“When 70 years are completed for Babylon, I will come to you” (literally in the Hebrew, “I will visit you”)
The Promise of a Divine Visitation
So when the exiles returned to Jerusalem, there was a powerful divine visitation that began in Neh 8 but that helped prepare for the coming of Jesus and a greater divine visitation through Jesus that went to the ends of the earth.
In Ez 40-47 God speaks about two divine journeys that precede visitation. In the previous chapters, God speaks about His judgement on Jerusalem (Ez 1-24 before its fall) and then upon the nations (Ez 25-32). Then in Ez 40-47 God talks just about His great plan of restoration and revival using the model of the Temple. So we are taken on three journeys:
1.The Journey TO the Holy of Holies
In Ez 40-43 we are taken on a journey from the outside of the Temple, gradually inwards to the holy of holies to enter God’s presence. The glory of God which left the Temple in Ez 10, now returns by the same Gate (43:4-5) and fills the whole Temple.
The Hebrew word for “glory” is literally “weight” because under such weight of God’s glory people could no longer stand before Him and fell to the ground in worship!
So any divine visitation starts with a person or church seeking to enter afresh the holy place of God. This means humbling and repentance, leading to a clean heart or who can stand in this place (Ps 24:3-4). Then the glory of God falls.
“Who may ascend the mountain of the Lord? Who may stand in his holy place? The one who has clean hands and a pure heart, who does not trust in an idol or swear by a false god.“
In the East African Revival of 1935 people were afraid to go up the hill, in case God took hold of them, as God was there! School pupils returned books they had stolen to their headmaster, weeping!
If you want to be used in revival, then you also must seek to be holy like God is holy. This is the model of all Divine instruments through Church history.
2.The Journey FROM the Holy of Holies
But God never wants the glory to reside with just one person or church. He wants it to break out in other places also. So we come to Ez 47 where we see the river of God, His Spirit, flowing from the Temple outwards:
- It flows eastwards towards the desert, that is the most dry places. God’s desire is to refresh all those who are dry and to bring life to dry believers, churches or even nations!
- It comes to purify. It flows into the Dead Sea which is salt water but instead this river of God purifies this water and turns it into fresh water that brings life (47:8-9). Many ‘fish’ begin to live there!
- Fruit trees begin to grow on the banks of this mighty river. They generate fruit and leaves for healing. Rev 22:2 shows the same river and expands on this, saying, “The leaves of the tree are for the healing of the nations”
So God’s purpose today is to bring a mighty visitation that will bring healing to the nations. Healing of society, healing of divisions, healing emotionally, healing of the Church and ultimately healing of hearts who will then come to know God.
3.The Journey into the River of God
In Ez 47:1-6 is the third journey. Ezekiel is led into the river, first ankle-deep, then knee-deep, then waist-deep and finally until he had to swim.
I remember when as a child I learned to swim. My father took me every week to the public swimming pool and I learned to swim first in the child’s area where you could still put your feet on the bottom of the pool. So it was safe to learn. Then slowly my father took me further towards the deep end until I was submerged more until I could no longer stand in the pool. I then had to trust in my ability to swim.
It’s the same with God. When the Divine visitation comes, or even preceding it, He wants us to practice going deeper into His presence and trusting Him with all our hearts. This is the goal of the visitation.
Before God used George Whitefield, the young evangelist, to begin the Methodist Revival in 1737 to England, he used to walk all day in the country in communion with the Lord. He said,
“At times I would be so overpowered with a sense of God’s infinite majesty that I would be constrained to throw myself on the ground and offer my whole soul as a blank in His hands to write on it what He pleased”.
Journey more
Here’s some other blogs that will help you on the journey. Now is the time to get prepared:
HOW REVIVAL STARTS: A POWERFUL STORY
Here’s a book that will help you on your journey:
GRACE OUTPOURINGS: 21 DAYS REVIVAL DEVOTIONAL which has lots of stories taken from recent visitations for a great devotional experience