PART I - THE FELLOWSHIP, THE VISION

The Full Gospel Business Men's Fellowship International was born in travail and heartfelt prayer to God. The tragedy of that day was many wives attended church, but the businessmen usually did not take a stand for God.

As a businessman, Demos Shakarian sponsored great tent revivals, and great evangelical outreaches. Blind eyes were opened and the lame walked, but most businessmen were still not taking part. Then under the direction of the Holy Spirit, he founded the Full Gospel Business Men's Fellowship International. He began by calling a Saturday morning meeting in the upper room of a cafeteria. He invited anointed speakers, both businessmen and ministers, to share. The meeting began with worship and as they sang, the power of God came upon those who were gathered.

Then, like all true callings, the Fellowship came to a point of crisis. At that point, the women began to pray. Then God gave him the Vision, the Vision that was in the heart of God, a Vision for the world. Visions never originate from the person who receives them. A vision is an insight given from the heart of God, by the Holy Spirit, to you. It came to him in the middle of the night while deep in prayer; God supernaturally lifted him from the living room floor, through the ceiling and, like a satellite, he circled the earth. As he passed over each nation, he saw the people dressed in their native clothing. There they were by the hundreds of millions, standing shoulder to shoulder, deep in agony, in chains of sin and bondage, in frozen positions of agony. .Then the Lord took him the second time around the world and he saw the power of the Holy Spirit break through; bondage fell from them like sheets of ice. The agony changed to joy. Hundreds of millions raised their hands and rejoiced in the name of Jesus. Joy! Joy! Released from bondage. ..into the power of the Holy Spirit!

THE VISION AS TOLD BY DEMOS SHAKARIAN

"But though I could see far, I could also see people on the earth-millions and millions of them standing shoulder to shoulder. Then just as a camera can zoom in at a football game to show first the stadium, then the players, then the very laces on the football, my vision seemed to move in on these millions of men. I could see tiny details of thousands and thousands of faces."

"And what I saw terrified me. The faces were set, lifeless, miserable. Though the people stood so close together, shoulders touching, there was no real contact between them. They stared straight ahead, unblinking, unseeing. With a shudder of horror, I realized that they were dead..."

"The vision changed. Whether the world was turning, or whether I was traveling around it, I didn't know. But now beneath me was the continent of South America. Then on to Africa, Europe, Asia. Once more the startling close-ups occurred, and everywhere it was the same. Brown faces, black faces - every one rigid, wretched, each locked in his own private death."

"Lord!" I cried. "What's the matter with them! Lord, help them!"
My son, what you see next is going to happen very soon. The earth was turning - or I was moving around it - a second time. Below me again were millions upon millions of men. But what a difference! This time heads were raised. Eyes shone with joy. Hands were lifted towards heaven. These men who had been so isolated, each in his prison of self, were linked in a community of love and adoration. Asia, Africa, America - everywhere - death had turned to life, And the vision was over. I felt myself returning to earth..."