The Heavenly Choir

Fri Aug 17 12:54:57 PDT 2007

*"TWO ARE BETTER THAN ONE" MINISTRIES*

*Jim & Marie Watt – Beth Chesed, **Tacoma***

*PO Box **25116 – Federal Way** **WA** **98023-5640***

*Web: www.2rbetter.org – Fax: 253.474.0189*

*Tel: 253.874.4265 – Email: jmbetter at gmail.com*

*August 16, 2007***

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*"THE HEAVENLY CHOIR -- AND MUCH MORE"*

*(A Tribute to Maria Woodworth-Etter, 1844-1924)*

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Most of you will have heard of Mother Etter, and the unusual way in which
God used her. In her day women preachers were practically unknown. When God
called her to this assignment, with great difficulty and hesitation she
obeyed. Though she was saved at age 13, it took her until age 35 before she
fully launched out in obedience. To encourage her, God took 5 of her 6
children Home to be with Himself before she finally yielded.

But once she launched out into the deep, there was no turning back for this
evangelistic speaker. With ceaseless energy right to the end, she and her
teams conducted city-wide Festivals that swept 100's of 1000's into the
Kingdom of God, with countless 1000's healed of many ailments given up by
doctors. Miracles of healing took place – and multitudes baptized in the
Spirit. A ministry without God's Spirit-anointing, will be a dry ministry.

Not only did she diligently prosecute the assignment God gave her right up
to the last months of her life, but she did so in a spirit of grace and
wisdom. Here is a quotation from a message she preached in 1913 on
"Instructions to Ministers and Christian Workers: Neglect not the gift that
is in you." –

            "Don't denounce churches. Don't denounce the Catholics.
Catholics won't come in for fear you will denounce them. I never mention
Catholics. I never denounce any particular church. We can show the signs of
the formalist in a general way, and they see they have been fed on chaff,
and they know they are frozen to death and will want to get alive. Let us
hold up Jesus; and if we do that, these antagonistic spirits will get
ashamed. They will find themselves lacking. If you blow the trumpet, show
the people a supernatural God, and give them the light on what is coming in
the millennial age – that they will be kings and priests – they will realize
that the King is in our midst in power and might and glory.

            "Anyone that will call upon God in the right way shall be saved.
He is pouring out His Spirit upon the sons and daughters. There is a special
ministry for the women in these days. The sign that brought the people
together when the five thousand were converted was healing, and there would
have probably been ten thousand if they hadn't broken up the meeting. Five
thousand as a result of this one man healed, and from that healing the
disciples preached the mighty works of God.

            "So the great revivals all through the New Testament were the
result of somebody getting healed. Aeneas was eighty years afflicted, like
the man the other day, only this man was probably in a worse condition than
Aeneas; he could not bend himself, could not open his mouth, could not even
move his eyes or his head. Soon he was able to stand on his feet; he had
been carried in and while we were singing he ran down the aisle and down the
stairs without taking hold of the banisters, and down the street. And all
that saw him glorified God as the people did when Aeneas was healed. There
are scores to get saved and healed, so you will always have the miraculous,
if the signs follow. God is going to draw in such as can be saved to see the
mighty works.

            "Paul said to Timothy, "Stir up the gift of God, which is in
you" (2 Timothy 1:6). If there is any gift God is showing you that you ought
to have, you can receive it by the laying on of hands. It is not so much
what you say about the baptism in the Holy Spirit, but what they see you
have. We can talk until we are hoarse and they won't be convinced, but the
power of God convinces them. Don't wait for manifestations before you go
forth and do something. When you are weakest, then you are strong. Let us go
out and work miracles."

In 1944 shortly after God revealed His Son to me in the Canadian Navy,
someone lent me a copy of "Forty Years of Signs & Wonders in the Life of
Mrs. Maria Woodworth-Etter." One part especially riveted my attention – The
Heavenly Choir! As I read and pondered upon this miraculous and
extraordinary manifestation, I heard the Holy Spirit whisper in my spirit –
"In the not too distant future, you will see this manifestation restored."

In 1945 I was discharged from the Navy following World War II. God
sovereignly led me to Bethel Bible Institute of Saskatoon, Saskatchewan,
where George R. Hawtin served as Founder and Principal. His brother Ern met
me shortly after I arrived, and greeted me with these words: "You are called
to be a preacher – and don't you ever forget it!"

I will admit I was impressed, as I was 22, and he was 12 years my senior. I
shared with him about God's revelation to me concerning the restoration of
the Heavenly Choir in the not too distant future. It was yet 3 years to the
month before this came to pass. Again – Ern Hawtin precipitated this event.
He received permission from his older brother George to have me share this
revelation in Edmonton in October of 1948, and the rest is history.

Here however are several quotations taken from "Maria Wordworth Etter – The
Complete Collection of Her Teachings" compiled by Roberts Liardon, ISBN
1-57778-122-8, copyright 2000, USA, Tel: 949/833-3555 – Web: *
www.robertsliardon.org*

>From March, 1913, "Triumphs of Faith," Mrs. Etter's Meetings in Oakland, by
the Editor Carrie Judd Montgomery. – p. 448.

            Sometimes a wonderful wave of praise and joy would strike the
audience, and many faces would shine with heavenly rapture. On one occasion,
there was a marvelous heavenly anthem in which many voices joined. One lady
who is herself quite a musician, who had never heard anything of the kind,
said afterwards to me with surprise and pleasure: "I think some angels must
have been helping."

            Since I began to write this article, a lady (almost a stranger
to me) said over the phone: "I never expect to be as near heaven again while
on earth as I was in those meetings." And then she added about Mrs. Etter,
"How wonderful she was in always pointing us to Jesus and never letting
anyone get their eyes upon her." Yes, praise God that was true. She begged
the Christians to hold her up in prayer while she preached.

August 5, 1916, "The Weekly Evangel," Further Report of Mrs. Etter's
Petoskey, Michigan Meeting. – p. 512.

            The heavenly choir, with the swelling notes from the invisible
instruments of music, is heard in a wonderful way and then music, as sweet
and soft as the sighing of the summer breezes; also sounds as of the
warbling of birds. No words can describe these things.

March 24, 1917, "The Weekly Evangel," The Etter Meetings in Los Angeles,
California – p. 524.

            Many testified during the same meeting that while the power was
falling, and the "heavenly chorus" was being sung, the Lord reached down and
completely healed their bodies.

("Heavenly chorus" – possibly a reference to singing in the Spirit, that is,
singing spontaneously created tunes in their own language and in tongues)

April 7, 1917, "The Weekly Evangel," The Etter Meetings in Los Angeles,
California – p. 525.

            We are utterly at a loss for words to express the depth and
sweetness as well as the power in these meetings. It is truly wonderful.
Souls are coming through at almost every service. The singing of the
heavenly choir is characterized by a harmony surpassing that of the most
skillfully trained voices. And then in a low, sweet voice, like the dove
answering one another from the branches of different trees, the Spirit
speaks back and forth from one to another over the audience, reminding one
of the words in the Song of Solomon: "The voice of the turtle is heard in
the land."

August, 1918, "The Pentecostal Herald," Sister Etter's Meetings, -- p. 533.

            They are coming from nearly every state and also Canada. God is
drawing them, as the eagles are drawing the carcass. It just seems that
night after night as the heavenly choir comes forth, heaven and earth come
together and the heavenly birds come down and sing as they did to the
shepherds on the hills of Galilee. Neighbors are coming in and crowds are
increasing all the time.

November, 1918, "The "Pentecostal Herald," Ainsworth, Nebraska, p. 538.

            The large audiences were held with a wonderful grip and gave the
closest attention to the strong messages of our dear sister now more than
seventy-four years old. The singing of the "heavenly choir" impressed the
people deeply, and the hush upon the entire audience as Sister Etter was
held motionless for some time by the Spirit was wonderful.

July 22, 1922, "The Pentecostal Evangel," Woodworth-Etter Meeting, Forth
Worth, Texas, p. 571

            This was a real Pentecostal meeting in which the manifestations
of the Spirit were welcome; and the Lord came forth in tongues and
interpretations; and at times the heavenly choir was heard with great
spiritual uplift.

"Work of the Holy Spirit," taken from "Signs and Wonders God Wrought in the
Ministry of M. B. Woodworth-Etter," p. 675

            How can we sing in the heavenly choir unless we are filled with
the Holy Spirit? John heard the song of the redeemed like the rushing of
might waters. (Revelation 1:15 & 5:9-13). It is the Holy Spirit; it rolls up
and sounds like the rushing of many waters. We have heard the heavenly music
and many times there are sounds like instruments playing. The Holy Spirit
sings through the people. God is working in mysterious ways these days, and
I bless Him for it.

            The Holy Spirit will sing through us. He is training us to sing
at the marriage supper of the Lamb. We shall not all die, but we shall all
be changed; we shall have a glorious body like Jesus and shall rise to meet
Him in the air, full of joy.

>From "Dancing in the Spirit is Victory," Has a Place in the Church – Is the
Expression of Holy Joy – Taken from "Spirit-Filled Sermons." – pp. 727-729.

            God has never done a greater miracle nor demonstrated His
presence in so great a cloud of glory as at this time. While under the
inspiration and light of His presence, their whole bodies and spirits were
going out in love, the whole multitude of women, Miriam the prophetess and
leader, leading them forth to praise the Lord with dancing, shouting, and
music, singing a NEW SONG just given by the Spirit that had never been sung
before. Do you call that foolishness? No, they were praising the Lord in the
dance and song as they were moved by the mighty power of God.

            Moses also led the hosts in the same way, with music and dancing
and a NEW SONG given for the occasion by the Spirit. So the Holy Spirit is
falling on the saints of God today, and they are used in the same way. Those
who never danced on step are experts in the holy dance, and those who do not
know one note from another are expert musicians in playing many different
instruments. Often the sound of invisible instruments from the platform is
heard all over the house. And I say in the fear and presence of God, the
singing and demonstration put fear of God on the people and cause a holy
hush to come over the congregation. The strange acts are coming more and
more, showing that Jesus is coming soon; and the Lord is getting His bride
ready to be translated and dance and play at the great marriage of the Lamb,
which will soon take place for the bride is making herself ready.

            I was very slow to accept the dancing in the Spirit for fear it
was in the flesh, but I soon saw it was the "cloud of glory" over the people
that brought forth the dancing and playing of invisible instruments. The
sounds of sweet, heavenly music could often be heard. Several times I asked
that those of the congregation who had heard this music from the platform
(there they knew there were no instruments to be seen) to be honest and
raise their hands. Many hands went up from saints and sinners.

            The stillness of death went over the people when they heard the
sounds of music accompanied with the heavenly choir. I saw men and women who
have been crippled join in the dance with wonderful grace. One lady who had
been walking on crutches five years and who got healed in her seat
afterwards danced over the platform, singing heavenly music. The virgins,
the young men, and the old men all join in the dance together. Praise the
Lord. "Let us be glad and rejoice, and give honor to him: for the marriage
of the Lamb is come, and his wife has made herself ready" (Revelation 19:7).
The Lord is quickening our mortal bodies, an earnest of the translation.

*NOTE:*  See "Visions Beyond the Veil" by H.A. Baker, 1927. Little Chinese
orphans and former beggars in Kunming, Yunan Province, China, had exactly
the same experience as told above. It has recently been republished by Iris
Ministries of Mozambique by Rolland & Heidi Baker.

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