Lost and Restored – 5
Aimee Semple Mcpherson
CIRCLE IX. The Years of the Locust Are Restored
Aimee’s restoration diagram
Although in previous years many saints had received the Holy Spirit and spoken in tongues as in Bible days, yet upon the church at large the years which the locust had eaten in Circle III, the baptism of the Holy Spirit, in other words, had not been restored in any great measure. Therefore, this was the next to be restored. Peter in quoting from the prophet Joel says, “In the last days, I will pour out my Spirit upon all flesh.” Joel says that He who gave us the “former rain” moderately, will cause to come down for us the rain, both the former and the “Latter Rain” in the first month.
Latter Rain It was just a few years ago that this latter rain began to fall. Perhaps you recollect the great Welsh Revival, where under the preaching of Evan Roberts, the fire fell. Many were saved, and baptized with the Holy Spirit, those who received the Comforter, the Holy Spirit, spoke with other tongues.
Over in Muki, India, a missionary, Pandita Ramabai, was praying with a band of Hindu girls. They had spent days and nights in prayer, when suddenly the Spirit was poured out in their midst as He had been on the day of Pentecost. Visible fire is said to have been seen upon one girl’s bed and when the other girls went for water to extinguish the fire it was discovered that this was the fire of the Holy Spirit, such as Moses saw in the burning bush that was not consumed. These dear Hindu girls who received the Holy Spirit, spake with other tongues as the Spirit gave them utterance when they received the Holy Spirit. One girl spake in the English language (which she had never learned) and this is the message which was spoken through her:
“Jesus is coming soon, get ready to meet Him,” and the great revival spread on and on. Almost simultaneously the Spirit was pouring out in our own United States of America, in England, in Canada, in Africa, upon missionaries in China, and in the islands of the sea. Never was such world-wide revival known to spread so quickly and simultaneously. The Spirit was poured out upon praying bands in numberless places, who had never heard before of the incoming of the Holy Spirit. In every instance, without exception, those who received the Holy Spirit spake in other tongues exactly as those who had received in Bible days had done. The latter rain was falling on the earth.
In order to receive the Holy Spirit one had to be empty, and humble. Poor and rich, black or white, the mistress and the maid alike received the Holy Spirit when they humbled themselves and sought with all their hearts. Those who received, praised the Lord and magnified His name, as no one but Spirit filled saints can do.
Waves of glory, floods of praise swept over assemblies who had received the Holy Spirit. There was no way of stopping this great revival, it seemed.
Latter Rain Truths Fought
Just as demons and men had fought the restoration of the years eaten by the caterpillar and cankerworm, so now they fought with renewed vigor the restoration of the years that had been eaten by the locust. Again history repeated itself and the saints a step lower, unwilling to humble themselves, fought those who had gone a step higher, and many refused to walk in the light. They failed to realize that God really meant what He said when He promised to restore “ALL” that had been lost. They lost sight of the fact that the Lord was coming for a perfect church clad with all power and glory of the Spirit. Some even declared that the baptism of the Holy Spirit was not for these days and did not understand that we are still living in the dispensation of the Holy Spirit and will be till Jesus comes.
Preachers jumped to their pulpits and began to condemn those who had received the Holy Spirit in the Bible way; they cried “Wildfire! Excitement! Hypnotism! False Teaching!” etc. All sorts of names were flung at them, and Oh, the blindness of these dear persecutors’ eyes! They who themselves had been persecuted for former light of a few years previous, were now themselves persecuting those who were moving on into greater light. Papers were printed to condemn the outpouring of the Spirit, great preachers mounted their platforms and denounced it, but they could no more stop God from restoring the Baptism of the Holy Spirit, and pouring out the latter rain than the former persecutors had been able to stop the restoration of Salvation and Holiness unto the Lord.
Those Who Fight the Holy Spirit Lose
Out Those who fought the Holy Spirit, barred their doors or put up umbrellas of unbelief, began to dry up spiritually, immediately. Assemblies and churches that once were on fire for God and preaching Holiness without which no man shall see the Lord, the moment they rejected the Holy Spirit, began to lose their power. O why could they not see that this latter rain outpouring of the Spirit was just what they needed and had been pining for! Why could they not just have humbled themselves and let the Spirit who had been “with them” now come “in” them, making them the Temple of the Holy Ghost! All the fighting and persecution, however, were unable to quench the outpouring of the Spirit, upon those who sought earnestly with pure and humble hearts.
To fight the outpouring of the Holy Spirit was just like a man with a broom in his hand endeavouring to sweep back the tidal waves of the Atlantic Ocean. While he is sweeping it back in one place, it rolls in in countless others; moreover, if he remains long where the full tides are rolling in, and does not withdraw, the waves will soon flow over him and he will be “one of them.” Hallelujah!
A broom cannot stop the tide of the ocean, neither can fighting stay the falling of the latter rain, for God hath spoken it “In the last days I will pour out my Spirit upon all flesh.” O stop fighting God and open up your hearts to receive and welcome His gift, the Holy Spirit.
During the past twelve years, hundreds of thousands of hungry seekers have received the Holy Spirit.
Thus in Circle 9 on the chart, I saw in my vision, the leaves which had been eaten by the locust were again restored to the tree. Just as many in Circles 7 and 8 had believed that when the Lord had restored full Salvation and Holiness they had all there was for them, so now many who had received the baptism of the Spirit believed that they had all the Lord had for them. They conscientiously believed that once they had been filled with the Spirit and had spoken with other tongues, they really had all the Lord had for them, and stopped seeking for more.
This, however, had not been all the church had lost, and was therefore not all that was to be restored.
CIRCLE X. The Years of the Palmerworm Restored
Just as the Father bestowed the gift of His only Son Jesus to the world, and just as Jesus bestows the gift of the Holy Spirit, the promise of the Father upon the believer, so now in turn, the Holy Spirit has gifts to bestow upon those who receive Him. The nine gifts and fruits of the Spirit seen in Circle One are again being restored to the tree. Many blessed children of the Lord stop short at salvation and consecration and fail to receive the Holy Spirit, also many who have received the Holy Spirit stop short and fail to covet earnestly the best gifts.
In seeking more of God’s will to be wrought in our lives after having received the Holy Spirit, do not ask for more of the Holy Spirit, because if you have received Him, you have received all of Him. He is not divisible. Either you have, or have not received the Holy Spirit. Therefore, if He has come in and taken up His abode and spoken through you with other tongues, as in Acts 2:4, pray that you may be more yielded to the Spirit who dwells within.
Someone says, “O do not seek the gifts, seek the Giver.” But beloved, if you have received the Spirit you have received the Giver, and Paul says “covet earnestly the best gifts. Seek that you may excel to the edifying of the church. Let him who speaketh in an unknown tongue pray that he may interpret, that the church may be edified; covet to prophesy,” etc. There is a real genuine gift of prophecy even though the enemy has tried to imitate it. Discerning of spirits is needed, gifts of healing, etc., should be in our midst.
The Gifts and Fruits Are Again Appearing Upon the Tree
In Circle 10 we see the fruit not yet fully mature, perhaps, but as we pray and yield ourselves to the Spirit, He will divide to every man severally as He will, and cause the gifts and fruits of the Spirit to be visible in our midst.
Jesus Is Coming Soon
Coming for a perfect church, clad in power, in glory, for the perfect tree with every gift and fruit hanging in luscious mellow, developed perfection upon her branches. O let us wake up and press on to perfection! The winter is over and gone, the spring with its former rain has passed, the summer is passing and the latter rain has long been falling. The harvest is at hand and the Master is searching for ripened, developed fruit Praise God for the roots and trunk of salvation! Praise God for the firm, strong limbs and branches of holiness and consecration! Praise God for the green leaves, for the Holy Spirit but the Master demands fruit from His tree these last days before His coming. Not green, immature fruit but perfect fruit He is whispering just now,
I Will Restore All the Years That Have Been Eaten
Dear ones, there is land ahead to be possessed. Let the fruit of Love be wrought out in your life, with Joy, Peace, Long-suffering, Gentleness, Goodness, Faith, Meekness and Temperance. Let us get back to Pentecost, and on to the fullness of Pentecostal power and glory recorded in God’s Word, for Jesus is coming soon, very soon, for His perfect, waiting church, His bride, unspotted with the world; His tree with its unblemished and perfect fruit Soon He will lift us up and transplant us to the heavenly garden where our leaves shall not wither, neither shall the fruit decay.
The arrow is almost to the top now, the hour when Jesus will burst the starry floor of heaven and descend for His beloved is at hand. The great clock of time has almost reached the appointed hour. Let nothing hinder the work of preparation in your life. Let us beware that we quench not the Spirit
Watch that we do not fall into the same snare which other people formerly used of God have fallen into: snares of formality, of coldness and organization, building walls about ourselves and failing to recognize the other members of our body (for by one Spirit are we all baptized into ONE BODY). If ever we put up walls and fall into these snares of formality, God will step over our walls, and choose another people as surely as He did in days of yore. He will not give His glory to another, but will take the foolish to confound the mighty, the weak to confound the strong.
Press on therefore to perfection; do not stop short of Gods best. If you lay down your crown, another will take it up, the number will be complete, none will be missing, only those who have pressed on all the way to His Standard will be caught up. If you have been doubting God, doubt no longer. He is waiting to restore all the years that have been eaten, and cause you to stand forth in that glorious perfect tree company, ready and waiting for Jesus.
AMEN.
The End