The Wellspring. No.57l
30th June,
2007
“Understanding is a Wellspring of
Life to him that has it.” (Proverbs. 16:22)
Occasional papers by Arthur &
Rosalind Eedle
Before He Comes
Part 12. The Sugar-Ice Duck
(A vision received by Arthur on 5th Sept. 1974)
The Crown Agents in London
had appointed me to teach in the King George V School, Kowloon,
Hong Kong as from the beginning of the autumn term 1974. We flew out there and
landed on September 3rd, and were given a suite of rooms on the 8th floor of
the Hong Kong Hotel. It was a temporary arrangement until suitable
accommodation could be found. Two nights later, after the children were asleep,
and my wife had gone to bed, I sat looking at the magnificent view across the
harbour. It was a fairyland of coloured lights. The colony is a cameo of all
that relates to luxury. The love of money is the paramount factor that keeps
everyone going. I was told there were more millionaires per square mile in Hong
Kong than anywhere else in the world, and after being there for some time, I
could well believe it. Nothing stops in Hong Kong, night or day, unless there
is a typhoon. It is a hive of constant activity that can easily get into one's
soul. It is difficult to stand against it when living in such an atmosphere.
Looking back I now believe that what happened next was related to the Hong Kong
way of life, as it was going to influence the newly forming charismatic
churches in the west. Except that the luxury relates mainly to the spiritual
realm rather than the material realm.
As I sat looking at this
amazing scene I began to see something else, and because of its strangeness my
mind was alerted immediately to the fact that God was conveying truth in
visionary form. I saw a duck, and I knew that it had been made of icing sugar
because a hand was smoothing down the surface with a knife. When all was
complete, the strange thing padded along on its webbed feet as though alive,
and settled down on a flat surface somewhere. But if this was strange, the next
part of the vision took me even more by surprise, because I saw dozens of
people arriving at the duck, and it was only then that I realised how large it
was. It must have been all of forty feet tall! The people were excited about
the coming of the duck, and some of those who were braver than the rest even
went up to it and touched it. One of them licked his fingers and the taste was
sweet. Breaking a fragment from the surface he ate it, and jumped for joy.
Others gained confidence and followed his example until they were all delirious
with excitement. I saw them singing, dancing, throwing up their hands in the
air, and embracing each other. The festive atmosphere was its own
advertisement. People arrived in droves, pushing and shoving, and climbing over
the duck with the aid of ladders in an effort to obtain a handful of icing
sugar and join in the fun.
This continued for some
time until one man gave a very loud shout, which brought everything to a halt.
They saw him pointing to a hole that had appeared in the icing sugar. It was
therefore not solid as they had originally thought. No one had imagined the
sugar icing might give out sooner or later. After this, caution was exercised
in the eating. Everyone agreed to ration what was left. But they found to their
joy that even the smallest taste produced the same effects as a handful, and
they wished they had learned this lesson earlier. In the process of time many
more holes appeared. Some tried looking inside the duck, but all was pitch
dark. Nothing could be seen. Gradually the duck became wafer thin. All of a
sudden the crash came as the remainder of the duck disintegrated in a cloud of
very fine dust. The crowd became silent, waiting and watching.
It took a while for the
dust to settle, and then I had a shock. Inside the duck there was a terrible
black beast about forty feet long, in shape like a scorpion with bulbous green
eyes. It also had wings similar to those of a dragonfly. I fully expected the
crowd to disperse at great speed, but instead they became delirious with
excitement once again, and accepted the beast as their accredited leader. If
anything, the excitement became greater than before. At this point the vision
changed, and I saw the hand once again. It was outstretched with some white
pills on the palm. A small number of people were arriving to receive one, which
they ate. The result showed on their faces as an inner sense of peace and
tranquillity. And then the two visions merged. Once again I saw people taking
the icing sugar from the duck and jumping about in excitement. The group from
the second vision were approaching, and mingling with the crowd, warning them,
"Don't eat it! It's dangerous!" But there was very little response.
Some shouted at them, "Go away, you prophets of doom! Don't tell us that
YOU have the Spirit of the Lord. Where is your joy?" Disheartened they
eventually wandered away, feeling a dull ache in the pits of their stomachs.
Later on, when I had made a
record of the vision, the Lord spoke to me, and I wrote down the message, as
follows:-
"The hand
that formed the bitter pill fashioned also the duck. This is my work, and by it
my name will be magnified. Twenty centuries of progress has not changed the
nature of man, and neither has it changed mine, says the Lord. My Son is the
Way, the Truth and the Life. All those who reject the bitter pill of the cross
will find themselves prey to the lie. I will send them strong delusion, and
they will believe it and rejoice in it because their hearts are not set upon
the Way. They will accept falsehood in a season of careless security, indulging
in spiritual flirtation with powers of darkness dressed up in acceptable guise.
They longed for sweet things and I gave them sugar, but it was not in tune with
my heart, says the Lord. And each bite of the duck they take, so grows the
beast within. And each bite of the duck they take, so blind they become to the
truth. And then, when antifaith has done its final work the beast is revealed
to the world, enthroned within the temple of God, blasphemously parading divine
nature. Mark well my words, says the Lord, there is but one great sign for this
world, one marvel, one miracle of challenge that I will accept, and it is the
sign of the prophet Jonah. And those who take the bitter pill shall find
loneliness, derision and sorrow. And they shall walk the way of their Master,
learning of His sorrows, sharing His suffering, conforming to His death. But I
shall raise them to life, life on a higher plane, and they shall take my message
to the nations. This is my sign, and this shall be their reward. All other
ways, however right they may appear to man, shall be disallowed in my sight,
says the Lord. And those who eat the duck shall refuse this glory when it is
revealed for it shall be folly to them. Choose therefore whilst it is still
possible, choose the salt and reject the sugar, says the Lord, for the time is
now short."
Before making any comment
about the application of this vision over the last 33 years, it will be best to
explain what the symbols mean in practice. And before doing this, I should like
to display a brief snatch from another vision, one which my wife received in
June 1969. She saw a dam across a narrow ravine, and behind the dam there was
initially just a small trickle of water, but over a lengthy period of time the
water rose to produce a large lake, and eventually filled the ravine to the top
of the dam. At this stage, the dam burst, and the waters flowed out, bright and
iridescent, into the valley beyond. The Lord gave the interpretation. The water
represented the faith of His people. And the effect of faith was twofold.
Firstly, the faith had an effect in the believer's life and his walk. But
secondly, the faith had another effect, which was not appreciated by the
believer at all. In heavenly places, each act of faith was like water building
up behind the dam. God was preparing for a yet future day when, in His Kingdom,
He could liberate the combined effect of all the faith of His elect, and it
would flow out to a needy world. I believe the two visions are essentially the
same in their interpretation. But the dam refers to God's work, whereas the
duck refers to the counterfeit work.
To understand the duck
vision I will set down the various elements of it in sequence.
1. The duck. This is of
course invisible to the people who approach it.
2. The sugar. The Lord
said, "They longed for sweet things and I gave them sugar, but it was not
in tune with my heart."
3. The eating. What should
they have been eating? The Lord said, "I am the bread of life." He
also said, "Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that
proceeds out of the mouth of God." Therefore they were eating the wrong
stuff.
4. The meaning of eating
the sugar. If the TRUE BREAD is the Lord, and what we
eat is His living word, then the sugar represents something akin but not
wholesome. It must also be a doctrine, an idea, a suggestion, which comes from
an alien source. Hence, as Paul put it, it could be a "doctrine of
demons."
5. The first effect of
eating. There was sweetness in the mouth, and by what followed, there was no
"bitterness in the stomach" like John experienced when he ate the
little scroll of words. In fact they began to experience a profusion of supernatural
effects which gave them what might be called "a spiritual bean
feast", calculated to bring the crowds flocking in.
6. The second effect of
eating. What they didn't realise was the gradual blindness coming upon them,
blindness to the truth of God's word written clearly in the sermon
on the mount. As time passed, so the new experience took precedence over
a sober contemplation of what Jesus asks for in a believer's life.
7. The third effect of
eating. This was also beyond their knowledge, and may be compared with the
water rising in the dam. There was a beast inside the duck, and the beast was
powerless to act out his role at the start, and would have been rejected if it
was seen. But the eating had the effect of giving power and strength to the
beast, and causing it to grow.
8. The collapse. When Satan
sees that (a) the blindness of those who have eaten is sufficient, and (b) the
beast has grown to the required extent, he causes the duck to collapse. This
represents a brief interlude between two phases or waves of activity. The
people sense that their original hyper-activity is near its end, but have no
knowledge of what lies ahead.
9. The beast appears. Their
blindness is such that they now pronounce the beast to be their accredited
leader. This beast is also invisible, but they recognise "something"
that is more powerful and attractive than what had gone before. And they give
themselves to it wholly. This is the true antichrist phase, much more powerful
than the earlier phase.
10. The people who ate the
pills. These have fed on the true word, and have seen the nature of the evil.
They pray for the others, and whenever occasion arises, they approach them and
warn them, but usually to no avail. Hence the sweetness in the mouth gave way
to bitterness of soul at the outcome of their endeavours.
11. The Lord's hand. Some
might be upset when they realise the Lord was the One who designed the duck.
But it must be remembered that in olden days, after King Saul's disobedience,
the Lord withdrew His Spirit from him, and gave him an evil spirit instead. In
each of these cases, the Lord takes full responsibility for what happens, even
though Satan was the donor of Saul's evil spirit, as he is also the architect
of the duck.
In 2 Thessalonians 2, Paul
paints an identical picture, but because of the difficulty of some of the
verses, coupled with an amazing variety of translations in the Versions, the
force of what he said is often lost. He speaks of a "man of
lawlessness" who is equivalent to the black beast of the duck
vision, and of those who "love not the truth", who
are not outsiders, but those within the larger company of believers. Also he
refers to a "restraining influence" which is
explained clearly by the duck vision, in that the Devil cannot achieve his plan
without the "antifaith" of those who reject the
truth. Hence there has been a restraining influence on evil. But when "the
great apostasy" has taken place, and crowds of people flock to
the duck, eventually the "man of lawlessness" can be
revealed, when "he comes out of the midst," in other
words when the black beast is finally seen. But Paul says that this "man
of lawlessness" sits in the temple of God saying that he is God.
Which temple is Paul
referring to? Many believers today have been tutored to believe that the
antichrist will not arise on the world stage until the church is removed to be
with the Lord. Hence this section of Paul's writing doesn't hold much urgency
for them. Likewise they have been advised that the Jews will build a Temple in
Jerusalem, and the antichrist will make his throne there. Hence there is a
double pressure upon them to discount any present danger signal in this chapter
of Thessalonians. But the temple Paul speaks of is the temple of God's people,
and the antichrist seats himself (invisibly) in the
midst. The (prophetic) words he delivers are from himself,
but presented as though they come from God. The words are believed because of
the blindness. Hence the danger is critical to all God's people.
As for the geographical
interpretation, it takes only a moment's thought to realise that if a man were
to establish himself inside a newly built temple in Jerusalem, he would
immediately be recognised. His cover would be blown by the world, let alone the
church! The newspapers would quote 2 Thessalonians 2, and he would be the
laughing stock of the world. Surely we cannot expect Satan to be quite so
lacking in strategy! It is a very sobering thought to realise that the
antichrist is AT THIS PRESENT TIME enthroned within the whole body of those who
call themselves Christians on this earth. Whereas in the past the "mystery
of lawlessness" has been at work throughout, in these last days a great
change has occurred - the black beast has been revealed. So we are left to
consider the "powers and signs and wonders of deceit." What
are they? They must be the supernatural effects that were produced by the
eating of the duck in the first phase, and then multiplied to a much greater
degree in the second phase when the beast is revealed. This second phase then
must be a far greater force of evil and deception than the first. No wonder
that John was told, as Daniel was before him, that the antichrist would have
power over the saints of God to "make war on them and overcome them."
Words like that cannot possibly refer to a time AFTER the church has been taken
up into glory.
But the force of the duck
vision hasn't yet been revealed to its full extent. We must now examine the
difference between the "word of God" that believers are enjoined to
eat, and the "sugar-icing" that is preferred by so many today. What
is the crux of Jesus' teaching? I have used a play on words. The Latin word
CRUX means a "cross". And the cross is the central hub of all that
our Lord taught. Even as He gave Himself up to die on a cross, so also He
expected all His followers to do likewise, not literally (even though some did)
but in the more important sense of "overcoming" the
"flesh", the nature we have all inherited from Adam and Eve. Again
and again in the Gospels, and particularly in the Sermon
on the Mount our Lord taught the truth concerning this. "Except a
man take up his cross he has no part of me." "If any man will come
after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross
daily, and follow me." What does it mean to "deny ones
self"? It means to realise the incipient evil of the human heart, and
stamp on its desires, relying steadily more and more on the leading of the Lord
in everyday situations of life. Oswald Chambers put it this way. "Our
Lord's illustration of a Christian is salt. Salt preserves wholesomeness and
prevents decay. It is a disadvantage to be salt. Think of the action of salt on
a wound, and you will realise this. If you get salt in a wound, it hurts, and
when God's children are amongst those who are 'raw' towards God, their presence
hurts. The man who is wrong with God is like an open wound, and when 'salt'
gets in it causes annoyance and distress and he is spiteful and bitter. The
'salt' causes excessive irritation which spells persecution for the
saint." This was seen clearly in the duck vision. Those who tried
to warn the people of the dangers they were facing, only received reviling
comments. "Where is your joy?" they asked. But how can you approach
such people with a smile, when your task is to warn them of danger? They were
drunk with the wine of intoxication, produced by the effects of eating the
sugary sweet words of the false prophet, and enjoying the effects.
The Prophet Daniel spoke
about the antichrist, calling him "the Little Horn".
And we are told that the Little Horn "takes away the daily
sacrifice". What does this mean? In the days when the Temple
services were operating, God's priests sacrificed a lamb each morning and
evening. This was called the "daily sacrifice." But this all came to
an end after the resurrection of our Lord. What significance does it now hold?
Some might say "none", because the system to which it referred has
passed away. But our Lord referred to "the abomination which
makes desolate", which Daniel said would take the place of
the daily sacrifice. He said the principle still applied, and warned His
readers to make sure they understood what He meant. Every believer should have
a "daily sacrifice", a spiritually understood sacrifice. When Jesus
spoke about "taking up our cross DAILY" He was making reference to just that.
Throughout our lives we should daily remember that we are but dust. Our
thoughts and our desires are far removed from divine righteousness, and need
constantly to be made new by the power of God's Holy Spirit. Now we are approaching
the absolute hub of understanding.
The Holy Spirit's ministry
to believers is essentially towards their re-creation in the Lord's own image.
But in these days, at the beginning of the 21st century, vast numbers of
believers look to the Holy Spirit for power, signs and wonders, which instead
of crucifying the flesh, tend to feed it. Oh how easy it is to be captivated by
all the manifestations of supernatural power today. Many Christians go
"conference hopping" in the hope of being present at yet another
occasion of "blessing", where they can witness all manner of effects,
not just by the preacher and those called to the front, but throughout the
auditorium. If believers persist in praying to the Holy Spirit for signs and
manifestations, the Holy Spirit cannot answer. It is contrary to the purpose
for which the Spirit has come. But there is always
"another" who "comes in his own
name", and "him you will hear." The crucial
decision must be made. Is the flesh being fed, or crucified?
The Lord
spoke to my wife some years ago saying, "In these days treat
the miraculous very lightly. Look rather to the lives of
those who profess to have spiritual powers." We have found it a most valuable
word. The Little Horn "casts truth to the ground and stamps on it."
What item of truth does he stamp upon? It is the daily sacrifice. And in its
place he establishes "the abomination that makes desolate."
The word "Abomination" in the Bible is usually connected with idol
worship. In this case the idol is "self", and we can all set it up
within the "temple of God", almost without realising it. But when the
"great apostasy" occurs (and it already has) then the idol abounds
within God's church, and the Lord speaks of it causing desolation.
Why does it "make
desolate"? Because God cannot own it. Whereas
once the Holy Spirit delighted to be present and gently guide flocks of
believers, now the Spirit has departed, as the spirit left King Saul. Hence we
are told that the Little Horn "scatters the power of God's
people", (those who eat the duck), and "wears out the
saints", (those who gently warn the rest.) How does the Little
Horn obtain such power? "He will flatter those who act lawlessly
towards the covenant." What is the covenant? It is now the New Covenant
in Jesus' blood. And this covenant is based upon the cross in His own life, and also in our lives. Our Lord said that "because
of lawlessness the love of the many will grow cold." It is
amazing how hard one may become when striving constantly for "power".
But those who are striving for mastery (lawfully), "walk in the
spirit and have no confidence in the flesh." All such are
progressively broken on the Rock which is Christ, and in brokenness they learn
to be gentle, even when acting as salt.
Dear friends and brethren,
over the last thirty years we have witnessed a tremendous growth in what is now
called the Charismatic movement, and it has gone through a number of phases of
development. And we remember being told of a
"new wave of blessing" that was to sweep this land. One of our family
has been present during a church service when this "new wave" was
being enacted, and he witnessed people laughing, others crying, yet others
jogging on the spot, whilst other were dancing, or raising their hands and
speaking in tongues. To an outsider coming into such a gathering, he would
wonder whether it was a mad-house. But we are being advised that this is the
"new wave" of the outpouring of the Holy Spirit. Has the
sugar-ice-duck collapsed? Has the beast started its awful work of power? All
the signs lead us to believe it has, but we leave our readers to decide. Please
act wisely and prayerfully. Above all the Lord is teaching us to look upon our
brethren caught up in this "duck syndrome" with great compassion and
love. It must be understood that at no time have we a mandate to think in terms
of what Kipling called "We and They." His poem is
masterly, and shows how invidious the Pharisaic attitude can be.
Daniel was told that
"some of the people will fall to try them and make them white."
God is in it all. Those who know and understand may "do exploits" and
"save out of the fire" some of those who are ensnared in this
latter-day evil, but we must realise that God is using Satan's device to His
own end. The Lord will have His sovereign way, and the Serpent will bite the
dust. Two words of prophecy were sent to us, the first was received on July
13th 1994. The force of it is so exactly what is needed at this time, relative
to the sugar-ice-duck that we reproduce it here in full, by permission.
"Why are you so surprised at what is happening my children? Does it not
say in my word that in the last days false prophets and false christs (anointed ones) will come
in my name and deceive if possible even the elect? This work of deception will
be in my hand as a refining fire to purify, cleanse, and refine my true church,
separating those who love the truth from those who do not. There are three
things that I require of you in this time of testing. First, be deeply rooted and
grounded in my word. Soak yourselves in my word, memorise my word, meditate on
my word, and confess my word. This is your greatest protection. Second, pray
with great love and compassion for those who are being deceived. Pray that my
purposes in their lives will be fulfilled and not hindered by this work of the
enemy. Third and most difficult, warn those who are being deceived. Many will
turn away from you but I will strengthen you and give you boldness and courage
and put words in your mouth. My hand of blessing and favour will be upon you.
Above all do not be discouraged but rejoice for my coming is very close."
The other prophetic word, received in October 1993, contains the following words, "The lights are going out in many local churches where my name was at one time honoured. Many of these churches will be plunged into confusion and darkness, ready to embrace any revelation that comes from men known for their world-wide ministries. Many of them that come are not sent by me. They are false teachers and prophets ready to bring together many followers. For those who love and honour my name, the time is coming when I have to say with great sorrow and heartache, 'come out from among them, even from those you deeply love, for they are desirous of heaping up their own teachers and they are not willing to embrace my true and unadulterated word.' Many wish to prostitute themselves for something that appears good and real, but what they experience does not come from me, but from the evil one who is being allowed to send demonic gifts and ministries. It is because many look for signs and wonders as validation of a ministry, rather than to men who come with my pure unadulterated word. To those of you who are faithful: do not be afraid when I say to you, 'Come out of where you are', because I am preparing homes of refuge for you to be part of what is real. I will hide you in those places for a time to nurture and strengthen you. You will be part of my true witnessing church in these last days."
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The above message was written in 1994, when we sent it out as a Prophetic Telegraph. I have been through and changed a few dates, to bring it up to date, but otherwise it is unchanged. I believe this message is of the utmost importance, and comes as a clear message of interpretation of what Paul said to the Thessalonians, and which is so often misunderstood. But even if we have only understood a part of what he was saying two millennia ago, the truth concerning "the way of the cross" is timeless, and is the essence of all that the Lord was teaching His disciples during His earthly life.