FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS:
A. What is the Baptism of the Holy Ghost?
The Baptism of the Holy Ghost is the indwelling of God’s Spirit in the soul of an individual believer. It is the third work of God’s saving grace in a sinner’s life. It begins with repentance, accepting Jesus Christ as your Lord and Saviour, and going through water baptism in the Name of Jesus Christ (known as justification –- the first stage of the New Birth). The second stage to being born again is sanctification, which sets the individual for God’s service, God cleansing him from sin and leading him to a life of holiness before giving him the promise of the Holy Ghost. The third stage, known as the Baptism of the Holy Spirit is the SEAL of God (Ephesians 4:30) indicating that God has already completed His work in the life of an individual, dressing him with Christ's robe of righteousness, and making him assured of the rapture. The Baptism of the Holy Ghost is Christ Himself dwelling in the individual person.
This promise of the Holy Ghost Baptism is clearly laid out in Acts 2:38-39:
“Then Peter said unto them, Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the NAME of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the GIFT of the Holy Ghost. For the PROMISE is unto you, and to your children, and to all that are afar off, [even] as many as the Lord our God shall call.”
The Holy Spirit is Jesus Himself coming down to the soul of the believer, as He has promised in John 14:18, saying, “I will not leave you comfortless, " I " (personal pronoun) WILL COME TO YOU.”… “I will be with you, even IN YOU until the end of the world.”
Galatians 4:6 states, “And because ye are sons, God has sent forth the SPIRIT of His SON into your hearts, crying Abba, Father.” And in Romans 8:9, it tells us plainly, “If any man have not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of his.”
A Brief Description of the "Holy Ghost:"
1. IT IS THE SPIRIT OF POWER & TRUTH
ACTS 1:8- "But ye shall receive “POWER”, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto Me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth."
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."
JOHN 15:26- "But when the Comforter is come, whom I will send unto you from the Father, [even] the Spirit of TRUTH, which proceedeth from the Father, he shall testify of ME."
JOHN 16:13- "Howbeit when He, the Spirit of “TRUTH”, is come, He will GUIDE you into “ALL TRUTH” for He shall not speak of himself; but whatsoever he shall hear, [that] shall he speak: and He will SHEW you things to come."
2. IT IS THE SPIRIT OF REVELATION
I CORINTHIANS 2:9-16-
"But as it is written, Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love him. But God hath REVEALED [them] unto us by His Spirit: for the Spirit searcheth all things, yea, the deep things of God. For what man knoweth the things of a man, save the spirit of man which is in him? even so the things of God knoweth no man, but the Spirit of God. Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the spirit which is of God; that we might know the things that are freely given to us of God. Which things also we speak, NOT in the words which man's wisdom teacheth, but which the Holy Ghost teacheth; comparing spiritual things with spiritual. But the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know [them], because they are spiritually discerned. But he that is spiritual judgeth all things, yet he himself is judged of no man. For who hath known the mind of the Lord, that he may instruct him? But WE have the MIND of Christ."
JOHN 14:17-"[Even] the Spirit of TRUTH; whom the world cannot receive, because it seeth him not, neither knoweth him: but ye know him; for he dwelleth with you, and shall be IN you."
3. THE HOLY SPIRIT IS A “SEAL”
EPHESIANS 4:30- "And grieve not the Holy Spirit of God, whereby ye are SEALED unto the day of redemption."
EPHESIANS 1:13-14 - "In whom ye also [trusted], after that ye heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation: in whom also after that ye believed, ye were SEALED with that Holy Spirit of promise, Which is the earnest of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession, unto the praise of his glory."
A SEAL means three things: (1) security (2) ownership (3) completion.
When you are truly baptized with the Holy Ghost, you now have eternal security within your soul, and you have been accepted in the beloved and have been bought with a price by God through Jesus Christ. You are now complete in Him, a truly heaven-bound creature.
"Seal, what is the seal? What is a seal? A seal is, first thing it shows is a work that has been completed, a completed work. The next thing it shows is ownership. And the next thing it shows is security, keeping it." (WMBRANHAM, ADOPTION.OR.PLACING.title JEFF.IN AD.PT.4 60-0522E)
"There's only going to be two classes of people in the last day. Both of them is going to wear a mark. The mark of God is the baptism of the Holy Spirit, without a shadow of doubt. I preached that not long ago right here… that the SEAL of God is the baptism of the Holy Ghost. Ephesians 4:30 says, "Grieve not the Holy Spirit of God, whereby you're sealed until the day of your redemption." Without the Holy Spirit you are not sealed. But the Holy Spirit is God's Seal. And then, that, all that was not sealed by the Holy Spirit, was took on the mark of the beast. And the mark of the beast is a mark of apostasy, which is rejecting the Holy Spirit. See what I mean?" (WMBRANHAM, JUBILEE.YEAR.title JEFF.IN V-26 N-6 54-1003E)
"I've heard ministers get up with charts and try to explain what the mark of the beast was by some kind of a chart. It doesn't take a chart. The Scripture says, "All that didn't receive the Seal of God had the mark of the beast." There's only two classes on the earth. One's got the Mark of God, the other one's got the mark of the Devil. And all that didn't receive the Mark of God had the mark of the Devil." (WMBRANHAM, UNITY.ONE.GOD.ONE.CHURCH.title JEFF.IN V-16 N-8 58-1221E)
4. THE HOLY SPIRIT: YOU ARE HIS TEMPLE
ACTS 7:48-49- "Howbeit the most High dwelleth NOT in temples made with hands; as saith the prophet, Heaven [is] my throne, and earth [is] my footstool: what house will ye build me? saith the Lord: or what [is] the place of my rest?"
I CORINTHIANS 6:19-20- “What? know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost [which is] in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own? For ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God's."
5. The HOLY SPIRIT BAPTISM is the REAL NEW BIRTH
JOHN 3:5- "Jesus answered, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be BORN of water and [of] the SPIRIT, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God. That which is born of the flesh is flesh; and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit."
ACTS 2:38-39 - "Then Peter said unto them, Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the NAME of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the GIFT of the Holy Ghost. For the PROMISE is unto you, and to your children, and to all that are afar off, [even] as many as the Lord our God shall call."
"There’s three elements it takes to bring our birth. And that's the three elements that came out of the life of Christ when He died. There come from His body, water, Blood, Spirit. Is that right? Three elements, and that's the elements we go through when we're born again: justification, sanctification, baptism of the Holy Spirit. Now, that can all be in one act, but it takes... But you can be in a justified state without being sanctified. You can believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and still carry your filth with you. But you can absolutely live in a both justified and a clean holy life, and without the Holy Ghost." (DEMONOLOGY.1.PHYSICAL CON.IN DE 21-40 53-0608A)
"You see, each one of those ages only taken a dip into the Holy Spirit. Justification is a work of the Holy Spirit; sanctification is a work of the Holy Spirit, but the baptism is the Holy Spirit." (QA.ON.THE.SEALS.title JEFF.IN 63-0324M)
6. THE HOLY GHOST IS THE “OIL” THAT’S REQUIRED FOR THE RAPTURE
MATTHEW
25:1-13-
"Then shall the kingdom of heaven be likened unto TEN VIRGINS, which
took their lamps, and went forth to meet the bridegroom. And five of them
were wise, and five [were] foolish. They that [were] foolish took their lamps,
and took NO oil with them: But the wise took oil in their
vessels with their lamps."
Ten of them were virgins. Five was wise that had Oil in their lamps, and the other five was just as pure and holy but they had no Oil. They were sanctified, without the Holy Ghost… But you can be justified without being sanctified. And you can be sanctified without having the Holy Ghost; be clean, live a pure life, and have a form of godliness, and deny the power of healing, and speaking in tongues, and the great gifts of God (and every one of them in there). (QA.ON.GENESIS.title JEFF.IN COD 53-0729)
"Now, the church that professes to be a Christian church, will have to have that SAME SPIRIT that was IN Jesus Christ. For at the resurrection of the church, Christ and His Bride will come together and dovetail. The writings and promises of God will be made fulfilled there. So it cannot come together unless the same Spirit was in Christ is in you and me. And then if that same Spirit is in there, It'll do the same works, and live the same kind of a separated life, and do the works that He did. The Bible said so, all the way to Genesis confirms it. It ought to be striking. It ought to make a church member come to Christ and stay until he's filled with the Holy Ghost. It's the only PROMISE of the RAPTURE, the only way that the church and Christ can come together, the very Spirit." (FAITHFUL.ABRAHAM.title RICHMOND.VA 61-0312)
7. The HOLY SPIRIT is POURED OUT UPON “ALL” FLESH (Both JUST AND UNJUST)
JOEL 2:28-29 – “And it shall come to pass afterward, [that] I will pour out my Spirit upon ALL flesh; and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, your old men shall dream dreams, your young men shall see visions: And also upon the servants and upon the handmaids in those days will I pour out my Spirit.”
Yes, the HOLY SPIRIT is POURED OUT UPON ALL FLESH (both upon the JUST AND the UNJUST), no exceptions. Everyone can feel the moving of the Spirit especially in the last days, for it is typed to the former and latter rain. Just like rainfall, God sends the Holy Spirit to water all plant and animal life. It can fall upon the tares and the wheat, and both can shout halleluiah, but it does not change the seed at the core of the plant. The Spirit only brings to manifestation what is it at the core, for every seed will bring forth of its kind (Genesis 1:11). “By their fruits they ye shall know them”. Once plant life reaches its maturity during harvest time, they are known by their fruit. A son of God will manifest the life of God, while a son of perdition will manifest the works of Satan, and will come to full maturity also, by the same Holy Spirit anointing.
QUOTES from Rev. William Branham:
“The
Spirit can come out here and anoint you to do certain things, and you do it,
but that don't mean you're saved. But think of it. Caiaphas
prophesied. Judas cast out devils. See, the Spirit anointed him.
There's rain falls on the just and the unjust; the weeds can rejoice with
the wheat. But it's what it is at the core. There's where you can, intellectuals
can accept and say, "Oh, sure, that looks good. I believe that."
That still don't do it. No, sir. And the spirit can actually make witness
of it, and still it isn't so. Because if that soul hasn't come from God, it
can make all the impersonations out here, but it cannot be real. You
can act healing; you can act like you have. You can act like you
receive it. Christians can act like they're Christians, and act and be ever
so good at it, but that don't mean they're saved. That's exactly right. See? The Spirit can be there, the real genuine Spirit. The Holy Spirit
can anoint you; that still don't mean you're saved. It's that inside soul that never dies; it's got Eternal Life. It always was
Eternal Life. See? It come from God; it goes to God; it's the soul."
(WORKS.IS.FAITH.EXPRESSED.title SHREVEPORT.LA V-7 N-1 65-1126)
"The
true vine and the false vine both had the “same anointing”.
The water fell on both of them. No wonder He warned us it would “deceive
the very elected if it was possible”.
(ANOINTED.ONES.AT.END.TIME.title JEFF.IN V-5
N-3 65-0725M)
MATTHEW 5:44-45- "But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you; That ye may be the children of your Father which is in heaven: for HE maketh his SUN to RISE on the evil and on the good, and sendeth RAIN on the just and on the unjust."
MATTHEW 13:30- "Let both grow together until the HARVEST: and in the time of harvest I will say to the reapers, Gather ye together first the TARES, and bind them in bundles to burn them: but gather the WHEAT into my barn."
MATTHEW 7:20- "Wherefore by their FRUITS ye shall know them."
B. Does having the Gifts of the Spirit (healing, speaking in tongues, miracles, etc) assure you that you are truly baptized with the Holy Ghost already?
NOT SO. Though we believe in the nine (9) spiritual gifts as stipulated in 1 Corinthians Chapter 12 namely: (1) Prophesy (2) Word of Wisdom (3) Faith (4) Healing (5) Tongues (6) Interpretation of Tongues (7) Discernment (8) Word of Knowledge (9) Working of Miracles, yet these gifts can be impersonated by the devil. There will be “false anointed ones” and “false christs” in the last days to impersonate and to deceive the very elect if it were possible by using these gifts. Yes, they will be truly “anointed”, but false at the core.
Let’s look at Judas. JUDAS was one of the 12 disciples of Jesus Christ. Judas preached along with them and healed the sick, and cast out devils. But Judas he had shown his true colors as the son of perdition when he sold Jesus for 30 pieces of silver. BALAAM was a prophet. But his true colors were manifested because of the love of money and popularity, he tried to curse Israel. JANNES AND JAMBRES were two magicians who withstood Moses by manifesting the same powers of turning their sticks into snakes in the sight of pharaoh. Therefore, miracles and signs are no true signs that one is a true servant of God. Even Lucifer himself was previously an “angel of light”.
SCRIPTURES:
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."
MATTHEW 24:24- "For there shall arise false Christs, and false prophets, and shall SHEW great SIGNS and WONDERS; insomuch that, if [it were] possible, they shall DECEIVE the very ELECT."
QUOTES from Rev. William Branham:
"A
false christ is a false anointed, because Christ is the Anointed. How many knows that the "Christ" means "the anointed One"?
There will be false anointed ones, and they'll call themselves prophets. But
how will you recognize them? By the Word; that's how you'll
know it: by the Word, whether they are right. How will we recognize them?
Will be by the Word. If they're... If they say that they have the Word, and
then deny the Word, then there's nothing to it, no matter what they do. They
might heal the sick; they might open the eyes of the blind; and deny the Word,
stay away from it. Don't care what it is, stay with that Word regardless
(See?), because many times I've seen voodoo and all kinds of things take place
under--under healing."
(QUESTIONS.AND.ANSWERS.title JEFF.IN COD 64-0823M)
You may say,
"How can this be? Would the anointed ones... What were they?" Christs:
c-h-r-i-s-t-s, anointed christs and false prophets: anointed ones, but false
prophets. Jesus said that the rain falls on the just and the unjust. Now,
someone might say to me, "Do you believe that that anointing on those
people means that it's anointing of the Holy Spirit?" Yes, sir, the genuine
Holy Spirit of God upon a person, and yet they are false. Now, listen
close and see what He said: "And they shall show signs and wonders, insomuch
that it would deceive the very elected if it were possible." And
they are anointed with the genuine Holy Spirit. "
(ANOINTED.ONES.AT.END.TIME.title JEFF.IN V-5
N-3 65-0725M)
No,
they wouldn't stand to be called false Jesus. They wouldn't be--stand to call
Jesus; certainly not. That's too plain. Anybody would know that.
Anyone would know they wasn't Jesus. ..But they call themself the anointed,
and they do signs and wonders almost to deceive the elected. But false christs,
anointed ones, shall arise and shall deceive the elected if it were possible."
And remember, Jesus never said that them guy's would appear. He said there'd
appear false christs: christs, plural, “denominations” and so
forth, anointed ones, anointed with a denominational spirit and not
the Word. You follow it? Not false Jesus, false christs, false anointed
ones. See?
(ANOINTED.ONES.AT.END.TIME.title JEFF.IN V-5
N-3 65-0725M)
Having the gifts
of tongues, prophesy and knowledge, is therefore not an absolute evidence
that one is truly baptized with the Holy Ghost already. This truth is attested
by Apostle Paul in 1st Corinthians 13:1-3, 8-10:
"Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels,
and have not charity, I am become [as] sounding brass, or a tinkling cymbal.
And though I have [the gift of] prophecy, and understand
all mysteries, and all knowledge; and though I have all faith,
so that I could remove mountains, and have not charity, I am nothing.
And though I bestow all my goods to feed [the poor], and
though I give my body to be burned, and have not charity, it profiteth me
nothing. Charity never faileth: but whether [there be] prophecies,
they shall fail; whether [there be] tongues, they shall cease;
whether [there be] knowledge, it shall vanish away. For we know in
part, and we prophesy in part. But when that which is perfect is come, then that which is in part shall be done away."
C. Are“SENSATIONS” and "EMOTIONS" like ‘CRYING and SHOUTING in the Spirit” genuine evidence of the BAPTISM OF THE HOLY GHOST?
“TASTING” THE HOLY GHOST is far more DIFFERENT from being BAPTIZED WITH IT. A lot of people just “tasted” the goodness of God but in the end they still perished. It’s a type of Israel in the wilderness coming out from Egypt. They have tasted the signs and wonders done by the Holy Ghost through the ministry of Moses. They have seen the mighty works of the hand of God by sending plagues to Egypt, they have crossed and walked over the dry Red Sea, they ate of the Manna that fell in the wilderness from heaven, they drank from the Rock, and have seen many many more miracles by Moses. Yet only Joshua and Caleb was able to reach the Promised Land. All the rest of the ten spies and their tribes perished. And today, the promise Land of today for the Christian is the Baptism of the Holy Ghost. How many will ever get to it? "Strait is the gate and narrow is the way that leads to eternal life, yet broad is the way and wide is the gate that leads to destruction.."
HEBREWS
6:4-6
"For [it is] impossible for those who were once enlightened,
and have “TASTED” of the heavenly
gift, and were made PARTAKERS of the Holy Ghost,
And have tasted the good Word of God, and the
powers of the world to come, If they shall fall away,
to renew them again unto repentance; seeing they crucify to themselves the Son of God afresh, and put
[him] to an open shame.”
QUOTES from Rev. William Branham:
"Church,
that's the reason I can't take the Baptism of the Holy Ghost of crying, shaking,
or speaking in tongues, or any sensation. They're all right now.
See? Them--them things are all right, but the devil can impersonate
that so real. But the Holy Ghost is
Deity, God tabernacled in men. It's more than a sensation.
It's more than speaking in tongues. It's more than shouting in the Spirit.
It's more than weeping. It's more than joining church. It's God living
in men, Deity, God Himself tabernacled into that person, when he
can speak and it's just the same as God speaking; that's the Church of Jesus
Christ."
(TESTIMONY.OF.A.TRUE.WITNESS.title JEFF.IN V-15 N-6 61-1105)
"You might be able to try to say you have; you might be able to show some evidence of some emotion; but unless your life is vindicating what you're professing to have, you still haven't got It. No matter how many emotions, how much you jump, run, sensations, speaking in tongues, or shouting, or whatever you might lay it upon (which is all right, I believe in all that too.), but unless your life copes with your testimony, then you haven't got It. 'Cause the fruit of the Spirit vindicates what you are, just like the fruit of any tree tells what it is. Jesus said, "By their fruit you shall know them."
(PARADOX.A.title
CHICAGO.IL V-21 N-3 63-0801)
D. ONLY THE ELECT CAN BE BAPTIZED WITH THE GENUINE HOLY GHOST BECAUSE SHE HAS THE SEED OF ETERNAL LIFE IN HER
"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. There isn't any of them going to be lost." (65-0822E - A Thinking Man's Filter)
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"But down on the inside of that, next realm, the THIRD realm, is the SOUL; and that's predestinated by God. There is where the real SEED-germ lays, is in there." (65-0822M - Christ Is Revealed In His Own Word)
"We did not become SEED by the REBIRTH, we were SEED and therefore were REBORN for ONLY THE ELECT can be REBORN. Because we WERE SEED is the reason we could be quickened. In NON-SEED there is nothing to quicken." (WMB, The Smyrnaean Church Age)
