Your ShelfYour Projects

MODERN REVIVALS

14%

Seventh-day Adventist Publishing Association · Battle Creek, Mich. · Jun 18, 1901

FromReview and Herald, Vol. 78, No. 25.

Read the full edition

MODERN REVIVALS.

By D. A. Ball

D. A. BALL.
We are living in an age of revivals, but many of them are sham revivals; for while there is no lack in efforts to produce revivals, some are not of the right nature to be lasting. They are looked for in a wrong direction. Many try to get them up, but revivals do not come that way. True revivals come down, and are not got up.
A revival which is “got up,” only whitewashes people, while one that comes down will wash them white. One is the effect of trying to work the Spirit; while the other is the result of allowing the Spirit to work us.
Our modern revivals have been described by the prophet Hosea, in the following language: “They shall go with their flocks and with their herds to seek the Lord; but they shall not find Him; He hath withdrawn himself from them. They have dealt treacherously against the Lord: for they have begotten strange children: now shall a month devour them with their portions.” Hosea 5:6, 7.
To watch the results of these modern revivals, is to read impressive comments on the scripture already quoted. The reason for this is clearly stated in Hosea 4:6: “My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge: because thou hast rejected knowledge, I will also reject thee, that thou shalt be no priest to me: seeing thou hast forgotten the law of thy God, I will also forget thy children.”
The words of another are very forcible at this time: “Where the law is not preached, true conversion is not known.” Jeremiah once said, “Oh that my head were waters, and mine eyes a fountain of tears, that I might weep day and night for the slain of the daughter of my people.” Who would not join with this holy prophet and cry to God to spare His people who are asleep to their true condition? Truly, this is a solemn time, and the latter rain is to be poured upon the waiting Church, upon those who are sighing and crying for the abominations that are done in the land, and are looking for Christ’s return. The effects of such a faith are described in I John 3:3, and the promised results are found in Heb. 9:28. Shall we be among that number?