NO REVIVAL! WHY NOT?

By The Late G.E. Altree Coley

(Updated by R. Edmonds)

REVIVAL has not come, and the Christian community accordingly is being urged to more and more prayer in the belief that prayer is the exercise required to bring the much desired blessing. It is said that a handful of praying souls brought about the Revival of 1859. A sick woman’s prayers brought D.L. Moody to England. Today, throughout the world, the petitioners must number thousands – but the fact has to be faced that they still await the gift.

It is time that the Christian community recognised the fact, made plain in Scripture, that prayer is not the one and only secret of victory. There are situations in which much more is required. An instance may be seen in the book of Joshua, when Israel was defeated at Ai. After the glorious victory at Jericho such defeat was utterly confounding. Joshua at once held a prayer-meeting (Joshua 7:6). It could not have been surpassed for intensity and fervour. But it was not a situation that could be changed by prayer alone. A wrong had to be made right. With tonic sharpness the Lord spoke to Joshua, ‘Get thee up; wherefore liest thou thus upon thy face? Israel hath sinned…’

Not prayer, but confession and judgment of a hidden sin was the inexorable demand of the Lord. It is time that Christian leaders took this possibility into account. Why does not prayer prevail? The Father who gave His only Son for our salvation must surely desire to send forth the Spirit-empowered message of salvation. The impediment cannot be on His side. Undoubtedly it must be on ours. Are our leaders really anxious for revival? Are they worried at the phenomenon of a silent heaven in face of importunate prayer? Then surely the prayer ‘Lord, send revival’ will be changed to ‘Lord, show me what hinders revival and at whatever cost I will give it up.’

It is the closing of the eyes and the stopping of the ears to the Truth which God is disclosing in these latter days, in accordance with His word (Jeremiah 30:24). This truth is the affirination of His faithfulness in fulfilling all His promises made through the fathers, Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, and through Moses, David and the prophets, to Israel, which is now known as the Anglo-Saxon or English-speaking race.

The time is overdue when the refusal of this majestic truth must be recognised for what it is, not intellectual dissent, not a superior spirituality, but sin. The refusal lies in the will, not in the mind. The proofs of the identity of the Britannic race with Israel, as distinct from the Jews, have been laid before the Christian community for many years. The identity of a broken, rejected, exiled and scattered people, which Israel was when last seen as the captives of the Assyrian conquerors, with the greatest race the earth has ever known, exhibits on a world-scale the glorious faithfulness of God, the matchless triumph of His purpose through history. Yet the Christian community obstinately ignores it. Is it a sin to rob God? What excuse can be given for robbing Him of the glory due unto Him for His faithfulness? God’s faithfulness is extolled in the 89th Psalm, wholly in connection with the throne and continuing lineage of David. Let the Christian of today suspect a ‘spirituality’ which is superior to the Divine Word.

But there is more. Weary humanity is stumbling in the black-out of these times. There is ‘distress of nations, with perplexity … men’s hearts failing them for fear, and for looking after those things which are coming on the earth.’ The irreligion that Christians mourn in our own English-speaking countries is the fruit of confusion and despair. People ask, ‘Why, if there is a God, doesn’t He do something?’   The answer is that He HAS done and is steadily continuing to do something. But the Church is concealing it! The Church is robbing the people of the Truth that DEMONSTRATES that God reigns. Is not this sin? God has provided for this very time. As He said by Isaiah,‘Ye are My witnesses, THAT I AM GOD’ (Isaiah 43: 10-12). The truth of British-Israel proclaims that what God promised He has performed. It establishes His power as the Almighty. It proves His loving thought for all human need. Yet the Church rejects this magnificent aid to its work! What God-dishonouring folly!

There is more. The Church itself, yes, the Church which still claims to believe in Gods Word ‘from cover to cover’ is itself drying up. Sermons are not what they once were. Still orthodox they may be, but the freshness and power are gone. Church teaching is going round and round upon itself in an ever-diminishing spiral of range. For it is a hard matter to evade the unwanted Truth. It is with difficulty that one can escape the Holy Spirit’s light upon the Word. To deny the glorious Truth of God’s faithfulness to Israel, it is necessary practically to close the Old Testament. The Church has done it! To deny it, the literal and reiterated promises of Genesis must either be ignored or evaporated into imagery of ‘spiritual’ truths. The Church has done it! To deny it, the eyes must be kept closed to the accurate correspondences between prophecy foretold and prophecy fulfilled. Latter day Israel, under the name of Britain, her Commonwealth and the United States, is described in the Bible by identifying marks immensely more numerous than would be required to establish identity in any court. The Church will have nothing of it.

To deny this Truth Christian leaders must go further still. They must keep their people in ignorance of one-half of all that our Lord Jesus Christ accomplished by His Cross. They preach individual salvation for ‘whosoever’ believes; they are silent upon the Redemption of Israel, equally taught in Scripture. Indeed Scripture gives it precedence. Thus Isaiah 49:6 says,

‘It is a light thing that thou shouldest be My servant to raise up the tribes of Jacob, and to restore the preserved of Israel: I will also give thee for a light to the Gentiles, that thou mayest be My salvation unto the end of the earth.’

Here are two operations, and Scripture abundantly shows them to be the fruits of the Cross.

Or again, following immediately upon the prophecy of the Cross in Isaiah 53 the first effect is seen in the re-covenanting of Israel in chapter 54, and only secondly comes the personal effect in chapter 55. The New Testament observes the same order. Romans 15:8 states first that Christ came to confirm the promises made unto the fathers, and secondly that the Gentiles might glorify God for His mercy. The birth, the name, the mission of Jesus all have prior reference to Israel (e.g. Matthew 1:21-23; 2:6; Luke 1, 32, 33). His sacred blood seals the New Covenant (Matthew 26:28) which Jeremiah 31:31ff. and Hebrews 8 declare is made to ‘the House of Israel and the House of Judah.’ While Acts 5:31 affirms that He is now exalted ‘to give repentance to Israel, and forgiveness of sins.‘ Anyone who ignores this mighty aspect of the Cross is preaching only half the Gospel.

Thus the silence of the Church robs our Lord Jesus Christ of the glory due to Him as the Redeemer of Israel, as the Administrator of the Divine purposes to and through Israel. It hymns Him as ‘the Lord of years, the Potentate of time.’ In reality it knows nothing of the majestic sway of His sceptre as, since the Cross, He has gathered scattered Israel into the Appointed Place (II Samuel 7: 10-11), into the Isles (e.g., Jeremiah 31:10-11), brought them into the blessing of the Covenant through the preaching of the Cross, and developed them until they spread throughout the world a mighty race and a blessing to all nations.

These are the charges that must be brought against those who are in many ways to be esteemed. God be thanked for their Christian witness. They are standing faithful in a professing church that has surrendered either to pseudo-infidelity or to pseudo-Romanism. Nevertheless, just because of their eminent orthodoxy they constitute the gravest obstacle to the advance of the Truth. Scripture photographically describes them.

‘Who is blind, but My servant? or deaf, as My messenger that I sent? Who is blind as he that is perfect, and blind as the Lord’s servant? Seeing many things, but thou observest not, opening the ears, but he heareth not’ (lsaiah 42:19-20)

These excellent men whose names figure in every great evangelical rally, who lead in Conventions and campaigns, enjoying untrammelled liberty by the laws of their land, enjoying the comforts, the intellectual and material resources of the best civilisation as yet developed in this world, are blind to the truth that these things are only possible because they dwell in the commonwealth of Israel to whom just such blessings were covenanted by the Most High. Well may the command be issued,

‘Hear, ye deaf, and look, ye blind, that ye may see’ (Isaiah 42:18).

But it will be vigorously objected that the case for British-Israel has not been proven. On the contrary, the case is proven to the last jot and tittle. What actually is demanded is proof of colour to the blind, proof of music to the stone deaf! History, archaeology, philology, geography, all combine to attest that the God of Israel has done what He said He would do, and His work thereby attests that He is God. Does the evangelist, discouraged by the prevalent unbelief understand what a weapon, a God-appointed weapon, he is rejecting by his own unbelief? It has brought thousands from infidelity to Christ.

Again, it is objected, British-Israel is too materialistic. A flimsy excuse. Does not the most ‘spiritual’ leader live on a material earth? Does he not need food, clothing, home, transport, churches, papers, books, as the materials by which his spiritual work is carried on? Does he not further need liberty, peace, safety? But all these are supplied and safeguarded by the enlightened polity in which he lives – enlightened to permit his sharing such blessings, and powerful to protect him. This is his lot in the great nations of the English-speaking peoples. Surely he must know that it has not been a normal one for the Christian church. Bonds and imprisonment, torture and death were its reward in Gentile lands. The difference is that he lives within the Israel sphere. But perhaps the chief objection derives from the doctrine that, on racial Israel being discovenanted through sin, Christ constituted the Church as Israel and through the New Covenant made it heir of the promises. It is amazing that this hoary error should still gain credence. The New Covenant is plainly stated to be made ‘with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah’ (Hebrews 8: 8). Here there is no mention of the Church. What would be thought of an historian who should thus misstate the terms of merely human charters? Claims of scholarly criticism of British-Israel become ridiculous in face of such misapplication of plain Scripture.

But as has been said previously, the difficulty is not one of the intellect, but of the will. Christians reject this mighty work of God for the same reason that religious men rejected Christ, for fear of the consequences. We read,

‘Among the chief rulers also many believed on Him; but because of the Pharisees they did not confess Him, lest they should be put out of the synagogue: for they loved the praise of men more than the praise of God.’

Who that has knowledge of church circles dare dispute that this Scripture is true today? The church member who embraced that objected Truth must endure year after year the Chill, the veiled contempt of pastor and fellow members.

The leader sees openings where once he was welcomed now barred to him, his name is dropped from the lists of convention speakers, oblivion closes over him. The penalty is too great, so the glorious truth is put aside, is picked to pieces with sophistries. Yet the church has the hardihood to besiege the Lord with prayers for Revival – on its own terms!

Sirs, you eminent Christian leaders, you know that these things are true! You have had noble leaders among you who have believed in British-Israel Truth. You maintain a conspiracy of silence about them. At their death, or on some anniversary when their names must be mentioned, all their works are recalled save the one they loved so deeply. Is not this a false weight and a false balance? Can God bless dealings that He calls abomination? (Proverbs11:1)

Nevertheless your prayers will be answered! Revival will be sent. But note well that it is promised to ISRAEL. Are you willing to be used in this outpouring of God’s mercy? Note too, that this is the way in which the Lord proposes to settle the missionary problem for,

‘The heathen shall know that I am the Lord … when I shall be sanctified in you (Israel) before their eyes’ (Ezekiel 36-23).

Here is the promise of cleansing. You have argued that the British-American race was too bad to be Israel. God definitely revealed how bad Israel would be in the very beginning under Moses. Nevertheless He went forward with His plan, and His promise stands –

‘Then will I sprinkle clean water upon you, and ye shall be clean: from all your filthiness, and from all your idols, will I cleanse you. A new heart also will I give you and I will put My spirit within you’ (Ezekiel 36:25-27).

You cry to God for Revival? Put away this grievous sin from among you, glorify God for His mercy, preach the FULL Gospel of His goodness, in Government as well as grace, to His noble, bewildered, stumbling people, and you will have your heart’s desire. For the promise is sure: ‘And so ALL Israel’ – which includes Judah who has refused the Redeemer so long – ‘And so ALL Israel shall be saved’. Then the grand doxology will ascend,

‘O the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God … for of Him and through Him and to Him, are all things; to whom be glory for ever. Amen.’