Will there be a worldwide revival before the end times? - gotquestions

Found here. Our comments in bold.
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This article from gotquestions is built upon a particular eschatology (the study of the end times), known as pre-tribulation rapture dispensationalism. This means that the author's explanation will only make sense if you believe the Church will be raptured (taken up to heaven) before the Great Tribulation (the time of trouble before Jesus returns on the Last Day).

We do not adhere to this doctrine. We believe the Last Days began at Pentecost when Jesus ascended to the right hand of God and poured out the Holy Spirit on all people, and will end on the Last Day when Jesus will return to receive His Church and continue on to earth to execute judgment on evildoers. We cover this in more detail here.

Because we believe the Last Days is a continuous period (while pre-tribbers oddly believe the last week of Daniel is separated from the rest of the 70 weeks) we are therefore not burdened to assemble disparate Bible verses together in order to fix events and people at certain intervals. From Pentecost to now there has always been tribulation (Jn. 16:33) and persecution (2Ti. 3:12), there has always been antichrists (1Jn. 2:18), and there has always been apostasy (1Jn. 2:19). The world will not grow darker, because it has always been dark. It will be the Church that gets darker (1Ti. 4:1).

Despite the intruding darkness into the Church, revival is promised. Apostasy does not exclude revival. This is key. Apostasy and revival can both happen at the same time. Where there might be apostasy in one place there can be revival in another

Lastly, we note that the author tries to explain away revival by specifying it must be "worldwide." Localized revivals seem to be okay with him (at least at times), but not worldwide revivals. We would wonder where the author draws the line where a revival is too widespread to be biblical.

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A revival is a spiritual reawakening in which a church or community is brought out of a state of dormancy or stagnation, resulting in changed lives and a renewed pursuit of personal righteousness. In one sense, revival can only happen among believers, since it is a restoration to life. In common usage, however, the word revival often refers to any large-scale response to evangelism in which new converts are made.

Does the Bible contain any prophecies about a worldwide revival breaking out? Yes and no. Yes, the Bible does predict times of turning to the Lord, but probably not in the sense that many people expect. (The author immediately concedes, with a caveat. Let's see that false expectation might be.)

Biblically speaking, the “end times” is the period between Jesus’ ascension and His return. We are living in the final dispensation (Unexplained pre-tribber term.)

before the day of the Lord occurs. We will take a look at predictions of revival through three periods: the Church Age, the tribulation period, and the millennium.

End Times Revival in the Church Age

Many of the biblical prophets speak of an outpouring of God’s Spirit in the end times, but Peter interprets that (Actually, Peter was inspired by the Holy Spirit to explain a particular prophecy, Joel's.)

to refer to the coming the Holy Spirit at Pentecost and perhaps (Perhaps? The author is attempting to set us up to negate Peter's explanation.) 

the ministry of the church thereafter. In Acts 2, Peter preaches to the crowds: “Fellow Jews and all of you who live in Jerusalem, let me explain this to you; listen carefully to what I say. . . . This is what was spoken by the prophet Joel: ‘In the last days, God says, I will pour out my Spirit on all people. Your sons and daughters will prophesy, your young men will see visions, your old men will dream dreams. Even on my servants, both men and women, I will pour out my Spirit in those days, and they will prophesy” (Acts 2:14–18). So, the revival prophesied in Joel 2:28–32 was fulfilled 2,000 years ago when the Church began. (The author does us a disservice by stopping at verse 18. Let's quote the entire prophecy: 

Ac. 2:17 -21 "In the last days," God says, "I will pour out my Spirit on all people. Your sons and daughters will prophesy, your young men will see visions, your old men will dream dreams. 18 Even on my servants, both men and women, I will pour out my Spirit in those days, and they will prophesy. 19 I will show wonders in the heaven above and signs on the earth below, blood and fire and billows of smoke. 20 The sun will be turned to darkness and the moon to blood before the coming of the great and glorious day of the Lord. 21 And everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved."

The reader can clearly see that this has not all been fulfilled 2000 years ago. The signs and wonders in the heavens have yet to occur. And notice the last sentence, speaking of a great end-times revival. There is no time limitation in the prophecy. "In these last days" refers not only to the first century but also to our times.

Indeed, the author told us we are living in the final dispensation before the day of the Lord occurs, which can only be the "last days," so the author and Peter agree that we are living in the last days. Yet for some reason the author wants this prophecy to remain in the past.

We don't know if the author is ignorant or being deceptive.)

During the Church Age, (The Last Days and the church age are synonymous.)

there has been a great revival—that is, a great influx of people into the kingdom of God, far more than there ever were in Old Testament times. (Were there people entering the kingdom in the OT? It seems odd to compare the salvations in the OT to the salvations in the "church age.")

If you lived in the time of the Old Testament and could see what we have today—Christians in every nation actively evangelizing and translating Scripture with the intent of reaching every tribe and language, you would probably call it an incredible revival far beyond anything you could have imagined. (We thought that apostasy was supposed to be going on. So the author is optimistic and cheerful about the Church as it is currently constituted.

This also suggests that we have been living in a continuous worldwide revival for the last 2000 years. The author's thinking appears to be muddled.)

The same might be true if you were living in the first century during the time of the apostles. The church has grown exponentially since the day of Pentecost. (Oh. The time of the apostles. That makes a little more sense.)

In Matthew 24:14, Jesus speaks of the gospel being preached to the whole world, “and then the end will come.” Jesus does not indicate what the response to the preaching will be, but just a few verses earlier, He said, “At that time many will turn away from the faith . . . and many false prophets will appear and deceive many people. Because of the increase of wickedness, the love of most will grow cold” (Matthew 24:10–12). Elsewhere, Jesus asks, rhetorically, “When the Son of Man comes, will He find faith on the earth?” (Luke 18:8). (It is interesting that the Greek word for "many" is polus, which is the exact same Greek word for "most." For some reason the translators felt it necessary to change the English word, perhaps because they too are beholden to a particular end-times doctrine.

So "many" means, well, many. It does not mean "most." In any case, many people turning from the faith does not exclude revival.

And the author, having trumpeted the great work of evangelism and millions saved, is suddenly pessimistic.)

Jesus said He would build His Church (Matthew 16:18), and He is doing that. (Back to optimism.)

The Church has seen periods of revival and great growth and periods of what seems to be stagnation. But Jesus never taught that a global revival would happen in the last days before the tribulation. ("Jesus never taught..." Well, except:

Lk. 13:29 People will come from east and west and north and south, and will take their places at the feast in the kingdom of God.

 

Ac. 2:21 And everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.

Re. 7:9 After this I looked and there before me was a great multitude that no-one could count, from every nation, tribe, people and language, standing before the throne and in front of the Lamb.

Re. 19:1 After this I heard what sounded like the roar of a great multitude in heaven shouting: “Hallelujah! Salvation and glory and power belong to our God...

It seems the author formed his doctrine first then went to the Bible second.)

The apostle Paul, writing to Timothy, did not seem to think there would be a worldwide revival, either: (The author's mood swings are getting dizzying.

Happily, he will go on to actually quote Scripture. Unfortunately, none of them make his point.)

“The Spirit clearly says that in later times some ("Some." This Greek word intends to specifically limit the scope.) 

will abandon the faith and follow deceiving spirits and things taught by demons. Such teachings come through hypocritical liars, whose consciences have been seared as with a hot iron” (1 Timothy 4:1–2). Also, Paul wrote, “But mark this: There will be terrible times in the last days” (2 Timothy 3:1). (The existence of "terrible times" does not speak to how many are saved.)

Note, the description of the last days: they will be “terrible”; in fact, “evildoers and impostors will go from bad to worse, deceiving and being deceived” (2 Timothy 3:13). (The existence of deceivers does not speak to how many are saved.)

Rather than repenting in a worldwide revival, “people will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boastful, proud, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, without love, unforgiving, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not lovers of the good, treacherous, rash, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God—having a form of godliness but denying its power” (2 Timothy 3:2–5). (The existence of sinners does not speak to how many are saved.)

In another epistle, Paul again says that the last days will be characterized by apostasy, not revival: “Don’t let anyone deceive you in any way. For that day will not come unless the apostasy comes first and the man of lawlessness is revealed, the man doomed to destruction” (2 Thessalonians 2:3, CSB). (The existence of apostasy does not speak to how many are saved.)

Paul’s prediction of an apostasia before the Antichrist is revealed suggests that what occurs will be the opposite of a revival. (Apostasy is not the opposite of revival.)

It will be a falling away from the truth, as many professing believers abandon the faith and reject biblical teaching in the days leading up to the tribulation. (The Bible says "some' and the author says "many." We believe the Bible.)

If the Battle of Gog and Magog (Ezekiel 38—39) takes place during the Church Age, (Another pre-tribber belief, needlessly inserted into the author's article.)

then we could see a revival of sorts in the aftermath of that conflict. The nations of the world will see God’s greatness and holiness demonstrated (Ezekiel 38:23). And, for Israel, specifically, there will be revival: “From that day forward the people of Israel will know that I am the Lord their God. . . . I will pour out my Spirit on the people of Israel” (Ezekiel 39:22, 29). (Back to optimism? We wish the author would make up his mind.)

End Times Revival in the Tribulation

The New Testament speaks of a coming revival among the Jews/Israel. Romans 11:25 says that now, for a time, Israel is “partially hardened . . . until the fullness of the Gentiles has come in” (ESV). Then, “all Israel will be saved,” ("All Israel" does not mean every Jew, only the "children of promise" [Ro. 9:8], who are the remnant [Ro. 9:27].)

which seems to indicate that the Jews will one day be “softened” to the gospel and receive it. Revelation mentions what seems to be a revival among Jews during the tribulation, led by 144,000 Jewish evangelists (see Revelation 7). (There is no mention of the 144,000 being evangelists, nor are they described as being on the earth.

Further, Revelation doesn't speak of a Jewish revival, but rather a general revival. The very next verse shifts from the accounting of the 144,000 to this:

Re. 7:9 After this I looked and there before me was a great multitude that no-one could count, from every nation, tribe, people and language, standing before the throne and in front of the Lamb.

Every nation, tribe, people and language does not mean Jews only. Indeed, it sounds like suspiciously like a worldwide revival.)

The tribulation will have the effect of turning Jewish hearts to their true Messiah, and this was prophesied in the Old Testament: “It is the time of Jacob’s trouble, But he shall be saved out of it” (Jeremiah 30:7, NKJV). (There is no indication here that this reference is the Great Tribulation. The author simply plucks this out of the Bible and affixes an application to it, despite there being dozens of OT instances of Israel being faithless and subsequently being restored or delivered.)

End Times Revival in the Millennium

Several Old Testament passages prophesy a coming age of justice, peace, and safety when the Messiah will reign from Jerusalem. During that time, which Revelation 20 says will last 1,000 years, “the earth will be filled with the knowledge of the Lord as the waters cover the sea” (Isaiah 11:9). (Sigh. There is no indication from the entire chapter in Isaiah that this is the millennium. Nor does the earth being filled with knowledge of God have anything to do with revival.)

That sounds like a truly worldwide revival. (So the author again turns optimistic.)

Also during that era, former enemies of the Lord “will go up year after year to worship the King, the Lord Almighty, and to celebrate the Festival of Tabernacles” (Zechariah 14:16; see also Habakkuk 2:14; Psalm 22:27; Isaiah 18:7; 19:21; 27:13; and Jeremiah 31:34). (This is what we mean by cobbling together disparate Scriptures. This is how the pre-trib doctrine is assembled in order fit it into an elaborate, incomprehensible narrative about the end times.)

Even after that “revival” and extended time of justice and peace, many people will follow Satan in a rebellion at the end of the millennium (Revelation 20:7–9).

End Times Revival: Conclusion

Some believe that we are in the midst of, or building up to, the greatest revival in the history of the Church. We would like nothing better than for God to do a great work and bring multitudes of people into the kingdom, and we pray toward that end. (A welcome concession from the author. That is so much better than embracing the false doctrine that the Church will dwindle away, anemic and powerless in the Last Days.)

A wholesale turning to God on a global scale would change this world. But Scripture seems to say that, in the days leading up to the rapture, a worldwide revival is unlikely. (Back to pessimissm.

If revival is unlikely, how does the author explain 

• The Great Awakening, 1734-43, Jonathan Edwards

• The Second Great Awakening, 1800-1840, James McGready, Charles Finney

• The Businessmen’s Revival of 1857-1858, Jeremiah Lanphier

• The Urban Revivals, 1875-1885, Dwight L. Moody

• Welsh Revival of 1904-1905, Billy Sunday

The very existence of revivals during the Last Days completely refutes the author.)

The last days will be a troubling and alarming time, but we take comfort in the fact that our Lord has overcome the world (John 16:33). We keep our eyes on Him and let His light shine through us, bringing glory to God as we await our Savior’s return.