The term "Foursquare Gospel" came about during an intense revival in the city of Oakland, Calif., in July 1922. To a crowd of thousands, Aimee Semple McPherson explained Ezekiel's vision in the book of Ezekiel, chapter one. Ezekiel saw God revealed as a being with four different faces: a man, a lion, an ox and an eagle. To Sister Aimee, those four faces were like the four phases of the gospel of J
esus Christ. In the face of the lion, she saw Jesus the mighty baptizer with the Holy Spirit and fire. In the face of the ox, she saw Jesus the great burden-bearer, who took our infirmities and carried our sicknesses. In the face of the eagle, she saw Jesus the coming king, who will return in power and victory for the church. It was a perfect, complete Gospel. It was a Gospel that faces squarely in every direction; it was the “Foursquare Gospel.” The four symbols perhaps most identified with Foursquare today are the cross, cup, dove and crown which stand for Jesus the Savior, Jesus the Healer, Jesus the Baptizer with the Holy Spirit, and Jesus the Soon-Coming King, respectively..
