Questions & Answers on The Holy Ghost
Questions 94 (COD Page 429)
Now, here’s a good one. Question: There is places in the Bible such as First Samuel 18:10, which says an evil spirit from God did things. I do not understand an “evil spirit from God.” Please explain this.
89 Well, maybe by the help of the Lord, I can. It doesn’t mean that God is an evil Spirit. But every spirit of everything is subject to God. And He makes everything work according to what He will. See?
90 Now, on your question, you’re talking about the evil spirit that went out from God to torment Saul. He was in a moody, broke-down shape-condition, because, first place, he was backslid. And when you backslide, an evil spirit-God will permit an evil spirit to torment you.
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.”
92 And Ahab went and got four hundred prophets that he had, all, kept them fed and fattened and everything; they were in good shape. And they come up there, and they all prophesied with one accord, said, “Go up, and God will give you the victory. Go up to Ramoth-gilead and there God will take the thing for you.” One of them made himself a pair of horns and begin to run around as an illustration, said, “By these iron horns, you’ll push them plumb out of the country; belongs to you.”
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 man.”
“Oh, they are,” perhaps Ahab said.
But Jehoshaphat said, “Haven’t you got one more?” Why one more when you’ve got four hundred with one accord? Cause he knowed there was something that didn’t sound just right. See?
He said, “Yes, we have got one more, the son of Imlah, up here,” said, “but I hate him.” Sure. You’ll close his church any time you can. You’ll run him out of the country. See? Sure. “I hate him.”
“Why do you hate him?”
“He’s always prophesying evil against me.” I believe Jehoshaphat knowed right then there was-something wasn’t right.
So he said, “Go up and get Micaiah.”
So they went up after him, and here he come down... So when they went up, they sent a messenger and said, “Now, wait a minute. Now, they’ve got four hundred Doctors of Divinity down there. They’re the best there is in the country, with Ph, LLD’s, and everything.” Said, “Now, you know, you poor little unlearned man, you’re not going to disagree with all that clergy.”
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. He said,
“Well,” said, “I’m telling you. If you don’t want to be throwed out, you’d better say the same thing.” So he went down there. And he said, “Shall I go up?”
He said, “Go ahead.” Said, “Give me tonight. Let me talk it over with the Lord.” I like that. So that night the Lord appeared to him, and the next day he go up. And he said, as was going up, he said, “Go ahead; but I seen Israel like sheep without a shepherd, scattered on the hills.” Oh, my! That let the wind out of him. And he said, “Didn’t I tell you? I knowed it. That’s exactly the way he does all time, saying something evil against me.”
95 Why? He was staying with the Word. Why? A prophet before him, the Word of God coming from Elijah, the real prophet, he said, “Because you shed the blood of innocent Naboth, the dogs will lick your blood too.” And he told him evil. Elisha had done went to Heaven. But he knowed that Elisha had the Word of God, so he stayed with the Word. I like that. Stay with the Word.
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... This great big fellow with the horns on his head, going to push it-the country out from beyond the king, he walked up and smacked him in the mouth (this little preacher). He knowed he was just a little holy roller so there wasn’t nothing would be said about it, so he just smacked him in the mouth. He said, “I want to ask you something.” Said, “Which way did the Spirit of God go when It went out of me if you got It?”
97 He said, “You’ll understand when you’re setting in the cage out yonder as a captive.” 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?’”
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. He said-God said, “You have My permission to go.”
99 And he went down and got into those false prophets, school-trained ministry, and made them prophesy a lie. It was a lying spirit working to the will of God. Let me... Just something else you might see here, just a minute. Watch this. I want you to turn with me to First Corinthians the 5th chapter, the 1st verse, just a minute. First 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:
It is reported commonly that there is fornications among you, and such fornications that it is not... named among the Gentiles,... (What do you think about that amongstthe church?)... that one should have his father’s wife.
And ye are puffed up, and have not... (Let’s see. I believe I turned two pages at... )... You are-And you are puffed up, and have not rather mourned, that... (Now, wait a minute here. Am I... Yeah, that’s right. Yeah.)... mourned... (That’s it.)... puffed up, and have not... mourned, that he that has done this deed might be taken away from among you.
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?
For I verily, as absent in body, but present in spirit, have judged already, as though I were present, concerning him that has so done this deed,
In the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, when you are gathered together, and my spirit, with the power of the Lord Jesus Christ,
To deliver such a one unto Satan for the destruction of the flesh, that the spirit may be saved in the day of the Lord Jesus.
101 God, telling the holy Church, which is His Body here on earth, that (now, this is after the Old Testament, in the New) telling a man that was so filthy and dirty amongst the people that he lived with his own father’s wife. Said, “Such a thing in the Body of Christ... You, Church, turn him over to the devil for the destruction... ” See? God permits the... And when He got something He has to see done, to put a whip on somebody, He’ll turn an evil spirit loose on them so that they’ll torment that person and-and bring them back. Now, we find out this man after...
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 a hold of him. That’s a evil spirit gets him.
103 And this boy here straightened out. He come back. We find out in Second Corinthians where he really cleaned up before God.
104 Look at Job, a perfect man, a just man. And God permitted the evil devil to come upon him, and chastise him, and everything else for the perfecting of his spirit. See? So evil spirits has... God uses evil spirits many times to work out His plan and His will.