Two Are Better Than One

2010-07-17 - ADULLAM BEGINNINGS - from “UNDER HIS WINGS”

“THE OUTPOURING OF THE SPIRIT ON ADULLAM”

It was when we had forty children in the Adullam Home that the mighty outpouring of the Holy Spirit came upon us, as told about in my book, “Visions Beyond the Veil.” That outpouring was not only wonderful; it was also unique. I have never in Christian literature read of any outpouring of the Holy Spirit like it. In the past there have been as wonderful visions of the unseen world to individuals, as recorded in my published books. This outpouring on Adullam was uniquein that the same visions were simultaneouslyseen by whole groups of children. Another unusual thing was that these children were not only given visions and revelation of the New Testament order but also were caused to demonstrate New Testament Spirit-inspired preaching and the exercise of some of the gifts of the Spirit.

I know of no such a clear revelation of the kingdom of the “spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places.” Ephesians 6:12. Many of the Adullam people visited these habitations. Neither do I know of any such clear and complete revelations of the demon world about us on earthas were given these children. Some of our most ignorant children came to know more about the devil's invisible kingdom in the heavenlies and his kingdom on earth among men than is known among our church leaders today. Between what all of our Adullam children came to know about these two realms of the devil's kingdom and the ignorance of our leaders and laity, the gap is astonishingly wide.

For instance, an evangelist of world-wide reputation used of the Lord to heal the sick, cast our devils, and hold tremendous mass meetings speaks of demons as being fallen angels. The Bible does notgive even a hint of such a thing. Did this man know what demons look like, he would see that his idea is ridiculous. A very small Adullam child could have taught this big leader, and all of the other Adullam people would have sanctioned what the child said.

It is my opinion that the whole Christian world from the highest in rank to the lowest in the pew could have done as I did; sit at the feet of these Spirit-anointed, naturally ignorant and untalented children, and have learned much about the kingdom of Satan and the invisible worlds.

That visions and revelations of the devil's kingdom as given these children were basicand reliable, I had plenty of chance to prove in my subsequent missionary work in the mountains in my contacts with the devil's kingdom. By investigating these things from many authentic sources I found that these sources all corroborate the revelations given Adullam concerning the invisible part of the kingdom of God.

A highly educated, Spirit-baptized, lowly and humble man being used by the Lord to lead students in some of our largest modernistic universities into the baptism of the Holy Spirit, in passing through Formosa called to see me. He wanted a copy of “Visions Beyond the Veil.” He had read it and now wanted a copy of his own. He impressed me as being as child-like as our Adullam children. Thus it was he wanted to sit down with them and learn about the kingdom of God and the kingdom of the devil. The reader of these lines would do well to get one of those books and also sit down among the former children-vagabonds, and learn some of the profoundest things.

I can do no better than here quote the circular used in making known the contents of this book-account of the outpouring of the Holy Spirit on Adullam. It is as follows:

You have never read its like. That's one thing sure. No such message ever came from behind what is now the China “bamboo curtain.” Here were little Chinese beggar boys picked up from the dirty streets - ragged, filthy, lousy and some of them as tough and rough as you could find.

Here was a group of China's lowest and poorest, gathered in, given a bath and clean clothes, and told about a loving Savior Who stoops down low enough to embrace and save the lowest. This message from America to those who were “nothing” was acceptable. Jesus knew it. He gathered up these outcasts, off-scouring of China, and took them to where He is in heaven, to make them messengers to God's people all around the world.

The curtain that hides us from the invisible was drawn aside. These one-time nobodies from the gutter, singly and in groups, time after time, “in the body or out of the body”, they knew not which, were taken to Paradise. Together they wandered about talking to one another (we heard them); going with angelic guides through heaven's glorious parks and visiting jeweled mansions. They talked with Bible saints of old. They played by crystal streams with boy companions who had previously died and preceded them to heaven. They saw and talked with Jesus. They worshiped at His throne.

Many times they were taken to hell and saw demons dragging victims down. They talked with the lost in hell. They saw the demon world and the demons about us and described this in more completeness than we have ever read in Christian literature. Even the best of Christian leaders seem to have but little idea of the demon world compared to what these children saw face to face.

These teachable and leadable children also visited the first heaven, the realm of “the principalities and powers of the air,” the realm of the fallen angels against which “we wrestle.” They saw the thrones and heard the wranglings of these agents of the devil who wield such controlling power over rulers and kingdoms of the world. They saw the Devil himself, “that old dragon,” and they saw the anti-Christ and much of his end and work.

Angels were about them and in their midst, sometimes dancing with the children. At times angels turned the whole place into such heaven that those who could not see them could feel their presence.

These children, some of whom had never heard of future mysteries, had revelations of the end of all things. They saw the last war of the ages. They saw the Lord return with angelic hosts, destroy the wicked and cast the devil into the pit and shut him in. Graves of the righteous dead burst open and the glorious resurrection was seen.

After all this the children were told to preach to all men that the end of all things is at hand. Under the anointing of the Holy Spirit, children less than ten years of age could preach to the lost. Little did they or anyone else know that these things given them from heaven were to go clear around the world to men and women of many tribes, races and tongues.

Strange, but some of the youngest and least informed and most ignorant received as deep and wonderful revelations as the older and better informed ones. China's lowest of the low were taken to high heaven's highest and sent back to tell the story, the story of redeeming grace - Jesus' love for all the lowest of men.

This unusual, mighty outpouring of the Holy Spirit was notprimarily for the benefit of the Adullam children. By grace in God's plan these revelations were given to the children for them to give me to give to God's children everywhere. Although at the time of this outpouring the Holy Spirit came upon me in mighty power, and at that time I entered into a better and deeper experience of the Lord, yet during nearly all of the time of this outpouring I was so hindered by hoarseness that I could scarcely speak above a whisper. Consequently, I could not speak enough to lead any meetings or lead in prayer and song. The Lord and the children had full charge of all meetings, day and night. I was mostly a spectator, a listener, and a reporter. I was to sit and receive in order to arise and give.

I wondered why this outpouring with such remarkable revelations came to these Adullam children rather than to others. My conclusion was that there were three apparent reasons for the revelations coming to Adullam. One reason, I thought, was because these children were responsive. They were yieldedto any movements of the Holy Spirit without any preconceived ideas as to His method of working. Adults could not be so pliable mentally and physically as were the children. Jesus said that the kingdom of heaven is revealed to babes, babes such as these.

In the second place, it was to Adullam this visitation from heaven came, partly, I think, because by coming to us, Iwould not hinder attendant physical manifestations such as are a part of mighty outpourings of the Spirit. The children acted outtheir visions by many remarkable and unusual physical manifestations. The Lord long ago taught me to keep my hands off the Lord's hands. I was to interfere with only what was clearly from the devil.

These manifestations attending the contacts between God and man are naturally more than man's methods. I am convinced that at times of outpourings of the Holy Spirit, many ignorant yet well-meaning saints are so afraid of manifestations being “in the flesh,” as they say, that they themselves act in fleshly nonsense. There is much in this effort to bring the Lord's affairs in line with man's idea of decorum, that amounts to man's trying to direct God rather than to follow Him.

I know so little about what may take place when the mighty power of God comes down, that I am thankful that He taught me to keep my fleshly hands off when He lays His divine hands on flesh. I suppose that almost all missionaries and preachers, had they been in my place, would have interfered with the extraordinary manifestations among the Adullam children to such an extent that there would have been no “Visions Beyond the Veil” book to write, for there would have been nothing unusual to write about.

Thus it was that in coming to Adullam, Jesus came to a group that was pliableand moldable; it was at the same time a place where His activities would be unmolested.

In the third place, I am quite certain that these revelations came to and through Adullam partly because I would gladly accept such and publish them abroad as Jesus desired. Although at the time of this gracious visitation from heaven I had no idea how it was to be done, I sincerely wished that others might know about this visitation that had meant so much to me. To write a book was far from my thought. I did expect, however, to report this outpouring to our own constituency through our bulletin, The Adullam News, which we sent out from time to time.

When it came time to send out the next edition of The Adullam News,and I was going to write a chapter about that visitation from God, I had no unction to write. Every bit of write-spirit left me. Later when I tried again to write that chapter my mind was “murky”. It was easier to sleep than to write. All of my writing-fire had been watered out. This sort of thing went on for several days. Do you know why? I can answer in one word - the devil. Every time I had tried to write about those marvelous revelations from God, a company of devils about me put me under a cloud.

What could I do? Persist and resist and trust Jesus and the powers of God to triumphantly make the powers of the devil fly away. That's the secret. Never let up. Hang on to the plow handle.

The angels must have come down. Victorious in their battle with those hindering devils, they now kindled the fire and fanned it. Light from heaven must have shone about me. My pen could not move fast enough as it seemed almost to write automatically that first chapter about the outpouring of the Spirit on Adullam.

Two months later when I attempted to write another chapter about that wonderful visitation the devil must have found out about it and sent another gang of his devils to hinder me. I had no difficulty in writing the other articles for our booklet. Not so this chapter about the revelations. My first try to write was no good. Try number two. No good. After many vain efforts, as before, the angels prevailed and I wrote chapter two under the anointing of the Holy Spirit. It was a year or more by the time I had written the last chapter of the story. Every chapter was written only after a fight with the devil for about two weeks. Had eyes been open to see what was going on in the world of spirits, they would no doubt have seen angels and devils in conflict around me. Readers of “Visions Beyond the Veil” will understand this. As it was, the devil fought every effort to write the account of those revelations, and yielded ground only inch by inch when forced to do so. Why? Because these revelations were to be written and sent out far and wide to God's people. How? I had no idea.

After all copies of our booklet were gone readers kept writing for more copies that gave an account of that heavenly visitation. So it was that I assembled the chapters on the subject and sent the book that I called “Visions Beyond the Veil” to our regular constituency - our friends.

Although in my opinion I knew nothing about writing, printing, and distributing books for the public, almost before I knew it other editions of this first book were going into circulation.

It has now been over thirty years since that first edition was published. More copies have gone into circulation the last two years than in any such previous period. An eleventh edition in English has just been printed. These revelations, like those in the Bible, will never grow old. This book has been published in periodicals as a series, in English and in other languages. Without any initiative on my part, and in some cases without my knowledge, “Visions Beyond the Veil” has been translated and published in six or seven foreign languages. A fourth edition has recently been published in the Finnish language.

I have now done the best I can to give some idea of the out-pouring of the Holy Spirit on Adullam. I feel that this account goes further in making clear these realities than anything I have tried to describe. There were two main outpourings, the second of which was after we had moved to the Agricultural Experiment Station in Kunming. Yunnan Province. At the times of these mighty visitations everything else stopped for two weeks or more, while we were living in the realms of the other world.

In two weeks in this school of the Holy Spirit, through the Adullam children I learned more about the kingdom of God and the kingdom of Satan than I could have learned in six years in a theological seminary.

Two of our smallest boys were used by the Lord to teach me much. For months, when all of the other children had left the prayer room and gone to bed these two small boys would remain in the room lost in the Spirit. I sat by these boys for hours listening to them when they lay in a trance talking to each other about what they were in vision seeing in the invisible worlds. All of my books fail to make known allthat I learned from our Adullam children as used by the Lord when under the anointing of the Holy Spirit.

NOTE: “Under His Wings” is the autobiography of H.A. (Harold) Baker, 562 pages, now out of print; probably written in Formosa during the last stage of his ministry with his wife Josephine. “Visions Beyond the Veil” was written in the late '20's - and a copy came into my hands as a new believer in the Canadian Navy in 1944. Needless to say, it was one of 5-6 veryformative books in my life for the last 66 years. I recently met his daughter-in-law Marjorie Baker, widow from her marriage with James, a most valuable son to both God and the H.A. Bakers. “Under His Wings” fell into my hands quite unexpectedly in 1997 in Tacoma WA.

H.A. Baker's grandson Rolland ministers in Mozambique with his wife Heidi. He has recently re-edited his grandfather's first book, “Visions Beyond the Veil”, which you can obtain through their Website <www.IrisMin.com>. Few life-changing books can come into your hands more powerful than this one. J.A.W.