Signs and Wonders God Wrought in the Ministry for Forty Years/Chapter 28
CHAPTER XXVII
WORLD’S FAIR TIME
We received pressing calls to come to St. Louis to hold meetings during the World’s Fair. We felt the calls were from God to go where all the nations of the earth were represented and gathered together. It was a good time to gather the children of the Lord together in one place, where we might receive the Pentecostal power; the Anointing; the Early and Later Rain in the same month, as the Lord promised to give those who asked in these last days; so small that the Called and Chosen would scatter out from here to all parts of the world, scattering the power of the Holy Ghost ; with the true doctrines of our Saviour, Jesus Christ; giving the Last Call, blowing the Gospel Trumpet and giving the Last Warning that the Great Day of the Lord is near.
We remained in the city over six months, holding two meetings a day. The Lord was with us in power from the first meeting. Many hundreds were brought out in a higher experience, were made to rejoice in the saving and healing power of God.
All kinds of diseases were driven out of the bodies of men, women and children, proving that Jesus is just “The same to-day;” the Great Physician to heal both soul and body; to give the double cure, saving power for soul, and health for the body; and that these signs do follow them that believe in his name. “They shall cast out devils.” “They shall lay hands on the sick and they shall recover.” The Lord Jesus purchased these blessings on the Cross, and left them in His Will for all who will meet his conditions. “Saying himself took our infirmities and bore our sicknesses,” Matt. viii 17 and “By his stripes ye were healed.” I Peter 2. 24.
A woman received her sight who was /born blind. Her eyes were red and swollen, and she suffered great pain.
Children were healed that were sick from birth; some of them crippled, or lame from birth.
Several men and women who were deaf all their lives received their hearing. Many lame and crippled with paralysis or rheumatism and spinal troubles; others with infirm spirits were made to praise God. Many were struck down by the power of God and had visions.
The people continued from day to day to look on in wonder, and say we have seen strange things today. Many would weep, others turn pale when they saw the power of the Lord was present to save and to heal.
Many came from hospitals, given up by the best doctors in the city as incurable. They were saved and healed. Some of them soon went to hard labor, proving what great things the Lord had done for them.
WONDERS WORKED
(Reprinted from the Apostolic Light, of Salem, Oregon.)
St. Louis, Mo.—Rejoice with us in the goodness of our God and Saviour, for he has been very gracious to us. During the last two months, at Sister Woodworth-Etter’s meetings alone, hundreds have been saved, and a greater number healed. Most of the latter were chronic cases; many only came after the doctors had pronounced them incurable. One woman had spent $500 on her child for healing. Several hundred have had hearing restored; some had been paralyzed, others had tumors, consumption, and withered limbs, and were healed.
Yesterday during the afternoon meeting the Lord Jesus bowed the heavens and came down. Many were under the power. Two women and a girl were struck down unconscious, and lay on the floor. The girl came to after an hour and said she was saved and had the witness of the Spirit. The second woman lay unconscious for about two and one-half hours, with both arms raised to heaven. When she was recovering she sang praises unto God in the Spirit, and warned sinners to repent. The third woman lay unconscious till the evening meeting, about four hours, and said she had a message for us from the Lord, the substance of which I wrote in stenography, so you have it direct from the Throne of God. She said:
“T was carried away and was with Jesus in heaven. I saw my parents there, and my children who had gone before me, and others I knew. Some are dead that I did not see; they were cast into the outer darkness. A man who had been put to death by cruel men, and whom I had been burdened about for months, I
10 saw; he had been executed by men and was in heaven. Some I had never thought to meet in heaven, I saw. Others who were thought to have died innocent, I did not see.
The Lord said to me, “Go back and warn the people of my coming soon. If they spit in your face, say Amen; and I will be with you. Wonderful things will be done in the meetings at St. Louis. There will be a hard battle, but hold up my power; and sinners, make your peace with me before it is too late.”
WONDERS IN ST. LOUIS
We rejoice daily at the marvellous manifestations of the presence of God in our midst. I never saw such wonderful works as those God has wrought in Sister Woodworth-Etter’s meetings during the last two weeks. God the Father is glorifying Jesus Christ, in healing all manner of diseases, in saving souls, in giving peace, love and joy to repentant sinners. “Ye are also helping together by prayer for us, that for the gift bestowed upon us by the means of many persons thanks may be given by many on our behalf.” II.-Cor. I:11.
The Lord Jesus is pouring out his spirit on these meetings. He showed it to one sister in a vision, and we at the meetings see it. About a dozen have fallen as dead, and laid for hours on
the floor, and had visions and revelations. Sometimes the Spirit will take possession of a man just after he has finished singing, with hymn book in hand and hand upraised, and hold him as a statute for fifteen or twenty minutes; others standing up or kneeling have been held in this way. Yesterday two women were converted sitting in their seats, and got the witness of the Spirit, and knew they were born from above. Sister Etter herself went under the power at the afternoon meeting, on March 24th, and had to be laid on the platform for over an hour. She had a vision, and the Lord showed her many things, and especially with regard to. the immediate future of the work in St. Louis.
All those who have had visions and revelations bring back the message to warn the people that Jesus is coming soon; that sinners make their peace with him, and that those who are saved get established and anointed with power and sealed with the knowledge that he is coming soon, that they may be found faithful and true at his appearing.
All that have had revelations while under the power bring back the message that our Lord comes very soon. Praise his name. What a glorious time that will be for His saints.
We made a visit to St. Louis. The Lord was there in great power; there were wondrous miracles of healing and the Holy Ghost power was manifested in many signs and wonders, and in speaking in other tongues with the interpretation, and with heavenly songs.
One sister was almost carried by the power of God, from the platform into the congregation and stood there and had a wonderful vision, and spoke in many different languages.
A young boy was struck dumb and deaf and blind. After three days his sight returned while they were praying for him, but his hearing and speech did not return till a month after. While he was deaf and dumb the Lord wonderfully used him and gave him many visions and relevations. He prophesied of earthquakes, of fire, and floods, and they have come to pass.
A Swedish sister was entirely under the power of God and spake in many different languages and gave the interpretation. She made many prophesies that will reach right on till the Lord comes. Many of them have come to pass.
Another sister was wonderfully baptized and sang an anthem in Greek and one in Latin. She sang a heavenly song which could be heard far away. It sounded like as though it came from heaven. She spoke in several different languages and stood up and preached while the tears streamed down her face.
Another young lady received her baptism and spoke in eight different languages, and spoke many times afterwards when the power took possession of her and everyone knew it was the power of God.”
SPEAK IN TONGUES
While preaching and explaining Pentecost, how they too spoke in other tongues, the power of God took possession of me and I began to speak as the Spirit gave utterance in other tongues. I spoke in three different languages, preaching the wonderful works of Pentecost in other languages. I sang several songs in the Spirit, and laughed in a manner resembling the laughter of several other nations.
All who received the baptism speaking in other tongues received great power. A young girl came to the meeting and made fun of the workers, but the Lord saved her and showed her the darkness of Roman Catholicism, and she gave a wonderful testimony of how the Lord had delivered her.
The Lord appeared to her in a vision and told her to go to the suburb where she had previously lived, on the next day, and he would give her many souls. He showed her in a vision those he would save.
She obeyed and went the next day and called on one of her old friends.
They expressed surprise at seeing her look so happy, as before her conversion, she hardly ever smiled,, and was dissatisfied and unhappy, and used such rough language. They said, “What has happened to you? You look so happy. We want that kind of religion too.” She told them how to get it, and they went to praying. God sent His power, and pretty soon they all fell over, and lay for fifteen or twenty minutes. A little girl, about nine years-old, ran about the house shouting and saying, “Mama, I see Jesus, I see Jesus.” They all came out brightly converted, and shouting. Ten in all, including the hired girl.
Then she went to another house, and they said the same thing, they saw such a great change in her, and asked her what she had done, and she told them she was converted. The power of God came on her while speaking, and she began to preach to them while under the power of God, and when she came to, she found they were all overpowered; they lay for a while, and came out shouting the praises of God, nineteen of them in all, as neighbors had been called in.
After this, as she was walking down the street, she met a girl friend, who was going to a dance hall, to attend a committee meeting, to arrange for a picnic next day. She was invited to go too; at first she refused, but the Lord showed her to go.
When she got there, she found it was one of the places she had seen in her vision. When she began to speak, the power of the Holy Ghost came on her, and she preached to them, and when she had finished they were all twenty of them lying round on the floor, like a battlefield. She prayed for them, and they all came out brightly converted.
Forty-nine were saved that day, of whom forty-eight were Roman Catholics, and one a backslidden Methodist. Another time she was impressed to write to Mrs. V., who had a daughter who was born deaf and dumb, and who seventeen months ago was run into by a street car, the result of which was she was paralyzed from the hips down, and the doctors put her in plaster of paris cast.
Mrs. V. brought her daughter to St. Louis, and called and asked the sister to come and pray for her. She went, and as she was praying fell under the power of the Holy Ghost, and talked with the daughter, using the deaf and dumb language, although she did not, and does not know a single letter of it, telling her how to give herself to the Lord. Then when the sick deaf and dumb one prayed she also fell under the power of the Holy Ghost, and spoke, saying, “I see Jesus; He said, ‘You can walk,’ and reached out His hand.” She took the tips of his fingers, and rose right up out of bed, the cast breaking, and walked across to her father, and as she reached out and touched him on the forehead, he too fell under the power of God, and was saved, also seven others.
The next day she went home and spoke over the telephone to a friend, who had been a cripple, using crutches for sixteen years, but she would not believe that a girl born deaf and dumb could hear and talk, but said, “It is Agnes,” the name of a girl friend of hers.
She replied, “Come over and see.” When the cripple entered on her crutches, and saw Verne healed, she cried, “If you can walk, I can too,” and threw away her crutches and walked.
A Sister was suffering from appendicitis, gallstone and another disease. One day she became unconscious, and remained so until nine p.m. The people she lived with had her removed to the City Hospital. When she came to, she found herself in bed there, and they told her she would have to be operated on.
An operation was performed, and twenty-five stitches were taken. She got so bad after it, that she could not see nor speak, and they put a death screen round her, as is customary when a patient is about to die, and a doctor and a nurse were watching for her to die.
A Sister from the Mission came to visit her and said, when leaving, “We will pray for you to be healed at nine o’clock,” and two nurses standing by heard it.”
During the day she got worse, her limbs turning black up to the elbows and knees, and her fingers stiff; she also had hemorrhages, the blood coming out of her mouth, nose and ears, so that her clothing was saturated with blood. Shortly before nine o'clock, all her limbs stretched out, as when a person dies, and the nurse believing her dead, went and told the doctor, “She is gone;” he came to see, and found her sitting up: he was astonished, and told her she must lie down. She said, “I am healed;” he told her she was out of her head, but she insisted God had healed her, and at last he saw that it was so.
“Next day twenty-nine doctors came to see her, and said: “It was the most wonderful case they had ever known. She is perfectly healed.” They had not known of any one else to recover from that operation.
In such cases the stitches are never taken out before fifteen days, but in her case, as she was healed, they were taken out the fourth day.
When Visiting day came, as she had no visitors, the Medical Superintendent of the Hospital said he and his wife would be pleased to visit her. They came, and as they sat by her bed, she told the story of her conversion, and there were tears in his wife’s eyes.