Revival

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REVIVAL (REVELATION 11)

My first impression of the word “revival” was the Billy Graham Evangelistic Crusade. Billy Graham hosted annual "Crusades", evangelistic campaigns from 1947 until his retirement in 2005. All in all, Graham’s 400 crusades reached 210 million people in more than 185 countries and territories on six continents. In 1954-55, he preached in Europe. In 1956 he toured India and Far East. In 1958 he went to the Caribbean islands. 1959 Down under in Australia and New Zealand, and the same year to Africa. 1962 it was South America, France and Germany. In 1967 to Perot Rico, Canada and Japan.

The 70s were the Asia wave! 1973 was Billy Graham’s largest ever Crusade attendance on the last night of the South Korea Crusade, where some 1.1 million traveled mostly by foot to the final service.

https://billygraham.org/story/seoul-south-korea-a-look-back-at-billy-grahams-largest-ever-crusade/

In 1975 Billy Graham came to Taiwan and Hong Kong, and in 1977 to Philippines and Singapore, where I attended the year I was saved. Amazingly, Billy Graham traveled to the communist countries of China and Russia in 1988 and North Korea in 1992.

It’s been said (Alford) that chapter 11 “is undoubtedly one of the most difficult in the whole Apocalypse.” God, however, did not leave His people without His presence, power and In Revelation chapter 4 the disasters begin the four horses followed by locusts with scorpion sting and horses in chapter 9. God’s response is the emergence of angels in chapter 10 and the two witnesses in this chapter 11.

What is the role of God’s people when He brings about revival in the land? How should we prepare yourselves? Why is God’s work is never left without His witness?

Witness with Your Life

I was given a reed like a measuring rod and was told, "Go and measure the temple of God and the altar, and count the worshipers there. 2 But exclude the outer court; do not measure it, because it has been given to the Gentiles. They will trample on the holy city for 42 months. 3 And I will give power to my two witnesses, and they will prophesy for 1,260 days, clothed in sackcloth." 4 These are the two olive trees and the two lampstands that stand before the Lord of the earth. 5 If anyone tries to harm them, fire comes from their mouths and devours their enemies. This is how anyone who wants to harm them must die. 6 These men have power to shut up the sky so that it will not rain during the time they are prophesying; and they have power to turn the waters into blood and to strike the earth with every kind of plague as often as they want.

One of the greatest revival speaker you have not heard of is John Sung, whose public ministry was a short 12 years, dying at a young age of 42. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Sung

Sung is known as the Billy Graham of China, China’s John the Baptist and the man who moved Asia. Why? Not only in China, but from 1928 to 1940 Sung traveled all over China, Singapore, Indonesia, Malaysia, Burma, Philippines, Taiwan, and Thailand. Thousands were converted through his ministry.

One of the funniest stories from a witness (Timothy Tow) was how a chicken farmer and his wife, sons and daughters bogged down by their farm work 20 miles miles prayed for a way to attend John Sung’s revival meeting. How was their problems solved? The farmer (Mr. Sim) said, “ln one night all our 700 chickens wcre taken by a sudden epidemic. 'l'his released us to go to the Meetings to hear the Word!"

Chapter 11 left off from the last verse of chapter 10 (10:11) where John was instructed to prophesy to the nations: “You must (verb) prophesy again about (before) many peoples, nations, languages and kings!” The object of their witness is nations. There are more “nations” (Rev 11:2, 9, 18) mentioned in chapter 11 than any chapter in Revelation.

How was John to witness? The double example was in the two witnesses, who are also prophets (v 10) as well as witnesses. Who were they? First, the two witnesses are more likely to be Jewish because they are prophets. Some said Moses and Elijah, others said the undying Enoch and Elijah, and other combinations include Jewish and Gentile believers, Israel and the Church, Joseph Smith and brother (Mormons), Ellen G. White and Elder Uriah Smith (Seventh-day Adventists)!

Two Witnesses

Moses and Elijah

Enoch and Elijah Tertullian, Irenaeus, and Hippolytus

Elder Uriah Smith and Ellen G. White Seventh-day Adventists

Joseph Smith and brother Hyrum Smith Mormons

Israel and the Church

Jewish and Gentile believers

The two witness have been identified as Enoch and Elijah by church fathers (Tertullian, Irenaeus, and Hippolytus of Rome), Israel and the Church, Jewish and Gentiles, Uriah Smith and Ellen G. White by Seventh-day Adventist interpretation, and Joseph Smith and his brother Hyrum Smith by Mormons.