The Seraphim
(Part 2)
Pub. #89.97
THE BURNING BUSH
SCOFFERS
AS A BOLT OF LIGHTNING
"As for the likeness of the LIVING CREATURES, their appearance was like BURNING COALS OF FIRE, and like the appearance of lamps: it went up and down among the living creatures; and the fire was bright, and out of THE FIRE WENT FORTH LIGHTNING. " (Ezekiel 1:13).
What a tremendous and adventurous journey we have embarked upon. Untold casualties mark the earth like disquieted shores of many battles. Although countless souls have fallen, there is a vanguard that presses onward. It began in the Garden of Eden, and until we arrive back to that place in God — the quest shall continue.
With the root of sin in our hearts, we were cast into the earth to roam through perilous places and distant lands. The winds of time carried us to frontiers we could never have imagined. Being void of light we became naked, but God’s grace prepared us for our new element. Rather than leaving us in this shuttering lack, He clothed us for a season with coats of skin. These garments were not only appropriate fittings for the wilderness of the world, they helped to keep the way of the tree of life. To insure the security of Eden, God wove throughout our clothing the covering cherubim. This, of course, is symbolized in the curtains and veil of the tabernacle.
We encountered many wilderness battles, wild beasts, and fierce storms in our travels. Our return also took us through various phases of the tabernacle. Therein the cherubim, of course, were ever-present and ever-changing. In retrospect, we cannot help from noticing how we expressed the image of whatever they were at any given time, and as they changed along the way, so did we. That is what deep-rooted thoughts (imaginations/cherubim) do to us. They mold a man’s character. A man is truly what he thinks, i.e., "...as he thinketh in his heart, so is he" (Prov 23:7).
We look ahead now, and approaching the finish line of this great race, we see a ribbon of fire stretched across our path. It is in the form of a Sword. It is the Word of the Almighty God — a Living Flame. Upon passing through this transforming blaze of Consuming Fire, we are changed into its exact image — living creatures of fire, if you please, as Ezekiel 1:13 so pointedly speaks.
Let us not suppose cherubim of fire are special creations apart from man. For they are so joined together that, in effect, they are one and the same. When as fire, they are men in Christ who sit with Him on His throne. They are the manchild, the sons of God’s manifestation. There is a simple truth that is often overlooked. Those in and around Christ and His throne are the ones who overcome and inherit all things (Rev 21:7). They are those who sit with Him on His throne and rule with Him (Rev 3:21). They are not mystical spirit beings who have never been clothed with flesh. They are not intangible spirits who know nothing about overcoming such things as temptation, sin, and death. Not at all! They are those who were once clothed upon with dust. They were the ones who overcame the cunning serpent of the wilderness. They slew the dragon in the sea, and cast from the heavens the one who made war against Christ and His saints. They are the ones who overcame by the blood of the Lamb and the word of their testimony, and were lifted up to the throne in the blazon glory of God their Father!
These transformed manifestations they become are the same anointed cherubim that covered God’s glory over the Mercyseat. But here, we see them no longer as His golden thoughts and pure manifestations in the sons of God — but Living creatures of Fire. They are aflame with His glory. This is what awaits those who are called and endure to the end of the long journey. Although they must pass through death and darkness, turmoil and pain — the summit provides God’s glorious effulgence.
We might note that ‘Living Creatures’ speak of those who are ‘Alive in God’. The term speaks of possessing the full, incorruptible, eternal life of the One from whom they were birthed. They are more than a mere reflection of His life, such as the moon reflecting the glory of the Sun. They are in union with Him and radiate the light of His life. Like Jesus before them, they are fire in the earth, the very expression of God’s substance (Heb 1:3). These living creatures, the Sons of God, are engulfed in the same element by which they were conceived — namely, Fire.
They who are born from above know God’s Seed was planted in them, and with GOD BEING A CONSUMING FIRE (Heb 12:29) — what other seed could they have been conceived by but Fire? It is common knowledge that everything is begotten after its own kind, and the principle stands true with God and His offspring as well. When we grasp what true sonship is, not adoption as modern man understands the word, we will know that we were not placed in the family of God by the legal act of the cross and the testimony of His resurrection. These two are extremely important, and without them we would still be with no hope. But praise God — there is more! With the experience of His life stirring within, and along with the closeness of our relationship to Him — we know we were conceived by the Living Seed. There is no question that by birth we are heirs of God, joint heirs with Jesus Christ, whereby we call Him Abba Father. (Rom 8:14-19).
Hopefully, that flaming Seed has consumed most of the carnal rubbish in our lives. If not, the unquenchable fire will burn until there is no fuel left to burn. Once it has finished its course in us, it will then spread into the world and continue on until not one fragment of flesh remains.
As this seed grows and becomes mature, God’s glory will come forth as burning coals of fire, igniting everywhere the lives of others. Like living lamps, they will give sight to the blind and light the way for those in darkness. Those who love darkness, however, will be blinded for a time by the brightness of the light.
The living creatures shall shoot forth as FLASHES OF LIGHTNING, going to where they are sent, striking their targets, and returning again (Ezek 1:13-14). They will reach out from the throne of God to accomplish His purpose, and like lightning from a thunder cloud that strikes the earth, they shall never be separated from Him. They shall not return void, but will accomplish that which pleases Him, and they shall prosper in the things whereto they are sent (Isa 55:11). Whatever the living creatures hear their Father speak and see Him do, as their Lord before them, that is what they shall speak and do. This is what is in store for those who are LIVING CREATURES in the likeness of FIRE!
THE BURNING BUSH
Moses witnessed something very similar to the LIVING CREATURES: "And the ANGEL of the LORD appeared unto him in a FLAME of fire out of the midst of a bush: and he looked, and, behold, the BUSH burned with FIRE, and the bush was not consumed....And when the LORD saw that he turned aside to see, GOD called unto him out of the midst of the bush, and said, Moses, Moses. And he said, Here am I." (Exo 3:2,4).
Only those who are in the express image of God can be ablaze with fire and not be consumed. They cannot be hurt by the second death, for they are the second death. They are the flaming element of the lake of fire. Such a thing can have no power over those who are themselves fire. It is from the midst of this image, God’s image, that His voice is heard (Exo 3:4).
Continuing on, we notice things began to change in the presence of God’s commanding voice: "And He said, Draw not nigh hither: put off thy shoes from off thy feet, for the place whereon thou standest is holy ground." (Exo 3:5). The Hebrew meaning of shoes in this verse is: "a sandal tongue; by extension a sandal or slipper (sometimes as a symbol of occupancy, a refusal to marry, or of something valueless)" (Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance).
With a definition as this, it is easily seen why one is compelled to remove his ‘shoes’ when the glory of God is manifested: That which every human wears is a tongue that no man can tame; it is an unruly evil, and full of deadly poison (James 3:8). The shoe is what ‘men’ walk in. It is ‘his’ way of walking, and not God’s way. Shoes occupy the man. They compass his every movement upon the earth. Shoes of skin have cherubim covering them. Such overlaid skins are of no value when it comes to Holy things, even to the point of forbidding to marry (1 Tim 4:3). All who wear them are kept from being joined to the Lord and becoming one spirit (1 Cor 6:17).
The ground becomes holy in every place the bush burns. When it appears, those who have walked in the wilderness of the world will take off their shoes. They shall discard their leather, their skin, their covering of flesh wherein the cherubim are sewn. That thin skin which separates them from God shall be no more. All who see that glory and hear God’s voice from the midst of His holy body shall remove their carnal ways.
SCOFFERS
Many today may not believe the season for such a manifestation is upon us, as Peter wrote of the scoffers in His second letter: "Knowing this first, that there shall come in the last days scoffers, walking after their own lusts, And saying, Where is the promise of his coming? for since the fathers fell asleep, all things continue as they were from the beginning of the creation." (2 Pet 3:3-4). Let them disbelieve if they so choose; but this will not hinder in the least His coming as fire in a cloud of ten thousands of His saints.
In addition, the unconsumed bush that burned did not ask anyone’s opinion whether it should or should not manifest in such a manner. It did not enquire of Moses whether such a thing was possible or not. When the time came — it burned, and the world was changed forever. It was from that bush that God spoke and commissioned him to free His people from Egypt. Although he was but one man, the armies of Pharaoh could not impede the purpose of God. And likewise, brethren, when the sons of God are manifested, people will begin to be delivered from Egypt. The world shall be turned upside-down (Acts 17:6), as in the days of the apostles. Kingdoms shall pass away in a mighty rush.
It matters not who believes it, when God’s messengers of fire appear "...The heavens shall pass away with a great noise, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat, the earth also and the works that are therein shall be burned up" (2 Pet 3:10). The fact is, He is already appearing to a degree in His Living Creatures of Fire. The following is an example of what we are speaking.
AS A BOLT OF LIGHTNING
Our dear friend and co-laborer in Christ, Sister Clydean Echols, was recently sent as a flaming bolt of lightning to Mexico. And let me tell you, the fire of Christ’s glory dissolved men’s ruling heavens, and every fragment of their old foundations melted away. That land was set on fire, burning up the works of the enemy’s best laid plans!
For three days and nights before she received the Spirit of the Word to go, the glory of the Lord burned in her as a coal of fire. To those He caused to see it, she shined like a lamp of the Lord. It was so glorious, she told us, that she had never experienced anything like it.
A notorious neighbor stole a herd of 30 to 40 head of cows belonging to Brother & Sister Echols during those three days. They tracked some of them to a place on his property where they were loaded onto a truck and hauled off. The sheriff, however, was reluctant to confront the man. Under normal conditions this would not have posed a problem; but this man always carried a gun and had the reputation of being the meanest man in the county. It was believed he would use it on anyone who set foot upon his land. Nonetheless, Sister Echols did a little scouting around and found about twenty of her stolen herd on the man’s property. Since the law didn’t want to get too involved, she did as the Lord directed.
She opened the gate and began talking to her cows. "Generally," she said, "anytime those cows went through a gate leading to open pasture, they just scattered. Well, this time was different. As one would begin to leave the others, I would just call it by name and say it was better if it stayed with the rest. I was in perfect communion with the whole herd, and they complied with everything I said. I just kept talking to them and lead them all the way to the corral."
While Sister Echols was enjoying the bliss of this new place in Christ, the Lord Spoke and told her to take their camper and stay a day or two on their property that was rented out to another man. They were inside talking with him when the cattle thief drove up. Brother Echols went out to see who it was. He came face to face with a madman. He was so enraged because of Sister Echols taking her cows back that he was ready to kill them all. He was shouting and cursing Brother Echols, and accusing him of stealing ‘his’ cows!
As many of you know, Brother Echols had a stroke about seven years ago, and at times he can’t say too many words. That particular night, the only word he could say was, "Yep." The crazed man kept saying, "You stole my cows!" And Brother Echols replied each time with a confirming, "Yep," and the more he said it the more furious the other man became.
By the time Sister Echols realized who was outside, and what was going on, the rage of the wild-man was at its boiling point. His eyes were ablaze with fire, and his hand on his pistol. She walked toward him while asking our Father for direction. He spoke to her and simply said, "Edify the man — encourage him." And that is what she did. Rather than accusing him, or attempting to defend their position, she blessed him. Her words of edification pierced his heart. She related that when she spoke, He stumbled backwards as if he’d been hit between the eyes with a hammer. In the light of Christ’s glory he staggered like a drunk man. His strength left him as he slumped to ground on his knees and slowly pulled himself upon an old tire that was laying nearby. He just sat there with limp arms dangling at his side, and his head bowed in humble confusion. Sister Echols said she truly had compassion for the man, that she felt no animosity toward him at all. She even invited him to come over for supper some night, telling the man that they needed to get better acquainted.
The next day she received a call from the cattle rustler. He was still broken and sobbing terribly. She asked him what was wrong, and he replied, "I don’t know. I don’t know. I need to talk to you." "What about," she answered. "I don’t know. All I know is, I need to talk to you." She told him that it was not her he needed to talk to, but God. "Just go out into the woods and talk to God. He knows what your problems are, and He will make things right and tell you what you must know or do."
She was like a coal of living fire those three days, and it transformed a wild-man’s life. We have not heard what has transpired with the man since then; but what happened shortly afterwards in Mexico, far transcended this experience, as Sister Echols related to us. She also wrote about it in her latest newsletter. The following is an edited portion of her letter:
"I don’t know where to start or what to say; but His presence is so near and real to me. This is the day I have been living for. I want to share with you about our trip to Mexico. Although everything in the natural seemed to hinder and work against us, I knew by the Spirit we were to go, and on the way we were to stop by and spend a few days in Hot Springs with the brethren there.
"Brother & Sister Roach were there Sunday morning and afternoon. They drove in from Harrison just before the services began, and due to the lack of time, we didn’t have time to talk before things got started. What was so surprising and such a blessing, was that during Brother Roach’s message, he pointed his finger at me and said. ‘You are going to Mexico. You are not just going to have a vacation. You are going like a lightning bolt from the throne of God. You are going down into Mexico, and there’s going to be a thunder in your wake. Those people are never going to be the same. Lives are going to be touched.’ He went right on preaching. After church, he came and asked what we were doing in Hot Springs. I told him, ‘We are loaded and headed for Mexico.’ Praise God! What a confirmation that we were right on course!
"After making it into Mexico, we were helping the brother there to build a meeting place. His sister was really giving him a hard way to go. She is rich, as far as money goes, so her word to the others to not help her brother carried a lot of weight. Not only was she working against her brother — she detested me to no end, and I knew it. Nevertheless, I just kept trying to be friends with her. The day she was going back to Vera Cruz, the pastor asked us to pray before she left. The glory of God filled that little shed so profoundly that it shook the heavens. I looked at the sister, and told her that God was breaking her. She looked at me like she could kill me. In the midst of her hatred and rebellion, the glory of God hit her, and she began to weep. She fell on one brother’s neck, and then another, and another, and finally she fell on mine. But she was still rebelling against her brother, the pastor. It wasn’t long, however, that she went and just clung to him and wept. God washed away two generations of hate and bitterness in that family. Did I ever see the glory of God that day!
"Brother Echols, and Teddy Short from Hot Springs, got sick — but especially Teddy. He came down with hepatitis, and but for God’s grace he would not have made it. His liver felt like a baseball, and he was so hot with fever that it felt like touching a hot stove. Being so far away from a city with a doctor, the only thing we could do was to pray, and pray some more. But this was with seemingly no results.
"Teddy slept in a building on the floor. I told him the night he was so sick that I would make a pallet for myself and stay with him; but he said it wasn’t necessary. I let him know that I would not sleep, but stay awake praying all night for him. And if he needed us, just come to the door and holler. About 1:00 a.m. I heard the Spirit say. ‘It is going to be all right.’ Teddy told us that about that same time he was so hot with fever he knew he was in serious trouble. He dragged himself to the door to call for someone, and a woman he had never seen before came out of the night and drew water from the well. She poured it over him and cooled the fever. She left and wasn’t seen again. We still don’t know who she was, except she was sent by God to save Teddy’s life.
"On two different occasions I exchanged my American dollars for Mexican pesos, so we could buy enough gas and food to get back to the border. Each time I wound up giving it all away. Since we were planning on leaving Mexico that weekend, we drove to a larger city — and I took the LAST $200 I had to exchange it. I sat in the back of the pickup in 100 degree heat while the Mexican man and girl went to the bank. The Spirit took me into the heavens once again. It lasted more than two hours.
"I saw Mexico as God sees it. He then asked me what was in my heart, and I said, ‘Oh, Lord — to see your people set free.’ He replied, ‘What you loose in heaven is loosed in the earth, and what you bind is bound.’ I began to hear the Spirit of Truth bind poverty, terror, ignorance, brutality, crime, violence, etc., and loose the glory of God and open the window of heaven to this people — and I knew they would never be the same.
"When the man came back, I got out and thanked him for changing the money for me, and when I spoke, I didn’t even know what I was saying; but he began to weep. People began to gather around, and they were all weeping. The man asked, ‘Do you know what you are saying.’ ‘No I don’t,’ I said. ‘What am I saying?’ ‘You are telling them,’ the man informed me, ‘that they don’t have to live under poverty any longer, the heavens are open, and they can walk right into God’s presence, and He will bless and help them.’ He told me that what I had said needed no translation, that I had been speaking in Spanish — a language I do not know. Praise God!
"Once we were back at the church and ready to leave, the pastor wanted to ride to the boarder with us. We came to a house, and he asked us to pull over. We walked up to and under a thatched roof. It was a place you wouldn’t even put chickens in, and the family was living there. Out walked a thirty-five year old man who was skin and bones, and gasping to breathe. His wife and four kids were in the yard. He was a mechanic and body man, but hadn’t been able to work for a long time.
"As we walked under the roof, the glory of God hit that place, and I think the ground shook. I had never witnessed this kind of glory in all my life. God took my hand and it felt like fire running through me. I had never felt anything like it. I touched the man’s nose, and then the back of his head, then his chest. All at once he threw up his hands and began to weep. He breathed clear to his toes, as we watched the color of his skin change. The glory of God was moving all over him. The children were transfixed, and tears were just streaming down their cheeks and soaking their clothes.
"We were getting back into the truck, and I heard the Man of my house say, ‘If you knew the Gift of God that is in you....’ Then He continued, ‘You say, Bless you brother, be warmed and filled, and YOU (He emphasized the YOU) do nothing.’ I said, ‘I hear you Father.’ In my pocket was the last money we had in Mexico, and we were only half way back to the border. Nevertheless, I took it all and put it into his hand, and said, ‘Bless you Brother.’ When he saw that money, his expression would repay you a million times over, even if you had to walk to the border.
"Teddy had been telling me, I had better behave and stop giving it all away. I told him to be quiet and let me do what I have to do. I was seeing the glory of God in action, and this was the best thing I had ever tasted. So, what was money to me right now? He said, ‘That is all we have. How much did you give him?’ ‘I gave it all.’ He just shook his head and said, ‘You won’t do.’
"While driving down the road, and the gas tank was only one-fourth full, I spoke to the Lord. ‘I obeyed You, so what now?’ I did not hear a clear word; but I kept feeling like looking into the zipper-pocket where we had kept the money. I knew there wasn’t any; but I had to look. Praise God! There were two crisp, one-hundred dollar bills in it. They were so new and crisp that I don’t believe any man had ever touched them. God put them there, for I know I hadn’t. I showed them to Teddy and said, ‘Now explain this.’ And of course, he couldn’t, and neither could I, but they were there.
"Before leaving this part of the story, I must go back and tell you about when I was getting the money exchanged (the last money I gave away). I was in the back of the truck in the heat, and I heard voices singing. As strange as you may think it sounds, I knew I was hearing Abraham and Sarah’s voices, and many others in the Book. I also heard groups all across America we know, and very clearly voices of certain people we had known. I heard my father’s voice, Sister Stephenson, Dan Forbes, and so many I can’t call them all. And do you know what they were singing? ‘Until death is destroyed off His Jewels. Till all proclaim His righteous judgments, bringing mercy and grace, and all shall know that the heavens do rule.’
"When we got back to the States, the Lord continued to replenish what I had given away. When we were in Lindale, Texas I was asked to share about our trip. God must have blessed either them or me. I guess both, for they gave us $1000. I had never gotten an offering like that in my life. But I never saw the glory of God like this in my life. I am more persuaded today than ever that words alone cannot break the bondage, sermons have no power in themselves; but the glory of God can, and does. That is what it takes. He just blows over a situation, and it is all OK.
"I really appreciate the people’s obedience at the Lindale church. I did not tell them I gave away all my money, my bill money. I did not ask for any money. They just gave it! God owns it all any way.
"On the way home from Texas, He spoke in my heart and said, ‘You will start to get phone calls and you will hear the Macedonian Call — Come help us.’ The word, ‘Macedonian’, means ‘extended land’. So I know it will not be a word like I’ve ever ministered before, and it won’t be the usual beaten paths anymore. I am ready and willing to go and share, and be what He wants for me.
"The first call came from Wilda Wright in Stanton, Tennessee. Brother Jesse Brooks said he saw a trumpet to my mouth, and it was blowing. He also said that it was a ministry of miracles, and they were already happening, and the trumpet is also sounding. I’ve had two calls since then. Please pray for me. If I can help in any way, let me know." — End quote. (You can call her at 501-447-2575, or write, Clydean Echols HC 78 Box 13, Leslie, AR 72645.)
While on our last trip to Oklahoma and Arkansas, we heard a similar testimony from Alyce McPherson. She said that she was caught up for five hours, and the same thing happened at the same time to her close friend, Jean Batterton. She spoke of this experience in her article, HIS APPEARING:
"I have been behind the veil. Christ Himself appeared out of the midst of me and totally seized me into a glory I have never experienced before. He came from the inside out and was in total control I was inside Him and found myself experiencing a oneness with Christ Himself. I felt His great love and compassion for mankind and I saw all things finished in Him. Understand what I am saying; all things are finished in Him! In the realm of spirit He has finished what He was sent to do. Now He has seated Himself in a position, high above all principality and power. This position will never be usurped by any other power for He has put all things under foot. He will come as a thief out from the midst of man, binding the strong man of the house and taking full control as He catches man up into the glory behind the veil of our flesh. We will never again return to the beggarly elements of earth's consciousness for we will be enveloped with the mind of Christ.
"I did not stay there, but I was there. While I was there I was able to function in the realm of earth and accomplish the necessary things of life, but my mind was His mind, seated in the heavens. My whole being was bathed in pure love for His creation. There was no respect of persons in this place in Him.
"When I was released again to earth's consciousness, I asked Him why I could not stay, His answer was; 'I took you behind the veil, so that you could spy out the land I'm taking you to, and now you are to bring back the report to creation.'
"I knew why He was willing to give His life in the flesh and return as the seed of a quickening Spirit. It was to take up the greater glory of indwelling all mankind as the life principal of a new creation in the earth. A seed after His own planting. A people who would declare His generation The glory of this appearing will never pass away nor be defiled by man.. It is a place prepared in the midst of man himself. This place is the Christ in man and will soon emerge from the inside out and swallow up death in victory. A people will walk upon the earth with the mind of Christ in total control, putting down all rule and authority."
Sister Echols also said she had gotten reports from others across the country who were being caught up into this glory. They all, as it was told to us, were in prayer and worshiping God when it happened.
During that September trip, the primary word I ministered was on the Living Creatures of Fire and the Seraphim. It goes without saying how tremendously encouraged it was to hear about these Golden Cherubim being changed temporarily into the Living Creatures of Burning Fire. The very thing that has been stirring in my Spirit was in a measure already happening; but this measure is not to be taken lightly. For let us recall Thomas Wyatt’s vision (Pub. #96.88, free upon request) concerning this. In essence, God’s Glory that shall sweep over the earth like a tidal wave of fire begins with the sounding of ONE blazing trumpet.
Brethren, I believe the season is swiftly approaching for coming out of darkness and taking the trumpet of fire to our own lips. The Lord is stirring the cold ashes and we shall soon sound the call to arms. It will be death for some, of course, but life for the others. Those who are made alive by the sound of Christ’s awakening voice shall rejoice and breathe heaven’s fire into their lungs, burning every refuse of sin from within. In turn, they shall blast the same flaming wave from their purified lips. Nothing but ashes will remain of those it finds in its path. It will sweep over all who dwell in the earth, from the church to the utmost parts of the world. They shall surely die; but from the ashes of this death will come the beauty of life. Our Lord will give them "...Beauty for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning, the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness; that they might be called trees of righteousness, the planting of the LORD, that he might be glorified. (Isa 61:3).
Elwin R. Roach
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