DO 2132 Compiled 1/86—Questions from Apollos with Dad's Answers!

1. HEEDING THE VOICES OF HIS SPIRITS!

Dearest Dad,

GBY! ILY & am again so thankful for all of your encouragement re: the HG/HC Story! It really is so much more inspiring now, having all of these Heavenly Hosts in it!—It really gets me to thinking about the Lord more & how He operates & all the wonderful & mysterious marvels of that now unseen realm that you & He have revealed to us in the Letters! Hal! (TTL!)

Here is the last part of Chapter 57‚ in which you have an interesting time getting the Message through to dear Marie!—I've never thought about this sort of thing before, how our Angels & Guardian Spirits must work so hard sometimes to get through to us poor mortals, to quicken things & messages from the Lord to us etc., so I hope my portrayal of your efforts with Marie here is realistic & accurate! (—Amen!) I just tried to imagine what it must be like, knowing how much trouble the Lord & His dear helpers must have with me most of the time! Ha! So though you have somewhat of a struggle getting through to her at first, you do finally get it across‚ & she gets the point!—Hope it's OK! PTL! (—A real lesson in heeding the voices of His Spirits!)

On your & Abner's flight back to the farm is when the real "War in the Spirit" text comes in, when you find out that that demon you blasted out the sky has returned with a big-shot demon prince & almost a dozen reinforcements!—A supernatural battle takes place, but because you are greatly outnumbered, you & Abner & your 2 Guardian Angels find yourselves in quite a bind, as did Daniel's helper in Daniel 10! But when it looks like a pretty hopeless situation, BOOM!—Michael, your Prince, shows up & with some real spiritual "fireworks" delivers you all & gives the 'Ol Boy his due! (PTL!—Amen!)

Thanks again for all your help, prayers & encouragement!

Love, prayers & thanks, Apollos

(—After much study & prayer, I've some questions about Chapter 57. Shouldn't we have our Guardian Angels taking the brunt of these attacks without actual harm, but only delaying or hindering our progress?—Or try–ing to frighten us? Perhaps we should try to revise that part a bit?—Tx!—GBY!—Love, D.) (Ed: "God's in Control", No.2084, followed soon afterwards! PTL!)

2. DON'T MISS THE NEWS!

Dear Dad,

GBY! Here is the first part of Chapter 62 again‚ with some changes in it. The main thing that I wanted to mention to you & Mama & ask you about is the newspaper coverage that Marie got when she first arrived in the friendly country. As you'll see in the marked parts of this revised text, I do make mention of it now‚ & bring across the main point that the arrival of such a large fleet under such conditions really did hit the headlines! But, because of already pubbed Chapters, & what our Family has already read about Marie's arrival & the local Family's ignorance of it, I didn't know if it would be too good to say that the papers gave the whole story, with Marie's name & pics etc.—If I do, it makes the local Family look really out of it for having been so completely ignorant of her arrival, especially since it was the local leadership‚ Rebekah, Rose‚ Peter, etc. (—Ha! Maybe it'll remind'm they need to faithfully read the local papers!—Not only the WND!—Ha!)

But if we present it like I've tried to here, that a big phenomenal occurrence has taken place, 500 people have somehow escaped Beastville, & have sailed here in the eye of the storm, & there's this wild Western girl who apparently has led them, & she's reputed to have all kinds of powers etc., then it's still feasible that the Family could have heard about it & not gotten the point.—But Mama got the point immediately & realised that it's Marie, but for security reasons, was unable to go running out to the camp.—But now the Lord has intervened & brought'm together!

Is this OK? That way, we've got the secular worldly press' flatlander coverage of the events, the Family's missing the point of it all, & Mama getting the point.—All covered without too much difficulty or making the previous story look unbelievable. But if I'm just trying to "save face" & you don't think this is best for the Story, I'm happy to change it again! Thank you for your patience with me!

Love, Apollos

(Like I say, our House has someone who knows the local language read every bit of the local paper as well as someone along with myself who reads International publica-tions, but their House could've missed it because of careless neglect of reading the locals!—A good lesson to bring out to our Homes!—OK?

(—It was just as much our oversight as yours!—Ha!—It's much better now, though, & I've added a few more little suggestions.—Tx!—GBY!—Love, D.—It's terrific!)

3. HOLY GHOSTS BECOME ONE!

Dearest Dad,

GBY! ILY & am so thankful for you & to be here in your & His loving service, TYJ! Chapter 63 of the Story is coming along real well & it looks like we'll have it for you soon, D.V.! (PTL!)

It's in this chapter that Mama & Marie get into some real desperate prayer‚ seeking the Lord & His guidance in order to find out why it was such an urgent matter for them to get together to counsel about this fish.—And the Lord comes through & gives them the picture loud & clear! But it's the manner in which the Lord does this that I wanted to check with you about now, to make sure I'm on the right track.

In the "Holy Ghosts!" & "More Holy Ghosts!" Letters, you make it clear that the "gifts of the Spirit" are imparted to us not only by the Lord, but by His Agents, His Holy Spirits, both Angelic & Departed Saints. Thus, if someone speaks in tongues‚ "the tongues of men & of Angels", it's safe to assume that this is a manifestation not only of the Holy Spirit, but of one of His Holy Spirits, right?—And I think it's also safe to assume that the other gifts of the Spirit work the same way; they are manifestations of God's good Holy Spirits that He uses to empower us when we yield to Him. (—Amen!)

So in this next Chapter, when after desperately seeking the Lord, Mama receives a powerful prophecy, it is of course from the Lord, but it can be delivered by you or one of her other Angels or Guardians, right?

(Right!)

And if we could actually see into that mysterious Realm, & witness what actually happens when someone receives & gives a prophecy from the Lord, would it be safe to assume that we'd probably see one of God's Holy Ghosts actually sort of blend into that person's body‚ become one with them, take control of their tongue & pour His message right through them? (—Exactly!)—From what I can gather from the Letters & Bible, this seems to be how such messages come. When the person is really desperate or in tune & yielded, one of God's Agents can then enter in & use them as a yielded vessel through which the Word of the Lord can pour forth!—Does this sound right to you? (—Amen!—Absolutely!—Also the same in demon-possession!)

In the Letter "Listen!", it says, "It's almost like getting married! It's almost like I'm married to Abrahim. He becomes part of me & uses my tongue & my mind...It seems so much more intimate & personal, sort of sacred because he actually possesses my body & uses my mind, my tongue sometimes, even my hands & my lips, & he uses my eyes to cause me to see visions!" (—Amen!)

To me‚ it's so exciting to picture these spiritual realities of His wonderful Realm like this‚ so our folks can really see & appreciate how the Lord works. (Terrific!) As you can see by the Quotes & Letters I've referred to, it's already in the MLs, but this "ghost" series will hopefully help them all visualise & understand it even better. (—Amen!) I hope so, 'cause I know thinking & writing about it has sure been helping me to be more aware & appreciative of such things, TYJ! And thank you for all that you have given us over the years to help us simple children grasp the realities of the Lord!

Much Love, Apollos

(TTL!—Amen!—GBY for getting it!—ILY!—D.)

4. GOD SPEAKS FIRST!

Dearest Dad,

GBY! I just received your suggestion on Chapter 64 re: Having a little imp on Marie's shoulder whispering those doubts into her ear. So I wanted to write you & ask if we should go ahead & put this into the text? The Chapter I'm working on now, 65‚ has a couple of imps fly onto the Defense Secretary's shoulder to fill him with doubts while Marie is witnessing to him, & it will be real exciting how through the Word & prayer power, & the man's receiving the Truth, they are driven away! Also in 65's text it will explain why they are allowed to attack this unsaved man with their doubts & all.

But in this Chapter where Marie is having this trial while talking to Mama‚ if we have a demon land on her shoulder, it might also be good to explain to the readers how a little imp like that could have access to her, how he could dare approach the Lord's anointed in the presence of all these far superior Holy Ghosts & Angels.—What do you think? (—Amen!—We're always given a choice!—God speaks first, & the Devil next!—That's Satan's privilege—to test us!)

If we do put it into this Chapter‚ I wanted to ask if it's OK to go ahead & explain it a bit & show how they get rid of it etc. I'm sorry if this is a bother. Thank you so much for all your help & encouragement! Love, Apollos

(—We always get rid of his doubts & fears through making the right decision to resist'm & go ahead & believe God!—It's that simple!—And you've got 1/4 of Page 4 left to explain it in that few words!—And once Satan's imp knows or hears you make that decision by stating your faith, he runs!—OK?—Tx!

(I just thought it'd be good to show how he's allowed to tempt or test us on such occasions, as Marie was obviously voicing the doubts & fears of the imp!—See?—So show it & explain it.

(—So that shouldn't be hard to insert on Page 3 where "Marie confesses" her fears.—OK?—Tx!—For this'll be a good lesson & time to show how the Devil works!—As I've often said, when we face a decision, we al-ways hear God's voice first, then the Devil's!—That's the way this game is played!—And you've got a terrific chance to show it vividly in these Stories! PTL! GBY!—ILY!—D.

(P.S. We also need a line of explanation at the head of the text where we first used parentheses to introduce our new method of showing the difference between Spirit & Mortal activities, like: (Parentheses are used to distinguish the Spirits' activities from those of Mortals.)—OK?)

5. WHEN DO WE RECEIVE GUARDIAN ANGELS?

Dearest Dad,

GBY! ILY! The work is going real well on Chapter 66 now, "Marie Lands a Whopper!—And receives a new Heavenly Helper!", but I have come upon a question that I don't know the answer to, which I feel I need to pass on to you. So here goes...

It has to do with Guardian Angels‚ when do we receive them?—In the Story, when this man gets saved, I was gonna have a new & powerful Angel descend into the room, who when he meets you & the other Holy Ghosts, introduces himself as Atai's Angel, who has just been assigned to him now that Atai has gotten saved & entered the Lord's Heavenly Kingdom. It makes for a good story, & I thought it was interesting‚ as it shows when we receive the Lord's Angels & Guardians.

But then I began to wonder, is that really when we receive them? I am talking about people who are not born "clean", as are our children & the children of all truly saved Christians.—But those whose parents are not saved, who have not been raised Christians, but at some point in their lives are converted‚ as many of us were.

The big question is, did we always have the Lord's Angels watching over us, since we were His from the beginning? Or did we acquire them when we got saved? In the mind of God, we were His from the beginning. So maybe we had His protective Angels with us from our birth? I really don't know! And I wouldn't bother you with this‚ but it came up in the Story‚ so I thought it might be OK to ask you what you think‚ as frankly, I'm stumped!

But if it's one of His mysteries that we don't need to know about now, I certainly don't need to write about it now either! But knowing how much the Lord has been showing you lately along these lines, I just thought I'd mention it to you‚ in case you had anything to say about it. Please do forgive me if this is unnecessary or a bother in any way! All I know is that I don't know the answer to this one, & before scuttling it entirely from the next Chapter, thought it might be worth mentioning to you. Thank you so much! PTL!

Love, Apollos

(We receive their full ministration when saved—of course!—But!—Many have testified to feeling God's care throughout their lives even before saved!—And this is logical because God knows they'll be saved—& are already saved in His sight—even though still suffering the effects of sins in many ways before saved, reaping what they sow. But God preserves their lives in view of future salvation‚ when they then receive full protection from all but tests & chas-tenings.

(At Salvation, therefore, the Guardian Angels sorta "move in" on'm as God's entire possession, yielded fully to Him now.—Whereas before they deserved much less protection, except for their lives. In other words, He will not let Satan take their lives, but they suffer more other ways under Satan's afflictions, for their sins & un-yielded living.

(—So I think you could show a Guardian Angel taking full charge at Salvation & chasing the demons all away‚ except at times of testing & chastening. Before the Guardian Angel just stands by to prevent death, but at Salvation moves in to give full protec-tion & Satan no longer rules over'm.

(—I've said before that I felt the halos can represent our Guardian Angels, though unseen in this life.—Maybe show'm with dotted halos?—Or in parentheses?—Ha!—Now we're really gettin' complicated!—God give you wisdom!

(That's why the never–to-be-saved can die any time, as Jesus said: "Your time is always ready", but with us, "our time is not yet come", & we only die with His permission when we're finished here.—OK? (Jn.7:6)

(To picture it, I'd show his Guardian Angel (looking stern!) standing by guarding his life, but moving closer & more protec-tive when he's saved. (—With the Guardian Angel looking happy!)—Amen?—GBY!—Tx!—ILY!—D.)

6. HOW DO PROPHECIES COME?

Dearest Dad,

Enclosed with this is the first half of chapter 68‚ "A Call to the Capitol!" It picks up where 67 left off, right after Atai got saved, shows his progress & how she feeds him the Word, preparing him for the soon-coming revelation when she'll tell him about the trouble brewing in his government.

I came up with a question though, that it seems like it might be good to ask you. In the second half of this chapter, I have you giving another message through Mama to Marie, & it was going to be a message from the Lord‚ which means that it was going to be in the first person, that is, the Lord speaking, like‚ "Thus saith the Lord..." But on second thought, I wasn't sure if this is right or how the Lord usually works.—Although from what I've seen & experienced, it seems that most of the time when we get prophecies, it does come with the authority of the Lord, or "thus saith the Lord..." But in reality, it's probably being given by or inspired by one of the Lord's Holy Ghosts, right? (Right!) But, as most of us aren't really too aware of exactly who is speaking to or through us in such experiences, we just know that it's coming from the Lord, the message is simply taken as a message from the Lord, which of course it is‚ but technically speaking, is coming through one of His Agents.—At least that's how it seems to me. Is this right? (—Yes, just like a messenger reads a first person message from the King!)

So my question is, if you, or Abrahim, or some other departed Saint in the Story was giving a message through Mama or Marie, could it come out in the first person, as the very Voice of the Lord, like "Fear not, for I the Lord am with thee..." etc?—As often this is how people give messages, with the Lord speaking through them in the first person. Or would it be better to have messages given by ministering spirits be in the second person as far as the Lord is concerned‚ "Fear thou not, for the Lord is with thee, & He shall do such-&-such..."? (How about showing the Lord giving it through the Spirit & Mortal, or Mortal via the Spirit?)

I'm sorry to bother you with this, but again, I just don't know for sure about this one, so felt it best to ask. In "Holy Ghosts", you said that when Michael gives you something‚ it's like the Voice of the Lord Himself, & flows out in King James' English, & is quite different than dear Abrahim's often broken speech. (—Amen!—Like he's reading it to me!) So I was just trying to get this straight, can our ministering spirits give us messages in the first person, directly from the Lord? Or is that pretty much reserved for the Angels & the Holy Spirit? Thank you so much for all of your help with this & all of the many questions & mysteries that always seem to be popping up lately! I love you & am praying for you! Love, Apollos

(—If the Lord can speak through Prophets (Mortals!) in the first person as all through the Bible, why not through His ministering Spirits via Mortals?—You could have the Spirit say, "I have a Message from the Lord", etc. to make it clear they're quoting the Lord & speaking for Him.—OK?—GBY!—Tx!—Love‚ D.)

7. HEAVENLY COUNSELLORS—SEEK, ASK & FIND!

Dearest Dad,

GBY! ILY! Thank you for the encouragement on the first part of Chapter 69!

In the next Chapter, Marie will be before the Head of State, listening to the dream that he tells her about. I was planning on having you & Daniel & all of the other Ghosts listening intently, praying about & pondering over the dream before they get the interpretation from the Lord, at which time they of course rejoice & thank the Lord for helping them & then pass it on to Marie, who in turn passes it on to the Chief! (—Amen!)

But my question has to do with the idea of them having to look to the Lord in prayer & having to counsel together & all. We could think, well, these Ghosts are already in the Spirit World & in tune with the Lord, & the Lord is the one Who gave the dream to the Chief, so why do they need to even think about it, they should already know exactly what it means! (—Not necessarily!—Look at all the Bible prophecies even the Prophets themselves didn't savvy!—It remained for God to show us! TTL!)

But the other side of the coin is that we will not be totally omniscient then, & as you've often pointed out, things will be very similar in a lot of ways to how they are now, & we'll still have choice & will be able to think & choose freely, right? And it seems to me that the Lord likes for us to "roll ye away the stone", & often do what we can with His help, & then He does what we can't.—Which means that He wouldn't necessarily have to have filled Daniel or you or any of the other Ghosts in on all of the details of what the Head of State's dream meant beforehand, but may leave some of the "pick & shovel" work up to the Ghosts themselves!—Does that sound reasonable to you?—In which case they would counsel together & have to pray & work at it a little bit, which as some Scriptures indicate‚ they have to do even now. What do you think?

(—Amen! Don't we (And the Prophets) all have to do that with Bible prophecy?—Even where Angels give basic meanings, we have to dig out details, think exactly what kingdoms are represented by Daniel's Image, the Beasts‚ etc.—God loves a mystery!—And likes us to have to dig!—It's also good security!—Look at what a mystery Revelation is!—The basics are plain, but the details still require interpretation!—The Lord really likes us to seek, find & ask! Kids love treasure hunts, egg hunts, puzzles, riddles‚ etc.—Exciting fun games!—So do we!—And God!)

I think that's all for now! I love you & am praying for you all!

Love, Apollos (—Tx!—GBY!—Love, D.)

Copyright (c) 1998 by The Family