HISTORY & FUTURE OF HOLINESS: As a movement and doctrine.

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HISTORY & FUTURE OF HOLINESS: As a movement and doctrine.

This group is meant to reflect on the the history and to project the future of Holiness as a movement and doctrine.

Members: 36
Latest Activity: Jan 24, 2012

Paul the Apostle
First and foremost amongst Pentecostal Pioneers must stand Paul, once a persecutor of Christ, then a proclaimer of Christ. Once he burnt with indignation against the Blood bought Church but after conversion, commissioning, consecration and crushing he planted it, preached to it and protected it. He planted the very first Pentecostal churches across the Greek, Roman and Gentile world. This is his story.


American Pentecostal Pioneers The Pentecostal movement is by far the largest and most significant Christian movement in the world today. It began in 1901 with only a few students in a Bible School in Topeka, Kansas and now numbers around 250,000,000 denominational Pentecostals with another 250,000,000 charismatics, or ‘neo-Pentecostals.’

Although the modern Pentecostal movement traces its beginnings to the United States, it owed much of its basic theology to earlier British Perfectionist movements. For information on these see the British Pentecostal Pioneers section of this website.

The initial Pentecostal churches were produced by the holiness movement prior to 1901 and, though they were notional Pentecostals rather than experimental adherents, their theology and hunger inevitably led to the experience of the Baptism in the Holy Spirit.

The first "Pentecostals" in the modern sense appeared in 1901 in the city of Topeka, Kansas in a Bible School run by Charles Fox Parham, a holiness teacher and former Methodist pastor. Significantly, on January 1, 1901, a young lady called Agnes Ozman was baptized in the Holy Spirit with speaking in tongues. Within a few days about half the student body had received the Holy Spirit with the evidence of tongues. Through the press and Parham’s campaign ministry the Pentecostal message was widely disseminated.

It was not until 1906, however, that Pentecostalism achieved worldwide attention through the Azusa Street revival in Los Angeles led by the African-American preacher, William Joseph Seymour. When a student of Parham, he was invited to pastor a black holiness church in Los Angeles in 1906. This is where the Spirit broke out in great power and for over three years, the Azusa Street "Apostolic Faith Mission" conducted three services a day, seven days a week, where thousands of seekers received the baptism in the Holy Spirit and spoke in new tongues.

Soon the American land was awash with Pentecostal preachers who propagated the renewing and refreshing message of Pentecost.

Many visitors to Azusa Street returned home to start new movements and denominations. Gaston B. Cashwell brought three entire groups into the Pentecostal stream. Charles Harrison Mason founded the Church of God in Christ, which, by the 1990’s was by far the largest Pentecostal denomination in North America, claiming some 5,500,000 members in 15,300 local churches. William H. Durham came from Chicago to Azusa and then led thousands of mid-western Americans and Canadians into the Pentecostal movement. His "finished work" theology of gradual progressive sanctification, which he announced in 1910, led to the formation of the Assemblies of God in 1914. By 1993 the AG had over 2,000,000 members in the U.S. and some 25,000,000 adherents in 150 nations of the world.

Others like Frank Bartleman, Florence Crawford, John G. Lake and F. F. Bosworth were powerfully used of God to spread the message around the nation and then the world during those great days. It is on their foundation that the Pentecostal movement was built and it was their legacy that inspired Pentecostals through the 20th century to revive the fires and see the movement spread over the entire globe. Further successive waves of the Spirit brought new personaliteis in their wake - Aimee Semple McPherson, Kathryn Kuhlmann, Oral Roberts William Branham and a host of others.

Discussion Forum

No Condemnation doesn't mean No Rules

Started by Servant J. A. C. Majors Jul 29, 2010. 0 Replies

I have noticed a great decline in the dress code of Holiness (and other) churches. While I am very traditional in doctrine, I'm not one to condemn people to hell over how they dress, but even still…Continue

Tags: clothing, code, Dress

The Purpose of It

Started by Servant J. A. C. Majors. Last reply by Preacher Jun 21, 2010. 19 Replies

A lot of people think that "Holiness" was only about the clothes you wear, and jumping and dancing, but holiness was about looking at life from a "self improvement" view. Holiness was about…Continue

Holiness should be a way of life to all, yet it s a denomination as well to some, Why Not!

Started by Servant J. A. C. Majors May 13, 2010. 0 Replies

The word "Holiness" was attributed to a movement and a denomination which is what this group is saying.  This doesn't mean others not associated with this movement or denomination should not obey the…Continue

The Holiness Church

Started by Servant J. A. C. Majors Feb 16, 2010. 0 Replies

People are not being filled with the Holy Ghost the way they used to be filled.  When one was filled with the Holy Ghost, it was a true and visible change that took place in that individual.  Why are…Continue

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Comment by Servant J. A. C. Majors on May 7, 2010 at 9:17am

Frank Bartleman (1871-1936) was an early Pentecostal evangelist who recorded the beginnings of the Pentecostal Movement. He and his wife, Anna, and their family went to Los Angeles in December 1904. Shortly thereafter, their oldest daughter, Esther, who was just three years old, died. This heartbreaking loss made a deep impact on Bartleman and led him to rededicate his life to God's service. He was a participant in the Azusa revival and other early Pentecostal meetings in the Los Angeles area. Bartleman was an itinerant evangelist for 43 years, eventually preaching across the United States and all over the world. He wrote more than 500 articles, 100 tracts, and six books. He is remembered for his passion for increased unity and spiritual renewal among Pentecostals.

Comment by Servant J. A. C. Majors on May 6, 2010 at 3:35pm

Reverend Clarence Henry Cobbs was born on February 29, 1908. In 1928, while riding the bus, at 35th and Grand Boulevard (now known as Martin Luther King Drive), the Spirit spoke to Reverend Cobbs, telling him to organize a church and call it the First Church of Deliverance.
After organizing the Church and finding a church building, Reverend Cobbs, his co-worker, Reverend Mattie B. Thornton and his followers marched into their small new worship space on May 8, 1929. In August of the same year, the Church became affiliated with our mother church, the Metropolitan Spiritual Church of Christ of Kansas City, Missouri.

The choir of First Church of Deliverance was organized on October 29, 1929. The Church's first Broadcast was aired in 1934 at 6:00 a.m. over radio station WSBC. First Church of Deliverance was the second church of color to air a Radio Broadcast.[1] The entire city of Chicago raved about the early morning broadcast.
In 1953, First Church of Deliverance became the first church of color to broadcast televised religious services, which were carried live by Channel 7 for twelve consecutive weeks.

First Church of Deliverance was the first Spiritual Church organized in the City of Chicago – this was during the 1930s. At that time, Spiritual was considered a rash divergence from the accepted forms of worship.

Reverend Cobbs also established the wearing of white clothing during worship services. This practice was not indicative of purity, as some may have assumed; it developed instead as a result of the Great Depression, when some church members were financially unable to have large wardrobes. During that time, virtually everyone had something made of cotton, the most common and reasonably priced fabric of the day. Most of these garments were white – thus, the wearing of white clothing to church services.

On June 28, 1979, God called home our beloved Founder and Preacher, Reverend Clarence H. Cobbs.

On January 9, 1981, Reverend Eugene D. Gray was installed as Pastor of First Church of Deliverance. Reverend Gray served until his death on August 3, 1994.

Following the death of Reverend Gray, Reverend Harold D. Porter was installed as Pastor of First Church of Deliverance on November 20, 1994. Tragically, Reverend Porter was only pastor for a brief time until his death on December 12, 1994.

On March 17, 1996, the membership selected Reverend Otto T. Houston as Pastor.
Comment by Servant J. A. C. Majors on May 6, 2010 at 3:13pm

Bishop William J. Seymour
Pastor of the Apostolic Faith Mission

312 Azusa Street - Los Angeles, California




William Joseph Seymour was born May 2, 1870 in Centerville, St. Mary's Parish, Louisiana. His parents, Simon Seymour (also known as Simon Simon) and Phillis Salabar were both former slaves. Phillis was born and reared on the Adilard Carlin plantation near Centerville (Please visit the William Seymour's Birth page for additional information and illustrations).

When President Abraham Lincoln signed the Emancipation Proclamation ending slavery in the rebel states, Simon enlisted in the Northern Army and served until the end of the Civil War. While with the United States Colored Troops he marched across the southern gulf states of Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama and Florida. During his service, he became ill and was hospitalized in New Orleans. From the descriptions, it seems he may have contracted malaria or another tropical disease in the southern swamps. Simon never fully recovered.

William Seymour, the oldest in a large family, lived his early years in abject poverty. In 1896 the family's possessions were listed as "one old bedstead, one old chair and one old mattress." All of his mother's personal property was valued at fifty-five cents.

Seymour also suffered the injustice and prejudice of the reconstruction south. Violence against freedman was common and groups like the Ku Klux Klan terrorized southern Louisiana.

The young Seymour was exposed to various Christian traditions. His parents were married by a Methodist preacher; the infant William was baptized in the Roman Catholic Church in Franklin, Louisiana; and, Simon and Phillis were buried at a Baptist Church.

Many accounts of Seymour's life say he was illiterate. This is not true. He attended a freedman school in Centerville and learned to read and write. In fact, his signature shows a good penmanship.

Fleeing the poverty and oppression of life in southern Louisiana, Seymour left his home in early adulthood. He traveled and worked in Indiana, Ohio, Illinois, and other states possibly including Missouri and Tennessee. He often worked as a waiter in big city hotels.

In Indianapolis, Seymour was converted in a Methodist Church. Soon, however, he joined the Church of God Reformation movement in Anderson, Indiana. At the time, the group was called "The Evening Light Saints." While with this conservative Holiness group, Seymour was sanctified and called to preach.

In Cincinnati, Ohio after a near fatal bout with smallpox, Seymour yielded to the call to ministry. The illness left him blind in one eye and scarred his face. For the rest of his life he wore a beard to hide the scars.

In 1905, Seymour was in Houston, Texas where he heard the Pentecostal message for the first time. He attended a Bible school conducted by Charles F. Parham. Parham was the founder of the Apostolic Faith Movement, and is the father of the modern Pentecostal/Charismatic revival. At a Bible school in Topeka, Kansas, his followers had received a baptism in the Holy Spirit with the biblical evidence of speaking in tongues. (To learn more about Parham and the origins of Pentecost, see The Topeka Outpouring of 1901 available from our online bookstore. Click the title for ordering information.)

Because of the strict segregation laws of the times, Seymour was forced to sit outside the class room in the hall way. The humble servant of God bore the injustice with grace. Seymour must have been a man of keen intellect. In just a few weeks, he became familiar enough with Parham's teaching that he could teach it himself. Seymour, however, did not receive the Holy Spirit baptism with the evidence of speaking in tongues.

Parham and Seymour held joint meetings in Houston, with Seymour preaching to black audiences and Parham speaking to the white groups. Parham hoped to use Seymour to spread the Apostolic Faith message to the African-Americans in Texas.

Neely Terry, a guest from Los Angeles met Seymour while he was preaching at a small church regularly pastored by Lucy Farrar (also spelled Farrow). Farrar was also an employee of Parham and was serving his family in Kansas.

When Terry returned to Los Angeles, she persuaded the small Holiness church she attended to call Seymour to Los Angeles for a meeting. Her pastor, Julia Hutchinson, extended the invitation.

Seymour arrived in Los Angeles in February 1906. His early efforts to preach the Pentecostal message were rebuffed and he was locked out of the church. The leadership were suspicious of Seymour's doctrine, but were especially concerned that he was preaching an experience that he had not received.

Moving into the home of Edward Lee, a janitor at a local bank, Bishop Seymour began ministry with a prayer group that had been meeting regularly at the home of Richard and Ruth Asbery, at 214 North Bonnie Brae. Asbery was also employed as a janitor. Most of the worshippers were African-American, with occasional visits from whites. As the group sought God for revival, their hunger intensified.

Finally, on April 9, Lee was baptized in the Holy Spirit with the evidence of speaking in other tongues. When the news of his baptism was shared with the true believers at Bonnie Brae, a powerful outpouring followed. Many received the Holy Spirit baptism as Pentecostal revival arrived on the West Coast. That evening would be hard to describe. People fell to the floor as if unconscious, others shouted adn ran through the house. One neighbor, Jennie Evans Moore played the piano, something she did not have the ability to do before.

Over the next few days of continuous outpouring, hundreds gathered. The streets were filled and Seymour preached from the Asbery's porch. On April 12, three days after the initial outpouring, Seymour received his baptism of power.

Quickly outgrowing the Asbery home, the faithful searched for a home for a new church. They found their building at 312 Azusa Street. The mission had been built as an African Methodist Episcopal Church, but when the former tenets vacated, the upstairs sanctuary had been converted into apartments. A fire destroyed the pitched roof and it was replaced with a flat roof giving the 40 X 60 feet building the appearance of a square box. The unfinished downstairs with a low ceiling and dirt floor was used as a storage building and stable. This downstairs became the home of the Apostolic Faith Mission. Mix matched chairs and wooden planks were collected for seats and a prayer altar and two wooden crates covered by a cheap cloth became the pulpit.

From this humble location, the Pentecostal truth was spread around the world. Visitors came from locations both far and near to be part of the great revival at the Apostolic Faith Mission at 312 Azusa Street in Los Angeles.

On April 17, The Los Angeles Daily Times sent a reporter to the revival. In his article the next day, he baffooned the meeting and the pastor, calling the worshippers "a new sect of fanatics" and Seymour "an old exhorter." He mocked their glossolalia as "weird babel of tongues." More important than the critical opinions expressed by the reporter was the providential timing of his visit. The article was published on the same day as the great earthquake in San Fransciso. Southern Californians, already gripped with fear, learned of a revival where doomsday prophecies were common.

Immediately, Frank Bartleman, an itenerate evangelist and Azusa Street participant published a tract about the earthquake. Thousands of the tracts, filled with end-time prophecies, were distributed. Soon, multitudes gathered at Azusa Street. One attendee said more than a thousand at a time would crowd onto the property. Hundreds would fill the little building; others would watch from the boardwalk; and, more would overflow into the dirt street.

With the help of a stenographer and editor the mission began to publish a newspaper, The Aposotlic Faith. Seymour's sermons were transcribed and printed, along with news of the meetings and the many missionaries that were being sent forth. The papers literally spread the Pentecostal message across the globe. Circulation for the little paper passed 50,000. (Seymour's sermons have been compiled into Azusa Street Sermons, available from our online bookstore. Click the title for ordering information.) Visit the William Seymour's Sermons page on this website to read a sample sermon or learn more about the newspaper on The Apostolic Faith page.

Services at the mission were conducted three times each day at 10 AM, noon and 7 PM. They often ran together until the entire day became one worship service. This schedule was continued seven days a week for more than three years.

It was common for the lost to be saved, sick healed, demonized delivered, and seekers to be baptized in the Spirit in almost every meeting. Many of the early leaders of the Pentecostal movement received their Holy Ghost baptism or worshipped at the Azusa "plank" altar.

In 1906 when there were more lynchings of black men then in any other year of America’s history, Seymour led an interracial worship service. At Azusa Street there were no preferences for age, gender, or race. One worshipper said, "The blood of Jesus washed the color line away."

Despite all of the success, the revival faced opposition from without and within. Charles Parham, insulted by the racial compositon of the meetings and emotionalism brought the first major split. Many others followed. When Seymour married Miss Jeanne Evans Moore on May 13, 1908 another group left the mission. Two ladies in the disscenters took the main mailing lists crippling The Apostolic Faith newspaper.

Denominational churches were vicious in their attacks. (Click here to read about the critics). Not many years after the revival began only a skeleton crew, mostly black and mostly the Bonnie Brae group, kept the fire burning in the old mission.

Bishop Seymour continued to pastor the church until his death. Yet, his work was not limited to Los Angeles. He traveled extensively, establishing churches and preaching the good news. He even wrote and edited a book, The Doctrines and Discipline of the Apostolic Faith Mission to help govern the churches he had helped to birth (This book is also available from our online bookstore. Click the title for ordering information.)

On September 28, 1922, Seymour experienced chest pains and shortness of breath. Although a doctor was called, the pilgrim passed to the Cellestial City.

Some say he died from a "broken heart." Faithful to the end, his last words were "I love my Jesus so." Seymour was laid to rest in Los Angeles' Evergreen Cemetery. His gravestone reads simply, "Our Pastor."

After his passing, his loving wife, Jennie, followed him as minister at the mission. Eventually, the mission was torn down by the city of Los Angeles and the property was lost, but what happened there will never be forgotten.

For many years the pivotal role of Seymour was almost ignored by church historians. Partially, no doubt, because he was an African American. This shameful neglect, however is finally ending as more and more students of Pentecostal history learn of the importance of William J. Seymour’s role in the formation of the Pentecostal movement.

One of the first significant church historians to recognize Seymour's importance was Sidney Ahlstrom, of Yale University. In 1972, he said that Seymour was "the most influential black leader in American religious history." The Assemblies of God Theological Seminary dedicated their new chapel to Seymour's memory in 1998. As the twentieth century closed, the Religion Newswriters Association named the Azusa Street Revival as one of the top ten events of the past millennium; Life Magazine listed Azusa Street as one of the top one hundred events of the millennium; and, Christian History magazine named William J. Seymour one of the top ten Christians of the 20th century.

To learn more about Bishop Seymour and the Azusa Street revival read The Life and Ministry of William J. Seymour by Larry Martin, available from our online bookstore. (Click the title for ordering information). With 350 pages and over 100 illustrations, this is the most comprehensive book ever written on the great outpouring.
Comment by Servant J. A. C. Majors on May 6, 2010 at 3:07pm

My Vision of the Destruction of America By A. A. Allen July 4, 1954 Atop the Empire State Building
As I stood atop the Empire State Building, I could see the Statue of Liberty, illuminating the gateway to the new world. Here, spread before me like an animated map, is an area 60 or 80 miles in diameter. I was amazed that the Spirit of the Lord should so move me, there atop the Empire State building. Why should I feel such a surge of His Spirit and power there?


Giant Telescope


Suddenly I heard the voice of the Lord. It was as clear and as distinct as a voice could be. It seemed to come from the very midst of the giant telescope; but when I looked at the telescope, I knew it hadn't come from there, but directly from Heaven. The voice said, 2 CHRONICLES 16:9, "For the eyes of the LORD run to and fro throughout the whole earth, to shew himself strong in the behalf of them whose heart is perfect toward him. Herein thou has done foolishly; therefore, from henceforth thou shalt have wars." Immediately when I heard the voice of God, I knew this was a quotation of scripture; but never before had a thing come to me so forcibly by the power of the Spirit.


Automatic Clock


The ticking of the telescope stopped. The man before me had used up his dime's worth. As he stepped away, I knew that I was next. As I stepped to the telescope and dropped in my dime, immediately the ticking started again. This ticking was an automatic clock which would allow me to use the telescope for a limited time only. As I swung the telescope to the north, suddenly the Spirit of God came upon me in a way that I had never thought of before. Seemingly, in the Spirit I was entirely caught away. I knew that the telescope itself had nothing to do with the distance which I was suddenly enabled to see, for I seemed to see things far beyond the range of the telescope, even on a bright, clear day. It was simply that God had chosen this time to reveal these things to me, for as I looked through the telescope, it was not Manhattan Island that I saw, but a far larger view.


North American Continent


That morning much of the view was impaired by fog; but suddenly as the Spirit of the Lord came upon me, the fog seemed to clear until it seemed that I could see for thousands of miles, but that which I was looking upon was not Manhattan Island. It was all of the North American continent spread out before me as a map is spread upon a table. It was not the East River and the Hudson River that I saw on either side, but the Atlantic and the Pacific Oceans; and instead of the Statue of Liberty standing there in the bay on her small island, I saw her standing far out in the Gulf of Mexico. She was between me and the United States. I suddenly realized that the telescope had nothing to do with what I was seeing but that it was a vision coming directly from God; and to prove this to myself, I took my eyes away from the telescope so that I was no longer looking through the lens, but the same scene remained before me.


Great Cities


There, clear and distinct, lay all the North American continent with all its great cities. To the north lay the Great Lakes. Far to the northeast was New York City. I could see Seattle and Portland far to the northwest. Down the west coast there were San Francisco and Los Angeles. Closer in the foreground lay New Orleans at the center of the Gulf Coast area. I could see the great towering ranges of the Rocky Mountains and trace with my eye the Continental Divide. All this and more I could see spread out before me as a great map upon a table.


Gigantic Hand


As I looked, suddenly from the sky I saw a giant hand reach down. That gigantic hand was reaching out toward the Statue of Liberty. In a moment her gleaming torch was torn from her hand, and in it instead was placed a cup; and I saw protruding from that great cup a giant sword, shining as if a great light had been turned upon its glistening edge. Never before had I seen such a sharp, glistening, dangerous sword. It seemed to threaten all the world. As the great cup was placed in the hand of the Statue of Liberty, I heard these words, "Thus saith the Lord of hosts, drink ye and be drunken and spew and fall and rise no more because of the sword which I will send." As I heard these words, I recognized them as a quotation from Jeremiah 25:27. I was amazed to hear the Statue of Liberty speak out in reply, "I WILL NOT DRINK!" Then as the voice of the thunder, I heard again the voice of the Lord saying, "Ye shall certainly drink" (Jeremiah 25:28). Then suddenly the giant hand forced the cup to the lips of the Statue of Liberty, and she became powerless to defend herself. The mighty hand of God forced her to drink every drop from the cup. As she drank the bitter dregs, these were the words that I heard: "Should ye be utterly unpunished? Ye shall not be unpunished, for I will call for a sword upon all the inhabitants of the earth, saith the Lord of hosts" (Jeremiah 27:29)


War, , Destruction


When the cup was withdrawn from the lips of the Statute of Liberty, I noticed the sword was missing from the cup, which could mean but one thing. THE CONTENTS OF THE CUP HAD BEEN COMPLETELY CONSUMED! I knew that the sword merely typified war, , and destruction, which is no doubt on the way. Then as one drunken on too much wine, I saw the Statue of Liberty become unsteady on her feet and begin to stagger and to lose her balance. I saw her splashing in the gulf, trying to regain her balance. I saw her stagger again and again and fall to her knees. As I saw her desperate attempts to regain her balance and rise to her feet again, my heart was moved as never before with compassion for her struggles; but as she staggered there in the gulf, once again I heard these words: "Drink ye and be drunken and spew and fall and rise no more because of the sword which I will send among you" (Jeremiah 25:37).

As I watched, I wondered if the Statue of Liberty would ever be able to regain her feet, if she would ever stand again; and as I watched, it seemed that with all her power she struggled to rise and finally staggered to her feet again and stood there swaying drunkenly. I felt sure that at any moment she would fall again, possibly never to rise. I seemed overwhelmed with a desire to reach out my hand to keep her head above water, for I knew that if she ever fell again, she would drown there in the gulf. "Thou shalt not be afraid for the by night, nor for the arrow that flyeth by day, nor for the pestilence that walketh in darkness, nor for the destruction that wasteth at noonday" (Psalms 91:5-6).


Black Cloud Rising


Then as I watched, another amazing thing was taking place. Far to the northwest, just out over Alaska, a huge, black cloud was arising. As it rose, it was as black as night. It seemed to be in the shape of a man's head. As it continued to arise, I observed two light spots in the black cloud. It rose further, and a gaping hole appeared. I could see that the black cloud was taking the shape of a skull, for now the huge, white, gaping mouth was plainly visible. Finally, the head was complete. Then the shoulders began to appear; and on either side, long, black arms.


Skeleton Destroys Multitudes


It seemed that what I saw was the entire North American continent, spread out like a map upon a table with this terrible skeleton-formed cloud arising from behind the table. It rose steadily until the form was visible down to the waist. At the waist the skeleton seemed to bend toward the United States, stretching forth a hand toward the east and one toward the west, one toward New York and one toward Seattle. As the awful form stretched forward, I could see that its entire attention seemed to be focused upon the United States, overlooking Canada at least for the time being. As I saw the horrible black cloud in the form of a skeleton bending toward America, bending from the waist over, reaching down toward Chicago and out toward both coasts, I knew its one interest was to destroy the multitudes.


Mortal Agony


As I watched in horror, the great black cloud stopped just above the Great Lakes region and turned its face toward New York City. Then out of the horrible, great gaping mouth began to appear wisps of white vapor which looked like smoke, as a cigarette smoker would blow puffs of smoke from his mouth. These whitish vapors were being blown toward New York City. The smoke began to spread until it had covered all the eastern part of the United States. Then the skeleton turned to the west and out of the horrible mouth and nostrils came another great puff of white smoke. This time it was blown in the direction of the west coast. In a few moments' time the entire West Coast and Los Angeles area were covered with its vapors.

Then toward the center came a third great puff. As I watched, St. Louis and Kansas City were enveloped in its white vapors. Then on they came toward New Orleans. Then on they swept until they reached the Statue of Liberty where she stood staggering drunkenly in the blue waters of the gulf. As the white vapors began to spread around the head of the statue, she took in but one gasping breath and then began to cough as though to rid her lungs of the horrible vapors she had inhaled. One could readily discern by the coughing that those white vapors had seared her lungs. What were these white vapors? Could they signify bacteriological warfare or nerve gas that could destroy multitudes of people in a few moments' time? Then I heard the voice of God as He spoke again: "Behold, the LORD maketh the earth empty and maketh it waste and turneth it upside-down and scattereth abroad the inhabitants thereof. And it shall be, as with the people, so with the priest; as with the servant, so with his master; as with the maid, so with her ; as with the buyer, so with the seller; as with the lender, so with the borrower; as with the taker of usury, so with the giver of usury to him. The land shall be utterly emptied and utterly spoiled, for the LORD hath spoken this word. The earth mourneth and fadeth away. The world languisheth and fadeth away. The haughty people of the earth do languish. The earth also is defiled under the inhabitants thereof because they have transgressed the laws, changed the ordinance, broken the everlasting covenant; therefore, hath the curse devoured the earth, and they that dwell therein are desolate; therefore, the inhabitants of the earth are burned and few men left" (Isaiah 24:1-6)

As I watched, the coughing grew worse. It sounded like a person about to cough out his lungs. The Statue of Liberty was moaning and groaning. She was in mortal agony. The pain must have been terrific, as again and again she tried to clear her lungs of those horrible white vapors. I watched her there in the gulf as she staggered, clutching her lungs and her breast with her hands. Then she fell to her knees. In a moment she gave one final cough, made a last desperate effort to rise from her knees, and then fell face forward into the waters of the gulf and lay still as . Tears ran down my face as I realized that she was ! Only the lapping of the waves, splashing over her body which was partly under the water and partly out of the water, broke the stillness.

"A fire devoureth before them, and behind them a flame burneth; the land is as the Garden of Eden before them, and behind them a desolate wilderness, yea, and nothing shall escape them". Screaming of Sirens Suddenly the silence was shattered by the screaming of sirens. The sirens seemed to scream, "RUN FOR YOUR LIVES!"

Never before had I heard such shrill, screaming sirens. They seemed to be everywhere to the north, the south, the east, and the west. There seemed to be multitudes of sirens; and as I looked, I saw people everywhere running, but it seemed none of them ran more than a few paces, and then they fell. And even as I had seen the Statue of Liberty struggling to regain her poise and balance and finally falling for the last time to die on her face, I now saw millions of people falling in the streets, on the sidewalks, struggling. I heard their screams for mercy and help. I heard their horrible coughing as though their lungs had been seared with fire. I heard the moanings and groanings of the doomed and the dying. As I watched, a few finally reached shelters, but only a few ever got to the shelters.

Above the moaning and the groaning of the dying multitudes, I heard these words: "A noise shall come even to the ends of the earth, for the Lord hath a controversy with the nations. He will plead with all flesh; he will give them that are wicked to the sword, saith the Lord. Thus saith the Lord of hosts, Behold, evil shall go forth from nation to nation, and a great whirlwind shall be raised up from the coasts of the earth, and the slain of the Lord shall be at that day from one end of the earth even unto the other end of the earth. They shall not be lamented, neither gathered, nor buried; they shall be dung upon the ground" (Jeremiah 25:31-33).


Rocket Missile Attacks


Then suddenly I saw from the Atlantic and from the Pacific and out of the Gulf rocket-like objects that seemed to come up like fish leaping out of the water. High into the air they leaped, each headed in a different direction, but every one toward the United States. On the ground the sirens screamed louder, and up from the ground I saw similar rockets beginning to ascend. To me these appeared to be interceptor rockets although they arose from different points all over the United States; however, none of them seemed to be successful in intercepting the rockets that had risen from the ocean on every side. These rockets finally reached their maximum height, slowly turned over and fell back toward the earth in defeat. Then suddenly the rockets which had leaped out of the oceans like fish all exploded at once. The explosion was ear-splitting. The next thing which I saw was a huge ball of fire. The only thing I have ever seen which resembled the thing I saw in my vision was the picture of the explosion of the H-bomb somewhere in the South Pacific. In my vision it was so real that I seemed to feel a searing heat from it.


Widespread Desolation


As the vision spread before my eyes and I viewed the widespread desolation brought about by the terrific explosions, I could not help thinking, While the defenders of our nation have quibbled over what means of defense to use and neglected the only true means of defense faith and dependence upon the true and living God the thing which she greatly feared has come unto her! How true it has proven in Psalms 127:1: Except the Lord build the house, they labour in vain that build it; except the Lord keep the city, the watchman waketh but in vain."

Then as the noise of battle subsided, to my ears came this quotation: "Blow ye the trumpet in Zion and sound an alarm in my holy mountain; let all the inhabitants of the land tremble, for the day of the Lord cometh, for it is nigh at hand. 2. A day of darkness and of gloominess, a day of clouds and of thick darkness, as the morning spread upon the mountains, a great people and a strong, there hath not been ever the like, neither shall be any more after it, even to the years of many generations. 3. A fire devoureth before them, and behind them a flame burneth; the land is as the Garden of Eden before them, and behind them a desolate wilderness, yea, and nothing shall escape them. 4. The appearance of them is as the appearance of horses; and as horsemen, so shall they run. 5. Like the noise of chariots on the tops of mountains shall they leap, like the noise of a flame of fire that devoureth the stubble, as a strong people set in battle array. 6. Before their face the people shall be much pained; all faces shall gather blackness. 7. They shall run like mighty men; they shall climb the wall like men of war, and they shall march every one on his ways, and they shall not break their ranks. 8. Neither shall one thrust another; they shall walk every one in his path; and when they fall upon the sword, they shall not be wounded. 9. They shall run to and fro in the city; they shall run upon the wall; they shall climb up upon the houses; they shall enter in at the windows like a thief. 10. The earth shall quake before them; the heavens shall tremble; the sun and the moon shall be dark,, and the stars shall withdraw their shining (Joel 2:1-10).


The Silence of


Then the voice was still. The earth, too was silent with the silence of . Then to my ears came another sound a sound of distant singing. It was the sweetest music I had ever heard. There was joyful shouting and sounds of happy laughter. Immediately I knew it was the rejoicing of the saints of God. I looked, and there, high in the heavens, above the smoke and poisonous gases, above the noise of the battle, I saw a huge mountain. It seemed to be of solid rock, and I knew at once that this was the Mountain of the Lord. The sounds of music and rejoicing were coming from a cleft high up in the side of the rock mountain.


Hidden in the Cleft


It was the saints of God who were doing the rejoicing. It was God's own people who were singing and dancing and shouting with joy, safe from all the harm which had come upon the earth, for they were hidden away in the cleft of the rock. There in the cleft they were shut in, protected by a great, giant hand which reached out of the heavens and which was none other than the hand of God, shutting them in until the storm be over passed.
Comment by Servant J. A. C. Majors on May 6, 2010 at 3:05pm

Asa Alonzo Allen was born in Sulphur Rock , Arkansas on March 27, 1911. He had a deeply unhappy childhood. His parents were alcoholic, his mother was unfaithful and he grew up in dire poverty. His mother would put him to bed, as a baby, with alcohol in his bottle to keep him quiet. As a young boy AA would make some extra money by singing on the street corners. At the age of 14, feeling desperate to leave the misery of home behind, he ran away. He bummed rides, hopped freight trains, and did odd jobs. By the age of 21 he was an alcoholic like his parents.

Driving by a church service, in 1934, he heard the sound of joyous singing. Curious he went into the meeting. A woman evangelist was preaching. He went to the meeting again the next night and committed his life to Christ. He began to turn his life around. There was no work where he was so he moved to Colorado to work on a ranch. He met a young woman named Lexie Scriven, and they were married in 1936. Allen had a desire to preach the gospel that had changed him. The couple would chop wood to make money and then travel to small towns to preach the gospel. This was the depression and offerings came in amounts of pennies at a time.

In 1936 he took a pastorate in Holly, Colorado a small town near the Kansas border. His first child had been born. Allen was ordained as an Assembly of God minister during his time there. During this pastorate, Allen fasted and prayed and God met him. He was given a list of thirteen things that would cause him to see the power of God in his ministry. Many of these items focused on total consecration to God and laying down sin. God told him if he did all of these things he would see healings and miracles.

He left the pastorate and began to hold evangelistic meetings. In Missouri a coal miner who had been blind for several years was healed. Allen held meetings and was constantly on the road. This was a strain for Lexie and their four children. Income was not stable and the responsibility was wearing on her. In 1947 Allen accepted a call to pastor a church in Corpus Christi, Texas. He wanted to settle down and have a family life. The church blossomed. Allen had a vision for reaching more people. He wanted to start a radio ministry. The church turned him down and he was devastated. He realized, over time, the enemy had taken advantage of his hurt and attacked him

In 1949 the healing revival, notably led by William Branham, was making news. He was incredulous at first, but felt stirred to look into what was happening. He went to an Oral Roberts tent revival meeting. He realized as he watched what was happening that this was the ministry God had called him to. He had been unwilling to pay the price to see it, however. He resigned his pastorate, in 1950, and began holding evangelistic meetings. People would be healed in their seats as he preached. He also had his first article in the influential "Voice of Healing" magazine.

In 1951 he bought his first tent. By 1953 he was on radio stations across the US, Mexico, Cuba, and Latin America. Rumors began to pop up about him in 1955. His struggle with alcohol was a constant theme. He was pulled over for drunk driving in Knoxville, Tennessee and paid the fine so he could continue his ministry. The Assembly of God organization asked him to pull out of ministry for awhile to clear up the issue. He felt that it was a play on their part to save their reputation. He resigned and continued the ministry. He also resigned from the "Voice of Healing" association.

Allen continued as an independent minister. He started his own magazine called "Miracle Magazine", which by the end of 1956 had over 200,000 subscribers. He began the Miracle Revival Fellowship aimed at ordaining ministers and supporting missions. He came under intense pressure and attack as other healing ministers began to pull back. He style, which was always aggressive, became increasingly flamboyant. In an attempt to prove his critics wrong some of his healing and miracle stories appeared to be exaggerated. As the healing movement became increasingly segmented he began to attack "denominationalism".

In 1958, he felt called to build a Bible school in Phoenix, Arizona. Someone donated 1250 acres of land, which he dubbed Miracle Valley. He also began shifting from healing to a prosperity message. In 1960 he built a 4000 seat church on the land. In the 60's he and his wife separated and he became afflicted with arthritis. He was sued for $300,000 in back taxes. Still he pressed on with his ministry taking young evangelists with him to train them. In 1970 he wrote his autobiography titled Born to Lose, Bound to Win with co-author Walter Wagner.


Allen died in a hotel after flying to California to see a doctor about knee pain. He was using pain killers for the arthritis and there was alcohol in his blood. The coroner declared he was an alcoholic. Don Stewart, in his book "Only Believe", talks about his close association with Allen and gives a balanced view of his ministry.
Comment by Servant J. A. C. Majors on May 6, 2010 at 2:59pm

Bishop Charles Harrison Mason Most Influential Spiritual Leader
of the Twentieth Century
A revival broke out in Los Angeles, California on a "Street" called Azusa Street and conducted by the anointed evangelist W. J. Seymour. Bishop Mason, who at that time was a young minister, impressed by holiness and sanctification, was moved by the Holy Spirit to attend this revival. At this revival he was baptized in the Holy Spirit.

Elder Mason came back to Memphis, Tennessee sharing his experience and teaching this New Testament doctrine which would help others experience a deeper holy life. Also, he began to establish churches, the name of which was revealed to him several years before the Azusa Street Revival. The name that God revealed to him for this organization was the "Church of God in Christ", which because of his anointed ministry and vision, has become the 5th largest Black Pentecostal organization in the world and the 5th largest denomination in the United States. One of the churches that was established by Bishop Mason was in Norfolk, Virginia in 1906 where a great revival took place. Bishop Mason preached in the street at the Ferry Terminal on Commercial Place where over 6000 people received salvation. Out of this revival the Mother Church of God in Christ, 744 Goff Street, Norfolk, VA was born.

After the death of Bishop Mason in 1961, the Church was renamed the C. H. Mason Memorial Church of God in Christ by Bishop D. Lawrence Williams who, because of his love and respect for the founder, felt that a memorial of lasting memory to the life of Bishop Mason should be established.
 

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