17 - Chapter Eight - SMITH WIGGLESWORTH'S VISION
The following account is of a particularly powerful vision given to Smith Wigglesworth during the early part of World War II, when he was being visited by a young Lester Sumrall (the well-known healing-deliverance evangelist and founder of the charitable organization ’Feed the Hungry’). This account of Wigglesworth’s vision comes from pg 168-169 of Lester Sumrall’s 1995 book, ’Pioneers of Faith’:
"... Shutting his eyes again, he said, ’I see the greatest revival in the history of mankind coming to Planet earth, maybe as never before. And I see every form of disease healed. I see whole hospitals emptied with no one there. Even the doctors are running down the streets shouting.’
"He told me that there would be untold numbers of uncountable multitudes that would be saved. No man will say ’so many, so many,’ because nobody will be able to count those who come to Jesus. No disease will be able to stand before God’s people... ’It will be a worldwide situation, not local,’ he said, ’a worldwide thrust of God’s power and God’s anointing upon mankind.’
"Then he opened his eyes and looked at me and said, ’I will not see it, but you shall see it. The Lord says that I must go on to my reward, but that you will see the mighty works that He will do upon the earth in the last days.’
"... The idea that I would get to see this revival was almost overwhelming. And in the last decade or so, I believe we have seen this revival begin to sweep the earth. We have seen amazing moves of God in Africa... Recently, I was in China and met with the underground church. I was told there are at least forty-five million Full Gospel Christians in China. I discovered a depth of prayer and integrity there that I have not felt anywhere else in the world... So I believe we are seeing Wigglesworth’s prophecy begin to be fulfilled. We are seeing the first stages of it." (-Lester Sumrall died on April 28, 1996).
Another of Wigglesworth’s prophecies states that the last great Revival will bring a marrying together of the "Word" and the "Spirit" in a way we have not seen before. There have been many Revivals involving the spoken ’word’ in a major way - notably those of Edwards, Wesley, Finney, etc. And over the last century there have been many Revivals that majored on the Holy Spirit. But this is to be one that involves a "marrying together" of the spoken-word type ministry and the Holy Spirit-focused ministry. What power will be released when this happens! Can you imagine the preaching of a ’Charles Finney’ combined with the signs and miracles of a healing revivalist?
Interestingly, in the 1990’s a well-known international preacher prophesied that two prominent Christian leaders must die before the great Revival will come. This lines up very well with what God has been showing myself and others about key leaders of the ’Old Guard’ needing to pass on before God’s new leadership can truly emerge. In recent years we have seen Derek Prince, Kenneth Hagin and Bill Bright pass away. It is certainly an interesting prophecy, and a fascinating time to be alive.
It is my belief that we now live on the verge of the most momentous days in the history of the church. The glory of God is about to come down. And no longer will God’s people be a laughing-stock, both of men and of devils. Clearly, the time is soon coming when God’s ’mighty men and women of valour’ must again come to the fore, as in days of old. I believe that God is again looking in our day for men and women who will risk everything for Him, who have died to sin and to self, who cannot abide fleshly showmanship or hype, and who desire only to serve God with a purity of spirit rather than an excess of soul-power.
Surely Watchman Nee’s words are tragically true, not only of many Christians today, but sadly of many leaders also: "The corrupted old man in the believer has died but his soul remains the power behind his walk. On the one hand the sinful nature has been drastically touched but on the other hand the self life still persists and therefore cannot escape being soulish... To depend upon the soul life to carry out the wish of the spirit is to use natural (or human) force to accomplish supernatural (or divine) goodness. This is simply trying to fulfill God’s demand with self-strength... Few are those disposed honestly to acknowledge their weakness and incapability and to lean utterly upon God. Who will confess his uselessness if he has not been humbled by the grace of God? Man takes pride in his prowess... He does not understand that however good to the human outlook his efforts may appear to be, they can never please God... He fails miserably to be spiritual and continues to abide in the soul." (Watchman Nee, ’The Spiritual Man’, Vol.1-3).
It is in the barren ’wilderness’ of brokenness and despair, that God chooses to deal with such soulish self-power in His servants. And it is only when this ’self’ has been utterly put to the sword that God can afford to entrust these servants with His miracle-working power. Only when they desire nothing but His glory, can He grant them the weapons of a mighty warfare. As a prophecy that was given several years ago in America stated: "I have used many swords in years past; and some were made of polluted metals. I used them because they were the only weapons available to Me. But for this last Great Revival, I must have swords of the purest metals which have been through the hottest fires so that they will not break in My Hand..."
It is my belief that our Almighty God is now looking for men and women whom He can entrust with such an anointing. He is looking for a people who will truly "love not their lives unto the death", who know the dangers but who are willing to risk all (even in light of the failure of some in the past), to see God glorified and His standard raised in the earth in our day. We are still surrounded by a great cloud of witnesses - men and women who fought a glorious fight and ran a peerless race. And God is now looking for men and women of this same ilk, who hunger and thirst after Him, who press forward into the deep things of God, and who have willingly paid the price and spent much time alone with Him. Like Elisha, who would not let go of Elijah until he had received a double portion of that great prophet’s anointing, they will never let go of God until He blesses them with a similar enduement.
Charles Finney said, "PRAY MOST for the Holy Spirit of God, and WRESTLE MOST with God for His blessing... If you have the Holy Spirit of God, you must expect to feel great distress in view of the condition of the church, and of the world." It is only through such fervent, agonizing, WRESTLING prayer that we can break through into these greater realms in God. And then, how Satan will oppose us! (And most likely, the church leaders also). As the apostle Paul wrote: "For we do not want you to be ignorant, brethren, of OUR TROUBLE which came to us in Asia: that we were BURDENED BEYOND MEASURE, ABOVE STRENGTH, SO THAT WE DESPAIRED EVEN OF LIFE." (2 Corinthians 1:8). As David, king of Israel declared, "My soul thirsteth for God, for the living God" (Psalms 42:2). And it was clearly the apostle Paul’s great desire, "That I may KNOW HIM [JESUS], and the power of His resurrection, and the fellowship of His sufferings, being made conformable unto His death" (Php 3:10). Again, Charles Finney declared: "Revival comes from heaven when heroic souls enter the conflict determined to win or die... ’The kingdom of heaven suffereth violence, and the VIOLENT TAKE IT BY FORCE.’" Some years ago, God shared with me the secret of becoming part of the new move of God. It is simply this:- "WHO DARES WINS". As I said before, I believe that God is currently searching for such men and women, "tried as by fire", who will lead His people into the coming great war. And "DARING" will be one of the most important qualifications. Tell me, friend, will you be one of these?... "But TARRY YE in the city of Jerusalem, until ye be ENDUED WITH POWER FROM ON HIGH" (Luke 24:49).