The Daily Word of Righteousness

Tabernacles and the Testimony, #2

Say to the Israelites: "On the first day of the seventh month you are to have a day of rest, a sacred assembly commemorated with trumpet blasts." (Leviticus 23:24—NIV)

Soon after my Pentecostal experience the Lord began to speak to me about what He intended to do after Pentecost. The emphasis was on Christ in us. Not too long after, Brother Ellenwood, a distinguished Pentecostal Bible teacher, lectured on the Tabernacle of the Congregation. It was then God spoke to me about the seven feasts of the Lord, particularly the Day of Atonement.

Finally I realized that the last three feasts of the Lord, the Blowing of Trumpets, the Day of Atonement, and the feast of Tabernacles, symbolized the experience of Christ in you that the Lord was telling me about.

I realize all true Christians have Christ in them just as all true Christians have a portion of the Holy Spirit. But what we of Pentecost refer to as the baptism with the Holy Spirit is a greater portion of the Spirit than what we received when we first accepted Christ. In like manner, the experience of Christ in us as symbolized by the last three feasts of the Lord is a greater portion than that received at the time of our initial acceptance of Christ or when we were baptized with the Holy Spirit.

The Lord had brought Brother Fullerton past Pentecost into a greater experience of Christ, just before he died. His words were a tremendous confirmation of what the Lord was showing me at that time. Also the writings of Dr. Charles Price, a famous evangelist, revealed that God had done something new with him. It was all very exciting and inspiring to me, as you might imagine.

Then came the Hawtin party from Canada with their emphasis on laying on of hands and personal prophecy. David DuPlessis was making the rounds of the historic denominations, teaching them about speaking in tongues. Billy Graham was having spectacular revival meetings. William Branham was demonstrating the original power of miracles. Israel became a nation. What a time of change!

The Assemblies dismissed five of us veterans from Berean and closed the school because the local pastors did not understand what we were talking about any more than we did. They also dismissed Brother Frodsham, the author of "With Signs Following." Brother Frodsham was a man of God if there ever was one. Since laying on of hands and personal prophecy is generally accepted now in the Pentecostal churches, I wonder sometimes if the Assemblies ever have had second thoughts about dismissing Stanley Howard Frodsham because of the early Latter Rain practices.

I know there was error in the early Latter Rain movement. There was talk about the manifestation of the sons of God, for example. At that time I proclaimed as I do today that the manifestation of the sons of God has to do with the return of Jesus Christ with His saints and is not for the Church Age. It seems when the rains of revival fall they bring up more than flowers.

But it may be that a religious uproar with some questionable doctrines may be preferred to apathy. We can always chew the fish and spit out the bones.

To be continued.