Evidence Of The Holy Ghost
Spiritual Building-Stone No. 131

St.John 14:26, "But the Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in my name, he shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you."

The messenger for this time said following:

Today I was talking with my good friend, and he asked me one time what I thought about the initial evidence of the Holy Ghost, was it speaking in tongues? (It's been many years ago.) I said, "No, can't see that."
He said, "Neither do I." said, "though I've been taught that." He said, "What would you think would be a evidence?"
I said, "The most perfect evidence I can think of is love." And so we got to talking on that. And then I thought, "That sounded pretty good." So I just held that: If a man's got love. But one day the Lord in a vision straightened me out, and He said that the evidence of the Spirit was those who could receive the Word, neither love nor speaking in tongues, but it's receiving the Word (I Thess. 1:4-6).

And then he was saying to me that that is Scriptural. He said, "Because in John 14 Jesus said, 'When He, the Holy Ghost is come upon you, He will reveal these things to you that I've taught you, and will show you things to come.'" (John 16:13). So there is the genuine evidence of the Holy Ghost. He's never told me anything wrong yet. That it is; the evidence of the Holy Ghost is he who can believe the Word, who can receive It (Acts 2:31; I Thess. 1:4-7). 'Cause Jesus never said, "When the Holy Ghost is come, you'll speak with tongues." He never said, "The Holy Ghost come you'd do any of those things," but He said, "He will take these things of Mine and show them to you, and will show you things that is to come." So there is the genuine evidence of the Holy Ghost according to Jesus Himself.

Question to Brother Branham: I have been baptized in Jesus' Name. The Word says you shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost. Does this mean the baptism, the Holy Spirit, or does it mean I should receive the gift--I should receive a definite experience with the baptism? I am anxious to be filled with the Spirit.

Now, there's a good question. Now, the baptism with the Holy Spirit is a definite experience that a person must receive. Now, when I speak of not believing the initial evidence of the Holy Ghost is speaking with tongues (I do not accept that) I believe with God's help I can prove it in the Bible that that's wrong, 'cause the speaking in tongues is a gift of the Holy Ghost. How many knows that? Divine healing is a gift of the Holy Ghost, and here Beatles are doing it.

Now, that's no evidence of the Holy Ghost. See? You can't rely upon that. You can't rely upon the fruit of the Spirit, because the first fruit of the Spirit is love. And the Christian Science exercise more love than anybody I know of, and they even deny Jesus Christ being Divine. See? There's only one evidence of the Holy Spirit that I know of, and that is a genuine faith in the promised Word of the hour.

So see, those priest were gentle, meek, understanding men. When it come to the fruits of the Spirit, they could show more fruits of the Spirit than Jesus ever could. They failed to see that He was that promised Word of the hour. The only way they recognized it, when Jesus performed the Word by being able to tell them what they had in their hearts, what they'd been doing... He was a Prophet according to the Word of God. What He said come to pass, every word, word by word.

And they was recognizing. "Oh, Moses, we had Moses." He said, "If you'd have knowed Moses you'd known Me," for he's the one spoke of Me. 'The Lord your God shall raise a prophet liken unto Me.'" (Deut. 18:15).
See then Jesus said in John 14, "When He, the Holy Ghost is come He will bring these things to your memory, show you what day you're living in. And then another thing you'll know Him by, He will show you things to come." Right back to the prophetic again "When He's come." See?

As I spoke on that wheel in the middle of the wheel, or that little inside soul on the inside of the spirit, how that the spirit on the outside between the soul and the body can be absolutely anointed with the Holy Ghost. Did you all understand that?

Now, to follow that in with the continuity of the message "The God Of This World," "The Anointed Ones In The Last Days" That outside, that middle circle... First circle is the human senses; the second circle is the spirit senses: Will--self-will, desire, and so forth. But the inside is the soul. That soul was predestinated. So they can anoint this spirit to make the outside body come in subject to the spirit. "But the soul that sinneth, that soul shall die." The soul that rejects in unbelief, the Word of God, which it is a part of, that soul shall eternally, has, always...

I believe in an eternal death, same as I believe in an eternal heaven, but not an eternal hell. There's no such a thing as eternal hell. There is an eternal death for the people that are...

Many of them religious in the world today has always been dead. The woman that liveth in pleasure with her bobbed hair and painted face is dead while she is alive. The Bible said so. See? See, she may be religious, but she never was saved. She's got a outward motion. She might sing in the choir, or she might dance in the Spirit; she might speak in tongues and have all the manifestations of the Spirit; but unless that soul on the inside is God's daughter, she's gone no matter what she does.

Notice that Word cannot deny Itself. Then it's the desire. It's a desire of what? What made you desire It in the first place? Because down in your soul there was a predestinated seed which was Eternal Life always laying in there--always was in there. "All that the Father has given Me will come to Me (John 6:37). There isn't any of them going to be lost."

"My sheep hear My Voice, a stranger they will not follow," for down in there is Life, and Life connects with Life. Sin connects with sin, and sin is so hypocritical until it thinks that it's saved when it isn't saved. It's in the very depths of hypocrisy.

Well, what's drawing. It's something down on the inside drawing. The soul is drawing your resource through the outside down through the spirit into the soul. And if the soul loves the world, it's dead. I don't care how much anointed it is out here, and how righteous it is out here, down in here it's dead. "For he that loves the world or the things of the world, the love of God's not even in him." no matter how religious (I John 2:15-17).

The true Filter that way, will set all those things out and bring nothing but the trueness of God, the Word, into the real true soul.

Now, if you want the evidence of the Holy Ghost, there it is. When that soul of yours will line with the Word of God in every respect, it shows you've drawed your life through God's Filter.

And then, that shows that in you was that predestinated seed down in you that makes you hunger for God. "All the Father has given Me, has given Me to redeem, they died with Me at Calvary; they raised with Me in the resurrection; all that He has given Me, will come to Me. They'll be placed in the body (whether foot, arm, nose, mouth, whatever it is). They'll be placed in there, and they will come to Me in their season."

But if that predestinated seed is not in there, it will not draw through there. Because it'll draw for it's desire.

And the only thing that you can draw through God's Word is the Spirit, the Quickening Power, to make the Word Itself which is in you live to manifest Jesus Christ in the age you're living. Hallelujah. Brother, if that ain't the truth, I don't know what the truth is. I've lost my mind if that isn't the truth.

It is the Word Itself in your heart, predestinated there, that's drawing. And it spits out that world; it don't want it. But when it gets over here in the Word, it begins to draw. And when it draws through the Word, it can be nothing else but the Holy Ghost to quicken that Word.

So being a well trained theologian had nothing to do with it. Being meek and gentle had nothing to do with it. What made Him different? He, Jesus, was the Word made flesh (John 1:1-3,14), not the Word for the day of Moses; Moses was that day--Word; not the Word for the days of Noah, Noah was the Word for that day; not the Word for the day of Elijah, Elijah was that Word for that day; but He was the present tense Word, and they were living in the back.

The same thing repeats. That's the evidence of the Holy Ghost, when God reveals to you and you see it, THUS SAITH THE LORD and accept it. Not what you are, what you was, or nothing about it, it's what God has done for you now. There's the evidence.

Jesus said... He give us the evidence of the Holy Ghost, John 14. He said, "I have many things to tell you. I haven't got time to do it, but when the Holy Ghost comes, He will tell you, bring to your memory the things that I told you about, and will also show you things that is to come." Don't you see? There's the evidence. That's forthtelling and having the Divine interpretation of the written Word. Now, isn't that the evidence of a prophet?

A seer in the Bible was a man that could forthtell and it'd be perfectly, exactly, not somebody laid hands on him, that's a gift. A prophet is predestinated and born to be a prophet. See? All the whole life it was a prophet; that's a office. That's where the people...

Many of the questions here on: "Well, will the Bride... Will this? The church and..." See? You can't divide what they are. The Bride is the elected of God. The church goes through... That's the ones It says, "Whosoever will, let him come." But the Bride is the elected of God (Rev. 22:17).

I Corinthians 13:10 says this: "When that which is perfect is come, that which is in part shall be done away with." So all these little things of jumping up-and-down like a kid, trying to talk in tongues, and all these other things, when that which is perfect... And we do have today, by God's help, the perfect interpretation of the Word with Divine vindication. Then that which is in part is done away with. "When I was a child, I spake as a child, I understood as a child; but when I become a man, I put away childish things." Amen.

Here also was the answer to Matthew 7:21-23 "Not every one that saith unto Me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of My Father Which is in heaven. Many will say to Me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Thy Name? and in Thy Name have cast out devils? and in Thy Name done many wonderful works? And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from Me, ye that work iniquity." Jesus does not deny that they did the mighty works that only the Holy Ghost can accomplish by way of men. But He did deny ever knowing them. These weren't backsliders. These were wicked, unregenerate, reprobates. These were the seed of Satan.

And there it is. You CAN'T claim that manifestation is the evidence of being Spirit-born, Spirit-filled. No, sir. I will admit that true manifestation is the evidence of the Holy Spirit doing mighty acts, but it is NOT the evidence of the individual being Spirit-filled, even though that individual has an abundance of those manifestations.

The evidence of receiving the Holy Ghost today is just the same as it was back in the day of our Lord. It is receiving the Word of truth for the day in which you live. Jesus never did stress the importance of the Works as He did the Word. He knew that if the people got the WORD the works would follow. That is Bible.

Now Jesus knew that there was going to be a terrible drift away from the Word in the Pergamean Age which was as yet two hundred years off from the Patmos vision. He knew that drift would cause them to go into the Dark Ages. He knew that the way man originally got away from God was by first leaving the Word. If you leave the Word, you have left God. Thus He is presenting Himself to the church at Pergamos, and indeed to all churches of all ages, "I am the Word. If you want Deity in your midst, then welcome and receive the Word. Don't ever let anyone or anything get between you and that Word. This which I am giving you (the Word) is a revelation of Myself. I AM THE WORD. Remember that!"

The evidence is the vindication of the Word in the hour. They had the Bible. He was exactly what Jehovah said would happen. It don't need any interpretation. It interpreted there. There was your priest; there was all they had, and everything else just so routined and everything. But, yet, they failed to see the Word. And He made that Word live out for that age. That's the evidence of that age.

Luther had the evidence of his age, Wesley of his age, Pentecostal of this age. But we're in another age. Those things are good. But it's like the baby's got a finger, a eye, a nose, after while he has to become a human being. He has to become a matured child, then be born, have a soul, body, spirit, can move around.

Now, we find out that all this Jesus had declared. And just a few, just those who He had ordained to Life saw Him. It's not great crowds. His crowds could nothing like be like Caiaphas' crowd. Why, Caiaphas could've called the whole nation together. Jesus called just a few together. Not many knew Him. Thousands times thousands when He came on the earth, He went through the earth, and they never even knowed He was here.
And there's always been an ark in God's economy. There was a ark in the days of Noah for the saving of his people. There was an ark in the days of the law, the ark of testimony in the days of the law. They followed the ark, and there is a third dispensation now, like Noah's time, Lot's time, and now this time. There's a ark now, and that ark is not a denomination; neither is it a good works that you do; it's by one Spirit. Romans 8:1: We're all baptized into one body in the domain of that Kingdom, one spiritual baptism. No matter how good, how bad, whatever, you're in that Kingdom by Holy Ghost baptism. See? That's the only way you'll overcome. It's all that is under the shed Blood is overcomers, 'cause you cannot overcome yourself; it's He that overcome for you. You're resting.

"How do I know then, Brother Branham, that I'm in there?" Watch what kind of a life you're living. Just look around. See if it's just lived out of you automatically. Or do you have to strain and pull, then you're doing it. But don't try to do it.

The evidence of the Holy Ghost is when you can receive the Word, not some system, but have a clear understanding. How do you know the Word's clear understand? Watch It vindicate Itself. "Well," you say, "I see this do it and that..." Oh, yes, weeds live the same way, but it's got to be the entire Word. To be the Bride you have to be part of Him; He is the Word. See? And what part of Him is it? The Word that's promised for this day when He calls His Bride. You're a part of that. You get it? Now, don't lose that now. Notice.

Only the predestinated will only be the one that does it. Only can be. And you only can do it because look; it proves predestination, 'cause if you've got Eternal Life, you had to be a part of God all times 'cause He's the only One that's eternal. You see it? Oh, my. Think of it. Now, watch what happens through the great millennium.

Only thing, the Redeemer has made you recognize it, and you were always that. And that's the reason you see the day you're living in. The day that we're living in, you recognize it.

Now, the Methodist said, "When you shout you got it." Lot of them shouted and didn't have it. The Pentecosts said, "When you speak in tongues you got it." Many speak with tongues and didn't have it. Look how all kind of forms those Pharisees had, but when the Word was made manifest, they didn't recognize it.

When the government puts a seal upon a package, the railroad puts a seal on a door, that car cannot be tampered with until it reached its destination. When God puts His Seal upon a man (and the Seal is the Holy Spirit), when He seals a man like that, he's gone to his eternal destination. And never no more can he ever, ever go back any more; 'cause remember, Ephesians 4:30 says, "Grieve not the Holy Spirit of God whereby ye are sealed for all times." You see? You're sealed forever; you are sealed eternally into the Kingdom of God by the Holy Spirit. Now, think of that. Then you...
The devil will punch at you, and he'll say everything to you and accuse you, and try to make you think that you're not, but don't you listen to him.
Now, you know you've passed from death unto Life; you know the things that you once loved, you don't love no more. You know that you have believed every Word of God; you seen God working right among us...

You potentially have the Earnest, the waiting (II Cor. 1:20-21). Now, when you get the Dynamics, you have been quickened from mortal to immortality (Eph. 2:1-7). It makes the whole body come subject to the Word. It'll make you act different, look different, live different; It'll just make you different.
Now, how can you claim to have that Spirit and throw yourself away from the Word? You're quickened by something else. For It will quicken your mortal bodies to the Word (Rom. 8:11). Sure It will.

It'll make you do things you didn't do before. They was full of the Quickening Power then. See? Your body ain't subject to sin no more.
Then notice, it's just like a little seed laying in the ground. Now, potentially you are resurrected. You're resurrected when you receive the Holy Spirit in you; you're resurrected right then (Rom. 6:1-2). Your body's potentially resurrected. Notice. On your way growing to the fullness of the resurrection, led by the Spirit (Rom. 8:14-23).

Now, look. How can you say that that Spirit dwells in you though you done everything that you thought was right? Here's your evidence whether you've got It or not: if the Spirit that was in Christ is in you, It also quickens you to the Word, for He is the Word. And if it, contrary, quickens you away from the Word, then it isn't the Spirit of Christ. Don't care what you done, until that moves you in the Word... "My sheep hear My Voice and they shall live by every Word," every Word.

Then the Life that was in Christ is the Holy Ghost, not the third person, but the same Person in the form of the Holy Spirit, coming upon you as a Token that your life and your fare is paid. You have been accepted. Until that Token comes, you're not permitted on the highway (Isaiah 35:8-10). You're not permitted in the bus line. You're not permitted to go in until you can present this Token, and that Token is your fare. And now, It shows that the Blood has been shed and been applied to you, the price has been applied to you, and you have the Token that the Blood is applied to you and you're accepted. Get it now? Oh, my. Oh.

Now, there's no certain evidence. See? You say, "Brother Branham (I feel it in your minds. You see?), why will I know?" Look. What were you? And what are you? There's how you know. See? What was you before this Token was applied? What are you after It's applied? What was your desires before, and what is your desires after? Then you know whether the Token's applied or not. And these other things just automatically go with that.
Like, talking about it and say, "Tongues is the evidence." Now, I will buy a pair of shoes; the tongue isn't the shoe. It just comes with the shoe. See? It just comes with the shoe. See? Now, the same thing is the Token. The Token is Christ. But speaking in tongues, and casting out devils, and doing those things, and preaching, and whatever, is the evidence It's there, true; but it's not It. See? It's a gift of It.

If I told you that... You say, "I want you, Brother Branham," and I'll give you a gift, well, that's not me, that's my gift. Tongues is a gift of the Holy Ghost, not the Holy Ghost, a gift of the Holy Ghost.
And the devil can impersonate any of those things. But he cannot be the Holy Ghost. See? He can impersonate these gifts, but he can't be the Holy Ghost. And the Holy Ghost is the Token that the Blood's been applied, because It follows the Blood all the way from the Book of Redemption.

Question: What is the evidence that a person is really filled with the Holy Ghost?
John 14:26, "When the Holy Ghost is come, He will show you things to come." See? He'll perfect it; manmades won't do it; and He is the Word. When He the Holy Ghost is come, He will identify Himself in you with the Scripture. And that is the true sign that the Holy Spirit is in you, because It is the Word.

Reference:
"Broken Cisterns", par. 66-68
"Questions&Answers" (64-0823E), COD pg. 1001, Q-No. 281 / pg. 1004, par. 48-53,57 / pg. 1040, Q-No. 318
"Future Home", par. 268-270 / par. 195-197, 260-266
"A Thinking Man's Filter", par. 67-70, 104-109,114-115,122,126,133,138-139
"Pergamean Church Age", Church Age Book pg. 169
"Then Jesus Came And Called" (64-0213), par. 22-25
"How Can I Overcome", par. 68-73
"Does God Ever Change His Mind", par. 4-7
"It Is The Rising Of The Son", pg. 28,29,31
"Desperation", par. 17-20

Spiritual Building-Stone No. 131 from the Revealed Word of this hour, compiled by: Gerd Rodewald, Friedenstr. 69, D-75328 Schömberg, Germany
Phone: (+49) 72 35 76 13, Fax: (+49) 72 35 33 06

There's coming one with a Message that's straight on the Bible, and quick work will circle the earth. The seeds will go in newspapers, reading material, until every predestinated Seed of God has heard It.
[Bro. Branham in "Conduct-Order-Doctrine", pg. 724]