Fall 1999
The Holy Spirit and Fire
Wade E Taylor

In the Garden of Eden, Adam and Eve “heard the voice of the Lord God walking.” Gen 3:8 KJV. It was not, “while walking, they heard the voice of the Lord.” Rather, they heard “the voice walking.”

This profound statement reveals two things. First, they “heard the voice,” which tells us that the Lord desires to communicate with us. And secondly, the fact that He is “walking” tells us that there is a progression in what He desires to say. Tomorrow, He will speak beyond that which He spoke today.

Creation was accomplished in six days. Each of these are prophetic days of indeterminent length, in which certain things were accomplished. In the “time of the end” of each of these days, there was a direct intervention of the Lord, in which He revealed Himself to an individual, who greatly affected the conditions of that day and time.

The Lord walked with mankind through the first prophetic one thousand year-day, at the end of which the flood came and removed from the earth all except Noah and his family, whom the Lord visited so they could prepare for this event.

He walked through the second thousand year-day, and Abram was called out from Ur of the Chaldees and became, through divine intervention, Abraham, the friend of God and the father of faith. A personal relationship was established between the Lord and a man, and Abraham reasoned with God concerning the judgment of the Sodom and Gomorrah of that day.

The Lord walked within Israel during the third thousand year-day. At the height of this time, the Lord so revealed Himself to Solomon that he wrote the Song of Songs and the Temple that he built was dedicated in manifest glory.

At the end of the fourth thousand year-day, John the Baptist was called apart to become “the voice of One crying in the wilderness.” During this time, the angel Gabriel appeared to Mary and told her that God desired to use her to bring into this world His redemption for mankind. Mary submitted herself for the purpose of the Lord, and Jesus was born.

After redemption was accomplished through the crucifixion, resurrection, and ascension of Jesus, the Holy Spirit was poured out upon the one hundred and twenty who tarried in an upper room, and the Church was born. As the Holy Spirit descended, cloven tongues of fire rested upon each, and they spoke forth the glory of the Lord in tongues unknown to them.

The Lord walked in apostolic power within this newly formed Church, and the world of that day was greatly affected. As He continued to walk through this first thousand year-day of the Church, the Nicolaitans (those who rule over the laity) gained control and substituted religious form in place of the supernatural, and the dark ages resulted.

As the second thousand year-day of the Church began, the Lord continued to walk, and the light of redemption again began to shine in the darkened Church. Around 1150 AD, Bernard of Clarivaux received a revelation of grace. This beam of light continued until it began to shine brightly in the life of Martin Luther, a Roman Catholic priest.

In order to raise money to build the Vatican, the Roman Church was selling indulgences, by which it claimed that escape from purgatory could be purchased. Martin Luther received the understanding that salvation was a free gift of grace that could not be purchased, and in 1517 nailed his thesis on the door of the Church. This led to the restoration of true “teacher’s” who were burdened for the right understanding of the Word, and great persecution followed.

As the Word of God began to be printed and circulated during the 1600's, the Baptist received the revelation that if we are freely justified by grace, we should communicate this to others who would be established in local churches. The “pastor” was restored to the Church, and again these were persecuted.

As the Lord continued to walk through the 1700's, the Wesley brothers received revelation that if we are declared to be righteous, there should be the visible evidence of a committed life. The revival that resulted continued though the 1800's, and the evangelist was restored to the Church.

On New Years eve, 1901, in a small Bible School in Topeka, Kansas, a young lady received the Baptism in the Holy Spirit. Soon this visitation spread to the Azusa Street Mission in Los Angles. The revelation began to form that “if we are justified, sanctified, and if we are communicating the Gospel, we should be empowered for this purpose.” Acts 1:8 became a present word.

“But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is
come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in
Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the
uttermost part of the earth.” Acts 1:8 KJV.

As this Pentecostal visitation moved throughout the world, persecution again followed.

“But, as he who was born according to the flesh then
persecuted him who was born according to the Spirit,
even so it is now.” Gal 4:29.

It can be seen both in the Word and in Church history that the recipients of each of these visitations, in which revelation was received that was beyond that which was presently known and accepted, became the persecutors of the next level of revelation and visitation.

They had became both satisfied and settled with their particular level, or aspect of restoration. Thus, there are still Lutherans, Baptists, Methodists, and Pentecostals.

But the Lord continued His onward walk, and forty years later, during the “Latter Rain” visitation, a further revelation was received. “If we are empowered to communicate the Gospel, there should be supernatural gifts in operation with signs following.” Along with the restoration of “prophetic gifts,” the “prophet” was restored to the Church.

Again persecution followed, as the Pentecostal movement rejected “Latter Rain.” But there were those who were willing to pay the price of rejection and misunderstanding, and truth moved on as the Lord continued walking.

After another forty years, the Charismatic visitation brought the Baptism of the Holy Spirit into the main line denominational Churches. So far, the pastor, teacher, evangelist, and prophet have been restored. In this Charismatic visitation, the apostolic and the apostle should have been restored.

John the Baptist made the following statement which has yet to be fulfilled, concerning “Holy Spirit fire.”

“I indeed baptize you with water unto repentance, but He
Who is coming after me is mightier than I, whose sandals
I am not worthy to carry. He will baptize you with the
Holy Spirit and fire.”

“His winnowing fan is in His hand, and He will thoroughly
purge His threshing floor, and gather His wheat into the
barn; but He will burn up the chaff with unquenchable
fire.” Matt 3:11-12.

We have experienced the fullness of the Baptism in the Holy Spirit with speaking in tongues, along with empowering ministries and giftings. But we have yet to come to the “fire” which purges and purifies the individual in preparation for the restoration of the apostolic. This apostolic visitation will result in true spiritual unity in which “the creative word” will be spoken with spiritual authority.

This Holy Spirit fire will prepare the way for the restoration of the Lord’s Shekinah (glory), which will again greatly affect the nations, in preparation for the Millennial Kingdom to be established.

“Arise, shine; for your light has come, and the glory of the
LORD is risen upon you. For behold, the darkness shall
cover the earth, and deep darkness the people; but the
LORD shall arise over you, and His glory shall be seen
upon you. The Gentiles shall come to your light, and
kings to the brightness of your rising.” Isaiah 60:1-3.

“And he who overcomes, and keeps My works until the
end, to him I will give power over the nations. He
shall rule them with a rod of iron.” Rev 2:26-27a.

In transgression, Adam lost the Shekinah as his covering. The Shekinah then became an enemy, as a flaming sword, to keep the way of the Tree of Life. However, on the day of Pentecost, as one hundred and twenty tarried in an upper room, this “Shekinah fire,” as a friend, returned to sit upon their heads. But something more had to take place for the “fire” to come within, which was to happen in the Charismatic visitation.

In the progression of each of these visitations, which resulted in restored spiritual life and ministry, the Charismatic should have brought us into the restoration of the Apostolic. But instead, it stayed on the surface with an emphasis on healing and gift ministries, and never allowed the fire to come within, in order to purge and prepare the way for the restoration of the apostle, and apostolic anointing and power within the body of Christ.

Therefore, at this time, the Charismatic visitation is fading. When some well known leaders failed, it was not only that they failed, but that the visitation which they represented, had come short of the “fire” that would have purged and cleansed within all those who partook of this visitation.

Because the apostolic requires the presence of the Lord, only through this inner purging and cleansing will the Lord be able to come within His temple to restore the apostle to the same level of power as those in the early Church.

The present word of the Lord is, “because those who were bidden to the feast did not respond (the ministry), the Holy Spirit is presently reaching out into the highways and by-ways, bidding “those who are not” (individual members of the Body of Christ), to enter and be clothed in apostolic anointing and power.” At this present time, the “spotlight” is moving from the pulpit into the pew.

Thus, as those within the Body of Christ, who have no special abilities or giftings respond, they are being prepared for the restoration of the apostolic in an end-time visitation of the Lord. As we approach the year two thousand, while the world is concerned with YK2, a new wave of apostolic authority will again greatly affect the nations, as they are shaken by the power of God.

The result will be the Kingdom of God established in righteousness and peace, and great joy will be manifest throughout the world, as Jesus in His millennial Kingdom becomes the King of all kings and Lord of all lords.