1. Introductory
Rev W A Weale
The subject of revival is vast. This becomes apparent when one looks at the large list of books written on the subject, books that take in many countries of the world over many centuries. In this paper we can therefore only hope to take a broad look at the subject.
1. A Definition of Revival. According to the Oxford Dictionary, to revive is to “come, or bring back, to consciousness or life or strength”. The trouble with such a definition is that, when we apply it to our present subject, the unregenerate were never alive in the first place. Henry Fish in his Handbook of Revivals, briefly sums up revival as, “the conversion of sinners and the awakening of saints”.2
Dr Martyn Lloyd-Jones, in a sermon on Joshua 4:21-24, gives a fuller description. He asks the question: “What is revival?” and replies, “We can define it as a period of unusual blessing and activity in the life of the Christian church. Primarily, of course, and by definition, a revival is something that happens first in the Church and amongst Christian people, amongst believers. That, I repeat, is by definition. It is revival; something is revived and when you say that, you mean that there is something present that has got life. But the life was beginning to wane, to droop, and had become almost moribund, and some people said, ‘That is dead, that is finished,’ because they could not see much sign of life and activity. Revival means awakening, stimulating the life, bringing it to the surface again. It happens primarily in the Church of God and amongst believing people, and it is only secondly something that affects those that are outside also.”3
James Buchanan, in his book on the Holy Spirit, also gives a helpful definition. “It is of great importance”, he writes, “to form a clear and definite idea of what is meant by a revival of religion. It properly consists of these two
1This is the first section of a paper presented at the 2015 Theological Conference. It contains the following sections: (1) A brief definition of revival, (2) A broad history of revivals, (3) The benefits of revival, (4) The dangers of revival, (5) Our duty in regard to revival, and (6) Conclusion.
2Henry Fish, Handbook of Revivals, p 12.
3D Martyn Lloyd-Jones, Revival, Marshall Pickering, 1987, p 99.
things: a general impartation of new life, and vigour, and power, to those who are already of the number of God’s people; and a remarkable awakening and conversion of souls who have hitherto been careless and unbelieving: in other words, it consists in new spiritual life imparted to the dead, and a new spiritual health imparted to the living.”4
2. A history of revivals.
Revivals in Biblical times. It is evident that times of revival began early in the history of fallen man. As early as the birth of Seth’s son Enos, we are told: “Then began men to call upon the name of the Lord” (Gen 4:26), words which perhaps suggest the first revival.
When we come to the period of the Judges, however, we see a very obvious revival after Israel had done evil for a long time, serving Baalim. Then, after a time of oppression by the Philistines, “Israel lamented after the Lord. And Samuel spake . . . If ye do return unto the Lord with all your hearts, then put away the strange gods and Ashtaroth from among you, and prepare your hearts unto the Lord, and serve Him only; and He will deliver you out of the hand of the Philistines” (1 Sam 7:2,3). The chapter goes on to show how Israel complied with this requirement; it marked a new beginning which lasted at least for a time. When we continue reading through the history of Israel we find that, frequently after periods of darkness and declension and subsequent punishment, the remnant that were left cried into the Lord, and days of blessing and refreshing followed. We see this during the days of David and Solomon, Asa and Jehoshaphat – and especially during the reigns of Hezekiah and Josiah.
Again, after the captivity in Babylon, there was what can only be described as a great revival, even a reformation. We are told that the people gathered in Jerusalem as one man and called on Ezra to bring out the book of the law of Moses, which the Lord had given; “and the ears of the people were attentive unto the book of the law”. “Ezra blessed the Lord, the great God. And all the people answered, Amen, Amen, with lifting up their hands, and they . . . worshipped the Lord with their faces to the ground” (Nehemiah 8:6). And the sincerity of the people was proved by their subsequent behaviour.
A little later, from the time of Malachi until John the Baptist appeared, a period of around 400 years, there was great declension; the remnant became very small and the professing Church was reduced to a sad and sorry state. Revival however attended the ministry of John and prepared the way for the coming of the blessed Lord.
Following the coming of the Holy Spirit on the Day of Pentecost, we begin to see revivals of the nature we are more accustomed to reading about in
4J Buchanan, The Office and Work of the Holy Spirit, Banner of Truth reprint, 1966, p 227.
more recent times. On the Day of Pentecost, as Peter preached in Jerusalem, 3000 were added to the Church. As we continue through Acts, we read of people being added to the Church daily. We read of a revival in Samaria (Acts 8), and many others. As the Apostles took the Word of God throughout Asia Minor and into Europe, the idols of the nations fell in city after city until it seemed, as we come to the end of the apostolic age, that the nations of the world were about to become those of the Lord and His Christ.