Questions & Answers
Questions 147 (COD Page 617)
If a person or persons speaking in unknown tongues in the same tone of voice each time, the same thing, but the interpretation is different by the interpreter each time, could that be the Holy Spirit?
Now let me read that again.
If a person or persons speaking in unknown tongues in the same tone of voice (in other words, just saying the same thing like certain-certain word over and over and over) each time, and the same thing each time, but the interpretation by the interpreter is different each time, could this be the Holy Ghost?
113 Now, there is a stiff one, but let me shed just a little light on this if I can. And I’m sure you’ll understand that this is just Brother Branham trying to do my best, but let me just give this as my own personal experience of dealing with spiritual things. And I appreciate your confidence of asking me questions like this. If you didn’t have confidence in me, you wouldn’t ask me no such. I believe a Christian wouldn’t ask questions to raise an argument, I believe they’re trying to find what’s Truth. See? And I would answer, and if...And I’ll answer it, and if I’ve made myself clear “it’s the best of my knowledge,” and then if that spirit in you gets angry, that shows it isn’t the Holy Spirit in there. See? So then the Holy Spirit will not anger, it’ll be corrected each time with the Word, and stand correction.
114 Now let me say this, that I...In this case, remember, God be my judge. I, this is William Branham, I couldn’t say. But in experiences that I have witnessed while under the anointing of such meetings, I believe that the person that’s saying the same thing over each time, the same tone of voice, is really speaking in tongues. I do, I believe, by the Spirit they’re speaking in tongues, if they’re Christians. They are speaking with tongues, no doubt. But I believe that you get the wrong slant of interpretation.
115 Now, many times, people...I–I don’t...I know it’s just the church folks here, I guess, tonight, anyhow, about. Isn’t it, Brother Neville, just about what comes? So if the strangers are here and you different with this, I’m trying to speak to my own church, see.
116 Now, as your father in the Gospel, as your–as your pastor, I would like a little later on, when your spirits and gifts begin to come to perfection...If you go to watching them flying loose and getting...then just you better watch–watch that person, just let it go ’cause it’s not the Spirit of God on them. But when they’re sweet and meek and humble and ready, and everything, that’s the Spirit of God. And if–if somebody gets out of order and the pastor has to call it down, and that spirit flies up, then it’s not the Spirit of God. The Spirit of God always stands, comes to the Word. See? It recognizes the Word every time.
117 Now, but now I’m not trying to–to–to flatter or to shake down, I’m only trying to make a truth. Now, someone speaking in tongues, and another one gets up to interpret tongues. Now listen close. (And I think this is being taped. Is it?) In interpretation of tongues...Now, I’m going to have to get down in some doctrine now with this. In the interpretation of tongues, many people interpret tongues by an extraordinary expression of them feeling to say such a thing. That is not interpretation.
118 Interpretation is when they are speaking in an unknown tongue, you are hearing them in English, and just repeating over what they are saying. But the...if this person speaks in your church...I don’t think we have it in this one. If it does, I never heard it.
119 But someone getting up just saying like some certain word, over and over, or some same tone of voice running right down, right down, right down, right down...
120 I tell you, I don’t believe Junie Jackson’s here tonight. Is he? I don’t think he is. But I’ve always amazed at Junior Jackson and his speaking in tongues, and Brother Higginbotham, and many of you people here, how that you see that change of voice in the interpretation. See? Now–now that’s all right. Now, I don’t...I ain’t boasting my church up. No, sir. If my church needed correction, I–I’m going to stand here and do my best for my Saviour, that’s right, whether it hurts or whether it doesn’t. I’m–I’m your father in the Gospel, see, and I want...You don’t want a wrong spirit, you want the right spirit. You–you don’t...
121 Why take–take a substitute when there’s a whole pentecostal skies are full of the real? Why eat in a garbage can when there’s a fine, big, clean table set here with chicken and dumplings and everything? See? Why would we do that? See? Let’s get the real, that’s what we want, the real, genuine one.
122 Now, I believe, in this statement that’s made here, same thing over, I believe in that statement that they’re both correct, but I do not believe that the interpreter is interpreting the language of the person. I do not believe that. I believe that the Spirit is present and the interpreter is prophesying. I believe he is a prophesier instead of an interpreter if he does not hear the voice in his own lang-... “How hear we every man in our own language wherein we were born?” See, you’ve got to hear in the same, you’ve got to hear it in English. If...
123 Here, here’s an interpreter. Now, I stand up, and I–I only know two or three words in a–in a–in a different language, that I know of. Now I’m just taking this in literal, not in spiritual now. Now I’m going to say, “Baie, baie bly. I...Ekke wil Afrikaans sprekken.” Now, I doubt whether there’s a person here know what I said. Yeah, brother, what’d I say? [A brother in congregation says, “You said you could speak Afrikaans”–Ed.] Afrikaans, “Baie, baie bly,” “I am very, very happy.” “I am here to speak Afrikaans,” see, “Afrikaans sprekken.” See? “I am here to speak Afrikaans.”
124 Now, what did he do? He...I was speaking Afrikaans but he heard me in English. Is that right? Cause you know Afrikaans. Now, if you are speaking...if I am standing here or saying...preaching, and Brother Neville is interpreting to another language of people, he’s saying in their language what he hears me say; he knows what I’m talking about ’cause he knows my language.
125 And if you are speaking in an unknown tongue, and interpreting, you are hearing in the language that you were born in, because that’s the only way you can interpret what they’re saying, because the Holy Spirit has interpreted it to you and you’re just speaking for the Holy Spirit.
126 But then if the Spirit is present to bless this poor person, and they’re standing up...Like a precious old brother, gone on, he’s in Glory tonight, I really believe. The dearest old soul that I...Old Brother Ryan, all of us knowed him. He used to stand there on the street...(And God, forgive me, not to be sacrilegious...I know it’s a...Blaspheming the Holy Ghost is unpardonable.) But Brother Ryan used to say one word over and over all the time, something about “seekem and seekem and seekem,” or something like that. He used to have...Why, somebody said, “Do you think that’s of God?”
127 I said, “Certainly, it’s of God! Certainly, I believe it’s of God.” But he was speaking in tongues, but I couldn’t say what he was saying ’cause I don’t know. But, and the presence of the Spirit was there.
128 So if the presence of the Spirit is there, and this person’s just saying one word, over and over and over, and this other one jumps up and tries to give an interpretation, yet he don’t know what he’s saying. If this man is not giving the interpretation, he’s prophesying; the spirit of prophecy is upon him and he’s prophesying, not giving an interpretation.
129 So therefore, dear Christian, to you who said that, “Could that be the Holy Spirit?” It could be the Holy Spirit using two offices. One, blessing a soul in speaking in tongues; and another one, prophesying, not have to be interpreting what he’s saying. But yet he said it. The Holy Spirit come upon him in prophecy just the same time that this one was speaking in tongues, and he thought it was an interpretation, what difference does it make? It’s the Spirit of God giving a message to the church. But interpretation, it’s got to understand in English and repeat back exactly what the person said, that’s the gift of interpretation.