REVIVAL
D.J.Hutson
One is thinking, beloved, of revival. What we look for, if any matters are unresolved, is really the revival of the work of God, or rather of our being true to it, so that the work of God prevails and normal conditions and relationships are experienced. But then there is also a far wider field in which we look for revival. We have been reminded of the scope of redemption, and we are often reminded in our prayer meetings of the vast number that there are who have been redeemed by the precious blood of Christ, believers throughout the world, thousands, millions of them that are not available to us, unknown to us. Soon a time is coming when all will be gathered in, all will be caught up, and thus we shall ever be with the Lord, and that time for which the Lord is waiting will arrive, when He will have the assembly for Himself. What will transpire in view of that is a great revival. In a sense these dry bones would be like what we have been reminded much of lately in our conversations over the word and in the ministry - the basic character of the work of God. You might say everything else is gone, the adornment and all that would beautify it is missing, so that there is no apparent life there; for some reason something has come in. These were not originally dry bones, but that is what they had become in the process of time and through what had happened to them. With the work of God, whatever may happen, however it may be stripped and lost to view, there is that which remains. The work of God is indestructible. Soon it is to be clothed with a body that is suited to it, and that something which can be clothed is suggested to us in these dry bones which can be wrought upon and clothed with a view to there eventually being this exceeding great army.
We have been reminded that God uses time and that He patiently waits; the fulness of time comes and then God acts. He sent forth His Son and He sent out His Spirit, but along with that He would have us to be intelligent in what He is doing, and He would have us further what He is doing. It is His work, and the exercise on our part in relation to it is all to increase our knowledge of Himself and to make us realise that it must be His work, for as Paul could say: "I have planted; Apollos watered; but God has given the increase", 1 Cor 3: 6.
This scripture in Ezekiel shows that the prophetic word had a very great part in this great matter of revival; so it is important that we should continue with these meetings, as we have them, to make way for the prophetic word, and important too that we should be exercised as to these meetings. One feels the challenge of it oneself, as often not having anything to bring in, and being concerned that what is brought in may be prophetic. Paul says "but rather that ye may prophesy", 1 Cor 14: 1. There is an important character to the prophetic word. Ezekiel here is told to "Prophesy over these bones, and say unto them, Ye dry bones, hear the word of Jehovah". There is nothing in the way of reproof or criticism addressed to these bones; what is presented to them is the operations of God, the power of God. He says to them "I will cause breath to enter into you, and ye shall live. And I will put sinews upon you, and will bring flesh upon you, and cover you with skin, and put breath in you, and ye shall live"; that is, that what is presented is objective, and yet it is to have a great effect upon those to whom it is addressed. It is really the operation of the power of God. Paul was concerned as to Ephesus, in the height of his ministry, that the saints should know the exceeding greatness of the power of God towards those who believe (see Eph 1: 19). This power is called into play here and is presented to these dry bones with a view, as it says, that "ye shall know that I am Jehovah". So that the great end in view is the knowledge of God.
So Ezekiel prophesies and these things begin to happen, not that he does anything. As I have said, it is God who is operating powerfully in relation to the prophetic word, and there is a rustling and the bones come together, bone to its bone, and sinews and flesh and skin, but there was no breath in them. Then that brings in another matter, that the prophet is to address himself to the wind, as it says: "say to the wind... Come from the four winds, O breath, and breathe upon these slain, that they may live". It is interesting that he says "Come from the four winds"; that is, that what God is doing in revival in any case is not of an isolated nature but stands related to what He is doing on a very broad front, doing universally, and the power that is operating universally and the power that is to be seen in operation elsewhere is to be brought in in relation to revival so that the whole should be brought together as one great operation. So he calls upon the Spirit, as we were reminded in ministry when we were helped in relation to addressing the Holy Spirit; this scripture was much before us then, how the prophet could say "Come from the four winds, O breath, and breathe upon these slain, that they may live". Think of the urgency that there seems to be in his expression "O breath", or as the note says, 'O Spirit'. There would be an urgency with us in relation to the operations of the Holy Spirit. It is His own operation and it is the breath that came into them. It was not the prophet that put the breath in them, it was again the operation of God, and God's operation sovereignly. Where God operates it is sovereign, and where the Spirit operates it is sovereign, but nevertheless it seems that in some way the prophet and the prophetic word are related to that with a certain urgency, showing that the prophet is intelligent as to it. He is not without feeling in relation to what God is doing and in relation to the operations of the Holy Spirit. So it says, as a result, "I prophesied as he had commanded me, and the breath came into them, and they lived, and stood up upon their feet, an exceeding great army". So now there was something which was able to stand, stand here. An army would suggest what is here in the testimony. There is that here now that is able to stand militantly in the testimony. Then as we think of the exceeding great army we would look forward to that time of which we have spoken, which we have often been reminded is related to a military operation - the last trump; and those references to the rank; "each in his own rank: the first-fruits, Christ; then those that are the Christ's at his coming", 1 Cor 15: 23. What it will be, beloved! Very soon the Spirit of God will operate in this way, and the whole assembly, those living at the present time, "we, the living who remain", and the dead in Christ raised first, all stand upon their feet for a moment of time before being caught up to be ever with the Lord. What a great army, we may say, at the last trump, that great call from heaven when all will be secured! There will be no dry bones then; all will be clothed worthily of what is there to be clothed. Paul could also speak of wanting rather to be clothed, and not unclothed (see 2 Cor 5: 4); that is, he did not wish to be one of those who would be buried, whose body would go into dissolution, but he wanted to be amongst "the living who remain" and to be alive at this great triumphal shout from heaven when all will be caught up.
Well beloved, God is waiting, the Lord is waiting, but we are to be with Him in what He is waiting for, and to be intelligently with Him and having our part in the furtherance of this great revival which is soon to take place. It may be taking place here and there, in ones and twos. How we thank God for it as we hear of them, both as being recovered to the truth and as available for the testimony, but we have the assurance that soon all that which is apparently dead and inactive at the present time is to be revived. There is going to be an exceeding great army which is going to answer to that final call to be with Christ for ever.
LONDON
6 October 1981