The children and young people upon whom came this outpouring of the Holy Spirit and through whom came these visions and revelations were members of the Adullam Rescue Mission in Yunnanfu, Yunnan Province, China. For the most part, these children had been beggars in the streets of the city. In some cases they were poor children with one or both parents dead and had been brought to the Home. There were also some prodigals who had run away from their homes in more distant parts of this or adjoining provinces.

But from whatever source they came, these children, mostly boys ranging in ages from six to eighteen, had come to us without previous training in morals and without education. Begging is a sort of "gang" system in which stealing is a profitable part. The morals are what would be expected of a "gang" in a godless land.

The Bible is carefully and daily taught in the Adullam Home, and the gospel is constantly preached. Since the children coming into the home have always been open to the teachings given, before the outpouring of the Holy Spirit recorded below, some of them were doubtless converted, while many had a very good knowledge of the main themes of the Bible.

All who received the Holy Spirit knew enough to believe in one God and to trust in the blood of Christ for salvation. They also prayed for the fullness of the Holy Spirit. They sought Christ. We did not see anyone seeking visions or any of the manifestations that were received day by day as all single heartedly prayed and praised the Lord Jesus. He alone was sought and magnified throughout all the weeks of the Spirit's outpouring.

In this visitation from the Lord all were treated impartially. The oldest and the youngest, the first arrivals and the latest comers, the best and the worst, all sitting together around their common Father's table were alike treated to His heavenly bounties.

This giving of the Promised Spirit was clearly a love gift of grace "apart from works" or personal merit. It was not something that was worked up. It was something that came down. It was not the result of character building by man from below. It was a blessing of God that came from above.

The Experiences Herein Related are Unexplainable on Natural Ground

The experiences of these Adullam children that are herein related cannot be explained on natural ground, because:

1. These wonders could not possibly have been the product of the natural minds of these children. Such uneducated, mentally untrained, unimaginative boys as these could not themselves have conceived of such things.

2. These spiritual experiences, visions, and revelations could not have been the working of the subconscious mind. Many of these children were too young, too ignorant, or too recently rescued from heathenism to know the Bible teaching on these subjects.

3. Then, again, these things cannot be explained by the psychology of mental suggestion from others. We ourselves had never seen such visions, never been in meetings where there were such, or read or heard of such visions as were given these children. These experiences were new to all of us.

4. Furthermore, the children did not get these things from one another. When the power of the Lord fell in our midst many children were filled with the Spirit at the same time. Those who were in different rooms sometimes had simultaneous visions of the same things. There was no possibility of comparing one with another.

5. The complete harmony of these visions covering numberless details is beyond any natural explanation. Even the most ignorant children, who could easily be confused on cross questioning, whether questioned singly or in groups, gave as clear and uniform answers to questions covering great numbers of details as could possibly have been given by eye witnesses of anything.

6. Neither can these experiences be explained as any sort of mental excitement, religious frenzy, natural emotion, nervous state, nor any sort of self-produced condition. This outpouring of the Holy Spirit came upon normal children in a normal state of mind free from all the conditions just mentioned.

The Visions and Revelations Given Adullam are Consistent Supernatural Experiences in the True Church

Supernatural visions and revelations are foundation rocks upon which the Church was established and upon which it stands. The whole Bible, Old and New Testament, is a supernatural revelation from God.

In the Old Testament, God revealed his will to men by speaking through prophets by direct inspiration in which the mind of the prophet had no part. The Lord appeared to men and spoke to them in a "voice" with "words." He thus spoke to Moses, as man speaks to man face to face. [1] In the Old Testament, God revealed himself to men in dreams, in visions, and in various kinds of supernatural revelations. Angels brought messages to men and were continually active as God's ambassadors in carrying out His plan of redemption on earth.

The New Testament, likewise, claims to be a superhuman revelation. Paul said of the gospel he preached: "Neither did I receive it from man, nor was I taught it, but it came to me through revelation of Jesus Christ" (Gal. 1:12). What he wrote in all his epistles was simply a part of this supernatural "revelation of Jesus Christ."

Without such working of the Holy Spirit and without such visions and revelations as were given Adullam there would be no Christianity at all. The true Church, begun in this manner, exists to the present day because just such supernatural manifestations formed the cradle in which it was born and nursed into vigorous life. When Herod would destroy the baby Jesus, the wise men were "warned of God in a dream." [2] An angel appeared to Joseph in a dream. One like a man of Macedonia appeared to Paul in a vision. At Corinth the Lord spoke to him "in the night by a vision." When he was praying in the temple at Jerusalem he fell into "a trance" and saw Jesus, who spoke to him, giving him directions for his work. Peter also fell into "a trance" while praying on the house top. He saw a vision and heard the Lord speaking to him in a voice with words. An angel appeared to Cornelius in an open vision by day. The whole book of Revelation was given to John as a supernatural revelation when he was "in the Spirit." It is a revelation from the Lord who spoke to him in "a great voice," and it is also a record of visions given in the Spirit and through the ministry of angels. Paul either died and went to heaven "out of the body" or was in vision caught up to heaven like our Adullam children and there saw Paradise. He had such an abundance of these supernatural revelations that the Lord had to send him a thorn in the flesh to keep him humble.

Angels, also, had a large part in the work of the first church. The early disciples were often protected and directed in their work by the angels. In this way they were delivered from imminent danger from earthly powers. An angel spoke to Philip, directing him to Gaza. An angel stood by Paul and talked with him, encouraging and directing him. Cornelius, his household, and his friends were led unto the way of salvation and into the baptism of the Holy Spirit through the words of an angel who came to him. This angel, appearing in bright apparel, talked with him, directing him to send for Peter and then departed. When Peter was in prison an angel rescued him. This angel loosened the chains from Peter's hands, told him to put on his garments and shoes, opened the prison door and the city gate that was locked, and led Peter into the street.

Greatest of all the supernatural manifestations in the early church were those of the mighty Holy Spirit, who came to that Church just as the Lord had promised He would come after Christ ascended to the Father.

That first church did not read prayers. Neither did that first church say prayers. That first church prayed to God from the heart, and God directly and supernaturally answered these heart cries. When the disciples were in danger they got together and prayed to God. This was not formal praying; it was not a cringing, heartless, carefully worded prayer meeting for men's ears. Everybody prayed at the same time; everybody cried to God in a loud voice. This was a special prayer meeting for one great need.

When God answered, everybody knew He answered. The Holy Spirit shook the house in which these people were praying, and every one was "filled with the Holy Spirit," with a mighty superhuman power. They then went out spreading gospel fire in the very face of death.

The early church had a living God. Through the Holy Spirit they had Christ in their midst. He worked in them and through them supernaturally by gifts of the Holy Spirit: "For to one is given through the Spirit the word of wisdom; and to another the word of knowledge; to an other faith . . . ;to another workings of miracles...; to another gifts of healings . . .; to another prophecy . . .; to another discernings of spirits . . .; to another kinds of tongues . . .; and to another interpretation of tongues" (I Cor. 12 :7-10) .

Where is the Living God who brought our fathers up out of Egypt with a mighty hand before the eyes of the heathen? Where is our God who once answered in a voice that men could hear, yea, whose voice shook the whole earth? What has become of the God who from the time the earth was created sent his angels to walk and to talk with his people?

What has become of the angels?

And the Christ of the Bible? Where is He? Have they taken away our Lord, so we cannot find where they have laid Him?

What has become of His "Promise"? Christ said that if He should go away it would be better than ever for His people, for God would walk with them more than in all the ages past. His Promise was, "It is expedient for you that I go away, for if I do not go away the Comforter will not come unto you; but if I go, I will send Him unto you." "He that believeth on me, the works that I do shall he do also." [Jn. 16:7; 14:12]

Our Lord has gone. Where, oh, where is the Holy Spirit that was to come to take His place; to carry on His uncompleted task; to work in the midst of His Church in signs and wonders and gifts of the Holy Spirit? Has God died ? If so, when? Or has God withdrawn so far away that He cannot hear? Can not God talk any more? Have the angels deserted us for some other universe? If so, when did they forsake us? After all, is the Holy Spirit, this great power of God, this great substitute for the miracle working Christ, the Christ whose words the winds and waves obeyed, whose words burst the tombs, is this Great Substitute just a gentle influence? Where is the Holy Spirit who shook and filled a whole house of praying disciples and through them shook a world?

If ever there was a Living God, if ever there were angels, if ever there was a wonder-working Christ, if the Holy Spirit was ever given, if the Bible is a supernatural revelation from God, then such trances, visions, revelations, and workings of the Holy Spirit as have been given Adullam are supernatural visitations from God such as we should expect.

These trances, visions, revelations, and supernatural manifestations are normal experiences in the supernaturally founded, supernaturally filled, and supernaturally directed Church of the New Testament, the only Church the Bible tells or foretells anything about.

References

[1] "Jehovah spake unto Moses face to face, as a man speaketh unto his friend." Ex. 33:11. [ Back To Text ]