Questions & Answers
Questions 115 (COD Page 553)
Now. Is it all right for a person to speak with tongues when praying for others about the altar [Blank spot on tape–Ed.] without interpretation? [Blank spot on tape.]
275 Let me see what I put down on that, I have to look. If there is no interpreter, let them hold their peace. In First Corinthians, the 1st chapter...the 14th chapter and the 28th verse. Who’s got a Bible? [A brother reads the following Scripture–Ed.]:
...if there be no interpreter, let him keep silence in the church;...
276 All right. Now, if there be no interpreter, anytime in the church, anywhere in the church, keep silent if there’s no interpreter.
277 At the altar, the only thing that someone...Many times you hear of people going to the altar. I heard a precious brother just recently at the altar, just go down and shake somebody on the back, and then speak in tongues themselves, speaking it like they were trying to show them what to do. See, that’s kind of artificially bringing the Holy Spirit (trying to) to the people. Don’t do that. See? The thing to do is just let that person alone. Let them raise up their hands until the Holy Spirit comes in, you see. See? So it–it’s–it’s a wrong. No, they should be keep silent in the church, you see.
278 [A brother asks, “Brother Branham?”–Ed.] Yes, brother. [“Say a person was in a service and–and at the close of the service, usually whenever a message will come through, the person that has the gift, they will be able to tell, or can they be able to tell the difference between the–the angel...the tongue of the angel or the message that comes through it?”]
279 Now, let’s see. Now...[Blank spot on tape–Ed.]...long as they come in and they write that thing out, lay it on my desk. See? And I’d read it right out like this. But when I walked in that room there, brother, that was all of it. See?
280 And before they come in here, they’d stand back here and everybody just as quiet as could be. And the sister would be there, Sister Irene, there at the–at the altar, playing there, playing Down at the Cross. We wouldn’t...Ushers just walked back and forth. They see anybody talking, they’d say, “Sh, sh, sh.” See? And if kids got...They’d sit down real sweet and they’d say, “The house of the Lord, honey. You shouldn’t. You should behave now in the house of the Lord.”
281 And the man and the wife, and all of them, they let them hang their coats up and things like that. Somebody here at the door to see them just as soon as the door opened. The...and everything ready to go, you know, put the church right. Everybody get them a seat and see if they was set down.
282 And I was in the room, praying, been in there probably since two or three o’clock that afternoon. Nobody bothered me. I went down there with my message.
283 And then just at the moment to start, the song leader started a song, “Let us turn to hymn number so-and-so,” like, Down at the Cross where my Saviour died, on like that, you know, and get that going like that. Then when you sing about two specials...We never put too much time in singing; it’s the Word. If they have a hymn-singing, that’s what they have these regular hymn-singings for. We’re–we’re...The Word’s the main thing the people come there for, it’s the house of correction.
284 And then maybe the associate, like Brother George, Brother George DeArk, get up and offer prayer. And then we’d have a special, like a solo or something like that. And then it was time, somebody would let me know it was time to come out. If it was, all right, I’d come out freshly under the anointing. See?
285 Well, maybe that week they had had a meeting somewhere here in the church, had their own meeting. Maybe before the service ever opened that night, they had a meeting. And here it was...I got it here, and say, “It is written here on this paper that there will come a certain storm through this country next week,” or something, thing, you know, something like that will take place. “It was written, spoke in tongues, and interpreted by two saints of the church here, Brother So-and-so and Brother So-and-so. Two witnesses of it gave record here, they have their names signed on here, that it was recorded ‘it would be of God,’ it’s so-and-so and so-and-so.” That’s my first part.
286 Then I say, “All right, we’ll prepare for this, everybody be in prayer. See? Now is there a special request, everybody?” You know. “Let us pray.” Stood and prayed. Right straight to the Word, right on to the Word.
287 Then immediately after the service was over, the altar call was
made. See? The altar call was what we played on heavy, the altar
call, get the people to the altar. And then after that altar call was
over, perhaps then I’d pray for the sick, see, or something like that.
288 The service was all took up because the spirit of the prophets is subject to the prophet.
289 That’s what I was thinking of...You remember the night when I saw the vision when the angel come walking to me? I was sitting there in the room, thinking. About, oh, way in the night, saying, “‘The spirit of the prophets is...’ How could that be?” I looked at that Light flashing, and here He come walking right down through there to where I was at. See? That’s when He commissioned me right there, see, to these meetings.
290 Now, no, it’s the–the person that’s giving the message. That, what’s your question, I believe, “The person that’s giving the message, would he...is–is the person giving the message, would he know it was the angel of the Lord or not?”
291 [A brother says, “Now, the question was, you say there is the tongues of angels...” Blank spot on tape–Ed.] I don’t think he could. Now, it’s the way we got it now. But, see, when we get the way we should be, where they have a regular meeting for that, let...
292 See, each one of them is a ministry. Say, you speak in tongues, he interprets, and he speaks in tongues, he prophesies; you’re just laity here, the church, but yet you got a ministry and you got something. You’re trying to help the Kingdom of God, do something for it, see, and so you brethren meet together. That’s the reason pastors, like this, we meet together, we got something in common. You brethren meet together, study the Scriptures, and speak in tongues and interpret, and give the messages, you see.
293 But, now, if this man, then, if he realizes...He’s been to the meeting, he’s got a gift of tongues. Well, he gets to the meeting, he speaks in tongues but no interpretation is given, the interpreter don’t get it.
[A brother asks, “Would you say then that those people edify the Body, but the offices such as pastors, teachers, and that, perfect the Body?”–Ed.]
294 Yes, that’s what it’s for, the perfection. See? These are given for perfection, you see. I believe, the–the–the Spirits are given to perfect, perfection of the church.
295 Now, they, these people that speak, they are Spirit-filled, there’s no doubt. Now, here’s a man, maybe he’s speaking in here in the meeting, and he gives...Now, he’s right before the interpreters, see, and yet nobody gets the interpretation, there’s just something wrong. The interpreter can’t help that, see. He–he has to interpret by inspiration the same as the one speaking that. And he might have a real gift of speaking in tongues, but he hasn’t got the gift of tongues, a language. See, he...
296 And then the thing for him to do is, when he uses this tongue, then he sees...Now, what he–he ain’t trying...If he’s trying to stuff hisself out again, he’s a stuffed shirt. He ain’t... He–he’s wrong to begin with, you see, he’ll never go nowhere. See, you think, “Well, bless God, that guy just don’t want to interpret my tongues. That’s all there is to it.” Now, see, he’s wrong to begin with. Right there he’s got–he’s got the wrong motive, the wrong objective. See?
297 But if he’s sweet and humble with, say, “Well, maybe the Lord didn’t want to use me in His service. But yet I...He just blesses my soul. He wants to edify me, to know that I’m close to Him when I speak in tongues. So I’ll walk out in the apple orchard, ‘O God!’ And the power begins to fall on me and I start speaking in tongues. I come in refreshed, you see.” “Oh, You see, You’re speaking to me, Lord, You’re just keeping me lined up by speaking in tongues.” See? “And, Lord, today I ought to have spoke to that man. Forgive me for it, Lord. I–I–I passed over something I oughtn’t to. Father, please forgive me.” And, directly, away it goes speaking in tongues. “Ah, whew, feel better about it now!”
298 You see, that’s all right. See, your–your gift is not to be used in the church, but it’s to edify you. “He that speaketh in an unknown (unknown) tongue edifies himself.” See? Now, if there’s no interpreter, then...See what I mean? See, that’s it. So he wouldn’t know himself. He just...But he’ll know when he’s along.
Now, now you just have to let it go together, you see, that’s the only thing you can do till you get it separated. That’s the reason I think it...