Revival as a Solution

I have a book on my bookshelf called, He is Not Silent. This particular book is about preaching and how God is not silent. But I was reminded that we live in a day when truth is assaulted on a regular basis and it is not a time to be silent. We need to speak up boldly with truth so that the next generation will actually know what truth is. Now today we are talking about revival as a solution. And when you really want to understand something like revival, the best thing to do is study the origins and history of the topic. That way you are getting a fully developed understanding and can separate the truth from falsehood. So, let us consider revival. Now most think of revival as a renewal or possibly a happy clappy religious experience. But the truth is revival has a deep history starting in the Old Testament. Let’s start with the basics. How do we define revival? The word “revival” comes from the Latin word “revivere” which means to reawaken, a renewal or to bring to life again. The Greek word for revival is “anazorpureo” which means to stir up or rekindle a fire. We could describe revival as the glory of God coming down to earth. That is really what it is. There is a special visitation of the Holy Spirit upon his people to revive them. We get a glimpse of God’s glory. The amazing thing is when revival or an awakening comes, it does not just affect God’s people. The affect is broader than that, it affects society and culture as well. And we shall see this as we study the history of revival. It should be noted that there is a difference between revival and an awakening. A revival is typically a localized event. But an awakening covers a larger area, such as a nation, and continues for several years.

Now, before getting into the main text, let’s talk about the purpose of revival. What exactly is God doing and why? The primary purpose of revival is the glory of God. In a sense He passes by us and we get to experience him, his holiness, his presence, and we are renewed and changed. But the primary reason for revival is about God Almighty. So we understand just how great and glorious God is.

I believe the second purpose of revival is to produce the fear of the Lord. In Joshua 4 where the text talks about how God dried up the Jordan, like he also did with the Red Sea, it actually gives the reasons for those miracles. In verse 24 it says that God did this so that all people might know that the hand of the Lord is powerful and so they will always fear the Lord. So a second purpose for revival is God drawing people to himself in awe, reverence and fear. And why is the fear of the Lord so critical – well, Proverbs tells us the fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge. The Hebrew word there for knowledge means understanding or learning. And I would submit to you that without the fear of the Lord, this reverence and awe of who God is – we really cannot have understanding. The fear of the Lord is where understanding starts. When we review revival and how if affects people, it definitely produces awe of God and his holiness. The fear of the Lord is paramount in the Christian life. It keeps us safe from sin. Proverbs 22:4 states, “Humility and the fear of the Lord bring wealth and honor and life.” And Proverbs 14:27 tells us the fear of the Lord is a fountain of life and saves us from death. God’s purpose in revival is always for our good and blessing.

Now, I want to point out another purpose of revival. We know that often when God renews our spiritual life and refreshes us with a greater understanding of who he is – we experience miracles. If you remember the story of the Exodus, you know there was a purpose in the miracles and wonders that God performed. In Exodus 3 the Lord tells Moses, “I have surely seen the affliction of My people who are in Egypt … I am aware of their sufferings.” In verse 8 he continues, “I have come down to deliver them from the power of the Egyptians, and to bring them up from that land to a good and spacious land, to a land flowing with milk and honey.” So, then it is clear that God visits his people by performing wondrous signs and miracles for deliverance.

When God’s people are under oppression and they cry out, God hears and answers with revival and awakening, with great signs and wonders to deliver them. And this leads us to our fourth purpose of revival. These wonderful signs are given so that people may be changed and believe in God. In Exodus chapter 4 Moses asks, “What if they do not believe me or listen to me and say ‘The Lord did not appear to you’?” And how does God respond to this? He gives Moses miraculous signs.

“If they will not believe you,” God said, “or listen to the first sign, they may believe the latter sign. If they will not believe even these two signs or listen to your voice, you shall take some water from the Nile and pour it on the dry ground, and the water that you shall take from the Nile will become blood on the dry ground.” (vs. 8-9)

God’s purpose is for people to believe in him – to turn from unbelief to belief. The miracles of Jesus were proof he was the Son of God. God’s miracles give evidence that God is who he says he is – they give proof for those who do not believe. God continues to give miraculous signs so that all may believe.

So, to recap there are four main purposes of revival – the glory of God, to produce the fear of the Lord, deliverance of God’s people, and that all may believe.

So, there are many revivals we could consider and investigate but I have chosen one I have already mentioned – the Exodus. When we consider this case we discover that revival does not necessarily look like what we might think. When God decides to do something really big, when monumental change comes, a lot of things have to move. Let’s take a look at the famous Exodus from the Bible.

First of all, let’s get a little context. The book of Exodus was written by Moses and is a continuation of the story of Genesis. The word Exodus comes from a Greek word that means, “departure” or “a way out.” Clearly the story is about the deliverance of God’s people from the oppression of the Egyptians. The Israelites were in Egypt from about 1875 – 1445 B.C. This means God’s people were in Egypt during the Egyptian Twelfth Dynasty and were there through the Hyksos period of foreign domination. The Exodus likely occurred during the reign of Amenhotep II (1450-1425), probably in the year 1445 or 46.

The text of Exodus tells us in chapter 1 that the new king of Egypt did not know about Joseph and because the Israelites had become so numerous, he decides to put a plan in place to oppress and control the population. This was likely Pharaoh Thutmose III (1482-1450) of the Eighteenth Dynasty. So, this Pharaoh makes the Israelites slaves and oppresses them with forced labor. But how was he going to control the population? As you already know, he tried to kill all the male Hebrew children. And we remember the amazing story of how Moses escaped this horrible governmental order. Not only did Moses escape death but he ended up in the Pharaoh’s house, as the son of the Pharaoh’s daughter.

Now, we know when Moses grew up and tried to help his fellow Hebrews, he ended up in great trouble. He flees Egypt, and ends up in Midian. But of course we know his story is far from over. As we already mentioned God told Moses he had seen the affliction of his people and he was sending Moses to deliver them. But mark this, this is no ordinary deliverance, this is not the regular “revival service.” The monumental move of God from bondage to freedom was going to completely change two nations. When God decides to move, he does not play around – he is very thorough.

So, we are talking about revival or more accurately awakening since we are talking about monumental moves of God that change nations. But I want to be careful here. Let’s not rush through this. What process does God follow to do something as big as the Exodus, and believe me there is a process. God’s people needed to be saved and delivered from their oppressors. God hears their cry for help. What does he do? He appoints someone with a very unique background. Moses was born a humble Israelite but by a strange and miraculous turn of events is adopted into the royal family of Egypt. This would give him the needed skills to help his people and deal with Egyptian royalty. But that is not all. The text tells us that Moses’ mother and father were from the house of Levi. This tribe would be specifically designated to provide spiritual leadership to God’s people. Certainly the Levites are the priestly line, but also would supply court judges as well for the nation (Deut. 21:5). In Hebrews 11, the text makes it clear that Moses’ parents knew he was no ordinary child, and that Moses chose his own people over the treasures of Egypt. Yahweh very specifically chose a leader who would endure and complete the mission of freeing his people.

So, first in the process God chooses a leader, or we could say more broadly, he chooses leaders. Then he gives the leader a specific skill set for the unique task he will accomplish. And let us not forget Moses was neither with his Hebrew family nor in Egypt for a very long time. God’s preparation program for leadership is different and often requires long periods very far away from the actual task he wants us to do. When the leader is ready, there will be a supernatural visitation by God. The magnitude and affect of this will likely be directly related to how difficult the task will be. In other words, what Moses needed to do was going to be very hard, so God showed up in a burning bush. Put another way, if God wants you to talk to your neighbor he will likely give you a slight nudge or an obvious open door to do that. But if God is asking you to free an entire nation of people, his entrance and communication will probably be much more dramatic and strong because he needs the leader to have the belief and fortitude to complete the task. In addition to a supernatural visitation, God will often provide signs. This is exactly what God does in Exodus 4. He gives Moses miraculous signs. This was to booster Moses’ belief but also of course so the people and Pharaoh would listen to what he said.

Before we move on, I want to stop and mention something. When you think of revival, what comes to your mind? God’s holiness, God’s visitation, miracles, signs and wonders, repentance, prayer, personal and societal change. This is exactly what was happening to Moses. But of course, all of that was also coming to all the people. God was about to do something really BIG. And no one was going to miss it. And God can do this again!

How did Yahweh respond at the beginning of Exodus? “I have heard their cry.” Now God was aware of their suffering but he also heard their cries for help. Do you remember the parable of the unjust judge in Luke 18? Jesus tells this parable so his disciples will continue to pray and not give up. And what does the unjust judge say? “And will not God bring about justice for His elect who cry to Him day and night, and will He delay long over them? I tell you that He will bring about justice for them quickly.” If there ever was a time to cry out to God for justice, I am sure now is that time – day and night. I promise you, when we get serious about God, he will certainly get serious about saving our nation.

Now, let’s move back to Exodus and talk briefly about the miraculous signs of the Exodus. I should clarify, revival and awakening do not always look the same. But it is quite obvious the Exodus is a revival and awakening for God’s people. Freedom and revival go hand-in-hand. Now when we talk about the Exodus we often use the term, ‘the ten plagues of Egypt.” For in fact, the plagues were God’s judgment on Pharaoh and Egypt for refusing to free his people. However, I should clarify it is probably more accurate to refer to the events in Exodus as miraculous signs. And there are 12 miraculous signs, not 10. The first sign being more of a demonstration of what was coming and the last sign being the parting of the Red Sea. But let’s not mistake the purpose of these signs. God is very clear. In Exodus 6 he tells Moses, “you will see what I will do to Pharaoh: because of my mighty hand he will let them go.” In verse 6 he continues, “I am the Lord, and I will bring you out from under the burdens of the Egyptians, and I will deliver you from their bondage. I will also redeem you with an outstretched arm and with great judgments.” So, Yahweh is crystal clear what he is going to do. And mark this; God is more than able to free his people. And he is able to send forth judgments while at the same time giving his people revival, visitation and freedom. It is all happening at the same time and is certainly connected. So, let’s take a look at the first sign.

Then the Lord said to Moses and Aaron, 9 “When Pharaoh says to you, ‘Prove yourselves by working a miracle,’ then you shall say to Aaron, ‘Take your staff and cast it down before Pharaoh, that it may become a serpent.’” 10 So Moses and Aaron went to Pharaoh and did just as the Lord commanded. Aaron cast down his staff before Pharaoh and his servants, and it became a serpent. 11 Then Pharaoh summoned the wise men and the sorcerers, and they, the magicians of Egypt, also did the same by their secret arts. 12 For each man cast down his staff, and they became serpents. But Aaron's staff swallowed up their staffs. 13 Still Pharaoh's heart was hardened, and he would not listen to them, as the Lord had said. Exodus 7:8-13

A couple of things I want to point out. First of all, God gave Pharaoh a chance to free his people before starting the plagues. This first sign is small and private, after this the signs will be much bigger and public. We should also realize this first sign is a demonstration and a way to show or prove the authority of both Moses and Yahweh. And there are actually two miracles, not one. First, the staff becomes a serpent. Then after the magicians or wise men do the same thing by their secret arts, the staff of Aaron swallows up the staffs of the Egyptians. So, there are two miracles and even though this text is relatively short, the sign is incredibly important. First of all as I mentioned, it gave Pharaoh a chance to let the people of God go before the plagues came, affecting the entire land. Second, we have some interpretative challenges. Even before Moses and Aaron go to see Pharaoh, God tells them that they will need to perform a miracle to “prove” themselves. And they do. They cast the staff down before Pharaoh and it becomes a serpent. Now words are really important. And we know our English translations are very good, but certainly they are not perfect. The Hebrew word used in Exodus 7:9-12 is “tannin”. However, in Exodus 4:2-3, when Moses throws his staff on the ground and it becomes a serpent, a different word is used. The word in chapter 4 is “nahash”, which is translated as “serpent” or “snake”. But the word in Exodus 7 is tannin. According to the Theological Dictionary of the Old Testament, this word is translated, “dragon”, “serpent”, “crocodile”, or “sea monster”. Now in Ezekiel 29:3 this same word, “tannin”, is used to describe Pharoah, and the ESV translates this as “dragon”. In Jeremiah 51:34 this word is used to describe king Nebuchadnezzar. This time it is translated as “monster”. P. Galpaz-Feller suggests the term tannin in Exodus 7 refers to a crocodile. Now, why would he make this claim? Well, in ancient Egypt, the crocodile was considered a devourer, including a beast that could consume magical spells. Douglas Stewart in his commentary on Exodus notes that if this is the case, then Aaron’s staff swallowing the other staffs is a symbol of the impending demise of the power of Egypt. In other words, what God was doing is more than freeing his people. He is showing his superiority as the true God among all the false gods of Egypt. The serpent or crocodile is a symbol of what was about to happen. God was about to show his wonders, his power and crush the enemy of his people.

Now, the other point I want to make is that the magicians of Egypt were imitators. They copied what Moses and Aaron did by their secret arts. The question then becomes, was this slight of hand or something else entirely. Now, we should point out the Egyptians were famous for their magicians. One of the reasons Moses and Aaron needed a miraculous sign was because that was the language of the religion in Egypt. In 2 Thessalonians chapter 2 when it discusses the man of lawlessness in verse 9, the text says, “The coming of the lawless one is by the activity of Satan with all power and false signs and wonders, and with all wicked deception.” Now, whether what the magicians of Egypt did was simply a trick or by using demonic supernatural means – the point is clear Yahweh’s power was and is far greater! In fact, the final miracle of the staff of Aaron devouring the magicians’ staffs was not replicated. Moses and Aaron were the victors, but just as the Lord predicted, the heart of Pharaoh was not moved and he would not listen.

Now why am I going to such lengths to point this out? Because historically when revival and awakening comes, what almost always happens? You have the true power of God, but also there are the charlatans, the false signs. It is extremely important we can discern between God’s power and miracles, and false signs. R.T. Kendall wrote a book called, “Holy Fire”. And in all honesty, this is how I see God, as holy, righteous and just, like a consuming fire. Anyway, in the book, R.T. gives some examples of false healing and signs. In one instance he went to a tent meeting. There was a supposed faith healer who could tell people all kinds of details about their background. So when R.T. went to a meeting, the “prophet of God” so to speak actually came up to R.T. The man asked R.T., “Have you and I ever met before?” “No” he replied. “Do you believe I am God prophet?” Again R.T. replied, “No”. Of course, obviously he was supposed to say YES! Then the man asked, “Do you believe God has shown me something about you?” And guess what, R.T. said “No” again. The man continued to ask R.T. the same questions and then finally he said, “There, ladies and gentlemen, is a man on his way to hell.” This is what a fake healer said to R. T. Kendall. The point, of course, is there are many who try and take advantage, and pervert the gospel for their own gain. And we as Christians must be able to discern between true and false signs and true and false people. Otherwise we will constantly fall prey to deception and abuse.

The greatest protection against abuse and false signs is correct doctrine and sticking to the Bible. But we must remember that God is much greater than our minds can fathom. He has given his word to us as a foundation for our faith. It is his truth that changes our hearts. True spiritual light changes lives. Jonathan Edwards who is known for his work during the 1st Great Awakening preached a sermon called, “A Divine and Supernatural Light.” At the end of this sermon he says the truth of the gospel is attainable or available to everyone. It does not matter how smart you are, your social standing, or how much money you make, Christ died for all. Edwards also tells us that divine wisdom is far greater than any human learning. “The least glimpse of the glory of God in the face of Christ doth more exalt and ennoble the soul, than all the knowledge of those that have the greatest speculative understanding in divinity without grace.” The knowledge of God is joyful. The divine light of Jesus changes our soul. 2 Corinthians 3:16-18 says, “But when one turns to the Lord, the veil is removed. Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom. And we all, with unveiled face, beholding the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another.For this comes from the Lord who is the Spirit.” If we truly want to see God change our lives, our institutions and our nation, we must intensely focus upon him. He can remove the veil of his glory. Throughout history God has again and again poured out his Spirit and visited his people with revivals and awakening. He can do it again!

I don’t know if you have heard of the Moravians. In the 1700s, a small group of believers organized around the clock, 24/7, day and night prayer. This prayer revival lasted for over 100 years. Within 25 years, the Moravians had sent out more missionaries than the rest of the Protestant Church has sent out in 2 centuries. Now, you may think the 24/7 prayer movement is a modern marvel. But it isn’t. You might think that is just for younger people, but of course that is not true. The 24/7 prayer movement is not a modern invention. You can actually read about it in I Chronicles, we refer to it as the Tabernacle of David. We find that King David set up an extraordinary structure of continual worship. When we follow the Bible’s criteria we find extraordinary benefits. When the Church dares to meet up to that standard, revival, blessing, awakening and complete reformation and change of our culture will happen. We must follow the model, we must make the decision to not let up until we see God move in power. What if God is waiting for us to become desperate enough for his loving touch? When nothing else will do but his overwhelming Spirit of freedom. Are we really prepared for revival – Do we really want it? I promise you, when we get serious about God, he will certainly get serious about saving our nation.

For Zion's sake I will not keep silent, and for Jerusalem's sake I will not be quiet, until her righteousness goes forth as brightness, and her salvation as a burning torch. 2 The nations shall see your righteousness, and all the kings your glory, and you shall be called by a new name that the mouth of the Lord will give. 3 You shall be a crown of beauty in the hand of the Lord, and a royal diadem in the hand of your God. 4 You shall no more be termed Forsaken, and your land shall no more be termed Desolate, but you shall be called My Delight Is in Her, and your land Married; for the Lord delights in you, and your land shall be married. 5 For as a young man marries a young woman, so shall your sons marry you, and as the bridegroom rejoices over the bride, so shall your God rejoice over you.

6 On your walls, O Jerusalem, I have set watchmen; all the day and all the night they shall never be silent. You who put the Lord in remembrance, take no rest, 7 and give him no rest until he establishes Jerusalem and makes it a praise in the earth. Isaiah 62:1-7

Did you know that Jonathan Edwards wrote down what happened in the Northampton revival. You can still read about it today. It is called, “A Faithful Narrative of the Surprising Work of God”. This work was published in 1737. When Isaac Watts read it, he replied, “We are of [the] opinion that so strange and surprising work of God that we have not heard anything like it since the Reformation, nor perhaps since the days of the apostles”.

I don’t know about you, but that is exactly what I want. Let’s move mountains!