That this outpouring of the Holy Spirit is from God can be clearly seen in that it exactly fulfills the prophecies in the Bible that foretell what results will follow outpourings of the Holy Spirit. We mention some of these results. One of these that was to accompany the work of the Holy Spirit and that was first manifest among us was a clear assurance of Salvation.
The whole atmosphere of the place was changed. The joy unspeakable and full of glory came in until it bubbled over. As the boys were at their work in opening ground for a garden, they praised the Lord so much that some of the boys in the neighborhood mocking them said, "Praise the Lord," whenever they met our boys. When one boy went into a store to buy nails, before he realized it he said, "Hallelujah! I want some nails." The tribes boy has had a wonderful experience from the start. One day on his way to work he danced down the street in the joy of the Holy Spirit, praising the Lord somewhat like the style of Billy Bray. Being cleansed from sin and born again of the Holy Spirit and still seeking more and more of the Lord, the children were carried into these deeper things of God until over twenty of the Adullam people spoke in other tongues as people did on the day of Pentecost; as they did when the Holy Spirit was poured forth at the House of Cornelius; as they did when they received the fullness of the Spirit at Ephesus; as the apostle Paul did; and as the Samaritan Christians undoubtedly did when they received the Holy Spirit in mysterious power and manifestation, so striking and wonderful that Simon wanted to buy it.
These Chinese boys and girls were saved by the same Lord and baptized with the same Holy Spirit in the same way as the first disciples, for like them, they not only spoke with other tongues but also prophesied as the Spirit gave them utterance.
Prophecy and Revelation
No one present at the time has ever doubted that the Lord spoke to us by direct inspiration in the first days of the outpouring of the Spirit when He spoke through one of the smallest and humblest of the children. There was something about the voice, the penetrating power of those words, a heart-gripping power that cannot be described. We had never heard such a gripping voice from God in any sermon in all our days. We all knew we were hearing directly from the Lord. Quite a number of the Adullam people later spoke in prophecy, insomuch that we marvelled more and more at the miracles that were taking place as the Lord spoke the wonderful things of God, revealing His plans and purposes in picking the outcast "nothings" of the earth, who were recent beggar boys, to make them the mouthpieces of the living God, speaking through them by direct inspiration, edifying and building up this little group of simple blood-washed believers so recently saved out of hopeless physical and spiritual despair.
It seemed most wonderful how the Spirit revealed to these simple believers, who had only heard of the Bible for a few months, the things of Christ, His salvation, and the things of the future by visions of the unseen worlds.
The visions, seen by even some of the smallest children six years of age, as well as by the older boys, were seen while they were under the Power of the Holy Spirit, not as a dream but as real life.
Some of the visions seen were: Christ tied to a post and scourged; Christ bleeding on the cross while scoffers looked on; the body of Christ taken from the cross, carried to the tomb, placed in the tomb, and the tomb closed; an angel opening the tomb and Christ's resurrection; His appearance to the women, to the disciples by the sea, and to those in the upper room; the ascension of Christ and the descent of the two angels; heaven; detailed visions inside the New Jerusalem in heaven; angels; the redeemed; hell; the condition of the lost in hell; demons; the devil; the great tribulation and things pertaining to saints and to the subjects of the beast during that time; the battle of Armageddon; the binding and imprisonment of Satan in the pit; the binding of the Anti-Christ; the devil cast out of heaven; the Great Supper of God and birds eating flesh of kings and captains of the earth; the coming of Christ with his angels; the sun and moon changed; heaven quake and earth quake and destruction that attended the coming of Christ; the resurrection of the righteous; the marriage supper of the Lamb in Paradise; detailed views of our mansions in heaven and other heavenly scenes.
This work of the Holy Spirit through visions, as well as in the heart, created such a great interest in Bible Study that even the smaller children wanted to know if they could not stop studying "earthly books" and study the Bible only.
Since the unseen world became so real, it is no wonder that there was a change in the life of prayer and praise.
While not all the Adullam people spoke in other tongues, all except those who were too dull of mind to understand much of anything were anointed and filled with the Holy Spirit in a much greater measure than ever before, so that Adullam was often lifted up to heavenly places in Christ to joyfully praise and worship the King. Although there were times when a person almost wondered if these heavenly citizens would come "down to earth" again, there was no need to fear. This anyone would have seen who could have been in one prayer meeting where boy after boy in real intercessory prayer pleaded with God for the lost, praying that God would use us all as real warriors for Him in this battle of righteousness. The experiences already related have made prayer more than a formality. All know now that our foes are spiritual hosts of wickedness in heavenly places.
References / Notes
- [1]
- "Jesus answered and said unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except one be born anew, he cannot see the kingdom of God." John 3:3
- [2]
- "And they were ALL (the one hundred and twenty) filled with the Holy Spirit, and began to SPEAK WITH OTHER TONGUES as the Spirit gave them utterance." Acts 2:4.
- [3]
- "When he, the Spirit of truth is come, he shall guide you into all the truth . . . and he shall declare unto you THINGS THAT ARE TO COME . . . He shall glorify me: for he shall TAKE OF MINE AND SHALL DECLARE IT UNTO YOU." John 16:13, 14.
- [4]
- "And it shall be in the last days, saith God, I will pour forth of my Spirit upon all flesh: . . . and your young men shall see visions." Acts 2:17.