Let me share a
moving vision taken from Thomas Wyatt’s book, THUNDER BEFORE DAWN:
"Just
before we went to Africa, God came to me in a vision. In it I stood where I
could view the whole world, and it was wrapped in darkness. At times I could
see great fires springing up on the surface of the earth and the people would
gather around the fires to warm themselves. Then, as I continued to watch,
fires would break out in other places. But without exception, after a large
group would gather around the fire, little evil-looking figures came out of the
shadows. Those who were gathered around the fire were so occupied with
rejoicing that they seemed wholly unconscious of these little figures. But,
from where I stood, I could see these shadowy figures as they came silently out
of the surrounding darkness. I noticed that each one was carrying a little,
engraved shovel. These, they placed in the hands of each one who stood around
the fire. In the immediate vicinity, I could see where great fires had burned
in bygone days, but had long since burned themselves out, leaving only great
heaps of ashes.
"As I
watched, each of those around the fire would go over to the ash heap, fill his
little shovel with cold ashes; then, with much dignity — as though faithfully
performing a solemn duty — they would scatter the cold ashes very carefully
over the fire. This they continued to do until the fire was completely
smothered and dead. They then knelt in the ashes and prayed for light and warmth.
This procedure was repeated over, and over, and over. The world began to grow
darker and colder, and the men continued in their efforts to extinguish every
fire, here, there, and everywhere....
"All the
fires had long since died out, and the people were weeping and wailing as they
prayed for light and warmth. My heart was deeply stirred and I began to pray
with a fervency that can only be born in the darkness of the world's
Gethsemanes. Then I became a part of the scene, kneeling in the ashes. No
longer an interceding observer, I prayed even more fervently. I stood to my
feet and lifted my hands and my face toward heaven. I began to cry with great
agony of soul. Louder and louder I lifted my voice, in frantic desperation,
until all the other crying around about me was merged into my own desperate
cry.
"As I
stood there, calling unto the Lord with all the anguish of my soul, I saw a
light, ‘way, ‘way high in the heavens, just a speck of light. It began to come
closer and closer, and then, suddenly, it stood by my side — a celestial
Being of FIRE. He was formed like a man and yet he was a Being of fire. In
his hand was a trumpet of fire which he handed to me saying, 'Blow!' I stood
transfixed, overcome with awe! He placed the trumpet to my lips; I breathed
into it, and Lo! The sound was amplified until it reverberated over the
countryside. As I continued to blow, the creature of fire leaped into the ashes
and stirred the smoldering embers until the flames leaped high into the sky. I
was now blowing the trumpet louder and louder, and people began coming out of
the darkness from every direction. The light from the fire seemed now to light
the whole earth, and, as the people gathered, they began to march past the
fiery messenger. He stood in the flaming fire, and, when they went by, he would
give to each of them a trumpet of fire. They, in turn, would put it to their
lips and start out across the earth, blowing with all their strength. As they
went, fires were lighted everywhere. It seemed as though the very tones of the
trumpets were lighting fires, sending a great wall of flame rolling across the
earth. It was consuming everything in its path — burning everything as it went.
As I looked, I thought, 'What desolation! What desolation! Everything that we
have known is gone.' Then it began to rain, a slow, gentle rain.
"As I
watched, vegetation began to spring up — grass, green herbs and trees, and
every tree was loaded with fruit. Everything was fruitful, there wasn't one
thing twisted, warped or barren. I turned to speak to the messenger, but he was
gone. Yet the whole world remained beautiful and serene. The warfare was
accomplished, the Kingdom of God had been established in the earth, and peace
reigned. The long night was over, and morning had come." — End quote.
I believe we all
can relate to some degree with the above vision. Remember when there were
churches and home meetings like wonderful bonfires of life? It might have been
in a gathering of only two or three, or perhaps it was with a hundred or more.
Regardless of the size, those meetings were places of warmth and light. Other
meeting places across the country would spring up, seemingly spontaneous with
no one laboring to get things started. But to our dismay, and almost without
fail, the life of those meetings eventually waned and died.
Unknown to the
ones gathered, they were very instrumental themselves in causing this; for as
the vision depicted, there were those little evil things of darkness that
placed engraved shovels in their hands with which to smother the flames. In one
sense these shovels represent man’s spirit and word together as one.
Such a union of thoughts could only come from the darkness of the human heart,
from whence every evil thing is born and proceeds (Jer 17:9, Mat 15:19). They
are so quiet and subtle they usually go unnoticed. As in the beginning, the
engraved cherubim of the flesh keep the way of God’s sacred glory.
The heart of man
harbors every creature and can conjure up all sorts of imaginations. It is out
of this darkness that such evil looking creatures come with subtle thoughts to
work things out. Men, of course, will embrace products of their is own making,
whether of good or evil. When these evil-looking figures with little shovels of
engraved instructions were placed in the people’s hands, they performed
accordingly.
Religious thoughts
are hard to ignore, aren’t they? They go deep, and when put into action they
are the tools that smother the flames of life. When spiritual people cease to
progress, they will settle for the status quo. The fire, of course, will
diminish, and the little workers of darkness are quick to supply the supposed
solutions. Following the engraved inspirations of their own minds, they go back
to what they used to work — the revivals and revelations of yesteryear.
With great religious dignity, they scoop from those ash heaps what used to be
alive, hoping to rekindle their old glory.
It is no wonder
the cold and unenlightened people of the world today are reluctant to draw
close to the saints and their meeting places. If there was an abundance of life
and warmth to be found it would be different. The sad truth is, there is hardly
any. What was once a lighted world, with the fires of the Lord everywhere, has
grown very dark and cold. This has caused more than a few to fall asleep in
Gethsemane and to be scattered by the imaginations of their own cherubim.
However, there are
still those who are sincere in the Lord, and regardless of the circumstances,
they press on, never giving themselves to the delusions of such mental
persuasions. Are we not among them, and do we not also cry with them as
one voice? — "My heart is fixed, O God; my heart is steadfast...Awake,
my glory, awake...I will awake right early [I will awake the dawn]! Be exalted,
O God, above the heavens; let Your glory be over all the earth."
(Psa 57:7,8,11 Amplified). Although ashes of bygone days may have been
shoveled upon the fires of life, we are not running off on tangents. But in
unison and with lifted hands (surrendered), we are entering into great travail
and agony of the soul (brokenness), and praying with such fervency
(desperation) that it stirs the very heavens of God.
Individuals may
have been in travail for quite sometime now, and with no apparent results.
Nevertheless, I believe others are beginning to realize the seriousness of the
hour and are hearing those distressing cries. They are getting louder and
louder, and our own voices are starting to lift in anthem with them in this
great time of need. This will surely continue on until all the other cries
about us are merged into one desperate cry.
This is when we
too, with uplifted hands, eyes, and voices, will see a tiny speck of
light high in the heavens of God descending until it stands with us as a
glorious celestial Being of fire. In this darkness that has shrouded
the earth like the shadow of death, we will certainly not despise those
seemingly insignificant, distant specks of light coming from above. We will not
ignore our Lord's presence within, nor will we dismiss the anointed word of
lowly people in obscurity, nor scoff at small revelations — for these things
are Christ Himself descending as a refining fire. Yes, it is He who will be
placing in our hands His FLAMING TRUMPETS to sound over the face of the
cold and dark earth.
If we think we
have had a word before, just wait until the fiery trumpet of the Lord is placed
to the lips of those in travail. Transfixed and overcome with awe at the glory
of their Lord, they shall sound, and His word will be heard reverberating from
their once travailing lips. It will not be as it was before, where little evil
figures came out of the darkness with instruments of slow death in their hands.
But this time, it will be the once-forgotten saints gone into seclusion, and
they will come from every direction to the fires stirred by the heavenly
Anointing. The smoldering embers will once again grow to a blaze of glorious
light. This time, however, it will be different from before, for the people
will not be standing idle around the fires, keeping the light and warmth to
themselves; but they will cast the ash-laden shovels aside and in their place
take up the flaming trumpets of the Last message. Proceeding then
into the night, they shall triumphantly sound judgment over the face of the
earth like a rolling tidal wave of death — yet this death is the death of
death. It shall bring to naught the works and pomp of every man, as it
establishes the glorious Kingdom of God throughout the world.
Yes indeed, the
sound of the message born in travail and great despair, and the stirring of
Fire from heaven, will draw the elect of God from the seclusion of this present
dark night. Their flaming message will judge the world and bring them all to a
godly sorrow that works repentance unto salvation (2 Cor 7:10). From there
they will possess the fruitful knowledge of the Lord Jesus Christ Himself. As
this mighty army of God marches forward, sounding their trumpets louder and
louder, the blazing flames shall advance upward and onward, even beyond the horizons
of our own expectations, until the purging fires of God cover the earth as the
waters cover the seas. Praise God — what a glorious wave of fiery Life and Holy
justice! - Elwin Roach in PathFinder
