CHAPTER FIVE

REVIVAL AND RESURRECTION POWER

“COME, AND LET US RETURN UNTO THE LORD: FOR HE HATH TORN, AND HE WILL HEAL US; HE HATH SMITTEN, AND HE WILL BIND US UP. AFTER TWO DAYS WILL HE REVIVE US: IN THE THIRD DAY HE WILL RAISE US UP, AND WE WILL LIVE IN HIS SIGHT. THEN SHALL WE KNOW, AS WE FOLLOW ON TO KNOW THE LORD: HIS GOING FORTH IS PREPARED AS THE MORNING; AND HE SHALL COME UNTO US AS THE RAIN, AS THE LATTER AND FORMER RAIN UNTO THE EARTH.” (Hosea 6:1-3)

The first verse of this prophecy refers to the suffering servant, which is revealed in Isaiah 53. We know that Jesus Christ was torn, smitten and afflicted on our behalf. Listen to the prophecy of Isaiah: “HE IS DESPISED AND REJECTED OF MEN; A MAN OF SORROWS, AND ACQUAINTED WITH GRIEF: AND WE HID AS IT WERE OUR FACES FROM HIM; HE WAS DESPISED, AND WE ESTEEMED HIM NOT. SURELY HE HATH BORNE OUR GRIEFS, AND CARRIED OUR SORROWS: YET WE DID ESTEEM HIM STRICKEN, SMITTEN OF GOD, AFFLICTED. BUT HE WAS WOUNDED FOR OUR TRANSGRESSIONS, HE WAS BRUISED FOR OUR INIQUITIES: THE CHASTISEMENT OF OUR PEACE WAS UPON HIM: AND WITH HIS STRIPES WE ARE HEALED.” (Is. 53:3-5) 

The magnitude of THIS divine event is the reason that there will be a more magnificent event in THIS day that will change the world forever, for the good of the Kingdom of God! As we look at the SUFFERING SERVANT, we begin to understand that he, for us, did what no other could have ever done. You see, the greatness of his death works out to the greatness of our benefit! Now, through the death, burial and resurrection of our Lord, we can come boldly before the throne of grace and receive the power we need to accomplish His will in the earth. What is it that the prophet Hosea said right after this message of the suffering servant? “AFTER TWO DAYS WILL HE REVIVE US!” (Hosea 6:2) Friends, let us be sure that we are living in the “AFTER TWO DAYS” time. He did not say that HE would be revived; he said WE would be revived. US! We also know that he was speaking prophetically! He was not speaking of two literal days! So this is the DAY of the greatest revival the earth has ever known. I believe this revival began two thousand years ago during the life ministry of Jesus Christ. As He walked through the streets of Jerusalem and around the regions of His day, HE WAS THE REVIVAL! He brought salvation in the way of healing, deliverance and the like.

And in like manner the BODY OF CHRIST today must become the revival in the earth. The rivers of living water must be released from within our innermost beings! What refreshing was experience by the people of Jesus’ day! What glorious joy and gladness was felt in the lives of those who came into contact with the river! Oh, the anointing of God that flowed through those streets and the joy it brought to those who believed! Imagine, a mother weeping over the death of her son as the pallbearers carried him to the grave; then suddenly the ANOINTED ONE says, “STOP!”  He walks over to where the dead boy is and tells him, “RISE UP!”  What joy the mother felt that day! Look at the man with a legion of demons who, when coming into contact with the anointing, receives a deliverance that brings him to his right mind! Consider miracle after miracle of the wonder-working power of the anointing at work in those days. Then look at the anointing of the disciples and apostles AFTER the resurrection;  they went throughout their world and turned it upside-down through the anointing that had been transferred to them! Now think of the time we are living in! The time of the GREAT AND FINAL DISPENSATION CALLED THE FULFNESS OF TIMES! We are living in the time of the Double Portion, wherein all things that have been shall be again, but with double portion power. The earth is now prepared to receive this kind of glorious revival.

Those who oppose the revival this time or attempt to pervert it  with their  ideas and deceivings, as Ananias and Sapphira did, will suffer the terrible consequences of what it means to be a partaker of the wrath of Almighty God! I see the CHURCH of Jesus Christ, which is his Body, coming to the fullness of the stature of our Lord and doing the works of Jesus! I see the Body dwelling together in unity during this time of revival, and they will never again be divided! There will never be another revival after this one! This will be the last revival the world will ever know! Our eternal destiny will be an outcome of this revival, and we will never again know the suffering and pain of a broken humanity, for this revival will stir up and bring to fullness the new man within, so that born-again spirit will once and for all time come forth. Oh, even now, let the breath of the Spirit wake you up to what God has planned for this day. Even in the midst of terrorism, judgment, condemnation, war and all other worldly events taking place, know that God has a plan and it is altogether wonderful for all who love Him and those who have been appointed to life! It is called REVIVAL, dear friends, and it is coming TO YOU and THROUGH YOU, for the RIVER IS THE HOLY SPIRIT THAT DWELLS WITHIN YOU RIGHT NOW! But it does not stop here! He says, “IN THE THIRD DAY HE WILL RAISE US UP.” (Hosea 6:2) Here the prophet speaks of resurrection power! Again, he did not speak of one man being raised up as an individual, but he spoke of ONE NEW MAN  in a corporate body in the earth. 

HE SHALL RAISE US UP! This generation is going to experience the power of the resurrection! We are going to walk in such power that the LAST ENEMY, which is DEATH, shall be finally defeated and brought under the power of the overcomers. Remember, Christ has already abolished death! Now the Body must execute the judgment written. I will speak in length about this matter in a later chapter; for now, I want you to know that the resurrection is not an event but a person, and that person lives in you right now. The difference between being raised from the dead after physical death and being raised up IN THE THIRD DAY is that those who are raised up in this prophetic day SHALL NEVER DIE! It’s in your Bible, and later we will look at this more closely. Can you imagine a life- power in you stronger than death? Can you believe for this power in your life, that even in the face of death you will prevail, as death bows to your feet in total defeat? Can you believe for this? You must! For you have been called by God to live at this time in the HISTORY of the human experience. Every cell in your body is going to be affected by this power, and LIFE is going to surge through your veins in the most holy, pure and clean blood you have ever known, even the blood of royalty that flows through the firstborn son, JESUS CHRIST! What I love most about this prophecy is HOW these things are going to be done. It is GOD WHO IS GOING TO RAISE US UP! It is not our own human effort or power that is going to cause these things to happen but our Father’s very own power and ability! We saw this power in the resurrection of His only Begotten Son, and now we are going to see it in HIS BODY!

Earlier I spoke about the double portion of His divine power operating through US. We see that type in the story of Elijah and Elisha, when Elisha made his request to receive a double portion from his master, Elijah. In like manner, Jesus said there would be a people who believe in Him that would “DO THE WORKS THAT I DO, AND EVEN GREATER WORKS SHALL THEY DO.” (John 14:12)  Here He is speaking of the double portion of Himself in the body of Christ. The first two miracles that Elisha performed after receiving the mantle of Elijah involved water; first, he parted the waters, and second, he healed them. Jesus  performed his first miracle at the wedding of Cana of Galilee when he TURNED THE WATER INTO WINE! Now, I believe this generation, that is about to take hold of the double-portion mantle of the firstborn, shall begin their ministry of miracles with water. That water refers to the early and latter rain, once again speaking of the Double Portion. This is none other than the Holy Spirit being poured out and through a people who will be the revival to the earth and will possess divine resurrection power, giving them greater authority and power to perform miracles in a greater fashion than ever before.

Do you believe this? Jesus asked Martha the same question when referring to the resurrection of her brother. He said that, if she would believe, she would see the glory of God. Her thoughts drifted to THAT DAY, meaning some time in the future; but Jesus immediately corrected her vision and brought her natural eyes out of the future and opened her spiritual eyes to see the resurrection that was right before her. He said, “I AM THE RESURRECTION AND THE LIFE!” (John 11:25) In another chapter, I am going to discuss in full detail the aspects of miracles, signs and wonders from within this generation; but for now, I want to simply declare that the Third Day begins with a great revival, just as it did two thousand years ago when Jesus began his earthly ministry. Yet, as we have just seen, this DAY will possess greater power with greater anointing to stir in a deeper way the depths of the hearts of God’s people and all who have been ordained unto life! Get ready, for the time has come; and this is the generation that will be poured into and will, in turn, be poured out to the nations of the earth. But first, a great devastation is going to take place in the land;  before this great revival can take place, dramatic and terrible events must occur in order to take all things down to their lowest depths. Consider the state of things in the days of Jesus, and you will begin to understand the way things are going to be in the world before this great revival. Just as the glory shall be displayed in double-portion power, so the darkness, too, must increase into a gross darkness, as is written by the Prophet Isaiah: “ARISE AND SHINE, FOR THY LIGHT HAS COME AND THE GLORY OF THE LORD HAS RISEN UPON YOU. BEHOLD, DARKNESS SHALL COVER THE EARTH, AND GROSS DARKNESS THE PEOPLE, BUT THE LORD SHALL ARISE UPON YOU, AND HIS GLORY SHALL BE SEEN UPON YOU.”  (Is. 60:1,2)