Belfast Mandate, 1910

The Belfast Mandate (1910) was given by revelation to "Sister" Aimee Semple McPherson (1890–1944) at Belfast, Ireland, during a revival with her husband Robert James Semple (Feb.–Mar. 1910), while en route to China; she was nineteen. The revelation appeared in the July Pentecostal Testimony. During it, the Lord showed Aimee the current state of Christianity, revealed the cause of its fallen condition, and provided a solution for how to fix it. The revelation says Aimee was directly "called and ordained" by the Lord Jesus. The fruits of her ministry are detailed in The Resurrection of Christian America by Prof. Matthew A. Sutton from Harvard Univ. Press, 2007.

The Revelation

(For footnotes, mouse over their number or read them all at the bottom.)

THE VOICE OF the Lord came unto me, saying, “Lift up thine eyes1 that I may shew thee my plan concerning thee.2 Give me thine ears, that I may speak unto thee concerning the preaching of My gospel.”3 And I said unto Him, “Yea, Lord, not mine eyes and my ears only turn I unto Thee, but my whole soul, my whole being longeth to hear Thy voice.”4

Straightway, mine eyes were opened, and I beheld a Book of light and wisdom. Its pages were written in letters of fire, and the words thereof were words of power and glory;5 giving death and life; giving bondage and freedom; making deep wounds and also giving healing; giving great hunger and also satisfying the hungry soul; causing great sorrow yet giving great joy; telling of endless gloom and despair but revealing a life of endless bliss and glory; causing great drought and thirst throughout the earth yet giving showers and rivers of living water and bread unto the nations thereof.6

But I beheld that—as the light of the Book shone forth, dispelling gloom and darkness, giving light unto the world—there came those clad in priestly robes and ministerial attire.7 Each one held in his hand a scroll and was writing thereon with a pen, and the name of the pen was the “Wisdom of Man.”8

I beheld the writing; it was the wisdom of man, the thoughts and theories of men. When they had ceased to write, I saw them take the pages they had written and cover with them page by page the Book of light and life, so that the light thereof was obscured as the word of man obscured the Word of God.9

Then saw I that they brought great stones and mortar and built a wall about the Book,10 and my heart was sore within me, for I beheld the nations groping in darkness,11 searching for the light that was hidden within the Book. Then cried I unto the Lord, “How long, how long shall this be? Shall Thy mercy endure forever, O Jehovah?”

But straightway lifting up my eyes, I beheld a messenger of the Lord running swiftly,12 clad in a white garment of righteousness, and his inner garments were the garments of humility. His face shone with heavenly light, while within his hand he held a flaming sword. And I beheld that, as he advanced, he came unto the Book whose pages had been covered, and wielding the flaming sword, he severed page by page the writing of man that had obscured the pages of light and power and life, so that they were again revealed unto the blinded nations. The wall of stone and mortar he overthrew, so that again the rivers and life-giving waters flowed forth into the regions around about. Give ear, therefore, and hearken unto the voice of God, and let him that hath understanding, understand aright.13

And the Lord spoke unto me, saying, “The Book which thou seest is the Word of the living, the eternal God. The burning words thereof are the words of the Lord Jehovah who liveth and reigneth with power. The writing that obscures it is the dark and foolish sayings and theories of the unbelieving and false church.14

But behold, even as thou sawest the messenger of light come forth, even so have I chosen and ordained thee, that thou shouldst go forth and clear away the debris and contamination with which they have covered and obscured the light of My Word.15

I have chosen thee and called thee by name that thou should speak unto My people. Look not upon the pages that contain the theories of men, but upon the burning, flaming words of My Word as revealed and illuminated by the Holy Spirit whom I have given unto you.”16

And again I beheld the messenger of God, holding the Word of power aloft. The nations looked upon it, and where the light of its pages shone forth upon the earth, it dispelled the gloom and darkness and shed forth the light of day.

“Even so hold thou My Word unto those whereunto I shall send thee. For I, even I, shall break the fetters that bind. I, even I, shall give liberty unto those in bondage, and light unto those in darkness through thee if thou shalt be as clay in my hands. ”

(Source: Collected Sermons & Writings, Volume 1, p. 5)

Next page: The Lord's Charge

NOTES

  1. This confirms that Aimee was in a state of prayer and the Lord instructed her to "open" her eyes and to "look up" for what came next. ↩
  2. Aimee, b. Oct. 9, 1890, converted Dec. 1907, baptism in Spirit Feb. 1908, m. Aug. 1908 to preacher Robert Semple (nine years older); her life in ministry began at age 17. ↩
  3. The Lord confirms Aimee's call to be a preacher. ↩
  4. Her fealty demonstrated here never wavered throughout Aimee's life. ↩
  5. What Aimee witnessed is confirmed by witches and warlocks who avoid houses with open Bibles. The greatest deterrent of evil is the open Bible. ↩
  6. The "double-edged sword" spoken of in scripture was wonderfully described. ↩
  7. It was not one or the other; it was both priests and ministers--the two who wear ministerial garb which Jesus called out during his life:

    5 But all their works they do for to be seen of men: they make broad their phylacteries, and enlarge the borders of their garments, phylacteries: pieces of parchment containing sentences of the law 6 And love the uppermost rooms at feasts, and the chief seats in the synagogues, 7 And greetings in the markets, and to be called of men, Rabbi, Rabbi. 8 But be not ye called Rabbi: for one is your Master, even Christ; and ALL YE ARE BRETHREN. (Matthew 23:5-10 ↩

  8. Every person with ministerial garb had a "scroll" they had made; these are denominational "Tenets." ↩
  9. The theories of the clergy of whose organization they represent did not protect or enhance God's holy light within His scriptures; they dimmed, even totally obscured them. Jesus warned them about traditions:

    3 But he answered and said unto them, Why do ye also transgress the commandment of God by your tradition? (Matthew 15:3)

    8 For laying aside the commandment of God, ye hold the tradition of men (Mark 7:8)

    9 And he said unto them, Full well ye reject the commandment of God, that ye may keep your own tradition. (Mark 7:9)

    13 Making the word of God of none effect through your tradition, which ye have delivered: and MANY SUCH LIKE THINGS DO YE. (Mark 7:13)

    8 Beware lest any man spoil you through philosophy and vain deceit, after the tradition of men, after the rudiments of the world, and not after Christ. (Colossians 2:8) ↩

  10. The wall around the book confirms organizations and signifies their group of tenets; each stone represents each tenet, and the mortar represents man's wisdom of how they "fit" together. Mortar is required, signifying that those tenets don't go perfectly together, i.e., they are not like a "stone cut out of the mountain without hands" (Daniel 2:45) nor are they "fitted together" (Ephesians 2:21 NKJV). ↩
  11. "Nations groping in darkness" bespeaks a global problem of Christian denominations—each seeking to establish its own righteousness, while dividing the world in Jesus' name.

    3 For they being ignorant of God's righteousness, and going about to establish their own righteousness, have not submitted themselves unto the righteousness of God. (Romans 10:3) ↩

  12. The flaming sword is God's Word, delivered afresh, at the behest of the Lord Jesus, whom it was prophesied would come for a Time of Refreshing:

    19 Repent ye therefore, and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, when the times of refreshing shall come from the presence of the Lord; 20 And he shall send Jesus Christ, which before was preached unto you: 21 Whom the heaven must receive until the times of restitution of all things, which God hath spoken by the mouth of all his holy prophets since the world began. (Acts 3)

    The prophecy of John confirms this in Revelation 14:

    6 And I saw another angel fly in the midst of heaven, having the everlasting gospel to preach unto them that dwell on the earth, and to every nation, and kindred, and tongue, and people, 7 Saying with a loud voice, Fear God, and give glory to him; for the hour of his judgment is come: and worship him that made heaven, and earth, and the sea, and the fountains of waters. 8 And there followed another angel, saying, Babylon is fallen, is fallen, that great city, because she made all nations drink of the wine of the wrath of her fornication. (Revelation 14)

    It's instructive to note the sequence of events: Gospel sent again by Jesus and heavenly messengers; it's a more serious time, the feeling is in the air to: "repent and be converted" and "hour of his judgment is come" followed by "Babylon" becoming fallen. Yes, the last move of God will have enough spiritual weight to cause people to repent, because the true Word will be sent and preached afresh with power — even so that spiritual Babylon/apostate Christianity becomes undone and ceases to exist.

    Sister Aimee's meetings were notorious for having the effect of causing people to repent--a prelude to the final thrust. ↩

  13. Not only will the above-mentioned angel facilitate the minutiae of details to undo every block of error, and all will feel the spiritual weight of seriousness, but the framework of "what's going on?" and "What happens next?" will only be had by the true servants of God. Only those who are "humble" as that angel will be led by its messengers to the humble who will be led to those true messengers, and thus, it will be they who will "have understanding" of what's going on and what's coming next, the true Gospel, etc. ↩
  14. A foundational teaching Aimee came to have, by experience and this revelation, and became the motto on the front of all her churches was Hebrews 13:8,

    8 Jesus Christ the same yesterday, and today, and forever. (Hebrews 13 NKJV)

    Note the other sustaining words used by Jesus in the same paragraph:  "Word of the living, the eternal God" and "the words of the Lord Jehovah who liveth and reigneth with power." One of the worst sectarian beliefs, in light of this revelation and scriptures, is that of Cessationism, or the belief that the gifts of the Spirit ended with the apostles' death. That's akin to turning off the faucet to Heaven, starving people of answers and help from above, confirming what Jesus said:

    The writing that obscures it is the dark and foolish sayings and theories of the unbelieving and FALSE CHURCH.

    If a person does not believe in a living God that can hear, talk, and do RIGHT NOW, they're wrong, and wrong means "false." And any church that is based on or believes in Cessationism is a "false church." Imagine standing before the judgment bar knowing that you taught and defended the position that God was dead! ↩

  15. Aimee was informed she was chosen and ordained by the Lord, which answers the question, "Can women be called into the ministry?" The Lord likened her to the Messenger of Light whom she previously saw wielding a sword, tearing off the pages of the tenets of man, and breaking down the brick walls of the false church--spoken in the singular, but representing all stripes of falsehood and not a single denomination.

    Thou shouldst go forth and clear away the debris and contamination with which they have covered and obscured the light of My Word.

    That's a tall order, and yet Our Lord knew she had fully submitted to His will and therefore, He could fill her with the Holy Spirit, the gifts and powers, etc. to get the job done. ↩

  16. Sister Aimee had the mantle of a preacher placed upon her, and for this reason, she always drew large crowds wherever she went. God's messengers and the Holy Spirit would draw people there. Then, indeed, she would become "illuminated" by the Holy Spirit on what to say. Truly, she was fully yielded to do what the Spirit said. Which is exemplary for everyone. ↩