The Manifestations Throughout History
St. Louis CATCH THE FIRE Conference, May 3-6, 1995
by Richard M. Riss.
Of course, the early twentieth century was also a time of revival, and some of the same manifestations were visible then as well. For example, during the Welsh revival (1904-1905), Evan Roberts, its primary leader, wrote, "after many had prayed, I felt some living energy or force entering my bosom, restraining my breath, my legs trembling terribly; this living energy increased and increased as one after another prayed. Feeling strongly and deeply warmed, I burst forth in prayer" (George Jeffreys, HEALING RAYS [London: Elim, 1935], p. 55).
Evan Roberts collaborated with Jessie Penn-Lewis in writing WAR ON THE SAINTS (New York: Thomas E. Lowe, Ltd., 1973). In the appendix of this book, there are many descriptions of some of the phenomena that were present during the time of the Welsh revival. Jessie Penn-Lewis attempts to attribute these manifestations to demonic influences, although other eyewitnesses evaluated them differently. Quoting other authors, she wrote:
The manifestations of the Spirit, in some things, are very strange. Sometimes He will twist the body this way, and that, and the meaning is dark to you. . . . Some things in the manifestations are very peculiar to you. You have gone on wondering about them. Don't think it strange that the Spirit works in you in many ways. His work is more than two-fold work. It is manifold. This is puzzling many minds. They see the Spirit shaking. They hear Him singing. They FEEL HIM LAUGHING [emphasis in the original], and they are sometimes tried with His various twisting and jerkings, as though He would tear them to pieces. . . .
[They] feel as it were an electric stream passing through the body, which is an exciting of the nerves, which have their central seat in the pit of the stomach. It is from thence that the jaws are moved in speaking with tongues. . . .
This feeling of bliss is another characteristic feature of this class of occurrences. By exciting the lower nervous system a feeling of intense rapture is regularly produced. . . . At first we find connected with it usually, involuntary contraction of the muscles and movement of the limbs. . . .
Another person said he felt like rolling on the floor, and groaning and pulling the chairs around. . . . Another man had the same impulse, and fell down groaning and roaring, beating the floor with his hands and feet. . . . It leads them to adopt a peculiar voice or twang, or unnatural shouting, or some shaking of the body (pp. 311-316).
While Jessie Penn-Lewis ascribed these phenomena to satanic influences, David Matthews, another eyewitness of the Welsh revival disagreed, and lamented that Evan Roberts had lent his name to her work. Speaking of Roberts, he wrote in I SAW THE WELSH REVIVAL (Chicago: Moody Press, 1951), p. 124:
His collaboration with Mrs. Penn-Lewis in producing the books, WAR ON THE SAINTS, was a gratuitous denial of the reality of much of the finest work done by the revival while it proceeded on its irresistible course. How anyone who had witnessed the miracles of grace wrought during this wonderful manifestation could possibly ascribe so much of it to satanic influences poses a conundrum. Is there any human being in existence anywhere who would foolishly deny the possibility of unpleasant occurrences during revival time?
There were also many signs of trembling, speechlessness, holy laughter, and drunkenness in the Spirit at Azusa Street during the outset of the Pentecostal revival. The focal point of this revival, which began in 1906, was the Apostolic Faith Mission at 312 Azusa Street in Los Angeles, California. Continuous meetings were held there every day for a period of three years beginning in mid-April, 1906. The mission on Azusa Street published the well-known newspaper, THE APOSTOLIC FAITH, which was one of the primary means by which news of the revival was spread, beginning with the first issue, published in September of 1906. The editor was William J. Seymour. THE APOSTOLIC FAITH contains many accounts of these manifestations. For example, the lead article of the third issue, published in November of 1906, is entitled "Bible Pentecost." Here are a few excerpts:
The news has spread far and wide that Los Angeles is being visited with a "rushing mighty wind from heaven." . . . One brother stated that even before his train entered the city, he felt the power of the revival. . . . There is such power in the preaching of the Word in the Spirit that people are shaken on the benches. Coming to the altar, many fall prostrate under the power of God, and often come out speaking in tongues. Sometimes the power falls on people and they are wrought upon by the Spirit during testimony or preaching and receive Bible experiences. . . . The demonstrations are not the shouting, clapping or jumping so often seen in camp meetings. There is a shaking such as the early Quakers had and which the old Methodists called the "jerks."
On the second page of the same issue, Glen A. Cook provided his testimony, in which he wrote:
I could feel the power going through me like electric needles. The Spirit taught me that I must not resist the power but give way and become limp as a piece of cloth. When I did this, I fell under the power, and God began to mold me and teach me what it meant to be really surrendered to Him. I was laid out under the power five times before Pentecost really came. Each time I would come out from under the power, I would feel so sweet and clean, as though I had been run through a washing machine. . . .
My arms began to tremble, and soon I was shaken violently by a great power, and it seemed as though a large pipe was fitted over my neck, my head apparently being off. . . . About thirty hours afterwards, while sitting in the meeting on Azusa Street, I felt my throat and tongue begin to move, without any effort on my part. Soon I began to stutter and then out came a distinct language which I could hardly restrain. I talked and laughed with joy far into the night.
In the fourth issue (p. 4), G. W. Batman wrote, "I received the baptism with the Holy Ghost and fire and now I feel the presence of the Holy Ghost, not only in my heart but in my lungs, my hands, my arms and all through my body and at times I am shaken like a locomotive steamed up and prepared for a long journey."
William H. Durham recorded his testimony in the sixth issue of THE APOSTOLIC FAITH (February-March, 1907), p. 4, where he wrote:
On Friday evening, March 1, His mighty power came over me, until I jerked and quaked under it for about three hours. It was strange and wonderful and yet glorious. He worked my whole body, one section at a time, first my arms, then my limbs, then my body, then my head, them my face, then my chin, and finally at 1 a.m. Saturday, Mar. 2, after being under the power for three hours, He finished the work on my vocal organs, and spoke through me in unknown tongues.
R. J. Scott, the superintendent of Home and Foreign Missions in Winnipeg, Manitoba, wrote as follows in THE APOSTOLIC FAITH (February-March, 1907), p. 7:
After a trip of nearly 3500 miles, we arrived in Los Angeles on Sunday morning, Nov. 29. I left my family at a hotel and proceeded with my son on a search for Azusa Mission. After I was there a short time, a lady got up and testified, and the power of God fell on her and she began to tremble. . . . Well, glory to God, after this sister trembled for a few minutes, she started to speak in an unknown tongue to me, and to my surprise, after she had uttered a few sentences, she spoke in English, giving the interpretation of what she said.
In the same issue (p. 8), Clara E. Lum of the Azusa Street Mission wrote:
When I came to Azusa Mission, I went in for the baptism with the Holy Ghost immediately. Had some digging to do, but the Lord met me. I was filled with the Holy Ghost many times and was shaken many times by the power of God.
In a report from San Francisco that appeared in issue no. 7 (April, 1907), p. 4, we read:
The power of God shook her so mightily that an elderly lady friend, who had accompanied her to the meetings, was greatly agitated and excited about it; she declared that sister was having a fit, and said something ought to be done to relieve her. When told that it was the power of God, and that the sister would come out all right, she looked incredulous, and flew around in great excitement. Evidently she had not seen it on this wise before. The sister did not return to the meetings until Saturday night. . . . The sister was again shaken by the mighty power of God. Her husband was sitting by her side, and was evidently amazed; yet he recognized it as the power of God, though not saved himself, he did not resist the power of God, nor try to hinder his wife. When his wife went to the altar, still shaking under the mighty power of God, he sat quietly in his seat, deeply moved by what was going on.
On the same page of that issue, there was a report from Spokane, Washington, according to which "little children received their baptism and spoke in different languages. One Methodist minister and one Advent minister received the baptism, and before they spoke in tongues shook for some hours under the power of God."
In vol. 1, no. 5 (January 1907), p. 1, we read: "One who received the Holy Ghost baptism in Clearwater, testified, 'It was in morning worship. We read a chapter and I wanted to pray but the Lord tied my mouth. The power began to come in waves. The Lord took full possession. I fell over like a dead man. I was dead to the world. I tried to pray while lying on the floor, but when my tongue was loosened, it was in a different language."
In issue no. 7 (April, 1907), p. 4, the following was reported from San Francisco:
On another night a Hawaiian brother was gloriously converted. . . . The Hawaiian could not speak for some minutes after he arose to his feet, the power of God was upon him to such an extent.
One of the problems that people had to face during the early Pentecostal revival was that, very often, they were affected so strongly by the power of the Holy Spirit that preaching became impossible. For example, in the December, 1906 issue of THE APOSTOLIC FAITH (vol. 1, no. 4), p. 3, the following announcement appeared:
Sister M. E. Judy writes from Columbus, Ohio, that they have a tarrying meeting there and others in different towns are tarrying with them in Spirit. She says, "Last Sunday a burden of prayer came upon the people in our humble little church in such power that our minister had no opportunity to preach, just said a few words on "This is that" and closed.
Writing from Norway, A. A. Body wrote concerning T. B. Barratt's meetings that "the meetings are liable at any moment to be swept by a wave of spiritual power sweeping through all human arrangements. At times the noise is strangely awesome, almost appalling to an 'outsider'" (THE APOSTOLIC FAITH, vol. 1, No. 6 [February-March, 1907], p. 1).
Levi R. Lupton wrote as follows from Alliance, Ohio, in the sixth issue of THE APOSTOLIC FAITH (February-March, 1907), p. 5:
I then became perfectly helpless and for a season my entire body became cold, and I was unable to move even to the extent that I could not wink an eye for a short time. Yet, I was perfectly conscious and restful in my soul and mind. After some three hours the power of God left my body except in my shoulders and arms, which remained stiff during the entire time I was upon the floor.
Myrtle K. Shideler wrote as follows in the January, 1907 issue of THE APOSTOLIC FAITH (p. 3):
By the time the chorus ended, the power of God was so heavy upon me. I could scarcely open my mouth, and every fibre of my being was trembling. Yet my feet felt glued to the floor and my knees stiff, so I could not sit down. I only got out a few broken sentences that I remember. (I never fainted in my life and was never unconscious, but God certainly took me out of myself.) He showed me things which there are not words enough in the English language to express. . . . I was under the power the remainder of the meeting, and for three days was as one drunken. . . . Since then, such waves of power roll over me from time to time. I can scarcely keep my feet, and I am sure if my old friends in California could see me, they would think I was indeed insane.
