Revival. The word gets thrown around in Christian circles so often that it's lost much of its power. Churches advertise "revival meetings." Preachers promise "revival is coming." But what does revival actually mean according to Scripture?
The biblical meaning of revival isn't about emotional meetings or temporary spiritual highs. True revival is when God breathes supernatural life back into something that was dying or dead. It's when the Holy Spirit moves so powerfully that entire communities are transformed, not just individual hearts.
What Revival Means in Hebrew and Greek
The Hebrew word for revival, "chayah," means "to live again" or "to restore to life." You see it used when Ezra prayed, "Now for a little while grace has been shown from the Lord our God, to leave us an escaped remnant and to give us a peg in His holy place, that our God may enlighten our eyes and grant us a little reviving in our bondage" (Ezra 9:8).
The Greek word "anazao" carries the same meaning - to live again, to recover life. Paul used it when he wrote, "But now that Timothy has come to us from you, and has brought us good news of your faith and love, and that you always think kindly of us, longing to see us just as we also long to see you, for this reason, brethren, in all our distress and affliction we were comforted about you through your faith" (1 Thessalonians 3:6).
These words don't describe excitement or enthusiasm. They describe resurrection power - dead things coming back to life.
The Difference Between Revival and Evangelism
Many people confuse revival with evangelism, but they're completely different. Evangelism is when lost people get saved. Revival is when saved people get awakened.
Revival happens when Christians who have grown cold, distant, or spiritually dead suddenly experience God's presence in a fresh, powerful way. Their love for Christ returns. Their passion for prayer increases. Their hunger for God's Word grows intense. Their concern for lost souls becomes urgent.
Evangelism is the natural result of revival, but revival itself targets the church, not the world.
Biblical Examples of True Revival
Jehoshaphat's Revival (2 Chronicles 20)
When three armies came against Judah, King Jehoshaphat called for a fast throughout the entire kingdom. The people gathered in Jerusalem, seeking God desperately. God answered with such power that their enemies turned on each other and destroyed themselves. The revival continued as "the fear of God was on all the kingdoms of the lands when they heard that the Lord had fought against the enemies of Israel."
Josiah's Revival (2 Kings 22-23)
When the Book of the Law was found in the temple, King Josiah tore his clothes in repentance. He gathered all the people and read God's Word publicly. The entire nation renewed their covenant with God. Josiah destroyed all the idols, removed false priests, and restored proper worship. Scripture says, "Before him there was no king like him who turned to the Lord with all his heart and with all his soul and with all his might."
Ezra's Revival (Nehemiah 8)
When Ezra read the Law to the returned exiles, the people wept as they heard God's Word. They celebrated the Feast of Tabernacles for the first time in generations. The revival led to confession of sin, separation from foreign influences, and renewed commitment to God's commands.
Pentecost Revival (Acts 2)
The disciples had been meeting, praying, and waiting for the Holy Spirit Jesus promised. When the Spirit came with power, they spoke in tongues and preached boldly. Three thousand people were saved in one day. The new believers devoted themselves to the apostles' teaching, fellowship, breaking bread, and prayer.
What Happens During Biblical Revival
True revival always produces specific, measurable results:
Intense Conviction of Sin: People become deeply aware of their spiritual condition. They mourn over sins they previously ignored or justified. Like Isaiah who cried, "Woe is me! For I am ruined! Because I am a man of unclean lips" (Isaiah 6:5).
Desperate Prayer: Churches that barely prayed suddenly can't stop praying. People gather before dawn and stay late into the night, pouring their hearts out to God. Prayer meetings multiply and overflow.
Love for God's Word: Bibles that gathered dust become treasured companions. People study Scripture with fresh hunger. God's Word becomes "sweeter than honey" (Psalm 119:103).
Bold Witness: Timid Christians become fearless evangelists. They can't help but share what God has done. Like the disciples who said, "We cannot stop speaking about what we have seen and heard" (Acts 4:20).
Transformed Communities: Revival doesn't stay inside church walls. Businesses close bars and open prayer halls. Crime rates drop. Marriages are restored. Courts have fewer cases because people stop suing each other.
Why Revival Is Needed Today
Look around the modern church. How much resembles the book of Acts? How many believers burn with passion for Christ? How many churches pray with desperation? How many communities fear God?
The church has grown comfortable with lukewarm Christianity. We've accepted low standards, weak commitment, and powerless living. We need God to breathe life back into His people.
As Charles Finney wrote, "Revival is nothing else than a new beginning of obedience to God." It's when Christians stop playing church and start being the church.
How Revival Comes
Revival is always God's work, but Scripture shows clear patterns of how He brings it:
Desperate Prayer: Every biblical revival began with desperate, persistent prayer. Not casual, comfortable prayer, but the kind that wrestles with God like Jacob at Peniel.
Deep Repentance: Revival requires honest confession and genuine turning from sin. Surface-level apologies don't bring revival. God demands broken, contrite hearts.
Bold Preaching: God uses men who preach His Word without compromise, regardless of popular opinion. Revival preachers fear God more than man.
United Churches: When denominations stop fighting and start praying together, God moves. Unity among believers releases heaven's power on earth.
Expectant Faith: Revival comes when people believe God will actually do what He promises. They wait with confident expectation, not doubt.
The Promise of Revival for Today
God hasn't changed. The same power that fell on Solomon's temple, swept through Judah under Josiah, and filled the upper room at Pentecost is available today.
Scripture promises, "If my people who are called by my name humble themselves, and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and heal their land" (2 Chronicles 7:14).
The conditions are clear. The promise is certain. The question isn't whether God wants to send revival - He does. The question is whether His people will meet His conditions.
Revival isn't about emotional experiences or church programs. It's about dead things coming back to life through God's supernatural power. It's about lukewarm Christians catching fire again. It's about sleeping churches waking up to their true calling.
God is ready to pour out His Spirit. He's looking for people desperate enough to pray, humble enough to repent, and bold enough to believe He'll do exactly what He promised.
The biblical meaning of revival is simple: God making dead things live again. And He's waiting to do that very thing in your heart, your church, and your nation today.
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