Great End-Times Revival Part 2 – why revival will occur

This post continues the series on end-times revivals (Be sure to also read Part 1) – and I’ll begin it in the same way as I did Part 1:

It’s no secret – I’ll even shout it from the rooftops – I believe there will be great end-times revival. My beliefs on the matter are a bit different from others in that I think there will be more than one stream of revival – imagine, if you can, Toronto, Brownsville, and Lakeland happening all at once in their respective cities – and this magnified worldwide! People won’t have to travel far to “go to the revival” because it will be happening in their own cities and in their own hearts. Glory to God!

The summary of this entire document is this: God loves us. He wants us saved and He wants us to worship Him and he wants us to live according to His word. He’s going to bring that about!!

Definition of Revival

Let me start by defining revival. Most people define revival as something new and extraordinary, with unusual manifestations and God doing lots of stuff. Revival is all of those things, but really, it shouldn’t be. We should be LIVING biblically – which means an incredible relationship with the Lord, winning souls, and signs, wonders, and miracles. Now. Every day. The entire church.

True revival is nothing short of a reinstitution of true biblical Christianity. The Church today, for the most part, is fallen and weak. People are more concerned about buildings and programs for ourselves than the lost, and more concerned about privilege than they are about repentance and God’s glory. For shame.

When Christians really get hold of who God is, and who they are in Christ, the enormity of God’s love,  that the promises God makes in the Bible are true and they are ours to walk in, and that we must walk in true relationship with Him (which involves repentance and lots of 2-way communication), giving Him the glory in all things, when we become fervent and passionate Kingdom people, revival begins to happen.

Sustainable revival will occur and multiplied thousands will come into the Kingdom when the church realizes who she is in Christ – and I believe that God will bring this about in our lifetimes.

The world has experienced many revivals in modern times – The Welsh Revival, Asuza Street, the great healing revivals of the 1950′s, Argentina, Toronto, Brownsville, Lakeland – to name a few. There are several churches that have been seeing sustained revival for many years – Bethel Church (Bill Johnson), World Revival Church (Steve & Kathy Gray), many of the IHOP-affiliated churches… and many churches that are intentionally growing a passionate revival culture (two of which I’ve been privileged to attend recently – Global River in Wilmington, NC and New Day Church in High Point, NC).

Purpose of Revival

God, in His mercy and for His purposes, gives us the occasional taste of revival. Part of the reason for this is to remind the church (and the world) that He’s still on the throne! The Word does say that we will share the gospel and signs will follow (Mark 16:20)! Part of the reason is probably so that the church can get its collective feet wet! There has been too much “church as usual” and not enough, “What does the Lord want us to do?” Another reason for revival – a harsh one – is to expose hearts. Do people really have a heart after God? Are they willing to pursue Him at any and all cost? Or will they stand in opposition to what He’s doing in the world? Will they harden their hearts and rebel because they don’t like what He’s doing? (Hebrews 3:15)

These tastes of revival have made many hungry for more, and we are, one by one, hundreds by hundreds, thousands by thousands, building a God-glorifying revival culture world-wide under His direction. As God directs and this gains momentum, we will one day reach a “tipping point” and revival will sweep across the planet.

Revival is what we are SUPPOSED to be living. Yet even those who are living it understand that we can take it to the next level, we can always go deeper into the heart of God.

Yes – we got all of Him as a result of the atonement. This is a very common anti-revival argument, but it holds no weight because so many are living like paupers when we’ve got millions in the bank, because we simply will not draw near to Him and surrender our entire lives. We refuse to be a living sacrifice because of our religion.

Revival is offensive – but don’t you dare act on that offense!

When revival breaks out, even on a small scale, it upsets spiritual, emotional, religious, and cultural norms. Revival frightens people. Revival offends people. It especially offends those who are not experiencing God’s glory for themselves. And because it is offensive, many people react VIOLENTLY against it. It seems like new heresy hunters are being raised up by satan every day

Let me be clear: If you don’t like something about a particular stream of revival and you are convinced it’s not biblical, go and get as close to God as you possibly can. Spend significant time with Him, simply adoring Him and cherishing His presence, until He begins to move in mighty signs and wonders in YOUR life. Spend time in the Word, studying about revival and also about offense and criticism within the Body of Christ. Don’t you dare criticize a move of God if you are not experiencing one yourself and don’t you dare criticize in an unbiblical manner.

What is the church’s role in the coming revival?

So – the Church is supposed to be living biblically. As a whole, we’re not. But more and more people every day are embracing Christ, rather than just naming themselves by His name and showing up for church on Sundays and Wednesdays.

Which, if you’re starting here, will undoubtedly leave you with a question. Most people have heard that the church will fall away during the end times. Is the church SUPPOSED to stand up and walk biblically here at the end of the age? Or is the church SUPPOSED to fall down, weak and pathetic, and flounder about until Christ comes? If the former – what’s stopping you from doing just that? Rise up! Awake, sleeper! And if the latter, I’ll ask the same question. What’s stopping you? Oh! You were already advocating we should do that. OK. [Go back to Part 1 for a more thorough address of this issue]

If you’ve been taught that “the church must fall away, therefore we cannot have revival” or even that “we shouldn’t get excited and emotional, it’s unseemly” stop and consider just for a moment. Put yourself in God’s shoes, so to speak (He won’t mind, I promise). Which would you rather have: a weak, pathetic church that gets more excited over football or a rock concert than over you? Or a sold-out, excited, eager church that’s willing to go anywhere and do anything for you? It’s really obvious when you think about it that way!

A couple of notes, before we feast on the Word:

I unfortunately don’t have time presently to go through the Bible and categorically list every passage of Scripture supporting end-times revival (that’s coming, book-by-book and chapter by chapter!). I confess – before I embarked on this project, I knew there was a lot of Scripture related to end-times revival… but I had no idea just how much!

I’ll probably divide this up into chapters over at Revival Answers, for easier reading, and create a PDF so it’s easily printable…but give me a few days and a few more edits!

Now – before I go further – I do have to say (for those who didn’t know already) that among end-times revivalists there are two very distinct camps:

* those who believe in a pre-tribulation rapture,
and
* those who believe in a post-tribulation rapture.

Regardless of my personal theological bent (which is in flux on this one issue), I maintain that both camps are orthodox and will not judge between them here. There has historically been needless division within the church over this issue and I’m not going to allow its furtherance on this blog. Also regardless of my own thoughts on the rapture, we should be ready for anything and we should ALREADY be living revival. If we do what’s needed now, then it really won’t matter to us whether we’re raptured before any excitement begins or we are victorious in those seven years of the Tribulation. I am going to try to include Scripture supporting both conclusions, and let the reader research, pray, and judge.

And also before I go further – can you not see revival already happening – worldwide – already? Africa – China – South America – and yes, in small pockets even here in America? Look up, Church! It’s just going to get better and better!

Scripture addressing revival – particularly end-times revival

As you read over these Scriptures, ask yourself: Is this a reality in my life RIGHT NOW? and if not – why not?

Let’s start with the most basic of Scriptures, the one everyone has memorized: “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.” (John 3:16) We have collectively lost track of just how much God loves us, that He would give Jesus to take the weight of our sins and bear the punishment for them. We in the church have this awful tendency to reduce “the world” down to “us” and “loved members of our immediate family”. Very few take the “world” part literally – but God means it very, very literally. He wants each and every person in the whole world in every generation to come to know Him (1 Tim. 2:4). There are many ways people come to Christ – evangelism, missions work, supernatural means… and revivals. When revival comes, many will be swept into the Kingdom of God. God has promised a great harvest before Christ returns (John 4:35, Rev. 14:15). The Church must be ready to disciple these people!

The Great Commission: Jesus said, “All authority has been given to me in heaven and on earth. Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things that I can commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” (Matthew 28:18-20)

Jesus is speaking of a victorious Church walking in His power and His will, GOING and making disciples of all nations. He’s speaking of a triumphant Church! Jesus is not talking about His Bride resting on her laurels. He’s not talking about people lounging in their pews, clucking with their tongues at the ways of the world around them, proclaiming that the “falling away” is happening in the church (it is – in THEM!). If the Church is supposed to fall away, then who is going? baptizing? teaching? And who is hearing, being baptized, and being taught? Where exactly is Jesus in that scenario? He’s not there and it’s not bible. Rise up, Church, and walk in the power and authority of Christ!

God’s Great Love: God is… not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance. (2 Peter 3:9, cf 1 Tim 2:4 again) If God is unwilling for people to perish, His nature dictates that He is going to give them all opportunity to come to Christ. Some will come to Him via face to face, one-on-one evangelism. Some will come as a result of church attendance. Some will have dreams and visions (like I did). Some will hear the gospel preached in the open air at a revival meeting. Some will even fall on their faces and weep for repentance out in the streets, as happened in the Welsh (and other) revivals.

The parable of the sower (Matthew 13:8): Jesus said that some seeds fell on good ground and yielded a crop: some a hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty. He is of course talking about people, and He’s talking in an immediate sense of people being saved and becoming Kingdom people. Could it be (just suppose for a minute) that He’s talking about people who are actually productive in the Kingdom, fulfilling their callings, doing His will (which is that we should be out making disciples of the nations, signs and wonders following, because He is unwilling that any should perish)… could it also be that those who are NOT fulfilling that calling are those whose seeds have been eaten and plants choked out in the rest of the parable? I believe that God gives us the opportunity to be 30, 60, 100-fold people… and He expects a return on the investment He makes in us (Matthew 25:15-30, Luke 12:48b).

Now let’s harken back to the Old Testament. I’ve heard it said that we shouldn’t apply the Old Testament to our current walk with God, but that’s absolute silliness. Why? First of all, because Jesus did.  He quoted from the Old Testament quite freely. Secondly, the apostles did (kind of throws the “We are New Covenant” out the window doesn’t it?). Thirdly, much of that prophecy is being fulfilled right now and will be fulfilled in the near future. Want to see prophecy being fulfilled? Turn on the news. If you don’t want the OT to apply to current times, you’re going to have an awful problem when Jesus shows back up on the scene.

Perhaps the most obvious “revival” passage is Joel 2 as quoted by Peter in Acts 2, but Joel 2 as a whole is very rich. God warns of the coming judgment – “For the day of the Lord is great and very terrible, who can endure it?” … and then admonishes us (“Now, therefore”) to turn to Him with all our hearts, with weeping and fasting and mourning… to rend our hearts and not our garments, to truly return to the Lord. If each and every believer were to do that worldwide revival would break out immediately… and indeed, it has, among those who do!

“And then, the Lord will be zealous for His land, and pity people. The Lord will answer and say to His people, “Behold, I will send you grain and new wine and oil, and you will be satisfied by them…” (verse 19) Please don’t think that God is only talking about food here – He is talking about the satisfaction that comes from Him. He is talking about holy things. Do not trivialize them by believing that He will only provide sustenance for the body. Although there are some parts of the Bible that should not be “spiritualized”, there’s others where the spiritual is the clear contextual meaning. (I’ve noted that most people who have a problem with “spiritualizing” v.18-24 have NO problem with a spiritual connotation on v. 25)

This next passage talks about revival to come – both of the land, and of our spirits: “Fear not, O land, Be glad and rejoice, for the Lord has done marvelous things! Do not be afraid, you beasts of the field, for the open pastures are springing up, and the tree bears its fruit; the fig tree and the vine yield their strength. Be glad then, you children of Zion, and rejoice in the Lord your God; For He has given you the former rain faithfully, and He will cause the rain to come down for you – the former rain, and the latter rain in the first month. The threshing floors shall be full of wheat, and the vats shall overflow with new wine and oil.”

This is echoed in several other places, such as Deuteronomy 11 and Jeremiah 5. Just like the grain and wine and oil, we cannot take the “rain” to be literal, get-your-umbrella-out, rainfall (tho He’ll provide that, too!). Here’s one good example why: Hosea 6:3 says of the Lord, “He will come to us like the rain, like the latter and former rain to the earth.”

Glory!! I’m excited – are you? When I read that promise I feel like singing and shouting!

When God’s people get right with God, He is going to bring about a harvest like we’ve never seen before. He’s already fulfilling this promise. Don’t let the train leave the station without you!

And then we come to the part that virtually everyone quotes in favor of revival and spiritual gifts – Joel 2:28-32. If the Apostle Peter quoted it, shouldn’t we?

“And it shall come to pass afterward that I will pour out My Spirit on all flesh; Your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, your old men shall dream dreams your young men shall see visions. And also on my menservants and on my maidservants I will pour out My Spirit in those days. And I will show wonders in the heavens and in the earth: blood and fire and pillars of smoke. The sun shall be turned into darkness, and the moon into blood, before the coming of the great and awesome day of the Lord. And it shall come to pass that whoever calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved. For in Mount Zion and in Jerusalem there shall be deliverance, As the Lord has said, Among the remnant whom the Lord calls.”

Peter considered a part of this prophetic Scripture to be fulfilled “in the now” – he attributed what happened on the day of Pentecost to that fulfillment. Obviously, there is a part for future fulfillment, when the sixth seal is opened (Revelation 6:12) – but God pouring out His Spirit upon His people precedes His judgment. (Some see this as making us “rapture ready” and others see it as making us ready for the Tribulation).

Not only was Joel 2 considered to be a “now” verse at the time of the outpouring at Pentecost, it was considered a perpetual promise of God: “Repent, and let every one of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. For the promise is to you and to your children, and to all who are afar off, as many as the Lord our God will call.” (Acts 2:38,39)  – The promise of the Holy Ghost, spiritual power, and the operation of spiritual gifts is to you and me, in the here and now, for God’s purposes in the Kingdom. God did say, “Not by might nor by power, but by My Spirit.” (Zech. 4:6)

What must we do now? James 5:7,8 is a key passage for establishing what we must do in the “here and now” – and that thing is revival: “Therefore be patient, brethren, until the coming of the Lord. See how the farmer waits for the precious fruit of the earth, waiting patiently for it until it receives the early and latter rain. You also be patient. Establish your hearts, for the coming of the Lord is at hand.”

I grew up on a farm. A farmer does not wait patiently by as the crops grow. My grandfather worked sunup to sundown every day. I helped after school and most of the summer. Farming is HARD work! Plowing (and removing the rocks that “grow” in the winter up north!), harrowing, planting, fertilizing, weeding, picking and squashing endless potato bugs (ugh!), fertilizing, weeding, picking and squashing endless potato bugs (ugh!), fertilizing, weeding, picking and squashing endless potato bugs (ugh!), (it really DID seem like that!) and finally, harvesting and storing.

Kingdom life is like farming for the harvest. Jesus never said, “Hang out and enjoy a pleasant life until I come.” He said, “Do business until I come.” (Luke 19:13) Listen up, church! Jesus expects us not just to get busy, but to stay busy! He expects us to fulfill the Great Commission. He tells us the harvest is plentiful and workers will be needed (Matthew 9:37). Another translation renders Luke 19:13 as “Occupy until I come.” (KJV) He’s given us territory and He expects us to occupy the land, work the land, and reap a harvest.

We must establish our hearts. Establishing our hearts is the key to revival – to Kingdom living – to living lives that are pleasing to the Lord. Paul admonished the church in Corinth to “Watch, stand fast in the faith, be brave, be strong. Let all that you do be done with love.” (1 Cor. 15:13,14) Jesus is coming! We must be about Kingdom business every minute of every day, and God will give us a mighty outpouring of His Spirit for the harvest.

Matthew 13:39 is undoubtedly a key revival passage: “He answered and said to them: “He who sows the good seed is the Son of Man. The field is the world, the good seeds are the sons of the kingdom, but the tares are the sons of the wicked one. The enemy who sowed them is the devil, the harvest is the end of the age, and the reapers are the angels. Therefore as the tares are gathered and burned in the fire, so it will be at the end of this age. The Son of Man will send out His angels, and they will gather out of His kingdom all things that offend, and those who practice lawlessness, and will cast them into the furnace of fire. There will be wailing and gnashing of teeth. Then the righteous will shine forth as the sun in the kingdom of their Father. He who has ears to hear, let him hear!”

Friends, whether the “end” for us is with a pre-tribulation rapture of the church (and the righteous shine forth as the sun in heaven) of whether the “end” is the church’s brightest moment in the tribulation,  one thing is clear from this passage: There will be a great end-times harvest of souls. The harvest is the end of the age and it’s already coming to fruition. There will also be wholesale destruction of the tares – those who offend, and those who practice lawlessness.

With all this talk of harvest, I’m prompted to ask readers to judge: Will the God of all creation, perfect and righteous, just and true, Almighty and Holy, be satisfied with a small harvest? To paraphrase Mike Bickle, would the Father present His Son (whom He loves!) with a Bride who is small, weak, pathetic, and uncaring?

I am purposely avoiding the topic of manifestations, signs, wonders, and so forth in this document (that will probably be part 3). I did this partly because there are so many, and I’m at nearly 5000 words just in the basis for revival. (and could easily write another 10,000 more!)  However, we should look briefly at the end of Mark 16 with regards to the harvest: “Go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature. He who believes and is baptized will be saved, but he who does not believe will be condemned. And these signs will follow those who believe: In My name they will cast out demons; they will speak with new tongues; they will take up serpents; and if they drink anything deadly, it will by no means hurt them; they will lay hands on the sick, and they will recover. So then, after the Lord had spoken to them, He was received up into heaven, and sat  down at the right hand of God. And they went out and preached everywhere, the Lord working through them and confirming the word through the accompanying signs.” (Mark 16:15-20)

Jesus said, “Go everywhere. Do this. Do it this way.”  The result of this is scenes like in Acts 8, as well as in modern revivals: Preach the Word with signs and wonders following and many multiplied thousands will be saved.

When is the end? In Matthew 24:14, Jesus said, “And this gospel of the Kingdom will be preached in all the world as a witness to all the nations, and then the end will come.”

God really does say that we need to get out there and fulfill the Great Commission before Jesus can return. Why then are there so many churches of “Us four and no more”?  The Apostle Peter even said that we should be “hastening” the return of our Lord! When will we focus on our coming King and His purposes? The time is now!

In fact, it was prophesied by Isaiah that we would have revival when we turn wholeheartedly to the Lord, and He describes what will look like (Isaiah 58:6-12):

Is this not the fast that I have chosen: to loose the bonds of wickedness, to undo the heavy burdens, to let the oppressed go free, and to break every yoke? Is it not to share your bread with the hungry, and that you bring to your house the poor who are cast out; when you see the naked, that you cover him, and not hide from your own flesh? Then your light shall break forth like the morning, your healing shall spring forth speedily, and your righteousness shall go before you; the glory of the Lord shall be your rear guard. Then you shall call, and the Lord will answer; you shall cry, and He will say, “Here I am.”

If you take away the yoke from your midst, the pointing of the finger, and speaking wickedness, If you extend your soul to the hungry and satisfy the afflicted soul, then your light shall dawn in the darkness and your darkness shall be as noonday. The Lord will guide you continually, and satisfy your soul in drought, and strengthen your bones, You shall be like a watered garden, and like a spring of water, whose waters do not fail.

Those from among you shall build the old waste places, you shall raise up the foundations of many generations, and you shall be called the Repairer of the Breach, the Restorer of Streets to Dwell In.

No, Isaiah does not address much in the way of revival phenomena here. Nobody falls down, speaks in tongues, or sees an angel. Yet look – deliverance, salvation, healing, sanctification, God’s glory, power, and evangelism/restoration are the key themes. Sounds like revival to me!

Isaiah echoed much of this a second time in chapter 61, which Jesus in turn quoted in Luke 4 as proof of His divinity. Isaiah 61 is another chapter that is incredibly rich – first talking about freedom, deliverance, and salvation, then about restoration and rising up.

Consider, for a moment, what the fulfillment of this promise might look like:

“I will greatly rejoice in the Lord, my soul shall be joyful in my God, For He has clothed me with the garments of salvation, He has covered me with the robe of righteousness, as a bridegroom decks himself with ornaments, and as a bride adorns herself with her jewels. For as the earth brings forth its bud, as the garden casuses the things that are sown in it to spring forth, so the Lord God will cause righteousness and praise to spring forth before all the nations.” (Is. 61:10,11)

Are you adorned, Bride of Christ? Are you ready for your Bridegroom? Have you brought oil for your lamp (Matthew 25:1-13)? Are you springing forth in righteousness and praise? Are you rejoicing in the God of your salvation? That is the beginning of revival!

The enemies of the Lord: Andrew Strom (with whom, for the record, I disagree much – but he makes a great point here) notes that “Jesus can’t return until His enemies are made a footstool. If the church doesn’t rise up triumphant, then God will have to put the Bride of Christ in the enemy” category. (Acts 2:33-35, Heb. 10:12-13)” [link]  (Unless you ascribe to a pre-trib rapture, in which case the church won’t be here during that process. But to counter that, one could ponder just how much of a “pure spotless Bride” (Eph. 5:27) the Church is, should Christ return today – and how will she become that way?)

The time for neglect is over, church. Peter wrote that we are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, His own special people (1 Peter 1:9)… John called us “kings and priests” unto the Lord (Rev. 1:6). It is time that we start walking worthy of our calling (Ephesians 4:1, Colossians 2:6,7) in the fullness and completeness of the Gospel of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.

Let us return to this mindset within the Church: “A fire shall always be burning on the altar; it shall never go out.” … ” For our God is a consuming fire.” (Leviticus 6:13, Hebrews 12:29)

_____________________________________________________________

All Scripture cited is NKJV unless otherwise noted.

Many thanks to my friends at FFF and to John Burton (20 Elements of Revival) for pointing me in the right direction on this!