baptized into one body (I Corinthians 12:13). One
Spirit we're all baptized into that body and subject to all the gifts.
The Lord bless you.
428-Q-93 The first question tonight: 428-88 But, dear person, ever who you are, I certainly agree with you. It's become one of the most damnable things to the human race. In there they take all this here money that should go to the government for taxes, and put it off in advertising on all this cigarette and whiskey programs and things like that and write it off the government's taxes; and then they come around and get preachers and pull them through the court to get a little money out of them. I agree with you; it's an awful thing. Now, that's not... You know, it's just something you find. Thank you, sister, brother, ever who you was that asked that.
429-Q-94 Now, here's a good one. Question.
429-91
I would like to read to you something in--in a moment. I've got another
thought on it here. See? Every spirit has to be subject to God. Do you
remember when Jehoshaphat and Ahab was going out to war? And the first
thing you know, there was a--they was set up in the gates. And
Jehoshaphat was a righteous man, and he said (The two kings set there,
and they joined their forces together.)--and so he said, "Let's consult
the Lord about whether we go out or not."
429-93
But you know, there's something about a man of God that just don't go
for all of that. See? If it don't ring out with the Scripture, there's
something wrong. Any true believer... So Jehoshaphat said, "Well, them
four hundred looks all right. They look like good men."
430-94
Imlah said this, or I mean, Micaiah said this: "I'll not say nothing
till God puts it in my mouth, and then I'll say exactly what He says."
I like that. I like that. In other words, "I'll stay with the Word," no
matter what the rest of them said.
430-96
If the Bible said Jesus Christ the same yesterday, today, and forever;
His power is yet the same; the Holy Ghost is for whosoever will let him
come, stay with the Word. Yes, sir. No matter what the rest of them
say, how well fed and how many schools they've went through, that has
nothing to do with it. So then he said... 431-97 He said, "I seen God setting on a throne (Amen. Now, listen.), and the host of heaven was gathered around Him." What was the matter? His prophet had already said what was going to happen to Ahab. God... That wasn't Elijah said that; that was the anointed prophet. That was the Word of the Lord: THUS SAITH THE LORD. And Micaiah said, "I seen all the host of heaven gathered around God in a great conference. And they were talking one with another. And the Lord said, 'Who can We get to go down--which one of you can go down and deceive Ahab, to get him out there to fulfill the Word of God, to get him shot? Who can we get to go down?'"
431-98
Well, the one was saying this one or that one. And after while, a evil
spirit, a lying spirit come up from underneath and said, "If you'll
just permit me. I'm a lying spirit. I'll go down and get in all them
preachers, 'cause they haven't got the Holy Ghost; and I'll make them
(They're just school-trained boys.)--and I'll go down, and get in every
one of them, and deceive them, and make them prophesy a lie." Did he
say it? And he said, "That's the way we'll deceive." So he went down.
431-99
Let me... Just something else you might... See here, just a minute.
Watch this. I want you to turn with me to I Corinthians the 5th
chapter, the 1st verse, just a minute. I Corinthians... And watch this
if you want to see something of God making something--how that those
evil spirits, how that they'll--they'll move... All right, Paul
speaking:
432-100
I'm--don't know. I don't believe that anyone would say unto this or
cutting back, but I'm only defending what I believe on: If a man is
once filled with the Spirit he cannot lose It. See, see?
432-102
That's what's the matter with the churches today. When a man comes into
the body of Christ and becomes one of the members and starts doing
evil, instead of you all getting together and doing this very same
thing... And you, Branham Tabernacle, do that. Because as long as
you're holding him up, he's under the Blood. And he just keeps doing
the same old thing over and over and over all the time. You get
together and turn him over to the devil for the destruction of the
flesh, that his spirit is--like--might be saved in the day of the Lord.
And watch the whip of God come in. Watch the devil take ahold of him.
That's a evil spirit gets him.
433-Q-95 Now, here's one that's really a sticker. Question... I think it's the same person, 'cause it looks like the same handwrite:
434-106
But now, let us say like this. We know that babies that die, regardless
of their parent, they are saved. Now, I disagree with the school of
prophets on that. They said if it was--died with a parent that was
sinful, that that baby would go to hell, rot away; there'd be no more
to it. Well, Jesus... John said when Jesus come, "Behold the Lamb of
God that take away the sin of the world." And if that baby was a human
being, which would have to come under the judgments of God, and Jesus
died to take away the sin, all sin was expelled before God when Jesus
died for that purpose. Your sins were forgiven. My sins were forgiven.
And the only way that you can ever be forgiven is to accept His pardon.
Now, the baby cannot accept its pardon, so it hasn't done nothing. It
hasn't done nothing at all. So it is absolutely freely to go to heaven.
434-108
Look. Let's take for instance, Moses. When Moses was born, he was a
prophet. Before Jeremiah... God told Jeremiah, "Before you was even
formed in your mother's womb, before you was ever formed in her womb, I
knew you, and sanctified you, and ordained you a prophet to the
nations, John the Baptist, 712 years before he was born, Isaiah saw him
in a vision, said, "He's the voice of one crying in the wilderness."
434-Q-96 Now, the next question is one I think that maybe someone was--what I said the other night.
435-111
Not by having a baby makes her saved, but because that she is raising
children, doing her duty, not raising cats, dogs, and whatmore to take
the place of a child, as they do today, giving it a mother's love so
that she can go out and run around all night. Some people do that.
Sorry, but they do it. That's awful rude for me to say, but the truth
is the truth. See? They don't want a baby to be tied down with it. But
in childbearing, if she continues in faith, holiness, and all sobriety,
she'll be saved. But the "if" is, you shall be saved too, "if" you're
borned again. You shall--you can be healed "if" you believe. You can
receive the Holy Ghost "if" you believe It, get ready for It, "if" you
are ready for It. And she shall be saved "if" she keeps doing these
things (See?), but not because she's a woman. So that's right, brother,
sister. It isn't a Catholic teaching at all.
436-Q-97
97. Now, Brother Branham (typewritten), is it Scripture for a person to
speak in tongues and to interpret his own message? If so, please
explain I Corinthians--or Corinthians 14:19 and also Corinthians 14:27.
436-113
Now, I take what the person's trying to get at (which I want--I'm going
to read something to you just a moment). But I think what the brother
or sister is trying to get at, "Is it right for a person that's
speaking in tongues to also interpret the message that he said?" Now,
dear beloved friend, if you'll just read the 13th verse in the same
chapter, it'll tell you:
436-115
Now, speaking in tongues... Now, while we're on that, and this being
taped, I want to say that I believe just as much in speaking in tongues
as I believe in Divine healing, and the--the baptism of the Holy Ghost,
the second coming of Christ, and the power of the world to come; I
believe just as much in that as I believe, but I believe speaking in
tongues has its place just like the coming of Christ has its place;
Divine healing has its place; everything has its place.
437-117
Now, listen. Here's the way--let--here's the way the church is set up.
Now, in a Pentecostal church, if I was pastoring this church, I'd tell
you how I would have it set up (See?), if I was--would be here all the
time to pastor it. I would subscribe to every gift in the Bible: to
believers first to be baptized into the Holy Ghost. And then, every
gift of I Corinthians 12 would have to be operating in my church, if I
could get them in there, the whole body operating.
437-119
Now, you go into a Pentecostal church, the first thing... (I don't mean
all of them. Some of the are...) Most of the time you get into a church
and start preaching; while you're preaching, someone will raise up and
speak in tongues. Now, that dear person may be perfectly filled with
the Holy Ghost, and that may be the Holy Ghost speaking through that
person; but the thing of it is, they're untrained. If this ministry at
the platform is under inspiration speaking, the spirit of the prophets
is subject to the prophet. See? "Let all things be done..." Now, get
over here in Paul why he says that "when one speaks," and so forth...
"when he come in, there's just a confusion."
438-121
And then, another thing. A lot of times people raise up and speak in
tongues, and people set and chewing chewing gum, looking around. If
God's a-speaking, keep still, listen. If that's the truth, if that is
the Holy Ghost speaking in that person, you set still and listen, be
reverent. The interpretation might come to you. See? Set still; listen
for an interpretation. Now, if there is no interpreter in the church,
then they're supposed to hold their peace in the body.
438-123
Now, to your question, dear friend, that says, "I'd rather speak five
thousand--one--five words in un--and so people can understand me than
five thousand (or whatevermore it says) in unknown tongue." That's
true. But read on down: "... except it be by revelation or by
interpretation to edification." See? To edify...
439-125
We've had two things in this revival so far. Watch what each one of
them was--perfect, right on the dot. See? Moved in. One man raised up,
and spoke in tongues, and gave the interpretation, and swung right, go
back around, and vindicated that message that just went forth. The
other one raised the other night and said in the--under the inspiration
of prophecy, and said something, not knowing what he was saying; and
then at the end he spoke out, "Blessed is he that cometh in the Name of
the Lord." Quickly something caught me right quick and said, "Otherwise
blessed is he who believes that this is the Lord has come."
440-128
Now, now, here's what happens. Then the Holy Spirit broke, 'cause that
was just... "Blessed is he who believeth." Two, three nights straight I
tried to lay that in there; and then the Holy Spirit spoke and said
(under inspiration)--said, "Blessed is he that cometh in the Name of
the Lord." And before I could say anything, I'd done said it over,
"Blessed is he who believes the Lord has come in this." You see? And
I've just been talking this; the Holy Ghost is God Himself in you. See?
And they'd caught it. See? And then the Holy Ghost fell among the
people. See how It--it edifies, prophecy. 440-130 Now, we're--we're going to have a revival. Now, watch this real close now, you ministers. We're fixing a revival. All right. Or maybe we're just having regular church service. The church is on fire. It should be all the time. Well, maybe we got five or six people that's gifted people; one speaks with tongues, two or three maybe speaks with tongues, four or five with tongues, got the gift of tongues, speaking in unknown tongues. Two or three of them can interpret. Maybe there's one, two, or three of them that's got gifts of wisdom. All right. They all meet, those gifted people... You... Them gifts are given to you not to play with, not to say, "Glory to God, I speak with tongues. Hallelujah." You'll--you're--you're degrading yourself. They're given to you to work with. And your part in the church should come before the main service starts, because the unlearned is going to be among us.
441-131
Then you get off into the room, and you set there, you people together,
because you're coworkers in the Gospel. Then you set there. "Lord, is
there anything You want us to know tonight? Speak to us, oh, heavenly
Father," offering prayer, supplications; sing songs. Directly down
comes the Spirit, falls on somebody, speaks in tongues. One rises up
and said, "THUS SAITH THE LORD..." What is it? Listen. "Go tell Brother
Jones to move away from the place where he's living, for tomorrow
afternoon there'll be a cyclone sweep that country; and it's going to
take his house. Take his goods and get away."
441-133
After while "THUS SAITH THE LORD (a prophet raises up)--THUS SAITH THE
LORD, tonight, coming from New York City will be a woman; she's on a
stretcher; she'll come into the building on a stretcher. She has a
green scarf around her head. She's dying with cancer. What's caused her
to be this way, the Lord holds against her: one time she stole money
from His church when she was sixteen years old. Tell Brother Branham to
tell her these things. THUS SAITH THE LORD, if she'll make that right,
she shall be healed." Wait a minute. That sounds awful good, but wait a
minute. You going to put your name on this paper, discerner? Are you
going to put your name?
441-135
Then after while they begin to hear the bell ring. Church has begin to
take up. Then they bring these messages, lay them right here on the
desk. Right here's where they're supposed to be laying. I'm off
somewhere studying, praying. After while I walk out after the songs are
being sung. The church is all in order, people coming, setting,
meditating, praying; that's what you're supposed to do, not come to
church and talk one with another; come to the church to talk to God.
Have your fellowship out there. See? We're fellowshipping with God now.
And we come here talking, everything quietly, reverently, the Spirit
moving. The pianist come to the piano about five minutes before the
song service starts, start real sweetly:
442-136
The people setting there, some of them are real--start weeping and come
up to the altar, repent before the service ever starts. The Holy
Spirit's there. See? The church is in travail. Christians are praying;
they got their positions. They're not setting there chewing chewing
gum, saying, "Hey, Liddie, give me some of your lipstick; I want... You
know. You know. I need... You know, the other day when I was down there
shopping, I tell you; I almost stepped on your toes. Did I ever seen
such... What do you think about that?" Oh, mercy. And call it the house
of God. Why, it's a disgrace. The body of Christ coming together...
There we set.
442-137
Come in praying; take your positions. I'm talking now, not to your
churches, brethren. I don't know what you do; I'm talking to this
tabernacle. I'm talking to my own back door. See? That's right.
443-140
And the--after while when the... The first thing you know when the
message is over, the healing line starts. Here comes a woman. Someone
spoke in tongues and said she was coming. See? Every one of us knows
what's going to happen. Every one of us knows it. See how the faith
begins to build with them tongues of fire standing over you now. She's
begin to accumulate together. Why, it's just a finished work; that's
all. That woman... I'll say, "Mrs. So-and-so, from New York City,
setting here..." See?
443-141
Brother Jones goes home, gets the wagons, backs up, gets his furniture,
and gets away from there. At 2 o'clock tomorrow afternoon [Brother Branham makes a sound to illustrate--Ed.]
"swowey" goes the whole thing off. See? Then the church glorifies...
"Thank you, Lord Jesus, for Your goodness." Now, that's what it is, to
edify, for the church.
444-143
And tongues--unknown tongues... No man he--knows what he's talking
about. He speaks; but every sound has a meaning. That has a meaning [Brother Branham claps his hands--Ed.] "Gluck, gluck, gluck." that has--that's a--that's a language somewhere.
444-146
Now, maybe there's been no message. Now, the service is over; the altar
call's being made. And after while someone (There's been no message
back there.)--somebody raises up as soon as they get a chance to. The
Holy Spirit... Now, the Bible said, "If there be no interpreter, let
him hold his peace." No matter how bad it's trying to speak, hold your
peace.
445-149
That is the Pentecostal church in operation. There's no possibilities
for evil spirits to slip in, because it's already... The Bible gives
exactly, "Let it be by courses, and that by three; and let two or more
judge." That's the church. But where we got it today? Jump up,
carry-on, laugh and go on while somebody's speaking in tongues; another
looking, talking about something else and crowding around; the pastor
doing something; or somebody crowding around. Well, that's not right.
Maybe the pastor preaching, and somebody get up and interrupt him in
the... Maybe reading the Bible and somebody... Reading the Bible, and
somebody back there speaking in tongues... Oh, no. See? Preacher up
preaching in the pulpit, somebody raise up and interrupt him, speaking
in tongues. It's all right. I don't say it isn't the Holy Ghost, but
you ought to know how to use the Holy Ghost (See?), to use It.
445-Q-98
Here's one. I think it's the most gracious. And now, if you all just
bear with me just a few minutes longer, please. And then, I'll--I want
you--I want you to get this. I saved this purposely. This is my last
one.
446-153
I do not believe in pulling, and begging, and bumming money. I think
it's a wrong thing. Now, brother, if you do it, don't let me hurt your
feelings. See? You--you might have the right-of-way from God to do it.
But I'm speaking just for myself. I do not believe in it.
446-Q-99 99. What about a Christmas play in a Holy Ghost church?
447-158
Now look. You might disagree with me at that. But if you do disagree
with me, remember, let it be friendly, will you? I love you, and I
don't want to--don't want to hurt you. I'm just--I'm wanting to be
honest. If I can't--if I tell my boy a lie, then I'm a liar. See? I
want to tell him the truth.
448-161
Now, here is a real sticker, friends. And in this... Then I'll close.
Oh, it's--it's a dandy Scripture, but it's a sticker to every person,
seems to be. And it stuck me for years and years; and only by the grace
of God... And my precious wife, setting right back there now, when she
heard that I had that question this afternoon, she said, "Bill, how do
you answer that?" She said, "I've always wondered that myself." Said,
"I never could understand it." And said...
448-Q-100 100. Brother Branham, please explain Hebrews 6:4 to 6. | |||||